Up Next
The Turkish Grand Prix has been added to the 2021 Formula 1 calendar as a substitute race for the second time, this time in place of the cancelled Singapore Grand Prix.
Istanbul was originally meant to hold a race on June 13, replacing the Canadian GP.
But it lost that opportunity because Turkey was entered its first full lockdown since the coronavirus pandemic began last year and was added to the UK’s ‘red list’, meaning any travellers – including F1 personnel – who returned from Turkey would face a mandatory 10-day hotel quarantine period.
Turkey was dropped and the calendar was modified instead, creating the triple-header of France and two Red Bull Ring races that F1 is presently in the middle of.
The recent cancellation of the Singapore GP has given Turkey a second chance to join the calendar though.
It will take Singapore’s date of October 3, theoretically placing it in the middle of a triple-header between Russia and Japan.
F1 is confident that this will not create an entry issue for the Japanese race one week later given the country is, at present, expecting the Olympics to go ahead and is allowing travel from many more countries.
It is expected that Turkey will be on the UK’s ‘amber list’ by then anyway, which means a less serious quarantine requirement on return.
In any case, the fact Turkey will be followed by another race means F1 personnel returning to the UK will have cleared most of the 10-day quarantine requirement in Japan.
F1 is hoping to keep the number of planned races to 23, hence the pair of races at the Red Bull Ring.
This has helped keep F1’s rate of races high while it remains in Europe, with serious doubt over several grands prix planned for later in the year.
For different reasons, the status of the Japan, Mexico, Brazil and Australia races have all remained uncertain due to the ongoing pandemic.
“We have shown that we can continue to adapt and there is huge interest in our sport and the hope from many locations to have a grand prix,” said F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.
“We have had very good conversations with all the other promoters since the start of the year and continue to work closely with them during this period.”
