20 F1 races in 2006

UPDATE #4 The news that Indianapolis is to host the United States Grand Prix on July 2 has thrown the cat amongst the pigeons amongst the Grand Prix venues in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship for 2006. This date traditionally belongs to the French Grand Prix and that means that France will either have to move forward to an earlier date or move back. The problem with going back is that the midsummer races are all on relatively traditional dates with Britain on July 16 and Germany on July 30, twinned to Hungary on August 6. There is then a two week break before the likely races at Turkey on August 27, Italy on September 10 and Belgium on September 17. This last event is late in the day for a race at Spa from a climatic point of view (witness the rain this year) and so it is possible, in theory if nothing else, that Belgium might move forward on the calendar and let someone else with a better climate take that date.

The front end of the season has similar problems because Spain seems to be settled on May 14 and Monaco on May 28. This leaves June 4, which the Nurburgring will obviously want. That means that April 30 is really the only date available as the mid-April date is expected to go to Mount Fuji in Japan. This traditionally belongs to the San Marino GP but crowds are down at all Italian races at the moment and it is increasingly difficult to justify two races in Italy, particularly now the Italians have stopped tobacco sponsorship. There was talk last year of France moving to a date in April but that never came to anything. More at Grandprix.com

07/02/05 Bernie Ecclestone has played down qualms about his proposed 20-race calendar for next season. The F1 supremo responded to widespread Paddock groans by denying that 2006 will be an even longer haul than this year's unprecedented 19-races.

''I blocked off 20 dates,'' Bernie, 74, told the BBC, ''but we can change some around. 'It won't be 20, I can assure you. 18, 19 — who knows.''

Mr. Ecclestone also declined to answer speculation that Mexico has the covert twentieth spot on the '06 agenda. The typically vague Englishman quipped: ''I haven't been (to Mexico) for a long time.''

An unnamed team principal, meanwhile, smilingly encouraged Speed TV to publish news that next year's calendar will be less grueling than the current one. ''Otherwise,'' he remarked, ''we're going to get a lot of people resigning!''

07/01/05 A guess at the calendar by Grandprix.com. Mexico on July 2nd? Too hot:
March 12, Bahrain
March 19, Malaysia
April 2, Australia
April 16, San Marino
April 30, Spain or France
May 14, Spain or France
May 28, Monaco
June 4, Nurburgring
June 18, Canada
June 25 Indianapolis
July 2, unidentified North American race (possibly Mexico)
July 16, Britain
July 30, Germany
August 6, Hungary
August 27, Turkey
September 10, Belgium
September 17, Italy
October 1, Brazil
October 15 Japan
October 22, China

07/01/05 We are downgrading this rumor to 'speculation.' The F1 paddock groaned when it spotted Bernie Ecclestone's proposed 20-race calendar for 2006. But don't fear, hard working mechanic or his wife — the extraordinary stream of grands prix, including the first ever triple back-to-back, is not (yet) set in stone.

''The Concorde agreement provides for 16 races,'' McLaren's Martin Whitmarsh pointed out to The Guardian, ''with the provision for seventeen. I think it's likely that the list of 20 dates is to provide flexibility of choice.''

Indeed, F1 supremo Ecclestone had to negotiate separate (financial) deals with the teams to secure the eighteenth and nineteenth races – France and Britain – this year. Mexico is the likely addition, with a race at Cancun. Any trimming back of the current calendar would most logically be made in Italy and Germany, where two grands prix are annually staged.

06/30/05 The World Council has reserved the following record number of 20 preliminary dates for the 2006 F1 calendar:
12 March
19 March
02 April
16 April
30 April
14 May
28 May
04 June
18 June
25 June
02 July
16 July
30 July
06 August
27 August
10 September
17 September
01 October
15 October
22 October