Lawrence Stroll confirms autumn running for Australian GP

Australian Grand Prix

Stroll confirms autumn running for Australian GP

Aston Martin owner reveals switch due to pandemic

Ian Parkes

Friday 8 January 2021 05:00

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The Australian Grand Prix is to be run in the autumn, Aston Martin team owner Lawrence Stroll has confirmed.

The March 21 race was recently revealed to be under serious threat of postponement due to the ongoing nature of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sources had previously indicated to GPFans Global that it is 'impossible' for the race to go ahead due to the stringent two-week quarantine system in place in Australia, although no official announcement has yet been made.

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Stroll, however, has now stated the race will definitely be called off and switched to a slot towards the end of the campaign.

“Melbourne has been - it’s not officially announced but it will be - not cancelled but postponed. We will go there sometime in the fall [autumn] and the first race will be Bahrain,” said Stroll.

That event falls on March 28, however, it is understood there are also issues with the Chinese Grand Prix that is currently slated for April 14.

The record-breaking 23-race calendar additionally has a TBC slot for April 28 that was due to be taken up by the Vietnamese GP, only for that race to be pulled late last year in the wake of governmental problems.

The suggestion at present is that F1 will head to new or returning circuits for the April dates that figured on last year's heavily revised 17-race calendar, likely Portimão and Imola.

Stroll believes F1 will be in "for a difficult two or three months” when it returns. He added: “There is a light at the end of the tunnel with the vaccine. I think the first few races will be slightly challenging.

“But Formula One Management and the FIA, I really take my hat off to them to deliver 17 races as we did last year in 23 weeks, without really any major hiccups, in a very impressive manner.

“I think the worst is behind us and we’ve learnt through last year how to proceed with this year.”