Japanese GP seems to be in question: WEC won't go either

More and more racing classes are not travelling to Japan, but Formula 1 is still holding out. Can the race still go ahead in 2021 and if not, what are the possible replacements for Suzuka?

The situation in Japan

The World Endurance Championship announced on Wednesday that it will not travel to Japan at the end of October. The race at Fuji International Speedway has been cancelled. Also, the MotoGP will not travel to the land of the rising sun. Formula 1 however still has Japan on its calendar with a race at Suzuka on 10 October.

The chance that Formula 1 will go ahead seems nil. Both the WEC championship and the MotoGP had a race scheduled in October which have both been cancelled. The fight against the coronavirus in Japan got off to a slow start, so currently, about 15% of the population is fully vaccinated. This while the number of positive tests has slowly been creeping up again in the last two weeks.

The possible replacements of Suzuka

Which circuits can serve as a replacement for the Japanese Grand Prix if it is cancelled? The most logical step seems to be to organise a second Grand Prix in the United States. This would also be the easiest logistical option. This way F1 doesn't have to travel to Asia and when the original date of October 10 is moved up a week the teams and F1-crew have two weeks to fly from Turkey to America.

Of course, it's not the only option, as the official status of the 2021 Chinese Grand Prix is still 'postponed'. With which they still send a signal that they would like to organise a race this year. Also Sepang, Malaysia seems to be an outsider for a comeback on the calendar. The October 24th scheduled MotoGP race is still on.

Finally, an extra race in Europe is still a possibility. For that to happen the calendar might have to be rescheduled. After Italy, the circus has two weeks to travel to Russia. A race between Italy and Russia does not seem possible, because the teams would have to race six weekends in a row. However, Russia and Turkey can both be moved up a week to make room for example Mugello or a Grand Prix on German soil.