Imola set to replace China on 2022 F1 calendar

Imola is poised to replace China on the 2022 F1 calendar, with Singapore making a return and France securing a slot, RacingNews365.com understands.

As revealed by RacingNews365.com last month, the 2022 calendar is expected to feature 23 races, beginning with the Bahrain Grand Prix in March and concluding in Abu Dhabi in November.

While the provisional roster remains largely the same, some tweaks are due to be confirmed.

China had been scheduled to return as part of the early-season sequence of flyaway races, after two years out. However, there are believed to be concerns over the country's plans to increase COVID-19 measures around the time of the 2022 Winter Olympics.

As such, Imola will step in on 24 April, between visits to Australia and the United States (Miami).

Imola was originally marked as a possibility alongside France on 17 July. With Imola taking China's place, a Grand Prix at Paul Ricard is confirmed, but the race date will be shifted to 24 July. It means France will now be twinned with Hungary, rather than featuring in a triple-header with Britain and Austria.

It is understood that this is not an ideal scenario for Paul Ricard, given that the race weekend coincides with the start of the school holidays in France, but teams were believed to prefer two double-headers over a triple-header.

The final change sees Singapore confirmed on 2 October, instead of Turkey. A fresh deal is understood to be close to being signed with the Marina Bay venue.

The 2022 F1 calendar is set to be confirmed at the next meeting of the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) on 15 October.

*Race dates could be swapped