Brussels (AFP)
The Belgian GP of Formula 1 may be held behind closed doors on August 30 on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, despite the ban on mass events until August 31 in the country due to the Covid-19 pandemic, local authorities announced on Friday.
Walloon Minister-President Elio Di Rupo said that the Grand Prix could "be held behind closed doors, as well as all the necessary prior training".
This measure is only valid "on condition of strictly respecting the distance between people and the hygiene and sanitary measures," he said in a press release.
Now that the Belgian authorities have given their agreement, Spa Grand Prix, organizer of the event, will have to negotiate with Liberty Media, responsible for the global promotion of F1, to cover the shortfall that will result from the absence of spectators (according to the Belga press agency, nearly 165,000 tickets had been sold).
If no recovery date has been formalized by the governing bodies of the premier category of motor sport, plans include a return to the track in Austria, on the Spielberg circuit, behind closed doors on July 5.
The coronavirus crisis has completely upset the F1 season that should have started on March 15. In total, the first ten Grands Prix have been canceled (Australia, Monaco and France) or postponed to an indefinite date (Bahrain, China, Vietnam, Netherlands, Spain, Azerbaijan, Canada).
© 2020 AFP