Tokyo (AFP)

The Japanese Formula 1 Grand Prix, which was scheduled to be held in Suzuka (center of the country) on October 10, has been canceled for the second year in a row due to the health situation, organizers said on Wednesday.

After discussions "with the authorities in Japan, the decision was taken by the Japanese government to cancel the race this season because of the difficulties linked to the pandemic which continues in the country", writes the organizer of the World Championships of F1, the American company Formula One, in a statement Wednesday.

Formula One "is now working on the details of the revised schedule" for the Formula 1 season and "will announce the final details in the coming weeks," the statement said.

"Formula One has proven this year, and in 2020, that we can adapt and find solutions" adapted to the circumstances, she recalled.

The pandemic, which has forced the postponement or cancellation of most international sporting events in 2020, has also forced this year to deprogram several F1 Grands Prix, such as those in Australia, Canada, China and Singapore. .

The circuits of the 2021 Formula 1 season and map of the world locating them Laurence SAUBADU AFP

The Japanese Grand Prix counting for the MotoGP Championship, which was also to be held in October, had already been canceled at the end of June, for the same reasons.

- Hard blow for Honda -

The Suzuka circuit, which has the particularity of being a figure of eight and not a loop, with a bridge spanning the track, has hosted 31 F1 Grands Prix since 1987. It is one of the circuits considered emblematic of the F1 world championship .

In April, Japanese promoters and F1 authorities announced that the race would remain on this circuit at least until 2024.

This announcement is a blow to the Japanese manufacturer Honda which must leave F1 at the end of this season.

Its engines currently power Red Bull and its sister team Alpha Tauri.

Dutch driver Max Verstappen (Red Bull) is currently second in the drivers 'world championship (187 pts), behind Briton Lewis Hamilton (195 pts), while Red Bull is behind Mercedes in the constructors' category.

Honda is also, through a subsidiary, owner of the Suzuka circuit which has hosted the F1 Japanese GP continuously since 2009.

Honda team boss Toyoharu Tanabe speaking at Austrian F1 GP in Spielberg on July 4, 2021 CHRISTIAN BRUNA POOL / AFP / Archives

"It is a pity that for the second year in a row it is not possible to organize the Japanese GP at Suzuka", regretted the Japanese manufacturer in a statement.

"We are particularly disappointed because this is the last year of our commitment to Formula 1 and we know that many fans were looking forward to this event," he added.

- 23 rounds on the program -

Japan has just organized the Olympic Games, played behind closed doors, and is preparing to host, under identical conditions, the Paralympic Games which will begin on August 24.

The country has been experiencing its worst wave of coronavirus to date since the end of June, notably under the effect of the Delta variant.

A state of emergency system has been in place since mid-July in part of the country, including the capital Tokyo, for the fourth time since the start of the pandemic.

The F1 calendar is based on 23 rounds this year, 12 of which have already been held.

Next is the Belgian GP on August 29, which must be followed by the return of the GP of the Netherlands, with reduced standards at Zandvoort, then the GP of Italy at Monza.

The Japanese Formula 1 GP has not seen any single-seaters, here in a chicane, on the Suzuka circuit, since October 13, 2019 Behrouz MEHRI AFP / Archives

To compensate for the cancellation of several traditional rounds on the calendar, a Grand Prix will be organized for the first time in Saudi Arabia in December.

An event is also registered from November 19 to 21, but its location has not yet been officially announced.

© 2021 AFP