F1 | Brawn on the free slot on the calendar: “Imola? We will decide based on investments"

Interviewed by “La Gazzetta dello Sport”, Ross Brawn spoke about the slot within the 2021 calendar left free by Vietnam, underlining how Liberty Media will assign the place based on the investments that the race organizers can make.

According to what was declared by the English Manager, Formula 1 is doing its utmost to "support" its financial solidity, an aspect which will obviously force the organization to assign the free slot in the calendar based on the money put on the table by the circuit.

At the moment, remember, the main candidates to host the race in 2021 are Imola, Portimao and Istanbul. Out of the candidates the path of the Mugello, whose 2020 race will remain a unique case and linked to Ferrari's 1000 Grands Prix in Formula 1.

“Obviously we regret not being able to compete in Vietnam, but that Liberty Media will find an equally strong candidate for the free slot in the 2021 calendar,” said Ross Brawn. “We admired a great race in Imola and the same goes for Portimao and Istanbul. I would say that everything is open, let's see how things develop in the next few weeks."

The Englishman underlined how the final choice will depend a lot on the investments of the circuit: “For next year we want to return to a normal situation and there is no doubt that the free slot will be allocated based on some purely commercial considerations. Some countries are in a better position than others and as an organization we need to take this into account. We need to get back to as normal a financial level as possible and quite quickly. So yes, money will play a role.”

Finally, conclusion on the 2021 calendar and the opening in Australia: “Melbourne is experiencing a good situation from a Covid19 point of view. They haven't made an official decision on the Australian Open yet, but things are changing quickly and I'm optimistic. Australia is well aware that Formula 1 knows how to behave appropriately when visiting a country. And also the vaccine will arrive. In the past, when I started working in Formula 1, there was a mandatory vaccine to enter some countries. Going back to that situation would be a reasonable compromise."