Daily Times

LONDON: The Australian Formula One Grand Prix in Melbourne looks set to be rescheduled from its season-opening slot to later in the year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a tightening of local quarantine rules. Tickets for the March 21 race at Albert Park have yet to go on sale. A Formula One spokesman, asked on Monday about media reports of a likely postponement, said the sport looked forward to racing again in March. He did not specify where, with Bahrain’s Grand Prix also scheduled for March. “In 2020 we proved that we could return to racing safely and delivered what many thought was impossible in March,” he said. “We have set out our 2021 calendar and look forward to the return of F1 in March this year.” Local organisers in Melbourne were not immediately available for comment but various reports said a postponement, rather than a cancellation for the second year in a row, was likely to be announced later in January. Construction work to erect fences and grandstands around the temporary street circuit would normally start by the end of the month.