Formula One sets record 24-race calendar

Monaco signs new three-year deal; Las Vegas to make floodlit debut in November

LONDON:

Formula One will have a record 24 races next season with Las Vegas making its floodlit debut in November and Monaco signing a new deal to secure its place on the calendar until at least 2025.

The governing FIA announced approval of the calendar on Tuesday, with the Las Vegas Strip circuit taking a Nov. 18 date as the season's penultimate round and third in the United States.

It will also be the first race to be held on a Saturday since 1985. "The Las Vegas Grand Prix is going to take F1 race weekends to the next level," said Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali.

"The entire city is buzzing with excitement for next year's race."

The Grand Prix's 3.8 mile (6.12km) track along the famed Las Vegas Strip will see drivers roar past landmarks such as the Bellagio Fountains and Caesars Palace at an event expected to attract 170,000 fans.

Monaco, historically the most glamorous race, had its future thrown into doubt earlier in the year amid contract renewal talks.

Formula One said a new three-year deal had now been signed with the Automobile Club de Monaco, whose president Michel Boeri added that it was likely to be renewed.

The principality retains its traditional May 28 slot as the eighth race and middle part of a triple-header with Italy's Imola and Spain's Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona.

This season was to have had a record 23 races but that was reduced to 22 after Russia's race in Sochi was cancelled following the invasion of Ukraine.

Bahrain will open the season on March 5 with Abu Dhabi hosting the final round on Nov. 26.

The calendar also avoids a clash with the 24 Hours of Le Mans sportscar race which will be celebrating its 100th anniversary next year on June 10-11.

August break

The British Grand Prix at Silverstone on July 9 will be on the weekend before the Wimbledon men's and women's tennis finals on July 15-16.

The traditional August break is maintained, with Belgium becoming the last race before it at the end of July -- and following on from Hungary – rather than the first after.

Belgium's longer-term future remains uncertain, with organisers signing only a one-year extension last month.

"The presence of 24 races on the 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship calendar is further evidence of the growth and appeal of the sport on a global scale," said FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

"The addition of new venues and the retention of traditional events underlines the FIA's sound stewardship of the sport," added the Emirati.

Qatar, with a race on Oct. 8, returns as a fourth Middle Eastern round after being absent this year due to the country hosting the soccer World Cup.

China, which last hosted a race in 2019, returns despite lingering uncertainty over Covid-19 restrictions.