Absence of fans and eerie silence hang over weird British GP

SILVERSTONE, England: A half-built hotel and empty grandstands provide the backdrop to the starting grid at Sunday's fan-free British Grand Prix but Silverstone circuit boss Stuart Pringle hopes for a full house next year.Advertisement

"It’s a big game of snakes and ladders and having shinned up various lengths of ladder for the last five years we are now rapidly descending a snake," he added, speaking through the face mask required under COVOD-19 protocols.For the first time since Silverstone hosted the Formula One world championship's inaugural race in 1950, the British Grand Prix is being run behind closed doors due to the pandemic that has ravaged the calendar.

"The British Grand Prix is the best grand prix, particularly because of the fans, the thousands that turn up and really create the spectacle," said the Briton, who described the 'new normal' as super-weird.The circuit, owned by the British Racing Drivers' Club and looking immaculate in the sunshine, was more representative of a private test event on Saturday.

Only a few reporters have been given accreditation, with drivers and team officials interviewed remotely by video conference."We know that the sport translates well to television, because it has grown its popularity based on its television appeal and it translates much better in this strange environment than football or cricket do.

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