FIA publishes 20 race Formula 1 calendar for 2017 as Germany drops off

The FIA World Motor Sport Council published the official calendar for next season today and, as expected, it features just 20 Grands Prix after no ...

The FIA World Motor Sport Council published the official calendar for next season today and, as expected, it features just 20 Grands Prix after no deal could be found to persuade Hockenheim to host the German Grand Prix in 2017. It has a contract to host the race in 2018.

There has been quite a bit of movement recently on dates as the schedule is redrawn around the June and July period. The organisers of the Baku Grand Prix were in Abu Dhabi at the weekend to lobby F1 commercial boss Bernie Ecclestone to avoid the date clash with Le Mans that was so damaging to their event last year.

They got their wish and Baku is now no longer the week after Canada.

However teams will be dismayed that Austria is still the weekend before Silverstone. That requires a drive of over 1000 miles on Sunday and Monday after the Austrian Grand Prix, with F1 teams each hiring in up to 60 additional HGV drivers to move the equipment between venues in the timescale. Apart from being extremely expensive, some teams have described it as 'dangerous'.

Meanwhile on a more positive note, the new contract for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza has finally been signed off, after a threat of some legal problems over funding and Imola's interest in hosting the event.

Malaysia may well host its final race in 2017 as suggestions emanating from Kuala Lumpur suggest that they do not plan to renew, while Brazil also faces a battle to remain after 2017 due to a funding shortfall after the regional government backing was withdrawn and state funding looks unlikely. Montreal remains a frustration with badly outdated facilities, but the arrival of local boy Lance Stroll in F1 next season with Williams, means that the race is likely to have some powerful support.

Race hosting fees and issues with promoters look set to be one of the talking points in F1 over the coming months, after Ecclestone hinted that Singapore and other venues were not sure of long term commitment.

With Liberty Media keen to expand the calendar race hosting could prove something of a battleground with Ecclestone as Liberty look towards a transition. Meanwhile, as sister company Liberty Global owns Formula E, studies are being done internally to evaluate the merits of staging some joint Grand Prix and Formula E weekends where there is a permanent circuit in proximity to a FE hosting city centre.

It's likely to keep the F1 news cycle busy in the next months.