FIA confirms unchanged 2012 calendar and new regulations

Next year’s inaugural US grand prix at Austin has survived the meeting on Wednesday of the World Motor Sport Council.

Bernie Ecclestone had warned that without reaching a new agreement with the Circuit of the Americas officials, the event would be pulled from the 2012 calendar.

"The 2012 FIA formula one world championship calendar was confirmed as previously published," said the governing body after the meeting in India.

That is also good news for Bahrain, amid reports the situation inside the island Kingdom might have endangered the race’s scheduled return to the F1 calendar next April.

The FIA also announced a raft of regulations tweaks, including one that will not escape the notice of the drivers.

"Drivers may no longer move back onto the racing line having moved off it to defend a position," the statement read.

Full FIA press release

The final 2011 meeting of the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) took place in New Delhi, India, today (7 December). The FIA President, Jean Todt, opened the meeting by thanking Vijay Mallya and Vicky Chandhok for their hospitality and for hosting the week of FIA meetings in India.

The following decisions were taken:

Changes to the 2012 Technical Regulations

— All engine standard ECU set up and control parameters, which were formerly contained only within a Technical Directive, are now contained within the relevant parts of the Technical Regulations.
— The exhaust tailpipes are now strictly regulated in order to ensure that the aerodynamic effect exhaust gases have on the car is kept to an absolute minimum.
— Better marking of in-car emergency switches operated by marshals are now stipulated.
— The side impact structures will now have to be subjected to a further (upward) push-off test.

Changes to the 2012 Sporting Regulations

— Cars may no longer take part in pre-season testing without having passed all crash tests.
— There will now be a maximum race time of four hours to ensure that a lengthy suspension of a race does not result in a race that could run up to eight hours if left unregulated.
— Before the safety car returns to the pits all lapped cars will be allowed to unlap themselves and then join the back of the pack, ensuring a clean re-start without slower cars impeding those racing for the leading positions.
— Cars which were in the pit lane when a race is suspended will now be allowed to re-join the cars on the grid in the position they were in when the race was suspended.
— Drivers may no longer leave the track without a justifiable reason, i.e. cutting a chicane on reconnaissance laps or ‘in’ laps to save time and fuel.
— Drivers may no longer move back onto the racing line having moved off it to defend a position.
— One three-day test will be carried out during the season, formerly there were none.
— All stewards’ decisions which are not subject to appeal are now in one place instead of being in various places within the regulations.
— All tyres allocated to a driver may now be used on the first day of practice; formerly only three sets were permitted.

The 2012 FIA Formula One World Championship calendar was confirmed as previously published.

18 March Australian GP
25 March Malaysian GP
15 April Chinese GP
22 April Bahrain GP
13 May Spanish GP
27 May Monaco GP
10 June Canada GP
24 June European GP
8 July British GP
22 July German GP
29 July Hungarian GP
2 September Belgian GP
9 September Italian GP
23 September Singapore GP
7 October Japanese GP
14 October Korean GP
28 October Indian GP
4 November Abu Dhabi GP
18 November US GP
25 November Brazilian GP