Formula 1 opens its doors wide in Austria: this weekend, the stands of the Red Bull-Ring will host a maximum of 15,000 people a day from Friday to Sunday for the Grand Prix named after Styria. And over the next weekend, in the same facility, there will be no restrictions whatsoever on the sale of tickets up to the maximum capacity: 70,000 spectators, mostly fans of the leader of the ranking Max Verstappen.
It’s a big step forward after almost a year and a half of bubbles and closures. But the top is still another: Silverstone. The British Grand Prix, one of the most popular in the entire Formula 1 World Championship, will welcome 140,000 motorsport fans. The race is scheduled from 16 to 18 July and includes the debut of the sprint qualification, the mini-race (100 kilometers) that will establish the starting grid for the GP.
The reopening of the doors in the United Kingdom (the final of the European football championships is scheduled for 11 July at Wembley) meets perplexity at a time when the infections across the Channel are starting to rise again and the Delta variant of Covid-19 is spreading. The organizers guarantee maximum controls to avoid contagions: entry will be allowed only to those who will undergo a swab 48 hours after accessing the track or will demonstrate that they have had the second dose of vaccine at least 14 days before the event.
Lewis Hamilton is against it. In the press conference on Thursday, the Mercedes driver said he was “worried”. «The selfish part of me would like all those people in the stands, but this morning I read the news and I saw how in recent days the infections have grown exponentially. Even if the vaccine protects, I have the impression that this choice is premature ».
Hamilton then answered questions about his future and negotiations with Toto Wolff for the renewal of the contract. “We have begun to discuss, there is not even too much to say, and the talks are positive.” The seven-time champion spoke words of esteem for his teammate Valtteri Bottas: “He is the rider with whom I found myself best, and not only for the performances, but also in terms of morale in the team, of sharing the work. and many other aspects “. Cold, however, the opinion on George Russell, who appears very close to the landing in Mercedes: “At the moment he is not my teammate, so there is no need to say anything”.