The announcement that System 1’s return to Malaysia this 12 months could be branded because the Bahrain Grand Prix prompted each amusement and confusion.
Sepang, in spite of everything, was the primary of the Hermann Tilke-designed era of recent F1 circuits in Asia, making Malaysia an necessary fixture on the calendar. Even after the nation terminated its contract with FOM in 2017, the circuit has remained common amongst followers, with many calling for a comeback amid wider debate over the growing variety of avenue circuits on the schedule.
Learn Additionally:
Sepang can also be situated subsequent door to Kuala Lumpur Worldwide Airport, Malaysia’s fundamental worldwide gateway. So branding a race at one of many nation’s most recognisable sporting venues because the Bahrain Grand Prix is due to this fact an uncommon proposition.
However the ongoing battle between the US/Israel and Iran has created an uncommon state of affairs, with Bahrain retaining the naming rights of a race that it can’t host inside its personal borders.
Whereas the Malaysia/Bahrain association is unprecedented in some elements, it isn’t the primary time F1 has staged a race beneath the identify of a unique nation.
San Marino GP
Proper facet of the grid getting ready for the formation lap
Picture by: Rainer W. Schlegelmilch / Motorsport Photographs
The most effective-known instance is the San Marino GP. Held for the primary time in 1981, the race was named after the tiny landlocked nation of San Marino, regardless of really being held in Italy. Imola even hosted the Italian Grand Prix in 1980 whereas Monza was present process refurbishment, and was thus unavailable. However when the revamped Monza monitor was able to host racing once more the next 12 months, F1 needed to give the Imola occasion one other identify to distinguish the 2 races in Italy.
Apparently, when Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari returned to the F1 calendar in 2020 through the pandemic, the race was as soon as once more given a unique identification in reference to the area of Italy it’s situated in.
As such, Imola has now hosted F1 races beneath the three totally different names: Italian Grand Prix, San Marino Grand Prix and Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
Luxembourg GP
David Coulthard, McLaren Mercedes
Picture by: Motorsport Photographs
Luxembourg has just one everlasting race monitor, which was not constructed to F1 requirements. It’s utilized by proprietor Goodyear primarily for driver coaching, with a TCR race in 2016 marking its highest-profile motorsport occasion.
But, there have been two events within the Nineties when the Luxembourg GP identify appeared on the calendar. Each races have been really held on the Nurburgring in Germany, some 80km away from the border between the 2 international locations.
This was a time when F1 was booming in Germany, with Michael Schumacher’s success propelling the sequence to new heights within the nation.
From 1995, Germany started internet hosting two rounds of the world championship. The Hockenheim occasion retained the German GP identify, whereas the Nurburgring turned the host of what was known as the European GP. However the naming rights to the European GP went to Jerez in 1997, and the Nurburgring race ended up being branded the Luxembourg GP for 2 years.
From 1999, nonetheless, Nurburgring organisers have been capable of model their race because the European GP once more, and the Luxembourg identify disappeared from the F1 calendar.
Swiss GP
Keke Rosberg, Williams
Picture by: Williams F1
Switzerland was certainly one of F1’s authentic world championship venues, internet hosting races on the Bremgarten circuit between 1950 and 1954. Actually, Switzerland was already internet hosting main motorsport occasions within the pre-championship period, with Auto Union (now Audi) and Mercedes-Benz dominating the early editions of the Swiss Grand Prix within the Nineteen Forties.
However all that modified after the notorious Le Mans 1955 catastrophe in France, with Switzerland banning circuit racing on security grounds. Over time, the Bremgarten monitor in Bern was taken over by nature, and motor racing didn’t enterprise on Swiss soil till System E visited Zurich in 2018.
Nonetheless, between 1955 and 2018, two motor races ran beneath the Swiss GP identify, besides they didn’t happen in Switzerland.
A non-champion race was held at Dijon in France beneath the Swiss GP title in 1975, and the occasion was promoted to full points-paying standing when it returned in 1982. It was at Dijon the place Keke Rosberg scored the one and solely victory of his title-winning marketing campaign with Williams.
Earlier this 12 months, Switzerland lifted the ban on motorsport completely, having already made an exemption for electrical racing to permit System E to host occasions in Zurich and Bern.
2016 European GP
Nico Rosberg, Mercedes-Benz F1 W07 Hybrid
Picture by: Sutton Photographs
The 2016 European GP was one other anomaly, even when the race didn’t technically run beneath a unique nation’s banner. When System 1 made its debut on the streets of Baku in 2016, the occasion was branded because the European Grand Prix fairly than the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Though Azerbaijan is usually described as a transcontinental nation spanning Europe and Asia, its capital Baku lies east of the Larger Caucasus and is mostly considered being in Asia.
The choice due to this fact felt uncommon, significantly as earlier editions of the European Grand Prix had been staged at circuits reminiscent of Donington Park, Jerez, the Nurburgring and Valencia.
From 2017, the Baku race adopted the Azerbaijan GP mantle, which it continues to make use of thus far.
We would like your opinion!
What would you prefer to see on Motorsport.com?
– The Motorsport.com Crew
