THIS IS SO EXCITING! The F1 calendar is continuing to shape up with more new tracks! We heard the news of 8 races being part of the revised F1 calendar around 1 and a half months ago, which was the first half of the calendar. We now know that there is more and that Formula 1 is deciding the second half of the calendar! I really cannot tell you how excited I am in words about this news! This is the perfect recipe for a banger of a year! As we all know, Formula 1 is racing again. However, the COVID-19 Pandemic forces Formula 1 to decide races along the way. Some countries are not safe enough to race at, and so F1 has to pick out the races very carefully, and as per the current situation in that country.
READ MORE: F1 IS RETURNING! Revised 2020 F1 Calendar Released!
This is to find the safest, while at the same time most entertaining revised F1 calendar. The greatest thing about this revised F1 calendar is that it allows us to see some fantastic races at new tracks, while at the same time including the old ones that we love. There are now 13 races in the F1 calendar, with the season expected to have 15 to 18 races in total, ending in the Gulf region in December. Out of the 13 races confirmed, 4 races are at new tracks or tracks that haven’t been in F1 for a while. Many races will take place for the very first time in Formula 1 history. This means that this year will be incredibly interesting.
“We are delighted to announce Mugello and Sochi will be part of the 2020 calendar and want to thank all our partners for their support in recent weeks,” said Chase Carey, Chairman and CEO of Formula 1.
“We had great start to our season in Austria last weekend and we are increasingly confident in our plans to race throughout the remainder of 2020.
“The Russian Grand Prix is a major moment in our season and we are looking forward to being back in Sochi in September. We are equally excited to see Formula 1 race for the first time at Mugello, an occasion that will mark Ferrari’s 1000 Grand Prix. Both races will be a huge boost for fans with more announcements on the next races in our calendar coming in the weeks ahead.”
“We are pleased that we continue to make strong progress in finalising our plans for the 2020 season and are excited to welcome Nurburgring, Portimao and Imola to the revised calendar,”
Carey also said that F1 wanted “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.”
The New Tracks and/or Races Added To The F1 Calendar
Mugello
The Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello will hold the first-ever Tuscan Grand Prix on the 13 of September. The full name of the race will tell you why this Grand Prix might be one of the most historically significant races in F1. It is the Formula 1 Gran Premio Della Toscana Ferrari 1000 2020 Mugello. Ferrari will have the privilege to celebrate the teams 1000th Grand Prix in F1 at their track! Toscana, which is Italian for Tuscany, is the province in which Mugello is. The race holds the name of its region just like the Styrian GP. This is because the Italian Grand Prix is already part of the revised F1 calendar. It will take place on the 6th of September, a week before the Tuscan GP. The Autodromo Internazionale de Monza, also known as just Monza, will host the race.
Fun Fact! The Italian Grand Prix has been at Monza for every year in Formula 1, apart from 1980. 1980 was the only Italian Grand Prix that took place at Imola.
Imola
For the first time in Formula 1 history, Italy, or any country, holds 3 races in the same year, which is another first to take away from this year. There is the Italian and Tuscan Grands Prix, and now there is the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Imola is going to hold a special 2-day event, instead of the normal 3-day Grand Prix weekend. Details about this 2-day event are yet to be revealed.
The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix will be at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari. Like the Tuscan and Styrian GPs, the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix is named after the region in which Imola is. Imola used to be the place where San Marino Grand Prix would take place. The race took its name from the nearby country due to Monza holding the Italian Grand Prix, as mentioned before. The track itself is named after Enzo Ferrari and his first son Alfredo Ferrari, who died at a young age of 24.
Portimao
The Autódromo Internacional do Algarve will host a Formula 1 race for the first time. And the Portuguese Grand Prix returns to Formula 1 after being absent for a whole 24 years! Algarve is the region in which the coastal city of Portimao is located. Fans call the Algarve International Circuit Portimao, so let’s refer to it that way. Portimao is a modern racing circuit, and has a consistent undulation to it, which is something that we all want. This is because it makes the track evermore interesting to drive at. Many of the corners are blind due to the sudden elevation changes that appear so often. Formula 1 used the track for pre-season testing in 2008 and 2009 but has never fixed a Grand Prix there. However, drivers like Charles Leclerc, Daniel Ricciardo, and Valterri Bottas have encountered it in their junior careers.
Nurburgring
I recently did a German Grand Prix tribute, and now a race is happening in Germany, under the name of the Eifel Grand Prix! Pretty much any Formula 1 fan would know what the Nurburgring is. But for those of you who don’t, we’re going to talk about it. The Nurburgring is one of the most historically important tracks in F1. It has hosted a whopping 54 Grands Prix, dating back to 1927. Sebastian Vettel won his home Grand Prix at the Nurburgring in 2013, the only time he won the German Grand Prix. This was the last F1 race at the Nurburgring, until this year. The Nurburgring used to be the whole of Nordeschlife, meaning it had lengths of 20.8 to 26km. There were lap times of around 6-11 minutes. The track had many variants and was used at many different times in history.
Now the Nurburgring Grand Prix track, for F1, has 13 corners and has a length of 5.148km. The Nurburgring will host the first Eifel Grand Prix this year, and there will be no German Grand Prix. The race takes its name from the Eifel mountain range. The Nurburgring is located in this mountain range. I’m very excited to see this track return, and I’m sure that the drivers are excited too.
Formula 1 Not Racing In The Americas This Year
Unfortunately, there is some bad news. There will be no races in the Americas this year. This means the Canadian, Mexican, Brazilian and United States Grand Prix are cancelled. Some of the most popular, historic, and lively races of the year will not take place, to the dismay of I’m sure many F1 fans.
Formula 1 said the decision was “due to the fluid nature of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, local restrictions and the importance of keeping communities and our colleagues safe”. They also said they made the decisions after ongoing discussions and close collaboration with the respective partners in the affected countries.
“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,” said Chase Carey, Chairman and CEO of Formula 1.
Looking at the bright side, the Americas will return in 2021. This will allow fans to look forward to the races even more. This is the end of a post which has some very exciting and anticipated news. We now have 13 races in the 2020 F1 calendar, and as of now, there are more to come. Stay on the lookout for new posts!
