FIA announces 20-race 2011 F1 schedule

The FIA has unveiled the calendar for the F1 2011 World Championship following the reunion of the governing body's World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) in Paris today, with the schedule expanding to 20 races for the first time in the sport's six-decade history.

Broadly the same as the 2010 calendar, next season's schedule will begin in Bahrain in mid-March and conclude unusually late in Brazil at the end of November – two weeks later than this year – to include the inaugural Indian Grand Prix along the way on 30 October, 'subject to the homologation' of the Jaypee Circuit, 50km from the country's capital of New Delhi.

That race will slot in between the new-for-2010 Korean Grand Prix in Yeongam County and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which has lost its season finale status after only two campaigns back to Brazil, whose popular Interlagos circuit is often regarded as a natural amphitheatre for title-deciders.

The only other change is that following the early four 'flyaway' races in Bahrain, Australia, Malaysia and China, Turkey has moved back ahead of Spain and Monaco as was the case in 2008.

The full F1 2011 calendar is as follows:

March 13 Bahrain Grand Prix Sakhir
March 27 Australian Grand Prix Melbourne
April 10 Malaysian Grand Prix Sepang
April 17 Chinese Grand Prix Shanghai
May 8 Turkish Grand Prix Istanbul
May 22 Spanish Grand Prix Barcelona
May 29 Monaco Grand Prix Monte Carlo
June 12 Canadian Grand Prix Montreal
June 26 European Grand Prix Valencia
July 10 British Grand Prix Silverstone
July 24 German Grand Prix NÃ¼rburgring
July 31 Hungarian Grand Prix Hungaroring
August 28 Belgian Grand Prix Spa-Francorchamps
September 11 Italian Grand Prix Monza
September 25 Singapore Grand Prix Marina Bay
October 9 Japanese Grand Prix Suzuka
October 16 Korean Grand Prix Yeongam
October 30 Indian Grand Prix New Delhi
November 13 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Yas Marina
November 27 Brazilian Grand Prix Interlagos