Formula 1 2020

The top five GPs where fans will be missed the most

With behind-closed-doors races looming, GPFans counts down the venues where fans really do make a difference

Ian Parkes & Sam Hall

Sunday 3 May 2020 12:50 Updated: 13:52

When Formula 1 returns, races will likely be held behind closed doors for some time, but where will the fans be missed the most?

In compiling this list of races, only grands prix that featured in 2019 have been considered.

Although the Dutch Grand Prix would likely have proven to be a highlight of the season in regards to the atmosphere, there is no way of knowing for sure just how impressive things would have been.

5. Austrian Grand Prix - Red Bull Ring

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Since the arrival of Max Verstappen on the F1 scene in 2015, the Dutch fans have made the Red Bull Ring one of their homes over the past few years, which gets the nod over Spa-Francorchamps due to the amphitheatre-like nature of the track.

The 'Orange Army' has descended on the venue, creating a spectacular sight all massed together cheering on the 22-year-old.

And over the past two seasons, Verstappen hasn't disappointed, claiming back-to-back victories in 2018 and '19, sparking delirious scenes.

4. Brazilian Grand Prix - Interlagos

A real drivers' circuit, Interlagos not only enjoys one of the best atmospheres on the calendar, but often one of the best races, too.

The Brazilian fans always support their home drivers above all others, with Ayrton Senna, Rubens Barrichello and Felipe Massa all feeding off the passion in the past to produce memorable, if not always successful, drives.

Most recently, the reaction to Massa's 2016 retirement, originally slated to be his final Brazilian Grand Prix, sticks in the mind as an example of that adoration from the stands.

3. Mexico City Grand Prix - Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez

The Mexico City Grand Prix makes this list for one reason - the Foro Sol baseball stadium.

While one of the generally less spectacular pieces of circuit design on the calendar, the atmosphere created within it is unlike almost anything else.

The podium celebrations and after-party take place in the stadium, and who can forget Lewis Hamilton's car being raised up to the podium in 2019 as the Mercedes driver put himself on the brink of winning a sixth title.

2. Italian Grand Prix - Monza

Monza is passion in it's purest form. In Italy, you support one racing team and that is Ferrari.

When Charles Leclerc stood atop the podium and lifted the winner's trophy in 2019, the sea of red below erupted into a frenzy unmatched by almost anywhere else.

Monza without the fans, especially were Ferrari to win, would be a very strange thing to witness.

1. British Grand Prix - Silverstone

Without doubt, F1 and Silverstone go hand in hand, and an F1 calendar without a British GP just wouldn't be the same.

It has often been said, the British fans are the most knowledgeable in the sport, flocking to the Northamptonshire venue in their hundreds of thousands.

Last year the circuit topped the charts for its three-day attendance [351,000] and race-day attendance [141,000].

The backdrop of Union Jacks in support of their home hero - and in recent times it has predominantly been Lewis Hamilton - has often been a sight to behold, and the roar that goes up at an overtaking manoeuvre or a victory can be heard for miles around.