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This weekend, Sunday the 18th of March marks the return of an action packed Formula One Grand Prix season. It is when, after 113 days (amongst the briefest off seasons in the sport’s history), the show is geared up to start all over again.

The first stop on our world tour is Down Under, at the 2012 Formula 1 Qantas Australian Grand Prix. The race will be held at the Albert Park circuit, on Sunday the 18th of March, at 5pm, local time. The meet lasts a blistering 58 laps. It covers a circuit length of 5.303 km and a race distance of 307.574 km. The Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit is the longest running motor race in Australia. But it is now the site of the opening race of the 2012 season.

Fans are waiting in baited breath to see if the 2011 champion Sebastian Vettel can repeat last year’s run of victories. Moreover, can former champion Lewis Hamilton (crowned in 2008) put aside his controversial 2011 season, with bad press and altercations with fellow drivers, to romp to victory? Or will his McLaren team mate Jenson Button succeed Vettel as this year’s champion?

The 2012 season marks the return of the United States Grand Prix. It also sees the German Grand Prix going back to Hockenheim. 2012 is also the 62nd anniversary of the oldest formula one race in the world, The British Grand Prix, at Silverstone. This is just an idea of the many interesting aspects of this year’s Grand Prix season. Soon it is all due to kick off in Australia.

It was the perfect way to mark the end of the 2011 Grand Prix season. Last weekend, before the final race, two major recording artists, Jessie J and Macy Gray, gave a performance in Sao Paul, Brazil. It was called the F1 Rocks concert and was, by all account, the perfect combination of excitement and glamour. What could be more appropriate for the Brazilian Grand Prix itself?

The concluding meet of the season was actually something of a dream come true for Australian racer Mark Webber. The Red Bull Renault driver has watched with pride as his team mate Sebastian Vettel had multiple wins this season. It ended with him walking off with the championship as a whole. Webber though, had not been a victor at the podium in his own right all year. He finally got his chance at The Formula 1 Grande Premio Petrobras Do Brasil 2011. It happened at The Interlagos circuit, on Sunday 25 November. This was where Mark Webber was finally victorious this season.

The racer stormed in front thanks, in part, to skilful driving, nerves of steel and excellent teamwork. The already lauded Vettel, at the finish of the main straight, reportedly provided the Australian plenty of room to tear ahead. Yet, from that moment on, Webber was unstoppable. He took the initiative and drove like a champion, now leaving Vettel looking on in pride.

The Brazilian Grand Prix had already been a significant stop for Sebastian. This is the race he had won 12 months earlier, in 2010. This year, it was the site of his 15th pole position of 2011. This saw him break a record held by Nigel Mansell for 19 years; for the most poles in one season.

It is believed Vettel experienced gearbox difficulties. His team first noticed it on the 14th Lap and he was advised to slow down on the 30th. This allowed Weber to overtake him, but the German champion still finished his last race of the season in second place

Jenson Button completed the Brazilian Grand Prix in third place. Still, it earned him the points he needed to finally secure second place in the standings. Button, as many predicted, took the season’s silver medal,

Fernando Alonso with Ferrari finished the race in fourth. His team mate, Felipe Massa, in his centennial race, took fifth.

Lewis Hamilton, unfortunately, despite his victory in Abu Dhabi, seemingly experienced gearbox difficulties of his own. This forced him to retire on the 48th lap. However, after a somewhat up and down season for the Brit, he is reportedly already looking ahead to next season with growing confidence.

This will be when addicts of action packed Grand Prix motor racing will restart their pilgrimage following their sport around the world. It begins again at The Australian Grand Prix in March 2012 and we can’t wait.

The 2011 Formula One Season draws to a close this weekend and they couldn’t have found a better setting. The last race of the year takes place this Sunday, the 27th of November, at 14:00 local time. It is the carnival like Formula 1 Grande Premo Petrobras Do Brasil, otherwise known as The Brazilian Grand Prix.

This breathtaking event marks the 19th meet of the season. It will be held at the celebrated Autódromo José Carlos Pace circuit, in São Paulo. It is the biggest city in Brazil.

The track was previously called Interlagos when it first opened in 1940. But it underwent a name change in 1985. This was in memory of late Brazilian racing driver José Carlos Pace, who tragically lost his life in a plane crash in 1977. The track is now home to The Brazilian Grand Prix. The race lasts a stunning 71 laps, across a circuit length of 4.309 km. It is the perfect spot to decide the racing season.

This is how things currently stand. Sebastian Vettel is already champion. However the race for second place is reaching fever pitch. Britain’s Jenson Button, with McLaren-Mercedes is well on the way to securing Silver. However, Fernando Alonso with Ferrari and Mark Webber, with Red Bull-Renault, could still grab the 25 points they need to give him a run for his money.

Racing fans will finally find out who’s named runner up of the 2011 Drivers’ Championship. This will be the culmination of an action packed year of motor racing. They will experience the final race of an unforgettable Grand Prix season, in the blistering heat of Brazil.

The 2011 formula one season may be coming to a close, but it still has some wonderful twists and turns.

The last race saw a brilliant surprise for the McLaren team. It marked a win for Lewis Hamilton at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The British driver answered some of his critics with a storming victory. This will be just what Hamilton needs after a somewhat controversial season where he has come under a fair degree of criticism. These range from being accused of driving unsafely in the rain, to his collision with Felipe Massa during the Indian Grand Prix. There was also an outcry when Hamilton collided with his own McLaren team mate Jenson Button in Canada. But pundits are now raving about the Brit winning the race in Abu Dhabi.

There are some whom may say he was lucky. Hamilton might have benefited from this year’s champion, Sebastian Vettel, retiring on the first lap with a puncture. But then the driver went out in front and seemed to have the race in the bag. Fernando Alonso, with Ferrari, tried to overtake and grab first place at the last pit stop, but he couldn’t catch him. Hamilton had a resounding win which many see as a turning point. The Spaniard ended up finishing in second. Button finished the race in third place, while Red Bull’s Mark Webber was fourth. Hamilton’s great rival Felipe Massa, however, ended up coming in fifth.

It has been a thrilling exciting year of motor racing, but it all draws to a close on the 27th of November. This is the date of the last race of the reason, the breathtaking Brazilian Grand Prix.

It will be a hot afternoon in São Paulo, at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace racing circuit. This is the site of the final Formula One Grand Prix motor race of 2011.

The previous race of the 2011 Grand Prix season marked a new dawn in Formula One. It marked the first ever meet held in India.

Sunday the 30th of October saw Sebastian Vettel win the inaugural Formula 1 Airtel Grand Prix of India, at the Buddh International Circuit. Jenson Button with McLaren-Mercedes came second, while Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso was third.

But it is now onto the penultimate meet of the season. It is the 2011 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The race is scheduled for Sunday the 13th of November 2011 at 17:00 local time. It will be staged at Yas Marina Circuit in the United Arab Emirates.

This is one of only two motor racing circuits in the Middle East, alongside Bahrain. It has been in existence since October 2009. The Grand Prix circuit is 5.554 km (3.451 mi) in length. It last for 55 laps and has 21 turns. The lap record is held by Sebastian Vettel, who secured a time of 1:40.279 in 2009.

Vettel may have already won this year’s Grand Prix championship, but the race is still on for second place. It is said Britain’s Jenson Button is still hungry for the number two spot, but he faces tough competition from Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber. We will see what happens in the last two races of the season, at Abu Dhabi on the 13th of November and Brazil on the 27th.