Grand prix calendar could increase

Formula One's calendar could be increased to 18 races when Bahrain makes its debut in the championship in 2004.

Bahrain will become the first Middle East country to stage a grand prix after a long-term agreement was signed with Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone.

The belief had been that existing European races would have to be dropped to make way for any new circuits. But team bosses have discussed the possibility of extending the season to 18 races.

Some teams are understood to oppose an increase - each race costs them around £650,000 (€1m) - while others would prefer an extra grand prix and less testing.

"I think there is a strong possibility that we will have 18 races," said British American Racing boss David Richards. "But it is early days yet, we will have to wait and see.

"Having a race in Bahrain means a new continent and that is one exciting aspect of it. But it is also becoming more apparent that exciting races happen on some of the newly-designed tracks."

German Hermann Tilke, the man behind the magnificent state-of-the art facility at Sepang in Malaysia, will design the £55m (€87.8m) track which is being built around 16 miles from the Bahrain capital Manama.

Shanghai announced they had also agreed a long-term deal to stage a Chinese Grand Prix from 2004 although that has not been confirmed by world governing body the FIA.

Russia, Turkey and Egypt have also expressed an interest in joining the calendar in the next few years.