2021 Formula 1 calendarposted in F117 | 12 | 2020
THE RECORD-BREAKING 23-RACE calendar for the 2021 Formula 1 season has been approved by the World Motor Sport Council, albeit with Vietnam's April date slot still remaining blank.
The championship will bid to return to a more regular schedule following the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic through 2020.
The new penultimate race of the season will be a night race in Jeddah, which will form the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix. There’a still a gap in April, where the now-scrapped race in Vietnam had been scheduled. It’s understood one of the new tracks used this year — possibly Imola, Portimao or Mugello — will fill the gap.
But despite the vacant slot, the 23-race calendar was ratified and given official approval following the latest meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council.
The new season will start in Australia on March 21, and finish on December 5 with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The schedule features two triple-headers, compacting a run of six races into seven weeks following the summer break.
The British Grand Prix will be a standalone event on July 18, returning to its traditional date after an August slot in 2020.
The Dutch Grand Prix has moved from its originally-planned date in Spring 2020 to an autumn slot between races at Spa and Monza. Russia, Singapore and Japan form the second triple-header on the calendar, while the USA and Mexico return to their traditional pairing.
F1 is hopeful of completing its intended calendar next year despite the fluid nature of the ongoing pandemic, and has not discussed possible back-up events with teams.
Initiatives such as the biosphere used for the season finale in Abu Dhabi have given F1 stakeholders confidence they will be able to race anywhere safely, in tandem with the rigorous testing and tracing system that is in use.
2021 FORMULA 1 CALENDAR:
March 21: Australian GP
March 28: Bahrain GP
April 11: Chinese GP
April 25: TBC
May 9: Spanish GP
May 23: Monaco GP
June 6: Azerbaijan GP
June 13: Canadian GP
June 27: French GP
July 4: Austrian GP
July 18: British GP
August 1: Hungarian GP
August 29: Belgian GP
September 5: Dutch GP
September 12: Italian GP
September 26: Russian GP
October 3: Singapore GP
October 10: Japanese GP
October 24: United States GP
October 31: Mexico City GP
November 14: Sao Paolo GP
November 28: Saudi Arabia GP
December 5: Abu Dhabi GP
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Jim McGill