F1 denies secret covid vaccination plan

Formula 1 has denied claims the sport is working on a secret plan to vaccinate every member of the travelling circus in 2021.

With the published 2021 calendar already at risk amid reports Melbourne, Shanghai and other races will be postponed, the Swiss newspaper Blick claimed F1 was working on a plan to minimise the disruptions with a widespread covid-19 vaccination program.

"I can confirm that the report is wrong and there is no such plan from the FIA or from Formula 1," a spokesman told the n-tv broadcaster in Germany.

Another race at risk early in 2021 is Monaco, where a spectator-free event is not viable.

But even bigger question marks hang over whether UK-based teams can travel at all amid the surging outbreak of the reportedly more contagious covid-19 strain.