This archive report was first published on 2 July 2020.
On July 1, 2020, the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria, was a deserted scene as the circuit prepared for the first Formula One Grand Prix without spectators.
Workers were seen fixing a banner on a bridge next to the track, while cows grazed in a field that normally serves as a crowded campsite near the circuit.
According to Reuters, the signage outside the Red Bull Ring declared 'Welcome Race Fans,' but none were to be seen on that day.
Formula One's season-opener, which will be hosted by Austria for the first time, has been delayed by over 100 days due to the COVID-19 epidemic.
The 10 teams participating in the event will operate in 'bubbles within bubbles,' keeping apart from each other and the outside world to minimize the risk of contagion.
Drivers will face the world's media on Thursday via virtual news conferences, with all but a small contingent of permanently accredited reporters participating from afar.
