Following the directives of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) has announced that this year’s Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix and Formula 1 Rolex Sakhir Grand Prix will take place predominantly without spectators.
There will, however, be a limited number of F1 grandstand seats allocated for the races for families of frontline health workers and first responders in Bahrain, to recognise their incredible contribution and commitment in responding to the pandemic in the Kingdom, he said.
This decision has been made as a result of the current status of the global COVID-19 pandemic, following extensive discussions between the Circuit and the Government of Bahrain.
The Kingdom remains focused on protecting the health of citizens and residents, maintaining one of the highest rates of testing per capita of anywhere in the world.
Planning is already well underway for the two race weekends, scheduled for 26 to 29 November and 4 to 6 December. The BIC is working closely with Formula 1, the FIA and the relevant Government Ministries in Bahrain to ensure that the F1 race proceeds with all necessary health protection measures in place, based on detailed and established protocols.
BIC Chief Executive Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa commented:
“I sincerely thank His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for his leadership, guidance and support as we prepare for Formula 1, in what will be a very different event for all involved. Whilst we will not be able to welcome many fans to our events this year, we are delighted to have the opportunity to recognise the courage and efforts of our frontline healthcare workers and first responders by allocating all in-person attendance of the F1 experience to them.
“We are determined to put on a show for the hundreds of millions of people who will be watching from the safety of their own homes around the world.”