Circuit of The Americas receives two visits from motorsport’s biggest series, Turkey returns to the F1 calendar and WEC hosts the first of two season-closing races in Bahrain. Here are the motorsport events to look forward to in October!
MotoGP, Grand Prix of The Americas, October 1-3
Circuit of The Americas returns to the global spotlight in October, with visits from both MotoGP and Formula 1. MotoGP’s Grand Prix of the Americas is up first on the first weekend of the month. The Texas circuit first appeared on the MotoGP calendar in 2013, and the series has visited in every season since – except 2020, when the race was cancelled due to coronavirus concerns.
Fabio Quartararo still holds the championship lead in 2021, but Francesco Bagnaia has won the last two races – and will be hoping to take a third win in a row at Circuit of The Americas. His gap to Quartararo stands at 48 points, with a maximum of 100 left on offer. Marc Márquez, currently ninth in the standings, is the most successful driver at COTA, having won all but one of the races held at the circuit to date.
Formula 1, Turkish Grand Prix, October 8-10
The Turkish Grand Prix is back on the Formula 1 calendar once again in 2021. F1’s return to Turkey comes after an entertaining trip to Istanbul Park in 2020, which saw Lance Stroll take pole position and Lewis Hamilton crowned World Champion for a seventh time.
This will be F1’s ninth trip to Istanbul and perhaps the most highly anticipated yet. With seven races left to run in 2021 – including the recently announced Qatar Grand Prix – the title battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen remains tight. Following his win in Russia, Hamilton leads the way by just two points.
The great news is that fans will return to the grandstands at Istanbul Park this year for the first time since 2011. Tickets for the race are still available.
Formula 1, United States Grand Prix, October 22-24
After a year off in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the United States Grand Prix is back on the Formula 1 calendar in 2021. This will be F1’s ninth visit to Texas. There has been unprecedented interest in tickets for this year’s race at the Circuit of The Americas, with tickets close to selling out.
While the on track action promises to be dramatic, off-track, Twenty One Pilots and Billy Joel will headline COTA’s popular race weekend concerts. The track is a happy hunting ground for Lewis Hamilton. The British driver has had five wins at the circuit and clinched the title here in both 2015 and 2019.
MotoGP, Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, October 22-24
Just over a month since the series’ last visit to Misano for the San Marino Grand Prix, MotoGP is back for another race at the track. The catchy-titled Gran Premio Nolan del Made in Italy e dell’Emilia-Romagna will take place on October 24.
Last month, Francesco Bagnaia took a home victory at the San Marino Grand Prix, finishing just 0.364 seconds ahead of Fabio Quartararo.
WEC, 6 Hours of Bahrain, October 30
There are two rounds left in the 2021 World Endurance Championship season – and both will be contested at Bahrain International Circuit. The penultimate race of the season is the 6 Hours of Bahrain, which will take place on the penultimate day of October. The race sees a return to Bahrain’s 6 hour race format, which was last used in 2017. The race became an 8 hour event in 2019 – and the 8 Hours of Bahrain will round out the 2021 season in November.
Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María López head to Bahrain off the back of their victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in August. The drivers of Toyota Gazoo Racing’s number 7 car currently lead the Hypercar standings, sitting 9 points ahead of the number 8 car.