2008 FIA Formula One World Championship
Season Calendar
29 February 2008

With the start of a brand new season barely two weeks away, the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship is expected to be an exciting and dramatic one. Featuring 18 rounds, 2008 will open with the three flyaway rounds with the traditional curtain raiser Australian Grand Prix kicking off the season on March 16th. This is followed closely by the PETRONAS Malaysian Grand Prix the following weekend on March 23rd and the Grand Prix of Bahrain on April 6th. 

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 April 27th. Among the changes include Turkey's move to the earlier part of the season, with the Otodrom Istanbul hosting the fifth round on May 11th, ahead of the glamourous Grand Prix of Monaco two weeks later on May 25th.

Only one for North America
Formula One will then head across the Atlantic to Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix, the only race to be held on the North American continent this season, following the exclusion of Indianapolis in the USA from the calendar.

Returning to Europe, the season will continue with the French, British, German (this year held at the Hockenheimring, a round that alternates with the Nürburgring) and Hungarian rounds.

the city of Valencia

Two new street circuits and history at night
Of the 18 scheduled rounds for the season, 2008 will also see the inclusion of four street circuits. In addition to the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park and the Grand Prix of Monaco on the streets of Monte Carlo, the season will also welcome the first of two brand new street circuits into the calendar. The first of these is the Valencia street circuit, claiming the rights as host to the European Grand Prix on August 24th.

After completing the European leg of the championship at Belgium and Italy, the season will head back to Southeast Asia, this time to the second of the two new street circuits - Singapore. The Singapore Grand Prix will also have the honour of hosting the very first night race in the history of the sport on the evening of September 28th.

The final three rounds of the championship will see the season first head north to the land of the rising sun for the Japanese Grand Prix at the Fuji Speedway, before moving on to the Shanghai International Circuit for the Chinese Grand Prix. In keeping with tradition, the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship season will draw to a close with the final round at the Interlagos Circuit in Sao Paulo with the Brazilian Grand Prix on November 2nd.

Along with the new regulations and changes in the 2008 season likely to create more excitement, the changes in the teams' driver line-up is also expected to spice the competition up.
 

The 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship Factbox

* Though in Spain, the Valencia Street Circuit will host the 2008 European Grand Prix
** The Singapore Grand Prix will be held as a night race.
*** Subject to change

2008 FIA Formula One World Championship - Season Calendar

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