Contrary to what was expected, the starts of the Formula 1 Grand Prix organized in Europe will not be given from 2 p.m. this season. The announcement was made public this Friday by Liberty Media, owner of Formula 1, who had initially declared that he was studying the possibility of bringing the starts on the grid forward from 3.10 p.m. to 2 p.m. in order to respond to a claim by most of the teams, the media, but also fans.
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Since 2018, the European Grands Prix were thus scheduled at 3.10 p.m. in an attempt to increase TV audiences, in Europe and the United States. But these measures have been regularly debated within the paddock, the teams considering for example that a late start forced them to dismantle and put away the cars later, while the race schedule across the globe is increasingly tight.
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The only concession made by the promoters of F1 will be to advance the start of races in Europe by 10 minutes, from 3:10 p.m. to 3 p.m. Another modification, the free practice on Friday which took place over two sessions of one hour and thirty minutes will now be calibrated over two times 1 hour. In Europe, they will start at 11:30 am and 3:00 pm On Saturday, the third free practice session will start at 12:00 pm and qualifying at 3:00 pm.
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Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the first GP of the season in Australia has been postponed from March 21 to November 21. F1 will therefore kick off the 2021 season on the weekend of March 28 in Bahrain, in two months. The Chinese GP scheduled for April 11 has also been postponedsine die. The second meeting in 2021 is therefore for the moment scheduled for Sunday April 18 in Imola (Italy). The circuit of the third 2021 event scheduled for May 2 remains to be determined. Portimao in Portugal seems favorite to host the race.
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The calendar of 23 races is likely to change depending on the vagaries of the health crisis.
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