Formula 2 officials have unveiled an expanded 12-event 2018 calendar, with new venues including Paul Ricard and Sochi.
The category, which will introduce a new car next season, will run alongside Formula 1 at all 12 of its double-header races, beginning in Bahrain and ending, as usual, in Abu Dhabi.
The standalone Jerez round has been dropped to make way for France and Russia, the latter having featured on the GP2 calendar in 2014/15.
While GP2 was a fixture at European Formula 1 events, next year’s Formula 2 championship will not visit Hockenheim, despite the return of the German Grand Prix.
“I am pleased to announce that next year’s calendar will hold twelve events alongside Formula 1,” said F2 CEO Bruno Michel.
“One of our mission statements is to prepare young drivers to the next step: F1.
“Having all of our race weekends take place with F1 will help our drivers to learn as many F1 tracks as possible, but also to prove their race crafts directly in front of the F1 paddock.
“The 2018 calendar includes two new venues: Le Castellet [Paul Ricard] and Sochi.
“It features one more event compared to this year, and is a good balance between racing on F1 circuits in Europe and overseas.”
Formula 2's support division, GP3, will compete at nine of the 12 events, skipping Bahrain, Azerbaijan and Monaco.
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Date
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Venue
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06-08 April
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Sakhir, Bahrain
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27-29 April
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Baku, Azerbaijan
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11-13 May
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Barcelona, Spain
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24-26 May
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Monte Carlo, Monaco
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22-24 June
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Le Castellet, France
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29 June – 01 July
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Spielberg, Austria
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06-08 July
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Silverstone, Great Britain
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27-29 July
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Budapest, Hungary
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24-26 August
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Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
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31 August – 02 September
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Monza, Italy
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28-30 September
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Sochi, Russia
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23-25 November
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Yas Marina, UAE
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