SA ready to host Grand Prix if required

Mr Marshall said while the state would not poach the event, it was ready if Melbourne was ruled out because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We don’t have the ability to put together a street circuit which would be suitable for Formula One, but Formula One requires a different type of circuit for what we have for Supercars in SA. The only option for Formula One to come to SA would be at The Bend,” he said.

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Mr Marshall said the two-year-old track, located 100km southeast of Adelaide, was one of the best racing circuits in the world.

“There’s no doubt The Bend is world class,” he said.

“It’s state of the art, it uses the best technology, and I think we’re in a good position if the Melbourne Grand Prix doesn’t go ahead. If there is the requirement, SA stands ready.”

It was announced on Monday The Bend track owners, the Shahin family, were preparing to host two Supercars rounds on September 19-20 and 26-27.

Between 1985 and 1995, Adelaide hosted the Grand Prix before it moved to Albert Park in Melbourne in 1996.

This year’s event at Albert Park was shut down following a positive test of coronavirus.

All preparations were finalised and teams had already travelled to Melbourne before pulling the plug.

At the time, F1 issued a statement that read: “Following the confirmation that a member of the McLaren Racing Team has tested positive for COVID-19 and the team’s decision to withdraw from the Australian Grand Prix, the FIA and Formula One convened a meeting of the other nine team principals on Thursday evening.

“Those discussions concluded with a majority view of the teams that the race should not go ahead.

“Formula One and the FIA, with the full support of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation (AGPC), have therefore taken the decision that all Formula One activity for the Australian Grand Prix are cancelled.

“The safety of all members of the Formula One family and the wider community as well as the fairness of the competition take priority.”

As Melbourne tackles its outbreaks, there still remains doubt over whether the stage 4 lockdown will end in two weeks despite daily infection numbers falling.

Mr Marshall has praised South Australians many times for their efforts in battling the health crisis.

There were no new infections reported on Monday, and there is only one active case in SA.

Mr Marshall said all options were being explored to bring events to the state.

“Of course it has to stack up from a commercial perspective,” he said.

“We don’t have buckets of cash lying around but to bring quality events to SA and promote economic activity is exactly what we’re looking at.”

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