MotoGP calendar update: Australia cancelled, Algarve added, Malaysia moved

The Australian Grand Prix is dropped from the 2021 MotoGP calendar and replaced by a second round at Portimao. Malaysia moved.
Fabio Quartararo race start, Dutch MotoGP race, 27 June 2021
Fabio Quartararo race start, Dutch MotoGP race, 27 June 2021
© Gold and Goose

The Australian round of the MotoGP World Championship has been cancelled for the second year in succession, due to ongoing 'travel complications and logistical restrictions' caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The popular Phillip Island event had been scheduled for October 22-24 and its departure means that the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang has been moved forwards to take over that weekend, thus forming a back-to-back with Buriram in Thailand.

Meanwhile a return to Portimao, which hosted round 3 of this year, has now been added to the calendar (as the 'Algarve Grand Prix') to form the penultimate event of the 2021 season on November 5-7. It will be the third time MotoGP has raced at Portimao in just over a year. This April's race was dominated by world championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) with Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) and Joan Mir (Suzuki) completing the podium. 

Phillip Island joins Motegi and KymiRing in being officially cancelled from the 2021 schedule while the Argentine round at Termas de Rio Hondo remains postponed, with no new date.

2021 MotoGP Calendar

Round

Date

Race

Circuit

1

28 March

Qatar (Evening race)

Losail

2

4 April

Doha (Evening race)

Losail

3

18 April

Portugal

Portimao

4

2 May

Spain

Jerez

5

16 May

France

Le Mans

6

30 May

Italy

Mugello

7

6 June

Catalunya

Barcelona

8

20 June

Germany

Sachsenring

9

27 June

Netherlands

Assen

10

8 August

Styria

Red Bull Ring

11

15 August

Austria

Red Bull Ring

12

29 August

Great Britain

Silverstone

13

12 September

Aragon

Aragon

14

19 September

San Marino e Della Riviera di Rimini

Misano

15

3 October

Americas

COTA

16

17 October

Thailand

Buriram

17

24 October

Malaysia

Sepang

18

7 November

Algarve

Portimao

19

14 November

Valencia

Ricardo Tormo

Postponed Grands Prix:

 

11 April

Argentina

Termas

Reserve Grand Prix Venues:

  

Indonesia (Delayed until 'first part of 2022')

Mandalika

  

Russia

Igora Drive

Cancelled Grands Prix:

 

11 July

Finland (Subject to homologation)

KymiRing

 

3 October

Japan

Motegi

 

24 October

Australia

Phillip Island

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