Red Bull and Mclaren have had ups and downs, much like every other team, but they have managed to emerge on top after 11 rounds. With 9 left, the constructors and drivers championships are still to play for and it is sure to be close.
Both teams have 3 wins, equal with Ferrari, but the main difference in their situation is that both drivers are up in the top 8 of the championship. They have had tough times in 2012, but managed to put consistent results in. Jenson Button had a torrid middle sector of the 2012 season but ended on a high in Germany, only to lose out on a podium in Hungary. Red Bull have had 2 drivers consistently matching each other, with Vettel's dominance of 2011 fading. Check out my review, with driver and team gradings.
Red Bull
Grading: A
Red Bull have shown strong pace throughout, from the get go in pre-season testing. We knew that they would be up there and in contention, but they now have a big lead. This is thanks to Mclaren's problems, Lotus's inconsistency at the start of the year and Ferrari's lack of a strong 2nd driver.
Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel have both won a race this year, with Webber taking 2 and Vettel taking 1. Mark looks alot strong this season and is really putting the pressure on Sebastian, unlike he did last year. 1 non score in Valencia has helped Webber move up to the front of the championship, challenging Alonso. His consistency has been thanks to the RB8, designed by Adrian Newey, being suited to so many circuits. Vettel has also taken that advantage, with just 2 non-scores. 1 was when a certain victory was taken away at the European GP due to a mechanical failure.
Red Bull's RB8 car has come under increased speculation and criticism for their innovative designs and concepts, which seem to be banned every time. Because Red Bull have created such a strong car, all the other teams are looking to see what advantage they have. We have seen their engine maps taken away, the hole in the floor covered up and other technical masterpieces halted due to the FIA's ever changing of the rules. For me, it is sad to see innovation taken away. Red Bull have one of F1's best and biggest brains in their team, why use that as a disadvantage?
Red Bull will be putting lots of work in over the summer break to keep the pace up at the front and defend the points gap they have already.
Driver Reviews:
Sebastian Vettel: Vettel was dominant in 2011, taking his 2nd title, but the rule changes have seen the field close up and that dominance has faded. He has been in the shadow of team mate Webber this year, with his 2 wins beating Vettel's tally of 1 so far. There is no doubt that he would have own in Valencia, but mechanical failure stopped that. He also lost out on a podium in Germany, his home race, after overtaking Jenson Button while off the track. It was a justified penalty in my view, but lost him points for the championship. That win in Bahrain was strong and the battle with Raikkonen was really interesting, but I always thought Vettel had it covered.
Grade: A
Mark Webber: Webber really is pushing hard in 2012, with this year looking like being one of his last chances to take the title. He may be dropping back from Alonso in the championship, but Mark has impressed me with his consistency. He has finished 7 times in the top 4, with 2 of those occasions being wins. His fearless race in Monaco, where he kept ahead of Rosberg and Alonso to take the victory, was highly impressive and showed me that he is taking the fight to Alonso. He also took that brilliant win in Britain, we seem to have adopted Mark as an honorary Brit. After the summer break, all eyes will be on Webber to close in on Alonso.
Grade: A
JLF1 View: Red Bull have built a solid car but they seem to consistently be under the spot light. Despite these problems with design, they have shown solid speed and both drivers are up and challenging for wins.
Your View: AlexZAfRO @ThatAfRoLife "They have overall have a pretty solid car over the year so far but just haven't unlocked all the potential. I think they should be leading the standings but errors in the car have meant that is not a possibility. I think they have had a good year maybe not so dominant as last but I still think they can pull through and win this years championship."
McLaren
Grade: A-
They could be fighting for the number 1 constructors spot had it not been for early pit errors for Hamilton, and mid-season slumps for Button. Both drivers have been on the top step of the podium, with Lewis visiting it twice and Button once. The way the season has panned out overall is disappointing so far, with a number of non scores meaning Red Bull have pulled away.
Mclaren were criticised for their torrid pit stops early on, but since then they have stepped it up. The pit errors may have cost them around 25 points, but the drivers have pushed and tried to recover that lost time. They started the season with the fastest car, dominating the Australian GP. That pace has been seen on every race weekend so far, but the end result just has not been there.
Hamilton's 5 podiums to Button's 3 have shown that Lewis is happier with the MP4-27 this year. Jenson has struggled in qualifying to get to the front, and even more in the race. The set up of the car has proved to be difficult, with Button's "sweet spot" set up style being difficult to find. In my opinion, Mclaren have the fastest car, but the drivers are failing to use that advantage. The pit stops and other mechanical failures have left the team trailing Red Bull by some way. Button has also dropped down the pack in the drivers standings, after a poor 6 races between Bahrain and Great Britain.
Mclaren will be pushing hard at Woking to find that sweet spot the drivers need. They have the base car, but they just cant extract that potential.
Driver Reviews:
Lewis Hamilton: After a difficult 2011, Lewis seemed to have returned in 2012 as a changed man. He rarely complains, he smiles more and he always finds the positive. It is really great to see. On track, he has been as aggressive as ever but that has helped him hit the front. Those glorious wins in Canada and Hungary show that the MP4-27 has what it takes. That non-score in Valencia hurt his title challenge. In my view he was totally innocent, Maldonado was at fault. Bahrain was also disappointing but overall, it has been a good first 11 races. He needs to continue this form and win more races. He needs to outperform the car like Alonso.
Grade: A-
Jenson Button: It started so well, didn't it. That win in Australia was first class and really did show dominance. However, the next round at Malaysia was poor. I was shouting at my TV when he slithered into Karthikeyan, ruining his race. After that, China was strong to get another podium but he never looked to challenge for the win. A did not finish in Bahrain was the catalyst for poor form, with 2 more non points scores before the summer break. Minor points that he scored in Valencia and Great Britain has meant he has fallen out of the top 5. I'm a big Button fan, so it is hard to see him having a similar fate to Lewis in 2011. The next 9 races will be very important for him, to end the 2012 season strongly.
Grade: B+
JLF1View: Mclaren shot themselves in the foot early on with the pit stop problems, but the drivers have struggled to find the right set up. The next few races are key if they want to mount a challenge on Red Bull.
Your view: Charli Andrews @ChChCharli "they need more consistency. When they're good; they're amazing! When they don't; they are awful. Need to sort it out."
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| (c) Octane Photographic |
Red Bull
Grading: A
Red Bull have shown strong pace throughout, from the get go in pre-season testing. We knew that they would be up there and in contention, but they now have a big lead. This is thanks to Mclaren's problems, Lotus's inconsistency at the start of the year and Ferrari's lack of a strong 2nd driver.
Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel have both won a race this year, with Webber taking 2 and Vettel taking 1. Mark looks alot strong this season and is really putting the pressure on Sebastian, unlike he did last year. 1 non score in Valencia has helped Webber move up to the front of the championship, challenging Alonso. His consistency has been thanks to the RB8, designed by Adrian Newey, being suited to so many circuits. Vettel has also taken that advantage, with just 2 non-scores. 1 was when a certain victory was taken away at the European GP due to a mechanical failure.
Red Bull's RB8 car has come under increased speculation and criticism for their innovative designs and concepts, which seem to be banned every time. Because Red Bull have created such a strong car, all the other teams are looking to see what advantage they have. We have seen their engine maps taken away, the hole in the floor covered up and other technical masterpieces halted due to the FIA's ever changing of the rules. For me, it is sad to see innovation taken away. Red Bull have one of F1's best and biggest brains in their team, why use that as a disadvantage?
Red Bull will be putting lots of work in over the summer break to keep the pace up at the front and defend the points gap they have already.
Driver Reviews:
Sebastian Vettel: Vettel was dominant in 2011, taking his 2nd title, but the rule changes have seen the field close up and that dominance has faded. He has been in the shadow of team mate Webber this year, with his 2 wins beating Vettel's tally of 1 so far. There is no doubt that he would have own in Valencia, but mechanical failure stopped that. He also lost out on a podium in Germany, his home race, after overtaking Jenson Button while off the track. It was a justified penalty in my view, but lost him points for the championship. That win in Bahrain was strong and the battle with Raikkonen was really interesting, but I always thought Vettel had it covered.
Grade: A
Mark Webber: Webber really is pushing hard in 2012, with this year looking like being one of his last chances to take the title. He may be dropping back from Alonso in the championship, but Mark has impressed me with his consistency. He has finished 7 times in the top 4, with 2 of those occasions being wins. His fearless race in Monaco, where he kept ahead of Rosberg and Alonso to take the victory, was highly impressive and showed me that he is taking the fight to Alonso. He also took that brilliant win in Britain, we seem to have adopted Mark as an honorary Brit. After the summer break, all eyes will be on Webber to close in on Alonso.
Grade: A
JLF1 View: Red Bull have built a solid car but they seem to consistently be under the spot light. Despite these problems with design, they have shown solid speed and both drivers are up and challenging for wins.
Your View: AlexZAfRO @ThatAfRoLife "They have overall have a pretty solid car over the year so far but just haven't unlocked all the potential. I think they should be leading the standings but errors in the car have meant that is not a possibility. I think they have had a good year maybe not so dominant as last but I still think they can pull through and win this years championship."
McLaren
Grade: A-
They could be fighting for the number 1 constructors spot had it not been for early pit errors for Hamilton, and mid-season slumps for Button. Both drivers have been on the top step of the podium, with Lewis visiting it twice and Button once. The way the season has panned out overall is disappointing so far, with a number of non scores meaning Red Bull have pulled away.
Mclaren were criticised for their torrid pit stops early on, but since then they have stepped it up. The pit errors may have cost them around 25 points, but the drivers have pushed and tried to recover that lost time. They started the season with the fastest car, dominating the Australian GP. That pace has been seen on every race weekend so far, but the end result just has not been there.
Hamilton's 5 podiums to Button's 3 have shown that Lewis is happier with the MP4-27 this year. Jenson has struggled in qualifying to get to the front, and even more in the race. The set up of the car has proved to be difficult, with Button's "sweet spot" set up style being difficult to find. In my opinion, Mclaren have the fastest car, but the drivers are failing to use that advantage. The pit stops and other mechanical failures have left the team trailing Red Bull by some way. Button has also dropped down the pack in the drivers standings, after a poor 6 races between Bahrain and Great Britain.
Mclaren will be pushing hard at Woking to find that sweet spot the drivers need. They have the base car, but they just cant extract that potential.
Driver Reviews:
Lewis Hamilton: After a difficult 2011, Lewis seemed to have returned in 2012 as a changed man. He rarely complains, he smiles more and he always finds the positive. It is really great to see. On track, he has been as aggressive as ever but that has helped him hit the front. Those glorious wins in Canada and Hungary show that the MP4-27 has what it takes. That non-score in Valencia hurt his title challenge. In my view he was totally innocent, Maldonado was at fault. Bahrain was also disappointing but overall, it has been a good first 11 races. He needs to continue this form and win more races. He needs to outperform the car like Alonso.
Grade: A-
Jenson Button: It started so well, didn't it. That win in Australia was first class and really did show dominance. However, the next round at Malaysia was poor. I was shouting at my TV when he slithered into Karthikeyan, ruining his race. After that, China was strong to get another podium but he never looked to challenge for the win. A did not finish in Bahrain was the catalyst for poor form, with 2 more non points scores before the summer break. Minor points that he scored in Valencia and Great Britain has meant he has fallen out of the top 5. I'm a big Button fan, so it is hard to see him having a similar fate to Lewis in 2011. The next 9 races will be very important for him, to end the 2012 season strongly.
Grade: B+
JLF1View: Mclaren shot themselves in the foot early on with the pit stop problems, but the drivers have struggled to find the right set up. The next few races are key if they want to mount a challenge on Red Bull.
Your view: Charli Andrews @ChChCharli "they need more consistency. When they're good; they're amazing! When they don't; they are awful. Need to sort it out."
1 comment:
here's an idea of a poll that you can do after this one closes: who is your favourite to win the championship.
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