Updated: 2021 Formula 1 calendar and standings

Update: Qatar Grand Prix completes 2021 F1 calendar

Updated 12:00 30^th September 2021. Formula 1 has confirmed that its 2021 season will be completed with the addition of the first ever F1 Qatar Grand Prix. It will be the first time that F1 has raced at the Losail International Circuit, which has long hosted the opening round of the MotoGP season.

Confirmation of the Qatar race on 21^st November means that teams now face a globe-trotting triple header, with the Qatar race following on immediately from the Brazilian and Mexican Grands Prix in South America.

The deal means that the Qatar Grand Prix will also join the calendar for 10 seasons from 2023, with there being no race in 2022 as the country hosts the FIFA Football World Cup.

A spokesperson for  F1 said: “There was a strong will from Qatar to be helpful to F1, and in the course of this process, the vision for a longer partnership was discussed and agreed for 10 years.

“The step from the gesture to be helpful to F1 in 2021 to a long-term strategy was short and simple and the vision for F1 to be the showcase for Qatar after the FIFA World Cup in 2022 was the driving force behind this long-term agreement.

“As part of the longer-term deal, discussions will continue regarding the location for the grand prix from 2023 with further details to be provided at a later time.”

In order to host the race some modifications have been made to the Qatari circuit after visits from the FIA race director and sporting director. The venue has been rumoured as a possible host for an F1 race in 2021 since early in the season, when it became clear that several other venues would drop out due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

2021 F1 Calendar

F1 2021 Drivers' Championship

Update: 2021 Japanese GP cancelled

Updated 11:00 24^th August 2021. The Japanese Grand Prix has been cancelled due to a rise in Covid-19 cases that happened after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics finished. The race, which had been due to be held at Suzuka, has yet to be replaced on the calendar, but Qatar is now widely tipped to take its place. The Losail circuit has long been a fixture on the MotoGP calendar, but has never held an F1 race until now.

Update: Monza to hold second F1 Sprint Qualifying

Updated 09:45 Friday 23^rd July 2021. Monza has been chosen as the second track to hold an F1 Sprint Qualifying session, it has been announced. The news comes hot on the heels of a weekend at Silverstone, the first to feature Qualifying on Friday, a 100km Sprint Qualifying race on Saturday and a Grand Prix on Sunday. A third and final track will also follow the new format in 2021, but the venue is yet to be announced.

Update: Australian Grand Prix cancelled

Updated 09:30 Tuesday 6^th July. The 2021 Australian Grand Prix has been cancelled for a second year running owing to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Planned as round 21 of 23 on the 21st November, F1 and the Australian Grand Prix Corporation in, cooperation with the Victorian Government have been forced to cancel the race “due to restrictions and logistical challenges”.

A statement from Formula 1 said: “While it is disappointing we won’t be racing in Australia this season, we are confident we can deliver a 23-race season in 2021 and we have a number of options to take forward to replace the place left vacant by the Australian Grand Prix. We will be working through the details of those options in the coming weeks and will provide further updates once those discussions are concluded.”

Update: Turkey re-joins 2021 F1 calendar

Updated 12:00 Friday 25^th June 2021. The Turkish Grand Prix has replaced the Singapore GP on the 2021 F1 calendar, it has been announced. The Turkish Grand Prix was dropped from the F1 season in May as a result of travel restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic. But after the cancellation of the Singapore GP in early June and a request from race organisers in Turkey to hold the race later in the year if possible, F1 will now race in Turkey on 3^rd October.

Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1, said: “We are delighted to be coming back to Turkey to Intercity Istanbul Park circuit. We hope to see another fantastic race again in one of the best tracks in the world.

"We want to thank the Intercity Istanbul Park management and Mr. Vural Ak for his personal efforts to make this event to happen. We have shown that we can continue to adapt and there is huge interest in our sport and the hope from many locations to have a Grand Prix.”

Update: British GP at Silverstone to run at full capacity

Updated 12:30 Thursday 24^th June 2021. The British Grand Prix at Silverstone will run with a full-capacity crowd following the inclusion of the event in the UK Government’s Event Research Programme, it has been announced.

F1 President and CEO, Stefano Domenicali said: “It is fantastic news that Silverstone will be a full capacity event and it will be an incredible weekend with hundreds of thousands of fans being there to see our first ever Sprint event on the Saturday and the main event on Sunday. All of the drivers and the teams are hugely looking forward to Silverstone and we can’t wait to be there in July.”

Ticket holders will be contacted by the circuit before the event to be informed of the exact procedures necessary to attend, but Silverstone has said that all ticket holders will be asked for either proof of a negative lateral flow test taken within 48 hours prior to arrival, or proof of a full vaccination, the second dose having been received 14 days prior to arrival.

Update: Singapore GP cancelled

Updated 15:45 Friday 4^th June 2021. The 2021 Singapore Grand Prix, scheduled to take place on the 3^rd October, has been cancelled owing to the travel restrictions in place as part of measures to tackle the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Formula 1 is looking to find an alternative to maintain a 23-race 2021 calendar. The race, held at the Marina Bay Street Circuit and a permanent fixture since 2008, was last held in 2019 and won by then-Ferrari driver Sebastien Vettel, his last F1 victory.

Update: Turkish GP cancelled, Styrian GP added

Updated 15:00 Friday 14^th May 2021. With new travel restrictions in place in the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the Turkish Grand Prix, originally scheduled for 13^th June, has been cancelled. In order to avoid a three week gap between the race in Baku on 6^th June and France on 27^th June, the French GP has been moved to 20^th June. In order to maintain a 23-race F1 season there will now be a Styrian GP in Austria on 27^th June, followed one week later by the Austrian GP on 4^th July as planned.

“We were all looking forward to racing in Turkey but the travel restrictions in place have meant we are not able to be there in June,” said Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1, in a statement.

“Formula 1 has shown again that it is able to react quickly to developments and find solutions and we are delighted that we will have a double header in Austria meaning our season remains at 23 races.

“I want to thank the promoter and authorities in Turkey for all of their efforts in recent weeks and want to thank the promoters in France and Austria for their speed, flexibility and enthusiasm in accommodating this solution. We have had very good conversations will all the other promoters since the start of the year and continue to work closely with them during this period.”

Update: Canada cancelled, replaced by Turkey

Updated 16:50 Wednesday 28^th April 2021. The Canadian Grand Prix has been cancelled and will be replaced by the Turkish GP, it has been announced. Scheduled for the weekend of 11^th-13^th June international travel restrictions require anyone entering Canada to adhere to a 14-day quarantine, something that would not be possible with a race in Baku, Azerbaijan, the weekend before. Rather than head to the Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve in 2021, a race will run at the Istanbul Park Circuit, a track that made a comeback in 2020 after an eight year hiatus.

“While it is disappointing we cannot be in Canada this season we are excited to confirm that Turkey will host a Grand Prix in 2021 after an amazing race last season,” said Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1.

 “I want to thank the promoter and authorities in Canada for all of their efforts in recent weeks but the travel situation made our plans impossible. I equally want to thank the promoter and authorities in Turkey for their ongoing willingness to host a Formula 1 race that shows the huge interest in our sport and the hope from many locations to have a Grand Prix.

“I know all our fans are excited by the dramatic start to the season and Turkey is a great circuit that delivers great battles on the track.”

Update: Saudi Arabian Grand Prix track revealed

Updated 9:45 Thursday 18^th March. The track layout for the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix has been revealed, and it’ll be the fastest and longest street circuit in F1 history. The 3.87-mile track on the streets of Jeddah will host the first Saudi Arabian GP in the sport’s history on 5^th December, with cars expected to hit a peak of 200mph and, despite a total of 27 corners (for reference, Monaco has 19, Baku has 20), the average lap speed is expected to be around 155mph. It is expected the track will feature three DRS zones, and the race will start in the early evening to end under floodlights.

“It’s always very exciting to release the details of a new circuit and the Jeddah Street Circuit is no exception,” said Ross Brawn, Formula 1 Managing Director, Motorsport.

“We have worked closely with the team at Tilke and with the promoter to ensure we have a track that provides exciting wheel-to-wheel racing for our fans and challenges all of the drivers. The design brings out the best of a modern street circuit but also has fast paced free flowing areas that will create fast speeds and overtaking opportunities. The setting is incredible, on the Red Sea, and we can’t wait to see the cars on track in December.”

Update: Portuguese Grand Prix confirmed for 2^nd May

Updated 09:15 Friday 5^th March. The pandemic-disrupted 2021 F1 season has finally had all its dates filled with races after the FIA and Formula 1 confirmed that the Portuguese Grand Prix will fill the final vacant slot. The race will take place on 2^nd May in a calendar hole made by the withdrawal of the Vietnam Grand Prix.

Portugal returned to the F1 calendar for the first time in nearly two decades in 2020, after the Algarve International Circuit, near the southern Portuguese town of Portimao, stepped in to help fill the 2020 season. That race was a hit with both drivers and fans, and the circuit will return for a second season to take the May date.

The Portuguese date makes sense to F1 for multiple reasons, with Portimao able to host an event with full FIA Grade 1 facilities and with back-to-back races in next door Spain easing any logistical issues. It also means that, with Portugal currently on the UK government’s ‘red list’ of countries that require a hotel quarantine on return, F1 staff can avoid having to quarantine between races by heading directly to Spain.

In other news it has been confirmed that F1’s commission will be debating the idea of trialling sprint races at some rounds in 2021. The short races would give championship points but would also set the grid for the ‘main’ race on Sunday.

Update: Australian and Chinese Grands Prix 2021 postponed, Imola returns again amid shakeup.

Updated 08:30 12^th January. The 2021 F1 calendar has already undergone a significant shakeup, just a matter of days into the new year, after it was announced that both the Australian and Chinese Grands Prix would move to dates later in the calendar. It was announced today (12^th January) that the first and third races of the season, Melbourne’s Australian Grand Prix, and Shanghai's Chinese Grand Prix have been postponed from original dates on 21^st March and 11^th April, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The postponement would mean a gap in the F1 calendar of over a month, between the now opening round in Bahrain on 28^th March and the yet-to-be-confirmed replacement for the cancelled Vietnam Grand Prix on 2^nd May. With the announcement of the delays to two races, it was also confirmed that the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, at the historic Imola circuit, will return for a second year to plug the gap. Imola hosted an emergency race in 2020 to help fill the disrupted season, and was popular with fans, after challenging the drivers with its more old school layout, despite proving slightly tricky for racing. No announcement has been made yet about what race will take place on the empty May date, but speculation is mounting that Portimao in Portugal will also step back in as it did in 2020.

The postponements have led to a major shakeup in the calendar, with the Australian race moving from opening round to antipenultimate, setting a date for 21^st November. Although the Chinese Grand Prix is listed as postponed, it currently has no place on the rescheduled 2021 calendar, with F1 bosses understood to be reluctant to increase an already race-packed schedule. 

To fit the changes, the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix has been pushed back by one week to 5th December, while the Brazilian Grand Prix has been brought forward by one week to 7^th November, creating a triple-header in the Americas with the United States and Mexico. The season will now end in Abu Dhabi on 12^th December.

How many F1 races will there be in 2021?

There are 23 races in the 2021 F1 season. The first race will now be held in Bahrain on the 28^th March 2021. The final race of the season will take place in Abu Dhabi on 12^th December 2021. There were two raced in Bahrain in 2020's COVID-19 effected schedule, with Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton winning the race on the 'normal' F1 layout before Sergio Perez took a sensational first ever F1 win on the shorter outer loop. The F1 championship has been decided three times in Abu Dhabi, the first in 2010 with the title going to Sebastian Vettel for Red Bull, the second to Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in 2014, and the third, arguably the most exciting, to Nico Rosberg in 2016 for Mercedes.

Which tracks could join the 2021 F1 calendar?

Five circuits joined the 2020 F1 calendar to help bring up the numbers after a mass cancellation of events due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was hoped by many fans that some may return and, although not on the original calendar, at least one already has, with the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola taking place in April. Portimao's exciting track in the Algarve region of southern Portugal is expected to follow soon.

Will any new Grands Prix take place in 2021?

There are two new Grands Prix in 2021. The first is a race that should have been held in 2020, the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort. The last F1 race in the Netherlands was in 1985, won by McLaren’s Niki Lauda. The second new F1 race in 2021 will be held in Saudi Arabia, a night race to be held around the city streets of Jeddah.

The Vietnamese Grand Prix, which was rumoured to be planned for April 2021, will not go ahead and has been removed from the calendar.

Talks have long been held between F1 owners Liberty Media and a group hoping to host a second US race, on a street circuit in Miami, but it appears this won’t happen in 2021.

What is the 2020 calendar?

You can find full details of the 2020 F1 calendar here.

Images courtesy of Motorsport Images.