The 2011 Formula 1 calendar is the biggest for the world racing championship that has been planned so far.
It includes 20 events starting in Bahrain in March and finishing in Brazil in November, and future plans are underway that a new F1 Rome grand prix could be included from 2012, to the mixed feelings of many Formula One stalwarts in Italy.
We previously reported on the controversy that Rome may have replaced Monza on Italy’s Formula 1 fixtures, but luckily for Monza, this is not the case.
It will keep its traditional Italian grand prix, which has been going since 1922, with a new contract signed until 2016.
Ferrari president, Luca de Montezemolo had said that Monza would always be considered the home of F1 racing in Italy, but with Rome now threatening to join, the status quo might change in the future.
The five-year Monza F1 contract is in addition to one that Rome’s Mayor, Gianni Alemanno has managed to secure for the next five years as well.
The Rome F1 race will be staged on the streets of the city and could prove to be quite spectacular, given the setting.
It could be included in the Formula 1 calendar as early as 2012, pending European approval, and if that approval is given, it may come close to stealing the limelight from Monza, at least in the early days.