FIA president insists F1 will stage 20 grands prix in 2012, not 21
• Istanbul Grand Prix could be cut from 21-race schedule
• United States to make return to Formula One calendar
Formula One will have 20 races in 2012 and not the record 21 listed on a calendar published last week, according to Jean Todt, the president of the FIA, motor sport's governing body.
The Frenchman, straying into an area normally controlled by the sport's commercial rights-holder, Bernie Ecclestone, could not say which race may be axed although Turkey already has an asterisk against it.
"Absolutely not," Todt told Spain's Diario Sport when asked whether there would be 21 races. "There are 21 dates, but the championship will be with 20 grands prix. We don't know which one will go, but the world championship will be 20 races."
The Turkish Grand Prix at Istanbul on 6 May 2012 was listed as subject to confirmation after being called into question when local organisers said it faced the axe because of a disagreement over payments to Ecclestone. The race has been poorly attended in recent years but the circuit is popular with drivers.
The United States also makes a return to the championship at a new circuit in Austin, Texas, scheduled for 17 June. Spain is the only country with two races, its home grand prix at the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona and the European Grand Prix on the streets of Valencia.
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