Ferrari Closes F1 Factory

The closure of all factories under the Ferrari and Fiat brands have been suspended amidst the continued COVID-19 Outbreak. This means that production of Ferrari’s F1 Vehicles and its respective parts have been terminated. Road Car Factories won’t be open for two weeks, with Fiat Representatives expressing that this decision was enacted for the protection of employees. The cancellation of F1 Ferrari Production follows after the March 15th season opener was terminated, leaving Australian Grand Prix supporters in Melbourne without their yearly venue. Abandonment of the AGP followed after a McLaren Team Member contracted the novel coronavirus.

The most infected country with the COVID-19 Pandemic is Italy, with the nation facing a country-wide lockdown to ensure that the coronavirus isn’t spread amongst their citizens or international visitors. When Italian Politicians made this decision, Ferrari Representatives inducted prevention strategies to ensure that employees are protected on multiple levels. This extends to team members with Scuderia Ferrari F1 and their respective drivers. It should be mentioned that supply-chain issues have followed with the novel coronavirus, promoting delays production for Ferrari and multiple other auto-manufacturers. It’s suspected that larger auto-manufacturers will confirm their delayed production or suspended facilities by March 20th to March 25th.

Public Remarks from Ferrari

The Chief Executive Officer for Ferrari, Louis Camilleri, provided public remarks regarding the closures. The statements expressed that his gratitude and concern go towards the employees of Ferrari, who showed tremendous commitment to their brand throughout the last week. They showed a level of passion and dedication that made Louis Camilleri emotional throughout the week. It came with significant disappoint for him to announce that suppliers couldn’t meet anticipated deadlines, forcing Camilleri to shut down production facilities for an unspecified period. Ensuring the peace of mind for his employees, they were informed that paycheques would continue to be provided regardless of the production facilities remaining open.

Formula One Cancellations

The Formula International Association confirmed this week that the F1 2020 Season wouldn’t begin until May. This followed after the Australian Grand Prix, Bahrain Grand Prix, Chinese Grand Prix and Vietnam Grand Prix had all been postponed. It’s suspected that both the Spanish and Dutch Grand Prix’s will also be terminated. This would mean that half the regular season would be cancelled, providing a minimal reason to hold a championship event.