The complete F1 2020 calendar has finally been confirmed, with the series announcing four more races in Turkey, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi.
- Turkish GP will make its F1 return on November 15
- Bahrain to host a double-header on November 29 and December 6
- F1 2020 season concludes with the Abu Dhabi GP on December 13
Just last month, F1 had announced additional rounds Germany, Italy and Portugal. This latest announcement takes the total number of races up to 17. As a minimum of 15 races are required to guarantee full payment by the TV broadcasters, this leaves some buffer should one or two events be cancelled owing to the fluid nature of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here’s what the full F1 2020 calendar looks like:
| Updated F1 2020 Calendar | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Round | Race | Venue | Date |
| Round 1 | Formula 1 Rolex Grosser Preis von Osterreich | The Red Bull Ring, Austria | July 3-5 |
| Round 2 | Formula 1 Pirelli Grosser Preis der Steiermark | The Red Bull Ring, Austria | July 10-12 |
| Round 3 | Formula 1 Aramco Magyar Nagydij | The Hungaroring, Hungary | July 17-19 |
| Round 4 | Formula 1 Pirelli British Grand Prix | Silverstone, UK | July 31 - August 2 |
| Round 5 | Formula 1 Emirates 70th Anniversary Grand Prix | Silverstone, UK | August 7-9 |
| Round 6 | Formula 1 Aramco Gran Premio de Espana | Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Spain | August 14-16 |
| Round 7 | Formula 1 Rolex Belgian Grand Prix | Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium | August 28-30 |
| Round 8 | Formula 1 Gran Premio Heineken d'Italia | Monza, Italy | September 4-6 |
| Round 9 | Formula 1 Gran Premio Della Toscana Ferrari 1000 | Mugello, Italy | September 11-13 |
| Round 10 | Formula 1 VTB Russian Grand Prix | Sochi Autodrom, Russia | September 25-27 |
| Round 11 | Formula 1 Aramco Grosser Preis Der Eifel | Nurburgring | October 9-11 |
| Round 12 | Formula 1 Heineken Portuguese Grand Prix | Portimao | October 23-25 |
| Round 13 | Formula 1 Emirates Gran Premio Dell’Emilia Romagna | Imola | October 31-November 1 |
| Round 14 | Formula 1 DHL Turkish Grand Prix | Istanbul Park | November 13-15 |
| Round 15 | Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix | Sakhir | November 27-29 |
| Round 16 | Formula 1 Rolex Sakhir Grand Prix | Sakhir | December 4-6 |
| Round 17 | Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | Yas Marina | December 11-13 |
Turkish GP returns to F1
The Turkish GP will kick off F1 2020’s flyaway races, with Istanbul Park hosting a Grand Prix for the first time since 2011. The race will be held on November 13-15.
This will be followed by a double-header in Bahrain on November 29 and December 6, respectively. F1 has been considering using Bahrain’s shorter outer circuit for a race this year. However, there is no confirmation on whether this faster layout will be used for the second race, which will run under the Sakhir GP moniker.
The season will finally wrap up with the Abu Dhabi GP at the Yas Marina Circuit on December 13.
Additionally, F1 has also confirmed that the 2020 Chinese GP (which was postponed earlier this year) has been cancelled altogether.
Will fans be allowed to attend F1 races this year?
So far, all the races have been held as closed events. However, organisers of the 2020 Russian GP have confirmed that the race will be open to spectators.
In line with that, F1 has announced that a number of races this year will be opened up to a limited number of fans, including hospitality. Organisers are currently working with event promoters to finalise the details and will announce the selected races in the coming weeks.
“While we want to see as many fans as possible return as soon as it is safe to do so, our priority remains the safety of the Formula 1 community and the communities we visit, and we review fan access on this basis,” a statement from the series read.