Suzuka returns in 2009

Formula One Feature
2009 FIA Formula One World Championship Calendar
March 2009

With all the changes taking place across the sporting and technical board, the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship has already been tipped to be filled with drama and intrigue even before it has begun. As the teams work feverishly to do all that is necessary to prepare for the 17-rounds featured this season, fans and casual observers will also see changes to the calendar that includes the addition of a brand new track to the line-up and a number of slot changes to name a few. 

Featuring one less round to make 2009 a 17-round affair, 2009 will open slightly later with the four flyaway rounds with the traditional curtain raiser Australian Grand Prix kicking off the season on March 29th, followed a week later by the PETRONAS Malaysian Grand Prix on April 5th. In an unusual twist, the caravan heads north to Shanghai for the Chinese Grand Prix, which in 2009 occupies an earlier spring-time slot on April 19th. En route to the European leg, the teams will stop off in Sakhir for the Grand Prix of Bahrain on 26th April.  

The European leg of the championship will once again open at the Catalan city of Barcelona with Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya on May 10th. With 9 rounds in Europe and 4 more flyaway rounds in the latter stages of the year, there are also distinctive changes with two noticeable absentees and the return of a favourite and a new "kid" on the block .


Adieu Montreal et Magny Cours
Two noticeable absentees from the 2009 calendar are the Canadian and French Grand Prix rounds. For the former, since the departure of the Indianapolis round in the USA in 2007, this is the first time that there will be no Formula One race on the North American continent since 1958.

Chinese swap (Chinese Grand Prix, Round 3, 17th – 19th April)
Having hosted the round in the latter stages of the championship; like Turkey in 2008, the Chinese Grand Prix now moves to an earlier slot in the calendar in 2009. The Shanghai International Circuit will host the third round of the championship two weeks after the PETRONAS Malaysian Grand Prix.

Yokoso Suzuka (Japanese Grand Prix, Round 15, 2nd – 4th October)
After taking a hiatus of two seasons to make room for the Fuji Speedway in 2007 and 2008, this year sees the return of Japan’s arguably most technically demanding circuit, the Suzuka International Circuit. On top of Suzuka’s figure-8 layout, among the circuit’s features are its challenging corners, including the high-speed 130R and the famous Spoon Curve a favourite with the drivers.

Desert storm (Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi, Round 17, 30th October – 1st November)
A new addition to the FIA Formula One World Championship calendar, the 5.55 kilometre long Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi is set to host its first Grand Prix on 1st November, closing out the 17-round 2009 championship season. Built on the Yas Island, the circuit is set to rewrite Formula One circuit design books with its top speeds of 320 km/h and average speeds of 198 km/h. Featuring nine right turns and 11 left turns, the Yas Marina Circuit runs anti-clockwise, joining the Otodrom Istanbul in Turkey, Belgium’s Spa Francorchamps and the Singapore street circuit.


A brand new track - the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi will close 2009


2009 FIA Formula One World Championship Calendar