It appears that this year's 'Young Driver' may not feature all twelve F1 teams at the same venue at the same time, after the entrants were given the option of going to either
Silverstone or Abu Dhabi.
While the latter may appear infinitely more enticing given the propensity for precitipation in the UK, even in the height of summer, initial reports suggest that only the two Red Bull-backed outfits will head for the Gulf.
That decision will have been based largely on each team's willingness to compromise the logistics of decamping from the Yas Marina Circuit and heading to the new Circuit of the Americas - and then on to Interlagos - during the hectic end of the 2012 schedule. No longer the jewel hosting the final round, Abu Dhabi merely serves as the warm-up event for both the returning USGP and traditional Brazilian finale, with all three events taking place in the space of four weeks. The 'Young Driver' test, which has been held in Yas Marina for the past two years, would have to take place in the week after the grand prix, leaving less time to pack up and head to Austin as the Indian Grand Prix takes place the weekend before Abu Dhabi.
According to
GPWeek, ten of the twelve F1 teams have already indicated their preference to run at
Silverstone around the time of the British Grand Prix, with only
Red Bull and
Toro Rosso in favour of campaigning at Yas Marina. The teams were given the choice of one or the other, but could not elect to run shorter times at both venues. Although the prospect of bad weather could scupper the plans of those teams hoping to run at Silverstone, that has been recognised by the FIA, which has said that teams can opt to defer to Abu Dhabi provided they do not take to the UK track.