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The FIA have confirmed an unprecedented 19-race programme for the 2005 Formula One season. All of the 2004 races have been retained, with Turkey joining the calendar for the first time.
Several changes have been made to the provisional calendar released earlier in the year. The French Grand Prix, originally scheduled for mid April, will now take place on July 3, with the British Grand Prix the following weekend. Germany has also been moved back from July 17 to July 24, and with Hungary just a week later it means no fewer than four races within July.
In fact, between Monaco on May 22 and Hungary on July 31, there will be eight races in the space of ten weeks, with the calendar as a whole featuring six sets of back-to-back Grands Prix, making it the busiest Formula One season in history.
Despite this, the packed schedule still allows the teams a summer break, with a three-week gap between the Hungarian round at the end of July and the inaugural Turkish Grand Prix, which takes place in Istanbul, on August 21.
After a year as the season finale, Brazil moves forward to September, trading slots with China, which, in its second year on the calendar, will form the last round of 2005, and the first-ever 19th round of a Formula One season.
The full 2005 calendar is as follows:
March 06, Australia
March 20, Malaysia
April 03, Bahrain
April 24, San Marino
May 08, Spain
May 22, Monaco
May 29, Europe
June 12, Canada
June 19, USA
July 03, France
July 10, Britain
July 24, Germany
July 31, Hungary
August 21, Turkey
September 04, Italy
September 11, Belgium
September 25, Brazil
October 09, Japan
October 16, China
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