Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali remains confident that a 23-race season can be put together this year, despite the cancellation of the Australian Grand Prix complicating matters. The COVID-19 pandemic claimed its third host country victim of the year after Singapore and Canada made the same decision.
The prospective race at Melbourne’s Albert Park has now been cancelled for the second consecutive year. Initially, the venue was meant to host the season-opener in March, although it was pushed back to November to give race organisers more time to make the necessary arrangements. Australia’s particularly tight travel restrictions and quarantine requirements have served to make life extremely difficult in terms of granting assurance that the GP could go ahead.
Since the Australian GP was dated for late November, a race in Europe is pratically not possible due to climatic reasons: “Since the date is close to the Saudi Arabian GP and Abu Dhabi GP, it is possible that F1 does another race in the Gulf region.” – German automobile magazine ‘Auto Motor und Sport’ wrote.
At the same time, the Japan GP chances of happening have increased due to the Olympics happening. A question mark is still behind the Brazil GP. Many countries have imposed strict quarantine rules for people returning from Brazil or to their onward journey. When it comes to a race in Germany, there was no exchange between Formula 1 and those responsible in Hockenheim and at the Nürburgring on this subject in recent weeks.
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