Four Races Join 2020 F1 Calendar
Formula One has officially announced four additional races for the season, bringing the total count to 17. Turkey, Bahrain, and Abu Dhabi will be part of the heavily revised 2020 F1 calendar, with Bahrain appearing twice.
This year’s F1 calendar has been in flux since the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancelation of the Chinese Grand Prix. For a time, only eight races were confirmed, the minimum required for a set of races to be considered an F1 championship.
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Early on, when it seemed optimistic, F1 CEO Chase Carey had said he was targeting 15 to 18 races in 2020. But with four new races joining the season to make it 17, Carey has gotten his wish.
“We are proud to announce that Turkey, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi will be part of our 2020 season,” Carey said in an official statement. “This year has presented Formula 1 and the world with an unprecedented challenge and we want to pay tribute to everyone across Formula 1, the FIA, the teams, and our partners who have made this possible.”
F1 also confirmed that a number of races would be open to a limited number of fans, though it did not specify what races. It also announced that China would not come back to the 2020 F1 calendar, so fans hoping to see the cars race in Shanghai will have to wait till next year.
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“While we are all disappointed that we have not been able to return to some of our planned races this year we are confident our season has started well and will continue to deliver plenty of excitement with traditional, as well as new, races that will entertain all our fans,” Carey added.
Indeed, the new 2020 F1 calendar is in many ways better than the old, with the sport returning to many beloved locations like the Nürburgring and Istanbul Park, and heading for the first time to iconic circuits that have too long been overlooked in F1, such as Mugello and Portimão.
Unless a race cancels, the calendar below is probably final. There are not many weekends left to add more F1 races, and the teams have been vocal about the stress of triple headers. We’ve already had two in 2020, and there’s another one coming up.
Kurt Verlin was born in France and lives in the United States. Throughout his life he was always told French was the language of romance, but it was English he fell in love with. He likes cats, music, cars, 30 Rock, Formula 1, and pretending to be a race car driver in simulators; but most of all, he just likes to write about it all. See more articles by Kurt.