Ferrari wants assurances over coronavirus from F1 before travel
Ferrari says Formula 1 teams must be given assurances about the risks they may face at the Australian Grand Prix regarding the coronavirus before staff start travelling to Melbourne
Amid growing fears that some staff will not be allowed to travel, or risk being held in quarantine on arrival, Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto said F1 and the FIA must ensure there are no surprises for teams.
Italian team personnel and drivers have had trouble getting to this weekend's Bahrain F2 test because of fears over the virus.
Binotto said he wants nothing left to chance, and added it will be too late to make a decision once personnel are on their way.
Asked about the potential for a repeat of the troubles that F2 has faced in Bahrain, Binotto said: "[Getting] to testing has been difficult.
"Some of our engineers going there have remained home - so instead of taking the risk to be there and eventually staying there for a few days or many days, they stayed home.
"I think what we will need is simply to have assurance before leaving. I don't think we can discover when [teams arrive] what can be or what will be the situation.
"So if there are any medical screenings, we need to know about them.
"You need to know exactly what's about. We need to understand what the consequences are in case of any problem.
"Obviously we need to protect our employees. We have got collective and individual responsibility towards them.
"And it's important, really, to make sure that before leaving, the picture, whatever is the scenario, is known and clear."
Team bosses met with F1 CEO Chase Carey on Friday morning for an update on the status of the first three races.
One issue for F1 could be that if one or two teams cannot run in Australia because staff cannot get there, but all the others are fine, whether the race should go ahead.
But Binotto said the implication of such a problem for Italian staff would stretch far beyond the two teams based in the country, Ferrari and AlphaTauri.
"I say it's not only two [teams] because we are supplying assistance to Haas and the Alfa Sauber team," he said.
"So it will be four teams at least, plus the Pirelli situation which we need to understand.
"So what will be the situation that if eventually four teams cannot run and if the race will take place or not?
"That is not my decision."
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