Abu Dhabi to bring down curtain on record 24-race F1 calendar

Las Vegas to make its debut in penultimate race of 2023 while Monaco future secured after signing three-year deal

Race winner and 2021 F1 world champion Max Verstappen and his Red Bull Racing team celebrate on the podium after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit on December 12, 2021. Victor Besa / The National

Verstappen fought off Lewis Hamilton in a nail-biting finish. Victor Besa / The National

Verstappen runs to celebrate with his team. Victor Besa / The National

The Dutch driver clinched the race and the championship on the final lap. Victor Besa / The National

Race fans cheer as Verstappen wins. Victor Besa / The National

Verstappen enjoys that winning feeling. Reuters

Verstappen drinks in the moment as Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton looks dejected after finishing second. Reuters

Verstappen and Hamilton go head to head on the track. Victor Besa / The National

An Etihad Airways flyover before the race. The airline sponsored the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Victor Besa / The National

Verstappen in action. Victor Besa / The National

Hamilton took an early lead. Victor Besa / The National

Verstappen and Hamilton led the championship going into the final race. Victor Besa / The National

The start of the race. Reuters

Drivers pose for their end-of-season picture before the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. AP

Aston Martin's Sebastian Vettel before the race. Reuters

Fans of Verstappen and Hamilton before the race. Reuters

Hamilton looks relaxed before the race. Reuters

Verstappen looks like he means business. Reuters

Hamilton soaks up the early atmosphere. Victor Besa / The National

Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas with his girlfriend Tiffany Cromwell. Victor Besa / The National

Verstappen arrives at the circuit with his girlfriend Kelly Piquet. Reuters

Hamilton on the Yas Marina Circuit. AFP

Abu Dhabi will host the final race of the 2023 season after Formula One's governing body announced a record 24-race calendar.

Yas Marina Circuit is contracted to host the final race of the F1 season until 2030 and will stage the 2023 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on November 26.

A new addition to the calendar will see Las Vegas make its floodlit debut a week before. Monaco, meanwhile, signed a new deal to secure its place on the calendar until at least 2025.

"The presence of 24 races on the 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship calendar is further evidence of the growth and appeal of the sport on a global scale," said FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

"The addition of new venues and the retention of traditional events underlines the FIA’s sound stewardship of the sport," added the Emirati.

The Las Vegas Strip circuit takes a November 18 date as the season's penultimate round and third in the United States. It will also be the first race to be held on a Saturday since 1985.

"The Las Vegas Grand Prix is going to take F1 race weekends to the next level," said Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali. "The entire city is buzzing with excitement for next year's race."

The Grand Prix's 6.12km track along the famed Las Vegas Strip will see drivers roar past landmarks such as the Bellagio Fountains and Caesars Palace at an event expected to attract 170,000 fans.

Monaco, historically F1's most glamorous race, had its future thrown into doubt earlier in the year amid contract renewal talks.

Formula One said a new three-year deal had now been signed with the Automobile Club de Monaco, whose president Michel Boeri added that it was likely to be renewed.

The principality retains its traditional May 28 slot as the eighth race and middle part of a triple-header with Italy's Imola and Spain's Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona.

This season was to have had a record 23 races but that was reduced to 22 after Russia's race in Sochi was cancelled following the invasion of Ukraine.

Bahrain will open the season on March 5 with Saudi Arabia's street Jeddah street circuit the next race on March 19.

The calendar also avoids a clash with the 24 Hours of Le Mans sportscar race which will be celebrating its 100th anniversary next year on June 10-11.

The British Grand Prix at Silverstone on July 9 will be on the weekend before the Wimbledon men's and women's tennis finals on July 15-16.

The traditional August break is maintained, with Belgium becoming the last race before it at the end of July — and following on from Hungary — rather than the first after.

Belgium's longer-term future remains uncertain, with organisers signing only a one-year extension last month.

Qatar, with a race on October 8, returns as a fourth Middle Eastern round after being absent this year due to the country hosting the 2022 Fifa World Cup.

China, which last hosted a race in 2019, returns despite lingering uncertainty over Covid-19 restrictions while France, whose race was at Le Castellet's Circuit Paul Ricard near Marseille, has been dropped as previously announced.

Azerbaijan and Miami remain as back-to-back races on April 30 and May 7 respectively.

Calendar:

March 5 - Bahrain

March 19 - Saudi Arabia (Jeddah)

April 2 - Australia (Melbourne)

April 16 - China (Shanghai)

April 30 - Azerbaijan (Baku)

May 7 - Miami

May 21 - Emilia Romagna (Imola)

May 28 - Monaco

June 4 - Spain (Barcelona)

June 18 - Canada (Montreal)

July 2 - Austria (Spielberg)

July 9 - Britain (Silverstone)

July 23 - Hungary

July 30 - Belgium (Spa-Francorchamps)

Aug 27 - Netherlands (Zandvoort)

Sept 3 - Italy (Monza)

Sept 17 - Singapore

Sept 24 - Japan (Suzuka)

Oct 8 - Qatar

Oct 22 - United States (Austin)

Oct 29 - Mexico

Nov 5 - Brazil (Interlagos)

Nov 18 - Las Vegas

Nov 26 - Abu Dhabi