There will be no Japanese Grand Prix this season with Formula 1 announcing that the event at the Suzuka circuit has been cancelled over ongoing pandemic fears in the Asian nation.

F1 has done well to navigate a lot of the issues the pandemic is still causing in 2021, with them remaining on course to fulfil a 23-race calendar - the longest in the sport's history.

Along the way so far this season, though, we have seen some races cancelled and missed, with the likes of events in Australia and Canada being once again knocked off of the schedule.

Both of those races were missed last year in 2020, too, and Suzuka has now fallen the same way for a second year running, with it due to take place later on in the year.

Taking to their official F1 Media channel on Twitter this morning, the sport revealed that fears over the pandemic in Japan had prompted the decision to cancel the race and there now begins a search to find a new venue to ensure a 23-race schedule is still played out this season:

Suzuka is a classic track and it has provided some brilliant moments over the years, helping decide more than one championship in the process.

It's a shame it won't be one of the stages for this year's title crescendo, but hopefully we'll be back there in 2022 for a return.