Amid the global Coronavirus outbreak, the organizers of the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix have confirmed that the event will be held, but without spectators. The news comes less than a month after the Chinese Grand Prix was postponed due to the virus.
Ticket sales for this year’s Bahrain Grand Prix were suspended earlier in the week. After consulting with various parties, the organizers decided to make the second round of the 2020 Formula One season a participant-only event.
“Given the continued spread of Covid-19 globally, convening a major sporting event, which is open to the public and allows thousands of international travellers and local fans to interact in close proximity would not be the right thing to do at the present time,” the race organizers explained in a press statement. “But to ensure that neither the sport, nor its global supporter base, is unduly impacted, the race weekend itself will still go ahead as a televised event.”
This will be the first time that an F1 race has been held without spectators.
