Though there is much focus on the June deadline by which time the sport should have agreed the rules package for the sport post-2020, there are other impending deadlines which could see as many as five races drop from the calendar.

Along with the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, the races in Spain, Germany, Italy and Mexico are all under threat, and in each case the central issue is money.

However, speaking to Sky Sports, F1 managing director, Ross Brawn, says he would be surprised if any of the five events were lost.

"Despite the pessimism, I'd be surprised if we lose any of the races we have," he said, though not giving any indication as to how the events can be retained without the sport's powers-that-be agreeing a lesser hosting fee, a move which would then trigger demands from other promoters.

Switching to PR mode, Brawn, then enthused about the sport's one addition to the calendar under its new ownership.

"We've got some exciting races coming up," he said. "Vietnam I'm really excited about because we've been much more involved with the circuit design there.

"Incredibly enthusiastic, new culture and new place for people to visit," he gushed.

"There are some other races on the horizon," he admitted. "We want to have two or three more races in a season and we believe we can do that without over-stressing the teams, by refining their weekends."

Indeed, we hear continuing murmurs that Saudi Arabia is extremely interested in hosting a race... and no, that, dear readers, is not a late April Fool.

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by TokyoAussie, 03/04/2019 4:30

"Those 5 venues need to negotiate as a unit. Absolutely must."

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2. Posted by F1nerd, 02/04/2019 11:38

"We need to keep the circuits we have like the aforementioned "famous five" before adding new venues. Somebody up there in the hiarachy needs to get their priorities in order."

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3. Posted by Motorsport-fan, 02/04/2019 11:20

""Show me the money""

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Brawn would be "surprised" to see races 'lost'

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