LONDON, April 9 (Reuters) – Formula Two races originally scheduled for Bahrain and Saudi Arabia will be added to Formula One grand prix weekends in Miami and Montreal next month in the series’ first foray into North America.
The second and third rounds of the season, after the opener in Australia in March, were called off due to U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran and after Iranian drones and missiles hit some Gulf capitals.
Formula Two said in a statement on Thursday that it will race on the continent for the first time in Miami on May 1-3 and Montreal on May 22-24.
The second round of the season would otherwise not have been until Monaco in early June.
“It was not an easy thing to do, but bringing F2 to North America for the first time is really fantastic,” said CEO Bruno Michel.
“It’s something we have been wanting to do for a long time, and it enables us to ensure we’re back racing as quickly as possible.”
Formula One has not rescheduled its grands prix, with the calendar set to drop to 22 races, and is on a month-long break before resuming in Miami for what will be the fourth round of its season.
“Bruno and the whole F2 family have done a great job, working closely with us, the FIA, and the Miami and Montreal promoters, to ensure we limit the gap in racing for the championship this season,” said F1 Chief Executive Stefano Domenicali.
“It is going to be fantastic to restart the racing in a few weeks’ time and to have F2 alongside Formula One as we return to the U.S. for the first time this season.”
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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