Wolff is not worried: 'We won't be a risk for those countries'

F1 News

31 October 2020 at 20:02
Last update 31 October 2020 at 21:39
  • GPblog.com

A second wave of the coronavirus is currently moving through Europe. This is also leading to new measures in many countries, including England who are set to enter a second lockdown on Thursday. Yet the Formula 1 teams are not worried and expect that the season can simply be finished.

For a couple of weeks, we were able to enjoy a relatively low number of coronaviruses, but the virus is stronger in Europe. COVID-19 is spreading faster than expected and therefore several countries have already announced tougher measures. 

Nevertheless, the Formula 1 teams, which are mostly based in Great Britain, are not worried. "The lockdowns we are seeing in Europe are very different from the measures taken in the spring. At that time it was a complete shutdown of all activities, you couldn't go to work or across the street. I think that this time if we look at the measures taken in Germany and France, we no longer have access to pubs, restaurants and other leisure areas, but we can still just go to work," explains Toto Wolff in conversation with Autosport.com.

No safer group of people on earth

Mercedes' team boss thinks that measures will have an impact on the lives of European citizens, but that Formula 1 can find a way around it. "It is now in the hands of the health authorities in the countries we are visiting to accept us and organise the race. If they decide there is too much risk, then, of course, we can't race there".

"I believe the FIA, FOM and Formula One teams have done a great job. We travel from country to country, we stay in our bubbles and we have very few positive cases of the coronavirus. That is why I don't think we are a risk for the country we are visiting. We are probably the safest group of people in the world," concludes the Austrian.

The team boss of Mercedes is not the only one who thinks so in the paddock. Andreas Seidl, Wolff's colleague at McLaren, also sees Formula 1 as one of the safest sports of the moment. "With all the protocols and the like that we set for Formula 1, for our own little world, I think that we can feel quite safe".