Vaccines to be mandatory for all F1 staff in 2022

All Formula 1 personnel must be vaccinated if they are to enter any paddock next season, along with abiding with each host country’s own individual Covid-19 regulations.

A report published by The Times says the sport is expected to confirm that a mandate will be in place for all personnel, including team staff, members of the media, drivers [the current grid are all said to be fully vaccinated already] and hospitality guests to potentially require proof of vaccination if they are to gain access to the paddock.

This move has reportedly been prompted because of the concerns surrounding the Omicron variant of the virus, which is still producing high numbers of cases around the world even though, mercifully, the death rate from the variant has been lower than others.

F1 sources previously told PlanetF1 that “Formula 1 requires all staff who travel to any grand prix event, or travel anywhere on business, to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

“This requirement also extends to every driver and all travelling team staff, and no exemptions will be sought for anyone from any host country.”

A spokesperson for Formula 1 has since told the BBC that this will be the case in Formula 1 this season, with the move to mandatory vaccines said to have been confirmed in December’s meeting of the World Motor Sport Council.

As a result, this could enable the easing of some of the stricter safety measures in the paddock which have been in place for the past two years, such as reducing the frequency of testing.

The BBC also added, however, that the “FIA is willing to consider individual exemptions on a case-by-case basis, as long as the individual in question was prepared to have a more rigorous testing regime than fully vaccinated people.”

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