Monaco (AFP)

The Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix, the prestigious event of the season, will be held on May 23 with 7,500 spectators who will have to undergo PCR tests, the Principality's government announced on Tuesday.

This is a fairly exceptional gauge in the health context, while in France outdoor sports establishments will be able to reconnect with the public on May 19, but with a gauge strictly limited to 1,000 spectators.

"It is at the same time important that it be held with a minimum participation of the public and in incontestable sanitary conditions", underlined the Minister of State Pierre Dartout.

Globally, it will be the first grand prix of the 2021 season to be held with so many audiences, while F1 has been evolving under a bubble since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 2020, the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Tuscany was the first of the season to gather audiences, from September 11 to 13, with nearly 3,000 spectators per day.

In a season of 17 Grand Prix organized mostly behind closed doors, other events in the fall were able to welcome more audiences, in Russia, Germany or Portugal, where around 25,000 spectators were present.

In 2021, a few spectators vaccinated or cured of Covid-19 were present for the inaugural round in Bahrain on March 28.

The GP of Emilia-Romagna (Italy) and that of Portugal were held behind closed doors while the GP of Spain, on the Catalunya-Barcelona circuit, is due to welcome 1,000 people on Sunday.

By comparison, up to 9,500 spectators will be able to attend the Europa League final in Gdansk on May 26, after Polish authorities have allowed 25% of the public, UEFA announced on Monday with the opening of ticket sales.

On May 21 and 22, a maximum of 10,000 spectators will be allowed for the two European Rugby Cup finals at London's Twickenham Stadium.

Canceled last year, the Monaco F1 Grand Prix has sold "already 4,000 tickets", said Christian Tornatore, commissioner general of the Automobile Club de Monaco, who is counting on the coming of neighboring Italians for this event. ordinary popular with the British.

These "7,500 tickets correspond to one in three places in order to allow distancing," he said.

In practice, on Thursday 20, Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 May, there will be no restriction on the origin of the public, who will have to present a PCR test at the border and to enter the enclosure of the circuit.

Residents, employees of the Principality and Monegasques are exempt from testing.

The Grand Prix gauge will however be limited to 7,500 spectators (and only 3,000 on Friday 21 to spare the organization).

There will be no fan zone or standing stand, and the most delicate point will be the return of spectators after the events to avoid crowds.

"We are all attached to ensuring that it takes place in the best possible conditions, both for what it represents economically, particularly in the hotel and catering sector, but also for the image of the Principality ", underlined Mr. Dartout.

Controls will be reinforced at the border, especially at the station, with staff trained to spot any falsified tests, which should make this problem "marginal" according to him.

Several organizational points will be specified later: the gauge authorized on yachts and on balconies, and access to restaurants, currently prohibited to non-residents.

"The bars should be open between 6 am and 11 am for breakfasts and there will likely be flexibility" for catering, said Mr. Dartout.

The economic benefits, estimated at 100 million euros, "will undoubtedly be less than for a normal year but the Prince's philosophy always proceeds in the same way", with the objective of ensuring "the balance between preservation of the economy and health protection of the population, "he said.

At the historic Grand Prix, organized from April 23 to 25, only Monegasques, residents and people staying at the hotel had been admitted: there had already been 5,000 spectators.

© 2021 AFP