The street course race in Singapore under floodlights had
been scheduled for Oct. 3.
Singapore has largely relied on tight entry restrictions and
contact tracing to keep infections low during the pandemic. Organizers said
they would not be able to deliver “a full event experience fans have come to
expect over the years, while safeguarding the health and safety of our fans,
contractors, volunteers and staff.”
“We understand that our fans were looking forward to another
edition of the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix,” said Colin Syn, deputy chairman
of the Singapore GP. “To cancel the event for a second year is an incredibly
difficult decision, but a necessary one in light of the prevailing restrictions
for live events in Singapore.
The pandemic has already caused numerous changes to the 2021
calendar. The season-opener in Australia was postponed from March to November
and the Canadian Grand Prix set for June 13 was canceled. Two other races in
China and Turkey were postponed indefinitely.
As speculation mounted earlier Friday about Singapore’s
imminent removal from the schedule, reports indicated F1 might schedule a
second event in the United States this season. The series is scheduled to race
at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 24.
The 2021 Singapore Grand Prix was scheduled to race Oct. 3
between the Russian and Japanese grand prix. The current schedule has a
two-week window between the Oct. 10 race in Japan and the Oct. 24 race in
Austin. After the Texas race, F1 travels to Mexico City the following week.
COTA Chairman Bobby Epstein told The Associated Press
discussions of a second race in the U.S., or a second race at COTA, are
“paddock rumors.”
Indianapolis Motor Speedway hosted F1 from 2000 to 2007 and
new track owner Roger Penske wants the series back at the speedway. Penske told
AP “we’re not in any position at the moment” to host F1 in 2021.
Indianapolis last weekend hosted 135,000 spectators for the
Indianapolis 500 for the largest sporting event in the world since the start of
the pandemic.
In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Formula One held
consecutive races at Austria’s Red Bull Ring, Silverstone in England and the
Bahrain International Circuit. In each case, the season calendar was arranged
to allow two weeks at each track.
-AP