Formula one championship 2012

Just under a month before the Australian Grand Prix and all but two of the twelve teams have launched their Formula One challengers for the coming season. A series of new regulations – particularly a new safety regulation limiting the height of the car’s nose – has produced some of the most extraordinary machines we’ve seen for quite some time. While the F1 world may have said goodbye to F1 veterans Jarno Trulli and Rubens Barrichello, it also welcomes the return of Kimi Raikkonen, one of an unprecedented six World Champions on the grid. Sebastien Vettel and Red Bull Racing may have held all the cards in 2011, but they may find 2012 a much more difficult proposition.

 Having come within an ace of winning the World Driver’s Championship in 2010, third place last season was a poor return for the Scuderia. Their new F2012, the first to showcase the innovative ‘stepped’ nose, shows signs of an aggressive Championship campaign ahead.Fernando Alonso will again head the Ferrari line-up as he strives to become only the ninth driver to win three driver’s titles or more. The Spaniard took a stellar victory at last year’s British Grand Prix, despite his McLaren and Red Bull rivals running faster machinery, and belief that his F2012 will be strong straight out of the box should keep his rivals worried.Team-mate Felipe Massa will hope for a strong 2012 campaign, with rumours abounding that F1 sensation Robert Kubica could be in line to replace the Brazilian for 2013. Massa’s pace has been underfire since making his series return in 2010 after a near-fatal accident  at the Hungaroring a year earlier.
 With the news that Robert Kubica would be sidelined for a second season following his life-threatening rally crash in January last year, the newly renamed Renault team pulled a shock coup by signing former-World Champion Kimi Raikkonen.The Australian Grand Prix will be the first time Raikkonen has raced an F1 car since being bought out of his Ferrari contract early in 2009. Given the raft of technical changes that have swept F1 in his absence, many are wondering if the Finn still has what it takes to win, given his disappointing results in the World Rally Championship.Reigning GP2 Champion Romain Grosjean also returns to F1 with his old team after a disappointing part-campaign in 2009. With one of the strongest driver line-ups in the field, Lotus have their sights set firmly on fourth place in the Constructor’s Championship, with podium finishes high on the agenda. But despite scrapping their controversial forward exiting exhaust (which contributed to Nick Heidfeld’s Lotus-Renault igniting during last year’s Hungarian Grand Prix), chassis problems with the new E20 have already seen the team pull out of pre-season practice in Barcelona.
Williams F1 Team...
Drivers: Pastor Maldonado (19th, 1), Bruno Senna (18th, 2)
Frank Williams heralded a ‘fresh start’ at the launch of his team’s new FW34, following the team’s worst ever qualifying performance at last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Mike Coughan replaces the McLaren-bound Sam Michaels as Technical Director, while F1 veteran Rubens Barrichello makes way for countryman Bruno Senna, following a strong half-season for the Brazilian at Lotus-Renault in 2011.The deal marks the first time a ‘Senna’ has competed for Williams since the late, great Ayrton drove his last race for the British outfit in 1994. Pastor Maldonado will hope to better his solitary points-paying finish at last year’s Belgian Grand Prix in his sophomore year with WilliamsThe upcoming season will also be the first for the team without co-founder Patrick Head, who retired during the off-season after 35 years of service

Kamaljit Singh Jhooti better known by his stage name Jay Sean, is a British singer-songwriter, rapper, beatboxer and record producer.He debuted in the UK's Asian Underground scene as a member of the Rishi Rich Project with "Dance with You", which reached #12 on the UK Singles Chart in 2003. This led to him being signed to Virgin Records and having two UK top 10 hits as a solo artist in 2004: "Eyes On You" at #6 and "Stolen" at #4. They were included in his critically acclaimed debut album Me Against Myself which,[4] though only moderately successful in the UK, sold more than two million copies across Asia and remains his most successful album to date.Alongside the Rishi Rich Project, Sean was a pioneer of Bhangra-R&B fusion, which his debut album helped popularize among the worldwide South Asian diaspora.

He eventually left Virgin in 2006 and founded his own independent label, Jayded Records. After a gap of nearly four years, he returned in 2008 with "Ride It", which reached in the UK and topped the charts in several Eastern European countries, including Romania where it was one of the best-selling singles of the year. It was followed by hits such as "Maybe", which reached #7 on the Japan Hot 100, and "Tonight". They were included in his second album, My Own Way, which became his most successful album on the UK Albums Chart, reaching #6, and topped the UK R&B Chart. At around this time, he began increasingly incorporating electropop sounds into his R&B music.
Since the end of 2008, has he been signed to Cash Money Records. In 2009, his American debut single "Down" topped the Billboard Hot 100, making him the first solo artist of South Asian origin and first UK urban act to top the Hot 100. It was the seventh-best selling song of 2009, having sold more than three million copies in the United States that year, eventually reaching four million sales in the United States and six million sales worldwide, making him the most successful British/European male urban artist in US chart history. As of 2011, it is the fifth best selling song by a British artist in the digital era. It was soon followed by another hit, "Do You Remember", which has sold more than a million copies in the US, and entered the top ten on the Hot 100, making him the first male act since Chingy in 2003 to "simultaneously appear in the Hot 100 top 10 with his first two charting singles." They were included in his American-debut album All or Nothing, which debuted at  on the US Billboard 200 and reached  on the Japan Oricon Albums ChartSean is sometimes referred to as a "one-man boy band" and was ranked in Billboard's Hot 100 Artists of 2009.

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. FIA President Jean Todt later clarified this position, stating that the 2012 calendar would have no more than twenty races,[124] 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. The final calendar was released on 7 December 2011.

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

The following twelve teams and twenty-four drivers are competing in the 2012 Formula One World ChampioAt the November 2011 meeting of the Formula One Commission in Geneva, several teams were given permission to change their constructor names – the name recognised by the FIA as the entity that effectively owns the team, and to which all results for that team are credited with final approval from the World Motorsports Council granted in December of that year:

    Lotus became known as Caterham, reflecting team principal Tony Fernandes' purchase of Caterham Cars.
    Renault changed its constructor name to Lotus after Lotus Cars expanded its title sponsorship program to include teams in Formula One, GP2 and GP3.In April 2012, the team announced that they had terminated their title sponsorship deal with Lotus Cars, but intended to keep the Lotus name. Lotus Cars later issued a statement to clarify the split, maintaining that they were still working closely with the team, and that the schism was a deliberate act, intended to free up the team's ability to find a title sponsor whilst still retaining the Lotus name, which it would be free to use until 2017.
    Virgin became Marussia, following increased ownership of the team by Russian sports car manufacturer Marussia Motors.

As a result of the name changes, Team Lotus and Lotus Renault GP declared that their ongoing dispute over the use of the Lotus name was over after they had reached an "amicable conclusion" Although the exact terms of the settlement were kept confidential, the joint statement detailed the transfer of the rights to the Lotus and Team Lotus names to Group Lotus' ownership.

Williams announced that they would be using Renault engines for the 2012 and 2013 seasons, with an option to use Renault engines again in 2014 under the next generation of engine regulations.Renault had previously supplied engines to Williams from 1989 to , when the team won four World Drivers' Championships and five World Constructors' Championships. Following their worst season in their thirty-year history in which they finished ninth in the World Constructors' Championship with just five points – the team underwent a technical review, employing former McLaren designer Mike Coughlan (having served his suspension for his role in the 2007 Formula One espionage controversy) as Chief Designer, and promoting Jason Somerville to Head of Aerodyamics. Likewise, Marussia (then known as Virgin Racing) underwent a restructuring, splitting with Wirth Research mid-season after a technical review by Marussia Motors and the board of directors.The team also announced a technical partnership with McLaren that granted them access to McLaren's testing facilities as well as the purchase of Wirth Research facilities.

In the week before the 2011 Indian Grand Prix, Force India announced that the Sahara Group had purchased a 42.5% stake in the team, valued at US$100 million. The investment gives the Sahara Group and team principal Vijay Mallya an equal stake in the team, with team director Michiel Mol controlling the remaining 15% of the team. Under the terms of the sale, the Sahara Group has become Force India's naming-rights sponsor. Mercedes GP also changed the name of their team announcing that they were to become known as Mercedes AMG The new name originates from AMG, Mercedes-Benz's performance and luxury road car brand.

HRT team principal Colin Kolles formally left his position, with the team citing the relocation of their headquarters to Spain as the reason for the separation.[106] Former Minardi driver Luis Pérez-Sala took Kolles' place as team principal.[In January 2012, the team relocated to a new facility in Valenciabefore settling at a permanent facility in Madrid

Driver changes..

The 2012 season saw several driver changes. Lotus terminated Vitaly Petrov's contract one year before it expired and did not offer Bruno Senna a new contract. Petrov and Senna were replaced by 2007 World Drivers' Champion Kimi Räikkönen — returning to the sport after two seasons competing in the World Rally Championship — and reigning GP2 Series champion Romain Grosjean, who also returned to the sport after a two-year absence. Petrov later replaced Jarno Trulli at Caterham. Senna joined Williams,the team having previously attempted to secure Räikkönen for the season. Senna replaced Rubens Barrichello, who left Formula One after a record-breaking nineteen seasons. He later moved to IndyCar for the 2012 season, joining KV Racing Technology.

Like Räikkönen and Grosjean, Nico Hülkenberg also returned to Formula One, joining Force India alongside Paul di Resta. Adrian Sutil left the team, having spent six years with both Force India and its previous incarnations, Spyker and Midland.He initially sought a drive with Williams, before negotiations collapsed in December 2011. Sutil was later the subject of criminal action, charged with grievous bodily harm after allegedly assaulting a senior Renault team member with a glass in a Shanghai nightclub following the 2011 Chinese Grand Prix. Sutil was found guilty, and was sentenced to an eighteen-month suspended jail sentence and ordered to pay a €200,000 fine.

Pedro de la Rosa and Narain Karthikeyan returned to Formula One with HRT.De la Rosa had been without a full-time drive since the 2010 Italian Grand Prix, having spent the majority of the 2011 season as a test driver for McLaren and making one appearance racing for Sauber; Karthikeyan was dropped by the team before the 2011 British Grand Prix in favour of Ricciardo. He later returned to make a one-race appearance at the Indian Grand Prix, before leaving the team until the 2012 season began. Vitantonio Liuzzi, who drove for HRT in 2011, joined the Indian i1 Super Series.. The series was later postponed until 2013, but Liuzzi was unable to retain his seat with the team. At the launch of the HRT F112 in March, Liuzzi was confirmed as one of the team's testing and reserve drivers alongside former GP2 Series driver Dani Clos.

nship.[ The FIA published a provisional entry list on 30 November 2011 and the grid was finalised on 17 February

Team	Constructor	Chassis	Engine	Tyre	No.	Race Drivers	Rounds	Test/Reserve Driver(s)
Red Bull Racing	Red Bull	RB8	Renault RS27-2012	P	1	Sebastian Vettel[50]	1–4	Sébastien Buemi[51]
					2	Mark Webber[52]	1–4
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes	McLaren	MP4-27	Mercedes FO 108Z	P	3	Jenson Button[53]	1–4	Gary Paffett[54] Oliver Turvey[55]
					4	Lewis Hamilton[56]	1–4
Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari	F2012	Ferrari Type 056	P	5	Fernando Alonso[57]	1–4	Davide Rigon[58]
					6	Felipe Massa[59]	1–4
Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team	Mercedes	F1 W03	Mercedes FO 108Z	P	7	Michael Schumacher[60]	1–4	Sam Bird[61]
					8	Nico Rosberg[62]	1–4
Lotus F1 Team	Lotus	E20	Renault RS27-2012	P	9	Kimi Räikkönen[63]	1–4	Jérôme d'Ambrosio[64]
					10	Romain Grosjean[65]	1–4
Sahara Force India F1 Team	Force India	VJM05	Mercedes FO 108Z	P	11	Paul di Resta[66]	1–4	Jules Bianchi[67] Gary Paffett[68]
					12	Nico Hülkenberg[66]	1–4
Sauber F1 Team	Sauber	C31	Ferrari Type 056	P	14	Kamui Kobayashi[69]	1–4	Esteban Gutiérrez[69]
					15	Sergio Pérez[69]	1–4
Scuderia Toro Rosso	Toro Rosso	STR7	Ferrari Type 056	P	16	Daniel Ricciardo[70]	1–4	Sébastien Buemi[71]
					17	Jean-Éric Vergne[70]	1–4
Williams F1 Team	Williams	FW34	Renault RS27-2012	P	18	Pastor Maldonado[72]	1–4	Valtteri Bottas[72] Susie Wolff[73]
					19	Bruno Senna[74]	1–4
Caterham F1 Team	Caterham	CT01	Renault RS27-2012	P	20	Heikki Kovalainen[75]	1–4	Giedo van der Garde[76] Alexander Rossi[77] Rodolfo González[78]
					21	Vitaly Petrov[49]	1–4
HRT F1 Team	HRT	F112	Cosworth CA2012	P	22	Pedro de la Rosa[79][80]	1–4	Dani Clos[81] Vitantonio Liuzzi[82]
					23	Narain Karthikeyan[80][83]	1–4
Marussia F1 Team	Marussia	MR01	Cosworth CA2012	P	24	Timo Glock[84]	1–4	María de Villota[85]
					25	Charles Pic[86]	1–4

Notes:
Drivers in italics completed Friday testing programmes at selected events.