Imola Grand Prix to include just one practice session

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Formula 1 has announced that next November's Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Imola will feature just one 90-minute practice session.

Imola was recently added to the sport's 2020 schedule along with the Nürburgring and Portimão.

The event - scheduled for November 1st - will follow the Portuguese round by a week, but the long haul between the two venues and inevitable logistical constraints have decided F1 to reduce the race-weekend's format at Imola to just two days.

Formula 1's updated 2020 calendar

The single free practice session will take place on Saturday morning from 10:00am to 11:30am local time, while qualifying will start at 2:00pm and run under the normal format.

Sunday's race will kick off at the earlier time of 1:10pm.

Formula 1 will return to Imola for the first time since 2006. The event is currently scheduled as the 13th round of the 2020 F1 world championship.

However, Liberty Media is hard to try and add two Asian rounds - Vietnam and perhaps Malaysia - in November while a double-header in Bahrain and a final round in Abu Dhabi in December are almost sure to bookend the year.

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.