Bahrain has decided to hold its Formula 1 Grand Prix behind closed doors following the coronavirus epidemic.
Just days after the kingdom announced the end of ticket sales while trying to assess its response to the situation, it has now announced that spectators will not be allowed during the event. March 22.
In a statement released on Sunday morning, Bahrain said the second round of the championship would only be televised.
“In consultation with our international partners and the Kingdom’s national health working group, Bahrain has decided to organize the Bahrain Grand Prix this year as an event for participants only,” said the statement.
“As an F1 host country, balancing the well-being of fans and racing fans is a huge responsibility.
“Given the continuing spread of COVID-19 around the world, convening a major sporting event, open to the public and allowing thousands of international travelers and local fans to interact nearby, would not be appropriate thing to do right now.
“But to ensure that neither the sport, nor its global fan base, is unduly impacted, the race weekend itself will continue as a televised event.”
Bahrain said the strict measures it had taken to limit the spread of the virus in the past few weeks would have been canceled if thousands of fans had visited the race.
He added: “The first steps taken by Bahrain to prevent, identify and isolate cases of individuals with COVID-19 have been extremely successful to date.
“The approach involved swift and proactive measures, identifying those affected by the virus, the overwhelming majority of which involved people traveling by air in the country.
“Aggressive social distancing measures have further increased the effectiveness of preventing the spread of the virus, which would clearly be almost impossible to maintain if the race had gone as originally planned.
“We know how much many will be disappointed with this news, especially for those planning to travel to the event, which has become a key event on the international F1 calendar, but safety must remain our top priority.”
Bahrain’s decision comes just hours after Italy announced that several of its regions were quarantined – including Modena where Ferrari is based.
The opening of the next Australian Grand Prix weekend season should however take place.
Bahrain has decided to hold its Formula 1 Grand Prix behind closed doors following the coronavirus epidemic.
Just days after the kingdom announced the end of ticket sales while trying to assess its response to the situation, it has now announced that spectators will not be allowed during the event. March 22.
In a statement released on Sunday morning, Bahrain said the second round of the championship would only be televised.
“In consultation with our international partners and the Kingdom’s national health working group, Bahrain has decided to organize the Bahrain Grand Prix this year as an event for participants only,” said the statement.
“As an F1 host country, balancing the well-being of fans and racing fans is a huge responsibility.
“Given the continuing spread of COVID-19 around the world, convening a major sporting event, open to the public and allowing thousands of international travelers and local fans to interact nearby, would not be appropriate thing to do right now.
“But to ensure that neither the sport, nor its global fan base, is unduly impacted, the race weekend itself will continue as a televised event.”
Bahrain said the strict measures it had taken to limit the spread of the virus in the past few weeks would have been canceled if thousands of fans had visited the race.
He added: “The first steps taken by Bahrain to prevent, identify and isolate cases of individuals with COVID-19 have been extremely successful to date.
“The approach involved swift and proactive measures, identifying those affected by the virus, the overwhelming majority of which involved people traveling by air in the country.
“Aggressive social distancing measures have further increased the effectiveness of preventing the spread of the virus, which would clearly be almost impossible to maintain if the race had gone as originally planned.
“We know how much many will be disappointed with this news, especially for those planning to travel to the event, which has become a key event on the international F1 calendar, but safety must remain our top priority.”
Bahrain’s decision comes just hours after Italy announced that several of its regions were quarantined – including Modena where Ferrari is based.
The opening of the next Australian Grand Prix weekend season should however take place.