FORMULA ONE BOSSES have revealed 23 races will take place in just 36 weeks as the sport launched its record-breaking calendar for next season.
Bahrain will host the opening round of the new campaign on 20 March, with Abu Dhabi the stage for the concluding event exactly eight months later.
The British Grand Prix will take place on the opening weekend of July – avoiding a clash with the climax of Wimbledon – while the Chinese GP in Shanghai has been scrapped for a third successive campaign.
Melbourne’s Albert Park, the traditional curtain raiser, has been pushed back to 10 April.
Australia has some of the strictest Covid-19 travel restrictions in the world, but Formula One executives remain hopeful the race will not fall off the calendar for a third year in succession.
Formula 1 announces 2022 calendar pic.twitter.com/F3fgeJUp65
— F1 Media (@F1Media) October 15, 2021
The sport’s first race in Miami will be staged on 8 May. The PA news agency understands a third American race could be added to the calendar in 2023, with Las Vegas thought to be the front-runner.
The 2022 schedule will bring added strain on the sport’s travelling circus, with seven back-to-back races, two triple headers, and six races in seven whirlwind weeks following the August break.
Formula One will also undergo a major overhaul of it regulations next season in the hope of producing closer racing, while CEO Stefano Domenicali has stated his desire to stage sprint races at as many as eight events.
“We are excited to announce the 2022 calendar as we prepare to enter a new era for the sport,” said Domenicali.
“This season has been incredible so far with great battles on the track, large audiences tuning in and fans returning to the races after the impact of the pandemic.
“We look forward to welcoming more fans back next season and hope 2022 feels more normal than the life we have all experienced in the past two years.
“We are very pleased with the interest in Formula One from places that want to host races and the growth of the sport, and believe we have a fantastic calendar for 2022 with destinations like Miami joining famous and historic venues.
“The pandemic is still with us, and we will therefore continue to be vigilant and safe – to protect all our personnel and the communities we visit.”
Six grands prix of this season’s 22-race campaign remain. Lewis Hamilton is six points adrift of rival Max Verstappen as he pursues a record eighth world title.
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