FORMULA ONE - 2016 RACE CIRCUIT CALENDAR
The 2016 race circuit calendar, team changes and more;
2016 heralds the calendar for the 67th season of the Formula One World Championship.
Ten teams and twenty two drivers will contest in twenty one F1 Grand Prix races that make up the circuit racing calendar for the 2016 season. This change makes 2016 the longest season in Grand Prix history!
The season starts in Australia on 20th March 2016 and ends in Abhu Dhabi on 27th November 2016. (see table below for individual race details and dates)
2016 F1Team Changes
The newly formed Haas F1 Team, makes an exciting debut this year. This team has been formed by Gene Haas, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team owner. Haas F1 join the Formula One grid in 2016 making it the first American team to compete since the Haas Lola team competed previously, way back in 1986. The team will use engines powered by Ferrari power and a chassis that has been developed by Dallara.
On the 19 January 2016 an application made from Marussia to change thier name to Manor Racing was granted. The team will switch from Ferrari to Mercedes power, with the team upgrading to a 2016-specification engine after having used a year-old Ferrari engine in 2015. The team will also undergo a management reshuffle following the resignation of both its sporting director Graeme Lowdon and team principal John Booth.
Red Bull Racing ended their nine-year partnership with Renault at the end of the 2015 season, with the team citing a lack of performance from the Renault Energy-F1 2015 engine as a main reason for the change. This year the team has chosen to use the TAG Heuer engines for the 2016 season.
Renault will return to Formula One as a full factory supported team. Renault has purchased Lotus from Genii Capital.
Lotus' participation in the 2016 season was in question pending the resolution of a High Court case brought against the team by HM Revenue and Customs over unpaid PAYE taxes.
Scuderia Toro Rosso change back to using Ferrari power units. The team will use the 059/4 power unit used by Ferrari teams in 2015. This is after Ferrari received permission to supply year old engines by the World Motor Sport Council as the extensive revisions to the engine design last year meant that they would not be able to manufacture additional specification engines in time for the beginning of the 2016 season.
2016 F1 Driver Changes
The 2014 GP2 series champion Jolyon Palmer, makes his F1 race début with Renault, replacing Romain Grosjean. Palmer has already made quite a few free practice appearances with the team during the 2015 season.
Romain Grosjean left Lotus at the end of the 2015 season. He has joined the newly formed Haas F1 team for 2016, where he will be joined by former Sauber driver Esteban Gutiérrez.
Despite originally having signed a contract with Lotus for 2016, Pastor Maldonado announced he will not be driving for Renault in the 2016 season. This decision came with the failure of PDVSA to pay his sponsorship for the season. He has been replaced by Kevin Magnussen. Magnussen was released from McLaren when they chose not to renew his contract after he only entered a single race for the team in 2015.
Gutiérrez returns to competition with the F1Haas team after spending the 2015 season as Ferrari's reserve and test driver.
2015 Defending F1 Champions
As the 2016 F1 circuit begins Lewis Hamilton starts his second consecutive season as the defending F1 World Champion after securing his third Drivers Championship.
Mercedes begin the season as the defending Constructors' Champions.
The following Twenty races make up the 2016 F1 race schedule calendar.
| Round | Grand Prix | Circuit | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australian Grand Prix |
 Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, Melbourne |
20 March 2016 |
| 2 | Bahrain Grand Prix |
 Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir |
3 April 2016 |
| 3 | Chinese Grand Prix |
 Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai |
17 April 2016 |
| 4 | Russian Grand Prix |
 Sochi Autodrom, Sochi |
1 May 2016 |
| 5 | Spanish Grand Prix |
 Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Barcelona |
15 May 2016 |
| 6 | Monaco Grand Prix |
 Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo |
29 May 2016 |
| 7 | Canadian Grand Prix |
 Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal |
12 June 2016 |
| 8 | European Grand Prix |
 Baku City Circuit, Baku |
19 June 2016 |
| 9 | Austrian Grand Prix |
 Red Bull Ring, Spielberg |
3 July 2016 |
| 10 | British Grand Prix |
 Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone |
10 July 2016 |
| 11 | Hungarian Grand Prix |
 Hungaroring, Budapest |
24 July 2016 |
| 12 | German Grand Prix |
 Hockenheimring, Hockenheim |
31 July 2016 |
| 13 | Belgian Grand Prix |
.svg.png){kind=small} Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot |
28 August 2016 |
| 14 | Italian Grand Prix |
 Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza |
4 September 2016 |
| 15 | Singapore Grand Prix |
 Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore |
18 September 2016 |
| 16 | Malaysian Grand Prix |
 Sepang International Circuit, Kuala Lumpur |
2 October 2016 |
| 17 | Japanese Grand Prix |  Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka |
9 October 2016 |
| 18 | United States Grand Prix |
 Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texa |
23 October 2016 |
| 19 | Mexican Grand Prix |  Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City |
30 October 2016 |
| 20 | Brazilian Grand Prix |
 Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo |
13 November 2016 |
| 21 | Abu Dhabi Grand Prix |
 Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi |
27 November 2016 |
