Interlagos is set to stay while Vietnam has been dropped from the provisional 2021 Formula 1 calendar, according to reports.
After much speculation, the first draft schedule for next season is set to be revealed on Tuesday with a record 23 races, starting in Australia on March 21 and ending in Abu Dhabi on December 5.
As previously reported, the calendar features all of the original races from this year, including a delayed return for the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, albeit on a new date in early September.
Last week it was confirmed Saudi Arabia will host its first Grand Prix in 2021, taking place at night on a street circuit in Jeddah.
That event is set to form a final Middle East doubleheader to round out the championship a week before the curtain falls at Yas Marina.
Also included is the Spanish GP in Barcelona, which had been in doubt but essentially became undroppable after Fernando Alonso announced his return with what will become Alpine next year.
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The big news though is a reprieve for Interlagos as host of the Brazilian GP.
Recently, F1 bosses had signed a deal with Rio Motorsports to move the race to a new circuit in the suburb of Deodoro.
However, environmental concerns mean construction is yet to start and may never begin if those opposed to the project get their way.
As a result, historic Interlagos in Sao Paulo is set to stay for at least one more year under a new promoter.
On the contrary, the Vietnam GP, which was set to join the calendar this year before being cancelled due to Covid-19, has been dropped.
This is due to the arrest of Hanoi People’s Committee chairman Nguyen Duc Chung, who was strongly tied to the race, on corruption charges associated to appropriating state secrets.
It is expected that another venue will take the April slot previously given to the race, potentially offering hope to one of the five circuits who stepped up to join the revised 2020 schedule.
The Race‘s provisional 2021 F1 calendar can be seen below:
March 21: Australia
March 28: Bahrain
April 11: China
April 25: TBA
May 9: Spain
May 23: Monaco
June 6: Azerbaijan
June 13: Canada
June 27: France
July 4: Austria
July 18: Britain
August 1: Hungary
August 29: Belgium
September 5: Netherlands
September 12: Italy
September 26: Russia
October 3: Singapore
October 10: Japan
October 24: USA
October 31: Mexico
November 14: Brazil
November 28: Saudi Arabia
December 5: Abu Dhabi
