Grand Prix of Austria is getting closer: Staff tested for coronavirus

Olav Mol expects the Formula 1 season to start at Silverstone, but at the moment it is starting to look more and more like Austria will be the first host for a Formula 1 race in 2020, now that staff have already been tested for the coronavirus.

Season opener in Austria comes closer

On 5 July, the Austrian Grand Prix will be on the former Formula 1 calendar for the time being, of which eight races have already been postponed or even cancelled. However, the Red Bull Ring still seems to be preparing for a start of the season in Austria, as the staff at the Spielberg circuit has been tested for the coronavirus.

This is reported by the Austrian newspaper Kleine Zeitung. According to the local medium the four hundred employees on the circuit have been tested for COVID-19 and even blood tests have been done. These tests are said to have been carried out in the pitboxes on the circuit, where the first race is scheduled to take place in just over two months.

Races with an audience?

In all the ideas that have emerged so far, there is a constant expectation of races without an audience. However, Kleine Zeitung now reports that in Austria they are even considering allowing spectators in the race. According to the newspaper, this could be done by offering a corona blood test when selling an entry ticket.

Still, it all remains a guess as to the actual implementation of the new Formula 1 season, because with the corona virus it is currently difficult to predict whether land borders will actually open up again and air traffic will be allowed again. Formula 1 is therefore still entirely dependent on the different governments.