Formula 1 will be racing in Bahrain on November 29th and December 6th, but teams may well return to Sakhir just over three months later according to a draft calendar for 2021 that has come F1i's way.
F1 boss Chase Carey said this week that the sport was in the process of finalizing a "pretty normal" schedule for next year, referring to a return to "a more balanced set of events across the globe" after this year's disrupted campaign.
The FIA has yet to officially release a provisional calendar for 2021, but a 'draft' of next year's agenda is currently circulating in cyberspace.
The season is set to open on March 14th in Bahrain where winter testing may also take place, with Melbourne pushed all the way back to October, a change justified by Australia's current COVID-19 travel and border restrictions, the duration of which are unknown.
Vietnam and Holland are earmarked once again for their maiden F1 events, but Germany and Brazil have predictably fallen off the schedule.
Formula 1 will return to the Americas, with Austin and Mexico City present in their usual November slots, but a Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at Jeddah scheduled as the penultimate round of the World Championship is another newcomer on the calendar.
Sadly, F1 will not return to the Mugello next year as many had hoped would be the case after this year's thrilling event.
In addition to being provisional, the calendar would also require a COVID-19 sanitary all-clear from each hosting country. And that may be once again F1's biggest hurdle next year.
Provisional 2021 F1 calendar:
| Course | Date | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bahrain GP (Bahrain) | 14 March |
| 2 | Vietnam GP (Hanoï) | 28 March |
| 3 | China GP (Shanghaï) | 11 April |
| 4 | Azerbaijan GP (Bakou) | 25 April |
| 5 | Dutch GP (Zandvoort) | 2 May |
| 6 | Spanish GP (Barcelona) | 9 May |
| 7 | Monaoc GP (Monte-Carlo) | 23 May |
| 8 | Canadian GP (Montreal) | 6 June |
| 9 | Austrian GP (Spielberg) | 20 June |
| 10 | French GP (Paul Ricard) | 27 June |
| 11 | British GP (Silverstone) | 11 July |
| 12 | Hungarian GP (Budapest) | 25 July |
| 13 | Belgium GP (Spa) | 29 August |
| 14 | Italian GP (Monza) | 5 September |
| 15 | Russian GP (Sotchi) | 19 September |
| 16 | Singapour GP (Marina Bay) | 26 September |
| 17 | Japanese GP (Suzuka) | 10 October |
| 18 | Australian GP (Melbourne) | 24 October |
| 19 | US GP (Austin) | 7 November |
| 20 | Mexican GP (Mexico) | 14 November |
| 21 | Saudi Arabian GP (Jeddah) | 28 November |
| 22 | Abu Dhabi GP (Yas Marina) | 5 November |
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