The São Paulo GP organization is working to change the race date from November 7 to November 14, but it is easy to understand why Formula 1 is interested in announcing any changes in the second half of the championship, which begins with the Belgian. Grand Prix on August 29: Continuing news in countries’ border policy and rising transportation costs due to the pandemic are complicating any expectations, even in the medium term, and the Brazilian race may not be the only change between now and December.
For the Brazilian organizers, a return to the traditional date of the race, close to the declaration of the holiday of the Republic, is positive, with the increased probability, as the vaccination progresses in São Paulo, to get a good audience or even a full house. But Brazil has been facing the same obstacle for several months: the country remains on the British government’s red list, meaning those who return to the UK need to self-isolate for 10 days in hotels, something F1 wants to avoid at all costs, since seven of the 10 teams The class operation is island dependent.
Since the class wants to go to Brazil and has already received $25 million paid to compete, the solution is to hold another GP soon after, so that the Pros do not return to the UK immediately after passing through Sao Paulo.
The decision on the Japanese Grand Prix is the most urgent
The GP in Japan was canceled last year due to the epidemic
Photo: Lars Baron/Getty Images
Before that, however, F1 has many other hurdles to solve. The Dutch government has not yet decided the parameters of the large-scale events from September onwards, when the Grand Prix will be held in Zandvoort, although expectations are positive regarding the completion of the race.
The big doubt is the Japanese Grand Prix, which will be in early October. Honda, the owner of Suzuka, wants to take the race forward, even without an audience if necessary, but there are other hurdles, such as entering Formula 1 professionals without quarantine, as there is not enough time in the calendar for that. This decision on Japan is urgent because part of the equipment is shipped by sea.
If the Japanese GP is cancelled, F1 will face another problem: the previous stage in Turkey, another country that has been on the UK’s red list for months.
Speaking of this list, the category had both good and bad news last week, when the British government made some updates. On the other hand, the countries that can receive alternative tests, Bahrain and Qatar, have moved from the red list to the amber list, meaning that everyone who goes to these countries does not need to isolate himself in hotels on his way back. The same thing happened with the United Arab Emirates, where the track that ends the season, is located in Abu Dhabi. On the other hand, Mexico entered the red list. Currently, the Mexican race is being held after the US Grand Prix, with the pros expected to return to the UK.
With a lot of tension from their staff at the moment, with Formula 1 having 29 GPs in 57 weeks and 12 more charts in the 16 weeks to the end of this season, teams are against any solution that leaves their professionals out of the house. for longer. In addition, the need to ship equipment by sea to Japan, the United States, Brazil and the Middle East, which host the last races of the season, is pressing the class to close the second half of the calendar as soon as possible.
