Silverstone open to hosting two successive F1 races without fans

London, April 20 (IANS) Silverstone boss Stuart Pringle has suggested that the British Grand Prix circuit is open to hosting an unprecedented successive races without fans in a bid to kickstart the 2020 Formula 1 season.

The latest racing season has been savaged by the coronavirus pandemic, which has gripped the entire world. So far, more than 2 million people have been infected by the virus while in excess of 1.6 lakh individuals have lost their lives worldwide.

The entire sporting calender of the world has been shredded by the pandemic and the F1 season is no different. So far, two races have been cancelled (Australia and Monaco) while six others have been postponed (Bahrain, Vietnam, China, Holland, Spain, Azerbaijan and Canada.

Pringle believes Silverstone can host one or more races, without fans, which could help in setting the ball rolling as far as the 2020 season is concerned. The move, if agreed by the FIA and teams, will be unprecedented as no circuit in the history of sport has hosted more than one event in a single season.

“We have been asked could we hold a race or two and could they be behind closed doors,” Pringle told the Guardian. “The answer is absolutely, we are open to looking into anything and everything.

“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.”

As things stand, the British GP is scheduled to take place on July 19 which will be preceded by French (June 28) and Austrian (July 5) GPs respectively. There haven’t been any official update regarding the feasibility of these races and their fate still hangs in balance.

–IANS

bbh/