The race set for October 11 is the first on the western German course in seven years and was added to the 2020 calendar after races in Asia and the Americas were cancelled owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

“When the title of the ‘Eifel Grand Prix’ is awarded on October 11, it is an advertisement for the Eifel (region), far beyond the borders of motor sport, in which Formula One is also a piece of identity,” said Prime Minister Malu Dreyer of the Rhineland Palatinate state where the course is located.

The decision to allow fans came after race organizers presented a detailed health and safety concept. Fans will have personalised tickets and allocated seats, the sale of alcohol is prohibited, and the whole area will be divided into sections.

The decision to allow 20,000 fans on each of three days of the race weekend came after German politicians last week allowed venues to be filled to 20 per cent of their capacity at major sports events – as long as the coronavirus infection rate doesn’t spike.

The first six F1 season races were held behind closed doors while a small number of fans attended the last two grands prix in Italy. Sunday’s Russian Grand Prix in Sochi is also set to be contested in front of fans.