Australian GP cancelled, F1 has ‘number of options’ to replace round
The Melbourne round was moved from its original date in March and was due to take place from 19-21 November but has been called off for the second year in a row due to tight restrictions and border controls in Australia.
The planned Australian round of the MotoGP world championship, scheduled for 24 October, has also been cancelled.
"The Australian Grand Prix Corporation (AGPC) in conjunction with the Victorian Government and Formula 1 today announced the 2021 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix has been cancelled due to restrictions and logistical challenges relating to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic," read a statement released on Tuesday morning.
"AGPC will continue to work with Formula 1 and the Victorian Government regarding the 2022 calendar timings for the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix event.”
F1 remains determined to stage a 23-round calendar as planned and said in a statement that it is evaluating a number of of options to fill the spot vacated by the Australian GP’s cancellation.
“While it is disappointing we won’t be racing in Australia this season, we are confident we can deliver a 23 race season in 2021 and we have a number of options to take forward to replace the place left vacant by the Australian Grand Prix,” an F1 spokesperson said.
"We will be working through the details of those options in the coming weeks and will provide further updates once those discussions are concluded.”
Last month, the Turkish Grand Prix was reinstated on the 2021 F1 calendar for the second time as a replacement for the cancelled Singapore round on 3 October.
There are also doubts over this year’s Japanese Grand Prix, due to take place on 8-10 October, though authorities in Japan are set to wait until after this summer’s Olympics before taking a final decision on whether the Suzuka race can go ahead.
| Updated 2021 Formula 1 Race Calendar | ||
| Round | Race | Date |
| 1 | Bahrain GP (Sakhir) | March 28 |
| 2 | Emilia Romagna GP (Imola) | April 18 |
| 3 | Portuguese GP (Portimao) | May 2 |
| 4 | Spanish GP (Barcelona) | May 9 |
| 5 | Monaco GP (Monte Carlo) | May 23 |
| 6 | Azerbaijan GP (Baku) | June 6 |
| 7 | French GP (Paul Ricard) | June 20 |
| 8 | Styrian GP (Spielberg) | June 27 |
| 9 | Austrian GP (Spielberg) | July 4 |
| 10 | British GP (Silverstone) | July 18 |
| 11 | Hungarian GP (Budapest) | August 1 |
| 12 | Belgian GP (Spa) | August 29 |
| 13 | Dutch GP (Zandvoort) | September 5 |
| 14 | Italian GP (Monza) | September 12 |
| 15 | Russian GP (Sochi) | September 26 |
| 16 | Turkish GP (Istanbul) | October 3 |
| 17 | Japanese GP (Suzuka) | October 10 |
| 18 | United States GP (Austin) | October 24 |
| 19 | Mexican GP (Mexico City) | October 31 |
| 20 | Sao Paulo GP (Interlagos) | November 7 |
| 21 | TBA | November 21 |
| 22 | Saudi Arabian GP (Jeddah) | December 5 |
| 23 | Abu Dhabi GP (Yas Marina) | December 12 |
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