The schedule for 2012 is one that will be very exciting for all the drivers, teams, and the fans.  You can expect to see the Formula One United States Grand Prix in Texas once again in November.  This race will be the second one held in Texas.  Last year’s United States Grand Prix was the first in the states since the Grand Prix in Indianapolis in 2007.  Another interesting race on the schedule has to be the Bahrain Grand Prix that will be held in Sakhir.  Last year the Bahrain Grand Prix was cancelled due to the civil unrest that was happening in the country.  Seems to me the drivers would still be worried about how secure the event will be, and it makes me thankful I have my home security in Massachusetts.   This year the plan was originally to schedule the race in November, just in case, but it was since moved to April.

Other important races will obviously be the season opening race at Albert Park in Melbourne on March 18, the Australian Grand Prix.  And the race to finish it all off will be in Brazil on the 25th of November.

I know I cannot wait until the new season kicks off in just a couple of months.  I am waiting in anticipation until then obviously.  What are you doing in order to get amped for the new race season to start?  And let me know what are your predictions for the 2012 Formula One race season?

Earlier this month the FIA met at the World Motorsports Council in New Delhi, India to address these new rules and the changes.  Most of the rules that were mentioned had already become known to the public, but the FIA did in fact confirm the rules that will be new and/or changing for the 2012 racing season.

Some of the changes will include regulating engine mapping and exhaust positioning, taking out chicanes during lap-ins, and giving the drivers the ability to use all of the tyres available to them in the Friday races.

What do you think of the rules and changes that have been made for Formula One racing for the year of 2012?  Take a look and compare them to the rule changes from the previous year in the ingraphic below.

Reliving the races and the winners from 2011 seems to be just enough to get us all by as we await the month of March when Formula 1 will start back up.  And when those two things just aren’t enough, we turn to YouTube for some crazy awesome videos like the one that is below.

Here you can see, for the first time, an eye-level view from Lucas di Grassi’s Formula 1 racing car.  He races around the track on time in Barcelona with a camera attached to his car so that fans like you and me can get a taste of what it looks like to the driver.  The camera was literally in the driver’s view though.  Lucas di Grassi said, “I had to drive with only one eye open as the camera was blocking my other eye, quite tricky.

A year long dispute between Malaysian owned Team Lotus and Renault, thanks to the agreement,  which had been operating as Lotus Renault since the British sports car company from Hethel took over the main sponsorship role in 2011, is now settled.   Immediately after the announcement of the FIA’s decision, Lotus Renault GP team leader Eric Boullier said “We are very pleased that our chassis name change has been approved. We have said all along that, in the interests of the sport, it is important that we remove any ambiguity on this matter. It is also important that there are clearly identifiable teams on the grid, and today’s announcement goes some way towards ensuring that.”  It sounds like this settles the matter once and for all.

Not insignificantly, the latest announcement means that Renault’s direct team involvement isreduced somewhat as the French brand goes back to its more traditional engine supply role.  Teams like Lotus, Caterham, Williams, and current champions Reds Bull Racing will keep them on as preferred providers.

The FIA’s  announcement further underscores the exit of Virgin from the world of F1 racing.

Currently there are no F1 racing cars sponsored by corporations like adt home security, Amazon.com, or Microsoft, but this could always change in the future.  It would be nice to see the titans of tech get more involved in the sport, particularly as they seek to implement the roles of their products being built into cars.

Nigel Mansell was born in August of 1953 outside of Birmingham, England.  The first car he drove was at age seven in a close field, and at the same age he witnessed Jim Clark win the British Grand Prix.  That was the point when he decided that he would do the same.

Kart racing is where Mansell got his start.  He was considerably successful in kart racing, but in 1977 he became the champion of British Formula Ford even though he had broken his neck in an accident while testing.  To get into the Formula Ford series Mansell had to sell most of his personal belongings, and to make it into Formula Three he and his wife even sold their home.  In 1979, despite being full of painkillers thanks to a broken vertebrae, Mansell qualified to test drive for Formula One.  His Formula One debut was in 1980 at the Austrian Grand Prix, and because of a cockpit fuel leak Mansell suffered second degree burns.

It was not until 1985 that Mansell finally started to become a winner.  In a year and a half he took eleven wins.  His racing success was not without controversy.  Many other racers were not fans of Mansell, but fans loved how hard he drove and his obvious passion for the sport.

In his career, Nigel Mansell earned 191 Grand Prix entries with 31 wins.  He earned one World Championship by the time he retired in 1994.

Alberto Ascari - Ascari was born in Italy in 1918.  His father was a well-known Italian driver as well.  Ascari was a well-loved and dominating champion of Formula 1, and he was actually one of the safest drivers in a time when the sport was very unsafe.  Unfortunately one month to the day before the anniversary of his father’s death exactly 30 years before, Ascari was in a tragic accident that was eerily similar to that of his father’s.  To this day the accident remains a mystery, but Alverto Ascari remains a Formula 1 legend.

Jackie Stewart – Not only are Stewart’s track records still great enough to keep him in the top realm with other champions, but he alone helped to create a safer sport in Formula 1.  He also found a way to get the sport across on a commercial level too.  Stewart’s intelligence and effective communication made him a great influence on the sport, but he backed it up with some incredible driving.  This Scottish driver introduced full-faced helmets, seat belts, and medical units to the sport.  There was more to Stewart than just being a great racing car driver, but he was that too.

Mario Andretti - In the year 1955 the Andretti family immigrated from Italy to America.  Mario Andretti had already discovered his passion for racing cars, and at the age of 18 he and his twin Aldo began racing in stock car races.  Aldo crashed soon after and decided not to race anymore, while Mario was racing sometimes 5 races in just one day.  There have been few drivers with as much passion as Mario Andretti and it was evident in his driving and wins.

Ayrton Senna – The overly ambitious Brazilian, Senna, was said to have driven like a man possessed.  At some points during his career he would even startle himself going at uncontrollable speeds.  In 1994 Senna met his fate in an accident.  Frank Williams sad of him, “Ayrton was no ordinary person.  He was actually a greater man out of the car than in it.”

Michael Schumacher – The German Micahel Schumacher has earned himself 7 World Championships.  This driver has held just about every Formula 1 record imaginable, and in 2007 he retired.  Only in 2010 Schumacher returned to the sport to race for the Mercedes GP team.

If you have never taken an interest in the sport of Formula 1 racing, but would like to give it a go, then I highly recommend it.  Here are some key terms that you should be made aware of.  Following those terms is a video that give you a bit of a preview to the 2011 BBC coverage of the races.

Flat Spot – this is the place on the tyre (tire) that gets worn out a lot due to extreme braking or spinning.  A flat spot can cause issues with handling and create bad vibrations, not good vibrations and may force a driver to pit for a new set.

DRS – The abbreviation stands for drag reduction system.  It is also the rear wings that are adjustable between two different predetermined settings from in the cockpit.

Lollipop – During pit stops, this is the sign that is help in front of a car to inform the driver of when to brake and then go into first gear before the car is lowered.

There are all kinds of numbers and figures that are involved in any type of racing, you know?  That is especially true for Formula 1 racing.  You see there are all sorts of people involved with all of the numbers and statistics that are a part of Formula 1 racing, and luckily for you guys I found a sweet infographic that breaks it all down for us.  You’re going to look at it and see some pretty awesome information that you would probably never really think of until now.  So hopefully you will take a gander at this and you will learn something totally cool that you have never known before.