until Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League
We’re now well into November and there’s no 2021 MotoGP calendar, despite the schedule for the coming year traditionally announced in mid-September. That’s perhaps no surprise given the current global situation, of course, but it finally looks like there’s going to be some news in the coming days.
There’s been lots of speculation about what the calendar will look like; with rumours of a European-only season (at least in the beginning); of the year kicking off with back-to-back races in the desert at Qatar’s Losail circuit, and that the season might not begin until as late as May.
The Race’s paddock sources have hinted that something will be announced as soon as this week, ahead of the European Grand Prix in Valencia.
It’s believed that MotoGP organisers Dorna will aim to kick off the season with a full calendar of twenty rounds, as was originally planned for 2020, with the season-opening in Qatar in March, heading to the Americas in April, and then kicking off in Europe in early May.
The year will run across the summer in Europe, before heading to Asia as usual in October. That’s been already partially confirmed, with Phillip Island saying it’s hoping to have the Australian Grand Prix on October 24.
Whether any of this is a realistic goal given the current global situation with COVID-19 remains to be seen.
There is a Dorna back-up plan though, with the appointment of three reserve circuits that can be used in the case of other races being cancelled. One of these is likely to be Portugal’s Portimao, which is set to host the final round of the 2020 season in a few weeks’ time.
Portimao is keen to find its way onto the ‘normal’ MotoGP calendar on its road back from financial woes, but there is, unfortunately, no space right now on the calendar for the undulating track which has already successfully hosted F1 this year.
