Abu Dhabi to close expanded 2009 F1 season

The Formula One season will stretch to 19 races next year with Abu Dhabi making its debut as the final grand prix in mid-November, the sport's governing body said yesterday.

The International Automobile Federation (FIA) published the draft calendar, which starts in Australia on March 29 and has one more race than in 2008, after a meeting of its World Motor Sport Council in Paris.

The season will start and finish later than it has done for 20 years, with the final round on Nov. 15.

The troubled French Grand Prix retained its slot with a June 28 date but there was still no return for the US Grand Prix, absent this year after eight successive visits to Indianapolis.

Abu Dhabi, with a new harbourside street circuit, will become the second grand prix in the Middle East after Bahrain on a calendar that otherwise features the same countries as this year.

The Gulf state will be the only new venue after street circuits in the Spanish city of Valencia and a night-time race in Singapore this year.

Brazil, previously the season finale, will become the penultimate round instead after a Far East swing through Singapore, Japan and China.

No circuit details or start times were given but Suzuka is due to host the Japanese race next year as part of an agreed alternation with Fuji while it is the Nuerburgring's turn to host the German round after Hockenheim this season.

Provisional calendar

March 29 - Australia (Melbourne); April 5 - Malaysia (Sepang); April 19 - Bahrain (Manama); May 10 - Spain (Barcelona); May 24 - Monaco; June 7 - Canada (Montreal); June 21 - Britain (Silverstone); June 28 - France (Magny-Cours); July 12 - Germany (Nuerburgring); July 26 - Hungary (Budapest); Aug. 9 - Turkey (Istanbul); Aug 23 - Europe (Valencia); Sept. 6 - Italy (Monza); Sept 13 - Belgium (Spa-Francorchamps); Sept 27 - Singapore; Oct 11 - Japan (Suzuka); Oct 18 - China (Shanghai); Nov 1 - Brazil (Interlagos); Nov 15 - Abu Dhabi .