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'Honda puts pressure on Japanese government for farewell party at Suzuka'

'Honda puts pressure on Japanese government for farewell party at Suzuka'

22-04-2021 20:58 Last update: 21:17

GPblog.com

Also in the second F1 season of the 'corona era' the presented calendar is far from definitive. Especially about the Canadian Grand Prix there are big doubts at this moment and there is still the question about which races will be allowed to spectators.

Each country handles the corona pandemic differently. Australia for example is so strict that even some of its own citizens have been stuck abroad for months. Therefore the Grand Prix in Melbourne has been put at the end of the calendar just to be sure.

Uncertainty about several Grands Prix

There is a good chance that there will be more shifts before that time, says journalist Michael Schmidt from Auto Motor und Sport. Like many of his colleagues he expects that Turkey will be the designated country to replace the Canadian GP, should the race in Montreal not take place. And also the Nürburgring and Hockenheim can hope for a slot this season, according to him.

There are still a few races about which there is uncertainty. One of them is the Japanese GP, a country that is almost as strict as Australia when it comes to keeping the virus out. Honda, however, has a strong interest in this race going ahead. "A Japanese colleague told me that Honda is putting a lot of pressure on the Japanese government, they really want to keep their farewell race in Japan," Schmidt said.