This year’s Formula One race schedule has garnered some criticism for being too packed with 20 races crammed in but for 2012, things are going to get a little tighter as the return of the US Grand Prix has been marked for June 17 2012 at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas, bringing the total races to a staggering 21.
The tentative calendar has already been approved by the FIA and includes all the 20 races from this year but with the order altered a little, plus the inclusion of the US GP, marking a return to the US after five years, with the last race held in 2007 at Indianapolis. It will be held a week after the Canadian GP in Montreal.
Things could change though as an agreement with the Turkish GP has yet to be penned and the Turkish round on the calendar was marked with an asterisk, indicating it could change or be excluded altogether.
Once again, Bahrain will serve as the season-opener on March 11 with Brazil bringing things to an end at Interlagos on November 25. Interestingly, there are no fewer than six coupled races that follow just a week after the previous one which are the Malaysian GP and Shanghai GP, the Spanish GP and Monaco GP as well as the aforementioned North American rounds.
The 2012 FIA Formula One World Championship calendar is confirmed as follows:
11 March Bahrain
18 March Australia
01/ April Malaysia
08 April China
22 April Korea
06 May Turkey *
20 May Spain
27 May Monaco
10 June Canada
17 June United States
01 July Spain
15 July Great Britain
29 July Germany
05 August Hungary
02 September Belgium
09 September Italy
30 September Singapore
14 October Japan
28 October India
11 November Abu Dhabi
25 November Brazil
* Subject to confirmation
Source: FIA
