Formula One is working to put on a British Grand Prix in July even if the British government imposes quarantine measures on visitors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, sources said on Sunday.
The Sun newspaper quoted a British government source as saying there would be an exemption for sports, with Formula One teams free to travel from Britain and return without restriction once competition resumes.
The teams would be expected to undergo a rigorous testing regime and isolate themselves immediately if they tested positive for the coronavirus, the source said.
Formula One sources said that conversations with the British government were ongoing.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday said in a televised address to the nation that “it will soon be the time ... to impose quarantine on people coming into this country by air.”
An association representing British airlines said that the government is planning a 14-day quarantine period for most people arriving from abroad to try to avoid a second peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Quarantine has big implications for Formula One, with the British Grand Prix at Silverstone scheduled for July 19 — the weekend after teams complete a planned double-header in Austria on July 5 and July 12.
The race would be a 70th anniversary for Formula One at the English circuit, which hosted the first world championship race in 1950.
Seven of the 10 Formula One teams are based in Britain and would be returning from a secure environment in Austria, where they would have been effectively isolated for two weeks and repeatedly tested.
Formula One managing director Ross Brawn outlined last week some of the measures set to be implemented for the season-opening races.
“Everybody will be tested and will have a clearance before they even go into the paddock, and then every two days they’ll be tested whilst in the paddock, and that will be with an authorized authority and consistent,” Brawn told Sky Sports. “We’ll have restrictions on how people move around ... we have to create an environment that, within itself, is effectively a small bubble of isolation, and the teams will stay within their own groups. They won’t mingle with other teams and they’ll stay at their own hotels.”
Silverstone has made clear that its race has to get British government approval and cannot be a burden on the police or health service.
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