Motor racing-Mexico returns on 20-race 2015 F1 calendar

By Alan Baldwin LONDON, Sept 12 (Reuters) - The Formula One calendar will expand to a record-equalling 20 races next season with Mexico returning in November after a 23-year absence, the governing FIA said on Friday. This year's calendar had 19 races. The Nov. 1 race in Mexico City will be paired with the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, the previous weekend. Mexico last appeared on the calendar in 1992. The Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne will start the season as usual on March 5 while Abu Dhabi will again end the championship on Nov. 29. This year's race in Abu Dhabi will see, controversially, double points awarded for the first time. There was no mention in the International Automobile Federation (FIA) statement, issued after a World Motor Sport Council meeting in Beijing, whether that would continue to be the case in 2015. There will again be a two-week break between Australia and the second round in Malaysia, rather than putting them on as back-to-back events. However there will be four 'pairs' of races on successive weekends, with Malaysia and Bahrain running back-to-back before Germany and Hungary, Singapore and Japan and then United States and Mexico. Japan has been paired with Russia, making its Formula One debut in Sochi next month, on this season's calendar. As expected, the Indian Grand Prix which was dropped at the end of 2013 failed to make a return while there was also no room for a proposed race in New Jersey after successive postponements. Formula One last had 20 races in a season in 2012, with some teams reluctant to go over that number. 2015 draft calendar: March 5 - Australia March 29 - Malaysia April 5 - Bahrain April 19 - China May 10 - Spain May 24 - Monaco June 7 - Canada June 21 - Austria July 5 - Britain July 19 - Germany July 26 - Hungary August 23 - Belgium September 6 - Italy Sept. 20 - Singapore Sept. 27 - Japan October 11 - Russia Oct. 25 - United States November 1 - Mexico Nov. 15 - Brazil Nov. 29 - Abu Dhabi (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Amlan Chakraborty)