F1 plans ’normal’ 23-race calendar for 2021

There could be as many as an unprecedented 23 races next year, as reports about the 2021 calendar emerge following a key meeting.

All the sport’s stakeholders, including FIA president Jean Todt and even Chase Carey’s 2021 successor Stefano Domenicali, got together for a six-hour meeting early this week in Portimao.

Afterwards, RTL said Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko had said a 22-race calendar is planned for next season, with the high probability that Saudi Arabia will also be added to that schedule.

The 2021 season is set to start in Australia and feature two sets of controversial ’triple headers’, while some races might even feature an Imola-style two-day format.

Some are already suggesting a ’normal’ calendar is unrealistic amid the ongoing corona crisis, but one team boss is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport as saying: "One more season like this and we’ll all be broke."

Also expected to be on next year’s calendar is Barcelona, even though contract negotiations are yet to be concluded.

"We have started and we hope that they can be completed very soon," the Circuit de Catalunya’s new boss Ramon Tremosa is quoted by Spanish media.