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The tease of a potential Texas Grand Prix by an official Formula 1 platform is a hint of the next replacement being lined up for the 2021 calendar.
As reported earlier this year following the cancellation of the Singapore Grand Prix, a second race at the Circuit of the Americas emerged as an option to boost F1’s end-of-season schedule.
The United States Grand Prix is due to be held on October 24. Now, F1 Experiences – the championship’s official experience, hospitality and travel programme – has advertised the 2021 Texas Grand Prix with a “to be decided” date, placed before the United States GP in the schedule.
F1 Experiences lists the event with promotional text that tells fans who missed out on ticket packages to the US GP: “The good news is that you may have another chance to see Formula 1 in Austin this year.”
Though it stresses the race is not yet confirmed, it is the first time an F1 entity has acknowledged the prospect of the extra Texas race.
It is peculiar to see an F1 platform advertise a potential race in this manner, especially as it suggests that the Texas GP could slot in one week before the US GP.
Adding another Austin race before the US GP is not compatible with the Japanese Grand Prix being scheduled on October 10.
This Texas GP tease would therefore indicate that the race is most likely to materialise as a replacement for Japan.
The Suzuka race is currently only likely to go ahead with a strict biosphere-like arrangement similar to that of last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with F1 personnel arriving by chartered flight and only allowed to travel between the hotel and the circuit.
Japan has had a hard stance against foreign travellers during the COVID-19 pandemic and the postponed Olympic Games are currently being held under tight restrictions.
F1 is waiting to see if the Olympics can be completed without incident before the fate of the race can be known.
That was confirmed by Masashi Yamamoto, Honda’s F1 managing director – whose company owns Suzuka.
“The situation depends on the Olympic Games,” Yamamoto told The Race.
“And as you can see, although it’s without crowds, the sport itself is happening.
“My wish is to have crowds. But even without it we hope to show the race from Suzuka.”
The uncertainty makes it logical for the additional Austin race to be teed up as a flexible option that could be slotted in one week before the original grand prix, as F1 is keen to maintain its planned record 23-race schedule if it can.
It’s unclear whether a second Texas race could take place one week after the original date, with Mexico moving back to replace the Brazilian Grand Prix given that is widely considered to be unlikely to happen.
But it is still the strongest hint yet that the Circuit of the Americas could hold a second grand prix this year after all.
F1 used same-track double-headers to help its 2020 season following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and it has employed the same tactic this year already at the Red Bull Ring.
An Austin double-header, which has remained an option in the background even while it was not being widely talked about, would please F1 owner Liberty Media given the ongoing efforts to increase F1’s footprint in the States.
Adding another Austin race would mean F1 has two grands prix held in the US in the same season for the first time since Detroit and Dallas in 1984.
