With the country entering the UK’s Red List due to the increase in Covid-19 cases, this made the test ineffective and had a ripple effect: the French Grand Prix was introduced for a week and now it will happen on June 20, and two tests will be held in Austria over the weekend Coming.
All this maneuver has a clear goal: to keep the calendar’s predictions with 23 races per year. This is because the guide is a great source of income for the class, as well as having commercial obligations with TV rights holders.
The Formula 1 rating is that every effort to not miss dates at this stage of the tournament is important, as there are several events in the second half of the calendar whose achievements are not 100% confirmed.
These tests are those that are performed outside of the European continent or the Middle East and, for this reason, represent a much more expensive class. For these events – Japan, Singapore, Australia, USA, Mexico, and Brazil – it is crucial to have a public presence so that promoters can pay the fees agreed with the class.
Currently, the North American test is seen as practically certain, given the state of the epidemic and vaccination in the country, and there is a possibility, even, that the country will receive more than one test. However, there are doubts regarding all the other tests, which had to be canceled last year.
In this context, Turkey appears as an alternative that is still a possibility, which is why the Grand Prix has been postponed and not canceled. The Turkish circuit has already entered the calendar as a reserve after the cancellation of the Canadian Grand Prix, which was originally on June 13th.
The initial idea for the F-1 was to replace the Canadian stage with some evidence in Europe, perhaps in Germany, but the preference was given to Turkey for ease of displacement from the previous stage, in Azerbaijan, which was confirmed.
The situation in Turkey was complicated after the country was added to the United Kingdom’s Red List, a base for seven of the ten teams on the network. This means that travel to the country should be avoided as much as possible, and on the way back, everyone who has been there must be quarantined in a hotel designated by the government for a period of ten days.
Right now, Brazil is also on the UK’s Red List, and just like the Turkish scenario, the F-1’s prediction is that this situation will change in the coming months. In other words, nothing prevents Turkey from being used again as a substitute for some evidence in the second half of the year.
Another track that could be used if any other event is canceled is Bahrain, which has already hosted the inaugural phase in March.
With these changes, the tournament will have its first triple turn earlier than expected: the French Grand Prix will be followed, on June 20, by two races in Austria, on June 27 and July 4 – the latter being the original date of the Austrian Grand Prix.
