Tost: "There was no way for McLaren to compensate for that"

Despite all the problems, it seemed that the Australian Grand Prix would continue as planned, but at last minute the plug was pulled. Franz Tost explains why the teams decided not to drive.

The Formula 1 teams had all arrived at Albert Park in Melbourne and nothing seemed to get in the way of the Australian Grand Prix anymore. When a McLaren member was found to have tested positive for COVID-19, the situation changed quickly.

According to Franz Tost, no one from the FIA ​​or the organization could have seen it coming. "Australia was quite far away from the worst crisis areas. In Barcelona I already said: if we don't have a coronavirus sufferer in the paddock, I don't see any reason why we shouldn't be driving," said the team boss of AlphaTauri in an interview with Speedweek.com.

When it turned out that McLaren would immediately withdraw from the Grand Prix, it was already clear to Tost that the race would not continue on Sunday. “As soon as one team drops out due to the disease, the others would no longer drive, that would just be unfair. That was the reason why we packed our suitcases."

Ultimately, fourteen other McLaren staff also had to be quarantined. According to Tost, such a thing cannot be accommodated. “We brought in spare personnel to be on the safe side. So if a mechanic went out, we could replace him, as could the engineers. But if several people are affected and isolated, there is no way to compensate for that," the team boss concludes.