There were originally gonna be grands prix in Texas, Brazil, Canada, and Mexico this season, but Formula One said Friday that those won’t be happening. The reason isn’t very surprising.
From an F1 release:
After ongoing discussions and close collaboration with our partners we can also confirm that due to the fluid nature of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, local restrictions and the importance of keeping communities and our colleagues safe, it will not be possible to race in Brazil, USA, Mexico and Canada this season.
The number of coronavirus cases has remained high in the US, Brazil, and, to a slightly lesser extent, Mexico. The number of cases in Canada, meanwhile, looks more like the lower numbers Europe is seeing, but I’m assuming this was all not solely because of those numbers but also the sheer logistics of travel.
That’s because instead of those races, Formula One said it would stay on the continent.
We can confirm that Portimão, Imola and Nürburgring will each host Grands Prix this October. We are excited to welcome Portimão as a completely new circuit to the Formula 1 season as well as welcoming back Imola and Nürburgring, circuits that have hosted World Championship races in the past.
Imola, of course, has some unpleasant history, being the track where both Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger had fatal crashes in 1994. The San Marino Grand Prix there last took place in 2006.
The Nürburgring last hosted an F1 race in 2013, while Portimão is entirely new, and also pretty new as far as Formula One racetracks in Europe go, having only been completed in 2008.
At the very least, all three of these races should be on the interesting side, while fans will also be present at the race in Portugal, according to The Guardian. Here’s how the rest of the 13-race season is shaping up, for now:
The additional three rounds announced on Friday extends this season’s revised calendar to 13 races, with two grands prix at Silverstone (2-9 August), and one in Spain (16 August) forming the next triple header.
There will also be rounds in Spa-Francorchamps (30 August), Monza (6 September), Mugello (13 September) and Russia (27 September). There remains hope a maiden race in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi can be arranged for mid-November.
The campaign is set to end with three consecutive rounds in the Middle East – with Bahrain to host two races before the Abu Dhabi season closer in December.