Provisional 2010 F1 calendar leaked

A provisional, 18-race calendar for the 2010 Formula 1 World Championship has been leaked - with Canada returning to the schedule but Australia losing its curtain-raising slot to Bahrain.

The list has been obtained by ESPN Racing-Live, and reveals that the season is set to begin on 14 March and end on 7 November, with Abu Dhabi again in-line to host the finale. The reason that Melbourne has been overlooked in favour of Sakhir for the opener is understood to be that daylight savings time Down Under and the prospect of a 'twilight' race there make it more convenient to begin the campaign in Bahrain.

Elsewhere on the calendar, the British Grand Prix is slated to take place at Donington Park, though as with Montreal's return following an enforced one-year absence, there is not yet any official confirmation, with Silverstone still waiting in the wings should its Leicestershire rival prove unable to fulfil its side of the agreement.

Similarly, Hockenheim is down to host the German Grand Prix on 25 July, but that is subject to ongoing financial discussions, with the city council adamant that it is no longer willing to fund the loss-making event.

The provisional calendar is as follows:

March 14 Bahrain Sakhir
March 28 Australia Melbourne
April 4 Malaysia Sepang
April 25 Turkey Istanbul
May 9 Spain Barcelona
May 23 Monaco Monte Carlo
June 6Canada Montreal
June 27 Europe Valencia
July 11 Great Britain Donington Park
July 25 Germany Hockenheim
August 1 Hungary Budapest
August 22 Belgium Spa-Francorchamps
September 5 Italy Monza
September 19China Shanghai
September 26 Singapore Singapore
October 10 Japan Suzuka
October 24 Brazil Interlagos
November 7 Abu Dhabi Yas Marina