The nightmare F1 was never going to avoid but still walked into

The world is facing a practically unprecedented situation in the modern age. The COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak is having an impact - on a global scale - that modern societies and economies have not faced before.

There was no chance Formula 1's 2020 season was going to avoid being impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Beyond unprecedented government actions, sporting leagues and competitions around the world are being affected and various ranges of response are being deployed. From football matches being played behind closed doors, to Six Nations rugby games being postponed, to the NBA suspending its league.

It is a rapidly developing situation, with the scenario changing - basically - hour by hour.

And yet, the F1 paddock travelled to Melbourne for the 2020 Australian Grand Prix.

It is fair to say that by the time the majority of paddock personnel - the teams, F1 staff, and yes, the media - had travelled to Melbourne at the end of last weekend and the start of this week, the situation did not feel quite as severe as it does now.

But it's also true to point out that the situation was getting ever more serious by the day, and by the time most of the paddock had boarded flights things had reached a critical juncture.

Only on Wednesday, when surely all the F1 team personnel had arrived, Australia imposed a travel ban on people arriving from Italy - the first European country to face the outbreak in epic numbers. But multiple reports are suggesting that the spread in other countries will be on the same trajectory as Italy, and are just a few days behind on the calendar.

The news that a McLaren team member has tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday night almost felt inevitable after three paddock personnel - one from McLaren and two from Haas - had been tested for the coronavirus on Wednesday. Now, we know that two more staff from Haas and four from other squads - plus another case that is understood to be a photographer - have also been tested.

McLaren's response - to withdraw from the event - was unilateral and it is understood that this was made because the team felt it had to take a lead. It was not forced upon the Woking-based squad.

Autosport's team of reporters in Melbourne spoke to multiple sources in both the F1 and support race paddocks on Thursday, and the sense that the show being in the city was not a good idea was palpable.

People had attended the race because it was their jobs. They trusted F1 and the FIA. So did most of the drivers, who, as the face of the championship, said as much when quizzed over the wisdom of racing in Melbourne on Thursday. But, with the race still going ahead, what choice did they really have?

In private, naturally, the F1 drivers' WhatsApp group had been increasingly active in recent days amid concerns about the spread of COVID-19. It is understood that last week the GPDA was in contact with the FIA and F1 asking for assurances regarding the risk of transmission between fans and drivers.

But the drivers ultimately remain employees of their teams. And while it is understandable to ask why they didn't take a stand - as was, of course, an option for everyone present in the F1 paddock in Melbourne this week - it is equally understandable why they, and the rest, did not.

The situation was the only real topic when it came to the various media appointments for the drivers on Thursday. Lewis Hamilton's comments were without doubt the strongest.

"I am very, very surprised that we are here," said Hamilton, when asked by Autosport if he was comfortable with having travelled to Melbourne and if he was satisfied with what F1 and the FIA had done regarding the situation.

"I think it's great that we have races, but for me it's shocking that we're all sitting in this room. So many fans here already today and it seems like the rest of the world is reacting, probably a little bit late, but already this morning we've seen [US president Donald] Trump shutting down the borders from Europe to the States.

The statements released so far by F1, the FIA and the Australian Grand Prix Corporation offer no indication of what will happen next. It's that very lack of direction and leadership that led to this current situation in the first place

"We are seeing the NBA being suspended and F1 continues to go on. I saw Jackie Stewart [who is 80 years old] this morning, looking fit and healthy and well, and some people as I walked into the paddock, some elderly individuals.

"So it's a concern for the people here. It's definitely concerning for me. So, no, is your answer."

For all of us, there is no escaping the impact of the coronavirus situation - and that both is and isn't hyperbole.

On a minor scale, it will impact the way of life we have come to enjoy in the modern age (attending sporting and cultural events en masse, etc) in the short term, and yet the potential that everyone is at risk of contracting the virus is very real.

Given the unprecedented situation humanity is now encountering, the scenario F1 faces right now was always going to happen. And so, the questions turn to what happens next - and, at the time of writing, there is nothing but utter uncertainty.

Will the rest of the Australian GP go ahead? Will Albert Park even be open on Friday? Should F1 and the FIA make a call to stop proceedings?

The statements released so far by F1, the FIA and the Australian Grand Prix Corporation offer no indication of what will happen next. It's that very lack of direction and leadership that led to this current situation in the first place.

There is no time left. An unprecedented situation surely requires an unprecedented response.