Mugello and Sochi added to revised Formula 1 2020 calendar
Delayed F1 2020 season got underway in Austria last weekend
Italian track will host its first F1 race following events in Austria, Britain, Hungary and Spain
Italy’s Mugello race circuit has been added to the Formula 1 calendar for the first time, joining Russia’s Sochi track in a revised schedule for September.
The start of the 2020 season was delayed by 114 days as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, getting underway last week at the Red Bull Ring in Austria. Only the first eight races leading up the end of August had been confirmed, however, with the new Mugello and Russia races taking the championship towards its as-yet unconfirmed finale.
The Italian event will take place on 13 September, and marks the first time that an F1 race has been held at Mugello, though testing did take place there in 2012. The venue is more commonly associated with the Moto GP motorcycle series, and known for its 0.7-mile start/finish straight.
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The Russian Grand Prix will return to the resort city of Sochi for the sixth time since 2014, perhaps marking the end of the original 2014-2020 agreement to hold F1 races at the venue.
With ten races now confirmed, the 2020 season still falls well short of the 21 events that made up 2019’s calendar, though Formula 1 says there are “more to be announced in the coming weeks”, and expects to host between 15 and 18 races in total.
F1 CEO Chase Carey said: “We had a 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 1000th 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.”
Along with Mugello and Sochi, F1 will race again at Austria next week and twice at Silverstone in August, with additional events in Spain, Hungary and Belgium. Initially, races will be held behind closed doors, but F1 bosses anticipate that spectators will be allowed in towards the end of the season.
Extra European races are under consideration, too, with Hockenheim in Germany and Portimao in Portugal being considered. Meanwhile, China, Bahrain and Russia could each hold double-header races.
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