Formula 1 will again attempt to return to China for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic as part of a planned 24-race schedule for the 2024 campaign.
Like many others, the Chinese Grand Prix fell off the calendar when F1 chiefs had to put together a truncated 2020 season at short notice. But while most others have returned since, Shanghai has yet to host another event.
The plan was for that to change this season. However, with the Chinese government still taking a hard-line approach to its Covid policy last winter, the decision was made to abandon that plan.
But China has been included on the provisional 2024 calendar, released on Wednesday. It is due to be the fifth round of the season, planned for the weekend of April 19-21.
It is due to follow a race in Japan, which has moved from its usual slot later in the year to the first weekend in April, swapping with Azerbaijan. F1 chiefs say this move will help with transportation of gear and help make the calendar more sustainable.
"Formula 1 has made clear its intention to move towards greater calendar regionalisation, reducing logistical burdens and making the season more sustainable," they said.
"By moving Japan to April, Azerbaijan to September and Qatar back-to-back with Abu Dhabi, this calendar creates a better flow of races in certain regions, and this work will continue while being realistic to the fact that as a world championship, with climatic and contractual constraints, there will always be travel required that cannot be completely regionalised."
The season is set to begin again with the Bahrain Grand Prix. While the race will take place on Saturday, March 2, the first practice sessions will be on Thursday, February 29. With the last race in Abu Dhabi set for the weekend of December 6-8, that means January is set to be the only month of the year with no on-track action.
Following the Bahrain race will again be the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. That race will also take place on the Saturday, with that decision taken to accommodate the Islamic month of Ramadan.
Much of the rest of the calendar remains familiar, with Canada still in the middle of the European season despite efforts to move it closer to the Miami race. The 2024 British Grand Prix is planned for the weekend of July 5-7.
Instead of the Italian Grand Prix, a trip to Baku in September will round off the European segment of the season. From there the F1 circus heads to Singapore and then to North and South America for races in Austin, Mexico and Braxil, before the second Las Vegas Grand Prix.
The season ends with a double header back in the Middle East. The Qatar Grand Prix serves as the penultimate round of the year before that now-traditional Abu Dhabi season finale.
There will be three triple-headers over the season, the first comprising of races in Spain and Austria before being rounded off by the trip to Silverstone, and the second made up of those races in North and South America in October and early November. The third will be those final three races of the year.
It is not yet known which events will host Sprint races.
