2010 F1 calendar has 19 races, starts in Bahrain and ends in Brazil

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Interlagos will host the 2010 F1 season finale

Update: The 2010 F1 calendar has now been confirmed. See the full calendar here: 2010 F1 calendar

The 2010 F1 calendar revealed by the FIA today has 19 rounds. That equals the record for the most races in a season, set in 2005.

The championship will start in Bahrain, as it did in 2006. The season finale will return to Interlagos in Brazil, which held the final round of the championship last year.

South Korea’s first F1 Grand Prix has been confirmed, and following this year’s debacle the start time for the Malaysian Grand Prix has moved forward. Here is the official 2010 F1 calendar in full:

2010 F1 calendar

March 12-14th – Bahrain Grand Prix
March 26-28th – Australian Grand Prix
April 2nd-4th – Malaysian Grand Prix
April 16-18th – Chinese Grand Prix
May 7-9th – Spanish Grand Prix
May 20-23rd – Monaco Grand Prix
May 28-30th – Turkish Grand Prix
June 11-13th – Canadian Grand Prix (contract pending)
June 25-27th – European Grand Prix (Valencia)
July 9-11th – British Grand Prix
July 23-25th – German Grand Prix
July 30th – August 1st – Hungarian Grand Prix
August 27-29th – Belgian Grand Prix
September 10-12th – Italian Grand Prix
September 24-26th – Singapore Grand Prix
October 1-3rd – Japanese Grand Prix
October 15-17th – Korean Grand Prix
October 29-31st – Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
November 12-14th – Brazilian Grand Prix

The 2010 F1 schedule looks promising so far – however we have to remember that following the first announcement of this year’s calendar two races were subsequently lost – the French and Canadian rounds.

It’s a great shame there is still no French round on the calendar, but as mentioned a few weeks ago it’s great to see Canada make a return.

Although the FIA hasn’t confirmed any venues (except to say that the European Grand Prix will remain at Valencia, albeit two months earlier), most of the events will remain at their present venues.

Thankfully any notion of Spa-Francorchamps having to share its slot with the Nurburgring appears to have receded for the time being. The Hockenheimring has said it will not host an F1 race next year, so presumably the German round of the championship will be at the Nurburgring once more.

Donington Park is racing to get ready to host the British Grand Prix. If it can’t, hopefully Silverstone will be able to.

Although Bernie Ecclestone insisted he wouldn’t move the Malaysian Grand Prix start time forward, after this year’s new late start meant the race couldn’t be finished, he has apparently relented and moved it forward by an hour to 4pm.

The only new round on the 2010 calendar is the South Korean Grand Prix at Jeonnam. You can have a look at the Hermann Tilke-designed track here (but to be honest if you’re familiar with his work you can probably guess how it goes: hairpin, straight, hairpin, token squiggly bit, etc?óÔé¼?ª)

This calendar is definitely arranged better than recent efforts, with few big gaps between races except for the new customary August break.

And it’s great to see F1 calendar size on the increase next year. India is supposed to join the roster the year after, so if France and the USA can make a return to I hope we have 22 races in 2011.

2010 F1 calendar

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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84 comments on “2010 F1 calendar has 19 races, starts in Bahrain and ends in Brazil”

  1. Keith, I think you forgot to close a link tag ;)

    1. Yeah I did it on a laptop and the battery died before I could fix it :-( Done now.

      1. Why has Australia lost the season opener. That’s crap.

  2. Worst place to kick of the season, but best place to be ending it :( :)

    1. Yer i love the title finale in Brazil, its one of the only tracks where you can hear the atmosphere on television. The roar when Massa crossed the line as world champion last year was unforgetable.

      1. bahrain should be taken off the calendar as well as spanish.

      2. Your being funny right??? Personaly I heard thousands of hearts break simultaneously! lol

  3. Whats funny they go from the Turkish GP all the way to Montreal. Those who feel USF1 cant be run from the U.S. need to look at the calender.

  4. I wish they’d race at Portimao too. :(

    1. Don’t loose your hope.

      Valencia will not stay for much time in the calendar.

      I would like to watch Portimao hosting a race also. The pics we’ve seen during winter tests were quite promising!

  5. Bahrain to start is very annoying. Oz normally makes a really exciting first race to the season and Bahrain never has a good race.

    Going back to Interlagos for the season finale though is a great idea.

    And well having Canada back is the best news in F1 for a long time

  6. I am sick to death of hearing people speculate about Donington Park. Why is everyone so against it, and why is the BBC in particular so keen to report on the possibility that they might not have it done on time?

    How about we wait and see, and we will likely see a great race on a circuit which is FAR superior to Silverstone for racing.

  7. july 11th is also the football world cup final………..that will be a great weekend.

    1. The what now?

  8. Still seems strange that F1 needs to run 8 Grand Prix in Asia. Does the sport really have that big a following in South Korea? Obviously must be a lot more race fans in Malaysia than France, the birth place of motorsport.

    So 8 in Asia, 8 in Europe, 1 in South America, 1 in North America (not even USA and that’s just stoopid!) and of course, the Aussie GP.

    Good to see the calendar expanding again, but not at the expense of legitimate racing venues and fans. Also saw the Melbourne GP is to have a 1700 start time. Bad call after the the Malaysian GP this year.

    Wondering about the German GP – thought they had funding issues with Nurburgring. Would be nice if the FIA would publish the circuits, not just the country of the GP.

    1. The 1700 local time start in Melbourne is not such a bad call – the only issue will be the sun glare in the drivers eyes not the weather as was the issue in Malaysia – evening build up of bad weather.
      If it rains in Melbourne it is not like Malaysia which is tropical – Melbourne far from Tropical

  9. i dont get why they are moving the British GP, they get over 100,000 people a year but they want to move it why? its a classic track i have been there before.

    1. i dont get why they are moving the British GP

      $$$$$$$$

      (That’s why we go to 8 Asian tracks too, of course)

    2. Yes, but to be fair Silverstone is a long way to travel if you live in the north of England and means that if you go to the GP it’s a 2 day thing, which increases the costs when you put in the cost of a hotel or B&B (if you can find one that’s not booked up already!!)

      Donington is more central in the country and is just as good a circuit as Silverstone, perhaps better, we won’t know until we get racing there…

      I for one am hoping Donington pulls it off, if only cos my Dad said he’d pay for us to go to the first GP there ;)

      1. There’s only 65 miles in it, and more people live in the South East

  10. (but to be honest if you’re familiar with his work you can probably guess how it goes: hairpin, straight, hairpin, token squiggly bit, etc…)

    AHHAHAHAAH I just spat my beer out. Keith owes me a Stella.

      1. After seeing the track diagram, I only have to say “token squiggly bit indeed…”

  11. India is supposed to join the roster in 2012

    The world is ending in 2012 :) So they’ll never make it!! Hooray!!

    1. Sorry Keith, as an American, I can tell you that unless Berine is sacked, there won’t be a USGP in the near future. The only permanent site that could hold it is Indy, but with Tony George gone (who wouldn’t accept his fees in the end) the sisters won’t even consider it. As for a street circuit, NYC is in deep debt so a race is impossible. Las Vegas was hit fiercely by the recession so I can’t see a race there. If the Indycar Series goes for sale, I could see Bernie making a stab at Long Beach, but he and the city has bad-blood going back to 1983.

      As for France, unless Bernie were willing to take a loss and stage it at Paul Ricard, the only hope there is the proposed Flins-Les-Mureaux circuit.

      1. They should hold a street race in downtown Seattle! Im biased, since thats where I live, but it would be an awesome spectacle, with good waterfront scenery and tons of gradient. Plus, it rains all the time, and who doesnt enjoy a good wet race?

        1. Spot-on Hallard!! Even though I live all the way across the country, I’ll gladly hop a flight out to the Pacific Northwest. And you’ve got a great sports culture out there- if the Sounders are drawing 30,000-plus in their first season, just imagine what F1 could bring in if the race was promoted and the tickets were a decent price :)

        2. just like GT3 ay? sounds good to me

    2. @SATANIC LIAR

      The world is ending in 2012 So they’ll never make it!! Hooray!!

      India deserves a GP and,liar,may be right but still its the world ends and not India!!!

      1. Korea even deserves a GP like India,so its not surprising it to be on schedule:)

        1. why? because they have money?

    3. The world is ending in 2012 :)

      Hmm, interesting. When exactly in 2012?

      Here’s what I saw in my last séance:
      The Force Pakistan team (taken over from the ex-Malaysia-Lotus team) finally made their highly unexpected maiden win in the maiden India race, ahead of the dominating Force India team that won the last 2 championships in a boring Schumacher-esque manner. As usual, the FIA stewards step in and declare: Force Pakistan gained an unfair advantage by cutting a chicane and not yielding long enough before the subsequent corner and therefore gets a 30 sec penalty, which puts them into 4th place.

      Pakistan naturally responds with some nukes onto India …

  12. Can I make some suggestions, Bernie?

    1) 2pm local time for every race start except Singapore and Abu Dhabi. If networks won’t show repeat shows for the early races like ITV used to then it’s their loss of ratings.
    2) Melbourne opens the championship
    3) Japan penultimate race; Interlagos final race (the only request that’s ever going to come true)
    3) Get rid of Bahrain.
    4) Rotate China and Malaysia
    5) Drop Barcelona and actually make something decent of Valencia.
    6) Donington to be permanent Euro GP, British GP stays at Silverstone
    7) One new race every year, contracted for three years. Whichever race on the calendar receives least attendance over a 3-year period, starting from 2008-2010, gets dropped to make way for the new one next year.
    8) Stop putting rubbish tracks on the calendar

    1. 5) Drop Barcelona and actually make something decent of Valencia.

      Get rid of Barcelona for Valencia? At least I can stay awake for Barcelona! Valencia is (and always will be) the ultimate snore-fest.
      Although I do agree with you about TV times. If you’re a die-hard fan, you wouldn’t care if you’re watching a GP at a prime time or not.

  13. Montreal…excellent, Brazil closing brilliant. I can overlook Bahrain simply because I’ll have missed F1 so much that when it comes back I won’t care where it is I’ll just be happy it’s on.
    Shame it looks like the bucthered Hockenheim is back. Norschlieffe should be on, just for a one off :P.
    And I’ll say what I always say: change the designer, change the rules for designing tracks and bring back some of the greats.

  14. Bernie Ecclescake
    21st September 2009, 21:14

    Dear Nik,

    I regret to inform you that your suggestions make far too much sense for me to consider at the present time.

    As you are no doubt aware, although I have an unimaginable amount of money, my greed related illness makes it impossible to consider any sensible suggestions that you may have.

    I will however keep your ideas on file and contact you as soon as I develop even an inkling of any altruistic traits at all – although please be aware that this will not occur at any point throughout my putrid existence.

    Yours in sultana,
    Ecclescake

    1. Well played, sir!

    2. Ha ha ha!
      Bernie, I’m sorry, but it’s time we stop putting “exotic” destinations on the map. I won’t even be surprised when you put Antarctica on the calendar. Please, go get some common sense, and maybe grow a foot while you’re at it.
      Thanks!

  15. Korean GP? again, money talking!!! and Magny-Cours?? Like Alonso said in 2006, I don’t consider F1 as a sport!!!

  16. Juanito you want Magny-Cours?
    I won’t notice Korea I’ll probably get it mixed up with Bahrain or Shangia, they’re all the same.

    1. But Magny Cours is a fastest track, some of good races were in there… but, it is in some forgotten town in France, and it’s not rentable…. :(

  17. I’m really glad to see Brazil closing the season again. That is where the finish belongs. Brazil has a crazy amount of energy about Formula 1 racing. Abu Dhabi is going to be way too artificial.

    I wish that one of the Spanish races would be moved to Portugal. I really do not like having two races in one country (unless FOM wants to have two GPs in America).

  18. I like Bahrain, it has put on some entertaining races before. I thought the 2004, 2005 and 2006 races were very good, but recently Bahrain had faultered a bit.

  19. F1.com had this note at the bottom of their calendar article –

    Note: The race in Australia will start at 1700 local time, in Malaysia at 1600 local time, in Singapore at 2000 local time, and in Abu Dhabi at 1700 local time.

  20. the spanish gp should be at jerez, catalyuna is such a boring race, they just need to build some roads out to jerez and we will be away, BRING BACK JEREZ!!!

    1. Jerez to host Spanish GP, I second this.

      And Jerez is very well connected: Airport, high-speed train and motor ways.

  21. At Donington, if they just build a marina and flatten all the hills, they’ll be guaranteed a race for years to come.

  22. Curious, but anxious too, to see what’s going on in Korea.
    I back the idea of having Europe GP at Donington, and British at Silverstone.

    Then it seems a good calendar, apart from some stupid tracks (Bahrein, China, Valencia, Singapore) that I would like to be replaced by Potrero de los funes, Portimao, something new in France (is Charade track so difficult to be revamped?) and a very quick track, Monza style, wherever you want.

  23. First of all, there aren’t eight races in Asia. There are five. The last time I looked at an atlas, Bahrain, Turkey, and Abu Dhabi weren’t in Asia. Isn’t one of those countries applying to be in the European Union?

    Anyway, if you take out the three Middle Eastern races, you are left with Malaysia, China, Singapore, Japan, and Korea.

    Yes, Malaysia hasn’t always put on the best race. But, now that they have their own F1 team, I think we will see the atmosphere there improve.

    For the admittedly few years that I have been watching F1, China usually has good racing.

    I’m not going to talk about Singapore. I’m too annoyed about last year’s race.

    But Suzuka? Great track, great fans, great race. And Korea? Who knows, it may just tap an unknown motor racing passion.

    For me, I would keep probably four of the five Asian races, drop one of the Middle Eastern ones, and add those two in the Americas.

    As for Magny-Cours is a horrible track. Get a good French track and move the European GP there.

    1. Erm, isn’t the Middle East part of Asia? Turkey can go either way, but it has more land mass in Asia than Europe.

      Good point about Malaysia. Let’s see if they decide to watch racing again. But a tip for those looking to watch F1 on the cheap – Malaysia has probably the cheapest prices on the calendar.

      China has OK racing, but I’ve been hearing bad tourist stories. Still, I’m considering going there next year if funds allow.

      Singapore got unlucky last year, but the event is organized superbly, and it (along with Japan) will be the most firmly established race in Asia.

      Korea is intriguing – I wanted to go next year, but it’s in October (i.e. not during our summer). It’ll probably be very cold there then – could prove to be interesting. If anything, it might see good numbers (especially from Japanese tourists).

      My suggestions: drop Valencia (Euro GP) for Portimao (Portuguese GP), drop China for Paul Ricard (French GP), drop Bahrain (you have Abu Dhabi anyway) and find a way (ANY way) to get a USGP.

      1. The track in Turkey is on Asian side

        1. Yep, Turkish track is east of the Bosphorus, so the circuit is in Asia not Europe.

          And Middle East is not a continent. Definately 8 GPs in Asia.

          Someone rather humourously suggested that Bernie really shouldn’t propose a Antartic Grand Prix, but let’s be honest, if Ben & Jerry’s decided to cough up the dough, we’d be there next year.

          Money is EVERYTHING. Fans of F1 are just a footnote. Shame on Bernie and shame on F1 teams for letting it go so far this way.

  24. Prisoner Monkeys
    21st September 2009, 23:41

    The idea behind having Bahrain as the season opener is that there is a major test there two weeks before the start of the season. They teams can leave all non-essential equipment there, saving costs.

    1. Yeah, plus there’s something to do with daylight savings time in Oz running into Bernie’s dumb “Twilight Racing” concept.

      1. Prisoner Monkeys
        22nd September 2009, 2:46

        If it attracts bigger audiences – and let’s face it, most Formula One fans come from Europe – then how is it a bad idea?

        1. I diden’t say it was- just wanted to add to your explination for the time change :) But I know some of the drivers diden’t like it- for safety reasons, some say- and they obviously know a bit more than I do ;)

  25. Sounds good. Wish Australia was the opener but like most people I’m glad Brazil is back as the finale.

    A 22 race calander would be great but I thought the most races the teams would ever agree is 20?

    India and Bulgaria both want GPs, plus France and USA need to return so how many races will there be in the future?

  26. AGAIN IN 2010 THE USA F1 FAN IS COMPLETELY DISMISSED AND THEY SAY THAT ATLANTA MOTORSPORTS PARK IS BEING DESIGNED BY TILKE

    1. I feel the pain J- believe me I hate it. Absolutely hate it.Oh well, until better heads prevail in the sport, I’ll be happy to buy tickets to MotoGP- a “World Championship” series that has not one but two races here…

      As for that Atlanta track, I believe it is a Tilke design, but I also believe it’s just a club circuit and not really designed for mass spectating of any kind, much less a GP :(

    2. Prisoner Monkeys
      22nd September 2009, 2:43

      I don’t think Formula One needs America. If a United States Grand Prix was as essential to the championship as you guys make out, why haven’t you done more to get a race? And why has Formla One continued on without fail without you?

      Until you can build a circuit that is at least as good as Montreal, forget about it.

      1. Well, here’s how I see it….

        Every major sporting league and entertainment enterprise that I can think of wants to have a strong presence in America- it’s the World’s biggest consumer power, where lots of money is spent. That ranges from concert tours to European soccer leagues- earlier this summer I wateched more than 50,000 fans jam Quest Field in Seattle when FC Barcelona came to town. Hence my comment about MotoGP running not just one, but two races here…the promoters obviously know how many exisitng and potential fans there are here, and how big of a consumer market this is for the manufacturers and sponsors. So from a commerical point, I think that explans it.

        As for the track, there are some good ones, albiet not up to FIA-spec for F1. You see, it is up to private promoters here- there is no government assistance, and in my opinion that’s how it should be here. For as much as I love the sport, I would crings at the thought of my tax dollars- federal, state, or local- going into the coffers of Bernie and CVC. And that’s where the problem lies- price. If Bernie was more reasonable, we’d have at least one if not more GPs here. But with so many other world-class sports and entertainment options available here for a fraction of the price, many of them figure why bother with a guy who brings a greta show, but demands a king’s ransome and then is rude to boot?

      2. Almost done, I promise…;)

        In short, I don’t think F1 really “needs” America, or anywhere else for that matter. We see the same with France- a commerical power with lots of history and involvement in the sport, but no race right now. The sport will still be a success and we’ll all still tune in on TV- even if it means rolling out early over here. But if the higher-ups want the sport to be as successful as it can be in all capacities, for all parties invovled, then sure they should race here in America. It may take a bit of a different approach than elsewhere, but it will be a very worthwile effort if done right :)

        And from our perspective, while I eagerly hope for the race to return, we’ve got plenty of other options for sports and entertainment. It will be really fantastic when F1 hopefully dose return, but the USA is a much differnet example than a place like Singapore, where I remember the chief promoter said they were too small for the Olympics, so an F1 race was the next best thing for international exposure. Heck, not only have we hosted the Olympics, but we’ve also dominated much of it at times, so we don’t need Bernie’s good graces to put us on the world stage.

        In closing, I’ve enjoyed my reply Mr. Monkeys. If you haven’t already, I hope you have a chance to visit America someday- hopefully for a relaunched USGP. I am sure you’ll see we’re not as bad as some say, and you may even take some good memories home. Cheers :)

    3. AGAIN IN 2010 THE USA F1 FAN IS COMPLETELY DISMISSED …

      As you say, jason, why should they mount a race in the US for that one F1 fan in the stands??

      The rest of the US motorsport fans are over at the NASCAR track ;-)

  27. Bring back Melb to #1 spot

  28. Well, a better calendar in many respects, but sill some flaws for sure.

    Very good to see the finale return to Interlagos. No offense to Abu Dhabi- I’m sure it will be great- but the season just dosen’t feel right if it dosen’t end in front of a big, passionate crowd. Suzuka being back is obviously a plus, while Montreal being back (which should have never gone off to begin with) is absolutley fantastic. It’s also good to see shorter gaps between races, and hopefully the South Korean deal comes through as a success- like Bahrain, lots of U.S. and allied military personnell who may turn out :)

    Starting the seaosn in Bahrian is a bit different- obviously being able to do a group test there is a plus, but it’s still a shame not openeing up in Melbourne. From my understanding it’s just a temporary thing, and hopefully it’ll be abck that way next season.

    Other than that, my only major complaint- as many of you can imagine- is the continued lack of a United States Grand Prix. As I stated in my reply to an earlier discussion, if the powerbrokers want to maximise the commerical potential of the sport, surely they should be racing here in America. Hopefully we’ll see something for next year, but I was saying the same thing last season..

    Anyhow, the 2010 calendar is more good than bad, and that’s a good deal. Cheers everyone :)

  29. 2011 Calendar:

    Fall 2011: USGP….somewhere

    1. Sweet :) Let’s have it out in your neck of the woods…we know the Broncos won’t be selling out in the fall anytime soon.

      Oh wait, the Bengals blew it again….;)

  30. Some interesting comments. I’d like to address some:

    1) Why are people against Donington?

    Because the guy who’s doing it is flying by the seat of his pants. It doesn’t matter it’s Donington, it matters that the promoter is a **** jockey who’s run out of money and, crucially, is endangering the British GP itself. Or was until Bernie and Max said it would be okay to go back to Silverstone.

    2) ‘Those who think USF1 can’t be run from the US should look at the calendar.’

    Not sure what this meant, but one race in North America doesn’t mean anything. I still think they’ll have trouble and I still think they’ll end up folding or migrating to Europe to save themselves.

    3) Twilight racing is dumb.

    No matter where it is. Being a Melbourne-ite and having grown tired of the difficulties of the Melbourne circuit access (high prices, crumbling public transport)(oh, and ignorant Ferrari fans), twilight just makes it even harder. And if it rains, it will be too dark by 5pm to start the race.

    4. Geography – there *are* 8 Asian races.

    Technically, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi and half of Turkey are on the Asian continent – don’t we all hear the boring old cliche of Istanbul straddling Asia and the Far East?

    5. Government assistance for F1

    Agreed, Gman – I think governments tipping money into these events, as Australian Governments do for all large sporting events, is throwing good money after bad. It all ends up in Bernie’s pocket and that’s fat enough as it is, thanks very much.

    That’s all I can get away with at work…

  31. I am from Melb and am sad we rnt starting off the year, everybody loves te 1st GP here as they did the last when it was at adelaide, the Atmosphere is awesome here, new drivers, new cars, it’s the 1st chance we really get to see just who is going to be the team to beat. funny thing is i thought it was in our contract to have the 1st GP?
    stupid thing is our homegrown V8 Supercar series is starting there also, it’s a dull track which produces dull races, just like the other Tilke tracks :(

  32. Starting the season in Bahrain is actually quite a smart move. It’s one of the dullest places to be, and not very thrilling to watch empty grandstands and sand dunes on TV, but add to it the excitement of a new season, and even a procession will seem fantastic. Oh, not to mention the start time for European viewers…

  33. There are at least 5 tracks that should be canned on that schedule for proper racing circuits.(Valencia,Singapore,China,Korea and Abu Dhabi(no I will not give them a chance))

    For USGP, there really can only be one track for consideration and that won’t happen cause of lack of amenities(Road America).

    Whoever suggest Atlanta Motorsports park, why would we want another Tilke design, especially when there is Road Atlanta already there.

    Also something I’ve never understood is the contentinent hopping, if anything it should be all the races in certain region grouped together.

    1. I quite agree on your comments about canning those tracks. Interestingly, you left out Sepang, which I also consider as the only Tilke track (along with Istambul) which is any good.

      But it’s not that easy to find replacements that meet current safety standards. I’m thinking Algarve, Jerez, Zandvoort, Adelaide, Paul Ricard, and one road course from the US (Laguna, Barber, Sears Point, Road America or Road Atlanta?)

      That makes a total of only 15 races.

  34. Commenting on the calendar itself rather than which circuits are or are not on it, for me the Australian GP makes a great season opener, but I understand because of the start time they wanted for the race they had to wait until after the clocks changed so that is why Bahrain starts the season. At least Brazil has got the season finale back.

    The Barcelona and Valencia GPs seem a bit close together given they are both in Spain, I thought they may of spaced them out a bit more.

  35. For all who said there are 8 / 9 Asian races, please re-do your geography exams of Class 7.

    There are only seven: Bahrain, Malaysia, China, Singapore, Japan, Korea, Abu Dhabi.

    Also, I don’t get why there is so much opposition to races in Asia. Not just on this post, but some of the previous posts related to this one too. Those opposing these 7 races in Asia, please stop harping about the ‘great old tracks’ and ‘real racing’ and ‘history’.

    Formula 1 might not have a huge following in Korea as of now. But unless Formula 1 goes there, you cannot expect a fan following to develop.
    If you just go to tracks that already have a huge fan base, Formula 1 would never develop outside Europe. Formula One goes outside Europe because it needs to (YES, IT DOES) and not on Bernie’s whims.
    All the automobile giants in the sport have a huge customer base in Asia and Asia being a developing market, it makes much more sense to invest in Asia and increase your presence there.

    So stop whining about the ‘good old days’ and embrace the future. There are seven now, and soon, they would have as many as Europe.

    1. People are saying there are 8 races in Asia because they are classing the Turkish GP at Istanbul Park as in Asia. On Wikipedia it says it is to the east of Istanbul which itself is situated on both the European and Asian continents so unless someone with better knowledge of the local geography says otherwise I think it is in Asia.

      I think the one of the reasons why people have issues with races in Asia is because they come at the expense of races at established circuits or in countries with a long motorsport history. If you asked most fans if they would like an extra Grand Prix in a new country they probably wouldn’t mind, but if it was a replacement for a Grand Prix somewhere else which already has its fans then they will be against it.

      If the new teams coming into F1 next year were replacements for the current teams and not additional teams then they too would have a lot of opposition.

      Look at the opposition to the switch of the British Grand Prix to Donington, even if Donington was ready and there weren’t all these concerns about it actually being able to host the race, people would still be against it as they see no reason why it should leave Silverstone.

      1. Absolutely agree that issue is not new locations for F1, but loss of F1 in existing markets.

        If you put on the show in Imola or France, the grandstands will be full of throbbing, cheering fan. Put it on in Malaysia or Korea, the grandstands will remain mostly devoid of people. The fanbase simply isn’t there, and while I can’t speak for everyone else, as a European based fan, I can’t afford to go to Malaysia or Korea for a long weekend.

        Yes the ‘global’ caché is very good for F1, but no representation in USA and Africa (Kyalami anyone?) is not logical. Financially Singapore, Japan, China and India make sense. Malaysia and Korea do not.

  36. Miffed like everyone else its not starting at Melbourne, there was always something very special about getting up at stupid o’clock to watch the 1st race of the year.

    1. I like getting up early for the first one too – it makes it more of an event i think.

      Mind you i quite like middle of the night races anyways – means i can actually watch them uninterrupted – usually Mum makes Sunday lunch in the middle of lunchtime races!!

  37. Great to see that the British GP has been pushed back a month so that the Download Festival can still be held at Donington! It’s nice that Heavy Metal takes priority over 20-odd racing cars ;)

    Let’s hope that the building work is finished next year and the festival can be held in the in-field as usual, as it’s much better than the hill they stuck it on this summer.

  38. Aaaargh! The Canadian Grand Prix has moved by a week from the first published provisional calendar!! Gona have to get on the phone to the flights people now!! Knew it was a gamble booking based on the provisional calendar but we wanted to book early – theres already limited availability of flights around that time to Montreal! Oh thats not gona be a fun conversation later!

    Am pleased with that calendar generally though – Canada being back is fantastic news – not overly enamoured with South Korea being added (not least cos it influenced the date change for Canada!) after reading thier website a couple of months ago where every fact was grossly inaccurate, and the track looked like nothing special. USA or France could have had that extra slot to get their race back.

    A little bit disappointed that Australia isnt the season opener as well, I wanted to be at Hulkenberg’s first race (cos i am sure he will be there in 2010!) cos i am sad like that lol! Mind you at least we will all be looking forward to Bahrain – I’m convinced thats why Valencia was the first race after the four week break this year – cos after four weeks, any race will look good! :P

    1. Oh yes and Brazil being back as the season finale is great news!! I have a huge thing about new tracks being allowed the opening/closing Grand Prix – they are prestigious spots which i feel should be earned – something which Brazil has most certainly done!

  39. i recon for the french gp , they should use the le mans bugatti circuit

    1. I’ve seen that, but I’m waiting for official confirmation from the FIA.

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