FORMULA 1 has released its provisional calendar for the 2022 season consisting of a record 23 races, but the Chinese Grand Prix is set to be absent for the third consecutive year. The season is set to begin in Bahrain on March 20 and finish in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 20, as F1 hopes for a more normal 2022 after two years of COVID-related disruption. The calendar includes the first ever Miami Grand Prix on May 8, and races in Australia, Canada, Singapore and Japan are set to return after a two-year pandemic-enforced absence. However, the Chinese Grand Prix does not feature on the provisional calendar, with China’s current quarantine requirements for international arrivals making it impractical to stage a race in the country. A statement from Formula 1 said that the Shanghai race would be “restored to the calendar as soon as conditions allow.” Though China will have no Grand Prix in 2022, the country may yet be represented on the F1 grid for the first time, with current Formula 2 driver Zhou Guanyu hotly tipped to land the second seat at Alfa Romeo alongside Valtteri Bottas. (Xinhua) | 