Organisers of the Spanish Grand Prix are hoping to open its doors for fans at this year’s race following their absence in 2020.
The Covid-19 pandemic prevented locals from entering the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya last August, which was one of many venues to host a crowd-less grand prix in 2020.
With the 2021 edition of the Spanish race set for May 9, fans are set to be allowed into the circuit throughout the weekend, with tickets going on sale next Thursday.
All purchases will come with a Covid-19 guarantee, meaning should the event not be staged or be staged without fans, all customers will have a choice to defer their tickets for 2022 or request a complete refund.
A number of safety measures will be introduced for fans who will attend this year, including an automatic system exclusion of the seats located above, below and on either side of seats bought by a customer.
The facilities will be divided into five different zones, which will allow for capacity control and the optimisation of the circulations of all attendants which won’t include more than 3,000 people in each sector created for each grandstand.
Barcelona secured its place on the 2021 calendar last month, having been listed as subject to an agreement on the provisional schedule.
A minor track alteration has occurred during the winter break, with Turn 10 of the circuit being reprofiled.
When the organizers of the Australian GP made a similar announcement in October, I wrote on this website that they would have been wise to keep quiet about it until at least after the New Year. Soon after New Year the event was postponed altogether, never mind talk of admitting fans. I think the Spaniards are making the same mistake. This could have been left until three to four weeks in advance of the race date, and a decision made at that stage. Plans could still be made in private, so they’d be ready to move quickly if by then it was clear to go, but as things stand it is, however unpleasant to admit, not a sensible move to be arranging the gatherings of large numbers of people at a sporting, or any other, event, because it is not an absolute necessity to do so.