F1 will require Covid-19 vaccination of everyone in the paddock

F1 will make vaccination against Covid-19 mandatory for all professionals and guests who have access to the paddock, the area where the teams’ pits are located, during the 2022 season. The championship starts on March 20, in Bahrain.

According to a spokesperson for the category, there will be no exceptions to the new rule. All 20 drivers on the grid are already vaccinated and therefore will not be affected by the determination, which goes for team members, press and guests.

“F1, through the FOM (Formula One Management), will require all travel personnel to be fully vaccinated and will not apply for exemptions,” the spokesperson said.

At the end of the 2021 season, 19 of the 20 drivers in the World Championship – the only exception being the Finnish Kimi Raikkonen, who has already retired – participated in a campaign to encourage immunization against the coronavirus. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali was also part of the announcement.

“Vaccines are our way out of this pandemic, and we need to keep everyone safe and move forward together. I’ve had my shot and my booster shot, I urge everyone to do the same. F1 is moving forward and we ask that everyone do their part.” , said Domenicali.

With the advance of vaccination, the category hopes to gradually relax the restriction measures it has adopted to contain the spread of the virus, such as the constant testing of all those involved in GPs.

The F1 requirement comes days after the Australian government confirmed the race will be held in the country, on April 10, provided that all professionals are vaccinated. Recently, Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic was deported from Australia and prevented from playing at the Australian Open because he was not immunized.

This year, the Worlds will have 23 races in all, a record in the history of the championship. In addition to the rules of the category itself, F1 will also follow the determinations of local governments.