Pirelli F1 staff member tests positive for coronavirus in Australia
A member of Pirelli's Formula 1 operations has tested positive for coronavirus following tests conducted by Australian authorities
In the wake of the Australian Grand Prix being cancelled following a McLaren team member testing positive for COVID-19, several other staff members from the paddock were put in to self-isolation after displaying symptoms of the virus.
Pirelli has now confirmed that one of its crew has been confirmed as having contracted the virus, and is now undergoing treatment in Melbourne.
- The impact of coronavirus on F1
- Australian Grand Prix officially cancelled due to coronavirus
- 2020 season may not start until June at Baku
- Bahrain and Vietnam GPs postponed
- F1 could scrap summer break to run more races
- How a late phonecall change the Australian GP's fate
- The big questions F1 faces after Australian GP cancellation chaos
A statement issued by the Italian tyre company said: "A member of the Pirelli F1 team has yesterday tested positive for COVID-19 in Melbourne.
"The person concerned is now following all the relevant procedures put in place by the Australian health authorities.
"These authorities have confirmed to Pirelli that this person has not had any contact with third parties that requires special preventive measures to be taken for other people.
"Pirelli is closely monitoring the situation in line with public health policies and company guidelines."
The positive test for a McLaren team member on Thursday night prompted his team to withdraw from the F1 race, and triggered a sequence of events that resulted in the season opener being cancelled the following morning.
As a consequence of the McLaren positive test, 14 other members of the Woking-based team who were in close contact with the individual have been put into quarantine in Australia to ensure that they have not been infected.
F1 team personnel returning to their bases in Europe this week are also undergoing similar procedures, with staff advised not to return to factories for at least another fortnight.
There were seven further coronavirus tests during the aborted grand prix weekend, but these were all reported as negative.
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Why F1 2026 worst case fears could be key to new rules success
Hamilton: Ferrari F1 switch doesn't need "vindicating"
The story behind Shanghai's "painted" F1 track surprise
Quartararo: Marquez's Honda MotoGP exit "woke a lot of people up" at Yamaha
How national entries in the first month of the season stack up
COTA: F1 and MotoGP double-header possible but not probable
WRC 2025 rules limbo creating “critical” situation for teams
Why F1 2026 worst case fears could be key to new rules success
How the F1 driver market situation sits for each team with 2025 openings
What's been going wrong for Leclerc in F1's tiny margins qualifying game
What the Chinese GP's highlights reveal about its first F1 race for five years
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments