We remember the famous cases of canceling Formula 1 stages

Two days before the start of the race weekend in Imola, the Formula 1 management, together with the local authorities, announced the cancellation of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. It was necessary to take such a step due to the inability to ensure the safety of fans, team members and track personnel due to flooding in the region.

However, it is not the first time that races have been canceled. In the history of Formula 1, there have been more than 50 instances where a Grand Prix has been cancelled. More often this happened until the mid-1980s, but there are examples from the very recent past, when in March 2022 the contract for the Russian Grand Prix was dissolved.

Most stages were canceled due to financial problems. In 1955, races in France, Germany, Spain and Switzerland were canceled after the tragedy at Le Mans, but sometimes the reasons for the grand prix refusal were rather strange. In 1983, the Swiss Grand Prix was due to take place in Dijon, France, but French television refused to show two races in one season and the stage was cancelled. Below are some more famous Grand Prix cancellations in Formula 1 history.

1957 Belgian Grand Prix and Dutch Grand Prix

A vivid example of how Formula 1 is closely connected to everything that happens in the world. Against the background of the “Suez crisis” in Europe, there were interruptions in the supply of oil, which led to economic problems. In this regard, the organizers of the races in Spa and Zandvoort turned to the teams with a proposal to reduce the price payments to the participants, they were refused – and the stages were cancelled.

Instead of this Grand Prix, the Pescara Grand Prix was on the calendar. The Italian circuit hosted a Formula 1 round for the first and last time in its history, which was enough to permanently strip the Nürburgring’s Nordschleife of its title as the longest championship circuit.

1969 Belgian Grand Prix

The Spa circuit is popular with fans but has been terrified by many drivers in the past. In the late 1960s drivers became increasingly concerned about safety, and before the 1969 race Jackie Stewart demanded a number of measures and changes to the track to improve safety, but the leaders of the Belgian motorsport federation refused. The Bond van Ruiters announced their refusal to take part in the race, and the Grand Prix had to be cancelled.

In 1970 the stage took place when the organizers made concessions under pressure and installed a chicane, but this was Formula 1’s last ever visit to the old version of the Spa.

New York Grand Prix 1983-1985

In Formula 1 they have been talking for years about how important the American market is for the championship. For obvious reasons, the New York race is one of the most coveted races on the calendar, but a stage through the streets of that city never materialized.

In the early 1980s, Bernie Ecclestone took active steps to organize the stage and in 1982 the New York Grand Prix was announced on September 25, 1983. The project leaders promised “the beauty and charm of Monaco in the New York atmosphere”. The track was supposed to be built by Flushing Meadows – Crown Park in Queens, but the stage was postponed in June 1983 due to protests from environmentalists, the threat of lawsuits, and battles over sponsorship and television contracts.

Over the next two years, attempts were made to hold the race in New York, but these plans were also abandoned.

1985 Belgian Grand Prix

A unique event in Formula One history took place at the 1985 Belgian Grand Prix, when the stage started in late May and ended in mid-September.

For the 1985 race, the asphalt in Spa was changed. The race organizers were very proud of the new surface, which was able to maintain a high level of grip even in rainy conditions. At the start of the weekend, however, it appeared that the asphalt had begun to crumble and all attempts to close holes led to a deterioration in coverage. As a result, it was considered dangerous to hold the stage – and on Saturday evening they announced the cancellation of the race.

Podium organizers were fined and the Belgian Grand Prix ended in mid-September.

2011 Bahrain Grand Prix

Despite claims that sport is outside politics, sport and politics have always been closely linked. In early 2011, anti-government demonstrations began in North Africa and the Middle East, known as the “Arab Spring”. In March, protests also hit Bahrain, canceling the first leg of the season, scheduled for March 13.

During the championship there was talk of possibly holding the Bahrain Grand Prix on different dates, but Formula 1 did not return to the Sakhir circuit until 2012.

Covid-19 pandemic in 2020

Formula 1 has planned a record-breaking calendar of 22 Grands Prix for 2020. However, the Covid-19 pandemic, which began to spread around the world at the beginning of this year, forced a serious adjustment of plans.

The championship entrants flew to Melbourne for the first leg of the season. The usual promotional events took place the day before, the racers spoke to reporters and on Thursday, on the eve of the weekend, several McLaren employees were diagnosed with Covid-19. The team decided to withdraw from the podium and on Friday, a few hours before the start of the first practice session, it was announced that the Australian Grand Prix would not take place.

The teams returned to Europe, the start of the season was postponed indefinitely. Formula 1 cars did not hit the track until July 2020, when the first two stages of the season took place in Spielberg, Austria – the Austrian Grand Prix and the Styrian Grand Prix. Formula 1 and the promoters managed to put together a calendar of 17 races that were held in six months.

Due to such a busy calendar and various coronavirus restrictions in different countries, the Grand Prix in Australia, Vietnam, China, Netherlands, Monaco, Azerbaijan, Canada, France, Singapore, Japan, USA, Mexico and Brazil was canceled in 2020.

In the following years, most circuits from this list returned to Formula 1, with the exception of China and Vietnam. The Shanghai race was scheduled to take place in April 2023, but was canceled several months in advance due to restrictions in China at the time. Now all restrictions have been lifted and the Chinese Grand Prix should return in 2024.

The debut Vietnam Grand Prix was due to take place in 2020, but the cancellation of the stage and the subsequent arrest of Hanoi People’s Committee Chairman Nguyen Trung led to the idea of ​​the Vietnam Grand Prix being abandoned entirely.