F1 23-race calendar 'not taken for granted'

Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has insisted the sport doesn't take this season's 23-race calendar for granted amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

The schedule is the longest in F1 history, with Imola and Portugal returning from last season as well as a new race in Saudi Arabia at the end of the year.

Former Ferrari team principal Domenicali is eager to get the season underway in Bahrain, and writing in his Formula1.com column, the Italian conceded the sport would again have to move with the pandemic throughout the year.

"The to-do list is quite long," Domenicali said of his workload. "The first thing, of course, is to start this season in Bahrain.

"It’s not taken for granted. In this situation, with Covid-19, we need to proceed with the evolution of the pandemic.

"It’s great that with the protocols in place, it is possible to fly around the world and do the races."

Domenicali took over from Chase Carey in January to oversee the transition from the current state of the sport to the new era introduced next year with a radical set of aerodynamic regulations.

"We must make sure we are looking into the future," he added. "We have a revolutionary new car coming next year, we’re discussing the new step of the power unit for 2025 and beyond and have very clear targets.

"Then on the other side, we must work on our ‘We Race As One’ platform. It is significant and we want to participate and have an active role in that."

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