Switzerland to host first motor race in more than 60 years

LONDON (Reuters): Switzerland, a country that banned motor racing in 1955 after the sport’s worst accident at Le Mans, will return to the international calendar next year with a round of the electric Formula E championship in Zurich.

The restrictions on circuit racing were lifted in 2015 for fully-electric vehicles.

Jean Todt, president of the International Automobile Federation (FIA), said on Thursday that the scheduling of the June 10 race was the achievement of an important goal for the sport’s world body.

The FIA, which also governs Formula One, has headquarters in Paris and Geneva.

“This wouldn’t have been possible without the core fundamentals of Formula E – driving the electric revolution and sustainable mobility,” said series chief executive Alejandro Agag in a statement.

“Following the recent law changes this race was also made possible with the instrumental support of our Swiss partner, Julius Baer.”

The 1955 ban followed the deaths of at least 83 spectators, with more than 100 injured, at that year’s Le Mans 24 Hours sportscar race in France when the Mercedes of Frenchman Pierre Levegh went into the crowd.

The last race in Switzerland was held at the Bremgarten circuit, near Berne, in 1954.

While there was a 1982 Swiss Formula One Grand Prix, it was held at the Dijon-Prenois circuit in France.Swiss driver Sebastien Buemi was Formula E’s second champion in the 2015/16 season and several of his compatriots have competed in Formula One over the years.

The Sauber Formula One team is Swiss-based and several top drivers have made Switzerland their home, from seven times world champion Michael Schumacher to four times title winner Sebastian Vettel, now with Ferrari.

“Only a few years ago it seemed impossible because of the local legislation, but thanks to Formula E we have managed to bring racing back to my country,” said Buemi.

The 2017/18 calendar was published after a meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Paris. The Zurich race was listed as pending approval of the national sporting body.

Other new races will be held in the Chilean capital Santiago, Sao Paulo and Rome.

China, Bahrain may swap places on 2018 F1 calendar

GROVE, England (Reuters): Formula One is confident China will have a race next season but the grand prix in Shanghai may end up swapping dates with Bahrain, commercial managing director Sean Bratches said on Thursday.

China is currently pencilled in as the second round of the season, subject to confirmation of a new contract, on April 8 with the race at Bahrain’s Sakhir circuit on the following weekend.

The season is due to start in Australia on March 25.

However the current Shanghai race weekend coincides with China’s Qingming three-day national holiday, also known as the Tomb Sweeping Festival, when families pay respects to their ancestors.

That could reduce the crowd and lessen the overall impact in a country that Formula One’s new owners Liberty Media have identified as a key growth area.

“We’re trying to take into account global events, local events, religious holidays and things to ensure that...we’re maximising the opportunity for fans to attend the grands prix,” Bratches told Reuters.

“We’re talking to both of them (China and Bahrain) to that end and if we can reach a mutually agreed upon solution, which appears to be on track to happen, you’ll probably see that,” he said.

Bratches was speaking at a Grand Prix Trust (www.grandprixtrust.com) lunch at the Williams Formula One team’s headquarters.

Next year’s 21-race calendar was published in June, with the final version due to be approved by the governing FIA on Dec. 6 in Paris.

It features the return of France, with a race for the first time in 10 years, and Germany after a year’s absence.

There is also a triple header with grands prix in France, Austria and Britain taking place on successive weekends on June 24, July 1 and 8.

The aim of that, with five European races in six weeks, is to avoid a clash with the World Cup soccer final at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium on July 15.

The draft calendar had Singapore and China listed with asterisks against them but the former was confirmed last weekend with the announcement of a four-year contract extension to 2021.

Bratches expected China to also sign up for another stretch.

“We’re incredibly optimistic on bringing that to fruition, just like we did with Singapore last week,” he said.