F1: Turkish Grand Prix is Out, Replaced by 2nd Austrian GP
Less than a month after it was added to the 2021 Formula 1 calendar, the Turkish Grand Prix has already been withdrawn from the season and will be replaced by a second event in Austria.
Scheduled to take place on June 13, the race in Turkey had to be called off after the country was placed on the United Kingdom’s “red list” of high-risk destinations. Turkey had itself been added to the calendar to replace the grand prix in Montreal, which has been canceled because of Canadian travel restrictions.
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This time, however, there will be no new race track to fill in the gap. Instead, the Red Bull Ring in Austria will have the unique opportunity to host two back-to-back races for the second year running. The Styrian Grand Prix, so named after that region of Austria, will take place on June 27, while the Austrian Grand Prix will take place on July 4 as initially planned.
Consequently, the French Grand Prix, originally scheduled for June 27, will be moved forward a week to take place on June 20. There will thus be three back-to-back race weekends at the start of the summer season, something the F1 authorities had been meaning to avoid after 2020’s triple headers received backlash for putting too much stress on the teams.
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“We were all looking forward to racing in Turkey but the travel restrictions in place have meant we are not able to be there in June,” said Stefano Domenicali, president and CEO of Formula 1 in a statement. The same statement added that the Turkey race promoter was open to the event taking place later in the year if F1 could accommodate it.
You’ll find an updated 2021 F1 calendar below for your convenience. As evidenced by the various mid-season scheduling adjustments that have already been made, it may change yet again.
Kurt Verlin was born in France and lives in the United States. Throughout his life he was always told French was the language of romance, but it was English he fell in love with. He likes cats, music, cars, 30 Rock, Formula 1, and pretending to be a race car driver in simulators; but most of all, he just likes to write about it all. See more articles by Kurt.