Formula 1 has announced the addition of three new rounds to the 2020 calendar taking the total count of races confirmed this year to 13. The 2020 F1 calendar will see the addition of circuits at Portugal, Imola and Nurburgring. With the addition, F1 organisers come closer to the goal of hosting 15-18 races this season, owing to the Coronavirus pandemic. That said, F1 has confirmed it will remove the Americas Grand Prix from the calendar this year with the situation in the US, Mexico, Brazil and Canada still concerning with record number of COVID-19 cases.
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Portugal held its last Formula 1 race in 1996 at the Estoril Circuit. The next race will be held at Portimao
Speaking on the addition of the three new race tracks, Chase Carey, Chairman and CEO, Formula 1 said, "We are pleased that we continue to make strong progress in finalising our plans for the 2020 season and are excited to welcome Nurburgring, Portimao and Imola to the revised calendar. We want to thank the promoters, the teams, and the FIA for their full support in our efforts to bring our fans exciting racing this season during an unprecedented time. We also want to pay tribute to our incredible partners in the Americas and look forward to being back with them next season when they will once again be able to thrill millions of fans around the world."
Kimi Raikkonen is the only driver on the 2020 grid to have previously raced at Imola in 2006
Formula 1 will return to Nurburgring between October 9-11, with the Portimao circuit in the Algarve hosting it first-ever F1 race on October 23-25. The teams will then head to Imola for the third race in Italy this season, scheduled between October 31 and November 1, 2020. Grand Prix racing returns to Portugal for the first time since 1996, while the iconic Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit in Imola will be hosting its first F1 race since 2006. Interestingly, Alfa Romeo's Kimi Raikkonen is the only driver on the 2020 grid who has previously raced at Imola.
Also Read: F1 Confirms First 8 Races Of The 2020 Season
The Nurburgring track has not hosted an F1 race since 2013 that was won by Sebastian Vettel
The race at Imola has been confirmed as a two-day event breaking the traditional four-day weekend that F1 follows. While the details are yet to be worked out, it is confirmed that the Emilia Romagna GP, as it will be called, will have only one practice session before the qualifying and the race. More details on the new circuits will be announced in the weeks to come.
