All the F1 2021 dates: Pre-season testing, calendar and car launches

We’ve collated all of the dates you will need for your calendar in 2021 as Formula 1 prepares to begin a record-breaking season.

2021 F1 pre-season testing

Due to ongoing concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, pre-season testing has been moved from its original date in early March and venue of Barcelona to a mid-March slot in Bahrain, two weeks before the season starts.

In a move to cut costs with teams largely carrying over much of the car they used in 2020 into the new campaign, pre-season testing has been cutback to a single, three-day event.

That means drivers will have just one and a half days of running to get up to speed ahead of the new season, while teams are faced with limited time to iron out any gremlins they may discover when they put their cars through their paces for the first time.

2021 F1 race calendar

F1 is set to embark on the biggest ever calendar in the championship’s history, with a record-breaking 23-race campaign confirmed.

Changes have already been forced upon F1’s original schedule it released back in November, but championship bosses are confident they can pull off a second season amid a global pandemic providing the sport adopts a “flexible approach” to the fluid situation.

Enhanced travel and quarantine restrictions in Australia meant the Melbourne could was no longer viable for its traditional season-opening slot in mid-March. Instead, the Australian Grand Prix has been shuffled back to November, while the Chinese Grand Prix has been postponed indefinitely.

To combat this, F1 will return to Imola for the second round of the 2021 season on 18 April, while Portugal’s Algarve International Circuit is expected to step in to form a back-to-back with the Spanish Grand Prix on 2 May after Portimao hosted an F1 race for the first time in its history last year.

To accommodate an Australian GP as a standalone event in November, the newly-named Sao Paulo Grand Prix has been brought forward by one week to 7 November, creating a third triple header of the season following on from races in the United States and Mexico, while the first-ever Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will take place a week later than planned on 5 December, a week before the season finale in Abu Dhabi on 12 December.

2021 F1 car launch dates

McLaren has announced it will reveal its Mercedes-powered MCL35M on 15 February at its Woking headquarters.

Alfa Romeo was the first F1 team to formally announce the launch date for its 2021 car, with an event taking place in Warsaw on 22 February.

The rebranded Alpine team is also set to take the covers off its A521 car at an event in February, though a specific date has not yet been confirmed.

Following its transition from Racing Point, Aston Martin is set to unveil a new livery alongside its revised driver line-up featuring four-time Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll at an event prior to pre-season testing in March.

Reigning world champions Mercedes have announced they are launching their 2021 F1 car - the 'Mercedes-AMG F1 W12 E Performance’ - on 2 March.

AlphaTauri were the fourth team to confirm their launch plans and will reveal the AT02 on Friday 19 February via a digital event. 

Williams will present its 2021 F1 car, the FW43B, a week before pre-season testing starts on Friday 5 March.

Ferrari will carry out two launch events, with a team launch taking place on February 26, before its SF21 car is revealed on 10 March - two days before pre-season testing starts in Bahrain. 

Alpine will launch its A521 car in a digital launch on 2 March, the same day Mercedes reveals its 2021 challenger. 

Aston Martin has confirmed plans to launch its 2021 F1 car on 3 March, while Red Bull will unveil its upgraded RB16B car on 23 February.