Williams: "Safety is absolutely the priority" to all F1 stakeholders

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10:45, 13 Mar 2020

Williams says they "fully support" the decision to cancel the Australian Grand Prix as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. A few teams wanted to continue with the race weekend, but most wanted to depart Melbourne after a McLaren team member was tested positive for the coronavirus.

Had Williams wanted to race, they wouldn't have been able because Mercedes opted to start packing up to priorities safety. This would have left the British team without an engine.

Williams says that safety is their priority to all people involved with Formula 1.

The statement

"ROKiT Williams Racing fully supports the decision taken by the FIA, Formula One and the Australian Grand Prix Corporation to cancel this weekend’s (13-15 March) 2020 FIA Formula One Australian Grand Prix.

"Whilst the decision, taken after confirmation that a member of another team has tested positive for COVID- 19, will sadly deprive the many loyal fans in Melbourne the chance to see the race, the safety of both every member of the team and the fans, is absolutely the priority.”

Pos.	Driver	Team	Points
1	Kimi Antonelli Kimi Antonelli	MercedesMER	179
2	George Russell George Russell	MercedesMER	154
3	Lewis Hamilton Lewis Hamilton	FerrariFER	147
4	Charles Leclerc Charles Leclerc	FerrariFER	108
5	Lando Norris Lando Norris	McLarenMCL	97
6	Oscar Piastri Oscar Piastri	McLarenMCL	82
7	Max Verstappen Max Verstappen	Red Bull RacingRBR	76
8	Isack Hadjar Isack Hadjar	Red Bull RacingRBR	52
9	Pierre Gasly Pierre Gasly	AlpineALP	42
10	Liam Lawson Liam Lawson	Racing BullsRCB	39
11	Arvid Lindblad Arvid Lindblad	Racing BullsRCB	20
12	Oliver Bearman Oliver Bearman	HaasHAA	18
13	Franco Colapinto Franco Colapinto	AlpineALP	18
14	Gabriel Bortoleto Gabriel Bortoleto	AudiAUD	6
15	Carlos Sainz Carlos Sainz	WilliamsWIL	6
16	Alexander Albon Alexander Albon	WilliamsWIL	5
17	Esteban Ocon Esteban Ocon	HaasHAA	3
18	Fernando Alonso Fernando Alonso	Aston MartinAST	1
19	Nico Hulkenberg Nico Hulkenberg	AudiAUD	0
20	Valtteri Bottas Valtteri Bottas	CadillacCAD	0
21	Sergio Perez Sergio Perez	CadillacCAD	0
22	Lance Stroll Lance Stroll	Aston MartinAST	0

Williams: "Safety is absolutely the priority" to all F1 stakeholders

The statement

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