Aussie GP promoter adamant race will open 2021 season

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Australian Grand Prix organisers are holding on to their event's traditional season-opening date for 2021 despite rumors of the race being pushed back to October of next year.

Australia's border restrictions implemented in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic raised questions about the viability of Melbourne's March event, a race that was cancelled at the eleventh hour earlier this year due to the onslaught of Covid-19.

Doubts were reinforced last week when a draft 2021 calendar 'flew out' a window of the FIA's office in Paris. The provisional 22-race schedule listed Bahrain as the opening race of the season on March 14th, with Melbourne earmarked for October 24th.

Read also: Bahrain set to open 2021 season on provisional calendar

But Australian Grand Prix Corporation chief executive Andrew Westacott, speaking to Nine Network's Wide World of Sports, reiterated Melbourne's season-opening status

"Melbourne will again host the F1 season opener in the traditional March time slot, which will form a significant part of the recovery of the major sports and events industry in Victoria," Westacott said.

F1 boss Chase Carey said the sport was still working on fine-tuning its 2021 agenda, but insisted the final schedule will look "pretty normal", with a return to "a more balanced set of events across the globe" after this year's disrupted campaign.

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.