If the 2020 Formula 1 season was not tough enough to schedule, next year might be an even harder task.
Formula 1 has announced that the 2021 season could extend to a 23-race program, including a race in Saudi Arabia. If that happens, then there will be three races held in the Middle East: Bahrain and Abu Dhabi are currently on schedule. If approved by Formula 1 teams, the race in the Kingdom will be held in the city of Qiddya, which is about an hour’s drive from the capital city, Riyadh. In addition to a possible F1 event, that circuit will host the Dakar rally in January, and the Formula E series will return to the area on February 26-27 for its second annual event.
If it is run, the F1 event in Saudi Arabia will likely be held just before the season-ending race in Abu Dhabi. But, as with many other events, there is uncertainty–not just with that race, but with the entire 2021 F1 card.
Consider these possibilities. The second U.S. Grand Prix event in 2021 is to be run on the streets of Miami, Florida. But it’s quite likely that the Miami race will be shelved for one more year. Then there’s the Brazilian event, which has been held in Sao Paulo at the famous Interlagos track, and now is being proposed to be run at a brand new circuit outside of Rio de Janeiro. That could happen, but only if environmental issues are either addressed or deferred for the time being.
For now, F1 teams have a lot to think over, as final decisions are a few weeks away. And, of course, local authorities will make the final call–irrespective of what F1 prefers.
