Ricciardo after cancellation Melbourne: "I called Max to ask what his plans were"

The decision to cancel the Australian Grand Prix came at the very last moment. According to Daniel Ricciardo the organisation of Formula 1 took a lot of risk with the cancellation of the first race of the season.

An hour before the first practice session of the season would start, the decision was made: the Australian Grand Prix was officially cancelled. The fans were already standing in front of a closed door in large numbers and there was a lot of uncertainty among the teams and drivers.

"We played with fire there," said Daniel Ricciardo in an interview with The Age. "I became paranoid and tried to trace all the interpersonal contacts I had. Even a few weeks earlier we were in Barcelona, at a time of year when everyone has the flu or the cold. At some point, the mind begins to have fears about the spread of the coronavirus."

The chaos after the cancellation

According to the Australian, there was a clear moment when the plug should have been pulled from the race, even though he was looking forward to his home race. "When the NBA also decided to quit the championship, it seemed clear to me that we should never have gone to the track."

After the cancellation of the race the chaos really started. Some drivers were even already on a plane. "Everybody's phone started ringing like crazy. I myself wanted to leave Melbourne as soon as possible, before it became more difficult. I went back to Perth and called Max Verstappen to ask what his plans were. On Sunday I realized that I should have been in the car by then and that's when reality hit me hard," Ricciardo explains. When the season can start is still one big question.