Organisers of this weekend’s race at Imola hope local authorities will not ban spectators from attending. The Italian circuit was recently granted permission to allow 13,000 spectators to attend amid strict anti-covid protocols. But with virus numbers rising across Italy and Europe more widely, it now seems possible that the authorities will withdraw that permission for fan attendance. Formula Imola said that if spectators are barred from attending this weekend, “an adequate refund method” will be put into place. “Even when you take every possible precaution, you can still get the virus and for a driver that means missing one or two races,” said the Spaniard, whose own country has just announced a new six-month state of emergency.

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