London, U.K. – Codemasters today announced that F1 2012 will be launched in the UK on September 21st for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Playstation computer entertainment system and PC. F1 2012 is the next game in the award-winning, multi-million selling Formula One series from Codemasters as part of an exclusive multi-year deal with Formula One World Championship Limited that takes players to the heart of the sport like never before.

A new developer diary, also released today, details several of F1 2012’s new features including the Young Driver Test, which will act as the game’s tutorial mode, teaching the player about the nuances of racing a Formula One car. Featuring the first glimpses of F1 2012 gameplay footage, the new developer diary can be viewed at www.youtube.com/formula1game.

Commenting on the inclusion of the Young Driver Test, F1 2012’s Creative Director, Stephen Hood said: “The aim for the 2012 game is to make more of a complete Formula One experience. [The Young Driver Test] gives those up and coming drivers track time to showcase their talents and it’s wonderful that we are able to copy the elements that happen on those real Young Driver Test sessions in the game.”

F1 2012 is set to deliver the most accessible and immersive Formula One game for fans of all abilities with improved control and feedback for players using a gamepad and tutorial Hot Lap videos for each circuit narrated by former Formula One driver and TV pundit Anthony Davidson. With more features yet to be revealed, F1 2012 is set to be the ultimate Formula One experience to date.

In F1 2012 players will feel the unparalleled thrill of becoming a Formula One driver with a host of new features, wide-ranging technical and gameplay advancements and extensive competitive and co-operative multiplayer components. F1 2012 will feature all of the official teams, drivers and circuits from the 2012 FIA Formula One World Championship, including the debut of the 2012 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix at Austin, Texas and the return of Germany’s famous Hockenheim circuit to the calendar.

F1 2012 is in development at Codemasters Birmingham for Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC and is available for pre-order ahead of its September worldwide release. To get all the news straight from the studio, race over to www.facebook.com/formula1game or follow the team on twitter at www.twitter.com/formula1game.

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McLaren driver Jenson Button gained a victory in the opening round of the 2012 Formula One World Championship in Melbourne on Sunday. Button took the lead from teammate Lewis Hamilton at the start and never looked back. Hamilton later dropped to third where he finished, with double world champion Sebastian Vettel coming second in his Red Bull.

There was much anticipation about the opening Grand Prix of the season as it became apparent in qualifying that Red Bull wouldn’t have it all their own way in 2012. Pole sitter Hamilton got away poorly and dropped behind his fellow Englishman Button, whilst Vettel and Fernando Alonso both made progress through the field early on. But it was an unfortunate start for Romain Grosjean, the French driver got a poor start from third on the grid, and his race was over on lap two as his suspension buckled after a collision with Pastor Maldonado.

Two-thirds of the German contingent joined Grosjean on the sidelines before lap 10, Nico Hulkenberg retired after a collision early on, whilst Michael Schumacher, who had been running third, retired after his Mercedes gearbox failed. As the first round of pitstops ensued, Hamilton found himself stuck behind the Sauber of Sergio Perez, meaning Button had a clear run at the front and was able to pull away from his team-mate.

The frantic opening calmed down as the order took shape and the field spread out between the first and second stops. Button held his lead, but Hamilton was being charged down by Vettel, Alonso and Mark Webber. Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa had also made charges up the field and found themselves battling for the lower points positions.

But the race turned on lap 37 when Vitaly Petrov pulled up on the pit-straight when his Caterham stuttered to a halt, meaning the Safety Car made its first appearance. This helped Sebastien Vettel pop up in front of Hamilton and in to second.

Once the race restarted, Heikki Kovaleinen compounded a poor day for Caterham as he pulled off in to retirement, and two more joined him soon after when Brazilian duo Bruno Senna and Felipe Massa tangled in turn four, damaging both cars and ending both their runs. As the race entered its final ten laps, Button was comfortable out front, but Hamilton was coming under major pressure from Mark Webber, whilst being unable to put pressure on the other Red Bull in front of him.

Further down the field, Pastor Maldonado was putting an impressive performance in, the Williams driver running sixth, pressing Alonso, but that all came to an agonizing end on the final lap when the Venezuelan hit the wall hard coming out of turn eight, finishing his race.

The drama wasn’t over there, the battle from 7th to 12th came down to the last two corners, Nico Rosberg and Kamui Kobayashi clashed on the final lap, damaging Rosberg’s car and putting him out of the points, Kimi Raikkonen jumped the Sauber, and out of the last corner Paul Di Resta dragged himself past Jean-Eric Vergne to steal the last point on the line. But it was Button celebrating the first win of the season, and he’ll be hoping his good form carries on this weekend in Malaysia.

Image Courtesy of   Pyshnyy Maxim Vjacheslavovich / Shutterstock.com

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It’s almost that time of year again. The new Formula One season is just days away, and if you believe the rumors the battle is set to be closer than ever. Sebastian Vettel is looking to win his third consecutive world championship, whilst the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, Mark Webber, Fernando Alonso, Michael Schumacher and even the returning Kimi Raikkone will be looking to make sure that doesn’t happen.

2011 had to go a long way to match the drama of 2010, and despite Vettel’s dominance throughout the year, the season still provided some great racing and some great races. But people now believe 2012 could be even better. Minimal rule changes mean there’s not much to discuss on the technical side, but the biggest change is the one which could affect how the season pans out early on.

Blown Diffusers have been banned this year, causing the majority of teams to re-think the design of their cars and how to get the most out of what they are allowed to work with. There is also a new front wing height rule in place, meaning most teams, except McLaren, have gone for an ugly-looking front nose cone which significantly dips down past the driver’s feet. It doesn’t look pretty unless you are a McLaren fan, and most believe the cars will be back to normal in 2013.

Smaller, yet still important rule changes include a change to the proceedings behind the Safety Car. Something that had bugged me for a long time was thinking a yellow flag period would make the race more interesting, only to find two HRT’s and a Virgin stuck between Vettel and Hamilton, allowing Vettel to fly away whilst the Brit got stuck behind the lapped cars. This year, the lapped cars can overtake the Safety Car and re-join the back of the pack, meaning closer racing at the front.

Now, on to the men that matter: the drivers. There aren’t any major changes in the line-ups this year. We say hello to a couple of rookies, but at the front of the grid, all remains as it was. Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari & Mercedes have stuck with their 2011 line-ups, meaning Vettel, Webber, Hamilton, Button, Alonso, Massa, Rosberg & Schumacher will fight it out for the top spots.

But don’t rule out Lotus. Yes, Lotus. Not the ones who have been running at the back of the pack for the last two years. The Lotus team is now the old Renault team, but they may as well be a new team, as they have two new drivers this year. Kimi Raikkonen has returned to F1 with Lotus, and will be partnered by GP2 champion Romain Grosjean, who had a brief period in Formula One in 2009.

Pre-season testing would suggest Lotus had left the midfield trailing, and we may be talking about a top 5 team this season, rather than a top 4. But the fight in the middle should still be a closely run thing, with Force India, Sauber, Toro Rosso, Williams & Caterham (previously Lotus) fighting it out. Force India have retained rookie of the year Paul Di Resta, but Adrian Sutil is out and replaced by former Williams driver Nico Hulkenberg.

It’s as if you were at Sauber with Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Perez still behind the wheel. However, the biggest change comes at Toro Rosso. Everybody thought the drivers of Sebastien Buemi & Jaime Alguersuari were safe, particularly the young Spaniard, but both were dropped after 2011 and have been replaced by ex-HRT driver Daniel Ricciardo, and young Frenchman, Jean-Eric Vergne.

It was the end of an era at Williams, with Rubens Barrichello departing F1 for IndyCar after almost 20 years in the sport. His place has been taken by Bruno Senna, the first time a Senna has raced for the team since that fateful day at Imola in 1994. He partners Pastor Maldonado,who keeps his place with the team. At Caterham, things look much brighter for the former Lotus brand.

The team seems to have stepped up a gear for 2012, and could be ready to challenge the midfield this year. Heikki Kovaleinen has been kept on, and has been joined by former Renault driver Vitaly Petrov for 2012. It’s a strong line-up for Caterham, and they’ll hope for some good early outings.

At the back of the pack, it’s not looking so good for Marussia (formerly Virgin) and HRT. Both have once again had rocky pre-seasons, failing to test their news in any of the three testing sessions, meaning neither team has attended a pre-season test with a new car for the three years both have existed in Formula One.

It seems each year both teams manage to take a step backwards before moving forwards. HRT have signed up experienced Spaniard Pedro De La Rosa to partner Narain Karthikeyan, whilst Timo Glock remains at Marussia, and is joined by rookie Charles Pic.

It’s all set for another bumper F1 season, plenty of close racing should be guaranteed, for the first time ever we have six world champions on the grid, and even a new race. Formula One returns to the USA after a stint away from the states, with the pack heading to Austin, Texas towards the end of the season.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/julien-reboulet/

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