F1 Update

Four races have been completed already in an action packed 2012 F1 season. I remember reading on Eurosport that having six world champions in the field won't be as exciting as people are making out it to be. Well I have one word for that as of right now, rubbish. This has been one of the most exciting seasons I've watched and although my heart is with Red Bull Racing and Sebby Vettel, having such a strong field is so much more exciting than having one person run away with the title. This time last season Seb had over a twenty point lead in the championship but now he only leads by a few. He finally got his first pole and first place finish of the season in Bahrain, although the headlines may have been more focused on other events in Bahrain. The constant debate whether or not F1 should have raced there remains a heated discussion. There have been four different constructors and drivers who have won these opening events and wouldn't you know three out of the four are previous world champions. We can talk about McLaren's dominance and how it really hasn't gotten them the victories I was expecting. Lewis Hamilton came third three times in a row and while he is saying consistency is key, I'm not sure how much longer his positive attitude will last. Hopefully it does last and his efforts are rewarded because when Lewis is on form he is capable of some real flyers. That being said McLaren need to clean up their pit stops because Nico Rosberg's first win may not have been if Jenson Button wasn't stuck in the pits for such a long time. Congratulations to Mercedes and Nico as well for his first career victory after he took his first career pole in China. Mercedes got their tire management right that time. The saga of Felipe Massa continues as the Brazilian finally scored his first points of the season. It is hard to judge this situation because while Fernando Alonso has already gotten a victory this year, Massa has struggled. But in my opinion the only reason why there is such a performance gap between the two is not because Massa isn't a good driver but because Fernando is so talented. If there was anyone else at Ferrari other than Alonso, the gap between Massa and that other driver would be much smaller. The roles can be reversed as well, if someone other than Massa was there, say Sergio Perez, they would be behind Fernando as well. It's a lose-lose situation for Massa because of that. I also have to argue that how much of it is really Massa's fault? The F2012 is, let's be honest, average at best. Ferrari cannot complain about Massa not performing when they give him a less than ideal chassis and expect marvels. Testing in Mugello this weekend gives me another talking point. As I write this now, Romain Grosjean is currently sitting on top of the time sheets. I am in no way surprised by this because I saw him as a real talent in the sport right from the beginning and in Bahrain he got his first podium finish. Keep an eye on him as the season progresses. Kimi as well, came second in Bahrain and Lotus look extremely pacy. The results of Williams cannot go unnoticed either, Pastor Maldonado and Bruno Senna have been putting in great drives for the team. All in all exciting things to come in the next couple months, I can't wait. These three week breaks are driving me insane. I can't finish this post without saying something about Ayrton Senna. The Brazilian passed away eighteen years ago yesterday and it is a truly sad event. The best racing driver to walk the earth left the sport he loved too early and may he rest in peace.

And They're Off!

What better way to spend a weekend than watching the first Formula One race of the 2012 season. Honestly I have been waiting since Brazil last season for this weekend, and by no means did it disappoint. That being said there were plenty of disappointments and delight up and down the paddock. This season sees six world champions lining up on the grid and some say that is nothing to be too excited about. I believe however that it is exciting, having such a wealth of quality and experience will only add to the excitement. There's so much in fact I'm not sure where to begin. Let's start with Ferrari and how they're starting this year like they left off in 2011, not well. The F2012 struggled for pace all weekend and qualifying was nothing short of a disaster, Massa and Alonso failed to make it to Q3. With Ferrari needing a big season it seems they're already being left behind by old and new faces. Then there is the question of Massa. It was made clear that he must deliver or he is history. I can see where Ferrari is coming from, but maybe if they gave him a decent car he would be able to prove his worth. Something else I've always stressed, Alonso makes the car and the team look much better than they actually are. He is an unbelievable talent, awesome to watch.  I'm not sure where they'd be without him. With Massa likely to be replaced at the end of the season, there's only one replacement for him as far as I'm concerned. A young man named Sergio Perez. I've been banging on about him since the end of last year. He is a hugely talented driver who has an uncanny ability to make tires last almost twice as long as they should. He started this weekend dead last due to a grid spot penalty and finished in the top ten, scoring points for his Sauber Team. With his strong ties to Ferrari, he seems the likely choice. However, I was thinking about it today and we forget that Mark Webber is also out of contract at the end of the season with him looking more likely to retire. If he doesn't, great, but if he does and I were Red Bull I'd love the snatch Perez up. Seb and Sergio would make a team for the present and the future. Speaking of Red Bull Racing, sitting in front the of the TV seeing the RB8's fifth and sixth on the grid was an eye opening experience. When compared to last year, Webber would qualify anywhere from first to a few back but Seb was almost always a lock. Watching the last thirty seconds of Q3 last year and seeing Vettel on his flying lap when the clock hit zero was exhilerating. That's not to say this qualifying session was any different. I still maintain that the most exciting part of the race weekend is Q3. I'm a massive Vettel fan but I think having the pace of all the cars more closely together will be so much more exciting for every aspect of the season. I love seeing more mid-table cars being racy and competitive. It was great to see Schuey way up in the front with his Mercedes, as well as his teammate Nico Rosberg. The new Lotus driver Romain Grosjean looked excellent in qualifying, managing a very impressive third position. Unfortunately his race ended prematurely thanks to Pastor Maldonaldo who looked good during the race as well, getting up Alonso's backside a number of times. He lost the back end on the final lap crashing hard into a barrier on driver's right. Hopefully he continues the pace into next weekend. The Iceman was another surprise. After a disappointing qualifying session and many people writing the Fin off in preseason, he showed that Finnish car control and his skill to claim an impressive top ten finish in his first start in two years. Of course I can't forget Mclaren. All weekend the team showed incredible pace and Lewis set a blistering time in qualifying that was not going to be beat. You could tell from his reaction after the fact that it was special. Everything seemed to come together. Jenson was just as quick as his teammate and his start after the lights dropped didn't let him down. He took the lead from second by the first corner and never lost it. He pulled away from the pack like I've only seen Vettel do. After the safety car restart, he had almost two seconds on Seb by the next lap. Vettel showed his skill in making up four spots to end up second with an inferior Red Bull compared to the Mclaren. Their pace was frightening and once Hamilton can put a weekend together they'll dominate even more. It seems that Jens is determined to show that he is the better racer of the two and I've always been one to think that. I think he is more professional than Hamilton and is much more level headed. I love watching him race, his lines are unbelievably smooth. All in all great weekend of racing and everyone is looking forward to Malaysia in one week's time. Any predictions? Lotus looks super competitive, as does Mercedes and Sauber. Ferrari have some serious work to do though and if Mclaren keeps this up I'd say it is theirs to lose. Especially Jenson who looks to be on it right now. Red Bull has a few things to work out but it's early days so plenty of time left to get the lap times to tumble. If I had to say right now who will win the championship I'd say Button but I'll never count Vettel out. It will be between those two for sure. I think they're the best two drivers right now and have been since last year. It's anyone's guess right now but for the time being lets sit back and enjoy the season!