Special permission for French GP: 15.000 fans present

The next race on the calendar will be held at the Circuit de Paul Ricard. The race will be attended by 15.000 fans, which is possible because of a clever trick.

In order to ensure that the public can still attend the race, the French are creating three separate bubbles of 5.000 spectators each, according to the site of Speedweek.com. According to the rules in the country, a maximum of 5000 spectators is actually allowed. They must all be tested, even if they are vaccinated.

Paul Ricard audience in three bubbles

Éric Boullier, the organiser of the WRC round in the south of France and also known as former McLaren team boss, explains how this is possible: "In France we are currently not allowed to have more than 5.000 spectators per event, this rule will probably apply until the end of August. However, based on the specific design of our racing facility, which is very large, we can create three different bubbles that are completely independent of each other."

The Frenchman continued: "We have received special permission from the government to host 15.000 spectators, so three times 5.000. And each bubble is completely independent. They have their own access and their own parking. No one can cross the path of fans from other bubbles in this way." The French Grand Prix was brought forward a week in the F1 calendar due to the cancellation of other races.