The official 2014 Formula One calendar was published on Friday by the FIA, motorsport’s governing body, with 22 races currently listed. Here are some of the major talking points to come from the announcement.
Longest yet As it stands, 2014 will be the longest F1 season in history. The most races in a season occurred last year when there were 20 on the schedule. It had been due to be 20 again this year but grand prix in New Jersey in the United States fell through.
Second chance for New Jersey Bernie Ecclestone, below, the chief of Formula One Management, is keen on having two races in the US, with the grand prix in Texas that debuted last year seen as a success. Whether New Jersey will happen on June 1 is questionable, with the race provisional, subject to financing and organisational issues.
New arrivals If New Jersey happens, it will go alongside the first Russian Grand Prix in Sochi, on October 5. Austria, above, will host a race for the first time since 2003 on June 22, and Mexico will host the penultimate round of the season on November 16.
South Korean concerns The race in Yeongam, below, has struggled to draw interest and crowds, let alone money, since its first race in 2010. There are doubts on its long term viability, and there is an asterisk on its name for 2014, as Ecclestone is set to hold meetings with race organisers to work out the event's future.
October for Abu Dhabi October 26 had been the date given to Abu Dhabi and Yas Marina Circuit, above, on the provisional calendar, and that remains the same, thus giving it its earliest date yet for the race to be held, the previous four, and this year's one all taking place in November.
