The Bend Motorsport Park has been put forward as a potential back-up should Albert Park be unable to host the 2021 Australian Grand Prix.
Back in March, the event in Melbourne was cancelled at the very last minute on Friday morning after a McLaren employee tested positive for Covid-19.
That meant the weeks of preparation and costs associated with building the temporary circuit was all in vain.
Currently, the majority of coronavirus cases in Australia are also in the State of Victoria, where Melbourne is located, while South Australia, where The Bend is just 100km from Adelaide, has only had 28 new infections since May 1.
“I think we’re in a very good position if the Melbourne Grand Prix doesn’t go ahead,” said State Premier Steven Marshall via ABC.
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“Now, if there’s a requirement, South Australia stands ready. We’re not going over to poach it, but South Australia stands ready with a fantastic track.
“We would look at every single option in terms of bringing events to South Australia, but of course it’s got to stand up from a commercial perspective.
“We don’t have buckets and buckets of cash lying around, but to bring quality events to South Australia that promote economic activity, that get our economy moving, is exactly what we’re looking at at the moment.”
Of course, Adelaide is no stranger to F1 having held the Australian GP on its famous street circuit between 1985 to 1995.
The Bend, however, is a permanent facility with its longest layout a whopping 7.7km, making it longer than Spa-Francorchamps, and consists of 35 turns.
Multiple other designs are also available but the Supercars venue would need to make changes to improve from its current FIA Grade 2 status to the necessary Grade 1 level to host F1.
Managing director Sam Shahin though did believe making those alterations would be more than achievable should the opportunity arise.
