Formula One

Formula One (F1) is often considered the pinnacle of automobile racing. It is the highest class of car racing with speeds topping 200 mph. The Formula One World Championship is held every year on racing tracks on every continent except Africa. The Championship is given not only to the winning driver after all 17 races but also to the winner car manufacturer. The current Driver's World Champion is German racer Sebastien Vettel, while the Constructor's Champions are Austrian designers Red Bull Racing.

Teams

The teams in the 2012 season are;

• Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, founded in 1966, are the third most successful team in the sport's history, having won the constructors' title 8 times.
• Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, who first competed in the second ever Formula One race at Monaco in 1950, are the most famous and most successful team in the history of Formula One, and present constructor's champions. They have been won the constructors' championship 16 times, mainly as a result of the dominance of Michael Schumacher, the driver with the most championship wins in the sport's history. The team uses Ferrari engines and are sponsored by cigarette company Marlboro.
• Scuderia Toro Rosso, who replaced the Minardi team in 2006, are a "farm" team for Red Bull Racing, but managed to beat their parent team in 2008. The team's drivers are 2009 debutante, Sebastien Buemi (Switzerland) and Formula 3 champion Jaime Alguersuari (Spain), who replaced Frenchman Sebastien Bourdais following the 2009 German Grand Prix. The team uses Ferrari engines and are sponsored by beverage company Red Bull.
• Red Bull Racing, who replaced the Jaguar team in 2005, have won three races. The team's current drivers are Mark Webber (Australia) who has won one race, and Sebastien Vettel (Germany), who moved for the 2009 season from Toro Rosso, and won one race while at STR. He won another two races with RBR in 2009. The team uses Renault engines, and, like Toro Rosso, are sponsored by Red Bull.
• Williams, founded in 1977, are the second most successful team in F1's history, having won the constructors' title 9 times. However, they have not won the title since 1997. The team's present drivers are Nico Rosberg (Germany) and Kazuki Nakajima (Japan). The team uses Toyota engines and are sponsored by communications company AT&T.
• Force India F1 Team, who replaced the Spyker team in 2008, scored their first points at the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix. The team's present drivers are Nico Hulkenburg and Paul Di Resta. The team uses Mercedes engines and are sponsored by Indian airline Kingfisher.
• Mercedes F1 Team, who replaced the Honda team in 2009 and then became the Petronas Mercedes AMG Racing in 2010. The are run by Norbet Hoog and have Nico Rosberg and Micheal Schumacher driving for them.

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, Texas	18 November
20	Grande Prêmio do Brasil	Brazilian GP	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	25 November

External Links

The Sport's governing body
Official Website
BBC Sport F1 - Site of the UK broadcaster