Formula 1 - 2012 season (kimi is back!)

[rebelhipi]

its now official !!!!
what do you think?

[IzzyDutch]

It's good.. F1 needs a figure like him, different - raw speed

Now only Liuzzi, andTrulli has to go and Barrichello (veeery nice but he's not that better then Maldonado - a rookie, so retire) aswell as Webber and Massa. Webber, well if you get beaten by your teammate this serieusly then you don't belong in that Red Bull, go retire and make way for the next generation. Let Jaime drive there and fill up a Torro Rosso seat with Vergne. Also Buemi, he's too bland get rid of him too. Massa, was never a fan of him; Always excuses, not a real racer (when he starts from midfield or back he can't battle his way to the front) and the only reason he's still in that Ferrari is out of symphathy and he's not disturbing Alonso in any way. If the gap between Ferrari and the rest of the teams behind was smaller then we'd see Massa (on average 7 tenths slower) more in the midfield and it would notice even more how slow he is.

And I hope Ricciardo will return, he deserves a spot, also the chances are already very likely but I'd like to see Hulkenberg back to..

[Drew]

Very happy Kimi is returning to F1. 

[Genesis]

Just a few months ago he made a big noise about suing the Renault boss when the news leaked. It will be interesting to see him back in F1. Will he struggle with the new tyres like Schumacher did?
Kimi and Kubica (when he returns) will make a potent combo if Renault can get together a good car.

[rebelhipi]

i think its time to move o away from the ??big team?? for webber and massa and let izzydutch said let the new generation come in !
im kind of scared that its the last season with v8 engines

[IzzyDutch]

Well, Toro Rosso dumped both Buemi and Alguersuari today which is a shock.. but perhaps it's good, altough Jaime drove pretty well this season's 2nd half, still there's something missing.. especially Buemi sounded unmotivated. In that sense both didn't seem the perfect fit to replace Webber in 2012 so I think it's a good call to change them in for Ricciardo and Vergne.

They say Dutchman Giedo vd Garde was the runner up for the 2nd HRT seat, which would be great - another Dutchman in F1 again. But now with Jaime being Spanish and dumped, maybe he'll go to HRT? Collin Kolles also leaves HRT tomorrow.

Tomorrow Force India will announce Hulkenberg and di Resta as race drivers, probably followed by Williams this Friday conforming Sutil as their 2nd race driver.

[rebelhipi]

Well, Toro Rosso dumped both Buemi and Alguersuari today which is a shock.. but perhaps it's good, altough Jaime drove pretty well this season's 2nd half, still there's something missing.. especially Buemi sounded unmotivated. In that sense both didn't seem the perfect fit to replace Webber in 2012 so I think it's a good call to change them in for Ricciardo and Vergne.

They say Dutchman Giedo vd Garde was the runner up for the 2nd HRT seat, which would be great - another Dutchman in F1 again. But now with Jaime being Spanish and dumped, maybe he'll go to HRT? Collin Kolles also leaves HRT tomorrow.

Tomorrow Force India will announce Hulkenberg and di Resta as race drivers, probably followed by Williams this Friday conforming Sutil as their 2nd race driver.

i kind of get it. toro rosso wasent goin anywhere with jaime and sebastian
im pretty sure that jaime is running next year
and yeah whos going to virgin ... i mean marussia if vergne is going to toro rosso options are petrov,heitfield,alguersuari,buemi,barichello,the indian dudes whos names i cant spell,hulkenberg,does maldonado have a contract?

interesting times..

just wondering who are you supporting? izzydutch . i was and still are a big r?ikk?nen fan and in late 09 i started supporting vettel

[IzzyDutch]

Ah Hulkenberg is back on the grid, justice!

Officially right now there are only 2 seats open, 1 at Williams and 1 at HRT.. but it's likely that Caterham F1 will replace Trulli (who reportly has a contract for 2012 but it doesn't say a race contract). I think Trulli has just been there because he's good friends with Gascoyne, but Gascoyne also has to deliver the goods next year because else he'll be replaced.

I'm pretty sure Jaime is gonna be driving at HRT next year, HRT is now more or less making everything and everyone Spanish, even Collin Kolles is sacked Right now they're building a new car (first time since 2010 the Dallara chassis, which they modified and used in 2011) at the former Toyota F1 facility in Germany. During the first few fly-away races of 2012 they'll be moving their garage shop - currently also in Germany (which is owned by Colles) to a new location in Spain. And I think in the more distant future they'll be hooking up with Epsilon Euskadi, which has an F1 level facility and applied for one of the 2010 new team entrances.

I also think that Petrov will be going to Marussia as a third driver, but will end up doing some races next year (probably instead of Glock).

Sutil is likely going to Williams (where Maldonado already has a contract), I think that decision will be announced next week when the current talk about the past announcements has been lowered but ifnot then chances of that are getting smaller and smaller and maybe Giedo vd Garde will be driving there instead since he's Dutch, has money and Williams have loyal Dutch sponsors.

So I'm thinking (and hoping) Trulli will be gone too, I think right now they are looking which could be a good replacement and are talking with several other drivers amongst being d'Ambrosio, vd Garde and Chandhok. I don't see Heidfeld, Karthikeyan, Barrichello and Buemi race next year.

If you wanna see the latest status of the field, go to here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Formula_One_season it's not full of rumors it's based completely on confirmations and announcements - though contracts can be easily broken of course (see Petrov).

I ain't supporting anyone in particular, but I like it when Vettel or one of the McLaren guys wins.. I like Alonso and Kubica but Ferrari is my least favorite team.. and I like Sauber and Williams.
But in general I'm just a fan of the racing and follow the top teams but also the bottom teams

[Genesis]

I ain't supporting anyone in particular, but I like it when Vettel or one of the McLaren guys wins.. I like Alonso and Kubica but Ferrari is my least favorite team.. and I like Sauber and Williams.
But in general I'm just a fan of the racing and follow the top teams but also the bottom teams

Whoa, we have the same likes

I like Vettel a lot, but I hope he doesn't win as many races next year and really HOPE that at least Mclaren and Ferrari have competitive cars right from the beginning.

[IzzyDutch]

^ Yeah the same, I don't mind Vettel winning each race aslong as it's a close call and he has to fight for it till the last round

But I suspect in 2012 everything will be closer to eachother..

[Genesis]

I just don't want it to be like 2011 when the title was decided with a couple of races to go and Vettel had a massive point lead over everyone else. 2010 was superb with five drivers still battling it out till the end of the season, I hope 2012 is similar.

Vettel has already proved that he is a true, worthy double champion and that 2010 wasn't a fluke.

[jarmo]

One week to go!

Time to start paying more attention to F1 again...






/jarmo

[IzzyDutch]

Too bad about Kimi, Grosjean did a great job and it's good to see the RB days domianting are over

[Genesis]

Vroom, vroom, Hamilton is back!... and in a non-ugly car!
Kimi was unlucky, eager to see what he can do tomorrow. Ferrari are in a rut and for once Red Bull not on the podium. 2012 looking good!

[gnr-4-ever]

Who's this Perez guy? Managed to catch the last 12 laps, he almost caught Alonso but made a minor mistake in the end and finished 2nd.

[jarmo]

Somewhat ironic to have the team tell their driver who's faster than the race leader to stay calm and then see him make a mistake...


I wouldn't call it a minor mistake. It probably cost him the win.

He was that much faster than Alonso.


But maybe he just secured himself a drive at Ferrari for the future by coming in second...



Fastest lap by Kimi. Too bad he had that grid penalty....


And what the hell was Red Bull telling Vettel at the end. Those guys seem confused. Will be interesting to hear the explanation to that.





/jarmo

[IzzyDutch]

Perez' mistake at the end was a rookie mistake.. he drove superbly that race, unlike other veterans. I think Perez will finish this year at Sauber though, but ifnot it could be that he and Massa switch seats. And Perez at Ferrari will just be a matter of time, ifnot this year then next year.

But it was a very nice race, am not a Ferrari fan but Alonso drove very strong.. shows how great of a driver he is in a shitty car, making the right decisions.

I really hope Lotus will be faster too from now on, I think they're much faster then we've seen right now, but it all just needs to fall in the right place. Mercedes I also hope they stay more in front, especially Rosberg.

Also I'm happy to see Williams as a team in the points and to see that they've got a car that is not that bad

But so far the field is so incredibly close, the margin between functioning and not functioning 100% is just a few tenths but lots of places.. after these two races it's still not entirely clear who's got the fastest car (after McLaren). Good to see..

And Vettel, his car radio didn't work but I believe he said in his post-race interview on German RTL that they wanted him to come in and spare the car but he said he came here to race and cross that finish line so that's what he did.

[gnr-4-ever]

Somewhat ironic to have the team tell their driver who's faster than the race leader to stay calm and then see him make a mistake...


I wouldn't call it a minor mistake. It probably cost him the win.

He was that much faster than Alonso.


But maybe he just secured himself a drive at Ferrari for the future by coming in second...



Fastest lap by Kimi. Too bad he had that grid penalty....


And what the hell was Red Bull telling Vettel at the end. Those guys seem confused. Will be interesting to hear the explanation to that.





/jarmo

Minor if you compare it to the possibility of him crashing and completely going out of the race and ruining everything good he has done during the race. Which I imagine is a lot since he started 9th and finished 2nd.

I agree with IzzyDutch, the mistake was a rookie one, he doesn't have the experience as Alonso or any other high profile driver but he does have that aggressiveness which is pretty rare these days. Most drivers just play it safe but not this guy.

As for him in a Ferrari, I'm not sure it's still early I think. Massa was never Ferrari material IMO, he never won a championship which is a must if you're driving a Ferrari. So yeah, maybe in a few years when he proves himself a bit more, after all this was just one race and you can't give him a Ferrari that fast. 

And a nice attitude by Vettel, most people would just give up but not him. Act of a true champion I guess. 

[jarmo]

Perez' mistake at the end was a rookie mistake.. he drove superbly that race, unlike other veterans. I think Perez will finish this year at Sauber though, but ifnot it could be that he and Massa switch seats. And Perez at Ferrari will just be a matter of time, ifnot this year then next year.

Not sure if it is a good decision to continue in the footsteps of people like Barrichello and Massa.

He'll be #2 there. At Sauber, he can be #1.

I really hope Lotus will be faster too from now on, I think they're much faster then we've seen right now, but it all just needs to fall in the right place.

Fastest lap time by Kimi.

All they need is a "normal weekend". No silly qualifying mistakes, no mechanical issues, no penalties and dry weather instead of the lottery you get in rain.

That should be interesting..

And Vettel, his car radio didn't work but I believe he said in his post-race interview on German RTL that they wanted him to come in and spare the car but he said he came here to race and cross that finish line so that's what he did.

Yeah, as far as I remember, he was told to pit, then stay out, then stop on the track.

On the last lap.

Makes you wonder. He was outside the points. So if he doesn't finish, it could be tactical?

I agree with IzzyDutch, the mistake was a rookie one, he doesn't have the experience as Alonso or any other high profile driver but he does have that aggressiveness which is pretty rare these days. Most drivers just play it safe but not this guy.

I wouldn't call it a rookie mistake.

A simple driver error.

Look at Button, look at Grosjean... They made mistakes too and they're not rookies.

And a nice attitude by Vettel, most people would just give up but not him. Act of a true champion I guess. 

Nice that he didn't just stop.

Less nice:
http://formula-one.speedtv.com/article/f1-angry-sebastian-vettel-calls-narain-karthikeyan-a-cucumber/

 




/jarmo

[IzzyDutch]

hehe cucumber

I just read that Vettel deliberatly ignored the pitt cal, eventhough the radio was out the pit signed showed the info. Vettel said they wanted him to spare the car for being able to exchange the gearbox without a penalty.. but I can imagine Vettel as 2 time WC that he finds that below standard, they're a WC winning team who needs to get their act straight.

Horner however is not amused and has called Vettel back to England to talk it out.

[jarmo]

They're officially blaming the brakes. Saying that after the collision with the HRT, his left rear brake was overheating and could've exploded...



/jarmo

[rebelhipi]

Yeah, as far as I remember, he was told to pit, then stay out, then stop on the track.

On the last lap.

Makes you wonder. He was outside the points. So if he doesn't finish, it could be tactical?



[/quote] vettel did scrore points at the last race. as far the accident goes i think it was just a simple racing accident.

its gonna be a good season 

[gnr-4-ever]

vettel did scrore points at the last race. as far the accident goes i think it was just a simple racing accident.

its gonna be a good season 

Yeah, the season does look promising. Need to start paying more attention to the races, I'm always kinda lazy to watch before the circus moves to Europe. 

[jarmo]

Vettel calls Karthikeyan an "idiot", and now Karthikeyan labels Vettel as a cry baby!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/17550940



/jarmo

[gnr-4-ever]

France set for F1 return in 2013:
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/29032012/58/france-set-f1-return-2013.html

[Drew]

Good to see Kimi having some good finishes so far.

[Drew]

Really nice to see Kimi with a second place finish today in Bahrain. He's getting closer! 

[jarmo]

And he wasn't too excited about a second place!




/jarmo

[Drew]

Yeah, I think he was pretty disappointed that he wasn't able to take the position away from Vettel.

[IzzyDutch]

Total classic from Kimi in the FIA unilat - his Finnish quote on the race: "Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers." Ends.

 

Wow what a great race today.. can't imagine anyone being unhappy about first Williams win since 2004

Also what a great season so far, 5 completely different winners, absolutely no dominance by a certain team and no one can predict who's taking the title at the end, just awesome

After Mercedes and Williams, I'm still hoping for a Lotus (and Sauber) win soon..

[Drew]

Nice to see Kimi with another podium finish. 

[rebelhipi]

lets see how valencia works out eight winner? kimi,grojean,massa,schumi,perez?

[gnr-4-ever]

Anybody else watching the race in Korea? Started very early here, it's a good one so far. Few more races to go and Schumi is gone forever. 

[gueli]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrDDn8ZY9wk&feature=related 

The Iceman is back to the top step of the podium!! 

[Drew]

Was happy to see Kimi finally win this season after having so many good races and finishes. I'm looking forward to watching the Inaugural U.S Grand Prix in Austin, Texas this week.

[gnr-4-ever]

The final race is in Brasil this weekend, my favorite track Interlagos.

Predictions?

[rebelhipi]

really great season!

vettel proved once again why he is the king.

kimi was also supergood.

this was one of alonsos strongest seasons so far (im not a fan)

sad to see schumi and kobayashi go.

[GypsySoul]

Didn't want to start a new thread so just adding it here.

Raikkonen angry with Lotus over lack of pay

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen criticized the team Friday for not paying his salary this season and threatened to skip the final two races of the season in protest.

Speaking after the second practice session of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the former F1 champion said he had to be persuaded to race here and he's still upset about a tense exchange with a member of the technical staff at last weekend's Indian GP.

''Sometimes it is not very nice when you hear that you are not really a team player, and you don't have the interests of the team (at heart) - but you have been paid zero euro(s) the whole year,'' said Raikkonen, who is usually reluctant to speak to media.

Raikkonen, who is joining Ferrari next season, added that he would consider skipping the United States GP and Brazilian GP if he does not receive his money.

''For sure. I enjoy racing, I enjoy driving, but a big part of it is business,'' he said. ''Sometimes when that is not dealt with like it should, we end up in an unfortunate situation. You have to put the line somewhere, and if it goes over that ... it is not really my fault.''

Raikkonen's comments came just hours after Lotus chairman Gerard Lopez played down the rift between Raikkonen and trackside operations director Alan Permane last Sunday. Raikkonen was told over the race radio by Permane not to hold up teammate Romain Grosjean.

Raikkonen skipped media duties on Thursday, which fueled speculation about growing unrest, and the 34-year-old Finnish driver confirmed that he came close not to racing in Abu Dhabi.

''I came here only because hopefully we found an understanding on the certain issues we have been having,'' Raikkonen said. ''Hopefully it will be fixed and we can finish the season as well as we can.''

Although the argument with Permane was not the main factor in his decision to speak out, Raikkonen said it did upset him.

''It is a part of it. It is true those things should not happen, but they have happened,'' Raikkonen said. ''(But) that is not really the issue. It is all the other stuff.''

The 2007 champion is annoyed that his loyalty to the team has been questioned despite racing without pay.

''It doesn't put you in the best place,'' he said. ''That is how it goes and hopefully, like I said, we found an understanding on both sides on how we should deal with the situation right now.''

Only hours earlier, Lopez insisted all was fine.

''Recently a lot was made about the comments between Alan Permane and Kimi during the course of a tense moment in a race, but this was just one exchange taking a matter of seconds in the course of a two-year relationship,'' Lopez said Friday. ''It certainly wasn't the most beneficial few seconds, but you have to step back and accept that everyone is passionate about racing and sometimes these things do happen.''

However, Lopez acknowledged the financial situation was poorly handled.

''For a long time we had the opportunity to keep him in our hands, but we weren't able to operate to the timeframe - or make the offer - that Ferrari were able to do,'' Lopez said. ''For me this brought sadness, as it's like a prodigal son leaving us.''

Lotus still has a shot at finishing second behind Red Bull in the constructors' championship. Mercedes, with 313 points, and Ferrari, with 309, are in a stronger position. Lotus stands at 285.

''The only reason we're fighting for second is because of all the points that Kimi has scored,'' Lopez said.

Raikkonen is third overall behind Fernando Alonso and recently crowned world champion Sebastian Vettel.

[Princess Leia]

Well this season I?m done with the F1. It?s over. We have a winner. Anyway, Kimi hasn?t been paid all season long! I know he is not a homeless. But the issue is he has been working for free. And that of course is wrong. Lotus beef is that Kimi expossed them in public as people who screw their drivers.

Anyway next year Kimi will be back in Red  What a great line up for Ferrari... If they only could have a real competitive car

 

[GypsySoul]

The saga continues!  Doesn't this sound like the team probably f*cked up the car themselves rather than give Kimi the opportunity to put himself in the best position possible for a win?

Raikkonen excluded from qualifying after failed floor test

Lotus?s Kimi Raikkonen will start Sunday?s 2013 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from the back of the grid after his car failed a post-qualifying floor deflection test at Yas Marina. Raikkonen had qualified fifth.

?Car number 07 did not comply with Article 3.17.5 of the 2013 FIA Formula One Technical Regulations as the front floor deflected more than 5mm vertically when the load was applied vertically to it at the point which lies 100mm of car centre line on the LHS,? said a technical report by the FIA?s Formula One technical delegate, Jo Bauer.

As they did with Romain Grosjean?s E21 in Hungary earlier this season, Lotus argued that floor damage caused by track kerbing had led to the failure, but this time their explanation was not accepted as an excuse for the car being unable to pass the test.

Raikkonen?s exclusion elevates Sauber?s Nico Hulkenberg to fifth place on the grid and moves Ferrari?s Fernando Alonso back into the top ten. It also dents Lotus?s chances of catching Mercedes and Ferrari in the fight for P2 in the constructors? championship.