25/05/2020
NEWS STORY
Desperate not to lose its place on a revised 2020 schedule, following the government's decision to introduce a mandatory 14-day quarantine for all travellers to the UK, Silverstone boss, Stuart Pringle says the Northamptonshire track is open to a date switch.
It's fair to say that the roller-coaster ride Silverstone has endured in recent months is every bit as challenging as the Becketts/Maggots complex in a crosswind.
Yet circuit managing director, Stuart Pringle is in no mood to throw in the towel. For while F1 continues talks with the UK government in terms of perhaps exempting the sport from the mandatory quarantining due to be introduced next month, with an eye on those negotiations and the possible easing off of the coronavirus and thereby the associated restrictions, Pringle admits he is open to a date change.
"We've got more space than I'd ideally like in the calendar because we've had a lot of bookings drop in and out with people unable to plan," he told Sky Sports. "And of course there is a knock on effect all the down through national motorsport and down to club level.
"So actually, I have a lot flexibility in the calendar, of course we have original dates that we've been holding and been talking around in mid-to-late July, but we've got a degree of flexibility through August as well.
So, I don't think finding a date is going to be a problem or even two dates," he continued. "What we need is the green light from government and that will take time.
"In terms of the period we need to stand the venue up, without fans present, it's relatively short," he said. "Of course there is a lot of planning that needs to go on to take account of all the covid-19 implications and that is uncharted territory for us.
"But everything runs out of a fixed infrastructure, we've got two permanent paddock blocks, so we're not talking about putting up too many marquees or fan areas or anything like that, those are the things that take the time."