In 2018, the Red Bull Air Race World Championship will make eight stops around the globe, featuring classic destinations and exciting new surprises like a premiere in Cannes – the first French race in the history of the sport. Here's a preview...

On 02-03 February, the campaign for the 2018 World Championship will take flight with a record 11th consecutive season opener in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Next: Cannes rolls out the red carpet for the series' long-awaited debut in France on 21-22 April. With French pilots in both the Master Class and the Challenger Class – including the first woman to compete in the series, Mélanie Astles – the action over the Riviera will undoubtedly mark one of the high points of the season.

2018 Red Bull Air Race Calendar

In May, the towering Air Gates will rise at another European location, still under wraps, for the third stop of the season; while the midpoint will be celebrated as the raceplanes once again speed under the iconic Chain Bridge in Budapest, Hungary on 23-24 June.

The 2017 World Champion Yoshihide Muroya of Japan – the first Asian pilot ever to claim the overall title – is sure to be the centre of attention when the second half of the calendar kicks off with a race in Asia slated for August at a location to be announced. Then on 25-26 August it's a return to Kazan, Russia, where the World Championship ignited the passion of the country's motorsport fans with a maiden race in 2017.

The final two stops will criss-cross the globe, with a showdown on 06-07 October at the USA's famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the third year in a row, followed by the high drama of a November season finale, which will make history as the first to be held in Asia (location TBA).

"The 2017 title went down to the wire, keeping the world in suspense up until the final run of the final race, and now the teams are using the off-season to make their raceplanes even faster," says Erich Wolf, General Manager of Red Bull Air Race GmbH. "The best pilots in the world just keep getting better, and the destinations that will welcome them next year are spectacular. I can't predict who will win the 2018 season, but I guarantee it'll be one to watch."

Ticketing for the 2018 Red Bull Air Race World Championship is underway, You can find the latest ticketing information here.

Red Bull Air Race 2018 Calendar

• 02 - 03 February: Abu Dhabi, UAE
• 21 - 22 April: Cannes, France
• 26 - 27 May: Europe, location TBA
• 23 - 24 June: Budapest, Hungary
• 04 - 05 August: Asia, location TBA
• 25 - 26 August: Kazan, Russia
• 6 - 7 October: Indianapolis, USA
• November: Asia, location TBA

Source: Red Bull Content Pool