» Mugello and Sochi added to 2020 F1 schedule

Formula 1 has added two further races to its 2020 World Championship schedule, with races at Mugello and Sochi to follow the initial run of eight Grands Prix.

The Grand Prix of Tuscany will debut at the Ferrari-owned Mugello circuit on September 13 as the third event in a triple-header after the Belgian and Italian Grands Prix. The Russian Grand Prix has been reinstated to its original September 27 date.

The race in Russia will be the sport’s first ‘flyaway’ event of the season after the Australian Grand Prix in March, which was cancelled on the eve of the event after a McLaren team member tested positive for the COVID-19 Coronavirus. That triggered a suspension of the 2020 World Championship season, which finally resumed at last weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix run under strict health and safety guidelines.

The Mugello circuit, which has had limited use as a test and demonstration venue, will fittingly be Ferrari’s 1000th Grand Prix. It will also host the Formula 2 and Formula 3 Championship support series’.

The 5.2-kilometre Mugello circuit will make its F1 debut, having previously staged occasional F1 tests and demonstration events.

“We are delighted to announce Mugello and Sochi will be part of the 2020 calendar,” said F1 boss Chase Carey. “And want to thank all our partners for their support in recent weeks.

“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 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.”

No additional races have been revealed thus far, although it is expected that the next announcement will include a visit to Portimão in Portugal, as well as the reinstatement of the Chinese and Vietnamese Grands Prix in October.

The November schedule has the United States, Mexico City and Brazilian Grands Prix, however, it is anticipated that none are likely to happen given all three locations continue to have very high rates of COVID-19 transmission.

They could be replaced with further rounds in Europe – the Hockenheimring and Imola circuits are both touted as possibilities – with a double-header in Bahrain to follow on November 29 and December 6 ahead of the season finale in Abu Dhabi on December 13.

2020 FIA Formula 1 World Championship Season Calendar
Date	Event	Location
05 JUL	Austrian Grand Prix	Red Bull Ring, Spielberg
12 JUL	Styrian Grand Prix	Red Bull Ring, Spielberg
19 JUL	Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród
02 AUG	British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone
09 AUG	70th Anniversary Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone
16 AUG	Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Montmeló
30 AUG	Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot
06 SEP	Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza
13 SEP	Tuscan Grand Prix	Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello, Scarperia e San Piero
27 SEP	Russian Grand Prix	Sochi Autodrom, Sochi
25 OCT	United States Grand Prix – PENDING	Circuit of the Americas, Austin
01 NOV	Mexico City Grand Prix – PENDING	Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City
15 NOV	Brazilian Grand Prix – PENDING	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo
29 NOV	Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – PENDING	Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi
Cancelled or Postponed Events
Date	Event	Location
15 MAR	Australian Grand Prix – CANCELLED	Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit, Melbourne
22 MAR	Bahrain Grand Prix – POSTPONED	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir
05 APR	Vietnamese Grand Prix – POSTPONED	Hanoi Street Circuit, Hanoi
19 APR	Chinese Grand Prix – POSTPONED	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai
03 MAY	Dutch Grand Prix – CANCELLED	Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort
24 MAY	Monaco Grand Prix – CANCELLED	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo
07 JUN	Azerbaijan Grand Prix – CANCELLED	Baku City Circuit, Baku
14 JUN	Canadian Grand Prix – POSTPONED	Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montréal
28 JUN	French Grand Prix – CANCELLED	Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet
20 SEP	Singapore Grand Prix – CANCELLED	Marina Bay Sreet Circuit, Singapore
11 OCT	Japanese Grand Prix – CANCELLED	Suzuka International Racing Couse, Suzuka