Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix organisers rule out COVID-19 vaccination exemptions

The Australian Grand Prix will enforce a blanket ban on all COVID-19 vaccination exemptions, making it mandatory to be vaccinated in order to participate.

Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix chief Andrew Westacott said the terms and conditions of participation in the event were clear. 

«The rules are simple to get into the country and the rules are simple to operate in Formula One,» Mr Westacott said.

«To come into the event you'll be 100 per cent vaccinated and there won't be an exemption sought for anyone from anyone.»

He said the move would be crucial for teams to maintain their continuity while in Australia.

Mr Westacott said the Australian Grand Prix Corporation (AGPC) had worked out its COVID policies well before the recent Novak Djokovic saga at the Australian Open.

«Our arrangements have been in place well before the recent goings-on at the Australian Open,» he said.

«These rules are understood by Formula One, they're understood by the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile), they're going to be written into the sporting regulations and I'm very confident that [it] is just going to be a rite of passage to come into the country.»

Leading F1 drivers Lewis Hamilton, Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen have been vocal in their support for vaccination.

They joined 19 other F1 drivers last year in a video promoting vaccines.

All staff in F1 paddocks are required to be vaccinated, with medical driver Alan van der Merwe unable to attend several races last season due to being unvaccinated.

Mr Westacott said anyone who tested positive to COVID-19 during the event would be barred from racing.

«There's zero tolerance. Whether you're Lewis Hamilton or Valentino Rossi in MotoGP, if you test positive, you don't race that weekend,» he