After being close to loose the World Championship status SRO and FIA are now going to continue the work together. The new FIA GT1 World Championship will feature GT3 cars, which ultimately means the death of the GT1-category. However the name stays (and because I find it inappropriate I reduced it to the old name, FIA GT). Also it is the only FIA-sanctioned World Championship series without confirmed calendar. What was confirmed is, that all World Championship races in Europe will additionally be backed up by the FIA GT3 European Championship. If both race on joint grids, as it was a couple of years ago with National series and WTCC, or if they race seperatly is unclear. Moreover it is unclear weather there will be events outside of Europe.
Earlier this fall, FIA sorted out the possibility to pass the World Championship status to WEC's GTE-category, which will "only" race for the WEC-GTE-Trophy instead of a "real" World Championship.

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2012 FIA GT1 World Championship Calendar

9th April F Nogaro
22nd April B Zolder
27th May E Navarra
10th June SVK Slovakia Ring
8th July P Algarve
25th August PRC Beijing
2nd September PRC Ordos
16th September KOR Yeongam*
20th September RU Moscow*
2nd December IN Buddh

2012 FIA GT3 European Championship Calendar

8th April FRA Nogaro
22nd April BEL Zolder***
27th May ESP Navarra
8th July PRT Algarve
16th September RUS Moscow*
7th October NLD Zandvoort


* Subject to the ASN's confirmation and the FIA homologation of the circuit
** Subject to the confirmation from the ASN and to the contract with the promoter
*** Subject to the homologation of the circuit.

So, according to Autosport, it looks like that FIA GT1 will go from an F1 style knockout qualifying session with 2 driver per team, to a more classic straightaway session with 1 driver per team.

Reason?

Quote :

Stephane Ratel has proposed changing qualifying because he believes that the system used in 2010-11 put off lesser drivers who were likely to bring a budget to a team. He explained that in the current economic climate it was important to encourage more funded drivers into the series.

I hate that track.

2012 FIA GT1 World Championship

08.04.2012 - Nogaro (France)
22.04.2012 - Zolder*** (Belgium)
24.05.2012 - Navarra (Spain)
08.07.2012 - Algarve (Portugal)
26.08.2012 - Beijing** (China)
02.09.2012 - Ordos** (China)
16.09.2012 - Moscow* (Russia)
07.10.2012 - Zandvoort (Netherlands)
25.11.2012 - San Luis (Argentinia)
TBA

2012 FIA GT3 European Championship

08.04.2012 - Nogaro (France)
22.04.2012 - Zolder*** (Belgium)
24.05.2012 - Navarra (Spain)
08.07.2012 - Algarve (Portugal)
16.09.2012 - Moscow* (Russia)
07.10.2012 - Zandvoort (Netherlands)
TBA

* Subject to the ASN's confirmation and the FIA homologation of the circuit
** Subject to the confirmation from the ASN and to the contract with the promoter
*** Subject to the homologation of the circuit.

Quote from Dennis93 :

I hate that track.

I can drive it for you.

Quote from JJ72 :

I can drive it for you.

Go ahead.

That track is dangerous, so get your own insurance to cover it!

Fifth manufactor enters GT1 World Championship. After Audi, BMW, McLaren and Mercedes Ferrari will enter a team. However that means currently only 5 teams with 10 cars.

2012 FIA GT1 World Championship Calendar

8th April FRA Nogaro
22nd April BEL Zolder***
27th May ESP Navarra
8th July PRT Algarve
26th August CHN Beijing**
2nd September CHN Ordos**
16th September RUS Moscow*
7th October NLD Zandvoort
4th November ARG San Luis*
2nd December IND New Delhi

2012 FIA GT3 European Championship Calendar

8th April FRA Nogaro
22nd April BEL Zolder***
27th May ESP Navarra
8th July PRT Algarve
16th September RUS Moscow*
7th October NLD Zandvoort


So the schedules are complete.

Quote from TFalke55 :

Fifth manufactor enters GT1 World Championship. After Audi, BMW, McLaren and Mercedes Ferrari will enter a team. However that means currently only 5 teams with 10 cars.

It will soon be a legacy series, the GT3 cars are much cheaper and if you take off the restrictor is just about as fast.

Quote from JJ72 :

It will soon be a legacy series, the GT3 cars are much cheaper and if you take off the restrictor is just about as fast.

They are racing the GT3s from this season on. They just keep the GT1 name for marketing reasons.

One week away from the start of the season, SRO announced some changes in the calender: San Luis is dropped, instead, they are racing in Yeongam. Also Zandvoort is dropped. The Slovakia-Ring is the subsitute European round for the Dutch track. Not sure yet how it hits the European GT3 Championship though.

9th April F Nogaro
22nd April B Zolder
27th May E Navarra
10th June SVK Slovakia Ring
8th July P Algarve
25th August PRC Beijing
2nd September PRC Ordos
16th September KOR Yeongam*
20th September RU Moscow*
2nd December IN Buddh

Quote from TFalke55 :

San Luis is dropped

Great.

Euro gt3 will still go ahead at zandvoort, but who cares, i wanted to hear the GT1's

Quote from ChristijaNL :

Euro gt3 will still go ahead at zandvoort, but who cares, i wanted to hear the GT1's

You don't know that GT1 know uses GT3 cars? Series name has been retained though.

Oh... so no more GT1 anywhere?

How is Ratel going to get out of this one - to use the word "World" in your championship name you need to race on at least 3 continents... https://twitter.com/#!/BenConsty/status/186886699983437824 (link to the ISC)

Quote from ChristijaNL :

Oh... so no more GT1 anywhere?

no... GT1 became a dead category, since LeMans is now only using GT2=GTE. Manufactors were not interested anymore. The homologation of old GT1s was enlengthened to ensure the 2011 season, as they were running out of cars.

Quote from boothy :

How is Ratel going to get out of this one - to use the word "World" in your championship name you need to race on at least 3 continents... https://twitter.com/#!/BenConsty/status/186886699983437824 (link to the ISC)

Well, maybe he uses a different continental definition... but I cannot see a fitting one yet.

I don't think FIA or Todt wants it to fail, so it will probably get a waiver. Force majeure or something.

Just add a round at Austin and it's all good.

Quote from deggis :

I don't think FIA or Todt wants it to fail, so it will probably get a waiver. Force majeure or something.

Todt is more interested in passing the World Championship title over to GTE-Pro at WEC Ratel however wants to keep the status.

Quote from boothy :

How is Ratel going to get out of this one - to use the word "World" in your championship name you need to race on at least 3 continents... https://twitter.com/#!/BenConsty/status/186886699983437824 (link to the ISC)

Ditch the FIA sanction and rename yourself to "GT1 World Series"? The "World Series" by Renault only runs on 1 continent and manage to get away with that superbly.

The letters F, I and A and the words World and Championship are all that matter to Ratel, its only purpose for being now is to carry those in the name, without them he wouldn't have bothered with this venture at all.

"World Series" is not World Championship, so it's a different thing.

I really don't think that they have not asked FIA if this is a problem. Apparently it just isn't for whatever clause they might use. Stripping the WC status in the coming weeks wouldn't help the series and would put it in even deeper sh!t so I don't think it will happen.

Quote from steven_martin :

The letters F, I and A and the words World and Championship are all that matter to Ratel, its only purpose for being now is to carry those in the name, without them he wouldn't have bothered with this venture at all.

Yea, I was half-serious half-joking