MOTORSPORT: Aussie F1 Grand Prix cancelled – again

Tough local COVID-19 quarantine regulations have seen the 2021 Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix and the 2021 Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix cancelled for the second year in a row.

A plan to delay the Albert Park Formula 1 event until November has come unstuck because there is no chance of the grand prix travelling circus, which can include up to 2500 people from superstar drivers down to mechanics and even cooks, completing Australia’s mandatory 14-day quarantine ahead of the event.

Even though Formula 1 has been operating in a COVID bubble for more than a year, and a full house of more than 100,000 people will attend the British Grand Prix next week under the UK’s latest COVID restrictions, there was no workable compromise for Albert Park.

The decision on the AGP has a knock-on effect for the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, which was set for late October but has also been binned for 2021.

“We’re deeply disappointed that, for a second consecutive year, both MotoGP and Formula 1 fans won’t be able to see the world’s best riders and drivers compete,” said AGP Corporation chairman Paul Little.

“We appreciate the challenge Australia faces with current international travel restrictions and the importance of vaccinations.”

But Little and other key AGP figures are hopeful that things will change in time for the two races to return next year.

“We will work tirelessly to deliver these iconic events in 2022,” he said.

The early decision on a grand prix cancellation, five months ahead of the planned date of November 18-21, comes as the organisers act to save the multimillion-dollar set-up costs at Albert Park. The AGP Corporation has also slimmed its operation with a number of key redundancies.

There has been a predictable reaction to the news.

Mark Webber, a former GP winner who is now a member of the AGPC board, said: “I’m shattered that we can’t hold a Formula 1 event in Australia for another year. It’s a real shame as we’re world class at pulling these types of events off as an organisation.”

Mick Doohan, who is also on the AGPC board, added: “I’m totally devastated that we’re not hosting the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix again this year at Phillip Island, especially with the form we’ve got with Jack Miller in MotoGP and Remy Gardner in Moto2, who could have been in a position to win the championship overall at Phillip Island.”

There is no commitment for 2022, but F1 supremo Stefano Domenicali is upbeat about a replacement for Albert Park this year.

“While it is disappointing we won’t be racing in Australia this season, we are confident we can deliver a 23-race season in 2021 and we have a number of options to take forward to replace the place left vacant by the Australian Grand Prix,” he said.

“We will be working through the details of those options in the coming weeks and will provide further updates once those discussions are concluded.”

Despite the local GP cancellations, there was some good news for Aussie motorsport fans this week, with Supercars close to announcing an extension to its calendar with a double header in Townsville.

It is not a replacement for the AGP meeting, which would have included the annual Supercars sprints, and was in the works before the cancellation announcement from Melbourne.

It will see Supercars racing as planned on the street circuit in Townsville this weekend and then repeating the action the following weekend, at the end of the school holidays in Queensland.