F1: Half-capacity Russian GP looks likely

(GMM) Formula 1 looks set to play host to half-full grandstands at the Russian GP in September.

Amid the ongoing covid crisis, Formula 1 television viewers are becoming accustomed to either empty grandstands or a spattering of spectators.

But it could be a different story at Sochi, even though race promoter Alexey Titov isn’t exactly sure what covid restrictions will be in place.

SOCHI AUTODROM, RUSSIAN FEDERATION – SEPTEMBER 26: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W11 EQ Performance during the Russian GP at Sochi Autodrom on Saturday September 26, 2020 in Sochi, Russian Federation. (Photo by Charles Coates / LAT Images)

“The restrictions certainly do not make our work easier,” he told the Russian portal f1news.ru.

“But taking into account last year’s experience, we now understand a little better how to do our operations during a pandemic.

“Of course, some difficulties remain,” Titov admitted. “The final certainty about exactly what restrictions the event will be under is still not there, as no one knows exactly what will happen in September.

“But the restrictions in the Krasnodar territory already allow us to have a 50 percent capacity of the stands, which is already good for us. This is how we worked last year,” he said.

“So in general, we are working as usual.”