Melbourne (AFP)

The Australian Grand Prix, the first round of the F1 World Championship scheduled for Sunday, is in turn affected by the coronavirus pandemic with the decision Thursday of the McLaren team to withdraw from it, one of its members having been tested positive.

McLaren, who finished 4th in the World Constructors' Championship last year, said he made the decision "for the well-being not only of the employees of McLaren F1 and its partners, but also of its rivals, F1 fans and all of its participants. "

Race organizers, the International Automobile Federation (FIA) and stable officials were holding a meeting to decide the continuation of the GP and the championship after McLaren's decision, sources close to the sources said. organizers Thursday.

The first tests are scheduled for Friday at 12:00 local time (Saturday 02:00 French time, 01:00 GMT).

Earlier in the day, the presence in Melbourne of the ten F1 teams, their twenty drivers and hundreds of other employees had caused some discomfort, including the six-time world champion and defending champion, Lewis Hamilton, was the echo.

"I am very, very surprised that we are here," said the British driver at a press conference. "It is good that there are car races but for me it is shocking that we are all sitting here in this room," he said at a press conference.

"I see people going about their business as if everything is normal but it is not," said the Mercedes driver who will try to conquer a 7th world title this year which would make him the equal of the legendary Michael Schumacher.

- "Money is king" -

"Money is king," he said when asked about the holding of the Grand Prix in a country where more than a hundred cases of coronavirus and three deaths have been recorded.

"I don't see why I won't state my opinion," said Hamilton.

"It is normal to ask the question" of the holding of the Grand Prix, conceded for its part the quadruple German world champion Sebastien Vettel.

"But I'm not the one who has to judge," added the Ferrari driver, noting that the F1 drivers "rely on other people to trust them."

However, he raised the possibility of seeing the pilots plead for the postponement of the race if the situation were to worsen considerably by Sunday.

Ferrari is headquartered in northern Italy, a region under quarantine due to the number of cases of coronavirus reported there.

It has already been decided that the 2nd round of the World Championship, the Bahrain GP on March 22, will take place behind closed doors.

The GP of China, which was to be held on April 19, has been postponed to an unspecified date and threats hang over that of Vietnam scheduled for April 5.

- Hamilton favorite -

These developments on the coronavirus front make us forget the challenges of this first round of the 2020 season.

Hamilton, 35, and Mercedes are still leaving very long favorites, in particular with their new revolutionary device called "DAS" (Dual Steering System) which allows to modify the geometry of the front axle of the single-seater while driving it.

But they will still have to reckon with Ferrari, even if the Italian team was somewhat behind in pre-season testing, as well as Max Verstappen and his Red Bull-Honda.

At 22, the Dutchman intends to compete with the Mercedes and the Ferraris even to anticipate them.

Asked Thursday to find out how he intended to overtake his competitors on Sunday on a track which is not known to facilitate him, he replied: "I will not overtake anyone except the retarded."

© 2020 AFP