LONDON: The Ferrari-owned Mugello circuit will debut on the Formula One calendar in September to host the Italian team’s 1,000th championship Grand Prix, with Russia’s race in Sochi also confirmed on Friday.

The Sept 13 race, to be called the Grand Prix of Tuscany Ferrari 1,000, will follow on from the Sept 6 Italian Grand Prix at Monza as the ninth round of a season that has been heavily revised due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Russia will be the 10th race on Sept 27.

Formula One said in a statement it still expected to stage between 15-18 rounds in a championship that started at Austria’s Red Bull Ring last weekend, with more announcements in coming weeks.

“We are increasingly confident in our plans to race throughout the remainder of 2020,” said Formula One chairman Chase Carey. “The Russian Grand Prix is a major moment in our season and we are looking forward to being back in Sochi in September.

“We are equally excited to see Formula One race for the first time at Mugello, an occasion that will mark Ferrari’s 1,000th Grand Prix.” Mugello will be the fourth Italian circuit to host a championship Grand Prix, after Monza, Imola and the Pescara road course.

The Tuscan circuit, north of Florence, has been a fixture on the MotoGP calendar and is also used by Ferrari for testing and other races.

“To be able to celebrate an extraordinary anniversary like the 1,000th Grand Prix for Scuderia Ferrari at our own home at Mugello is an incredible opportunity,” said Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto. “Mugello is not just one of the most spectacular and challenging tracks for drivers and cars, it is also a structure that has made sustainability one of its priorities.”

Imola, which hosted the San Marino Grand Prix up to 2006, could yet feature on the 2020 calendar if other races are cancelled.

Formula One is also lining up Portugal’s Algarve circuit in Portimao, with Vietnam still a possibility.

While China has said it will not hold any international sporting events this year, aside from trials for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Formula One could yet secure an exemption.

Races in the Americas — Texas, Mexico and Brazil — look doubtful due to the spread of the new coronavirus but Bahrain, with a possible two races, and Abu Dhabi are set to complete the season in November.

Published in Dawn, July 11th, 2020