The decision by the F1 circuits selling tickets for Grand Prix Formula 1 events to which the public will be admitted has been a great success – The Nürburgring is the latest with 5000 tickets sold in one hour.

“At the announcement on Monday, we sensed great interest based on the figures on our website”, Mirco Markfort told Bild.

“We immediately increased our server capacity with our service provider as much as possible and we were still overwhelmed”.

Miguel Praia, director of the Portimão circuit, also confirms that the 30,000 tickets offered for sale have already sold out: “In the first week, when we put the tickets online, it was madness.”

Business is also picking up again for René Cahn, one of the main merchandising salesmen at the circuits. Already present in Sochi, he describes how health and safety is handled around the paddock, which will perhaps, fortunately be closed to the public.

“I’ve seen hardly anyone with a mask, and if people are wearing one, it’s under their chin,” said Cahn, “The coronavirus doesn’t exist here. Nobody cares, everything is normal here.”

“The Olympic Park’s been closed since Tuesday, but until Monday, anyone could come and go as they pleased. I didn’t see any masks and no one kept their distance. Everyone was relaxing.”

Unsurprisingly Cahn’s business has been badly affected by the pandemic, with ticket sales at zero, but with the return to fans in the grandstands coming, it can’t come soon enough for the businessman.

“That’s why I’m happy that we finally have a race with fans. We will try to get rid of as many tickets as possible in the coming months.

“After that we will go to the Nürburgring, Portimão, Imola and Istanbul. Bahrain and Abu Dhabi are also on the calendar, but they are strict about the coronavirus, I don’t know if there will be any fans allowed there”.