Formula 1 to make Covid-19 vaccines mandatory for all personnel

Formula One plans to introduce a new rule for all personnel and guests which will require them to be fully vaccinated.

The new vaccination rule will apply to all personnel working within F1, including drivers, teams, media, hospitality workers and any guests who attend the races.

No one will be able to work within the paddock - F1's inner sanctum where the teams operate - without being fully vaccinated.

This policy is not expected to have an impact on any of the drivers' ability to compete as all are understood to be vaccinated.

Double vaccination was a requirement of entry to the USA for last year's US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.

The plan for all personnel to be vaccinated was agreed at last month's meeting of the world council of governing body the FIA but there has been a delay in communicating it.

It remains unclear whether genuine medical exemptions will be taken into consideration.

The decision to mandate vaccines, first revealed in the Times newspaper and confirmed by the FIA to BBC Sport, could lead to a relaxation of Covid restrictions within F1, such as reduced testing and a relaxation of the 'bubble' system designed over the last two years to minimise the impact of Covid.

The move comes as F1 prepares to embark on what it hopes will be a record 23-race calendar this season.

F1 was the first major international sport to start up again in the summer of 2020 after the pandemic hit, and it has successfully negotiated two seasons and a total of 39 races as a result of a stringent series of restrictions aimed at minimising the possibility of spreading the coronavirus. (BBC Sport)