The FIA has announced a 21-race calendar for 2015, which includes a Korean Grand Prix which is yet to be confirmed. Given that the teams have only agreed to 20 races, this is probably unlikely to happen. The calendar (inevitably) adds extra cost by going to China, returning to Bahrain and then back out to Korea again before a scramble to get back to Spain in a week. The whole project has probably been included on the calendar as some form for incentive for the Korean government and is not likely to happen, as there is no point in holding a race at the former venue and work is being done to try to create a street race in Seoul.
The teams were not keen on a back-to-back Singapore-Japan in the autumn but that has been retained.
The list of races is as follows:
March 15, Australia; March 29, Malaysia; April 12, China; April 19, Bahrain; May 3, Korea; May 10, Spain; May 24, Monaco; June 7, Canada; June 21, Austria; July 5, Britain; July 19, Germany; July 26, Hungary; August 23, Belgium; September 6, Italy; September 20, Singapore; September 27, Japan; October 11, Russia; October 25, USA; November 1, Mexico; November 15, Brazil and November 29, Abu Dhabi.
The other decisions of the World Council are as expected with the end of double points, no standing restarts, and the introduction of a “virtual safety car”. The rules of penalties for power units have been altered to make them less severe.
The FIA President confirmed that the next meeting of the Strategy Group would take place on 18 December, and said it would focus on reducing costs, improving the show, making cars quicker and more difficult to drive, and reviewing the technical and sporting regulations, with the aim of simplifying the rules where possible.
There are new rules for Superlicences with a two-year minimum experience period required in minor formulae and a 300km test plus a points system for results achieved in the junior formulae. Racers are also required to have a road licence, which means that there is, in effect, an age limit as well.
joeblogsf1 
Hi Joe,
I like the points idea for the superlicence. Any idea if one young Verstappen would have qualified under the new system? I suspect he would miss out due to the two year rule.
Another one of the ammended rules is a minimum age of 18 to qualify for a super licence beginning in 2016. I believe Max will not turn 18 until the tail end of the 2015 season. Maybe this new rule will be dubbed the ‘Verstappen rule’
The new regulations set a minimum age of 18, so no.
He would have missed out on the age requirement.
There’s also a further rule requiring a valid, current drivers license. Max cannot apply for one in his native country until he’s 18, if I remember correctly.
Kimberley, Verstappen idoesn’t legitimately qualify for a Super Licence under FIA’s two-part 2014 (and long previous) rules, but he has one anyway!
Although Verstappen did his 300km F1 testing to cover the second part, he also needed to race in a Int Grade B championship (FIA F3 requires only a Grade C) to get his International A licence to cover the first part… so who knows whether they’d have pushed him through, regardless, if the new rules were as old as the current ones.
A cynic might suggest that the rule change looks like an emphasis that Verstappen was a special case, but they “really mean it *this time*, now you have to earn it like we tell it!”
I hope they will consider rescheduling the CDN GP in 2016 to later in June as it can be very cool so early in the month. Perhaps move Austria?
Compared to February? LOL I’ve been to many races in Montreal around the first week of June, its always been pleasant although sometimes rainy. You want crappy weather Don, try the first ever race there in late Sept 78…
I wonder if there might be a better order for the races? If Bahrain and China were swapped, Shanghai is probably closer to Mokopo than Suzuka. If those were head-to-head it would solve a lot of issues.
I wonder if the extra races might be a good commercial opportunity for the less well off teams?
Why not have 3 drivers? a Number 1 paid driver and a driver doing 10 races and a driver doing 11. Red Bull attempted it in 2005 with Liuzzi and Klien.
Doesn’t help the race personnel, but might be good for driver development?
I don’t think Mokpo is on the radar.
Having just seen a tweet of the official memo, perhaps we are all barking up the wrong tree.
The official race name is Grand Prix of Korea.
I wonder if Kim Jong-un has got the workers to construct a race circuit for him and offered Bernie a few quid?
Hi Joe,
I work in F1 and the lastest 2015 calendar update is really hard to believe.
Korea being the last minute surprise-surprise part.
Especially considering the unpaid bills of the past.
What infos do you have on a street race in Seoul ?
Having dealt with the Inje circuit in Korea since 2 years for other motorsport events, this circuit is NoGo.
I heard there was a Korean delegation visiting Bernie on a Grand Prix a few weeks back. But still, very hard to believe. Although Korea could be a major source of sponsorship given its global industrial giants and global brands.
Congrats for your always reasonable and professional approach to “journalism”.
I saw the K-delegation in Singapore I think. It is a street track in Seoul but it is a private-public deal and it is not going to get done in the time available. I suspect BE put it into the calendar to try to grease the wheels of industry for the future and that it will be pulled out later. The whole thing makes no sense at all with the Spanish race the following week. Daft.
A cynic might point out that the Korean GP conveniently falls on the same weekend as the Spa WEC race, and thus rules out Hulkenberg (or any other F1 driver) racing there for Porsche.
But surely no one in charge of F1 would be that spiteful and petty…
Was releaved when you said Seoul. For a terrible moment I thought the gag the other day about N Korea had actually come to pass…..
Don’t worry mathias, it surely will come to pass that the Short Person will find a New Best Friend in North Korea at some point…..
Don’t worry mathias, it surely will come to pass that the Short Person will find *Bernie* in North Korea at some point…..
Fixed that for you 🙂
The perils of booking an F1 holiday too early. I am all booked up for China as the race was supposed to be on April 12. Going to be very hard to move everything to a week later…Guess I will just have to be a regular tourist in the city.
Steady on, you’re only a fan who has possibly spent thousands for a trip to see your favourite sport, watching cars with sponsors all over them flash before your eyes.. Your views don’t matter…. 😉
The Sporting regs allow a maximum of 20 races per season.
But they are barely glanced at nowadays, the F1 Policy Group or Strategy Group makes the rules, as Todt has admitted the FIA no longer has control of F1. This is not what the EU commission intended last time it investigated F1.
I think it’s Bernie putting pressure on Mr Joe Chung to hurry up his Seoul street race plans???
No, I think it is BE helping Joe Chung
I hope that one day Brazil returns as the final race so that the season ends in an appropriate climax.
ditto
Teams don’t like just the idea of Singapore-Japan back-to-back, or having it in the autumn? And what are their objections?
Probably because they like to stay on European time for the Singapore GP, given it runs at European race time. Japan a week later means switching within a week, or running the Singapore GP in the late evening of a normal schedule.
Hi Joe,
do you think it’s just a coincidence that F1 races now appeared into the first two WEC race weekends, now that Hülkenberg is driving Spa and Le Mans for Porsche?
Interesting how Hulkenberg announced he was to drive in the WEC at Spa and then a Korean GP magically appears on the same date.
I doubt it will happen.
Will the calendar be rejigged to get the Japanese GP away from the rainy season?
I wouldn’t plan on attending the Japanese GP wearing only shorts and T-shirt at any month between March and October owing to rain. Between November and February, it would be drier but pretty cold up in the hills. There is no “rainy season”; Japan has the wetness of Manchester, England with more summer heat.
Apologies to any meteorologists who might be offended by my generalisations.
Thanks. 🙂 I was thinking of one of the Bianchi report findings.
Like maybe the FIA put their hand up and say ‘move it’……….
Where do the extra costs come in for 21 races as opposed to 20? I thought FOM payed for all transport costs. All employees are salaried.
So extra costs would come in from car parts and hotel costs. But that compared to the extra television exposure would be a reasonable payoff wouldn’t it?
With teams trying to find sponsorship in an increasingly competitive market, surely them coming to the table offering X more hours television exposure would put them in a more advantageous position. If sponsors are guaranteed more premium hours exposure on tele surely they will be more attracted to F1.
So from an economic point of view i cant see the overall disadvantage of 21 races.
And surely teams are here to race, so why wouldn’t they want to race?
And from a fan point of view the more races the better.
FOM pays a small allowance. It costs teams fortunes.
I stand corrected but even so if they are in the business of racing, why not race?
In football, if a team goes on a good cup run and gets in to the later stages, they have a financial benefit which is not seen in F1 but another benefit is that the team sponsors are delighted because they see their company name on tele and plastered in the sports pages of the newspaper and sports websites, Its all good exposure.
In F1 a considerable income is money from sponsors, and sponsors pay to get their company name seen, another race will get that sponsors name seen even more.
4.8% more sponsor exposure
Sponsor for an average F1 team (sauber and lotus)= £40m £45m=£42.5m
5% of = £2.04
So one race could earn an average F1 team £2.04m in sponsorship revenue. This assumes that all sponsorship is variable. (and yes i know there were 19 races in 2014)
And the rough variable costs (costs which are likely to increase per extra race) of an average team are = $1.5m fuel, 1.8m tyres, 12m travel, 5m freight = $20.3m
divided over 19 races = $1.06m
convert £2.04m into dollars = $3.20m
So with my incredibly rough workings out, for the average F1 team, potential $3.20m value in sponsorship per race, compared to an increase in costs of one race of $1.06m.
So a potential economic advantage of $2.14m of competing in one extra race.
Plus television rights could be sold for more and an extra track fee will increase CVC’s income meaning more prize money for everyone further increasing their revenue.
So i have proved with my incredibly naive and arbitrary figures that economics not be a barrier to a 21st race!( this is meant to be sarcastic)
So the more racing the better!
I know that you know Mr. Chung, so is he really serious about a street race in Korea? They screwed the pooch so badly the first go that I cannot believe* they want to try it again. Songdo is too small, so any idea where this fiasco, er, race, is supposed to happen?
I think BE sees another chunk of change in Korea… Nothing more.
*Actually, I can believe it, but that’s the sarcasm that comes from over two decades of living in Korea.
From an outside perspective, a Seoul GP sounds much more enticing than the Malaysian GP near KL, and that’s even with having accommodation available in the nearest city.
Regarding the 21 race calendar. Is it true that if the original schedule is 21 races, then five engines are allowed this season, whereas if 20 were originally scheduled then only four would have been allowed?
I’ll answer my own question, as obviously the reg’s have now been published. Yes, the new amendment says if more than 20 races are “scheduled” then the engine numbers will be amended accordingly, so if nothing else, this schedule is going to allow a circumvention of the four engine rule that should have been in place this year…
sorry for the odd double-post thing. Maybe an admin can sort them out?
Thank You! x
It is being reported elsewhere that the Korean race is bogus. It is included so teams can use 5 engines again next year and not four. Rules say that if there are more than 20 races ‘originally scheduled’ team can use 5 and not 4 engines.
This sounds plausible.
Agreed that this is the most likely scenario.
Hopefully someone will recognise that the track in Abu Dhabi needs to be modified so that you might end the season with a race rather than another procession.
And now: the REAL reason for ’21 race calendar’:
If there are more then 20 races, teams can use 5 engines for each car, even if one race gets cancelled…!
(It would have been just 4 engines for 20 races).
Neat way of avoiding arguments between the teams / engine suppliers about changing rules…
Regards,
“Martin”
Well if that is the real reason, it seems a sound decision to me.
Regarding the cancellation of the double points rule, did it actually work or not? Were the TV ratings at Abu Dhabi higher than last year? That was the whole point of the rule, and if they were (which I suspect they were), cancelling it would be stupid.
If ratings were higher it would have been because we had a close contest between two drivers for the championship, which went to the final round. And as it turns out, that would have been true even without double points.
Not true, the double points made it much more close. Hamilton had to get at least 2nd, but without the rule, he was virtually guaranteed to win the championship. I would wager the rule had a noticeable effect on the ratings.
It had little effect because the championship would have been open anyway. If the title had been settled, it would have been a different story.