'In the event of a contagion, the F1 World Championship does not take place again'

The Formula 1 World Championship is ready to start again, the first major international event after the stop imposed on the whole world by the pandemic, and, in the event of a new infection, the intention is not to stop again. To explain it is Gerard Saillant, the orthopedist who operated the footballer Ronaldo after the serious knee injury and who is now leading the medical commission of the FIA.

"If there is a new contagion, the World Cup must not stop: it would be like saying that we close the subway because a positive passenger has been found," Saillant says in an interview with the team in which he explains the medical protocol that is about to be developed in view of the restart on 5 July, with the Austrian GP.

"The situation has changed compared to March in Australia - adds Saillant, referring to the first GP of the season canceled for the coronavirus emergency - We have a rapid test device for confirming the diagnosis, we are able to isolate and test the people who are keep in touch with a positive case ".

The idea of ​​the FIA ​​is to create a sort of 'health bubble' in the paddock, isolated from the rest of the world. It relies on rapid tests to search for positivity and an app that can track the contacts that took place within the paddock, in which the teams could admit a limited number of people. Registration to the app would be on a voluntary basis and the FIA ​​legal department is working to protect privacy. There are also tests on saliva and compliance with the health regulations of individual countries.

"If a circuit is in the countryside, things are different than one in the city", Saillant observes again, admitting that at the moment the main difference is between the planned GPs in Europe and those in Asia: "Singapore or Vietnam would have an organization completely different medicine. Already today, for example, the Singapore government could force the entire paddock to quarantine two weeks before entering the track. "