"Surely the calendar didn’t come out of nowhere for them?”
- GPblog.com
With the publication of the 2021 Formula 1 calendar, it also became clear that the Belgian Grand Prix (29 August) and the Dutch Grand Prix (5 September) are only one week apart. Will this be at the expense of the race at Spa-Francorchamps?
Come out of nowhere
The fact that both races are close to each other could reduce the number of Dutch fans travelling to Belgium. "Surely the calendar didn’t come out of nowhere for them," says Jan Lammers to NOS.nl. "We hope that Zandvoort will be as little as possible at the expense of other races. Max Verstappen grew up close to Spa, a good race there is good for all of us."
No race without an audience
In the meantime, it has also become clear that there will be no Dutch Grand Prix without an audience anyway, something that FOM has now also confirmed. "The event we have in mind is a fantastic showcase for Formula 1 in general", thinks the race director.
So it could just be that there won't be a race at Zandvoort in 2021 if corona still prevails and no public can be present at the event. "I don't want to think that far ahead. There are still eleven months to go, a lot can happen", says Lammers.
Saudi Arabia
The most talked-about race on the calendar is in Saudi Arabia. The addition is controversial because of the poor human rights situation in the country. "Normally I would say: no comment. But what you often see is that because a GP goes there, the situation comes up and there is a platform to make it better. Let's hope it gets that function."