2012 Formula Super 1 Season
Pre-season Testing
Teams & Drivers
Team Changes
Driver Changes
Changed teams
Entered FS1
Exited FS1
Mid-season changes
- Mathias Lauda left Audi to sign a two year deal to race for Alfa Romeo.
- Following an impressive latter half of the first season, Yuji Kunimoto was signed as the second driver for reigning champions, Kronos Total Renault.
- After a disappointing season where he was completely outperformed by his world champion team mate, Raphael Matos was replaced at Kronos by Kunimoto, and in the end, secured a drive at Lion Grand Prix.
- Clivio Piccione moved across from Lotus Racing to Audi
- Marc Gene was unable to agree terms with the Alfa Romeo team for a contract extension, and found himself moving to the Lotus Racing team, though the deal was only confirmed days before the season began.
- Christian Vietoris' relationship with the Joest Racing team soured, after he complained of the team preferring team mate Gabriele Tarquini over himself, and consequently quit to race for Epsilon Euskadi.
- Following an impressive debut season, Giorgio Mondini moved across from the West team to Motori Moderni.
Entered FS1
- Having won the Formula Super B crown in 2011, Michael Ammermuller secured a drive with the Joest Racing Team.
- Runner-up to Ammermuller, fellow German Markus Winkelhock was signed up as second driver for the Audi team.
- Japanese Formula B mid-fielder Hiroki Yoshimoto signed for the West team, bringing with him $6 million in sponsorship for the team.
- Italian Formula B champion Fabio Onidi tested for the Lotus Racing team over the winter, but in the end signed for West.
Exited FS1
- James Rossiter was unable to agree a deal for the Audi team, and left to race in the Formula Super B. Lying third in the championship, he found himself later returning back for the Audi team to replace the injured Jonny Reid.
- Having replaced the injured Gary Paffett during the opening part of the season, Marco Andretti reverted to his reserve driver role at the Bugatti team, despite being heavily linked with West before the season began.
- Kohei Hirate was fired from the Epsilon Euskadi after failing to score a point all year, and went sportscar racing in his native Japan.
- Neel Jani was unable to raise the funds to retain his seat at Motori Moderni, having failed to score a point all season. He spent part of the season racing World Sportcars, before returning later for West.
- Fabrizio del Monte finished bottom of the table in 2011, and failed to secure a contract renewal. He stepped down to Italian Formula B for the 2012 season.
Mid-season changes
- After seemingly taking out Gary Paffett during the American Grand Prix, after the latter had just lapped him, Mathias Lauda was given a one race ban, and replaced at the Austrian Grand Prix by Alfa Romeo test driver, Luis Diaz.
- Also following the American Grand Prix, Armaan Ebrahim was sacked from the Lion Grand Prix team for a continued trend of poor results. He was replaced for the remainder of the season by the team's reserve driver, Jeroen Bleekemolen.
- Following a string of poor performances, rookie Markus Winkelhock too, found himself sacked after the American Grand Prix, to be replaced by New Zealander Jonny Reid.
- Replacement driver Jonny Reid then crashed during qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix, breaking his right leg, causing him to miss the remainder of the season. He was replaced by series returnee, James Rossiter.
- Rookie Hiroki Yoshimoto ran out of sponsorship money following the Japanese Grand Prix, and was consequently replaced by another series returnee, Neel Jani.