FIA announces provisional 2017 F1 calendar

Omnisports 05:07 - 28 September 2016

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Australia remains the traditional curtain raiser for Formula One in 2017.

Formula One will once again feature 21 races in 2017, although the meets in Canada, Germany and Brazil remain subject to confirmation.

The FIA announced its provisional calendar for next season, which will once against start with the Australian Grand Prix on March 26.

There is then a two-week break before the double-header in China and Bahrain, before Russia kicks off a three-race stint in Europe that also takes in Spain and Monaco.

Malaysia and Singapore swap places in the itinerary, with the former taking place on September 17 and the latter on October 1.

The European GP in Baku on June 18 is scheduled for the same weekend as the Le Mans 24 Hours.

Abu Dhabi will again close the season on November 26.

The 2017 season will also see a change to F1's wet weather start procedure when a safety car is required to begin the race.

Under the new regulations, once the track is deemed "safe to race" the safety will return to the pit lane and the grid will line up for a standing start.