Is Turkish GP officially cancelled? Philip Horton reveals that maybe the Turkish Grand Prix is not off the books from the 2021 season.
The Turkish Grand Prix, which officially came to replace the Canadian Grand Prix, has also backed out from this year’s calendar as the event was scheduled from 11-13 June.
The reason given by Formula 1 is the travel restrictions placed because the COVID-19 pandemic has forced them to remove their deal with Turkey.
F1 president Stefano Domenicali said: “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.
It has been reported that a new entry will not replace the Turkish Grand Prix; instead, Austria would be organizing a doubleheader to complete the 23-race long project. Last year also, Speilgberg hosted two races at the start of the season.
“F1 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.”
Turkey is not officially out.
According to Philip Horton, it has been reported that Turkey is asking for a postponement in their participation to the later month in the year, if possible, assuming that the COVID-19 situation in the country will improve by then.
Turkish GP not yet officially cancelled for 2021 – FIA says promoter “requested that we look at the potential opportunity for the race to be rescheduled later in the season if possible.” – bear in mind it was a late addition for a mid-November race in 2020.
— Phillip Horton (@PHortonF1) May 14, 2021
Therefore, with a possible subtraction still looming this season amidst the rest of the venues, Turkey can again make a comeback in the calendar, considering last year also it received a last-minute notice before they organized the 2020 Grand Prix.
But as of now, Turkey is out for the next month, and if some other venue withdraws their participation, owing to third-wave somewhere, then we might see them making a comeback for the second time this year.
