BRITISH GP bosses say this weekend’s race is a 350,000 sell out and have warned ticketless fans to stay away.
The race at Silverstone has been selected as part of one of the Government’s pilot test events and strict coronavirus and security measures are in place.
And organisers are determined to ensure there is no repeat of the despicable scenes at Wembley last Sunday where yobs broke into the stadium for the Euro 2020 final.
Silverstone MD, Stuart Pringle, told SunSport how fans will be subjected to ticket and Covid checks far from the circuit’s entrance to ensure it runs smoothly.
He said: “We are sold out. We have a sophisticated security system here and we will start the messaging to tell people they should not travel without a ticket.
“The onsite cars are all listed with automatic number plate recognition, there will be checks at the campsites and park and ride points.”
Pringle is expecting a 140,000 sell out for Sunday and close to the same figure on Saturday.
This weekend’s revolutionary schedule will see a Saturday sprint race determining Sunday’s grid for the GP.
They are also expecting a larger than average crowd for Friday’s practice and qualifying for the sprint race, as F1 shakes up the schedule in an attempt to boost the entertainment.
After last year’s two races at Silverstone were held behind closed doors, this year’s GP was granted permission to run at full capacity.
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And Pringle has been working with the government and Public Health England for 18 months and is very clear that the Covid protocols in place must be respected.
Every fan will have to display proof of a second Covid jab, older than 14 days, through the NHS app.
Alternatively, they must provide proof of a negative lateral flow test, no older than 48 hours, again via the NHS app.
Silverstone have made that message clear to all ticket holders and have installed checkpoints across the site to cope with the flow of fans.
Pringle added: “We have been very clear to our ticket holders about the processes and using the NHS app and the Covid-19 NHS app.
“You then have to use the NHS app and get the event QR code and screenshot the image. You will need to show that plus your ticket.
“We will be checking them well before the front gate, so at the park and rides before they board the coaches, or at the campsites.”
While The Open will run at a reduced capacity this weekend, Silverstone say they can run at capacity after months of discussions with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
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Pringle added: “Silverstone is a 550 acre open air site. We have as many seats as Old Trafford but they are spread over three and a half miles.
“One of the differences between us and the Open is that they do not have much grandstand capacity and one of Public Health England’s concerns is about unseated capacities.
“So our unseated capacity is almost identical to the Open attendance is just that we have the grandstands seats on top, which are considered to be controlled and in the open air.
“The other point to add is that it is not like we are not already checking people coming in.
“Yes it is another movement but we have a system in place and we have 7,000 people working for us.
“We have an extra check but a lot of those will be done off site. Around half the attendees will have their apps checked away from the entrance.”
