Drivers accept 'ghost races': ''Families and mortgages depend on it''

F1 News

23 May 2020 at 08:24
  • GPblog.com

The president of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, Alex Wurz, indicated in the 'Vodcast' of Sky Sports that the drivers are completely behind races without an audience and that no one was bothered about that.

Health above all

"It wasn't a negotiation, it was more of a time to discuss everything with each other. We want to race again as soon as possible, but it has to be safe. Everyone in F1 is already accustomed to these strict protocols, so it's good to see how the whole of Formula 1 is struggling through these protocols,'' says Wurz.

According to Wurz, that's why it's important to see how things go in countries. ''We won't travel to countries where the local medical systems would be under pressure from our Grand Prix. In Austria I know that we have the capacity and that as a country we have had few coronary attacks. In this respect, medical care can be arranged on the Red Bull Ring and we just have to make sure that the virus cannot spread through our travels.''

Ghost races

An important point to avoid contamination is racing without an audience. The so-called 'ghost races' will take some getting used to for the drivers, but the chairman of the drivers' union announces in the 'Vodcast' that the drivers have all voted in with the possibility to race without an audience.

''Of course nobody is a fan of racing without an audience, but of all the drivers I've spoken to, none of them don't want to do it. In fact, it is the best thing to do because we have an obligation to F1 to ensure that the economy starts running again. Families and mortgages depend on it, so if ghost racing is a chance to start again, then we accept that completely'', concludes the Austrian.