Confirmed: British GP cleared for capacity crowd

Jamie Woodhouse
British Grand Prix, Silverstone

Confirmed: 2021 British Grand Prix cleared for capacity crowd.

The British Grand Prix at Silverstone will welcome a capacity crowd for the event in July, Formula 1 have confirmed.

The final easing of lockdown restrictions in the UK was set to occur on June 21, although the one-month delay which pushed ‘freedom day’ back to July 19 meant there was a fear the British Grand Prix weekend, running from July 16-18, could have empty grandstands for a second year in a row.

But it has now been confirmed by Silverstone and Formula 1 that the British Grand Prix can be contested with a capacity crowd of 140,000, for the event has been added to the UK Government’s Event Research Programme.

An official statement read: “We are delighted to confirm the Formula 1 Pirelli British Grand Prix 2021 has been included in the latest phase of the UK Government’s Event Research Programme (ERP) allowing a full capacity crowd for the event between 16th–18th July.

“Ticket holders will be asked for either proof of a negative lateral flow test taken within 48 hours of arrival at Silverstone or proof of full vaccination, the second dose having been received at least 14 days prior to the first day of attending the British Grand Prix.

“The Silverstone team will be working closely with the ERP experts and particularly the Director of Public Health in Northamptonshire on the specific conditions of entry that will enable the event to operate safely and will be announcing these details to ticket holders in the next 10 days.”

Lewis Hamilton Silverstone PA
Lewis Hamilton Silverstone PA

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Formula 1 is set to debut the new sprint qualifying format at Silverstone, and Stefano Domenicali, CEO and president of the series, is delighted a capacity crowd will be there to witness it.

“It is fantastic news that Silverstone will be a full capacity event and it will be an incredible weekend with hundreds of thousands of fans being there to see our first Sprint event on the Saturday and the main event on Sunday,” he told the Formula 1 website.

“I want to express my huge appreciation to the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, Secretaries of State, Oliver Dowden and Michael Gove, and Silverstone Managing Director, Stuart Pringle, for their tireless work to achieve this great outcome. All of the drivers and the teams are hugely looking forward to Silverstone and we can’t wait to be there in July.”

Pringle added: “This is something we have all been working towards for months and I cannot wait to welcome a full capacity crowd back to Silverstone this July. Many of our fans rolled their tickets over from 2020 and they are now well placed to enjoy what is sure to be one of the highlights of the summer.

“My thanks go to the Culture Secretary and his team at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport for their tireless efforts on behalf of the sports sector, but also the Prime Minister, Michael Gove and the teams in No 10 and the Cabinet Office for recognising what an amazing, safe opportunity the British Grand Prix offers to show the world how Britain has dragged itself back on track following the fight against the pandemic.”

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