The Formula One calendar will expand to a record-equalling 20 races next season with Mexico returning in November after a 23-year absence, the governing FIA said on Friday.
This year’s calendar had 19 races.
The November 1 race in Mexico City will be paired with the US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, the previous weekend. Mexico last appeared on the calendar in 1992.
The Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne will start the season as usual on March 5 while Abu Dhabi will again end the championship on November 29.
This year’s race in Abu Dhabi will see, controversially, double points awarded for the first time.
There was no mention in the International Automobile Federation (FIA) statement, issued after a World Motor Sport Council meeting in Beijing, whether that would continue to be the case in 2015.
There will again be a two-week break between Australia and the second round in Malaysia, rather than putting them on as back-to-back events.
However there will be four ‘pairs’ of races on successive weekends, with Malaysia and Bahrain running back-to-back before Germany and Hungary, Singapore and Japan and then United States and Mexico.
Japan has been paired with Russia, making its Formula One debut in Sochi next month, on this season’s calendar.
As expected, the Indian Grand Prix which was dropped at the end of 2013 failed to make a return while there was also no room for a proposed race in New Jersey after successive postponements.
Formula One last had 20 races in a season in 2012, with some teams reluctant to go over that number.
2015 draft calendar:
March 5 – Australia
March 29 – Malaysia
April 5 – Bahrain
April 19 – China
May 10 – Spain
May 24 – Monaco
June 7 – Canada
June 21 – Austria
July 5 – Britain
July 19 – Germany
July 26 – Hungary
August 23 – Belgium
September 6 – Italy
September 20 – Singapore
September 27 – Japan
October 11 – Russia
October 25 – United States
November 1 – Mexico
November 15 – Brazil
November 29 – Abu Dhabi
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