Cape Times

F1’s record calendar for 2023

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FORMULA One will have a record 24 races next season, with Las Vegas making its floodlit debut in November and Monaco signing a new deal to secure its place on the calendar until at least 2025.

The governing FIA announced approval of the calendar on Tuesday, with the Las Vegas Strip circuit taking a November 18 date as the season's penultimat­e round and third in the US.

It will also be the first race to be held on a Saturday since 1985.

“The Las Vegas Grand Prix is going to take F1 race weekends to the next level,” said Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali.

Monaco, historical­ly the most glamorous race, had its future thrown into doubt earlier in the year amid contract renewal talks.

Formula One said a new three-year deal had now been signed with the Automobile Club de Monaco.

The principali­ty retains its traditiona­l May 28 slot as the eighth race and middle part of a triple-header with Italy's Imola and Spain's Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona.

This season was to have had a record 23 races but that was reduced to 22 after Russia's race in Sochi was cancelled following the invasion of Ukraine.

Bahrain will open the season on March 5 with Abu Dhabi hosting the final round on Nov. 26.

The calendar also avoids a clash with the 24 Hours of Le Mans sportscar race which will be celebratin­g its 100th anniversar­y next year on June 10-11.

The British Grand Prix at Silverston­e on July 9 will be on the weekend before the Wimbledon men's and women's tennis finals on July 15-16.

The traditiona­l August break is maintained, with Belgium becoming the last race before it at the end of July – and following on from Hungary – rather than the first after.

Qatar, with a race on October 8, returns as a fourth Middle Eastern round after being absent this year due to hosting the soccer World Cup.

China, which last hosted a race in 2019, returns despite uncertaint­y over Covid-19 restrictio­ns, while France, whose race was at Le Castellet's Circuit Paul Ricard near Marseille, has been dropped as previously announced.

Azerbaijan and Miami remain as back-to-back races on April 30 and May 7 respective­ly.

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