The 2021 Japanese Grand Prix has been cancelled after a spike in Covid cases in the country.
Planned for the weekend of 8-10 October at the iconic Suzuka Circuit, it is the second year in a row that the event has been cancelled.
Formula 1 released a statement on Wednesday morning stating that “following ongoing discussions with the promoter and authorities in Japan, the decision has been taken by the Japanese government to cancel the race this season due to ongoing complexities of the pandemic in the country.”
“Formula 1 is now working on the details of the revised calendar and will announce the final details in the coming weeks.”
Following the Russian and Turkish Grand Prix as part of a triple header, whether this means the Japanese Grand Prix will be replaced is as yet unclear.
Races in Australia, China, Canada and Singapore have already been cancelled, while the Turkish Grand Prix was reinstated to replace Singapore after initially being cancelled following its replacement of Canada.
After announcing in July that the Australian Grand Prix was cancelled, however, F1 made it clear that they were “confident we can deliver a 23-race season.” They have also shown remarkable flexibility, both this year and especially last, reacting to the Covid situation to deliver as many races as possible.
The drivers themselves reacted sadly to the news, with McLaren driver Lando Norris posting on his Instagram story that the Japanese Grand Prix was “one of the best of the year,” and Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz saying that Suzuka is “one of my favourite circuits of the season, a very special country with incredible fans.”
Featured image by Takayuki Suzuki – https://www.flickr.com/photos/78475089@N02/49059435891/, CC BY-SA 2.0; no changes made.
