12/03/2020
NEWS STORY
It is somewhat ironic that at a time the drivers' union - the Grand Prix Drivers' Association - was giving its support to the "Australian health authorities, the FIA, F1 and our teams" for its handling of the coronavirus crisis, Lewis Hamilton, arguably the union's most important member and certainly the driver with the highest public profile, was not singing from the same hymn sheet.
"I am very, very surprised we are here," he said, when asked at today's official press conference. "I think it's great that we can have races, but for me it's shocking that we're all sitting in this room.
"There are so many fans here already today," he continued. "It seems like the rest of the world is reacting, probably a bit late, but already this morning we have seen Trump shutting down the borders from Europe (Schengen) to the United States. The NBA is being suspended and F1 continues to go on.
"I saw Jackie Stewart 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."
Asked why he feels the race is going ahead, despite the increasing concern in recent weeks, especially from the media, the world champion didn't pull his punches: "Cash is king," he replied, "but honestly I don't know. I can't really add much.
"I don't feel like I should shy away from the fact of my opinion," he added. "The fact is we are here and I just urge everyone to really just be as careful as you can be in touching doors and surfaces. I hope everyone's got hand sanitizer, and really for the fans I really, really hope that they take precautions."
With five F1 team members currently awaiting the results of their tests, when asked how the sport should react if they proved positive, Hamilton said: "It is not for me to make the decision. But I heard that the results are not going to come back for five days or something: coincidentally."
"It is very difficult having a fair judgement," added Sebastian Vettel, one of three directors of the GPDA, "but I do realise a lot of sporting competitions get cancelled and it is fair to ask the question why you are here.
"We have to trust the FIA and for them to take all the precautions," he continued, "but the answer no one can give you is how much you can control what is going on.
"You try to control the situation for yourself as much as you can," he added. "Some are more relaxed about handshakes, some not. Some laugh it off.
"I don't know how serious it is. You have to put yourself in other people's hands. We did in getting here. The flights weren't cancelled. But within that you are in your own bubble and you try to control it as much as you can. It is right to take care and take precautions - how much, there are a lot of questions that are very difficult to answer."
Asked if there was the possibility of drivers refusing to race should the situation deteriorate, he said: "My stand would be hope it doesn't get that far. If it gets that far, you'd pull the handbrake."
Even more ironic than the Briton's stance compared to the GPDA's, is the fact that just as the press conference came to the end of its opening phase, where the floor was thrown open to the general F1 media, coverage was pulled.
Initially, it was claimed there was a "technical fault" before coverage moved on to a different programme altogether.
Up until then, Hamilton, Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo and Nicholas Latifi had been asked various questions about testing, their cars, the off-season and the bushfires, with not a single mention of the topic actually dominating the paddock this weekend and possibly the season... the coronavirus.
How ironic therefore that F1, now owned by a media company, chose to pull the plug, effectively censoring what race fans will get to hear.
Check out our Thursday gallery from Melbourne, here.