Saudi Arabian GP date now set while Vietnam is axed

The inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will take place next November a week before the season-ending Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after Formula One published its draft calendar for 2021 yesterday.

The kingdom’s inaugural F1 race will be staged on a street circuit in Jeddah on November 28, beginning and concluding on the city’s corniche and running along the Red Sea. Vietnam’s first F1 grand prix in Hanoi, cancelled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, has been dropped from next year’s calendar, which features a record 23 races.

Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al Faisal, president of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation said: “To confirm the exact date of 28th November 2021 as the official date and first Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix while seeing the name of Jeddah now alongside legendary F1 locations such as Monaco, Silverstone, Singapore and Suzuka, fills me with immense pride and excitement in equal measures.”

The addition of Saudi Arabia to the F1 calendar means there will be three Gulf races in 2021. The Bahrain Grand Prix takes place on March 28, a week after the season opener in Australia. Abu Dhabi retains its traditional season-finale slot, with the 2021 race set for December 5 at Yas Marina Circuit.

The absence of the Vietnamese GP on next year’s calendar has been attributed to the arrest of a key official responsible for organising the race.

Doubts about the race arose after Nguyen Duc Chung, who was Hanoi’s mayor and a major supporter of the grand prix, was arrested on corruption charges in August.