Thanks to Dave at the Austin American Statesman, we learned earlier this morning that the FIA World Motorsports Council has officially solidified the 2012 Formula One race calendar today. Austin will host the Formula One United States Grand Prix on November 18, 2012, the second to last race of the season just before the Brazilian Grand Prix (click the link to join our event on FB and share with your friends!).
According to the official FIA press release, the vote for the 2012 calendar was conducted via fax and received unanimous support from all parties. Obviously, this calendar announcement in August the year before is a little premature. Both Formula One and Circuit of the Americas claimed the announcement wouldn't be revealed until later this fall, however it is a very pleasant surprise to those of us here in Austin that want to ensure everyone traveling here can enjoy the events to their fullest and not have the summer heat ruining their experience.
While Circuit of the Americas has not yet revealed any information on ticket pricing and availability, the likelihood of this information being revealed soon is increasing day-by-day. Stay tuned as we further analyze the outcome of the November race, how it will effect travel, lodging, and other local events so that you can plan to make the most of your trip here for the inaugural race!
One other aspect of the calendar is particularly interesting for Formula One fans, the August summer break which usually lasts three weeks has been extended to five weeks. There will be no races at all next August and several more back-to-back weekly races, something we know the teams were very concerned with. Quite frankly, it's going to be hard to make it through next August with F1 Withdrawl...
(This is how I feel about that news)