The United States Grand Prix remains on the 2012 F1 calendar despite doubts over its future.
The organisers of the race at the Circuit of the Americas recently admitted they had failed to make payments to Bernie Ecclestone.
A deadline to secure the race’s place on the calendar passed earlier this week. Today the World Motor Sport’s Council confirmed the existing calendar for 2012 with no changes.
The Bahrain Grand Prix also remains on the calendar despite ongoing trouble in the region. The race was dropped from this year’s calendar following several deaths at pro-demcracy protests.
Here is the current 2012 F1 calendar:
Round | Race | Circuit | Date |
1 | Australian Grand Prix | Albert Park, Melbourne | March 16-18th |
2 | Malaysian Grand Prix | Sepang International Circuit | March 23rd-25th |
3 | Chinese Grand Prix | Shanghai International Circuit | April 13-15th |
4 | Bahrain Grand Prix | Bahrain International Circuit | April 20th-22nd |
5 | Spanish Grand Prix | Circuit de Catalunya | May 11-13th |
6 | Monaco Grand Prix | Monte-Carlo | May 24-27th |
7 | Canadian Grand Prix | Montreal | June 8-10th |
8 | European Grand Prix | Valencia | June 22nd-24th |
9 | British Grand Prix | Silverstone | July 6-8th |
10 | German Grand Prix | Hockenheimring | July 20th-22nd |
11 | Hungarian Grand Prix | Hungaroring | July 27-29th |
12 | Belgian Grand Prix | Spa-Francorchamps | August 31st-September 2nd |
13 | Italian Grand Prix | Monza | September 7-9th |
14 | Singapore Grand Prix | Marina Bay | September 21st-23rd |
15 | Japanese Grand Prix | Suzuka | October 5-7th |
16 | Korean Grand Prix | Korean International Circuit | October 12-14th |
17 | Indian Grand Prix | Buddh International Circuit | October 26-28th |
18 | Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | Yas Marina | November 2nd-4th |
19 | United States Grand Prix | Circuit of the Americas | November 16-18th |
20 | Brazilian Grand Prix | Interlagos | November 23rd-25th |
View more information on the 2012 F1 calendar.
2012 F1 calendar
Image © Red Bull/Getty images
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
7th December 2011, 11:30
Well, it’s good to know the race is still in place. I’m still looking forward to it.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
7th December 2011, 23:31
@prisoner-monkeys Ditto. Looking forward to it if only for the elevation change.
sato113 (@sato113)
7th December 2011, 11:34
although Bahrain on the other hand… I hate it how Bernie insists on taking f1 there next year. there is civil unrest on that tiny island, no matter how many have died, F1 should just forget about it for another year or drop it all together. It smacks of hypocrisy this whole scenario.
Dan Brown (@danbrown180)
7th December 2011, 11:44
££££££££££££££££
sato113 (@sato113)
7th December 2011, 11:52
yeah, tell me about it! :D
Adam Tate (@adam-tate)
7th December 2011, 17:13
COTD!
Fixy (@)
7th December 2011, 18:32
I like Bahrain being 4th, as it’s as it was in 2009, and when I try to remember the order of the races I always put it behind Australia, Malaysia and China.
US_Peter (@us_peter)
7th December 2011, 21:33
I like that it’s not the first race of the season as well, the problem being that when it’s inevitably dropped again, we’ll have an entire month between China and Spain.
Iam-alright-Jack
7th December 2011, 11:55
With Bahrain on the calender it truely shows that F1 has no moral compass. What next, the Syrian GP?
Sherlock
7th December 2011, 13:29
Nobody has any problems going to China GP.
At least i haven’t heard of.
TheBrav3
8th December 2011, 0:09
My brother lives a perfectly happy life in china He has not been fired from his job and tortured to death.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
8th December 2011, 6:53
Your brother might not have been, but countless Chinese people have. Haven’t you heard of the Tiannamen Square Massacre? Beijing claims it never happened. Or the invasion of Tibet? Five thousand people died during the initial occupation, but officially, Tibet approached China and peacefully became a part of the enlighened Chinese Peoples’ Republic without a drop of blood being spilt. Or how about Falun Gong? Beijing may have tortured up to 65,000 people to death when their only “crime” was practicing a spiritual philosophy that abandoned Maoism.
China is a country that has branded the Dalai Lama as “the greatest threat to Chinese culture and security”, effectively turning the spiritual and political leader of an entire nation known for its non-violent approach into Osama bin Laden. They have introduced laws that effectively give security forces the right to arbitrarily detain and imprison anyone without trial (or even giving them a reason why they have been arrested), and they regularly abuse ethnic miorities, particularly Tibetians and Uyghurs. And there are no laws in place forcing employers to ensure workers have decent working conditions. For every millionaire China has produced, there are a thosuand workers who have been abused and left impoverished who supported that millionaire’s rise to fortune.
The real tragedy in China is that nobody really cares anymore. Bahrain has a few months of instability and everyone is up in arms. China has fifty years of systematic abuse and nobody so much as bats an eyelid at it. But hey, your brother hasn’t had any problems in China, so let’s all go racing there.
I’ll join the chorus calling for an end to the Bahrain Grand Prix for political reasons when someone can explain to me why it is okay for Formula 1 to boycott Bahrain because of its human rights abuses, but visit China in spite of them.
BasCB (@bascb)
8th December 2011, 8:34
It is not Okay @prisoner-monkeys, but the fact the world is not fair and acting the same towards anyone is no reason whatsoever to effectlively support Bahrain going on as if nothing happened (and ignoring the fact government officcials did act very dubious) instead of solving their issues.
Indeed, China might be too big a hurdle, at least for now, but if things start to change in Bahrain, it will/might slowly tip the balance in the world, eventually.
So maybe in 30 years, China can then be different as well.
Alex W
8th December 2011, 11:03
Good points, but if Chinese rise up like Tinamein again i would support a boycott to support such an uprising… As things stand an F1 boycott of China would mean nothing.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
9th December 2011, 0:41
Oh, so a boycott is okay if Tiannamen happens again.
It’s still going on.
Haven’t you heard of the Golden Shield Project, also known as the Great Firewall of China? It’s nation-wide internet censorship introduced by the Chinese government that blocks Chinese citizens from accessing information on “culturally sensitive” subjects, including the Tiannamen Square Massacre, the Dalai Lama, and dozens of other subjects. Anybody who claims that Tiannamen happened or who shares information on it can be arrested as a “public nuisance”. Sure, you can’t see it the way the world could see the actual Massacre, but it still happens every day.
TheBrav3
9th December 2011, 5:59
“No swearing, insults, advertising or racial, sexual or similar discrimination.”
There is non of that in the above…
TheBrav3
9th December 2011, 6:07
Do you know a single person who lives in china personally? I’m guessing not because if you did you would know the chinese people are happy. They may not have the best government in the world but they don’t care they live peacefully. living there is no different to any where else in the world they don’t have a fear of being tear gased or shot on their way to the shops. England and america sell weapons to terrorists and dictators and then go to war with them as soon as our oil reserves get low but you don’t come here saying we should boycott silverstone or cota or nj. The chinese people don’t need your 22 year old tears. China is not going through a civil war right now. The bahraini people on the other hand ARE STILL being crushed under a government boot as real as the tanks in tiannamen square in 1989 and could use all the support they can get. If you can’t see the difference there well, I WONT BE SURPRISED.
Obviously the freedom of the bahraini people is somehow counter productive to your goals. Every chance you have had you have said what a wonderfull place it is and the food aint bad either you know, the kings a great guy to. Whilst every time someone mentions china you regurgitate this innacurate dribble. Your double standards would be funny if it wasn’t utterly staggering how little respect you have for people whose lives are being ruined. When the report came out the other week, you said you had read through the whole thing which stated that people had been tortured in ways that i feel ill to even type here. Your reaction to that was (thank god you’re the only person on f1 fanatic who thinks like this) IT HAPPENS EVERYWHERE MOVE ON LETS HAVE A RACE. When was the last time you were dragged from your place of work or home by your hair, held by the australian government had excrement forced down your throat and your genitals connected to a car battery. All the while your wife waiting in terror at home wondering if she will ever see you again or if they will come and get her and the kids? When was the last time you were beaten to death for expressing your self? What’s that pm? That’s never happened to a single citizen of australia? Now why don’t you A) develop some compassion for the innocent bahrainis and B) try living in china for a year or two before you decide to post such glaring inaccuracies of life there, attempting to compare the situation there now (happy people living perfectly normal lives) to what is going on in bahrain (civil war civilian vs military personnel authorised to use ultimate force openly fighting in the streets guns gas torture fear and subjugation).
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
9th December 2011, 7:11
Yes, I do. Over a hundred of them, in point of fact.
As a whole, yes. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t being oppressed. They just don’t know anything else.
But they do have a fear of being arrested and imprisoned without charge, and likely sent to a prison without even know why they are going there.
Maybe not. But it’s not a case of being in a state of civil war, or not being in a state of civil war. There are degrees in between, other evils that can be committed. For example, Bejing has passed a law preventing the Dalai Lama from being reincarnated anywhere but China. This year, I was responsible for the wellbeing of residents ina university college, and I received a call at two in the morning from a group of terrified Bhutanese students who were being tormented by a group of Chinese residents. These Chinese believed that the Dalai Lama would be reincarnated in Bhutan, breaking the law, and so decided to take it out on the Bhutanese residents.
So, too, are the Chinese people.
No, that was not my reaction at all. My reaction is that Formula 1 has no buisness going around making political and moral statements like boycotting the race in Bahrain, and by calling for a boycott in some countries and not others, the fans reveal themselves to by hypocrites. For some reason, it is okay to have a race in China, but not in Bahrain, despite documents human rights abuses by both. The only reason why a race should be cancelled is because it is unsafe for drivers, teams, the media, fans and anyone else connected to the sport. Making political statements is a quagmire that will not end well for the sport.
TheBrav3
9th December 2011, 14:15
Imba seal
BasCB (@bascb)
8th December 2011, 8:30
That must be it then, Sherlock
BasCB (@bascb)
7th December 2011, 12:25
I think Will Buxton nicely stipulated the situation with Bahrain in his tweet earlier 2012
Suppose its not that unlikely Bahrain will have to be cancelled shortly before the event is planned to happen again. Good luck COTA with showing how make-do, hands-on you guys over there are and build the track in time to have a great race in 11 months from now.
BasCB (@bascb)
7th December 2011, 12:50
The Statesman newspaper got a statement from the COTA people as well, saying they did agree on a 10 year deal with Bernie and the money was transferred today.
bosyber (@bosyber)
8th December 2011, 7:22
Good news @BasCB! So you were right in saying the earlier press releases were just a negotiating tactic, good to see Bernie not reluctant to wait a bit for money, as usual :)
bosyber (@bosyber)
8th December 2011, 7:25
Although that article had me laugh where it said:
– I know, they are the US Grand Prix, but on first reaction I read it as if Peter Windsor had found a check leftover after the USGP debacle and sent it in in support! For a moment, until reality came back.
TheBrav3
9th December 2011, 6:11
“good to see Bernie not reluctant to wait a bit for money, as usual :) ”
Some say he has nothing but time ;)
McLarenFanJamm (@mclarenfanjamm)
7th December 2011, 12:51
Good, I’m looking forward to the US GP. Hopefully it still goes ahead and doesn’t have to be cancelled last minute.
KeeleyObsessed (@keeleyobsessed)
7th December 2011, 13:43
Thank god for that. I liked the Austin track a lot more than the New York one… It’d be a shame to have the American GP in New York when you’ve got CotA there already…
But.. That’s 2013’s argument…
Hope Bahrain can sort themselves out for 2012, this year’s ‘on off’ decision making process was dreadful…
wasiF1 (@wasif1)
7th December 2011, 14:44
I just wish all of those 20 races do take place.
Malibu_GP
7th December 2011, 18:11
I hope the matter is settled finally. I have been wanting to make My travel arrangements for some time now. Im still gonna wait for a while to make sure though. When I’m certain, I will make plans for NY and Texas. Both seem promising…
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
7th December 2011, 23:33
I will definitely try my absolute best to get to NY/NJ for the race in a couple of years.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
7th December 2011, 23:33
I know where i’ll be August 31st-September 2nd. Lovely stuff.
ScuderiaVincero (@scuderiavincero)
11th December 2011, 15:12
How did I not notice this before? Looks like Friday practice for the Belgian Grand Prix will be on my country’s independence day! :)
alexf1man (@alexf1man)
21st December 2011, 8:08
For the first time in 11 years. And qualifying hasn’t been on that day since 2002.
ScuderiaVincero (@scuderiavincero)
21st December 2011, 9:57
@alexf1man All the more reason to love the Belgian GP :)
alexf1man (@alexf1man)
21st December 2011, 18:16
Which is on BBC, but not Italy. Why can’t they drop Valencia?
Alzarius (@alzarius)
13th January 2012, 19:22
Anyone think it’s safe to start purchasing travel arrangements for the Austin race? Bernie got paid, the race is scheduled to be late in the season to give them ample time to finish the track, and barring an incompletion in construction, this should br a lock right? I can’t imagine the US failing when South Korea and India got their jobs done in the last two years.
I wanted to book stuff early to avoid the inevitable scramble for plane and hotel tickets.