official F1 World Championship 2012 Thread

[TheLegendOfMart]

Let's go a bit further into the season before pronouncing the verdict on Lotus, they started the last year with two podiums too

I agree but the rookie got P3 it was either a fluke or that Lotus is capable of at least matching the mercedes.

We're in for a hell of a race tomorrow, folks... a promising start into a great season.

I'm hoping its going to be 2010 season all over again and the championship wont be decided till the very end. It was very exciting when it could have been any of the top 5 drivers.

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

I'm hoping its going to be 2010 season all over again and the championship wont be decided till the very end. It was very exciting when it could have been any of the top 5 drivers.

Chances are we will have another 2010-like season. The top four cars are fairly closely matched, and we have a tight midfield capable of surprises.

I for one am tickled pink about today's qualifying. MSC for the race win tomorrow.

[ybrett23]

fantastic sessions today, was well worth me getting up at 3 am and 6 am :)

lets hope the mclarens can bag a 1-2 tomorrow

[White Man]

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

HRT not allowed to race in Australia after failing to qualify

The HRT team will not be allowed to race in tomorrow's Australian Grand Prix after failing to qualify on Saturday.

Neither Pedro de la Rosa nor team-mate Narain Karthikeyan managed a lap within the 107 per cent of the quickest time in Q1.

Although the Spanish squad requested permission to race, the stewards said the team will not be allowed to take part in the season opener.

"The stewards having considered all relevant material decide not to allow both cars to take part in the race in accordance with Article 36.1 FIA Formula 1 Sporting Regulations," the stewards said.

It is the second year in a row HRT has missed the first race of the season.

Karthikeyan said after qualifying that his car's DRS not working was a huge disadvantage.

"I didn't have the DRS working and had issues with the power steering, so we could have easily been in," he told AUTOSPORT.

"The DRS alone is worth about nine tenths, and the power steering is virtually non-existent, it's almost impossible to drive. I think the problem is that they hydraulics are getting so hot, the viscosity of the fluid is thinner."

The Indian is not expecting next week's Malaysian Grand Prix to be any easier for the team, but he believes HRT will be fine by the third round in China.

"It's going to be damn hard in Malaysia," he added. "It's going to be a lot hotter and we have cooling problems already, so it's going to be very hard. We don't want to bull**** ourselves, it's going to be very difficult.

"With HRT I was under a false impression with the new car. I obviously knew there would be problems but I thought we could get in, and I am very wrong.

"I don't see it as a long-term problem but I won't be surprised if Malaysia is the same situation. Back to backs in a situation like this is almost impossible; we have a few small remedies but to work on the hydraulics is a humungous job. It won't happen overnight. By China we should be okay, relatively speaking."

Source: Autosport

[TheLegendOfMart]

Good they are an embarrassment, this is the teams third season now and they are showing little or no improvement whereas Caterham and Marussia are. Every race they are either holding people up, breaking down, running right at the back, outside of the 107% rule. Maybe its time to call it a day.

[ybrett23]

Good they are an embarrassment, this is the teams third season now and they are showing little or no improvement whereas Caterham and Marussia are. Every race they are either holding people up, breaking down, running right at the back, outside of the 107% rule. Maybe its time to call it a day.

you hit the nail spot on!!!

[TheLegendOfMart]

What MSC was trying to hide in FP3, looks like ducts in the floor of the wing, maybe the DRS/F-Duct rumours are true.

[Zain Adeel]

what are the ducts for?

really looking forward to the race!

[o Ginja Ninja o]

Let's go a bit further into the season before pronouncing the verdict on Lotus, they started the last year with two podiums too,

This isn't the Lotus team from last year though is it?

Isn't this the old Renault team and Lotus from last year are now called Caterham.

[Lovell]

This isn't the Lotus team from last year though is it?

Isn't this the old Renault team and Lotus from last year are now called Caterham.

Caterham were Team Lotus, were as Lotus F1 Team were Lotus Renault GP.

[TheLegendOfMart]

what are the ducts for?

really looking forward to the race!

The rumours are that the Mercedes has an F Duct which is operated by the DRS flap, when it opens it supposedly channels air to stall the front wing thus removing downforce and increasing speed.

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

This isn't the Lotus team from last year though is it?

Isn't this the old Renault team and Lotus from last year are now called Caterham.

Caterham = Lotus of 2010/11

Lotus = started out as Toleman in the 1980s, then became Benetton, then Renault, now Lotus

STR = Minardi of old

RBR = started as Stewart GP in 1997, then ran as Jaguar 2000 - 2004, since as Red Bull Racing

Mercedes GP = started as Tyrrell, then BAR, then Honda, then Brawn, then Mercedes GP

[Zain Adeel]

The rumours are that the Mercedes has an F Duct which is operated by the DRS flap, when it opens it supposedly channels air to stall the front wing thus removing downforce and increasing speed.

in a way stablizing the downforce both ends and making the car handle better? I dont think it will allow much speed those ducts are too small.

[TheLegendOfMart]

in a way stablizing the downforce both ends and making the car handle better? I dont think it will allow much speed those ducts are too small.

No, like the Mclaren F-Duct caused the rear wing to stall and the airflow to 'detach' from the wing eliminating downforce and drag, DRS is a mechanical version of this, but the rumours are that once the driver activates DRS it channels the airflow somehow through the bodywork to the front wing causing it to stall like the rear wing effectively it is a front DRS, people are saying it only gives them 5kph but its 5kph more than the other teams have that dont run this system. Every little helps.

[starbearer]

Several teams, including Red Bull have complained to Charlie Whiting, the F1 race director, regarding the lagality of the Mercedes Rear Wing.

Whiting has said the technical team will consider their protest.

Whatever it is, it's certainly working out.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/17412581

[TheLegendOfMart]

Christian Horner has a short memory, wasn't so long ago people were moaning about Red Bulls flexible front wing and he couldn't see what the fuss was about.

If the RB8 was as dominant as the RB7 was would he still be complaining about Mercedes?

[what]

Martin Whitmarsh said on Sky that the regulations are pretty clear and can't see what the fuss is about. As long as it's a passive device which is activated as a secondary effect to the driver activating DRS, it's legal. And that's what Whiting already said yesterday.

I get they might want clarification but with the way Lotus were going on about submitting a complaint before the qualifying had even begun, it just seems a bit pathetic.

McLaren are doing fine without such a system, so maybe they should look to blame themselves for their own lack of ingenuity rather than anyone else.

With regard to the qualifying result, I hope this means a McLaren-dominant season, but I wouldn't put it past RBR to catch up very quickly. I think Mercedes' F-duct device means they have an advantage in qualifying, but in the race, it will have minimal impact. If the base car isn't quick enough, particularly to ever get into the one second window for DRS, they will fall behind very quickly.

[KiHu]

Aaah cant wait, not many hours left.. Got place to stream the race from (borrowing colleagues account <3), they start airing the whole thing at 6:25 AM here (sweden), I start working at 6. so..just perfect!

Looking ahead for the race, think it will be quite tight in the front..and the middle, and Caterham+Marussia trailing a bit after the main 2 fields.

[MightyJordan]

Can't wait either. :) I'm making sure to wake up about half an hour before the race (so 05:30 over here), and I'll watch it through Sky Player on my 360 using my wireless headset so I don't wake anyone up, and I can safely stay in bed. :p

[KiHu]

Can't wait either. :) I'm making sure to wake up about half an hour before the race (so 05:30 over here), and I'll watch it through Sky Player on my 360 using my wireless headset so I don't wake anyone up, and I can safely stay in bed. :p

Living alone at the moment (baaaw) so dont have any issue like that.

Logged into remote desktop, got support phone.. wont ge betting any calls until like 10, and I finish at 12.

PC next to the bed..So quite comfy here :D

EDIT:

HERE WE GO

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

[TheLegendOfMart]

Cracking race by Mclaren, shame Petrov cost Lewis 2nd place, nothing was certain and he might still have lost out to Vettel but he doesnt look very pleased.

That stacked up pit stop was awesome, happy for Jenson.

[White Man]

Massa needs to go.

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

Man of the race: Jenson Button.

Reject of the race: Pastor Maldonado. Way to throw away safe points in the last lap of the race. :rolleyes:

Shame about MSC's gearbox failure, he would have been 4th or even 3rd had he finished.

It is great to see how closely matched the field is. We will see a lot of surprise results - e.g. a Williams driver on the podium - this year.

Bring on Malaysia next week.