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Turkish GP postponed, Austria to host doubleheader
The Turkish Grand Prix has been postponed a matter of weeks after being added to the Formula 1 calendar, amid a reshuffle with a race in France moved and Austria hosting a doubleheader.
Turkey was added after the cancellation of the Canadian Grand Prix at the end of April, with Istanbul forming the second part of a back-to-back with Baku. However, last week Turkey was added to the United Kingdom’s COVID-19 travel red list -- meaning anyone traveling would have to quarantine in a government hotel upon their return to the UK -- and the race has now been postponed, although F1 is looking into the possibility of rescheduling it later in the year alongside China.
With Formula 1 keen to retain the 23 races it has committed to on the calendar, it has now reshuffled the order to move the French Grand Prix a week earlier than originally planned, creating a European triple by adding an extra race in Austria.
France was originally scheduled to take place on June 27 but will now be held on June 20, with Austria holding two events on June 27 and July 4 -- the latter its original race date. Austria also held back-to-back races to start the delayed 2020 season (pictured above) amid the pandemic.
“We were all looking forward to racing in Turkey but the travel restrictions in place have meant we are not able to be there in June,” F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said. “Formula 1 has shown again that it is able to react quickly to developments and find solutions and we are delighted that we will have a doubleheader in Austria, meaning our season remains at 23 races.
“I want to thank the promoter and authorities in Turkey for all of their efforts in recent weeks and want to thank the promoters in France and Austria for their speed, flexibility and enthusiasm in accommodating this solution. We have had very good conversations will all the other promoters since the start of the year and continue to work closely with them during this period.”
https://twitter.com/F1/status/1393195139787489280
Chris Medland
While studying Sports Journalism at the University of Central Lancashire, Chris managed to talk his way into working at the British Grand Prix in 2008 and was retained for three years before joining ESPN F1 as Assistant Editor. After three further years at ESPN, a spell as F1 Editor at Crash Media Group was followed by the major task of launching F1i.com’s English-language website and running it as Editor. Present at every race since the start of 2014, he has continued building his freelance portfolio, working with international titles. As well as writing for RACER, his broadcast work includes television appearances on F1 TV and as a presenter and reporter on North America's live radio coverage on SiriusXM.
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