Formula 1 chiefs are weighing up the possibility of starting the 2021 season with a double-header in Bahrain if the coronavirus situation scuppers plans for a race in Portugal. https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/154904/f1-plots-bahrain-doubleheader-as-portuguese-gp-backup The current schedule is for the season to start in Bahrain on 28 March, with a race at Imola scheduled to follow on 18 April. That would then be followed by a race on 2 May which was at a venue yet to be confirmed, but was widely expected to take place at Portimao in Portugal. However, hopes of that happening are fading with the country facing a fresh coronavirus outbreak amid growing concerns in Europe over the spread of variant strains of the disease. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali is due to hold lengthy talks with various race promoters over the next few days to try to better gauge the situation before making a decision about how the season will start. While he is hopeful that the current dates can still work, and he is adamant Imola is not under threat, Domenicali has said that contingency plans are ready to be rolled out if necessary.
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/154943/f1-reports-slight-drop-in-tv-figures-with-fewer-races Formula 1's television audience held up well in 2020 despite the early season shutdown and revised schedule caused by the coronavirus pandemic. With the planned season opening Australian Grand Prix called off in March, and the campaign not getting going properly until July, F1 held no races in the first half of the year. But while the disruption could have prompted a dramatic fall in audience figures, F1 has reported only a slight drop compared to 2020 - and viewership that is still in line with previous years. The total TV audience for 2020 was 1.5 billion, which compares to 1.9 billion viewers in 2019. However, with there only being 17 races last year, compared to 21 events the previous season, the average viewership per race did not see that big a drop off. The average viewership per race was 87.4 million last year, which was 4.5 percent down on 2019.
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/154970/portugal-set-for-vacant-f1-calendar-slot Formula 1 has given the green light for the Portuguese Grand Prix to take the vacant slot on the calendar, Autosport can reveal, with teams to be informed on Thursday. Following some weeks of uncertainty about the make-up of the opening rounds of the 2021 schedule, the difficult coronavirus situation in Portugal had prompted doubts about whether or not the race could secure a slot on the schedule. But following talks between F1 and race organisers over recent days to get a better understanding of the situation in the country, it is understood that both parties are happy that the event can go ahead. Sources with good knowledge of the situation say that F1 has committed therefore to Portugal taking the 'TBC' slot in the calendar that has long been scheduled for May 2. The decision on Portugal means that it is now official that Bahrain will hold the season opener on March 28, with Imola hosting the second round on April 18.
Yes brilliant Portimao is such a fantastic circuit, it will give us a great race again, even more so as they now have data and Pirelli won't s**** up the tire selection yet again. Can't wait!
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/155083/australian-gp-track-layout-to-change-for-2021-f1-race The layout of the Albert Park circuit will change before this year's Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix. The parklands circuit was set to undergo long-awaited resurfacing and corner profile changes after this year's race, however some of that work has now been brought forward due to the Australian GP's postponement to November. Phase 1 has already been completed, with the pitlane widened by two metres and the pitwall moved to the edge of the road in place of a grass verge - a move that could mean the pitlane speed limit is lifted. Phase 2 will now feature the layout itself being altered, the biggest change coming at the Turn 9-10 complex. What used to be a heavy braking zone into a tight right-hander will be removed and replaced by a fast, flowing transition to the run along the lake's north-western edge. That will effectively make it two sweeping complexes in a row, with the fast right-left followed by the existing left-right for Turns 11 and 12. The entry speed to the Turn 11-12 complex will now be higher, which could destabilise cars before the braking zone for Turn 13 and create an overtaking opportunity. The right-hand Turn 13 will also be reprofiled, with a wider entry and additional camber to make it less of a single-lane through the corner. Image Unavailable, Please Login Work will begin on the layout changes next Monday and is expected to be completed by July. Phase 3, a complete resurfacing of the circuit in a more aggressive asphalt, will then take place after this November's race, should it go ahead. It will be the first significant resurfacing work done since the public roads were prepared in 1995 to host the Australian GP for the first time the following year. The renovation of the Melbourne circuit follows years of debate regarding the existing layout. Drivers and team bosses have long been critical of the layout and its lack of clear-cut overtaking opportunities. Autosport exclusively revealed back in 2017 that the Australian Grand Prix Corporation had seriously considered ditching the Turn 11-12 complex in favour of a different corner layout, but ultimately shelved the plan. A new deal to host the Australian Grand Prix until 2025 then led to talks of a layout change being revived, while the resurfacing work was pencilled in ahead of the 2022 race at the latest.
Changes to Albert Park Pitlane: +2m wider T6 Appex T9/T10: quicker chinane T13: wider entry + (+) camber +agresive asphalt Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
What is the current state of affairs for US citizens visiting Canada? Are we allowed to go there for the Canadian GP? I hear conflicting stories, so really a bit at a loss here.
Azerbaijan GP to take place behind closed doors The promoters of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix have announced that this year’s Formula 1 race will take place behind closed doors.
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/coronavirus-covid19/travel-restrictions-exemptions.html Is attending the GP a non-discretionary purpose? I think the current restrictions on US citizens extends to March 21, at which point it will probably be extended further.
There's P&R stuff happening at time of post at Saudi Arabia. Let's see if it progresses and affects the Grand Prix.
Saudi Arabia GP - Jeddah......27 turns Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Actually a very high concentration track with a lot of subtle steering inputs needed or you could have a big shunt pinballing between the walls, I hope it will be wider than it looks...because a crashed car would easily get hit by the next ones coming very fast through all these blind turns...this means very alert marshalling is needed more than ever. It is very interesting and unusual with all these different curve degrees, that will allow the talent and best chassis to show.