Fate of Dutch GP in 2020 rests on whether F1 will pay

Hopes of a race taking place at Zandvoort this year rests on whether Formula 1 will provide the circuit with financial support, says Dutch Grand Prix sporting director Jan Lammers.

The Dutch Grand Prix was set to return to the F1 calendar for the first time following a 35-year absence this weekend at the re-profiled Zandvoort circuit, but the race was among 10 to be called off due to the coronavirus crisis.

F1 hoped to reschedule the event for a later slot during the European summer but an extended ban on all public events in the Netherlands means a race will not be able to be held in the country until September at the earliest.

During an interview with Dutch broadcaster RTL GP, Lammers admitted that a race being staged at Zandvoort in 2020 would depend on whether F1 could bankroll the event, given it would more than likely take place without fans in attendance.

“You are talking about quite large sums of money, which obviously not only Zandvoort has to cough up, but also in other countries,” Lammers said.

"It is therefore also a bit about how deep the pockets of the FOM are. How much they can handle at all during this difficult period.”

Lammers, who previously said a Dutch Grand Prix without fans was an “impossible” prospect, has now not ruled out a behind closed doors race, but only if fans backed the plan.

"If driving in Zandvoort without an audience, it will be because the audience wants it,” he explained.

"We have seen here and there online that if the visitor has to choose between no Grand Prix in Zandvoort this year or a Grand Prix that no fans can attend, you will notice that there is a great sentiment for a Grand Prix that first only via the TV can be experienced.

“Only in such a situation can we consider it.”

F1 hopes to get the 2020 campaign off the ground in early July with a series of behind closed doors races in Europe, having identified the Austrian Grand Prix as the most realistic option for a season-opener.