ForumsThe TavernF1 season 2012

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waluigi
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waluigi
1,948 posts
Shepherd

A new season of F1 is upon us once again, with the first round coming next Sunday in Australia. New rule changes have caused radical redesigns to cars (which I think are fugly) with lower front wings. Driver wise, many new drivers are taking to the grid, while a former champion returns after a stint in rally. As far as tracks go, the United States returns (so long as the track gets finished) at a new course in Austin, Texas, while the Turkish grand prix disappears.
But the questions we all want answered; will Vettel continue his dominance with Red Bull, or will McLaren, Ferrari, or another team take the head of the field? We find out next Sunday!

This year's drivers and teams

Red Bull: Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber
McLaren: Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button
Ferrari: Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa
Mercedes: Michael Schumacher, Nico Rosburg
Lotus (formerly Lotus Renault): Kimi Raikkonen, Romain Grosjean
Force India: Paul di Resta, Nico Hulkenburg
Sauber: Kamui Kobayashi, Sergio Perez
Toro Rosso: Daniel Ricciardo, Jean-Eric Vergne
Williams: Pastor Maldonado, Bruno Senna
Caterham (formerly Lotus): Heikki Kovalainen, Vitaly Petrov
HRT: Pedro de la Rosa, Narain Karthikeyan
Marussia (formerly Virgin): Timo Glock, Charles Pic

Schedule:
March 18- Australia
March 25- Malaysia
April 15- China
April 22- Bahrain
May 13- Spain
May 27- Monaco
June 10- Canada
June 24- Europe (Valencia)
July 8- Britain
July 22- Germany
July 29- Hungary
September 2- Belgium
September 9- Italy
September 23- Singapore
October 7- Japan
October 14- Korea
October 28- India
November 4- Abu Dhabi
November 18- United States
November 25- Brazil

  • 80 Replies
Joe96
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Joe96
2,233 posts
Peasant

I always think this thread has something to do with function keys... I'm such a nerd D:

MrDayCee
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MrDayCee
14,747 posts
King

Hey! You made a thread about the 2012 Formula 1 season! Nice one waluigi! =P

I'm really looking forward to this year's F-1 season as it 'could' be the make-or-break point for Michael Schumacher and how he will proceed from hereon! He has a good chance, given that the car is decently progressing from last years version, and will surely be aiming for the GP wins, if not for the championship! But I do have to admit that I'm a bit scared of Vettel having another dominant year this year... let's hope another driver (preferably Schumi of course! Heheh...) can provide somewhat of a fight and break his streak! =)

So... to warm up a bit for the first race coming Sunday, I pulled out the Senna documentary to get into the mood a bit and see some footage of the era when F-1 racing was still about racing at first and at that point began to turn into a political game, which progressed to the current state of backstabbing and moneymaking games that are played in the world of Formula Uno! =/

Let's forget that last bit and just enjoy the fast paced, adrenaline rushed, breathtaking mother of all motorsports, called Formula 1!

Gentlemen... start your engines!! =D

Strop
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Strop
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Bard

Massively crushed that Istanbul's off the roster. I haven't really kept up, so can somebody tell me why?

I'm still holding onto that faint hope that something will go Webber's way. That, and he somehow fixes his abysmal launch issues that have plagued him since 2010.

Of course, I'm particularly interested in Ricciardo, after a promising performance with HRT I see he's now sitting in Toro Rosso's first seat. I'll be looking forward to seeing how he stacks up against the more senior racers. I also wonder if Kobayashi will give us more of his thrilling kamikaze racing, I was a big fan of it last year!

MrDayCee
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MrDayCee
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King

Oh! I forgot to mention a fun fact and renewed first (it's actually a sixth 'first', because it has happened 5 times before) in F-1: they hired a female driver for the Marussia team! =)

To elaborate, there have been female drivers before in F-1, but aside from Lella Lombardi who finished 6th at the 1975 Spain GP and thus getting 0.5 point, none of them were able to make a lasting career in the F-1 Championship. Desire Wilson has been able to win a GP, but it was for the "British Aurora F1 series" and is therefor not counted as a genuine F-1 Grand Prix race. =)

MrDayCee
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MrDayCee
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King

And the first qually has been finished with some unexpected result for me! (o.O)

Mercedes GP has a new rear wing with an integrated F-duct in it, which made sure Schumi has secured the 4th position, but Ross Brawn has stated that they were a little dissapointed about the results of the new F-duct wing, as they expected it to be better than this...
The new F-duct wing is circumventing the F.I.A. rules that were changed since last year, preventing a driver to be able to open and close an F-duct in the rear wing by hand. But Mercedes GP has managed to link this system to the 'DRS' system, having it open and close whenever the 'DRS' is used and thus making is a passive system, which is completely within the rules of the F.I.A. as Charly Whiting has officially stated...
There already have been two teams, Red Bull Racing and Lotus, who have already asked the F.I.A. to reconsider allowing Mercedes GP to use this modified rear wing. They are even considering making an official protest for this with the F.I.A., but this is not confirmed yet...

Hamilton was asked to give a view ahead of the first Grand Prix of Australia coming and said that he wouldn't want to speculate too much as he was absolutely not sure where McLaren would stand and end up after the qualifying... and the results are: #1 and #2! How surprising! =0

A new 'threat' has been opted for the Bahrein Grand Prix of this year's Formula 1 calender... the "Coalition Youth of the 14 Feb Revolution" has send a message to Bernie Ecclestone to cancel the Grand Prix held April 22nd this year. Wonder what that will be in the end... will revolution win over money? =/

I will post the results for the qualifying next up, I just hve to go look for them online and grab the info... hang on! =D

MrDayCee
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MrDayCee
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King

So here we have the official results for the Qualification of the Australian Grand Prix held at Melbourne - Australia tomorrow, March 18th, 2012! =)

1. Lewis Hamilton McLaren - Mercedes 1:24,922
2. Jenson Button McLaren - Mercedes + 0,152
3. Romain Grosjean Lotus - Renault + 0,380
4. Michael Schumacher Mercedes + 0,414
5. Mark Webber RedBull - Renault + 0,729
6. Sebastian Vettel RedBull - Renault + 0,746
7. Nico Rosberg Mercedes + 0,764
8. Pastor Maldonado Williams - Renault + 0,986
9. Nico Hülkenberg Force India - Mercedes + 1,529
10 Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso - Ferrari -???-
11 Jean-Ãric Vergne Toro Rosso - Ferrari + 1,507
12 Fernando Alonso Ferrari + 1,572
13 Kamui Kobayashi Sauber - Ferrari + 1,668
14 Bruno Senna Williams - Renault + 1,741
15 Paul Di Resta Force India - Mercedes + 2,164
16 Felipe Massa Ferrari + 2,575
17 Sergio Pérez Sauber - Ferrari -???-
18 Kimi Räikkönen Lotus - Renault + 2,836
19 Heikki Kovalainen Caterham - Renault + 3,757
20 Vitaly Petrov Caterham - Renault + 4,096
21 Timo Glock Marussia - Cosworth + 6,001
22 Charles Pic Marussia - Cosworth + 6,748

NQ Pedro de la Rosa HRT - Cosworth 1:33,495
NQ Narain Karthikeyan HRT - Cosworth 1:33,643

I just checked and the final result have been given out to be the starting grid as well for tomorrow's Grand Prix. No changes were made to any of the positions of the drivers...

Looks like some real big surprises / huge dissapointments here! I'll highlight the biggest surprises and developments for me personally... (o.O)

Vettel is only 6th, behind his team mate Webber! Will Mark have the upper hand over Sebas this year? That would be deserving for Mark anyway! Could give him the shot at the titel he surely has paid for in advance last year! =)

Grosjean in 3rd?! Now THAT's a real surprise! I expected the Lotus would be a good car this year, one to watch out for, but this good?! And Raikkonen still has to adjust to the car as it seems... or he has been away from racing F-1 for too long! Weird... =/

Schumacher has outperformed his team mate Rosberg for this race and I'm sceptical enough to not cheer for a complete domination by Schumi over him, even after a better race result for this race... I learned from last year where Rosberg has proven to be a driver to recon with! Nevertheless, great result in 4th place!

Ferrari... Ferrari..? Ferrari..! *sighs* ...oh my! What has happened to them?! The red car has seem to have lost it's horse power and fallen back in this year's field?! Luca de Montezemolo won't be happy I'm afraid! I bet he's raging like a fierce wild black stallion about the 12th and 16th place for a result by Alonso and Massa! Yikes! (o.O)

Too bad De la Rosa and Karthikeyan are not capable to drive the HRT over the required minimal time limit and enter the race... I thought it would be the year we could see De la Rosa race for real again, but the HRT has proven to be a bad car, not able to compete with the rest of the field! At least not for this Grand Prix... let's hope for the best! =/

waluigi
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waluigi
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Shepherd

I have to say that this season will be interesting to say the least. The fact the both Red Bull cars will be starting in row 3 is surprising, and even more so that Grosjean and Schumacher are ahead of them.
As for Ferrari, I agree with you Daycee, they are a far cry from what they once were. I had heard that they were struggling in the test sessions, but I didn't expect it would be this bad.
I have to say I'm impressed by the performance of the Torro Rosso team and then Nico Hulkneburg of Force India. For Torro Rosso having two rookie drivers do well in qualifying (for there team), I'd say they're in good shape. I'm also impressed that Hulkenburg managed a 9th in his first race since 2010.
I am disappointed with the Caterham team. I thought that they were supposed to be even better this year, but they're still at the back of the grid. What is going on here?!
I can't wait for the race tonight. Being Australia, its sure to be a race of attrition. Who will win?

Pixie214
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Pixie214
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Peasant

Completely gutted that Schumcacher went out so early in the race. Granted Rosberg faded as the race went on so it can be assumed that Schumacher would have but I think he could have had a good abttle with Alonso as he charged up the field. Alonso did great to get to fifth but Massa needs to sort himself out soon Ferrari can't keep giving him "one more year.

Great to see Button win a great start to the season and as a Hamilton hater it made me smile. Shame webber had another difficult Oz grand prix but I loved the last lap drama..... bodes well for the rest of the season if they can keep this up.

Hope to see HRT actually qualify for the next race.... at least when Minardi were racing they had some fun.

waluigi
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waluigi
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Shepherd

Alright, time for the second round of the F1 season. After a first race that showed McLaren to have a little edge over Red Bull, the teams now make for Malaysia. I'm looking to see a good fight between Red Bull and McLaren, and maybe some improvement from the Ferraris. I'd also like to see if Mercedes or Lotus have anything to show the big boys up front. Who will win? F1 Grand Prix of Malaysia, next, on the AG forums!

MrDayCee
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MrDayCee
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King

Qualification is still ongoing right now, but I have to leave for work RIGHT NOW! Already late... aaaarrgghhh! =/

Schumacher and Rosberg are actually looking good for the front row at the moment! Oooohhh... how sweet this would be! It would show that the times they drove in Australia were no fluke and they are actually up there with the "Big 'uns" YEAH! =D

I'll check in later on today to see what you guys think, ok? =)

And good to see you're back and active again Pixie214! =D

MrDayCee
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MrDayCee
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King

YUZ, YUZ, YUUUUZZ!!! =)

Michael Schumacher has made it into the top 3 of a qualifying for the first time since the 2006 Japanese Grand Prix!! Man, I'm proud... =D

On a quick side note: the Mercedes rear wing with embedded F-duct has been officially approved by the F.I.A., so they are in the clear with that too! So we'll probably see those modifications being made to the other cars in the field real soon I bet... Only person consitingly growling about it is Christian Horner of Red Bull, who refuses to let the matter rest... pathetic behaviour! He was the one angry about others complaining about his car last year and now he does it too! LOL =P

http://data.rtl.nl/_internal/gridimage_v3!0/f6pnaprwj0p3a01wqz1q24tf5x1m2ry/1024x768_MercedesDiff.jpg
(The recently -F.I.A. approoved- new Mercedes rear wing with embedded F-duct system...)

Back to the qually... a great job from both McLarens once again! But same as with last race, I predict Button will do good tomorrow and Hamilton will drop a few places. As for Schumi... oh, how I wish he could be battling for the leading position once again! That would be aweseom! =)
Raikonnen did well again, with the idea of the Lotus being close to the top cars on the grid, Idon't think it was a mere incidental result from Australia, but we'll see...
Webber kept the Red Bull flag resonably high, but both his and Vettel's performance were not that well, compared to their dominance last year... again, we'll see!

Alonso and Massa from Ferrari are still struggling, but they slowly seem to be recovering from their bad performance during last race weekend... the Ferrari management stated that Massa has done significantly better, even though his qually doesn't show the results from that yet. I don't know yet though... =/

I'm really exited for tomorrow's Grand Prix! I've got my fingers crossed, hoping for an exciting race and hopefully Schumi winning will be the cherry on top! =)

Pixie214
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Pixie214
5,838 posts
Peasant

Thankyou MrDayCee

Granted the Redbulls aren't right on the pace but they'll have a good strategy for the race (especially Vettel on the hard tyres).

Looking forward to what Schumacher does tomorrow, hoping he doesn't have o retire again. Martin Whitmarsh from Mclaren has said he's letting his drievrs race. I can see Button getting a better start again and Hamilton going over the top to block him; leavingSchumacher clear to take the lead. But as Australia showed the Mercedes race pace isn't quite as good as their qualifying pace.

Ferrari have got to sort themselves out. I don't think getting rid of Massa would do it as Alonso is struggling too.

As for the Mercedes rear wing DRS thing I think it's good that the FIA have made a definitive statement about it. I read through the BBc analysis about it and I think the main reason the other teams are complaining (especially Horner) is that since the system runs through the whole car to copy it they would ahve to change the whole body work not just add on a little flap or something.

Plus well done to HRT for qualifying this time can't wait for the race even if I don't have sky

xShiftedHD
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xShiftedHD
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Nomad

Gotta see!

MrDayCee
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MrDayCee
14,747 posts
King

Well... Schumacher hasn't been forced to retire yet, but position # 13 is not a good one as for now. =/

Forgive me for being a bit cranky, but the fact that I arranged everything in such a way to be able to watch the race and then go to work, has been washed down the drain, simply because some weather god decided the crops looked a little pale... AAARRGGHHH!!! (@.@)

Nothing ill said about Grosjean, he's a rookie and is forgiven for his first and only slip-up, but WHY did it have to be Schumacher again? WHY?!?! It seems like he is not given the right to step back up to the plate again? Sure... practice all you want, in fact, here's a new uniform! What is that? You want to race? Ahm... well, we'll see what it gives, ok? *blegh* =/

Off to work now, hoping I won't be dissapointed with another safetycar and fail to record the whole race! =)

MrDayCee
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MrDayCee
14,747 posts
King

What a race! I didn't even see most of it, go figure... LOL

I'll be watching it tonight, but already know the results, which is pretty rare for me... I normally wait it out untill I saw the whole thing, but yeah... =)

The whole grid is scrambled, which makes for a promissing season this year, so it seems!! MAJOR congratz to Perez for his 2nd position finish! He even threatened Alonso a while there, shame he didn't make it in the end, but Alonso deserves the win just the same though. He had a bad start of the season and a car that looks like a sub-top player, but manages to win Malaysia? Excellent stuff! Just goes to show that Massa is out of Alonso's league there, shame, shame, shame... =/

Schumacher is still promissing, allthough the car seems to lack a little race speed there... we'll see further on during the season whether the Mercedes makes it to play with the McLarens again!

Raikonnen is a real surprise! He's able to make a second good position finish already and seems to be the 'best of the rest' at the moment! Looking forward to some more Finnish action! =D

Senna, Di Resta, Vergne and Hulkenberg did a superb job finishing in the points, but we have to wait for a few races more to see whether the sub-top teams are all that close together, or whether this was the result of a rainy Grand Prix in all honesty... still, looks promissing again! =)

Results for the 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix :

-Pos -Driver -Team -Time
----------------------------------------------------
1. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 251.812
2. Sergio Perez Sauber +2.263
3. Lewis Hamilton McLaren +14.591
4. Mark Webber Red Bull +17.688
5. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus +29.456
6. Bruno Senna Williams +37.667
7. Paul di Resta Force India +44.412
8. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso +46.985
9. Nico Hulkenberg Force India +47.892
10. Michael Schumacher Mercedes +49.996
11. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull +1:15.527
12. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso +1:16.828
13. Nico Rosberg Mercedes +1:18.593
14. Jenson Button McLaren +1:19.719
15. Felipe Massa Ferrari +1:37.319
16. Vitaly Petrov Caterham +1 Ronde
17. Timo Glock Marussia +1 Ronde
18. Heikki Kovalainen Caterham +1 Ronde
19. Pastor Maldonado Williams +2 Ronden
20. Charles Pic Marussia +2 Ronden
21. Narain Karthikeyan HRT +2 Ronden
22. Pedro de la Rosa HRT +2 Ronden
Not finished
23. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber +10 Ronden
24. Romain Grosjean Lotus +53 Ronden
(All results pending official F.I.A. approval...)

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