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.