The Silverstone Circuit is willing to race multiple times in the track with no fans to help fit in as many Formula 1 races as possible this year.
We have already seen that the season that promised to be the longest in the history of Formula 1 with a total of 22 Grand Prix and, the entry of two new races (the Dutch Grand Prix at the Zandvoort circuit and the Vietnam Grand Prix at the Hanoi street circuit), will not go down in history for what it promised to be.
A total of 7 Grand Prix to be postponed so far and two have been canceled due Coronavirus crisis. Formula 1 in conjunction with the FIA are making the decisions that best suit the philosophy of ‘first health of all people involved in the event to be held’.
There has been talks of the possible schedule that the 2020 Formula 1 season will have, however, nothing official has been presented. There have been several rumors, including the possible postponement of the French and Belgian Grand Prix.
In a recent interview, the director of the Silverstone circuit in Great Britain, Stuart Pringle, has said that they are “totally” open to hosting races behind closed doors. Previously, Formula 1 CEO, Chase Carey, said the season is expected to have 15-18 races. Racing behind closed doors is not what the directors of the circuits nor the organizers of the events expected, since, if this happens, many sponsors would lose interest in participating, in addition to making the refund to all the people who bought their ticket for that event.
Another problem that could arise when carrying out closed-door races would be the logistics and tourism of the fans to the country since Formula 1 has a direct impact on tourism since it is an international sport, that makes people from all over the world attend races in another country than theirs.
“We have discussed all sorts of permutations, including hosting two races over a weekend and two races over consecutive weekends. I have complete confidence in our ability to put on these events. We have a lot of experience, a lot of knowledge, we can turn that on definitely.” Pringle commented for The Guardian.
“Formula 1 has been working very hard to try and work out what the solution for the world championship is. We have been in regular contact with them and have been asked could we hold a race or two and could they be behind closed doors. The answer is absolutely, we are open to looking into anything and everything. I think F1 will make a calendar-wide decision in the earlier part of May.” He added.
With these statements, it is expected that the start date of the 2020 Formula 1 season will be stipulated. We must wait a little longer, but that wait will be beneficial so that no person is affected, either directly or indirectly.
