British Grand Prix to take place after Wimbledon and Euros in 2021
The Silverstone race is due to take place on July 18, the PA news agency understands.
Next year’s British Grand Prix is set to avoid a direct clash with the Wimbledon men’s singles final and football’s Euro 2020 showpiece at Wembley.
The PA news agency understands that the Silverstone round is due to take place on July 18, a week after the conclusion of SW19 and the delayed Euros.
However, the race – drafted by Formula One bosses as part of a provisional 23-grand prix calendar for 2021 – will go head to head with the concluding 18 holes of golf’s Open Championship which is being staged at Royal St George’s. This year’s major in Kent was cancelled following the coronavirus pandemic.
Both this year’s British and 70th Anniversary Grands Prix at the Northamptonshire venue took place behind closed doors.
Ticket sales are believed to be progressing well, but how many spectators will be allowed through the gates is constantly under review.
Despite almost 30,000 fans attending last weekend’s Portuguese Grand Prix, spectators remained banned from attending top-level sporting events in England.
Next year’s record-breaking 23-round F1 calendar is due to be signed off in the coming weeks. It is understood that the campaign will get under way at Melbourne’s Albert Park on March 21, with the season to conclude in Abu Dhabi on December 5.
The sport will visit Saudi Arabia for the first time with a street race in Jeddah pencilled in as the penultimate round of the campaign.
A race in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro also appears on the provisional schedule but there are several question marks over whether the grand prix will actually take place due to both building and environmental concerns at the planned venue in the Camboata Forest.
F1 chiefs were forced to rip up this year’s schedule, but they are hopeful the 2021 calendar will not be affected by Covid-19.
The sport has achieved something of a minor miracle by staging 12 rounds during the pandemic. Another five are scheduled for the remainder of the year, with the circus heading to Imola this weekend for the first time since 2006.
Hamilton holds a 77-point lead over Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas as the Englishman bids to close out a record-equalling seventh title.
