Silverstone boss 'up for' filling stands with cardboard fans!

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Silverstone boss Stuart Pringle says he is ready to consider the idea of using cardboard cutouts of fans for this summer's British Grand Prix double-header.

The two-race event scheduled on August 2 and 9 will take place behind closed gates in order to conform with the UK's safety and sanitary measures.

But what the races will lack in atmosphere, Pringle is willing to make up with a visual stratagem that will produce an impression of attendance in the stands.

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The ploy is being used by German football team Borussia Moenchengladbach which filled parts of its stadium with cardboard cutouts of fans ahead of the Bundesliga's restart.

"We have looked at things and I’m certainly not short of people trying to sell me interesting novel ideas, particularly printing companies seeking to replicate the Bundesliga cardboard crowd thing, which actually is great and I’m up for," Pringle told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"We’re in the entertainment business, we want to retain a relationship with the fans. We want to keep them as involved as possible, and, of course, that’s a lot easier in the digital age.

"We’ll be doing an awful lot on our website and social channels and things like that.

"But if there is a way that practically we could involve people, be it a video wall or the cardboard crowd on the seats, absolutely we’ll look at it. We are exploring all of those things."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.