On paper, the 2021 season should look like the world before, with its 20 races on the program, the same number as the current year would have had without the coronavirus pandemic. But since the arrival of the Covid-19, the circuit has been planed in number and dates (14 races in July 19 and November 22) with races exclusively in Europe.
This Friday, the Dorna (the promoter of the Championship) nevertheless tried to restore order in its planning by publishing a “classic” calendar, with only the disappearance of the Czech event of Brno, which must redo its asphalt, leaving a free place (for a 20th GP not yet defined) and three destinations (Russia, Indonesia and Portugal) that can serve as a fallback base in the event of new disruptions linked to the coronavirus.
The French GP in May
“We are trying to get back to normal, we have talked to all the promoters and done the normal schedule because it is important to block the days and know exactly the days when there will be the Grand Prix, said Carmelo Ezpeleta, director of Dorna. We will start in Qatar (March 28) and finish in Valence (November 14), as usual. Obviously there is a lot that we don’t know yet, which is why we have included three reserve Grands Prix to be awarded wherever possible, and also taking into account the weather considerations of each location. The most important thing for me and the message I want to give is that we are going to try to keep the days with a Grand Prix going on those days. “
Postponed to October 11 this year, the GP of France should therefore resume its usual date in May (May 16), just like the majority of races usually on the program. While preseason testing is scheduled in Malaysia (February 14-16 and February 19-21) and Qatar (March 10-12).
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