Formula 1 has announced a revised calendar for the second half of the 2021 season that will see the schedule shortened to 22 races.
F1 bosses had hoped to run 23 rounds as planned at the start of the year, but the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in several race cancellations.
The Canadian, Singapore, Australian and Japanese Grand Prix’s have all been dropped, and there is uncertainty still hanging over further races later in the year.
On Saturday, F1 released a statement confirming revisions had been made to the calendar, with a number of existing events changing dates.
The Dutch, Italian and Russian Grand Prix’s all remain on their original dates, but the Turkish Grand Prix, which remains on the UK’s red list, has been moved back a week to October 10 with no replacement for Suzuka.
There will be a week’s break before the US Grand Prix at COTA, which will now be a standalone event as Mexico and Brazil are pushed back a week to November 7 and 14 respectively.
A TBC round will then take place on November 21, with unconfirmed reports suggesting this will take place in Qatar.
The season will then round off with the inaugural Saudi Arabia Grand Prix on December 5 and the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 12.
“We are very pleased to announce the updates to the 2021 calendar following extensive discussions with the promoters and national authorities,” said F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali
“The pandemic continues to present the season with challenges but we have proven we can adapt and we are confident we can deliver a record breaking 22 races this year despite a global pandemic.
“I want to thank the promoters in Brazil, Mexico and Turkey for their patience and flexibility and we will provide the details of the final addition soon. This season is proving to be an incredible battle on the track and this is hugely exciting for our fans around the world and we look forward to the intensity continuing in the races ahead.”
F1 is prepared for the schedule to undergo further changes, with Turkey potentially being replaced by Mugello that debuted on last year’s truncated calendar.
Austin is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases that could put its race in jeopardy, with Mexico and Brazil also under threat.
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