Formula 1 has today announced the opening eight races of the 2020 calendar following the postponement of the 2020 FIA Formula 1 World Championship due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The calendar has been approved by the FIA.

The Formula 2 & 3 opening race calendar has also been published alongside this with full details available on the FIA website.

Over the past two months Formula 1 has been working closely with all partners, authorities, the FIA and the ten teams to create a revised calendar that will allow a return to racing in a way that is safe for the communities visited and the entire Formula 1 community. The agreements with promoters have now been completed, meaning the opening 2020 schedule that will begin in Austria on 3-5 July has now been published. Due to the ongoing fluidity of the COVID-19 situation internationally, the details of the wider calendar will be finalised in the coming weeks with an expectation of having a total of 15-18 races before the completion of the season in December.

As stated previously it is currently expected that the opening races will be closed events, but it is hoped fans will be able to join events again when it is safe to do so. The opening calendar will include holding two consecutive events at the same circuit one week apart as well as a number of back to back events.  The health and safety of all involved will continue to be priority number one, with the FIA and Formula 1 having a robust and detailed plan to ensure our races maintain the highest level of safety with strict procedures in place.

The revised opening 2020 calendar is as follows:

*In recognition of the 70th Anniversary of the first Formula 1 race to be held at Silverstone in 1950

Formula 1 has issued an update regarding the calendar for the 2020 FIA Formula One World Championship. The FIA fully supports the ongoing efforts to ensure that the highest level of motor sport returns around the world in a sustainable and safe way for all.

The full statement from Formula 1 is as follows:

Formula 1 issues update on plans for the 2020 season calendar  -12/06 

Following the announcement earlier this month confirming the opening eight races of the Formula 1 calendar, Formula 1 is working with all partners to finalise the remaining calendar for the season. We are confident in our plans to have between 15-18 races by the time our season concludes in Abu Dhabi in mid-December and expect to publish the finalised calendar before we start our season in Austria.

As part of the discussions to finalise our calendar we have maintained close dialogues with our promoters and authorities and continue to monitor the specific and varying COVID-19 developments in each country.  At all times we will ensure the safety of the Formula 1 community and the communities we visit is the number one priority.

As a result of the ongoing challenges presented by COVID-19, we and our promoters in Azerbaijan, Singapore and Japan have taken the decision to cancel their races for the 2020 season. These decisions have been taken due to the different challenges our promoters face in those countries. In Singapore and Azerbaijan the long lead times required to construct street circuits made hosting the events during a period of uncertainty impossible and in Japan, ongoing travel restrictions also led to the decision not to proceed with the race.

At the same time we have made significant progress with existing and new promoters on the revised calendar and have been particularly encouraged by the interest that has been shown by new venues in hosting a Formula 1 race during the 2020 season.

We appreciate this is still a time of uncertainty and complexity around the world and will continue to ensure we proceed with the 2020 season in a cautious and flexible way. We have detailed and robust safety plans in place to ensure we begin our season in the safest possible way.