SILVERSTONE’S CHIEF DABS AT THE BRAKES

THIS year’s British Grand Prix is NOT a certainty to happen, even without spectators, according to Silverstone managing director Stuart Pringle.

Formula One chiefs plan to start the new season, put on hold by the Covid-19 pandemic, with two races behind closed doors in Austria in early July, before potentially two more at Silverstone.

The Northamptonshire track is keen to help the sport reboot, and is geared up for any decision that racing should only go ahead behind closed doors.

But there are still wider issues casting real doubt on whether races can be given the go-ahead at the track at all.

Pringle (above) said: “I’m very clear we cannot be any sort of burden or have the slightest impact on [the emergency services or NHS resources].

“And if we are, then this is NOT going to happen.”

Pringle stressed that in other respects Silverstone is in good shape to play its part in F1’s plans to restart the action.

He added: “I’m confident we could operate well within F1’s decision-making cycle – but I think they are the ones who have got to make the decision.

“The end of April deadline for us was if we had to start putting up temporary infrastructure for hospitality and dealing with the public and stuff. “We are only working on fixed infrastructure now, so it’s an awful lot less to do.”

F1 insiders have spoken of teams staying at secure hotels with no interaction with local residents and no media access. Pringle said Silverstone, a home race for seven of the 10 F1 teams, could offer that level of isolation.

He said: “There has been talk about the need for sites to be a bit like an island, to be controlled. We can achieve that.

“We have all the facilities we need inside the circuit with the exception of a complete hotel. We have a half-built hotel, if that helps.

“We could comfortably cater for everybody associated with putting it on. We could separate people and shifts... we are ideally placed.”

F1’s managing director Ross Brawn said he wanted to create a “kind of biosphere” at circuits, getting everyone entering tested and cleared for coronavirus, then keeping a controlled environment.

Brawn said: “Austria fits that bill. It’s got an airport next to the circuit, and great infrastructure around it.”