News: Racing
Government’s new advice on travel puts hurdle in the way of UK’S Formula 1 events
By Matt James
New 14-day quarantine rules for overseas travellers which have been put in place by the UK government have thrown the British Grand Prix backto-back events into doubt.
The meetings were originally scheduled to take place on July 26 and again on August 2 – or even a week earlier on July 19 and July 26 – but senior officials are now in locked talks to see if the showpiece races can be saved.
The home secretary Priti Patel said on Friday last week that anyone travelling to the United Kingdom would have to undergo a 14-day quarantine to be allowed to move freely in the country.
The government is working on introducing special ‘air bridges’, where people arriving from some countries would be exempt, but these are not expected to be put in place in the short term.
This has thrown a spanner in the works for every international sporting event and will affect the West Indies cricket tour in the UK as well as European football competition and horse racing.
A senior government figure told the BBC Sport website that the “door had not been shut” on events involving international travel, and circuit bosses are also confident that a resolution can be reached to allow the events to go ahead.
Silverstone managing director Stuart Pringle told Sky Sports F1: “[F1]’s a very complex sport to get going because it’s a global championship with a huge logistical tail, so Formula 1 does need to know that it can set off on its global travel and be able to come in and out of its home base.
“I am very clear that the importance of the industry is understood by government. I remain very optimistic that they will find a way. I’m very, very conscious that it’s extremely complicated drafting these things and working up against ever-moving deadlines – it’s not a task I’d wish to undertake.
“I remain optimistic that a sensible and pragmatic solution, which puts the onus on the sport quite rightly to come up with the right solution, can be found.”
A Formula 1 spokesperson said: “We have been working closely with government on the implications of the policy for Formula 1 and Silverstone and those discussions are ongoing at this time with the aim of finding a solution with safety as our first priority.”