The final four rounds for the 2020 Formula 1 season have been announced and the championship will be heading to Turkey and Bahrain before the season finale in Abu Dhabi. The Intercity Istanbul Park in Turkey will host its first F1 race since 2011 on November 15, 2020, and is the surprise addition to the revised calendar. It will be followed by a doubleheader at the Bahrain International Circuit with the Bahrain GP on November 29 and the Sakhir GP on December 6. The final race of the season will take place at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi on December 13, 2020.
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A statement from Formula 1 said, "We can confirm that Turkey, Bahrain (hosting two races), and Abu Dhabi will be part of the revised season and want to express our thanks to the hard work of all our promoters and partners in making this 17-race season possible. Sadly, we will not be racing in China this season and want to thank our partner Juss Sports for their support and engagement in recent months and hugely look forward to returning to Shanghai next year."
The Bahrain International Circuit will host two races on November 29 and December 6
The Chinese Grand Prix was slated to take place in April but was indefinitely postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic. With the circuit dropped from the 2020 calendar, the total number of races confirmed are 17 this season as opposed to the original 22. The organisers were aiming to host at least 15-18 races this season.
Speaking about the new circuits, Chase Carey, Chairman and CEO, F1 said, "We are proud to announce that Turkey, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi will be part of our 2020 season. This year has presented Formula 1 and the world with an unprecedented challenge and we want to pay tribute to everyone across Formula 1, the FIA, the teams, and our partners who have made this possible. While we are all disappointed that we have not been able to return to some of our planned races this year we are confident our season has started well and will continue to deliver plenty of excitement with traditional, as well as new, races that will entertain all our fans."
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The 2020 Formula 1 season will conclude in Abu Dhabi and select races will also have spectators at the track
Furthermore, F1 also announced that some circuits will be open to a limited number of fans and will also have hospitality. The statement read, "We can confirm that a number of races in the revised 2020 season will be open to a limited number of fans, including hospitality, and we are working with each promoter to finalise the details. While we want to see as many fans as a possible return as soon as it is safe to do so, our priority remains the safety of the Formula 1 community and the communities we visit, and we review fan access on this basis."
"Due to the ongoing fluidity of the COVID-19 pandemic, we continue to maintain close dialogue with all promoters and local authorities to ensure we operate in the safest way possible and monitor each national situation closely – including travel restrictions and local health procedures," the statement read further.
Apart from the Intercity Istanbul Park, the new circuits added to the revised calendar include Mugello and Imola in Italy and the Nurburgring in Germany. Meanwhile, the Americas GP with races in the US, Brazil and Canada were cancelled due to the high number of COVID-19 cases in the region. The 2020 F1 season has completed six races so far and heads to Belgium this weekend between August 28-30, 2020 for Round 7.
