Formula 1: Australia, China Grands Prix postponed due to COVID-19, season to start in Bahrain

LONDON: The 2021 Formula 1 season will start a week later than planned and in Bahrain instead of Australia after the Australian Grand Prix was postponed from March to November because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Australian race in Melbourne, initially set to open the season on Mar 21, has been rescheduled to Nov 21, with F1 organisers on Tuesday (Jan 12) citing “the ongoing situation regarding COVID-19”. 

The Chinese Grand Prix has also been postponed, but no new date has been set for the race. 

Strict travel restrictions for the pandemic make Australia and China among the hardest countries for F1 teams to enter.

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The season will start with the Bahrain Grand Prix on Mar 28 at Sakhir, less than four months after the same venue held two races as part of the 2020 season.

A race has been added at the Imola track in Italy on Apr 18, a week after the scheduled date for the Chinese GP. There is a vacant slot on May 2, with the Portimao circuit in Portugal among the leading candidates for that weekend.

“Discussions with the promoter and authorities in China are ongoing with the potential to reschedule the race later in the season if possible.” F1 said in a statement.

There is no obvious back-up date in the calendar. Races in the second half of the season are organised back-to-back in three-week blocks, putting heavy strain on team staff.

Postponing the Australian GP already means pushing back the end of the season in Abu Dhabi by a week to Dec 12. The calendar stays at 23 races, the most ever.

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Martin Pakula, the minister for tourism and major events in the Victorian state government which backs the Melbourne race, said it was a sensible decision which potentially could mean international fans attending. That's only if Australia's borders reopen in time.

“This is the right decision and we thank Formula 1 management for their cooperation in setting a new schedule,” he said. “The Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix is one of the great events in the world and we’ll make sure it can be run safely and successfully in November.”

The pandemic has disrupted the F1 season two years running. Last year's race in Australia was cancelled after one team member tested positive for the coronavirus. Fans were preparing to enter the circuit for Friday practice when organisers announced the cancellation.

That started a cascade of postponements and cancellations which meant the rescheduled 2020 season didn't start until July. There was a compressed 17-race schedule through December with all races in Europe or the Middle East.

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