The 2020 F1 calendar was originally scheduled to feature a record 22 races. However the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic caused extensive disruption to the series’ plans. Many races were cancelled, others rescheduled, and some new events added to make up for lost ones.
The Chinese Grand Prix in April was the first race to be cancelled, weeks before the scheduled start of the championship. Pre-season testing went ahead and the teams headed to Melbourne for the opening race of the year, but the Australian Grand Prix was called off on the day practice was due to begin.This triggered a spate of further cancellations as the scale of the pandemic became clear. Bahrain and Vietnam’s races were postponed. The Dutch, Spanish and Monaco Grands Prix soon followed, and Azerbaijan, Canada and France all called their races off over the next weeks.
On April 27th Formula 1 announced it intended to make the Austrian Grand Prix, which was originally scheduled as the 11th round of the championship, the new season opener. However it and subsequent races were to be held behind closed doors without fans.
At the beginning of June F1 confirmed plans to begin its season the following month with eight races in Europe. These include double-header rounds in Austria and Britain. Other events in Azerbaijan, Singapore and Japan were later struck from the calendar.
After the season-opening race took place in Austria, two further events were announced. The first was a new race at the Mugello circuit in Italy, while Russia’s round originally planned for September was also confirmed. This was followed by the addition of three further races in Europe, along with the cancellation of all four races in the Americas.
Later races may also be rescheduled and some postponed races held at later dates. F1 has not yet confirmed the exact plan.
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2020 F1 calendar
The 22 events originally scheduled for the 2020 F1 season included the new Vietnam Grand Prix, to be held at a street circuit in Hanoi during April, and the Dutch Grand Prix, returning to the schedule following a 35-year absence. Both were among the group of races which were postponed early in the year.
| Round | Race | Track | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austrian Grand Prix | Red Bull Ring | Jul 3-5 |
| 2 | Styrian Grand Prix | Red Bull Ring | Jul 10-12 |
| 3 | Hungarian Grand Prix | Hungaroring | Jul 17-19 |
| 4 | British Grand Prix | Silverstone | Jul 31-Aug 2 |
| 5 | 70th Anniversary Grand Prix | Silverstone | Aug 7-9 |
| 6 | Spanish Grand Prix | Circuit de Catalunya | Aug 14-16 |
| 7 | Belgian Grand Prix | Spa-Francorchamps | Aug 28-30 |
| 8 | Italian Grand Prix | Monza | Sep 4-6 |
| 9 | Tuscan Ferrari 1000 Grand Prix | Mugello | Sep 11-13 |
| 10 | Russian Grand Prix | Sochi Autodrom | Sep 25-27 |
| 11 | Eifel Grand Prix | Nurburgring | Oct 9-11 |
| 12 | Portuguese Grand Prix | Autodromo do Algarve | Oct 23-25 |
| 13 | Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix | Imola | Oct 30-Nov 1 |
| 14 | Turkish Grand Prix | Istanbul Park | Nov 13-15 |
| 15 | Bahrain Grand Prix | Bahrain International Circuit – Grand Prix | Nov 27-29 |
| 16 | Sakhir Grand Prix | Bahrain International Circuit – Outer | Dec 4-6 |
| 17 | Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | Yas Marina | Dec 11-13 |
The following races were cancelled and not rescheduled:
- Australian Grand Prix, Albert Park, Melbourne, March 13th-15th
- Chinese Grand Prix, Shanghai International Circuit, April 17th-19th
- Vietnam Grand Prix, Hanoi, April 3rd-5th
- Monaco Grand Prix, Monaco, May 21st-24th
- French Grand Prix, Paul Ricard, June 26th-28th
- Dutch Grand Prix, Zandvoort, May 1st-3rd
- Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Baku City Circuit, June 5th-7th
- Singapore Grand Prix, Marina Bay, September 18th-20th
- Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka, October 9th-11th
- Canadian Grand Prix, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, June 12th-14th
- Mexican Grand Prix, Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, October 23rd-25th
- United States Grand Prix, Circuit of the Americas, October 30th – November 1st
- Brazilian Grand Prix, Interlagos, November 13th-15th
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Add the 2020 calendar to your device
The starting times for the 2020 races plus qualifying and practice sessions have been added to the RaceFans F1 calendar. You can find them and import them to your preferred calendar via this link:
Testing dates
Six days of pre-season testing were held ahead of the start of the 2020 championship, a reduction from the eight which were held in 2019:
- 19th-21st February: Circuit de Catalunya, Spain
- 26th-28th February: Circuit de Catalunya, Spain
Further in-season and post-season testing dates have not yet been confirmed.
Differences between 2020 and 2019
As a result of Hanoi and Zandvoort’s new contracts, the original schedule was due feature 22 races, which would the most ever held in a single season. The only event not retained from the previous year was the German Grand Prix at the Hockenheimring when the 2022 race schedule was first confirmed.
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More F1 calendars
Compared to previous seasons F1 calendars have generally got longer over time. Earlier seasons featured as few as seven races, however since 2004 a minimum of 17 has been the norm.