Australia may retain opening GP slot
Sebastian Vettel took victory this year Albert Park
The 2012 Formula One World Championship may yet kick off at Albert Park.
The Australian Grand Prix was listed as the second race of the season on a provisional 2012 calendar issued by the FIA in early June, with Bahrain set to open the campaign one week earlier (March 11).
According to a report from Autosport, however, Formula One Management boss Bernie Ecclestone is currently in the midst of reshaping the calendar after concerns surrounding both the Bahrain and United States dates.
It is understood that the Bahrain race could be moved to November, giving local authorities an extra nine months in which to quash any safety concerns following the events of this year.
The likelihood of extreme heat in Texas during its current June slot meanwhile is also likely to see the Austin race shuffled towards the end of the year.
The changes are predicted to result in back-to-back races in the Middle East in early November, prior to the US and Brazilian Grands Prix rounding out the season.
It appears increasingly likely that the Turkish Grand Prix will be removed from the calendar completely.
CLICK HERE for the 2012 calendar previously released by the FIA
The 2011 World Championship continues this weekend in Hungary. View Speedcafe.com’s Race Guide below