Baku included in Formula One 2016 calendar

Formula One racing's governing body the FIA has released the provisional schedule for next year's world championship, with 21 rounds listed, including the inaugural race in Baku, Azerbaijan, in July.

The 2016 season is set to kick off later than usual, with the Australian opener on April 3, while Russia's Sochi race moves forward from its current October slot to May 1, AzerTac state news agency reported.

Malaysia shifts to the latter end of the year, back to back with Singapore, while Germany returns in July after its 2015 absence. The campaign is due to conclude in Abu Dhabi on November 27.

The Formula One series originated with the European Grand Prix Motor Racing (q.v. for pre-1947 history) of the 1920s and 1930s. The formula is a set of rules which all participants' cars must meet. Formula One was a new formula agreed upon after World War II during 1946, with the first non-championship races being held that year. A number of Grand Prix racing organizations had laid out rules for a world championship before the war, but due to the suspension of racing during the conflict, the World Drivers' Championship was not formalized until 1947. The first world championship race was held at Silverstone, United Kingdom in 1950. A championship for constructors followed in 1958. National championships existed in South Africa and the UK in the 1960s and 1970s. Non-championship Formula One events were held for many years, but due to the increasing cost of competition, the last of these occurred in 1983.