» FIA unveils bumper 2014 F1 calendar

The FIA World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) has unveiled a provisional 2014 F1 calendar, which features two new additions of New Jersey and Mexico. Korea has also been named despite rumours it wouldn’t hold an event next year.

The WMSC has also confirmed that Pirelli is likely to continue to supply tyres to competitors in F1 in 2014 and beyond, while it also indicated that it will look to tender a single fuel supplier for the sport – a move that will have the teams and engine-makers up in arms.

The tentative calendar looks like this:

Date	Event	Venue
16 MAR	Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit, Melbourne
30 MAR	Malaysian Grand Prix	Sepang International Circuit, Kuala Lumpur
06 APR	Bahrain Grand Prix	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir
20 APR	Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai
27 APR	Korean Grand Prix*	Korean International Circuit, Yeongyam
11 MAY	Gran Premio de España	Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona
25 MAY	Grand Prix de Monaco	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo
01 JUN	American Grand Prix	Port Imperial Street Circuit, New Jersey
08 JUN	Grand Prix du Canada	Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal
22 JUN	Großer Preis von Österreich	Red Bull Ring, Spielberg
06 JUL	British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone
20 JUL	Großer Preis von Deutschland	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim
27 JUL	Magyar Nagydíj	Hungaroring, Budapest
24 AUG	Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Francorchamps
07 SEP	Gran Premio d’Italia	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza
21 SEP	Singapore Grand Prix	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore
05 OCT	Russian Grand Prix*	Sochi Olympic Park Circuit, Sochi
12 OCT	Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Circuit, Suzuka
26 OCT	Abu Dhabi Grand Prix	Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi
09 NOV	United States Grand Prix	Circuit of the Americas, Austin
16 NOV	Gran Premio de Mexico*	Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City
30 NOV	Grande Prêmio do Brasil	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo

* Denotes subject to FIA homologation of the circuit.

The calendar looks great for fans, but a nightmare for teams, who were under the impression that there would be no more than 20 races in a season (as has previously been agreed by Bernie Ecclestone and stipulated in the old Concorde Agreement).

Despite the ongoing speculation around its funding, the inaugural New Jersey Grand Prix is pencilled to take place a week before Canada, making it a triple header with Monaco a week prior, which will create massive logistical headaches for the teams trying to ship their equipment across the Atlantic Ocean.

Historically, the FIA also does not pair a new Grand Prix in a back-to-back format with an existing one, as they have done for the three new/returning events in New Jersey, Russia and Mexico. Typically this is done to minimise the risk of freighting and customs screw-ups that can occur when the sport visits a new location for the first time.

Assuming all of the races go ahead – and we continue to remain sceptical about the Korea and New Jersey events, in particular – the 2014 schedule will represent a substantial increase in expenses for all of the teams, with several flyaway races sitting as pure standalone events (such as Australia and Malaysia, which were previously clipped together).

It’s quite likely that the final version of the F1 calendar will undergo a substantial revamp, either to accommodate all 22 races between March and November, or to jettison a few of the events that don’t offer the highest bid.