It is no longer an idea that is just gaining ground, but indeed the format of tomorrow: in 2020, if there are Grands Prix, they will take place, initially, in front of empty stands. We call it closed doors. A stopgap which has serious consequences for local players and investors who certainly see a meeting taking place on their circuit, but no longer really for their benefit... A situation which will inevitably lead to new negotiations, as explains Joan Fontserè, the director of the Catalunya circuit…
Le coronavirus and its consequences, including that of socially and economically disastrous confinement, have changed priorities. That of the moment, in MotoGP, is to leave the house to go running, unless you decide to die. Quite simply. But we must be realistic as well as pragmatic and therefore fit into the new regulatory straitjacket marked by the imperative of social distancing. As a result, it is necessary that there be as few people as possible concentrated in a given space.
A principle which means a paddock reduced to its simple functional and logistical expression. But also empty stands. However, not welcoming the public is a problem for a circuit. Joan Fontserè, who is in charge of the site receiving a Grand Prix of Catalonia postponed to an unknown date, explains: “ if a race has no spectators, the promoter's income disappears. Which means that the existing contract format would then no longer be valid, because the conditions would be different. »
« We haven't gone into details yet, because we don't know how it's going to happen. But from the moment we consider a Grand Prix behind closed doors, the conditions should obviously be different » he insists soymotor.com.
The director of the circuit Barcelona thus recalls that the economic efficiency of the circuit and the Catalonia in general would change completely with a race behind closed doors: “ it's not just about ticket sales. It should be remembered that a Grand Prix is attended on average by 100 spectators, plus the entire paddock. This has an impact on the territory, and when a government invests, as is the case of La Generalitat de Catalunya, not having all these people has an economic impact »
« This impact, from the moment when only teams and media could come, means attendance reduced to a minimum » the manager finishes. We will therefore have to talk about all that, but with four Grands Prix in Spain, the promoter Dorna through the voice of its president Carmelo Ezpeleta also has arguments to make…
