Somehow it hits everyone in the end ...
03/14/2020
Nobody knows what lies ahead. Uncertainty at every turn. Should we register, book, reserve and pay in advance? Or is it better to forget all activities at the moment? For safety reasons, restraint is required, which is certainly the right way to stop this virus, or at least slow down its spread.
But what about events such as a "Le Mans Classic" or a "GP Monaco Historic"? The registrations are in, deposits have been made, but will the participants really come and will the fans arrive in the desired numbers? And if so, what then? No organizer wants to and, above all, cannot take the blame for an explosive contagion. A religious event in Alsace alone showed what really happens when even one in two thousand participants coughs the virus into the crowd.
This virus can even end up costing event organizers their heads. Insurance companies are unlikely to cover the damage caused by cancellations, for example the Geneva International Motor Show (GIMS).
At the moment, it's not just the whole world that is holding its breath. Only Formula 1 believed that it was immune to this insidious virus.
But let's be honest, how can you fly to Melbourne with ten teams and hundreds of employees with such exaggerated optimism when it has been clear since the Barcelona tests that there would be no racing down under after all? Of all those involved, Lewis Hamilton was the most honest: "For me, it's a shock that we're all here. The whole world is reacting to the coronavirus - except us, sports events are being canceled everywhere, the NBA is even ending the season. I saw Jackie Stewart this morning. He is already 80 years old and certainly belongs to the risk group of older people. Fortunately, he looked healthy and cheerful. I just hope we get through this weekend without any fatalities. Unfortunately, the fact remains: money rules this sport."
Hats off to the six-time world champion, who has once again shown that he can do more than just drive very fast.
Chase Carey counters: "If that were the case, we wouldn't have made this decision today."
I think you could have saved more money if you had stayed at home. This emergency stop will certainly destroy a lot more dollars and leave a lot of angry Australian fans behind. The state of Victoria is spending around 60 million Australian dollars on the spectacle, the equivalent of around 35 million euros. "Money makes the world go round," Hamilton replied at the press conference when asked why they wanted to hold on to the race. "To be honest, I don't know."
The people of the country are worried, Hamilton noted, "We're bringing a pretty big circus here. It's definitely worrying for me."
It is incomprehensible that the F1 organizer assumed that the racing circus was immune to the coronavirus. As if you need scientists to see the risks ...
