The Australian Grand Prix scheduled to run this weekend in Melbourne will no longer go ahead because of coronavirus concerns.
The cancellation of the annual event follows confirmation that a driver from the McLaren Racing Team tested positive for Covid-19 according to a statement issued by F1, the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and the Australian Grand Prix Corporation.
"Following the confirmation that a member of the McLaren Racing Team has tested positive for COVID-19 and the team's decision to withdraw from the Australian Grand Prix, Formula 1 and the FIA convened a meeting of the other nine team principals on Thursday evening," says the trio.
"Those discussions concluded with a majority view of the teams that the race should not go ahead."
"We appreciate this is very disappointing news for the thousands of fans due to attend the race and all ticket holders will receive a full refund and a further announcement will be communicated in due course."
F1 says the decision was made to ensure the safety and health of drivers, crews, attendees and the wider community.
Updated at 10:40am AEDT on 13 March 2020.
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