Formula 1 is considering holding two races in Bahrain to start the 2021 season if the ongoing coronavirus situation prevents plans for a race in Portugal.
Following changes to the 23-race calendar due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bahrain is now scheduled to host the first race on March 28, with Imola hosting round two on April 18.
The third round of the season on May 2 has been filled by a TBC since Hanoi was not included on the approved calendar, but suggestions were that F1 was expected to confirm Portimao as the chosen venue.
But Portugal is now facing a new strain of coronavirus cases as the virus continues to spread over Europe, forcing countries to adopt travel restrictions, placing fresh doubts on the race taking place.
Speaking to selected media, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said he will be holding talks with various race promoters in the coming days to discuss the situation before a decision is taken.
He confirmed one option is to run back-to-back races at the Bahrain International Circuit as the series did in 2020.
“There is a TBC date there, and if it will be Portugal, it will be written as Portugal,” Domenicali said, as quoted by Motorsport.com.
“The reason why it’s not written Portugal, is because the situation is still not closed yet. As soon as we can, we will be able to announce something – and that will be in the next days, not in the next two months.
“I’ve got personal meetings during this weekend to understand what is the state of the situation, and one of the possible plan Bs, for sure, could be a double race in Bahrain. But this is one plan and nothing is confirmed. We’re focusing to try to keep the calendar as it is.”
While Domenicali admits the current situation surrounding coronavirus has been a “challenge”, he remains optimistic of running 23 races in 2021.
“Everyone was thinking that this year would have been easier if you imagine the situation, and it is not,” Domenicali said. “We are totally confident that we can achieve the number of races that are on the calendar.
“It’s a challenge, but we are confident that, with the relations we have, this can really happen. But as you can imagine we are fluid and flexible to be ready with other possibilities.
“We have already a different plan – B, C, D, A in place in case – and the things that are fixed today can be different tomorrow. That’s why we are in contact with all the organizers every day.”
Comments.
Loading comments…