Formula 1 racing’s governing body, the FIA has formally signed off next year's 21-race world championship calendar. The approval was given at a meeting of the World Motor Sport Council on Wednesday.
The new season sees the addition of two races in France and Germany. Germany was missing from last year's itinerary, while France has been absent since 2008.
The number of races will rise by one compared with 2017, as Malaysia will no longer host a Grand Prix in 2018.
The season will start as usual with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 25. Abu Dhabi once again hosts the season finale at the Yas Marina Circuit on November 25.
The Bahrain and Chinese races swap round, with Sakhir now the second race of the 2018 campaign followed by Shanghai two weeks later.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku jumps forward and will now be held on April 29. It takes the slot previously held by the Russian Grand Prix, which will instead take place on September 30. That's to avoid a clash with the build up to the FIFA World Cup.
The United States Grand Prix scheduled for October 21 at the Circuit of the Americas is still listed as being subject to confirmation by the national sporting authority. It is not currently clear what the hold-up might be in this case, and the race is expected to go ahead as planned.
2018 Race Calendar
| Round | Race | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australian Grand Prix (Melbourne) | 25 March |
| 2 | Bahrain Grand Prix (Sakhir) | 8 April |
| 3 | Chinese Grand Prix (Shanghai) | 15 April |
| 4 | Azerbaijan Grand Prix (Baku) | 29 April |
| 5 | Spanish Grand Prix (Barcelona) | 13 May |
| 6 | Monaco Grand Prix (Monte Carlo) | 27 May |
| 7 | Canadian Grand Prix (Montreal) | 10 June |
| 8 | French Grand Prix (Le Castellet) | 24 June |
| 9 | Austrian Grand Prix (Spielberg) | 1 July |
| 10 | British Grand Prix (Silverstone) | 8 July |
| 11 | German Grand Prix (Hockenheim) | 22 July |
| 12 | Hungarian Grand Prix (Budapest) | 29 July |
| 13 | Belgian Grand Prix (Spa-Francorchamps) | 26 August |
| 14 | Italian Grand Prix (Monza) | 2 September |
| 15 | Singapore Grand Prix (Marina Bay) | 16 September |
| 16 | Russian Grand Prix (Sochi) | 30 September |
| 17 | Japanese Grand Prix (Suzuka) | 7 October |
| 18 | United States Grand Prix * (Austin) | 21 October |
| 19 | Mexican Grand Prix (Mexico City) | 28 October |
| 20 | Brazilian Grand Prix (Interlagos) | 11 November |
| 21 | Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Yas Marina) | 25 November |
* - subject to confirmation by the national sporting authority
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