Mercedes and Sauber have had up and down moments so far in 2012. The Silver Arrows returned with an aim to win, and they did. The controversial double DRS looked strong early on, but the novelty of the gadget soon faded. Sauber have shown their pace in the race, but qualifying is still their down fall.
Sauber looked slow in pre-season testing, but as the team gained mileage on the C31 the stronger it looked. There have been a few stand out moments for them, Malaysia and Canada being just a few. Mercedes took the win in China with Rosberg, but have been left disappointed with Schumacher's season. Read on to see my review of both teams, plus both of their respective drivers. Plus, check their gradings and tweet me @JackLeslieF1 if you agree or not.
Mercedes
Grading: B-
Mercedes season has been strong and weak, with the form changing each weekend. The consistency of Red Bull and Ferrari has not been there, meaning they have not made the title challenge expected. The season has been particularly painful for Schumacher, the car has speed but it has failed on him too many times.
Rosberg has really shown me what he is made of this year. I always thought he was abit safe, never really challenging. But this season, he has been aggressive (or abit too much in Bahrain) and drove the car beautifully. That is whether its for a podium or 10th place. His win in China turned him into a hero. He was in command at every step of that race and it really opened my eyes as to what he is capable of, and I'm sure a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders.
The W03 has proved to be unreliable, but mainly for Schumacher. It has its own strengths, in a straight line, and weaknesses, warm temperatures, which provides us with a different performance each race. I gave the team a B- because they have done a good job but they need to sort their reliability issues out and keep working away over the summer break (after the factory shut down) to solve the car's yo-yoing issues.
Driver Reviews:
Michael Schumacher: Overall for the 7 time world champion, 2012 has been a tough year so far. He will be hoping that returning to old tracks, like Spa and Monza, which he knows well will help turn around his season. Of course, we saw him return to the podium in Valencia. It was a strong race for him and he took full advantage of the other people dropping back. However, the W03's reliability has been a real problem. He has so far had 6 retirements, many of which were not his fault, mixed in with a few 7th and 10th place finishes. The overall grading respects that the car is at fault, but his performances have not been as strong as we as F1 fans hoped.
Grade: C
Nico Rosberg: Getting his first win, and in such style, really impressed me. He controlled the race and never looked like he was slowing or slipping back. Unfortunately, the rest of his performances have not been up to scratch. Up to that point, we all thought he would be a title contender. However, unlike Fernando and Webber, he failed to consistently finish in the top points and his only other podium came in Monaco, where a good qualifying helped him secure it. His defencive manoeuvres in Bahrain were too far, it showed he had aggression but it was way too forceful.
Grade: B
JLF1 View: Mercedes started the year so strongly with the win in China, but on many occassions the strong qualifying never replicated into a strong finish. Schumacher has retired from too many races and Rosberg is slipping back.
Your view: James Tucker @jamestucker95 "It was nice to see Mercedes start the season with a competitive car, especially with the result of Nico's first win and obvious straight line speed advantage against the other, however it seems all the other teams have improved and developed whilst Mercedes have stayed stationary and have now had very few results to be proud of... Definitely have work to do this break and see how Many points they can scrape back from the end of the season"
Sauber
Grade: B
Sauber looked OK in pre-season testing, but nothing special. However, in Australia they really upped their game. Both cars finished in the points at the 1st round, impressive strategy calling. Next up was Malaysia and just wow, wow, wow, wow. It was an inspired move to change tyres early on and his closing down of Alonso was stunning, so mature for a driver in his 2nd season.
Kobayashi also impressed in the opening few rounds. 6th in Australia and a 3rd place on the grid in China showed the car and the drivers had pace. The C31 had awesome Ferrari grunt and was always challenging Mercedes in the speed traps. I can not praise the team enough for their way of working and managing on a small budget, the team have really come together and created a great car.
Despite the high points, there have also been a few low moments for the Swiss squad. Perez retired from the British GP after a points finish was on the cards, thanks to contact with Maldonado. They have also had a number of retirements, but it is qualifying which holds the team back. We have seen some inspiring drives through the field (e.g Hockenheim) but you have to think, had they been abit further up the field, they could of finished in the top 3 or 4. The challenge for them is, can they keep the upgrades coming? Monisha will be hoping so.
Driver Reviews:
Kamui Kobayashi: Kamui has alot to be proud about this year, despite not getting the big podium finishes like his team mate. He set the fastest lap in China, even though he went from 3rd to 10th in the race, and his pace during the races has been strong. Retirements in Valencia, Malaysia and Monaco have held him back in the championship, but it is clear to see the car has a good base. Highlights have to be the strong run to 5th in Spain, at such a down force heavy circuit, and Hockenheim. Despite finishing 5th on the road, an after race promotion to 4th was a welcome bonus. Kamui has impressed me since his debut season, his aggressive moves spice up the racing. Kobayashi must not be disheartened by his less experienced team mate getting his 1st podium before him, he has been just as strong and his weaving through the field has been great to watch so far.
Grade: B-
Sergio Perez: What a season for the Mexican, so far. Both Sauber drivers are in the top 10 of the constructors, and Perez can be pleased with his performances this season so far. Whether he can replicate Malaysia and Canada again, we will have to see. Those race circumstances were very unique but the team took full advantage and they were both beautiful drives. Even better is that, so far, he has scored more points than his team mate (who has a whole season more experience. The maturity in his driving this season has improved immensely. Winner of "most improved driver of 2012 so far?", Perez. Without a doubt. Or though, saying that, Grosjean runs him close. Maybe it will be a tie for the top spot..
Grade: B+
JLF1 View: Sauber are running on a small budget, but are mixing with Lotus and Mercedes. They have certainly impressed me, but whether they can keep this up is a different matter. They need to improve in qualifying, to give them a better start to the race.
Your View: Nicole Tatur @Ruby_V "Sauber has performed relatively well this season, with Checo on the podium and Kobayashi finishing in top 10 for multiple races"
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| (c) Octane Photographic |
Mercedes
Grading: B-
Mercedes season has been strong and weak, with the form changing each weekend. The consistency of Red Bull and Ferrari has not been there, meaning they have not made the title challenge expected. The season has been particularly painful for Schumacher, the car has speed but it has failed on him too many times.
Rosberg has really shown me what he is made of this year. I always thought he was abit safe, never really challenging. But this season, he has been aggressive (or abit too much in Bahrain) and drove the car beautifully. That is whether its for a podium or 10th place. His win in China turned him into a hero. He was in command at every step of that race and it really opened my eyes as to what he is capable of, and I'm sure a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders.
The W03 has proved to be unreliable, but mainly for Schumacher. It has its own strengths, in a straight line, and weaknesses, warm temperatures, which provides us with a different performance each race. I gave the team a B- because they have done a good job but they need to sort their reliability issues out and keep working away over the summer break (after the factory shut down) to solve the car's yo-yoing issues.
Driver Reviews:
Michael Schumacher: Overall for the 7 time world champion, 2012 has been a tough year so far. He will be hoping that returning to old tracks, like Spa and Monza, which he knows well will help turn around his season. Of course, we saw him return to the podium in Valencia. It was a strong race for him and he took full advantage of the other people dropping back. However, the W03's reliability has been a real problem. He has so far had 6 retirements, many of which were not his fault, mixed in with a few 7th and 10th place finishes. The overall grading respects that the car is at fault, but his performances have not been as strong as we as F1 fans hoped.
Grade: C
Nico Rosberg: Getting his first win, and in such style, really impressed me. He controlled the race and never looked like he was slowing or slipping back. Unfortunately, the rest of his performances have not been up to scratch. Up to that point, we all thought he would be a title contender. However, unlike Fernando and Webber, he failed to consistently finish in the top points and his only other podium came in Monaco, where a good qualifying helped him secure it. His defencive manoeuvres in Bahrain were too far, it showed he had aggression but it was way too forceful.
Grade: B
JLF1 View: Mercedes started the year so strongly with the win in China, but on many occassions the strong qualifying never replicated into a strong finish. Schumacher has retired from too many races and Rosberg is slipping back.
Your view: James Tucker @jamestucker95 "It was nice to see Mercedes start the season with a competitive car, especially with the result of Nico's first win and obvious straight line speed advantage against the other, however it seems all the other teams have improved and developed whilst Mercedes have stayed stationary and have now had very few results to be proud of... Definitely have work to do this break and see how Many points they can scrape back from the end of the season"
Sauber
Grade: B
Sauber looked OK in pre-season testing, but nothing special. However, in Australia they really upped their game. Both cars finished in the points at the 1st round, impressive strategy calling. Next up was Malaysia and just wow, wow, wow, wow. It was an inspired move to change tyres early on and his closing down of Alonso was stunning, so mature for a driver in his 2nd season.
Kobayashi also impressed in the opening few rounds. 6th in Australia and a 3rd place on the grid in China showed the car and the drivers had pace. The C31 had awesome Ferrari grunt and was always challenging Mercedes in the speed traps. I can not praise the team enough for their way of working and managing on a small budget, the team have really come together and created a great car.
Despite the high points, there have also been a few low moments for the Swiss squad. Perez retired from the British GP after a points finish was on the cards, thanks to contact with Maldonado. They have also had a number of retirements, but it is qualifying which holds the team back. We have seen some inspiring drives through the field (e.g Hockenheim) but you have to think, had they been abit further up the field, they could of finished in the top 3 or 4. The challenge for them is, can they keep the upgrades coming? Monisha will be hoping so.
Driver Reviews:
Kamui Kobayashi: Kamui has alot to be proud about this year, despite not getting the big podium finishes like his team mate. He set the fastest lap in China, even though he went from 3rd to 10th in the race, and his pace during the races has been strong. Retirements in Valencia, Malaysia and Monaco have held him back in the championship, but it is clear to see the car has a good base. Highlights have to be the strong run to 5th in Spain, at such a down force heavy circuit, and Hockenheim. Despite finishing 5th on the road, an after race promotion to 4th was a welcome bonus. Kamui has impressed me since his debut season, his aggressive moves spice up the racing. Kobayashi must not be disheartened by his less experienced team mate getting his 1st podium before him, he has been just as strong and his weaving through the field has been great to watch so far.
Grade: B-
Sergio Perez: What a season for the Mexican, so far. Both Sauber drivers are in the top 10 of the constructors, and Perez can be pleased with his performances this season so far. Whether he can replicate Malaysia and Canada again, we will have to see. Those race circumstances were very unique but the team took full advantage and they were both beautiful drives. Even better is that, so far, he has scored more points than his team mate (who has a whole season more experience. The maturity in his driving this season has improved immensely. Winner of "most improved driver of 2012 so far?", Perez. Without a doubt. Or though, saying that, Grosjean runs him close. Maybe it will be a tie for the top spot..
Grade: B+
JLF1 View: Sauber are running on a small budget, but are mixing with Lotus and Mercedes. They have certainly impressed me, but whether they can keep this up is a different matter. They need to improve in qualifying, to give them a better start to the race.
Your View: Nicole Tatur @Ruby_V "Sauber has performed relatively well this season, with Checo on the podium and Kobayashi finishing in top 10 for multiple races"
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