The 2021 Formula One (F1) season looms into view as a testing event and season opener in Bahrain will lead a 23-race calendar, including the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bahrain on Sunday announced to offer COVID-19 vaccinations to F1 personnel as the Gulf state is set to host the testing event from March 12 to 14 and the season opener Bahrain Grand Prix between March 26 and 28 at Bahrain International Circuit.

According to a statement issued by Bahrain, the country would be extending its vaccination program "to major events in the kingdom on a voluntary basis, where timescales allow and provide additional benefit to both participants and the national population."

"Due to the timescale of this year's F1 event, including testing, the vast majority of participants will be present in Bahrain for a three-week period ahead of the race," the statement continued.

"This, in turn, allows a unique opportunity to provide additional protection for those who wish to take up the opportunity in the form of vaccination."

In other words, F1 personnel will be vaccinated on arrival in Bahrain and then receive the second dose 21 days later before leaving.

F1 turns down Bahrain's vaccination plan

"Formula 1, as a UK-based organization, has no plans to be vaccinated as a travelling group ahead of the already established rollout of vaccines through the health system in the UK," an F1 spokesperson said recently in response to Bahrain. 

F1 is based in UK with its head office in London and eight of ten teams are situated in the country.

"The priority is the most vulnerable. We don't want to jump the line of vaccination," F1 president Stefano Domenicali said in February.

Star players line up for a competitive season

British racer Lewis Hamilton extended his Mercedes contract for a year in February as he will be favorite for an unprecedented eighth crown, and a record-extending 100th win this season.

In contrast to the one-year duration, all of the 36-year-old Mercedes driver's previous deals have been multi-year agreements.

"It is an important contract," said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff in an interview on February 7.

"It is important because of this season and how we want to position ourselves from 2022 onwards and how is his thinking," Wolff added. "Lewis needs to decide what his future holds for him." 

Finland's Valtteri Bottas is out of contract with Mercedes at the end of 2021 and significant rule changes for 2022 could see a shake-up on track.

"Young drivers are the future, therefore we need to consider how we want to set ourselves up for the years beyond," said Wolff, as Mercedes are the only team with two drivers over the age of 30.

Max Verstappen said recently he is ready to launch a bid to dethrone the all-conquering champion Hamilton.

"I don't know what Lewis is going to do at the end of the day," Red Bull racer Verstappen recently replied when asked by a reporter whether he saw himself as a potential successor.

"I am focusing on myself, on this year and try to make it a success. It's so early in the season, that kind of things I am not really thinking about at this stage," said the Dutchman.

"With Mercedes being the dominant car towards the end of the season, we know of course that what have to keep improving," he added. "More grip, more power, it's all looking promising but it doesn't make sense now to hype everything up."

"The most important thing is to get a bit of track in Bahrain and to do the best amount of learning we can."

Ferrari has the youngest lineup of Monegasque Charles Leclerc and Spaniard Carlos Sainz since 1968.

Leclerc is starting his third season at Ferrari and has two race wins from 2019 under his belt.

Sainz, who joined Ferrari this season on a two-year deal replacing Sebastian Vettel, expects it will take time for him to get fully up to speed with the new team given the limited amount of testing.

The 26-year-old has moved from McLaren to Maranello, where he will be racing for his fourth team since his debut at Italy-based Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri) in 2015. He also drove for Renault in 2018.

"My intention is obviously to be 100 percent ready for race one," Sainz told reporters at a recent team launch.

"But realistically speaking from my experience, changing teams during all these years has been very difficult to achieve," he said.

"There's always experiences, feelings that you need to go through race-by-race, or race weekend by race weekend, in free practices, in qualifiers, in the races that you always end up learning during the races rather than testing," he added.

(With input from agencies)