DOHA (Qatar): Qatar’s Losail International Circuit (LIC) will host back-to-back races to kick off the 2021 FIM MotoGP World Championship season, Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), International Road Racing Teams Association (IRTA) and MotogGP rights holder Dorna Sports said on Friday.
The updated calendar was also released.
The season opening Grand Prix of Qatar will be held from March 26 to 28 and it will now be followed by a second event, the Grand Prix of Doha, at the same venue from April 2 to 4.
The Losail race is the only night-race on the 2021 fixture and like in the previous 14 races, the 2021 season-opener will also be held under floodlights.
Qatar, which has a contract to host the MotoGP races till 2031, will be hosting the season opener for the 15th year, including last year’s cancelled one.
The Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal will then host the third round of the Championship from April 16 to 18 before the paddock heads to the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto as previously planned.
The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and resulting lockdowns and complications sadly oblige the postponement of both the Argentina GP and the Americas GP until the last quarter of 2021.