The Turkish Grand Prix has rejoined the 2021 F1 calendar in place of the cancelled Singapore Grand Prix on October 8-10*.
UPDATE: Tickets are now on sale for the 2021 Turkish Grand Prix
*NEW DATES: F1 has announced that the 2021 Turkish Grand Prix will now take place one week later than planned on October 8-10.
Formula 1 has announced the reinstatement of the Turkish Grand Prix to the 2021 calendar. In April, it was announced that the Istanbul Park race would replace the Canadian Grand Prix on this year’s schedule. However, travel restrictions made a trip to Istanbul in June unviable, so the Turkish round was cancelled and replaced by a second race at the Red Bull Ring.
In early June, the 2021 Singapore Grand Prix was cancelled, leaving a vacant race slot on the first weekend of October. This is the weekend on which the 2021 Turkish Grand Prix was originally scheduled to take place. However, the recent cancellation of the 2021 Japanese Grand Prix has prompted further changes to the remaining F1 calendar this year. The 2021 Turkish Grand Prix will now take place on week later than originally planned (new dates: October 8-10), leaving a 2-week gap after the Russian Grand Prix on September 24-26 and before the 2021 United States Grand Prix on October 22-24.
In a statement, Stefano Domenicali, CEO of F1, said:
“We are delighted to be coming back to Turkey to Intercity Istanbul Park circuit. We hope to see another fantastic race again in one of the best tracks in the world. We want to thank the Intercity Istanbul Park management and Mr. Vural Ak for his personal efforts to make this event to happen. We have shown that we can continue to adapt and there is huge interest in our sport and the hope from many locations to have a Grand Prix. We have had very good conversations with all the other promoters since the start of the year and continue to work closely with them during this period.”
Last time at Istanbul Park
Last year, Turkey returned to the Formula 1 calendar for the first time since 2011 as the sport looked to bolster its coronavirus-hit calendar. The race weekend proved to be one of the best of the season, with drivers struggling for grip on the freshly resurfaced track.
Rain before qualifying led to a jumbled order on the starting grid, with Lance Stroll securing his maiden pole position. In the race, Lewis Hamilton took an impressive victory from sixth on the grid. The win ensured Hamilton would take the 2020 Drivers’ Championship, equalling Michael Schumacher’s record of seven titles.
When will tickets go on sale?
Tickets are now on sale for the 2021 Turkish Grand Prix. Last year, promoters had planned for up to 100,000 to be in attendance over the race weekend. 40,000 tickets sold within hours of them being released. However, plans for fans to attend were thwarted by a rising number of coronavirus cases in the country.
Follow @F1Destinations on Twitter for the latest updates on the Turkish Grand Prix.
