Increased restrictions for British F1 personnel in Hungary

If the Formula 1 has successfully returned to school with the implementation of a strict but manageable health protocol in the less densely populated regions of Austrian Styria, the situation risks turning into a headache in Hungary next week. 

The Hungarian government has in fact strengthened the restrictions applying to British nationals and more generally to people from a country outside the European Union or the European Economic Area. 

Concretely, citizens of Her Majesty must stay at their hotel and only leave it to go to the circuit. And vice versa. British nationals are not allowed to take public transport or taxis. They must also eat only at the Hungaroring or at the place where they are staying. 

Failure to comply with these guidelines is punishable by imprisonment and/or a fine of up to 15 euros. 

This information was transmitted to the teams, but also to the media present on site, including AUTOhebdo, in the form of an update to the Covid-19 Code of Conduct that everyone had to ratify before entering the F1 health bubble.

Our English colleagues have already received a letter of invitation from Hungaroring officials to help them cross the Austro-Hungarian border next week. 

The F1 paddock is mainly made up of people from the United Kingdom, the country being home to 7 of the 10 teams in the field. One of these teams based across the Channel has already told us that all of its staff will respect Hungarian government measures, including staff members who are not British.

This same team, however, wonders if the FIA ​​should not force all people present in the F1 bubble to respect these semi-quarantine rules. As it stands, Pau Mota, the Covid-19 delegate, specifies that European nationals are strongly encouraged, but not forced, to observe the same restrictions as their British colleagues.