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2012 Formula One World Championship

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Sebastian Vettel, the defending World Drivers' Champion.

The 2012 Formula One season will be the 63rd FIA Formula One season. 2012 will be the penultimate year of the current 2.4 litre V8 engine configuration, before being replaced by more environmentally friendly 1.6 litre V6 turbo engines in 2014.[1] The 2012 season will also see the return of the United States Grand Prix to the calendar, with the race to be held at a brand-new circuit in Austin, Texas.[2]

Sebastian Vettel will start the season as the defending World Drivers' Champion, having secured his second championship with a podium finish at the 2011 Japanese Grand Prix. Red Bull Racing retain their World Constructors' Championship, with Vettel and team-mate Mark Webber having finished on the podium at the Korean Grand Prix.

Pre-season

The pre-season testing season will begin immediately after the 2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with a three-day 'Young Driver Test' (for drivers with fewer than three Formula One race starts to their name) at the Yas Marina Circuit from 15-17 November 2011.[3]

Signed teams and drivers

After a dispute between the Formula One Teams Association and the FIA in the first half of 2009, a new Concorde Agreement was signed on 1 August 2009 by the then FIA president Max Mosley and all of the existing teams at the time. The new agreement provides for a continuation of the terms of the 1998 Concorde Agreement, and runs until 31 December 2012.[4]

Team Constructor Engine Tyre Race Drivers Test/Reserve Driver(s)
Italy Scuderia Ferrari[5] Ferrari Ferrari P Spain Fernando Alonso[6] TBA
Brazil Felipe Massa[7]
India Sahara Force India F1 Team[8] Force India Mercedes P TBA TBA
TBA
Spain HRT F1 Team HRT Cosworth P TBA TBA
TBA
Malaysia Team Lotus[9] Lotus Renault P Finland Heikki Kovalainen[10] TBA
Italy Jarno Trulli[11]
United Kingdom Vodafone McLaren Mercedes McLaren Mercedes P United Kingdom Jenson Button[12] Spain Pedro de la Rosa[13]
United Kingdom Gary Paffett[14]
United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton[15]
Germany Mercedes GP Petronas Mercedes Mercedes P Germany Michael Schumacher[16] TBA
TBA
Austria Red Bull Racing Red Bull Renault P Germany Sebastian Vettel[17] TBA
Australia Mark Webber[18]
United Kingdom Lotus Renault GP[19] Renault Renault P Russia Vitaly Petrov[20] TBA
TBA[21]
Switzerland Sauber F1 Team Sauber Ferrari P Japan Kamui Kobayashi[22] Mexico Esteban Gutiérrez[22]
Mexico Sergio Pérez[22]
Italy Scuderia Toro Rosso Toro Rosso Ferrari P TBA TBA
TBA
Russia Marussia Virgin Racing[23] Virgin Cosworth P Germany Timo Glock[24] TBA
TBA
United Kingdom AT&T Williams Williams Renault[25] P TBA TBA
TBA

Team changes

2012 calendar

Bernie Ecclestone has expressed a desire to see the calendar expand to a record twenty rounds, the maximum he feels is viable. However, a provisional calendar was announced in June 2011, with a record twenty-one races.[30] FIA President Jean Todt later clarified this position, stating that the 2012 calendar would have no more than twenty races,[31] but gave no indication as to which race would be removed from the calendar. On 29 July 2011, a second provisional calendar was released, confirming that the Turkish Grand Prix would be discontinued.[32] However, the teams requested a second revision of the calendar, citing logistical concerns over the final away leg of the championship, featuring seven races in ten weeks on three continents.[33] The final calendar was released on 31 August 2011.[34]

Round Race Title Grand Prix Circuit Date
1 Australian Grand Prix Australian GP[35] Australia Albert Park, Melbourne 18 March
2 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix Malaysian GP[36] Malaysia Sepang International Circuit, Kuala Lumpur 25 March
3 UBS Chinese Grand Prix Chinese GP[37] China Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai 15 April
4 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix Bahrain GP[38] Bahrain Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir 22 April
5 Gran Premio de España Santander Spanish GP[39] Spain Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona 13 May
6 Grand Prix de Monaco Monaco GP[40] Monaco Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo 27 May
7 Grand Prix du Canada Canadian GP Canada Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal 10 June
8 Grand Prix of Europe European GP[41] Spain Valencia Street Circuit, Valencia 24 June
9 Santander British Grand Prix British GP[42] United Kingdom Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone 8 July
10 Großer Preis Santander von Deutschland German GP[43] Germany Hockenheimring, Hockenheim 22 July
11 Eni Magyar Nagydíj Hungarian GP[44] Hungary Hungaroring, Budapest 29 July
12 Shell Belgian Grand Prix Belgian GP[45] Belgium Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Spa 2 September
13 Gran Premio Santander d'Italia Italian GP[46] Italy Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza 9 September
14 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix Singapore GP[47] Singapore Marina Bay Street Circuit, Marina Bay 23 September
15 Japanese Grand Prix Japanese GP[48] Japan Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka 7 October
16 Korean Grand Prix Korean GP[49] South Korea Korean International Circuit, Yeongam 14 October
17 Airtel Grand Prix of India Indian GP[50] India Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida 28 October
18 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Abu Dhabi GP United Arab Emirates Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi 4 November
19 United States Grand Prix United States GP United States Circuit of the Americas, Austin[2] 18 November
20 Grande Prêmio do Brasil Brazilian GP Brazil Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo 25 November

Calendar changes

  • In May 2010, it was announced that Austin, Texas would host the return of the United States Grand Prix, the first since Indianapolis in 2007. Known as the Circuit of the Americas, the venue will be a brand-new and purpose-built permanent circuit designed by Hermann Tilke.[51] In November 2011, Bernie Ecclestone expressed "minor" doubt over the race going ahead after what he described as "disagreements inside the [management] company".[52]
  • The calendar released in July 2011 showed several events being moved around the calendar:
  • The Bahrain Grand Prix was moved to the end of the season after the 2011 race was postponed, and later cancelled.[53] The race was scheduled for a November date to give the government more time to ensure civil order was restored, but was later brought forward to April. At the 2011 Japanese Grand Prix, several teams expressed concern over the state of the race in the face of renewed violence in the country.[54] These concerns were taken to the November meeting of the Formula One Commission.[52]
  • The German Grand Prix will return to Hockenheim after the 2011 German Grand Prix was held at the Nürburgring, in line with the event's policy of alternating between venues.
  • The Korean Grand Prix was to be brought forward from October to April, similar to the move that the Chinese Grand Prix made in 2009. However, the July calendar brought the Indian Grand Prix forward to April, leaving the Korean event in its October date. The Indian race was later moved back to 28 October, with the Korean race remaining in its 14 October date.
  • The Turkish Grand Prix was removed from the calendar after Formula One Management and the event organisers could not agree on a renewed contract. In August 2011, organisers of the race revealed that they were negotiating with Bernie Ecclestone to resume their place on the calendar.[55] However, the race was absent from the final calendar released in August.
  • The United States Grand Prix was originally scheduled to be held in June, but was moved back to become the penultimate event of the season in response to concerns over the heat of the Texas summer.[56]
  • Organisers of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix had originally planned to reconfigure the Yas Marina Circuit for the 2011 race following heavy criticism over a lack of overtaking in 2010.[57] However, they later elected to postpone the circuit modifications until 2012 in the face of rule changes for the 2011 season that they felt directly addressed the criticisms levelled at the circuit,[58] promising the speedy introduction of changes if the 2011 race proved disappointing.
  • Organisers of the Korean Grand Prix have expressed dissatisfaction over the terms of their contract with Bernie Ecclestone and Formula One Management, particularly with regards to the cost of race-sanctioning fees, and have sought to renegotiate the contract, seeking more-favourable terms.[59][60] However, Ecclestone ruled out renegotiations, stating that the initial negotiation process had been difficult enough, and that the organisers were aware of the terms of the contract when they first signed it. Ecclestone has stated that in the event that race organisers can not pay sanctioning fees, the Korean Grand Prix will be removed from the calendar.[61]

Changes

Rule changes

  • The 2011 season saw teams running "off-throttle blown diffusers", which created downforce by forcing fuel through the engine to produce exhaust gasses and directing it over the diffuser when the driver was not applying the throttle. This concept was initially thought to be banned from the 2011 British Grand Prix onwards, but after much controversy were not. The regulations in 2012 will be governing the design of the exhaust. The teams have already agreed to strict constraints on exhaust tailpipe position which will result in them exiting the bodywork much higher up and no longer in the vicinity of the diffuser.[62] In October 2011, a clarification to the amended rules was issued, effectively banning "exotic" engine maps.[63]
  • After being banned in 2009, in-season testing will return in 2012, with plans for a test to be held at Mugello on May 1 ahead of the European leg of the 2012 championship.[64]
  • At the September 2011 meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council, representatives of the member organisations voted to amend the rules for double-waved yellow flags in all FIA-sanctioned championships. The amendment means that double-waved flags will be shown when a track marshall is working on or beside the circuit.[65]
  • Technical regulations for 2012 include the reprofiling of the car's nose. The pre-2012 regulations allow the nose to be as high as 62.5cm above ground, but the revisions to the sporting code lower the maximum allowable height to 55cm.[66]
  • Faced with several constructors applying for name changes,[67][68] teams have requested a clearer definition of what constitutes a "constructor".[69] Under the rules set out in the Sixth Concorde Agreement, several teams have been forced to compete under names that do not necessarily reflect their ownership - such as Sauber competing as "BMW Sauber" in 2010, despite BMW withdrawing from the sport at the end of the 2009 season - in order to preserve their status as a current constructor and their claim to a share of the television rights paid to teams that placed in the top ten in the final World Constructors' Championship standings.
  • At the meeting for the Formula One Commission in Geneva in November 2011, the use of helium in air guns used to change tyres during pit stops was banned.[70] Despite increasing the rotation speed of the air guns by up to 30%, the use of helium was deemed to be too expensive with little competitive gain.

Other changes

  • In July 2011, a joint broadcasting deal for Formula One in the United Kingdom was announced between Sky Sports and the BBC. The new arrangement runs from 2012 until 2018 and will see all practice, qualifying sessions and races being broadcast by Sky, with the BBC televising qualifying and the race live from ten selected venues and extended highlights of the remaining ten on a delayed broadcast.[71][72] The announcement was controversial, with early promises that the races would be uninterrupted by commercials[73] doing little to quell the highly negative reactions from fans and observers.[74][75] It had previously been believed that the terms of the Concorde Agreement prevented Formula One from being broadcast exclusively on pay-per-view, but the Agreement did not prevent a shared broadcast such as the proposal made by Sky Sports and the BBC.[76] The controversial nature of the broadcast deal led to the House of Commons' Culture, Media and Sport Committee calling Bernie Ecclestone and "senior BBC figures" including director-general Mark Thompson to answer questions over the details of the broadcasting arrangement.[77]

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