Corona crisis getting critical for F1 teams and circuits survival
Feb.25 - The current situation in Formula 1 amid the ongoing covid pandemic cannot continue "forever", AlphaTauri boss Franz Tost insists.
Already in 2021, the original calendar has undergone changes as the sport and the wider world continues to grapple with the virus and governments' restrictions.
British GP chief Stuart Pringle is desperate for spectators to be able to attend the race in July - and he is even dreaming of a 140,000-strong Sunday sell-out.
"We have been hit with a double-whammy because the other side of our business is conferences and exhibitions, and they have not been able to happen either," he said.
"Our 70,000 grandstand seats are spread out over three and a half miles," Pringle added. "I want the 2021 British GP to take place with the largest number of fans attending as possible.
"That is hugely important to Silverstone so we will do whatever it takes to play our part in proving it is safe to do so. Anything is possible, but it has also been made clear that it is far from guaranteed."
Some might scold Pringle or other F1 officials for pushing for the return of crowds so soon, but the British GP chief makes clear that the financial situation is serious.
"It has been extremely difficult. We have had no revenue, but have had all the costs of keeping a 550 acre site licensed, serviceable and capable of coming back," he said.
It's a similar story for the F1 teams, with Franz Tost admitting that AlphaTauri - like the Red Bull-owned outfit's rivals - took a major financial hit in 2020.
"I don't want to go back to a season like 2020 in which we didn't get a decent amount of money because there were fewer races and not enough spectators," he told Auto Motor und Sport.
"This year is also critical because we are developing two cars in parallel, so I really hope that all the races will take place and that spectators will be able to come again so that the organisers can generate income," the Austrian added.
When asked if AlphaTauri could collapse amid the situation, Tost insisted: "Our survival is not at risk.
"But obviously Red Bull won't sit there forever if the teams are always in the red. I really hope we can somehow get that back on track," he said.
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Let's see, Pringle, you can't pull off a controlled exhibition or conference but you're going to get approval to pack in 140,000 screaming race fans? Mark my words, the attendance challenge will be addressed when we can insist that all attendees produce proof of vaccination. Yeah, the anti-vaxers are going to hate that.....tough noogies.
It amazes me that a sport so founded in science is not decrying this hoaxdemic as a fraud..
What is the average age of the deaths? (No I don't want to kill oldies, but oldies do die).
Why has it hit the west so hard? Countries like Pakistan, India, Vietnam, Hong Kong, that have conditions that the average pandemic would love, are all doing so much better than the 1st world nations.
What about the testing? How many cycles do they use to "detect" this killer?
What happened to the flu this year?
Is overall mortality up or down over the last year?
Oh and if all that is a little to esoteric for you, how come F1 personnel keep getting covid and saying "I feel fine" and are back in the paddock the next week?
Greg, I appreciate your right to voice your opinion and will forever defend it, but I am one of those "oldies" and I don't want to die because of uninformed people describing a worldwide pandemic as a "hoaxdemic and fraud". How about you do some real research on the subject apart from right wing conspiracy theorists?
ROR, I appreciate your polite response. I too am no spring chicken.
This however gives me the advantage of experience, having lived through: global cooling, the hole in the ozone, peak oil ebola, saars, mers, killer bees, etc I am a little more cynical about what is presented as "truth" by the powers that be.
You are a Pom? What about Boris, or Charlie getting the bug, look at all the prominent people who have had it (I will let you google that), of Perez or Lewis?
Personally I believe people who are unwell are being pushed over the edge by this, just like the flu does EVERY YEAR.
I am in Australia: 909 deaths, 20 under 60 years of age and only 58 TOTAL under 70.
I speak out when they try to take my life, my liberty, my money, my family, my sports away from me.
I would suggest you do some research yourself, how many excess deaths in the UK over the last year? Average age? What about the countries I mentioned, that haven't been hit? Why is that?
In my heart I hope you are right, because if I am, there is a much worse scourge taking over the planet.
F1 has to realize that there are many fans who love it, but there are many more people who do not support any type of racing. We have governments who think they have the right to determine everything about our lives, even what sports we are allowed to watch. Covid is not even the tip of this iceberg.
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