These are all the options available to Formula 1 in case of a GP Turkey cancellation
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The Canadian Grand Prix has made way for the Turkish GP, but it remains to be seen if the weekend at Istanbul Park will actually take place. The United Kingdom has put Turkey on the red list, which means that a negative travel advice has been issued and that there is a quarantine obligation. What are the options for Formula 1 if they can't travel to Istanbul? GPblog.com tells you!
Substitutes not possible last year
Last year Mugello and Nurburgring were willing to host a Formula 1 weekend, but now both circuits are not interested. Ferrari, the owner of Mugello, would have told Liberty Media that it is not interested in hosting a Grand Prix while the Nurburgring already announced last winter that it has no place on the calendar to host the premier class of motorsport.
Imola and Portimao were also considered for a replacement GP in 2020, but those two tracks have already been visited by Formula 1 during the second and third GP of the season. So what are the options going forward?
In 2021 only 22 GP's
The first option, which is also the least likely, is to shorten the season by one weekend. There are currently 23 Grands Prix on the calendar, but the possibility exists that the teams and drivers get an unexpected week off.
Austria twice?
Last year's season started with two weekends in Austria and it is possible that Formula 1 will be back in action twice in 2021. The only problem is that on the current date of the Turkish GP, the ADAC GT Masters takes place in Spielberg.
Possibly the French Grand Prix of June 25-27 will be moved up a week and the second Austrian weekend will be scheduled a week earlier than the original GP of Austria. So we may get (as in 2020) the Styrian Grand Prix followed by the Austrian Grand Prix. Neither Red Bull, the owner of the circuit nor Formula 1 want to comment on this yet.
The result would be a triple-header:
French Grand Prix: 18-20 June
Styrian Grand Prix: 25-27 June
Austrian Grand Prix: 02-04 July
Two times in France?
It is also possible to race twice on the Paul Ricard circuit. There are many layouts possible on the French circuit as we also saw in Bahrain last season. The French GP's however never guarantee much spectacle, so the question is if this is the best option for Formula 1, Liberty Media and FOM. Also in this case a triple-header follows:
Grand Prix de France (I): 18 June-21 June
Grand Prix de France (II): 25 June-27 June
Grand Prix de Austria: 02-04 July
Other space on the F1 calendar
With a record number of 23 races, there is not much room in the Formula 1 calendar. Last season there were two races at Silverstone. Possibly another race can be added on July 25, but in the rumour circuit, this option has not been mentioned yet. In this case, after two races in a row in Great Britain, we also have Hungary immediately, which would also lead to a triple-header.
In the second half, we will be racing outside Europe and then it is logistically difficult to fit in another race. Everything depends on whether the government of the United Kingdom is willing to release Formula 1 personnel from the quarantine obligation. It is expected that a decision will be made soon.