The Italian GP will also be a closed-door event as Monza has started the refunding process but Portimao is readying to have F1 fans for their first race in 2020.
When Monza was confirmed to be on the 2020 F1 calendar, the organisers hoped to have fans albeit a limited number in the stands but as weeks got by, the idea started to look awry which forced them to pull out and make it a closed-door event.
Like all the other grand prix leading to it, the 2020 Italian GP will also be held behind closed doors, with Mugello now looking like the first one to have fans. The circuit is believed to be trying to have fans but has not publicly stated anything.
The public information is only for Russia, who announced that the organisers is preparing to have F1 fans in limited number at Sochi Autodrom, which will be the first flyaway event of 2020. The refund policy for Monza, meanwhile, has kick-started.
Full value of the tickets will be refunded as such but those who have bought from TicketOne and Platinium Group (Monzanet), the commission price won’t be refunded. Additionally, the organisers have laid down different ways of refund:
- Customers who purchased the ticket through the official web channels monzanet.it and ticketone.it will automatically receive a refund, by direct credit to the credit card used during the purchase. It is not necessary for the customer to submit any request or access any procedure.
- Customers who purchased the ticket at a point of sale of the physical network of affiliated shops including the points of sale located at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, must request a refund by filling in all its parts of the online form available on the refund.info page attaching a copy of the ticket. This request must be sent without delay by and no later than September 15, 2020. The refund will be credited by bank transfer to the coordinates indicated by the customer in the aforementioned refund request form. It should be noted that requests forwarded after this date and / or in ways other than those indicated will not be taken into consideration. Service active from August 3, 2020.
- Professional operators and retailers who have purchased tickets through the b2b platform will receive specific communication on the reimbursement procedures for them.
- In all cases, reimbursement operations will take place starting from the month of October 2020.
While Monza starts the refund process, the grand prix venues like Nurburgring, Portimao an Imola are looking to have F1 fans like Russia. The German and the Italian venue is still in the planning stage but the Portuguese host has already started the sale.
When the grand prix was announced, the Circuit Algarve website priced the ticket at 85 euros but at the time of writing this, it was stated as 100 euros. The tickets available are for Portimao, Portimao 2, West, Lagos, North, upper and track level Main Grandstand.
It is not yet clear if anyone can buy or it is just for fans in Portugal as reports suggests 50,000 to 65,000 tickets to be sold, here’s the link to buy: https://autodromodoalgarve.com/race-calendar/formula-1-portugal-grand-prix/
Looking ahead in the 2020 F1 season, with China mostly out, venues like Vietnam, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi are the only ones left to be confirmed, who were part of the original calendar. The two Middle East races are more or less good to go.
The question mark is on Vietnam, who initially was to be linked with China but with no Chinese GP, a surprise name of Malaysia has popped up as F1 wouldn’t want to travel so far for just the one round. Another name doing rounds is Turkey with Government’s push.
While Malaysia hasn’t publicly said anything regarding Sepang, which is also working on MotoGP deal, the Turkish Government has spoken on behalf of Istanbul Park as per multiple reports. It seems unlikely, though, for them to host in such a short time.
Here’s initial reaction from circuits
Here’s the update from F1 on the 2020 calendar