At the moment, while waiting for the Covid-19 pandemic to subside little by little, the various authorities managing sporting events are evaluating both all the means of financially coping with this crisis and all the possibilities of restarting activities as quickly as possible. quickly.
As far as motor sports are concerned, we therefore imagine races behind closed doors with teams reduced to their minimum, strict health confinement and, to make the word championship legitimate, possibly two races per weekend.
Stuart pringle, the director of the Silverstone circuit goes even further on Sky Sports F1 and does not rule out that one of these two races, in this case F1, takes place in the opposite direction to usual. “We will do whatever is asked of us. One of the things that makes the British Grand Prix so special is its fans, so the idea of a race without them seems rather strange. But as I said before, I said to Formula 1: "We are going to work with you, whatever it takes to help you have a championship, and if you get there, if it is what you want, that’s what we want too.” We are willing to work with Formula 1 in any way they deem in the best interests of the championship. The majority of teams are a stone's throw from the circuit. Operationally, [organizing multiple races] would be quite simple. We have a fixed infrastructure, the staff could largely stay in their own beds. So if that's how we can help, I'd be happy to do it. »
Responding to a suggestion of a second race organized on the reverse layout of the circuit, which the British circuit could ultimately allow, Stuart Pringle replied that Silverstone is not currently approved to do so, but that “it’s not such a stupid thought.” Nothing is ruled out. »
Clearly, the man is ready to do anything to fix the world of F1, and we can't blame him, but as he says himself, the circuit is not approved for that. Moreover, to our knowledge, no route is approved FIA ou END to be able to accommodate races in both directions. The reason is simple: the clearance zones ensuring pilot safety are designed for only one direction of rotation.
However, it is true that on flat circuits, such as Silverstone, built on a former Royal Air Force base, or Bahrain and Losail built in the desert, one could consider developments at a lower cost to make the idea feasible.
But, between the work and the necessary approval, this would probably take a few months, and it is therefore extremely implausible for this year. And then, let's be honest, in these times the circuits have to face problems much more important than pleasing the viewers or the drivers!
Despite Stuart Pringle's conciliatory statements, the idea is probably not ready to be implemented but, out of pure curiosity, our colleagues on the site the-race.com still took part (virtually) in the game…
