The winter may not have felt long for the teams who have been working hard on new cars since the 2011 season finished on the last weekend of November but for the fans it has been a long stretch since Mark Webber won in Brazil. The waiting is almost over and here's some of my thoughts ahead of the season opener in Melbourne...
Can anyone stop Vettel?: Having come from behind to seize the 2010 championship, Sebastian Vettel carried this momentum into 2011 and simply dominated the season. I haven't got too hung up on the times from pre-season testing because i've seen so many years go by where they have not painted a true picture of what to expect. With the rules remaining fairly stable don't expect too much of a shake up of the order from the end of last season. Red Bull and McLaren look to be in a good position whilst Ferrari have been a bit bolder in a bid to outdo their rivals. So far it seems they're finding it tough but there's also a feeling that the potential is there to be unlocked. Mercedes have some big names in their technical department now and seem to be trying a few innovations such as a front wing 'F-Duct' Whether these bring performance in reality and are deemed legal by the FIA remains to be seen. What can be taken for granted is the will to win from the Brackley based team. If the car is quick then it'll be up to both drivers to step their performance up to the next level. Michael Schumacher has done it in his 'first' career and Nico Rosberg has shown glimpses of star quality but a first win has still been elusive for the German. Even if the W03 is a race winner, i still have my doubts whether either driver could put a title winning campaign together
Lotus is an intriguing prospect for 2012. They have a more revised car than others due to the front exiting exhaust system being banned. They set some eye catching times during testing but also missed 3 days after a suspension issue. In Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean they have two drivers with the potential to produce great results but who have both not raced in the sport since 2009. I expect both to get in the groove but it will take them a few races to get on top of everything that is now involved in this era of Grand Prix racing. Whether the car is then still in the mix with the top teams by the European races remains to be seen. 2011 was a disaster in terms of car development but the Enstone factory has a good history of bringing performance to the car during a season. Think back to Fernando Alonso's late season victories in 2008 (even if one was due to Piquet crashing on purpose) and the introduction of a more effective F-Duct in 2010. Meanwhile at Force India i'm delighted to see Nico Hulkenberg back on the grid. A fascinating duel in prospect with Paul di Resta and i'm tipping the German to edge that one
At Sauber i can see Sergio Perez building on an impressive debut season and putting himself right in the frame for a Ferrari seat. The Mexican has the speed, age and nationality to fit the bill as a foil to Fernando Alonso but this will be a topic to be discussed later in the year. Toro Rosso is a difficult one with two new drivers. Daniel Ricciardo has the experience of 11 races at HRT but Jean-Eric Vergne looks the real deal to me, a determined and confident young man who eyes a future at the front of the grid. Williams have made many changes after a poor 2011 but their driver line-up looks weak compared to their midfield rivals. Caterham look set to make Q1 an interesting prospect for the first time since 2009 by getting into the midfield scrap. They need points somewhere down the 2012 line and it would be apt if Heikki Kovalainen was the man to get them having played a starring role in helping the team progress since 2010
With HRT and Marussia it looks set to be another painful year but at least things are being put in place for a brighter long term future. Spare a thought for Charles Pic who goes into this weekend with just 2 days of testing which weren't even in the 2012 car
DRS - The debate continues: It's only taken the confirmation of the location of the DRS zones for this weekend for talk to resume over whether the device, and the implementation of it, is good for Formula 1. My view is mixed. I do like how it creates a lot of close racing but it also make a lot of tense battles end rather too soon and make it too easy for the car behind. There have been many suggestions for how to make it fairer or better. Personally i think the best solution would be to reduce the size of the gap allowed in the rear wing when the DRS is activated. This would mean there would be less of a speed differential and less 'motorway' overtakes. Hopefully the data from 2011 will allow the FIA to place the zones in better ways. They do seem very keen to push the DRS concept and this shows with the decision to add a second zone for Melbourne. I don't think DRS is the ideal solution for overtaking but i'll take some action with it over a processional race where other cars just can't even get close to make a move
Rule changes minor for 2012: By F1 standards the regulations have remained fairly stable. The removal (or attempt to by the FIA) of exhaust blown diffusers should in theory help the teams with Ferrari and Cosworth engines as they were unable to exploit the full benefits of the system. Most cars now have a step in the nose to meet a safety regulation which has led to many ugly ducklings. Much has been made of McLaren running a smoother and lower nose and whether this is a good or bad idea but this issue has been over analysed as McLaren have ran a lower nose for a few seasons now. The difference between a step and no step is unlikely to be a defining factor in the season
Tyres are likely to be a big influence again. I really hope that Pirelli's new compounds which have been made softer will produce the sort of races we seen early last year. Unfortunately there have been a few signs that the tyre wear is less severe but we'll have to see how things unfold. Here's hoping Pirelli don't get afraid of producing tyres that degrade quickly. In terms of strategy the switch from options to primes is likely to happen sooner in races as the time difference between the compounds is much closer now and the warm up period less. This also means it will be easier for the top teams to get through Q1 and possibly Q2 on the harder tyre. There had been speculation about the pitlane speed limit being reduced to 60km/h for all races but this has been ruled out for now. Pirelli feel this would make the racing better as drivers would try to avoid making an extra pitstop if the time loss was greater and we would see longer stints and hence more laps of people struggling on less than ideal rubber. Whether this will come into play in the future remains to be seen
So lets hope 2012 is a great season. With six world champions, a field as competitive as ever and some great young talents bursting to make an impact, the ingredients are there for it to be a thriller
Friday, 9 March 2012
Monday, 13 February 2012
Sky reveal schedule for opening weeks of new channel
Sky have today published their first schedules for their new F1 channel which launches on March 9th. It's not a 100% complete schedule yet and i'm sure they will be flexible when it comes to the race weekends depending on how events unfold. Here's some of the details which gives more of an idea of the things they will be showing on it
Friday 9th March
2000-2200 Formula One Magazine Show
2200-2230 Legends - Fittipaldi
2230-2300 Winter Testing - Jerez/Barcelona
2300-0100 Formula One Magazine Show (Repeat)
Saturday 10th March
1830-1900 F1 Car unveiling - McLaren/Force India
1900-2000 Time of our lives - GP Greats
2000-2230 Formula One Season Review 2011
Friday 16th March
0100-0330 Australia FP1 Live (Session is 0130-0300)
0515-0700 Australia FP2 Live (Session is 0530-0700)
0930-1030 Formula One Magazine Show (Repeated throughout the day)
Saturday 17th March
0245-0415 Australia FP3 Live (Session starts at 0300)
0500-0800 Australia Qualifying (Session starts at 0600)
Sunday 18th March
0430-0900 Australian Grand Prix Live (Race starts at 0600)
1930-2100 Australian Grand Prix Highlights (Repeated at 2130)
Tuesday 20th March
1930-2000 F1 Fast Track - Australia
Wednesday 21st March
2000-2100 Formula One 1988 Season Review
Thursday 22nd March
2000-2100 Formula One 1989 Season Review
Friday 23rd March
0200-0350 Malaysia FP1 Live
0550-0740 Malaysia FP2 Live
0750-0840 GP2 Qualifying Live
1000-1100 Formula One Magazine Show
Saturday 24th March
0445-0615 Malaysia FP3 Live
0700-0800 GP2 Race 1 Live
0800-0930 Malaysia Qualifying Live
Sunday 25th March
0330-0430 GP2 Race 2 Live
0730-1200 Malaysian Grand Prix Live
1730-2000 Live Indy Car Racing
2000-2130 Malaysian Grand Prix Highlights
I haven't posted the whole schedule as a lot of the shows are repeated during the day. The main points to note are:
- Live coverage of GP2 Qualifying
- 90 minute build up to races and 60 minute post race analysis (I'm sure they'll extend this if there's a major post race story)
- First 'Legends' interview is with Emerson Fittipaldi and Nigel Mansell is also featured in the opening weeks
- Doesn't seem to be archive footage of full races but rather season reviews
Anyway, some details which give a taster of what is to come
Friday 9th March
2000-2200 Formula One Magazine Show
2200-2230 Legends - Fittipaldi
2230-2300 Winter Testing - Jerez/Barcelona
2300-0100 Formula One Magazine Show (Repeat)
Saturday 10th March
1830-1900 F1 Car unveiling - McLaren/Force India
1900-2000 Time of our lives - GP Greats
2000-2230 Formula One Season Review 2011
Friday 16th March
0100-0330 Australia FP1 Live (Session is 0130-0300)
0515-0700 Australia FP2 Live (Session is 0530-0700)
0930-1030 Formula One Magazine Show (Repeated throughout the day)
Saturday 17th March
0245-0415 Australia FP3 Live (Session starts at 0300)
0500-0800 Australia Qualifying (Session starts at 0600)
Sunday 18th March
0430-0900 Australian Grand Prix Live (Race starts at 0600)
1930-2100 Australian Grand Prix Highlights (Repeated at 2130)
Tuesday 20th March
1930-2000 F1 Fast Track - Australia
Wednesday 21st March
2000-2100 Formula One 1988 Season Review
Thursday 22nd March
2000-2100 Formula One 1989 Season Review
Friday 23rd March
0200-0350 Malaysia FP1 Live
0550-0740 Malaysia FP2 Live
0750-0840 GP2 Qualifying Live
1000-1100 Formula One Magazine Show
Saturday 24th March
0445-0615 Malaysia FP3 Live
0700-0800 GP2 Race 1 Live
0800-0930 Malaysia Qualifying Live
Sunday 25th March
0330-0430 GP2 Race 2 Live
0730-1200 Malaysian Grand Prix Live
1730-2000 Live Indy Car Racing
2000-2130 Malaysian Grand Prix Highlights
I haven't posted the whole schedule as a lot of the shows are repeated during the day. The main points to note are:
- Live coverage of GP2 Qualifying
- 90 minute build up to races and 60 minute post race analysis (I'm sure they'll extend this if there's a major post race story)
- First 'Legends' interview is with Emerson Fittipaldi and Nigel Mansell is also featured in the opening weeks
- Doesn't seem to be archive footage of full races but rather season reviews
Anyway, some details which give a taster of what is to come
Sunday, 11 December 2011
Andre Mas honoured at FIA Gala
The gap between the end of the season and Christmas usually see's some racing events and award ceremonies take place and with the Brazilian Grand Prix taking place on the last weekend of November it's been quite a rush to fit everything in. The Race of Champions took place a week after the race in Interlagos. Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher took the victory for Team Germany in the Nations cup. Vettel and Jenson Button were winners at the Autosport Awards whilst Jaime Alguersuari was the overall winner of Felipe Massa's go karting event in Brazil. This week seen the final round of FIA meetings for the year before the official end of the season with the FIA Gala. Vettel, Button and Mark Webber received trophies for their top 3 finishes in the drivers championship while Christian Horner picked up the constructors trophy. However it was another award that caught my attention from the ceremony in New Delhi
Andre Mas was awarded the Jacky Ickx Award for the Most Outstanding Official. Sadly it was awarded posthumously after the Spaniard passed away last month. However it was very much deserved simply for the feat of bravery carried out by Mas 41 years ago. On lap 1 of the 1970 Spanish Grand Prix there was a collision involving Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. His car almost immediately caught fire.
An alert and courageous Mas headed to the edge of the circuit as cars flew by, aiming his fire extinguisher at the scene of the accident as best he could and within 20 seconds the fire was out. Ickx escaped with severe burns and without the quick thinking of Mas he probably would not survived. He returned to racing at the next Grand Prix in Monte Carlo. Mas would eventually become senior officer at the Jarama circuit but his act as a marshall would remain his moment of heroism and is a reminder of the dangers of Formula 1 and the great work the FIA have done and also the people who volunteer to be a marshall and put their own lives at risk to allow events to run
So there we are, just a short tale but a great act to avoid a fatality in the sport we love and wonderful that amongst the glitz and glamout of the Gala, Andre Mas was honoured and remembered for what he done for Jacky Ickx and Formula 1
Andre Mas was awarded the Jacky Ickx Award for the Most Outstanding Official. Sadly it was awarded posthumously after the Spaniard passed away last month. However it was very much deserved simply for the feat of bravery carried out by Mas 41 years ago. On lap 1 of the 1970 Spanish Grand Prix there was a collision involving Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. His car almost immediately caught fire.
An alert and courageous Mas headed to the edge of the circuit as cars flew by, aiming his fire extinguisher at the scene of the accident as best he could and within 20 seconds the fire was out. Ickx escaped with severe burns and without the quick thinking of Mas he probably would not survived. He returned to racing at the next Grand Prix in Monte Carlo. Mas would eventually become senior officer at the Jarama circuit but his act as a marshall would remain his moment of heroism and is a reminder of the dangers of Formula 1 and the great work the FIA have done and also the people who volunteer to be a marshall and put their own lives at risk to allow events to run
So there we are, just a short tale but a great act to avoid a fatality in the sport we love and wonderful that amongst the glitz and glamout of the Gala, Andre Mas was honoured and remembered for what he done for Jacky Ickx and Formula 1
Sunday, 4 December 2011
The A-Z of the 2011 season
Australia started the season and was a sign of what was to come with a dominant display from Sebastian Vettel
Bahrain had their race cancelled after months of violence in the region. The situation dragged on for months before the organisers eventually accepted defeat
Canada held the longest Grand Prix in history with the wet weather leading to a race that lasted 4 hours, 4 minutes, 39.537 seconds for race winner Jenson Button
Drag reduction system became a big talking point as it split opinion over whether it was great for entertainment value or too artificial for the sport
Engine reliability was good in the field this season with only Williams needing to resort to a 9th engine
Ferrari had a tough season by their high standards, their one moment of celebration came at Silverstone where Fernando Alonso took a classy victory
Grand Chelem - Win, fastest lap, led every lap and pole position - was achieved by Sebastian Vettel for the first time in his career in India
Horror struck F1 before the season even started as Robert Kubica was critically injured in a rallying accident. Whether he will ever return to the sport is still unknown
India became the latest country to host a Grand Prix and did so with great joy and delight as the paddock embraced the New Delhi circuit
Japan witnessed a great battle between Jenson Button, Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso. The McLaren driver took the win but 3rd was enough to crown Vettel world champion again
Kinetic energy recovery systems returned to F1 after first being introduced in 2009 and added an extra dimension to races
Leadership of the races was contested hotly with 15 overtakes taking place on track for the lead of the race in 2011
Mexican Sergio Perez had a fine rookie season, regularly on the pace of his team mate Kamui Kobayashi and only had his season halted briefly after a big crash coming out of the tunnel at Monaco
Nico Rosberg put in some strong qualifying displays and led in Shanghai and Spa but was unable to make it onto the podium as the big 3 teams locked it out from China onwards
Overtaking was at an all time high as DRS and Pirelli tyres created some action packed races. There were 1152 overtakes in the season
Pirelli returned to the sport after a 20 year absence and brought aggressive compounds which seen high tyre wear at many tracks. There were 1111 pitstops this season
Questions linger over the careers of drivers like Rubens Barrichello and Vitantonio Liuzzi after tough seasons at the back end of the grid
Red Bull were simply the team to beat again and were on top form throughout the year. Can they be stopped from a hat-trick of titles in 2012?
Safety car was not something that was seen until the Monaco Grand Prix but was deployed 13 times in the season including a record 6 times in Montreal
Times were extremely tight in the ultra competitive Q2 segment of qualifying, in New Delhi Jaime Alguersuari and Vitaly Petrov both set the exact same time but only the Toro Rosso driver progressed
Unusual to see in the 21st century is red flags at races but we had consecutive races with stoppages in Monaco and Canada
Vitaly Petrov started the season with a sensational podium in Melbourne but the rest of the season was a mixture of good and bad results
Wings came under scrutiny again as Renault's rear wing and Ferrari's front wing were seen shaking violently during the year.
Xerotic conditions greeted the drives in Abu Dhabi and Lewis Hamilton gave himself something to smile about in a tough season with a flawless win
Yeongam was the scene of the constructors championship being clinched but already doubts are surfacing over the future of the circuit which only opened last year
Zzzzz Valencia was a bore but at least the rest of the season produced much excitement!
Bahrain had their race cancelled after months of violence in the region. The situation dragged on for months before the organisers eventually accepted defeat
Canada held the longest Grand Prix in history with the wet weather leading to a race that lasted 4 hours, 4 minutes, 39.537 seconds for race winner Jenson Button
Drag reduction system became a big talking point as it split opinion over whether it was great for entertainment value or too artificial for the sport
Engine reliability was good in the field this season with only Williams needing to resort to a 9th engine
Ferrari had a tough season by their high standards, their one moment of celebration came at Silverstone where Fernando Alonso took a classy victory
Grand Chelem - Win, fastest lap, led every lap and pole position - was achieved by Sebastian Vettel for the first time in his career in India
Horror struck F1 before the season even started as Robert Kubica was critically injured in a rallying accident. Whether he will ever return to the sport is still unknown
India became the latest country to host a Grand Prix and did so with great joy and delight as the paddock embraced the New Delhi circuit
Japan witnessed a great battle between Jenson Button, Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso. The McLaren driver took the win but 3rd was enough to crown Vettel world champion again
Kinetic energy recovery systems returned to F1 after first being introduced in 2009 and added an extra dimension to races
Leadership of the races was contested hotly with 15 overtakes taking place on track for the lead of the race in 2011
Mexican Sergio Perez had a fine rookie season, regularly on the pace of his team mate Kamui Kobayashi and only had his season halted briefly after a big crash coming out of the tunnel at Monaco
Nico Rosberg put in some strong qualifying displays and led in Shanghai and Spa but was unable to make it onto the podium as the big 3 teams locked it out from China onwards
Overtaking was at an all time high as DRS and Pirelli tyres created some action packed races. There were 1152 overtakes in the season
Pirelli returned to the sport after a 20 year absence and brought aggressive compounds which seen high tyre wear at many tracks. There were 1111 pitstops this season
Questions linger over the careers of drivers like Rubens Barrichello and Vitantonio Liuzzi after tough seasons at the back end of the grid
Red Bull were simply the team to beat again and were on top form throughout the year. Can they be stopped from a hat-trick of titles in 2012?
Safety car was not something that was seen until the Monaco Grand Prix but was deployed 13 times in the season including a record 6 times in Montreal
Times were extremely tight in the ultra competitive Q2 segment of qualifying, in New Delhi Jaime Alguersuari and Vitaly Petrov both set the exact same time but only the Toro Rosso driver progressed
Unusual to see in the 21st century is red flags at races but we had consecutive races with stoppages in Monaco and Canada
Vitaly Petrov started the season with a sensational podium in Melbourne but the rest of the season was a mixture of good and bad results
Wings came under scrutiny again as Renault's rear wing and Ferrari's front wing were seen shaking violently during the year.
Xerotic conditions greeted the drives in Abu Dhabi and Lewis Hamilton gave himself something to smile about in a tough season with a flawless win
Yeongam was the scene of the constructors championship being clinched but already doubts are surfacing over the future of the circuit which only opened last year
Zzzzz Valencia was a bore but at least the rest of the season produced much excitement!
Saturday, 26 November 2011
F1 programmes on Sky Sports
Sky Sports have announced that they will be launching a channel dedicated to Formula 1 in 2012. This means fans can look forward to widespread coverage over race weekends but what about the days when there is no on track action? How will Sky fill their schedule? Here's some suggestions for them...
06:00-10:00 Good Morning F1 fans!
All the latest news and information on Formula One. Presented by Steve Rider and Holly Samos.
10:00-11:00 My Top 10
Sebastian Vettel discusses his 10 favourite pole position laps
11:00-12:00 Loose Reporters
Round table discussion between 4 of F1's leading journalists
12:00-14:00 The Formula One Show
Chat, features and guests. Presented by Jonathan Legard and Natalie Pinkham
14:00-16:00 From the archive
Full re-run of the 2nd free practice session from the 2006 Japanese Grand Prix
16:00-17:00 Pointless
4 more former drivers who failed to score a point in F1 have a go at the general knowledge quiz show
17:00-18:00 Lewis Hamilton News at Five
A full update on all that has occurred in Lewis Hamilton's life today
18:00-20:00 F1 does Strictly Come Dancing
9 couples battle to avoid elimination. Can Ron Dennis continue his stint at the top of the leader board?
20:00-22:00 The HRT Factor
The remaining 5 hopefuls battle for a seat at HRT next season. This weeks challenge: How much sponsorship can you raise in a week
22:00-00:00 Metal Night with Paul Di Resta
Force India driver Paul Di Resta shares some of his favourite metal songs of all time
00:00-06:00 Through the night
Former driver and commentator Jonathan Palmer takes us through the night to help all fans get to sleep
06:00-10:00 Good Morning F1 fans!
All the latest news and information on Formula One. Presented by Steve Rider and Holly Samos.
10:00-11:00 My Top 10
Sebastian Vettel discusses his 10 favourite pole position laps
11:00-12:00 Loose Reporters
Round table discussion between 4 of F1's leading journalists
12:00-14:00 The Formula One Show
Chat, features and guests. Presented by Jonathan Legard and Natalie Pinkham
14:00-16:00 From the archive
Full re-run of the 2nd free practice session from the 2006 Japanese Grand Prix
16:00-17:00 Pointless
4 more former drivers who failed to score a point in F1 have a go at the general knowledge quiz show
17:00-18:00 Lewis Hamilton News at Five
A full update on all that has occurred in Lewis Hamilton's life today
18:00-20:00 F1 does Strictly Come Dancing
9 couples battle to avoid elimination. Can Ron Dennis continue his stint at the top of the leader board?
20:00-22:00 The HRT Factor
The remaining 5 hopefuls battle for a seat at HRT next season. This weeks challenge: How much sponsorship can you raise in a week
22:00-00:00 Metal Night with Paul Di Resta
Force India driver Paul Di Resta shares some of his favourite metal songs of all time
00:00-06:00 Through the night
Former driver and commentator Jonathan Palmer takes us through the night to help all fans get to sleep
Wednesday, 2 November 2011
Prizes and honour at stake as season approaches end
Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull's dominance has meant for only the 2nd time since 2005 Formula One has had 'dead rubbers' at the end of the season. The race to be number one may be over in both championships but there are still a few things worth keeping a eye on in Abu Dhabi and Brazil to keep you enthralled...
Constructor's championship: The top 4 is basically set and despite Renault's recent poor run (6 points in 6 races since Nick Heidfeld left the team) a 21 point margin over Force India should be enough to maintain 5th place. Things are much tighter from 6th to 8th:
Force India 51
Sauber 41
Toro Rosso 41
Sauber had started the season really well as their low tyre wear paid dividends in some of the races where cars were stopping 4 times. However the loss of 10 points in Australia after the rear wing was deemed illegal may come back to haunt the Swiss team. Force India have steadily improved after a difficult winter. Between Di Resta and Sutil, one has usually been in the hunt for a top 10 finish. Toro Rosso were not fighting for points with regularity early in the season but a focus on race performance and new aerodynamic updates have seen the team start to claw their way into the midfield battle and they now find themselves just behind Sauber on countback
On present form i feel Force India will have enough to hold onto 6th and that Toro Rosso will take some points to jump up to 7th. Sauber's best hope may be that Renault pick up form and that the top 10 becomes locked out by the top 5 teams and the championship standings remain stable until the end.
Lotus, HRT and Virgin look set to have another season without any points but no prize money on offer for the bottom 2 teams the highest finishing position obtained is the key factor here. Lotus have had 3 13th places this season which means they currently occupy that 10th position ahead of HRT (1 13th place) and Virgin (2 14th places) Abu Dhabi is extremely unlikely to be an abnormal race and the only way i can see Lotus missing out is if Brazil is a wet race and chaos ensues. It will take a lot of mayhem for HRT or Virgin to grab a 12th place though.
Team mate rivalry: At McLaren Jenson Button needs a maximum of 13 points in the final 2 rounds to cap off his excellent season and beat Lewis Hamilton. At Mercedes there is just 5 points between Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher. Both drivers have played down the significance of beating the other. Indeed i was surprised by how relaxed Rosberg was after India about losing 5th to Schumacher in the final round of stops. He came across as someone lacking that will to win but perhaps he will show it if he has a front running car. Toro Rosso have a difficult choice to make between 4 Red Bull junior drivers for 2012. The current holders of seats are Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastien Buemi and it is currently 26-15 to the Spaniard. Staying ahead going into the final race means the Swiss driver has to miss FP1 for reserve driver Jean-Eric Vergne and his strong form could mean a first season of beating Buemi and securing a 2012 drive.
Fastest lap award: This is an award that doesn't get much attention but it is still something to win and it is definitely going to be another prize heading to Red Bull as Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel are the only 2 drivers left in the running. It is currently 5-3 to Webber so Vettel needs to get the fastest lap in Abu Dhabi and Brazil to have any chance. A 2nd fastest lap at either of the final 2 rounds for Webber would mean he would win on countback even if Vettel makes it 5-5. It is possible that in a certain tie the countback could go beyond 4th fastest laps this year so it could get tight. Can Vettel sweep up another prize or will Webber get a consolation prize for his 2011 season?
Constructor's championship: The top 4 is basically set and despite Renault's recent poor run (6 points in 6 races since Nick Heidfeld left the team) a 21 point margin over Force India should be enough to maintain 5th place. Things are much tighter from 6th to 8th:
Force India 51
Sauber 41
Toro Rosso 41
Sauber had started the season really well as their low tyre wear paid dividends in some of the races where cars were stopping 4 times. However the loss of 10 points in Australia after the rear wing was deemed illegal may come back to haunt the Swiss team. Force India have steadily improved after a difficult winter. Between Di Resta and Sutil, one has usually been in the hunt for a top 10 finish. Toro Rosso were not fighting for points with regularity early in the season but a focus on race performance and new aerodynamic updates have seen the team start to claw their way into the midfield battle and they now find themselves just behind Sauber on countback
On present form i feel Force India will have enough to hold onto 6th and that Toro Rosso will take some points to jump up to 7th. Sauber's best hope may be that Renault pick up form and that the top 10 becomes locked out by the top 5 teams and the championship standings remain stable until the end.
Lotus, HRT and Virgin look set to have another season without any points but no prize money on offer for the bottom 2 teams the highest finishing position obtained is the key factor here. Lotus have had 3 13th places this season which means they currently occupy that 10th position ahead of HRT (1 13th place) and Virgin (2 14th places) Abu Dhabi is extremely unlikely to be an abnormal race and the only way i can see Lotus missing out is if Brazil is a wet race and chaos ensues. It will take a lot of mayhem for HRT or Virgin to grab a 12th place though.
Team mate rivalry: At McLaren Jenson Button needs a maximum of 13 points in the final 2 rounds to cap off his excellent season and beat Lewis Hamilton. At Mercedes there is just 5 points between Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher. Both drivers have played down the significance of beating the other. Indeed i was surprised by how relaxed Rosberg was after India about losing 5th to Schumacher in the final round of stops. He came across as someone lacking that will to win but perhaps he will show it if he has a front running car. Toro Rosso have a difficult choice to make between 4 Red Bull junior drivers for 2012. The current holders of seats are Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastien Buemi and it is currently 26-15 to the Spaniard. Staying ahead going into the final race means the Swiss driver has to miss FP1 for reserve driver Jean-Eric Vergne and his strong form could mean a first season of beating Buemi and securing a 2012 drive.
Fastest lap award: This is an award that doesn't get much attention but it is still something to win and it is definitely going to be another prize heading to Red Bull as Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel are the only 2 drivers left in the running. It is currently 5-3 to Webber so Vettel needs to get the fastest lap in Abu Dhabi and Brazil to have any chance. A 2nd fastest lap at either of the final 2 rounds for Webber would mean he would win on countback even if Vettel makes it 5-5. It is possible that in a certain tie the countback could go beyond 4th fastest laps this year so it could get tight. Can Vettel sweep up another prize or will Webber get a consolation prize for his 2011 season?
Tuesday, 11 October 2011
Super Seb makes it two in a row
Vettel took the title, Button claimed an emotional win and Hamilton clashed with Massa again. Here's my thoughts on that and more after a brilliant weekend of Formula 1 in Japan...
Supreme Seb seals title success at Suzuka: I had never been a huge fan of Sebastian Vettel until this year. Not that i disliked him, he always had my respect as a quick guy but he was never a favourite, someone i really willed on. When Robert Kubica came through the ranks at BMW i had my eye on him so i suppose the next man along which was Vettel was never going to capture my attention as much. I knew he was fast though and he soon showed it. Debut weekend in America and he scored a point and topped a practice session. Fast forward a year and at a drenched Monza he gets his first opportunity to win a race and takes it. However taking out Kubica at the start of 2009 didn't help my vibes towards him! But the next 2 seasons would see Vettel go from someone with raw speed into more of an all round package. He snatched the title at the death in 2010 but even then i thought the German had more room for improvement.
2011 has been sensational for Vettel. His brilliant qualifying laps, his racecraft and control of a Grand Prix, the coolness under pressure, the fabulous overtakes which some have wondered whether he could produce. It has been a world class display of sheer brilliance and a pleasure to watch unfold (Even if it means the championship not going to the wire) And off the track he's a funny, likeable guy who regularly makes you laugh. He's just annoyingly good! Of course the serious side of Vettel exists and his utter will to win and snap up every prize available is incredible. The appetite hasn't been quenched by 2 world titles and we are set for a few more years of great battles and rivalry between the likes of Vettel, Alonso, Hamilton and Button.
Button victory laids down marker for 2012: It was a glorious Sunday in Suzuka. The sun shining down, the choir singing the national anthem with such beauty on the grid and a race which was close throughout and went down to the wire. First point of contention was the start. I think Vettel pushed his luck with Button but the decision not to penalise him was the correct one. Button ends up in the pit exit and then the track tightens so i think technically the road closed up on him when it got to the point he was on the grass. Don't blame him for feeling aggrieved. The stewards reasoning was strange however as they made the point that Hamilton had taken a similar line to Vettel from the start. Don't see how that really plays an influence in what happens. Good that the FIA are giving reasons at least! Button eventually retook the lead, a pit time 8 tenths quicker than Vettel allowing the McLaren to get the 'overcut'.
Then we had a safety car after debris at Turn 7 (Webber/Schumacher collision) and Turn 16 (Hamilton/Massa) I thought this was a bit of an overreaction at the time because the pieces were small but i understand safety is paramount and the biggest gap on track at the time was 15 seconds between D'Ambrosio and Trulli so it would have been tight for a marshall to get out there. Just feels strange seeing a safety car for pieces of debris and only yellow flags when a burning Renault was exploding at the Budapest pit exit. Hamilton seem to not realise Massa was there in their collision. The stewards explanation on this was also odd taking into consideration that Massa was on trying to overtake on the left into a right hander. Hamilton may have been taking the normal line but you can't just do that when another car is already there! I'm always amazed how aware the drivers are of what's around and behind them being so low in the cars with small mirrors but Hamilton's recent incidents do make you wonder about his awareness around other cars, he has made some clumsy and unneeded moves. He is still a very quick driver and on his day the best and this slump of form will pass by and i feel he will bounce back.
Amongst the joy of Button and Vettel was another tremendous drive from Fernando Alonso. This guy is just relentless, getting everything out of what he has. I actually think Massa is driving better recently as well but it doesn't show up that well because of the form of the Spaniard. He wants a third title badly and will want to get it before Vettel does! Another driver showing good race pace is Michael Schumacher who came in 6th and led a lap of a Grand Prix for the first time since the same race 5 years ago. Another stat from Sunday was that the race had the most finishers on the lead lap in F1 history. 19 cars completed all 53 laps. Cheers to Sean Kelly (@virtualstatman on Twitter) for confirming that one!
Sauber duo impress on and off the track: After 2010 we knew that plenty of attention would be on Kamui Kobayashi and it certainly was as the crowds went wild for anything their home hero did. Unfortunately anti-stall kicked in at the start and a lack of fresh rubber saw him fall back in the closing stages. It was still a positive weekend after all he had done for his country in the wake of the tsunami disaster. Sergio Perez had a stunning race. Starting 17th and suffering from the flu, the Mexican found himself behind Jarno Trulli early on yet managed to come through and take a fantastic 8th, beating the Renault and Force India cars. I didn't know much about him before this season but he is really showing good speed and some feisty combat when wheel to wheel with other cars. He is being touted as a Ferrari driver for 2013 and it wouldn't surprise me to see him there (Sorry Massa fans!) Vitaly Petrov did well to get 9th after 2 stints on the prime tyre and Force India need something special to get 5th from them in the championship now. Another weekend with a crash for Bruno Senna who isn't really doing enough to keep that seat for next year in my opinion. Will the team look towards someone like Rubens Barrichello if Kubica can't return or perhaps stick in Romain Grosjean. We'll have to see how the muddled situation at Renault turns out.
A few words make all the difference: A story doing the rounds before the Japanese Grand Prix was Mark Webber saying he had given up hope of ever winning the world championship. Whilst it hasn't been the best season for the Australian, to see a driver currently in the best car in F1 declare he had no hope of being champion was a surprising one. However on Twitter and during interviews Webber dismissed the reports and said he had been misquoted. As i looked into this i got chatting to Cheryl Tay, the lady who conducted the interview with Webber. So what did he really say? Cheryl confirmed that the question put to Webber was "Have you ever thought of that (2010) as your last chance to be champion?" to which the Red Bull driver replied "yes of course, life goes on" So basically Webber feels that a great opportunity passed him by last season but he hasn't given up on 1 day becoming champion. Shows how easily things get misinterpreted in the media sometimes.
Korea DRS zone location revealed: F1 heads back to Yenogam for a 2nd year and it appears little has been done to the circuit since the 1st race where the track only got FIA approval 2 weeks before the Grand Prix. The pit entry, criticised by many, remains and the many buildings planned around the circuit still haven't come to be. The layout is a good one though with a really mixture of long straights and technical corners. I'm not happy with the DRS zone for this race which is between turns 2 and 3, the longest straight on the track at over 1km. Surely this will provide some action anyway and with DRS added may become too easy. We'll still lots of action, i just fear it will be diluted somewhat. There are shorter straights before and after the DRS zone so expect some battles to continue for a few corners. I like the DRS but there's room for improvement and perhaps the way it is implemented needs adjustment. Hopefully the FIA will assess it closely over the winter.
Lazenby to present F1 on Sky?: The BBC/Sky story has been pretty quiet recently. Mark Thompson said in a BBC radio interview last week that the highlights shows for the races the BBC don't show live will be 75 minutes. No confirmation yet on whether full ace replays will be available on any platform. We know that the BBC will show the British, Monaco and Brazilian races next year. Sky get to pick the next 3 races and then the choosing process alternates 1 pick at a time. The Daily Mail reported this week that Sky are still chasing Martin Brundle for their coverage and that Simon Lazenby could be the presenter. I don't have Sky so don't know much about Lazenby but he seems to be highly rated and worked with Sky's head of F1 on their Rugby coverage. Also interesting to see that the latest follows on his Twitter account are the Ferrari and Red Bull feeds...
What have you made of the 2011 season? Is Vettel now the best driver currently in F1? And who could be the next rising star to join the fight for victories? Let me know in the comments section
Image courtesy of http://www.mclaren.com
Supreme Seb seals title success at Suzuka: I had never been a huge fan of Sebastian Vettel until this year. Not that i disliked him, he always had my respect as a quick guy but he was never a favourite, someone i really willed on. When Robert Kubica came through the ranks at BMW i had my eye on him so i suppose the next man along which was Vettel was never going to capture my attention as much. I knew he was fast though and he soon showed it. Debut weekend in America and he scored a point and topped a practice session. Fast forward a year and at a drenched Monza he gets his first opportunity to win a race and takes it. However taking out Kubica at the start of 2009 didn't help my vibes towards him! But the next 2 seasons would see Vettel go from someone with raw speed into more of an all round package. He snatched the title at the death in 2010 but even then i thought the German had more room for improvement.
2011 has been sensational for Vettel. His brilliant qualifying laps, his racecraft and control of a Grand Prix, the coolness under pressure, the fabulous overtakes which some have wondered whether he could produce. It has been a world class display of sheer brilliance and a pleasure to watch unfold (Even if it means the championship not going to the wire) And off the track he's a funny, likeable guy who regularly makes you laugh. He's just annoyingly good! Of course the serious side of Vettel exists and his utter will to win and snap up every prize available is incredible. The appetite hasn't been quenched by 2 world titles and we are set for a few more years of great battles and rivalry between the likes of Vettel, Alonso, Hamilton and Button.
Button victory laids down marker for 2012: It was a glorious Sunday in Suzuka. The sun shining down, the choir singing the national anthem with such beauty on the grid and a race which was close throughout and went down to the wire. First point of contention was the start. I think Vettel pushed his luck with Button but the decision not to penalise him was the correct one. Button ends up in the pit exit and then the track tightens so i think technically the road closed up on him when it got to the point he was on the grass. Don't blame him for feeling aggrieved. The stewards reasoning was strange however as they made the point that Hamilton had taken a similar line to Vettel from the start. Don't see how that really plays an influence in what happens. Good that the FIA are giving reasons at least! Button eventually retook the lead, a pit time 8 tenths quicker than Vettel allowing the McLaren to get the 'overcut'.
Then we had a safety car after debris at Turn 7 (Webber/Schumacher collision) and Turn 16 (Hamilton/Massa) I thought this was a bit of an overreaction at the time because the pieces were small but i understand safety is paramount and the biggest gap on track at the time was 15 seconds between D'Ambrosio and Trulli so it would have been tight for a marshall to get out there. Just feels strange seeing a safety car for pieces of debris and only yellow flags when a burning Renault was exploding at the Budapest pit exit. Hamilton seem to not realise Massa was there in their collision. The stewards explanation on this was also odd taking into consideration that Massa was on trying to overtake on the left into a right hander. Hamilton may have been taking the normal line but you can't just do that when another car is already there! I'm always amazed how aware the drivers are of what's around and behind them being so low in the cars with small mirrors but Hamilton's recent incidents do make you wonder about his awareness around other cars, he has made some clumsy and unneeded moves. He is still a very quick driver and on his day the best and this slump of form will pass by and i feel he will bounce back.
Amongst the joy of Button and Vettel was another tremendous drive from Fernando Alonso. This guy is just relentless, getting everything out of what he has. I actually think Massa is driving better recently as well but it doesn't show up that well because of the form of the Spaniard. He wants a third title badly and will want to get it before Vettel does! Another driver showing good race pace is Michael Schumacher who came in 6th and led a lap of a Grand Prix for the first time since the same race 5 years ago. Another stat from Sunday was that the race had the most finishers on the lead lap in F1 history. 19 cars completed all 53 laps. Cheers to Sean Kelly (@virtualstatman on Twitter) for confirming that one!
Sauber duo impress on and off the track: After 2010 we knew that plenty of attention would be on Kamui Kobayashi and it certainly was as the crowds went wild for anything their home hero did. Unfortunately anti-stall kicked in at the start and a lack of fresh rubber saw him fall back in the closing stages. It was still a positive weekend after all he had done for his country in the wake of the tsunami disaster. Sergio Perez had a stunning race. Starting 17th and suffering from the flu, the Mexican found himself behind Jarno Trulli early on yet managed to come through and take a fantastic 8th, beating the Renault and Force India cars. I didn't know much about him before this season but he is really showing good speed and some feisty combat when wheel to wheel with other cars. He is being touted as a Ferrari driver for 2013 and it wouldn't surprise me to see him there (Sorry Massa fans!) Vitaly Petrov did well to get 9th after 2 stints on the prime tyre and Force India need something special to get 5th from them in the championship now. Another weekend with a crash for Bruno Senna who isn't really doing enough to keep that seat for next year in my opinion. Will the team look towards someone like Rubens Barrichello if Kubica can't return or perhaps stick in Romain Grosjean. We'll have to see how the muddled situation at Renault turns out.
A few words make all the difference: A story doing the rounds before the Japanese Grand Prix was Mark Webber saying he had given up hope of ever winning the world championship. Whilst it hasn't been the best season for the Australian, to see a driver currently in the best car in F1 declare he had no hope of being champion was a surprising one. However on Twitter and during interviews Webber dismissed the reports and said he had been misquoted. As i looked into this i got chatting to Cheryl Tay, the lady who conducted the interview with Webber. So what did he really say? Cheryl confirmed that the question put to Webber was "Have you ever thought of that (2010) as your last chance to be champion?" to which the Red Bull driver replied "yes of course, life goes on" So basically Webber feels that a great opportunity passed him by last season but he hasn't given up on 1 day becoming champion. Shows how easily things get misinterpreted in the media sometimes.
Korea DRS zone location revealed: F1 heads back to Yenogam for a 2nd year and it appears little has been done to the circuit since the 1st race where the track only got FIA approval 2 weeks before the Grand Prix. The pit entry, criticised by many, remains and the many buildings planned around the circuit still haven't come to be. The layout is a good one though with a really mixture of long straights and technical corners. I'm not happy with the DRS zone for this race which is between turns 2 and 3, the longest straight on the track at over 1km. Surely this will provide some action anyway and with DRS added may become too easy. We'll still lots of action, i just fear it will be diluted somewhat. There are shorter straights before and after the DRS zone so expect some battles to continue for a few corners. I like the DRS but there's room for improvement and perhaps the way it is implemented needs adjustment. Hopefully the FIA will assess it closely over the winter.
Lazenby to present F1 on Sky?: The BBC/Sky story has been pretty quiet recently. Mark Thompson said in a BBC radio interview last week that the highlights shows for the races the BBC don't show live will be 75 minutes. No confirmation yet on whether full ace replays will be available on any platform. We know that the BBC will show the British, Monaco and Brazilian races next year. Sky get to pick the next 3 races and then the choosing process alternates 1 pick at a time. The Daily Mail reported this week that Sky are still chasing Martin Brundle for their coverage and that Simon Lazenby could be the presenter. I don't have Sky so don't know much about Lazenby but he seems to be highly rated and worked with Sky's head of F1 on their Rugby coverage. Also interesting to see that the latest follows on his Twitter account are the Ferrari and Red Bull feeds...
What have you made of the 2011 season? Is Vettel now the best driver currently in F1? And who could be the next rising star to join the fight for victories? Let me know in the comments section
Image courtesy of http://www.mclaren.com
Monday, 5 September 2011
Remembering Jochen Rindt
Most F1 fans will have never seen Jochen Rindt race in their lifetime. I didn't but as a child reading about this great sport we all follow i would see his name crop up from time to time. The only posthumous world champion would be the common phrase. Whilst i would get intrigued by the mystique of Senna or how Mansell battled for a championship the story of Austria's first F1 star did not grab my attention. Now it has and it is a thrilling but tragic tale of one of the fastest drivers to have lived.
What followed was a dominant spell of victories which would see him cement a big championship lead. His final win would come in his country of birth Germany as the home crowd at the Österreichring were left disappointed by engine failure on the Lotus. However amongst all the great results was sadness as close friend Piers Courage was killed at the Dutch Grand Prix. This and other factors including the birth of his daughter would lead to the Austrian deciding privately that he would retire at the end of the season if he took the title.
Rindt headed to Monza knowing he could take the title if things worked out but with 4 races to go there was no pressure to go for the win. However Rindt was still pushing for as much speed as possible and ran wingless in practice to try and keep up with rival cars who had better straightline speed. On Saturday he felt the setup had been optimised and he continued with the wingless configuration. As he braked for Parabolica at approximately 200mph the car suffered brake failure and speared left. The armco was poorly built and the car went under it before throwing the car back onto the circuit. His mechanic Herbie Blash (now working alongside Charlie Whiting with the FIA) would later reveal that Rindt didn't wear some of his belts as he wanted to be able to escape from the car quicker if it caught fire.
Rindt only competed in 9 of the 13 races in the 1970 season but he still took the title at the penultimate round such was his lead. It was simply a tragic way for it all to happen. 41 years ago today F1 lost one of its greatest. Jochen Rindt clearly was a supreme driver, his raw speed, racing instinct and results against other champions demonstrate this clearly. When you watch the heroes of 2011 drive towards Parabolica this weekend spare a thought for Jochen Rindt. A worthy world champion who should be never be forgotten.
Rindt made his name mainly in F2, a series where many F1 drivers would take part in. He also had success at Le Mans in 1965 with victory in the famous endurance race. He drove for Cooper between 1965 and 1967 and whilst he showed his talent with 4 podiums in this time he was badly hampered by unreliability - 15 DNFs in 28 races. A move to Brabham would produce even more failures as he only took the chequered flag twice in the 12 race championship
Team Lotus was the constructor that allowed Rindt to fight for glory and that elusive first win would arrive at Watkins Glen. He also beat team mate and reigning world champion Graham Hill in the championship standings but Jackie Stewart would take the title comfortably in the Tyrrell. 1970 started poorly but then came Rindt's finest hour as he took an extraordinary victory on the streets of Monte Carlo. In a chase comparable with Montreal this year Rindt set fastest lap after fastest lap to close in on Jack Brabham. As they approached the final turn the Australian locked up and plunged into the hay bales. The lead changed so late that Rindt didn't even have the chequered flag waved for him!
What followed was a dominant spell of victories which would see him cement a big championship lead. His final win would come in his country of birth Germany as the home crowd at the Österreichring were left disappointed by engine failure on the Lotus. However amongst all the great results was sadness as close friend Piers Courage was killed at the Dutch Grand Prix. This and other factors including the birth of his daughter would lead to the Austrian deciding privately that he would retire at the end of the season if he took the title.
Rindt headed to Monza knowing he could take the title if things worked out but with 4 races to go there was no pressure to go for the win. However Rindt was still pushing for as much speed as possible and ran wingless in practice to try and keep up with rival cars who had better straightline speed. On Saturday he felt the setup had been optimised and he continued with the wingless configuration. As he braked for Parabolica at approximately 200mph the car suffered brake failure and speared left. The armco was poorly built and the car went under it before throwing the car back onto the circuit. His mechanic Herbie Blash (now working alongside Charlie Whiting with the FIA) would later reveal that Rindt didn't wear some of his belts as he wanted to be able to escape from the car quicker if it caught fire.
Rindt only competed in 9 of the 13 races in the 1970 season but he still took the title at the penultimate round such was his lead. It was simply a tragic way for it all to happen. 41 years ago today F1 lost one of its greatest. Jochen Rindt clearly was a supreme driver, his raw speed, racing instinct and results against other champions demonstrate this clearly. When you watch the heroes of 2011 drive towards Parabolica this weekend spare a thought for Jochen Rindt. A worthy world champion who should be never be forgotten.
Wednesday, 17 August 2011
F1 2011 trophies/achievements
After the success of their F1 2010 game, Codemasters are preparing to launch their 2nd instalment in the F1 series. F1 2011 is just over a month away from release and hype is building as gamers get excited over the prospect of taking on the new Indian circuit, dealing with KERS and DRS as well as thinking on their feet if the safety car is deployed. I'm looking at the trophy/achievement list for this post though and dreaming up some targets which would tie in with the real goings on in F1...
Unbelievable guys! - Win the world championship at the final race having never previously led the standings
Fernando is faster than you - Let Fernando Alonso overtake you during the race to take the victory
Career highlights - Declare every race victory of your career the best ever in the post race press conference
Crash, Bang, Chandhok! - Wreck out in the opening session of the season
Is it cause i'm black? - Accuse the stewards of racism in the post race interviews
Hit me baby one more time - Win with Nico Rosberg whilst playing a Britney Spears song in the music menu
Trulli whine - Race as Jarno Trulli with Force feedback turned off
Cool runnings - Take pole position then run out of fuel on the in-lap and push the car back to Parc Ferme
That's what i'm talking about! - Take pole position at every Grand Prix
Fittipaldi flip - Finish a race in mid air
Iceman double - Win the world championship and score rally points on Dirt 3
Not bad for a number 2 driver - Win after your team mate got the latest car upgrades
Never heard you mate - Ignore team orders
Beautiful - Get approval from Rob Smedley for an overtake
Piquet corner - Crash a Renault at Turn 17 in Singapore
Should have went to Specsavers - Pull up at the wrong garage for a pitstop
If you have any other suggestions feel free to drop them in a comment
Thursday, 4 August 2011
2012 driver market
With 8 races to go in 2011 there is plenty of drivers fighting for their futures, particularly in the midfield. From signed contracts to foreign rumours, there's plenty of factors that make up the 'silly season' Here is a little summary of things. Of course even the drivers i have marked as confirmed may change as options are to be taken up or contracts could be cancelled but hopefully it's a half realistic perspective on how things will take shape next season!
Key
Confirmed
Almost certain
Maybe
Outside chance
Mercedes GP
Michael Schumacher
Nico Rosberg
Again this should be an unchanged line up. A decision over Michael Schumacher's future is in his hands and he says he wants to complete the 'project' he set out to do when he returned to the sport in 2010.
Vitaly Petrov
Williams
Pastor Maldonado
Rubens Barrichello
Adrian Sutil
Nico Hulkenberg
Romain Grosjean
Despite no points registered yet, Williams have indicated that they are happy with Pastor Maldonado and want him to stay on. Rubens Barrichello has made it clear that he wants to stay on with the Grove based team as well but talks have stalled so far. An unchanged line up still remains the favourite outcome but Adrian Sutil and Romain Grosjean have been linked. Nico Hulkenberg left last year after being offered a 5 year deal which would have sent him to HRT for this season. Would be a shock u-turn but he still has many admirers within Williams
Force India
Paul di Resta
Adrian Sutil
Nico Hulkenberg
Sauber
Kamui Kobayashi
Sergio Perez
No changes at Sauber who are having a good year with this pairing
Toro Rosso
Sebastien Buemi
Jaime Alguersuari
Daniel Ricciardo
Jean-Eric Vergne
Lotus
Heikki Kovalainen
Jarno Trulli
Karun Chandhok
Mike Gascoyne has strongly hinted that Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen will be retained. Karun Chandhok struggled in Germany and though he may race again in India it is unlikely he'll get a regular seat without one of the current pair moving on.
HRT
Vitantonio Liuzzi
Narain Karthikeyan
Javier Villa
Dani Clos
Daniel Ricciardo
Jean-Eric Vergne
Oh HRT, how on earth can you tell what will happen with this team next month, let alone next year! Vitantonio Liuzzi should have a good chance of staying on. Of the other current drivers, Narain Karthikeyan has struggled but has the backing of Tata. Daniel Ricciardo will probably move on. The current owners are keen to get a Spaniard in with WTCC driver Javier Villa amongst those linked. An outside shot but if Red Bull want to give Jean-Eric Vergne experience will he get slotted in with HRT like Ricciardo has been? You never know...
Virgin Racing
Timo Glock
Jerome D'Ambrosio
Robert Wickens
Key
Confirmed
Almost certain
Maybe
Outside chance
Red Bull Racing
Sebastian Vettel
Mark Webber
The current world champion Sebastian Vettel has a long term contract with Red Bull. Mark Webber will decide his future this month as he decides if he has the motivation to continue. I think he will but that 2012 could well be his final year driving in F1.
Sebastian Vettel
Mark Webber
The current world champion Sebastian Vettel has a long term contract with Red Bull. Mark Webber will decide his future this month as he decides if he has the motivation to continue. I think he will but that 2012 could well be his final year driving in F1.
McLaren
Jenson Button
Lewis Hamilton
Both drivers have deals which go to the end of 2012 but Jenson Button still has an option on his contract to sort out. Expecting that to be a formality.
Jenson Button
Lewis Hamilton
Both drivers have deals which go to the end of 2012 but Jenson Button still has an option on his contract to sort out. Expecting that to be a formality.
Ferrari
Felipe Massa
Fernando Alonso
Felipe Massa
Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso is now well embedded with the Scuderia. Rumours still crop up over the future of Felipe Massa but Ferrari insist he will be part of the team in 2012.
Mercedes GP
Michael Schumacher
Nico Rosberg
Again this should be an unchanged line up. A decision over Michael Schumacher's future is in his hands and he says he wants to complete the 'project' he set out to do when he returned to the sport in 2010.
Renault GP
Vitaly Petrov
Robert Kubica
Romain Grosjean
Nick Heidfeld
Bruno Senna
Adrian Sutil
Nico Hulkenberg
Nick Heidfeld
Bruno Senna
Adrian Sutil
Nico Hulkenberg
Vitaly Petrov is signed for 2012. However the second seat at Renault is shrouded in doubt. Robert Kubica has it waiting for him but he needs to prove before next season that he is over his rallying accident and is able to drive at the level required. Current driver Nick Heidfeld has had a mixed season and been criticised at times by Eric Boullier. Bruno Senna got a practice run in Budapest whilst GP2 championship leader Romain Grosjean is on the 'radar' for next season. Adrian Sutil and Nico Hulkenberg could be outside shots if either leaves Force India.
Williams
Pastor Maldonado
Rubens Barrichello
Adrian Sutil
Nico Hulkenberg
Romain Grosjean
Despite no points registered yet, Williams have indicated that they are happy with Pastor Maldonado and want him to stay on. Rubens Barrichello has made it clear that he wants to stay on with the Grove based team as well but talks have stalled so far. An unchanged line up still remains the favourite outcome but Adrian Sutil and Romain Grosjean have been linked. Nico Hulkenberg left last year after being offered a 5 year deal which would have sent him to HRT for this season. Would be a shock u-turn but he still has many admirers within Williams
Force India
Paul di Resta
Adrian Sutil
Nico Hulkenberg
Paul di Resta has impressed in his rookie year and though tipped for a future at Mercedes will likely be still with Force India next year. Adrian Sutil was looking away last year but ended up staying on and again options seem limited. With Nico Hulkenberg waiting in the wings will he find himself squeezed into a sideways move in the driver market?
Sauber
Kamui Kobayashi
Sergio Perez
No changes at Sauber who are having a good year with this pairing
Toro Rosso
Sebastien Buemi
Jaime Alguersuari
Daniel Ricciardo
Jean-Eric Vergne
All to play for at Toro Rosso but how will it play out? Daniel Ricciardo impressed early on in his practice outings and seems set to get one of the seats. With his career diverting to HRT it puts a bit more pressure on him to show his worth but he'll likely get his chance. For Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari, well both have impressed at different moments of the season but with no opening at Red Bull likely, somebody is heading for the exit door. Jean-Eric Vergne is another hot young talent but i would expect the best he will get at Toro Rosso next season is a Friday role.
Lotus
Heikki Kovalainen
Jarno Trulli
Karun Chandhok
Mike Gascoyne has strongly hinted that Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen will be retained. Karun Chandhok struggled in Germany and though he may race again in India it is unlikely he'll get a regular seat without one of the current pair moving on.
HRT
Vitantonio Liuzzi
Narain Karthikeyan
Javier Villa
Dani Clos
Daniel Ricciardo
Jean-Eric Vergne
Oh HRT, how on earth can you tell what will happen with this team next month, let alone next year! Vitantonio Liuzzi should have a good chance of staying on. Of the other current drivers, Narain Karthikeyan has struggled but has the backing of Tata. Daniel Ricciardo will probably move on. The current owners are keen to get a Spaniard in with WTCC driver Javier Villa amongst those linked. An outside shot but if Red Bull want to give Jean-Eric Vergne experience will he get slotted in with HRT like Ricciardo has been? You never know...
Virgin Racing
Timo Glock
Jerome D'Ambrosio
Robert Wickens
Timo Glock is staying on with Virgin and hoping for a better future. Jerome D'Ambrosio seems to have a good relationship with the team and really his main stumbling block could be a potential lack of financial backing. Young starlet Robert Wickens is currently a reserve and potentially a future option
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