Turkey joins 17-race 2020 Formula 1 calendar

As previously reported, the major novelty is the return in November of the Turkish GP at Istanbul Park for the first time since 2011.

The season ends as has long been planned with a double-header in Bahrain followed by the finale in Abu Dhabi.

All the newly-confirmed races will be three-day grands prix, with Imola – as already announced – the only outlier as a two-day event.

The final total of 17 gives F1 some margin in case one or two planned events are unexpectedly lost. The minimum number of races required to guarantee full payment by the TV broadcasters is 15.

The schedule now includes five venues that were not on the original version, with Mugello, Nurburgring, Portimao, Imola and Istanbul all added.

To be held on November 15, the Turkish race will be treated as a flyaway, with the cars and freight travelling by plane and then heading on to the Middle East. In past years everything travelled by road and sea.

There is no confirmation on what circuit layout will be used by the second Bahrain event, which will use the Sakhir GP name.

F1 had been considering the much shorter and faster outer circuit, which Ross Brawn has described as being almost an oval, but it's understood that it won't now be used. Sakhir has an alternative in the "endurance" course that was used for the 2010 Bahrain GP.

"We are proud to announce that Turkey, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi will be part of our 2020 season," said F1 boss Chase Carey.

"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."

F1 has also finally formally confirmed the cancellation of the Chinese GP. Before the start of the season the race was postponed from its scheduled date of April 19, and as the COVID crisis eased in the country it remained in contention for a new date for a while.

In contrast, there has yet to be an official cancellation of the Vietnam GP, which was postponed from April 5. The race won't happen this season, but there has yet to be formal confirmation from the Vietnam side.

F1 hoped to revive the flagship Hanoi street race within 2020, but logistical issues – and the challenge of potentially running the 2021 event just four or five months later – meant that it was not possible to run the race.