The first draft of the 2021 F1 calendar was published by Formula 1 on November 10th 2020. However ongoing disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic meant revisions were necessary long after the season began.
While the 2020 season had been heavily delayed and curtailed, from the outset F1 stated its intention of running a more normal schedule in 2021, albeit with a record-breaking 23 races.The first of those had to be postponed, however. The Australian Grand Prix was delayed until November, and Bahrain became the new opening race. The season began there on March 28th, following three days of testing at the same Bahrain International Circuit.
China, originally the venue for the third round of the championship, was also delayed. While Australia was given a new date in November, with knock-on changes to other races around the same time, the Chinese race was not immediately rescheduled.
As the season went on, Canada’s round also had to be abandoned. It was originally replaced by a new race in Turkey, but within 16 days F1’s trip had also been called off as the rising Covid-19 infection rate led the British government to impose severe travel restrictions. An extra race in Austria was added.
However the later cancellation of Singapore’s round of the world championship opened up a new space on the calendar which was taken by Turkey.
Following Bahrain, the championship raced at Imola in Italy, replacing China. The original calendar also included a race at an undetermined venue which, three weeks before the season was due to begin, was confirmed as the Autodromo do Algarve in Portugal.
The 73rd running of the world championship will also see the addition of a new race in Saudi Arabia on the streets of Jeddah. The Dutch Grand Prix, which was supposed to return at Zandvoort in 2020 but fell foul of the pandemic, was confirmed for a September date.
However other new races the sport aspired to hold in Miami, USA and Hanoi, Vietnam did not join the schedule as hoped.
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2021 F1 calendar of races
Testing dates
Pre-season testing has been reduced from six days to three for the 2021 championship. A single three-day test will be held at Bahrain International Circuit from March 12th to 14th.
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The dates for the 2021 races, tests and car launches announced so far have been added to the RaceFans F1 calendar. This will be updated when further details are issued.
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What new races will be on the calendar?
Formula 1 has confirmed a new night race will take place on the streets of Jeddah. The first Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will take place on December 5th.
In October 2019 F1 announced ‘agreement in principle’ to hold a race on a new circuit at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. It intended to hold the race in May, but no further details have been confirmed.
The Vietnam Grand Prix, which was supposed to take place for the first time in 2020 but was cancelled due to the pandemic, will not go ahead in 2021.
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More F1 calendars
The calendar has more than tripled in length since the world championship began. The first F1 season took place in 1950, when seven races were held. By 2020 the schedule had grown to 22 world championship grands prix.
