Vietnam Grand Prix scrapped for F1 2021 season
Vietnam has been dropped from the provisional calendar for the 2021 Formula 1 season that will be unveiled on Tuesday, while the Brazilian Grand Prix will remain in Sao Paulo.
F1 will announce its intended schedule for the 2021 season tomorrow featuring 22 races, omitting Vietnam at the last minute.
Vietnam was due to host its first F1 grand prix in 2020 prior to its cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was initially included on the draft calendar circulated to teams last month.
But the race in Hanoi will no longer feature on the calendar, with sources indicating the event is being scrapped due to ongoing political issues.
It is not thought to be related to the COVID-19 pandemic given the relatively low infection levels in Vietnam compared to other countries where F1 will be racing.
The absence of Vietnam will leave a gap in the provisional calendar between the Chinese Grand Prix on 11 April and the Spanish Grand Prix on 9 May, and drops the calendar to 22 races.
But it is understood that F1 remains hopeful of bolstering the schedule back up to 23 events, aided by an increase in demand through the revised 2020 season.
The other big change for 2021 from the original plans is that the Brazilian Grand Prix will remain at Interlagos in São Paulo for another year despite plans to move to Rio.
F1 had signed an agreement with promoters to move the race to Rio de Janeiro, on the condition they received government approval to build a new circuit on the outskirts of the city.
This was intended to commence in 2021, but with time ticking for the required approvals to be granted and the window becoming too small, it has been decided to keep the grand prix at Interlagos.
The provisional calendar will be unveiled in full on Wednesday, starting in Australia on 21 March and concluding in Abu Dhabi on 5 December.
The only new race in the schedule compared to 2020 will be the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, which will take place in Jeddah as a night race on 28 November.
An F1 spokesperson told Motorsport.com: “Our calendar will be announced tomorrow and we are not going to give a running commentary before its publication. It also needs to go to the World Motor Sport Council for approval.”
Related video
Why Ferrari has gone back to old ideas to move forward
Everything has been done to stop Mercedes - Wolff
The “glorified taxi” driver central to F1’s continued safety push
As the driver of Formula 1’s medical car, Alan van der Merwe’s job is to wait – and hope his skills aren’t needed. James Newbold hears from F1’s lesser-known stalwart.
When BMW added F1 'rocket fuel' to ignite Brabham's 1983 title push
There was an ace up the sleeve during the 1983 F1 title-winning season of Nelson Piquet and Brabham. It made a frontrunning car invincible for the last three races to see off Renault's Alain Prost and secure the combination's second world title in three years
How “abysmal” reliability blunted Brabham’s first winner
Brabham’s first world championship race-winning car was held back by unreliable Climax engines – or so its creators believed, as STUART CODLING explains
The steps Norris took to reach a new level in the 2021 F1 season
Lando Norris came of age as a grand prix driver in 2021. McLaren’s young ace is no longer an apprentice or a quietly capable number two – he’s proved himself a potential winner in the top flight and, as Stuart Codling finds out, he’s ready to stake his claim to greatness…
How Fangio set the bar for Schumacher and Hamilton in F1
Juan Manuel Fangio, peerless on track and charming off it, established the gold standard of grand prix greatness. Nigel Roebuck recalls a remarkable champion.
How Russell sees his place in the Mercedes-Hamilton F1 superteam
George Russell joining Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes this year gives it arguably the best line-up in Formula 1 – if it can avoid too many fireworks. After serving his apprenticeship at Williams, Russell is the man that Mercedes team believes can lead it in the post-Hamilton era, but how will he fare against the seven-time champion? Motorsport.com heard from the man himself
How F1 pulled off its second pandemic season and its 2022 implications
OPINION: The Formula 1 season just gone was the second to be completed under the dreaded shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, but in many ways it was much more ‘normal’ than 2020. Here’s the story of how the championship’s various organisers delivered a second challenging campaign, which offers a glimpse at what may be different next time around
The adapt or die mentality that will shape F1's future
As attitudes towards the motor car and what powers it change, Formula 1 must adapt its offering. Mark Gallagher ponders the end of fossil fuels