The Turkish Grand Prix has been replaced on this year’s Formula 1 calendar – less than three weeks after it was added – with an additional event at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.
The Istanbul Park circuit returned to the program for the first time since 2011 last season as one of many last-minute venues added due to travel restrictions linked to the pandemic.
The event was left out of the original 2021 schedule, but at the end of April it was named as a replacement for the canceled Canadian Grand Prix, which was scheduled to take place on June 13.
Following this announcement, several countries – including the United Kingdom – have imposed travel restrictions on Turkey, due to the Covid-19 situation in the country. It’s on the UK government’s red list, which requires anyone arriving in the UK from the country to self-quarantine in a hotel.
With the majority of F1 teams based in Britain, this could have required staff to be quarantined or to remain on the road for an extended period.
F1 bosses will look to postpone Turkey for later in the season. A similar approach was taken with the Chinese Grand Prix.
To ensure the calendar reaches 23 scheduled races, F1 bosses have now added a second event to the Red Bull Ring, with the Styrian Grand Prix on June 27 before the Austrian Grand Prix on July 4. This will be the second year in a row that the Red Bull Ring has hosted a double event.
To accommodate this movement, the French Grand Prix will pass a week earlier on June 20.
Meanwhile, F1 bosses are hopeful fans can return to some European races in the coming months. The next Monaco Grand Prix, on May 23, will take place with a crowd of 40%.
READ MORE
2021 Formula 1 circuit guide
How to host a grand prize during a pandemic
Racing Lines: fresh turkey feeds F1
More about this article: Read More
Source: www.autocar.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-05-14 13:37:55
