2012 Indian Grand Prix on Oct 28

After the stupendous success of this year’s inaugural edition, next season’s Indian Grand Prix will be held on October 28 at the Buddha International Circuit in Greater Noida.

The 2012 Indian GP will be the 17th of the 20-race championship. The 2012 calendar was ratified at a meeting of the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) here on Wednesday under the presidency of Jean Todt, the FIA President.

Meanwhile, the US Grand Prix has been included, despite fears it could be cut for financial reasons. The governing body of the sport said on Wednesday on its website that the 2012 “calendar was confirmed as previously published.”

The FIA’s ratification of the 20 races also means that the Bahrain Grand Prix is scheduled as the fourth race of the season on April 22. The 2011 race in Bahrain was supposed to be the season opener in March but was called off amid violent anti-government protests.

FIA wanted to reschedule the race for later this year but that proved impossible. Last week, F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone gave US GP organisers an extra week to save the Texas race by proving they have the right finances in place.