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Formula One has welcomed steps taken by the UK Government as it prepares to unveil a European calendar which will include two races to be staged at Silverstone this summer.<\/p>\nFormula One has welcomed steps taken by the UK Government as it prepares to unveil a European calendar which will include two races to be staged at Silverstone this summer.<\/p>\n
The Northamptonshire circuit is poised to host back-to-back races on the weekends of August 2 and August 9 as part of an eight-race calendar to be announced on Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n
Those races were initially penciled in for July, but were moved back due to concerns regarding a quarantine period for international travelers arriving into the UK, which is due to begin on June 8.<\/p>\n
However, elite sports events are set to be exempt from the quarantine period, with British Home Secretary Priti Patel expected to make an announcement outlining further details later on Monday.<\/p>\n
UK Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has listed F1 alongside the likes of football and racing as sports that are \u201cset to return to our screens shortly\u201d.<\/p>\n
An F1 spokesperson said: \u201cWe welcome the government\u2019s efforts to ensure elite sport can continue to operate and their support for our return to racing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will maintain a close dialogue with them in the coming weeks as we prepare to start our season in the first week of July.\u201d<\/p>\n
The F1 season, originally due to have begun in Australia in March, is now set to begin with back-to-back races at Austria\u2019s Spielberg circuit on July 5 and 12, followed by a Hungarian Grand Prix on July 19.<\/p>\n
Following the double-header at Silverstone, further races in Spain, Belgium and Italy are expected to follow.<\/p>\n
All the initial races will be held behind closed doors and teams will operate with the minimum of personnel.<\/p>\n