Calendar
edit
Twenty-two Grands Prix were originally scheduled for the 2020 World Championship.[1] However, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in numerous race cancellations and postponements. A rescheduled calendar consisted of seventeen Grands Prix, while thirteen races were cancelled. The length of each race is the minimum number of laps that exceeds a total distance of 305 km (189.5 mi). Under the sporting regulations, a minimum of eight races must take place for the season to be considered a championship.[2][a] For each Grand Prix, qualifying took place the day before the Grand Prix.
The following rounds were included on the original calendar published by the World Motor Sport Council, but were cancelled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic:
| Grand Prix | Circuit | Original date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Grand Prix |  Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne
|
15 March | |
| Vietnamese Grand Prix |  Hanoi Street Circuit, Hanoi
|
5 April | |
| Chinese Grand Prix |  Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai
|
19 April | |
| Dutch Grand Prix |  Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort
|
3 May | |
| Monaco Grand Prix |  Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo
|
24 May | |
| Azerbaijan Grand Prix |  Baku City Circuit, Baku
|
7 June | |
| Canadian Grand Prix |  Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montréal
|
14 June | |
| French Grand Prix |  Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet
|
28 June | |
| Singapore Grand Prix |  Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore
|
20 September | |
| Japanese Grand Prix |  Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka
|
11 October | |
| United States Grand Prix |  Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas
|
25 October | |
| Mexico City Grand Prix |  Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City
|
1 November | |
| Brazilian Grand Prix |  Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo
|
15 November | |
| Sources:[9][10][11][12][13][14] | |||
Changes from the 2019 calendar to the original 2020 calendar
editAfter purchasing the commercial rights to the sport from CVC Capital Partners in January 2017, Liberty Media announced plans to expand the Formula One calendar using a concept they termed "destination races" and modelled on the Singapore Grand Prix.[15] Under the "destination races" model, Grands Prix would be established in or near key tourist destinations and integrate racing, entertainment and social functions with the aim of making the sport more accessible and appealing to a wider audience.[peacock prose] Several countries and venues announced plans to bid for a Grand Prix,[16][17] with two bids being successful:
- The Vietnamese Grand Prix was announced as the first new race created under Liberty's management.[18] The race was given a provisional date of April 2020 and was planned to take place in the capital Hanoi on the Hanoi Street Circuit,[19] but was later cancelled.[20]
- The Dutch Grand Prix was due to be revived,[21] with the race scheduled to take place at the Circuit Zandvoort.[22][23] The 2020 race would have marked the first time the Dutch Grand Prix has been run since 1985. However, the race was later cancelled.[24]
Liberty Media initially expected that the 2020 calendar would consist of twenty-one Grands Prix and that any new races would come at the expense of existing events, but later negotiated an agreement with the teams to allow up to twenty-two Grands Prix. Several further changes were made between the 2019 and 2020 calendars, with the German Grand Prix discontinued and the Mexican Grand Prix planned to be rebranded as the "Mexico City Grand Prix" before it was cancelled.[25][26]
Refs
edit- ^ Cite error: The named reference
originalwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "2020 Formula One Sporting Regulations" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 19 June 2020. p. 31. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 July 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
- ^ "How many races does Formula 1 need to declare a season?". Archived from the original on 4 June 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
- ^ Cooper, Adam (4 June 2020). "F1 News: European calendar would count as world championship, says Brawn". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 4 June 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
- ^ "F1 confirms first 8 races of revised 2020 calendar, starting with Austria double header". F1. Archived from the original on 9 June 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
- ^ "Formula 1 adds Portimao, Nurburgring and 2-day event in Imola to 2020 race calendar". F1. Archived from the original on 24 July 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
- ^ "Formula 1 to return to Turkey's Istanbul Park as four more races are added to the 2020 F1 calendar". F1. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
- ^ "F1 to use Bahrain's 'outer track' for Sakhir Grand Prix, sub-60s laps expected". F1. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
- ^ "Australian GP organisers seek to reschedule F1 race". Autosport.com. 14 March 2020. Archived from the original on 23 March 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
- ^ "Bahrain and Vietnam Grands Prix postponed". F1. 13 March 2020. Archived from the original on 15 March 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
- ^ "2020 F1 Chinese Grand Prix postponed due to novel coronavirus outbreak". F1. Formula One World Championship Limited. 12 February 2020. Archived from the original on 12 February 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
- ^ "Dutch and Spanish Grands Prix postponed, Monaco cancelled". F1. 19 March 2020. Archived from the original on 19 March 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- ^ "Canadian Grand Prix organisers announce postponement of 2020 race". F1. 7 April 2020. Archived from the original on 7 April 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
- ^ "Organisers confirm 2020 French Grand Prix will not go ahead". F1. 27 April 2020. Archived from the original on 27 April 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
- ^ Puigdemont, Oriol; Noble, Jonathan (3 May 2018). "F1 promises it won't turn its back on Europe with new races in US and Asia". Autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 5 May 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
- ^ Coch, Mat (22 February 2018). "Argentina seeking place on 2019 F1 calendar". speedcafe.com. Archived from the original on 24 February 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
- ^ Mitchell, Scott (17 January 2019). "Finland Formula 1 race study under way at proposed MotoGP venue". Autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 17 January 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
- ^ "Vietnam to host Formula 1 Grand Prix from 2020". F1. 7 November 2018. Archived from the original on 7 November 2018. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
- ^ Herrero, Daniel (7 November 2018). "Vietnam secures 2020 Formula 1 berth". speedcafe.com. Speedcafe. Archived from the original on 8 November 2018. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
- ^ "Cancellation of the 2020 Vinfast Vietnam Grand Prix". Vietnam Grand Prix. 16 October 2020. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
- ^ "Dutch Grand Prix to return at Zandvoort from 2020". F1. 14 May 2019. Archived from the original on 14 May 2019. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ^ Jaeggi, Erwin; Mitchell, Scott (8 February 2019). "Why the chance of a revived F1 Dutch Grand Prix is so realistic". Autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 12 February 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
- ^ Mitchell, Scott (14 May 2019). "Dutch Grand Prix seals return to Formula 1 calendar for 2020". Autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 14 May 2019. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
NED cancelledwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Coch, Mat (10 May 2019). "Two new events expected for 2020 F1 calendar". speedcafe.com. Speedcafe. Archived from the original on 22 August 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
- ^ Noble, Jonathan (4 August 2019). "F1 teams have agreed to allow a 22-race 2020 calendar says Wolff". Autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 4 August 2019. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).