Formula 1 has officially lifted the covers off the provisional calendar for 2021 with Vietnam dropped from the roster and Interlagos granted a reprieve subject to approval.
As revealed on Monday night, the Vietnam Grand Prix does not feature on the provisional calendar for next season after missing out on its debut appearance this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The season will begin in Melbourne with the Australian Grand Prix on March 21 before flyaway races in Bahrain and China on March 28 and April 11.
The fourth race, scheduled for April 25th, remains empty with both Istanbul and Portimão thought to be the front-runners to claim this berth. Given the Spanish Grand Prix follows, a return to Portugal may be viewed as preferable given the minimal travel between the Algarve and Barcelona.
As promised by outgoing CEO and chairman Chase Carey, the calendar has a somewhat more "normal" feel to it than the revised 2020 schedule, with the trips to Monaco and Azerbaijan preceding the usual June visit to Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix.
Upon its return to Europe, the championship heads to France and Austria before arriving at Silverstone on July 18.
Hungary rounds off the first phase of the calendar with the summer shutdown following the August 1 race.
The championship then heads into the first of two consecutive triple headers. Races in Belgium, the Netherlands, Zandvoort making its F1 return one year later than planned, and Italy run one after the other, with a more logistically challenging triple header of Russia, Singapore and Japan following.
The Circuit of the Americas hosts F1 on October 24 two weeks before the Mexican Grand Prix with Brazil, the race pending promoter approval after delays to the new facility in Rio de Janeiro have resulted in a last minute switch back to Interlagos.
The new race along the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia acts as the penultimate round of the season, with Abu Dhabi bringing procedings to a close on December 5.
As a provisional calendar, the schedule must still be approved by the World Motor Sport Council.
Provisional 2021 Calendar
21 March – Australia (Melbourne)
28 March – Bahrain (Sakhir)
11 April – China (Shanghai)
25 April – TBC (TBC)
9 May – Spain (Barcelona)*
23 May – Monaco (Monaco)
6 June – Azerbaijan (Baku)
13 June – Canada (Montreal)
27 June – France (Le Castellet)
4 July – Austria (Spielberg)
18 July – United Kingdom (Silverstone)
1 August – Hungary (Budapest)
29 August – Belgium (Spa)
5 September – Netherlands (Zandvoort)
12 September – Italy (Monza)
26 September – Russia (Sochi)
3 October – Singapore (Singapore)
10 October – Japan (Suzuka)
24 October – USA (Austin)
31 October – Mexico (Mexico City)
14 November – Brazil (Sao Paulo)*
28 November – Saudi Arabia (Jeddah)
5 December – Abu Dhabi (Abu Dhabi)
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