24/07/2020
NEWS STORY
Following the announcement of the first ten races of the revised 2020 calendar, F1 today announced the next three races in the schedule, bringing the current total to thirteen.
It also provided an update on wider plans for the season. As stated previously, it expects the revised 2020 season to have between 15 and 18 races and end in the Gulf in mid-December. It expects to release the final details of the calendar in the coming weeks.
It confirms that Portimao, Imola and the Nurburgring will each host Grands Prix this October, the German circuit taking the slot originally scheduled for the Japanese Grand Prix, while Imola replaces Mexico and Portimao replaces the United States race.
While Portimao is a completely new addition to the F1 roster, Imola and Nurburgring are both well-known to fans having hosted many world championship races over the years.
Interestingly, the race at Imola, designated the Emirates Gran Premio dell' Emilia Romagna, is scheduled as a two-day event, while Portimao (Heineken Portuguese Grand Prix) and Nurburgring (Aramco Grosser Preis der Eifel) are both the traditional three-day affairs.
After ongoing discussions and close collaboration with its partners, F1 confirmed that due to the fluid nature of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, local restrictions and the importance of keeping communities and colleagues safe, it will not be possible to race in Brazil, USA, Mexico and Canada this season.
While it is disappointing it is not possible to race in the Americas this year, the sport looks forward to returning next season and know the races on the revised calendar will excite fans and provide new challenges for the teams and drivers.
"We are pleased that we continue to make strong progress in finalising our plans for the 2020 season," said Chase Carey, "and are excited to welcome Nurburgring, Portimao and Imola to the revised calendar.
"We want to thank the promoters, the teams, and the FIA for their full support in our efforts to bring our fans exciting racing this season during an unprecedented time.
"We also want to pay tribute to our incredible partners in the Americas and look forward to being back with them next season when they will once again be able to thrill millions of fans around the world."