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The 2021 Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix has been cancelled amid quarantine and international travel concerns.
Its place on the calendar will be filled by a race at Istanbul Park in Turkey, keeping the planned schedule at 23 races, at least for now.
Doubts surrounding the Canadian event have existed for some time, but seemed to come to a head last week.
“Due to the ongoing international travel restrictions in place in Canada it became impossible for Formula 1 to enter the country without a mandatory 14-day quarantine,” a statement from F1 announced.
“We are grateful for the efforts of the promoter and the authorities in Canada, Quebec and Montreal in the past few weeks to try and make the race happen and we are pleased to announce a two-year extension to our partnership with the Canadian Grand Prix.”
This year’s event was slated to run the week after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with F1 instead now travelling to Turkey on Jun 11-13, the weekend following the Baku race.
“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 Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.
“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.
“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,” he added.
“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.
“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.”
The cancellation of the Canadian race is the first in-season change to the 2021 calendar.
Pre-season, the Chinese Grand Prix quietly dropped off the schedule, its place filled by this weekend’s Portuguese Grand Prix.
The Australian Grand Prix was also postponed by six months, primarily to afford more time for international travel to stabalise.
That will see the Melbourne race follow a triple-header with the United States, Mexico City, and Sao Paulo Grands Prix preceding it.
However, doubts remain over the likelihood of a race in Brazil going ahead as the nation struggles to manage coronavirus pandemic.
There are similar concerns within the paddock over the events in Mexico and the United States.
