Canberra race car driver Cameron Hill has been left stranded at Albert Park after the Australian Grand Prix Corporation was forced to cancel a huge week of racing.
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Hill was poised to race in the second leg of the Porsche Carrera Cup in Melbourne on Friday, but fears over the spread of the coronavirus has led to the cancellation of all activity at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.
Drivers were under the impression the races would still go ahead as planned when they arrived on Friday morning, but likely behind closed doors.
The Canberran drove past hundreds of fans locked out of the Albert Park gates as officials waited on the final call. A decision was made at 10.15am, following advice from Victoria's Chief Health Officer.
"It's a shame but that's the call they've made so we'll have to go along with it," Hill said.
"This is pretty new for us, I don't think this has ever happened before."
The Canberran is the only driver to have won a race on the Grand Prix weekend, holding off Nick McBrid by 1.1119 seconds to win the first Melbourne leg of the Carrera Cup.
Hill has been declared the overall round winner as it was the only one of the four scheduled races held.
He was due to contest three more races over the weekend, including a 10-lap event on Friday afternoon.
A member of the McLaren Racing team tested positive for the COVID-19 virus on Thursday night, forcing the team to withdraw from the competition.
A ninth individual has been assessed and tested for the virus and its results are pending. They are not associated with any Formula 1 team nor the International Federation of Automobiles.
Lucie Bertoldo
Lucie Bertoldo is a sports reporter for the Canberra Times.
Lucie Bertoldo is a sports reporter for the Canberra Times.
