PARIS, March 26 — All the McLaren Formula One team members quarantined Melbourne since the cancelled Australian Grand Prix have returned home, the UK-based outfit reported today.

"We are pleased to confirm that as of yesterday (Wednesday) evening, all team personnel who were in self-isolation in Melbourne, as well as management who had stayed with them, have now safely returned home,” a spokesperson confirmed.

A total of 16 McLaren staff were placed in quarantine for two weeks at the request of the Australian medical authorities.

One because he had tested positive for the coronavirus, another because of developing virus-like symptoms and the remainder because they had been in close contact with the British mechanic who had tested positive.

Three management personnel remained in Australia to support them.

McLaren announced last week that the mechanic was symptom-free.

It was McLaren’s decision to pull out of the race after announcing that one of their staff had tested positive for Covid-19 on the Thursday before the race that triggered the cancellation of the 2020 season’s opening Grand Prix on March 15.

With both Melbourne and Monaco cancelled, and six other races (Bahrain, Vietnam, China, the Netherlands, Spain and Azerbaijan) postponed the season is now due to kick off in Montreal on June 14.

A year that was due to feature 22 Grand Prix will now be reduced to between "15 and 18”, according to F1 chairman Chase Carey. — AFP