'Formula 1 starts in Australia in 2021'

In 2021, the Formula 1 season will open in Melbourne. At least that's what Andrew Westacott of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation has in mind.

The race in Melbourne at Albert Park should take place at the end of March and MotoGP should also be returning to Australia, Westacott announced in the Gazzetta Motori. "What I know for both calendars is that they plan to publish the preliminary version for the 2021 season in mid-October."

At the beginning of this year Australia was the first Grand Prix to be cancelled after a team member of McLaren tested positive for the coronavirus. "Once the provisional calendar will be published in October, as the first race, no more than one month before it is completed and blocked," Westacott continued. "It will, of course, be a collective decision, but once it is taken, we need to make sure the race goes ahead. It is in no one's interest to have to cancel like last March." The Australian Grand Prix has a contract with F1 until 2025.