Major F1 Broadcaster Pulls Out of Austrian Grand Prix

The Formula 1 spectacle is likely to return on 5 July at the Red Bull Ring in Austria. However, the race is set to take place behind closed doors, so no spectators and limited media access. Owing to the strict safety regulations, Some cannot help wondering how much the fans will see the drivers. Sadly for Dutch fans, Dutch television have elected to abstain from attending the F1 race live. This isn’t the first time they have refused to travel to a Grand Prix event.

“We’re not going there. Olav, Jack and the cameraman are not going to Austria”, said Ziggo Sport pit reporter Jack Plooij in Formula 1 Cafe.

To be honest, it could be the right call, since they have to travel for at least three weeks to be present at the Grand Prix. Apparently, FOM told Ziggo that they first have to go to England in quarantine for a week.

What happens if they travel for the F1 race?

Once there, they will have to be tested twice and given their own separate rooms. After that, the FOM provides them with a plane for all media personnel, to fly to Austria. Upon landing, they have to endure another fourteen days in quarantine.

When they finally reach the circuit, the TV stations would then also have to operate separately from each other. All of this might have been worthwhile if Ziggo had also been allowed to interview the drivers. However, it remains to be seen whether that will actually be possible.

“Then came the important question from our bosses: ‘Do we get a guarantee that we can interview the drivers? But we didn’t get it, because the teams can change that. They can’t force anybody to come to that square.”

All in all, it may not be worth the effort to travel so much, only for them to face more and more restrictions. So they believe that it is far better for them to report from the comfort of their own studios.