’Brutal’ quarantine awaits for Alfa Romeo staff

The forthcoming schedule for Alfa Romeo’s staff will be "brutal", according to team manager Beat Zehnder.

While the sport’s UK-based teams have been given a quarantine exemption, Swiss-based Alfa Romeo’s staff will have to go into strict isolation after attending the Spanish GP in Barcelona.

"We have to go back to Switzerland before the next race in Belgium, and that means isolation," Zehnder told Blick newspaper.

"It’s brutal for us, because Formula 1 has agreed with the English government that there will be an exception for the seven (UK-based) teams."

The situation means Alfa Romeo is having to negotiate a potential exemption with the separate jurisdictions of Switzerland.

"We have employees from eight cantons," Zehnder revealed. "Some are courteous, others are not.

"We have found a regulation for the employees from Zurich - these employees are allowed to come to the factory to work, but they have to go home immediately afterwards.

"In the end, I may have to organise a grocery service, as many of our people are single," he laughed.

"Hopefully we won’t fall into the corona trap again after the races in Italy."

Zehnder said he hopes the situation will be improved for 2021.

"We can only hope that Formula 1 is a little more normal next year," he said. "And that we don’t just race in Europe."