MOTORSPORT: F1 GP moves to November

The Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix has been postponed from March 18-21 to November.

Ongoing international restrictions and uncertainties related to the coronavirus were given as the reason for the postponement.

But expectation the AGP would be postponed has been high for some weeks as it became apparent F1 would be unable to comply with a two-week quarantine period currently required of international visitors to Australia.

And there was no way those rules were going to be relaxed given most teams are coming from the UK, a COVID hot spot.

The AGP is now scheduled for November 18-21, slotting in between the Brazilian and Saudi Arabian grands prix and will be the third-last race of what is intended to be a full 23-race season.

It will bookend a motorsport spectacular in Australia that will start with the October 7-10 Bathurst 1000 and include the October 20-24 MotoGP at Phillip Island.

Among many other things, the change of date also means Aussie driver Dan Ricciardo’s first appearance at home for new team McLaren has been postponed.

Of course, we all now have to hope like buggery the pandemic subsides so the internationals including ‘our Dan’ can come to town without quarantining.

“The operation of the four-day Grand Prix event at Albert Park will be subject to prevailing public health conditions and advice from the chief health officer, with infection prevention and control at the centre of all decisions,” a Victorian government media release stated.

“Quarantine and other aspects of the Grand Prix will be considered in due course.”

The F1 season opener will now take place in Bahrain on March 25-28.

Australia wasn’t the only change made to the 2021 calendar. Imola in Italy on April 18 will replace China, which has also requested a postponement because of its quarantine rules. 

An unconfirmed location, expected to be Portimao in Portugal, is to host the third round on May 2.

As it stands, China would need a round to fall over to be able to get back on the schedule. Given the uncertainties of the COVID-19 era there’s a decent chance that might happen.

The good news is that if you’re still hankering for some motor racing in Melbourne on March 20-21, the Supercars championship second round scheduled as an Albert Park support will still take place at the historic Sandown track.

Last year’s Albert Park GP was cancelled because of the worsening pandemic on Friday morning of the meeting, only hours before the F1 cars were due to fire up and commence their 2020 season.

They did not return to the track until Austria in July, F1 then successfully completing a 17-round championship won by Lewis Hamilton.

“The global pandemic has not yet allowed life to return to normal, but we showed in 2020 that we can race safely as the first international sport to return and we have the experience and plans in place to deliver on our season,” said F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.

“It is great news that we have already been able to agree a rescheduled date for the Australian Grand Prix in November and are continuing to work with our Chinese colleagues to find a solution to race there in 2021 if something changes.”

Amended 2021 Formula 1 calendar