Formula 1 - 2012 Championship Season

[Iron Rock]

Mods, please correct if there is a thread already on 2012 F1 season.

I am a big formula 1 buff having not missed a race now for a long long time now..

Next year is going to be 'Mega' with 6 world champions participating, cant remember when was the last time there were 6 world champions on the track and battling each other?

I think we are in store for an epic battle, i will be praying for a more competitive mercedes - no prizes for guessing whom i am supporting for the last 2 decades!!


Whom are you supporting and what are your predictions?

 

[type-r]

I cant really predict anything here. It can go anywhere. Just cheering for Ferrari, Schumacher and Kimi. thats all. hope all three can finish consistently.

 

[AMG]

hoping for schumi on the podium.

and red bulls will not be as dominant this season. hopefully.

 

[mukeshus]

Next year lot of rules have been changed for F1.

1. No new team can enter the race prior to passing crash tests from the Pre- Racing session.
   
2. All the team participating has to mandatorily pass crash tests.
   
3. The whole race session including breaks will not take more than 4 hours, including broadcasting, in order to avoid lengthy suspension which will lead to prolonged race timings.
   
4. This includes even the weather changes on race track during Race day, which can extend upto 8 hours if unregulated.
   
5. So strictly 4 hours is the deadline.
   
6. In order to have better safety or to avoid crashes while the safety car leaves the track, all the drivers hurry or race against each other, to avoid this, all the cars would be unlap and then join back of the tail, ensuring a clean start, ensuring that slower cars doesn't impend the race leader or the cars in the front.
   
7. Cars that would be in the pit lane when a race is suspended, will be allowed to rejoin the other cars on grid at the position they had retained while entering Pit lane.
   
8. Drivers cannot leave the track without having a proper reason or failure if they face in the car, they can leave.
   
9. Before the race calendar starts the teams can carry out a 3 day testing of car, which was not there earlier.
   
10. All the tyres allocated to driver can be used on 1st day of practice, as against 3 sets which were allowed earlier, in order to guage the behaviour of tyres based on tread pattern and road conditions.
12. All the ECU set up & control parameters are now part of Technical Regulations , which was with Technical directive earlier.
14. The exhaust tailpipes are now strictly regulated in order to ensure that the aerodynamic effect exhaust gases on the car is kept to an absolute minimum.

 

[AMG]

^

making an already boring sport more boring

 

[350Z]

I have not been an ardent follower of Formula 1 in the past but after attending the first Indian GP, the bug has smitten me finally. So I am trying best to keep a track of all the happenings going on. For now, I’m not going to support any teams in particular but Michel Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton still remain the drivers whom I actually admire.

Drive Safe,
350Z

 

[Iron Rock]

I have not been an ardent follower of Formula 1 in the past but after attending the first Indian GP, the bug has smitten me finally. So I am trying best to keep a track of all the happenings going on. For now, I’m not going to support any teams in particular but Michel Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton still remain the drivers whom I actually admire.

Drive Safe,
350Z

Good to hear tht 350Z, never too late - glad tht the bug has caught u finally!
Well really many of us in F1 follow the drivers and by doing that support the teams (atleast indian fans ) - probably with the exception of force india as its an indian owned team in a way so u will like them anyways. Offcourse in europe there are die hard fans of teams/manufacturers - but again its a geographic thing.

Pound for Pound I would add Alonso to your list and also Jenson Button. I rate Alonso in the same league as Schumacher really - because i see him as a team man who brings up the team and builds the car. Plus he is fast, very very fast!!
Jenson button, while he doesnt have the aggressiveness of Hamilton makes up for it more than by his wily driving skills and tyre management - beating hamilton at mclaren isnt an easy task as hamilton has been with mclaren since his 'langotiya' days. I think Jenson has slowly but surely got mclaren's complete trust now.

I do pity Webber a bit as he was last year giving Vettel good competion, but this year is no close. My take is its Vettel who has raised his bar and his confidence is at a all time best - more importantly he has managed to gain maturity of 10 years within the last 2 years - simply makes no mistakes and constantly keeps learning/adapting. Also Webber being 10kgs heavier than Vettel in itself makes a few tenths difference probably.

regarding Schumacher i think this year we saw some glimpes of his usual best, he has received a lot of flak since his return but i see he has vastly improved in the actual racing - infact i think he has raced better than rosberg in most races but has had a higher share of DNF, he needs to do better in qualifying though. Still you can only rule him out at ur own peril + he has really nothing to prove!!

 

[mukeshus]

Jenson button, while he doesnt have the aggressiveness of Hamilton makes up for it more than by his wily driving skills and tyre management - beating hamilton at mclaren isnt an easy task as hamilton has been with mclaren since his 'langotiya' days. I think Jenson has slowly but surely got mclaren's complete trust now.

Ha ha couldn't stop laughing with the highlighted word above.

 

[Surfer]

I will support Kimi and shumi

 

[Iron Rock]

I will support Kimi and shumi

well Kimi is indeed a very good driver, for that matter most babies from Finland could drive faster than an average joe - given their motor sport records.

Kimi's only problem is his lifestyle - if he can discipline himself and control his lifestyle and keep it separate from his racing part - he will do well..a world champion winning for ferrari at his first attempt and then oddly leaving ferrari with his wayward antiques. at one point he was highest paid driver in the world!!

 

[THE XOVER]

For 2012 The Xover says-- go Lewis Hamilton-------the xover loves you

 

[type-r]

then oddly leaving ferrari with his wayward antiques. at one point he was highest paid driver in the world!!

he was paid by ferrari to stay out.

 

[Chandranath]

The man to beat in 2012 will surely be Vettel.

But it needs to be seen if Ferrari continue with Massa. I have regarded him to be a very good driver but ever since his accident, he has never been the same driver somehow. So if Ferrari has someone else lets see who it is. Would have been great to see Kimi in it

Kimi won't stand a chance in Lotus.

Michael needs a competetive car. He has everything still in him as he displayed in the second half of 2011. Ros Brawn needs to be his engineer and not the team principal.

 

[Prads]

Wonder if Rubens will find a place in 2012,nice to hear of Kimi's return,& ya RedBull are the obvious ones to beat.

I have been following f1 throughly from 2000 but interest started around 1998 with one of the best rivalry Mika(Mc laren) vs Schumi(Tifosi)

I have genuine rare books from around 60s & 70s(Jackie Steward),wonder if I should make a separate thread for all of this,Is there an hardcore F1 fan thread?

 

[Iron Rock]

he was paid by ferrari to stay out.

Yes just imagine Ferrari's plight in paying out a contract for someone who has been a world champion and still had a year of contract left..
Some journalist had commented Ferrari were never sure of which 'Kimi' would turn up for racing...i hope Kimi is back with a mature head, his racing skills were never a question...