Japanese Grand Prix - confirmed cancelled

Japanese Grand Prix - confirmed cancelled

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595Heaven

Original Poster:

2,559 posts

84 months

Wednesday 18th August 2021
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Just came through on the F1 app

Shame as it’s a great track with a hugely keen local audience…

TheDeuce

24,380 posts

72 months

Wednesday 18th August 2021
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It was supposed to be the third in a triple header of GP's. I wonder if the replacement could be to double up at Turkey which precedes it on the calendar..?

Sandpit Steve

11,233 posts

80 months

Wednesday 18th August 2021
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Sadly no surprise there. Likely to be replaced with another USA race - COTA again, or Indianapolis.

Piginapoke

4,958 posts

191 months

Wednesday 18th August 2021
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Won't be the last I think. Interesting to see if Austin is up for a double header, as cases are on the rise there too.

thegreenhell

16,854 posts

225 months

Wednesday 18th August 2021
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TheDeuce said:
It was supposed to be the third in a triple header of GP's. I wonder if the replacement could be to double up at Turkey which precedes it on the calendar..?
The problem with that is Turkey is currently a red-list country, and the race after it was supposed to act as a cleanser to avoid quarantine when the teams return to base afterwards. They need a race in a non-red-list country for that.

carinaman

21,886 posts

178 months

Wednesday 18th August 2021
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The Turkey and COTA tracks are fantastic.

Is Portimao on the calendar this year?

Piginapoke

4,958 posts

191 months

Wednesday 18th August 2021
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I'm guessing that Liberty wasn't willing to agree to a no spectators/reduced race fee deal.

TheDeuce

24,380 posts

72 months

Wednesday 18th August 2021
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thegreenhell said:
TheDeuce said:
It was supposed to be the third in a triple header of GP's. I wonder if the replacement could be to double up at Turkey which precedes it on the calendar..?
The problem with that is Turkey is currently a red-list country, and the race after it was supposed to act as a cleanser to avoid quarantine when the teams return to base afterwards. They need a race in a non-red-list country for that.
Ahh that's a very good point.

I wonder how small the list of countries with an F1 circuit are that both accept incomers from Turkey with no quarantine AND are also on UK and Italy's no quarantine list so that the teams might return home.

Tricky..

Sandpit Steve

11,233 posts

80 months

Wednesday 18th August 2021
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TheDeuce said:
Ahh that's a very good point.

I wonder how small the list of countries with an F1 circuit are that both accept incomers from Turkey with no quarantine AND are also on UK and Italy's no quarantine list so that the teams might return home.

Tricky..
The logistics of the flyaways at the back end of the season are going to be a total nightmare, as they have to ship sea freight to the venues well ahead of time. They need to make the decisions on freight ASAP, while the Covid situation in many places is getting worse and the events might still be subject to cancellation.

Yes, it’s going to be a short list of countries that currently let people travel from Turkey without quarantine - perhaps Bahrain might be an option, or Qatar?

Evanivitch

21,700 posts

128 months

Wednesday 18th August 2021
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Sandpit Steve said:
The logistics of the flyaways at the back end of the season are going to be a total nightmare, as they have to ship sea freight to the venues well ahead of time. They need to make the decisions on freight ASAP, while the Covid situation in many places is getting worse and the events might still be subject to cancellation.

Yes, it’s going to be a short list of countries that currently let people travel from Turkey without quarantine - perhaps Bahrain might be an option, or Qatar?
Or the Formula One Management need to fly the sea freight too... There's nothing oversized or non-IATA is there?

TheDeuce

24,380 posts

72 months

Wednesday 18th August 2021
quotequote all
Sandpit Steve said:
TheDeuce said:
Ahh that's a very good point.

I wonder how small the list of countries with an F1 circuit are that both accept incomers from Turkey with no quarantine AND are also on UK and Italy's no quarantine list so that the teams might return home.

Tricky..
The logistics of the flyaways at the back end of the season are going to be a total nightmare, as they have to ship sea freight to the venues well ahead of time. They need to make the decisions on freight ASAP, while the Covid situation in many places is getting worse and the events might still be subject to cancellation.

Yes, it’s going to be a short list of countries that currently let people travel from Turkey without quarantine - perhaps Bahrain might be an option, or Qatar?
Indeed problematic when border/quarantine rules can change with less notice than is required to arrange shipping.

If they can't find a replacement for post Turkey then I guess that puts Turkey itself in jeopardy. Triple header in Russia perhaps? frown


Sandpit Steve

11,233 posts

80 months

Wednesday 18th August 2021
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Evanivitch said:
Or the Formula One Management need to fly the sea freight too... There's nothing oversized or non-IATA is there?
IIRC the sea freight is stuff like the the pit area fitout for the teams, and quite a lot of FOM stuff for timing, TV, scrutineering, advertising, not sure about the safety and medical cars. Possibly fuel for the F1 cars.

They fly with the minimum needed and it’s still something like 500 tonnes (6 x 747 Cargo planes). It might just about be possible with another dozen 747s, and arrangements for supply of dangerous things like gas bottles at the other end.

Everything fits in lorries for the European races, so I wouldn’t think there was anything that couldn’t be broken down enough to go in a 747.

DHL will have to work for their sponsorship money this year.

Evanivitch

21,700 posts

128 months

Wednesday 18th August 2021
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Sandpit Steve said:
IIRC the sea freight is stuff like the the pit area fitout for the teams, and quite a lot of FOM stuff for timing, TV, scrutineering, advertising, not sure about the safety and medical cars. Possibly fuel for the F1 cars.

They fly with the minimum needed and it’s still something like 500 tonnes (6 x 747 Cargo planes). It might just about be possible with another dozen 747s, and arrangements for supply of dangerous things like gas bottles at the other end.

Everything fits in lorries for the European races, so I wouldn’t think there was anything that couldn’t be broken down enough to go in a 747.

DHL will have to work for their sponsorship money this year.
I'm sure a few Antonovs could be painted yellow...

ch37

10,642 posts

227 months

Wednesday 18th August 2021
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How would they deal with back to back overseas races normally if it a lot goes by sea? Do they have multiples of everything? The schedule doesn't seem to allow for sea freight at the best of times.

Sandpit Steve

11,233 posts

80 months

Wednesday 18th August 2021
quotequote all
ch37 said:
How would they deal with back to back overseas races normally if it a lot goes by sea? Do they have multiples of everything? The schedule doesn't seem to allow for sea freight at the best of times.
Yes, they have five sets of everything for the sea freight, which all goes off on ships before the start of the season.

DHL did a video about the logistics a couple of years ago.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=MH6Loko0BOA

konark

1,157 posts

125 months

Thursday 19th August 2021
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Didn't have any trouble organising the hundreds of events in the Olympics (and paralympics ) during peak covid, but a grand prix in 3 months seems to be beyond them.

StevieBee

13,394 posts

261 months

Thursday 19th August 2021
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konark said:
Didn't have any trouble organising the hundreds of events in the Olympics (and paralympics ) during peak covid, but a grand prix in 3 months seems to be beyond them.
I think that if they could have binned it for another year they would have. The scale and logistics of the Olympics makes F1 look like an informal grass track event by comparison. They had to make a go/no go decision that would have been binding and I guess the impact financially and on the athletes meant that they were tied into hosting it regardless of anything else.

There was an interesting article in Motor Sport (I think) that discussed the logistics of F1 over the past 18 months. One of the take-aways has been the realisation that you don't need to ship half your factory around the world to go racing. You just need the cars, some spare parts and people. Everything else can be hired in or made locally.

Wasn't it Tyrrell that once, having no money, disassembled their cars and flew them home as hand-luggage?


Muzzer79

10,865 posts

193 months

Thursday 19th August 2021
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konark said:
Didn't have any trouble organising the hundreds of events in the Olympics (and paralympics ) during peak covid, but a grand prix in 3 months seems to be beyond them.
The Olympics has hundreds of millions in investment behind it that you can't get out of or recoup by cancelling it.

Given the current situation, if the Japanese could have cancelled the Games with no financial consequences, they'd have done it in a heartbeat. Some thought they should have anyway.

As it stands, they will have still lost a hefty chunk of the benefit the Games brings, but they essentially cut their losses on the project.

The Grand Prix is easily cancellable. The circuit is there whatever happens, you just don't hold the event.

generationx

7,343 posts

111 months

Thursday 19th August 2021
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The Fuji WEC event (scheduled for late September) was cancelled just over a month ago. I'm surprised it has taken this long to follow suit with F1.

thegreenhell

16,854 posts

225 months

Thursday 19th August 2021
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Muzzer79 said:
konark said:
Didn't have any trouble organising the hundreds of events in the Olympics (and paralympics ) during peak covid, but a grand prix in 3 months seems to be beyond them.
The Olympics has hundreds of millions in investment behind it that you can't get out of or recoup by cancelling it.

Given the current situation, if the Japanese could have cancelled the Games with no financial consequences, they'd have done it in a heartbeat. Some thought they should have anyway.

As it stands, they will have still lost a hefty chunk of the benefit the Games brings, but they essentially cut their losses on the project.

The Grand Prix is easily cancellable. The circuit is there whatever happens, you just don't hold the event.
$15.4 billion is the official figure for the cost of hosting the Tokyo Olympics, versus probably $15 million for F1. It's only one letter different...