Racing without an audience at Zandvoort is 'in the interest of F1'.

1 September

On Tuesday evening it was announced that no major events may take place in the Netherlands until 1 September. That causes a problem if the Dutch Grand Prix returns on the calendar before that date. And even if it is after that, the question is whether it is justified to bring 100.000 fans together, because keeping a distance of one and a half meters will be very difficult.

Earlier Jan Lammers already indicated that he could not imagine that the Dutch Grand Prix would be held without an audience. He made that statement in a personal capacity, which he came back to later. Understandable, because it would be a somewhat strange sensation: a Grand Prix that returns after 35 years and then takes place without an audience.

Importance of the sport

Robert van Overdijk, director of the circuit in Zandvoort, says at Motorsport.com that a race without an audience is something they think about. "We have to remember that we are a small part of the whole chain. As soon as a few teams within Formula 1 fall over because they have no income, we might also put the races for the coming years at risk", without teams no sport after all.

"In this day and age you have to look at the total picture", says van Overdijk, "If there were to be a request (for a television event, so without an audience), I think that we too have a moral duty to think about it". But van Overdijk's primary choice is to drive the race with the public: "We want that, but the reality is a bit different now".

So it is absolutely not preferred, but if it can't be otherwise Zandvoort is willing to organize a Grand Prix this year without an audience. For now, however, we will have to wait until 1 September, because "for the period after that, everything is still open", says van Overdijk.