BREAKING: 2020 AUSTRALIAN FORMULA 1 GP CANCELLED

[PegaMixel]

When was the last time a F1 GP got cancelled before the weekend even started?

Pretty sure that was the 2015 German GP

 

[Frank]

It's canceled, no source I can show, but there is a joined statement soonish.

 

[guidofoc]

You cant conclude from China to more or less the rest of the world.

On one hand, sure, China had very draconian measures and the ability to enforce them, on the other hand they were exposed to the virus first and they were not aware of its aggressiveness until rather late. We can and must definitely learn from their experience. I agree we do not know how long it will last, I was imagining a best-case scenario, where half of the F1 season is canceled. A worst-case scenario is no F1 at all this year.

 

[Andrew Whelan]

IMSA has pushed the 12 hours of Sebring to November

https://twitter.com/x/status/1238135029127151616

 

[graham123]

just found ourt the Grand Prix is off

 

[Scott Borchardt]

I don't see how any racing is going to take place this year.

 

[BillGuy]

Could they be waiting until after the NASDAQ closes before issuing the announcement? I know that sounds like tinfoil hat material but I believe it’s not terribly uncommon for publicly traded companies to wait until market close before releasing bad news.

 

[Slowdive]

It can carry on, but it shouldn't be held under full audience on site. This is a quite high risk, tbh.

Yes, a quite high risk of catching the seasonal flu. The Coronavirus not so much.

 

[Slowdive]

I don't know what to think of this situation. The safe way would be to cancel the race. On the other hand, the teams are already there, the "damage" is done (so to speak), they might as well run the race, albeit without McLaren, which sucks big time.

However, I would definitely cancel Bahrein and Vietnam. They've already announced that there won't be any spectators anyway. China is also cancelled. That leaves a significant gap before the next GP, Zandvoort. By then, maybe this virus scare will be a thing of the past...

600,000 people die from the seasonal flu every year and no one cares or cancels any race in spite of the fact that a good number of people are most certainly infected at these events. This panic response it way out of proportion to the threat. If you're in an at risk group, stay home. If not go and enjoy the race.

 

[Slapped]

600,000 people die from the seasonal flu every year and no one cares or cancels any race in spite of the fact that a good number of people are most certainly infected at these events. This panic response it way out of proportion to the threat. If you're in an at risk group, stay home. If not go and enjoy the race.

Seasonal flu is a virus, or a collection of related viri that are relatively well understood. The Novel Coronavirus which on the surface seems to be symptomatically similar to the flu, albeit with a higher mortality rate, is new and not well understood.

The biggest questions and fears come not from what it is at the moment, but what it can potentially mutate into.

Hence the abundance of caution employed around the infection. Understandably to some it may seem like an immense fuss over very little as it stands at the moment. However that fuss is justified for a new virus that we know very little about.

 

[Slowdive]

Seasonal flu is a virus, or a collection of related viri that are relatively well understood. The Novel Coronavirus which on the surface seems to be symptomatically similar to the flu, albeit with a higher mortality rate, is new and not well understood.

The biggest questions and fears come not from what it is at the moment, but what it can potentially mutate into.

Hence the abundance of caution employed around the infection. Understandably to some it may seem like an immense fuss over very little as it stands at the moment. However that fuss is justified for a new virus that we know very little about.

The New England Journal of Medicine disputes that higher mortality rate as do I. There is insufficient data on the number of infections to get an accurate result. Infections seem to be seriously under-reported. For example we now have a situation where in the US, supposedly only 1200 have been infected, all famous people and athletes of course. The statistical odds of these numbers being accurate is through the roof.

There is every indication that this is inline with the seasonal flu sans a vaccine.

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2002032

 

[paracletus]

Not a g'day, sport

 

[AccAkut]

The New England Journal of Medicine disputes that higher mortality rate as do I. There is insufficient data on the number of infections to get an accurate result. Infections seem to be seriously under-reported. For example we now have a situation where in the US, supposedly only 1200 have been infected, all famous people and athletes of course. The statistical odds of these numbers being accurate is through the roof.

well in the US you'll probably have to pay 500$ out your pocket to even get checked, no wonder the reported numbers are so low. Most will never know they have it and cure it like a common cold/flu

 

[Slapped]

The New England Journal of Medicine disputes that higher mortality rate as do I. There is insufficient data on the number of infections to get an accurate result. Infections seem to be seriously under-reported. For example we now have a situation where in the US, supposedly only 1200 have been infected, all famous people and athletes of course. The statistical odds of these numbers being accurate is through the roof.

There is every indication that this is inline with the seasonal flu sans a vaccine.

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2002032

That's a US organisation - here in Europe we tend to trust what our own medical experts have to say. No offence intended.

 

[BrunoBæ]

Yes, a quite high risk of catching the seasonal flu. The Coronavirus not so much.
()
This panic response it way out of proportion to the threat. If you're in an at risk group, stay home. If not go and enjoy the race.

I was very positively surprised to se that the usual smart guys with their idiotic comments either avoided to post on this subject or did actually keep some pretty reasonable inputs.
But then I saw this.
But again lots of posts from people showing some brain - appreciated

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

I don't see how any racing is going to take place this year.

All virtual this year!

 

[Slapped]

All virtual this year!

Actually you're right, this could be the year that sim racing really begins to take off as a spectator e-sport, although one would have to lament the reasons for it.

 

[Slowdive]

I was very positively surprised to se that the usual smart guys with their idiotic comments either avoided to post on this subject or did actually keep some pretty reasonable inputs.
But then I saw this.
But again lots of posts from people showing some brain - appreciated

I assume you get your information from the mainstream media and not science publications.

 

[Slowdive]

That's a US organisation - here in Europe we tend to trust what our own medical experts have to say. No offence intended.

No offense taken. Science knows no borders, and good science can be done anywhere. To have faith in nationalistic organizations is dubious at best.

 

[guidofoc]

600,000 people die from the seasonal flu every year and no one cares or cancels any race in spite of the fact that a good number of people are most certainly infected at these events. This panic response it way out of proportion to the threat. If you're in an at risk group, stay home. If not go and enjoy the race.

No, you are misguided. This virus cannot be compared to seasonal flu for a number of reasons. First: it spreads very easily like the flu but the mortality rate is like ten times that of seasonal flu (EDIT: I see you dispute that data, well we have to go with what we have at the moment). Second: we do not have antibodies to it. Third: there is no vaccine and no proven effective therapy. Fourth: it can cause viral pneumonia, which unlike bacterial pneumonia is much deeper and dangerous and needs intensive care. This alone means that the intensive care departments of the hospitals are being flooded with patients. In Italy we are already at saturation level after 2 weeks. If we proceed at this rate, our hospitals said, we will have to choose who to cure and who to leave to his destiny. Even if you get the virus and it does not kill you, you will easily transmit it to someone among your friends and family and maybe he'll be affected. Anyways, you will see by yourself when it comes to your country.