There 2 teams have had very different journeys so far in 2012, with both feeling a little deflated. Williams have had the 1 big score, but failed to replicate that. Force India have shown consistency but are trailing the likes of Williams and Sauber due to missing out on those odd big scores.
There is no doubt that the only way was up for Williams after 2011. During the whole of last year, they scored a lowly 5 points. By the 2nd race of 2012, they had already surpassed that mark. Frank Williams has alot to be please with, but some area's still need to be improved. Force India were expecting to challenge for 5th in the constructors this year, but they are a way off current 5th place sitters Mercedes. Their form has rose and fallen depending on the track, but the season has so far been nothing better than solid. Read on to see my review's of each team, driver and gradings for them.
Williams
Grade: B-
Williams have made a huge step forward compared to 2011, which is plain to see. After finishing the 2011 season with 5 points, the team really needed a good season this year. Overall, they have been good, with both drivers excelling in different area's. We have seen that Maldonado qualifies well, but can not necessarily hold on to that place during the race. In contrast, Senna seems to be more comfortable with the car in race trim and has scored points on 6 occasions so far, a much greater statistic when compared to his team mate.
Consistency. This word has been split in the Williams camp. The Grove based squad have excelled in that area, for one driver, while one has not. Despite being 5 points down on his team mate, Senna has scored on 6 occasions. Maldonado has scored twice, and has yet to get a point since his win in Spain. That was the 5th round.
That incredible win seems a long way back now. It was a weekend to celebrate, but also to remember in a bad way. Williams lost a huge amount of equipment in that fire and even lost one of their race cars. We know that the British team struggled financially and are still running on one of the lower budgets, so it was a huge loss. Fortunately, the injuries were fairly minor and it was amazing to see the teams up and down the paddock help them get back on their feet.
So overall, its been a good performance and a big step up by the team. They need to keep this going though, if they want to challenge Sauber and stay ahead of Force India.
Driver Reviews
Pastor Maldonado: What can I say? That win in Barcelona was fantastic, one of the highlights of the season so far. However, I do think if Hamilton had not been dropped to the back of the grid he could of challenged and possibly taken it. But, the circumstances on the day helped Maldonado win and he did it in fine style. But, ever since then he has failed to score a single point. Pastor himself put this down to "bad luck", but that is completely untrue in my eyes. He has ruined his season through numerous incidents and penalties, when the car had the pace to challenge for good points. In Valencia, he could of got 4th or even 3rd had he not hit Hamilton. In Hungary he got a penalty which booted him down the order and in Monaco he started at the back of the pack due to purposely chopping Perez in practice, ruining what could of been an impressive weekend. My grading completely reflects that inconsistency to finish in the points and consistency of hitting other people. He may have won in Barcelona, but putting all 11 rounds together, it has been disappointing at best.
Grade: C-
Bruno Senna: The team were out under increased criticism for signing Senna at the start of 2012, some saying he was too inexperienced and others saying he just does not have the talent. However, Senna has quietly proved them wrong this year. In the races, he has outperformed his team mate hands down. Despite not getting a stand out result in the first 11 races, he has consistently got the car home. The 1 retirement he has had this year was not even his fault, Schumacher taking him out of a possible points finish in Spain. What's really impressed me though is his ability to move up the grid and finish in the points through tyre management and quick laps. His performance in Hungary was very good, moving up from 9th on the grid. In a direct comparison to his team mate, Senna started behind him and finished 6 places ahead. Maldonado did get a penalty, but he was never challenging for points anyway. A strong result in Malaysia put the disappointment of Maldonado's crash in Australia behind the team and helped them surpass their 2011 tally.
Grade: B
JLF1 View: Williams have had an up and down season, but some stand out performances are Pastor's win in Spain and Bruno's drives in Hungary and Malaysia. However, Maldonado has been eratic all year and he needs to tone it down if he wants to score more points.
Your view: @ben_sulley "good season, a win in barca and if you think about it..if they could have kept it together, they'd have more points! (oz etc)"
Force India
Grade: C
They set a tough target of 5th in the constructors at the beginning of 2012, but that now looks increasingly unlikely as the season has progressed. To be fair, the team and drivers have had some bad luck and the VJM05 needs some work to challenge the likes of Sauber, but the cars base is pretty strong.
Their two drivers, Nico Hulkenberg and Paul Di Resta, have shown strong pace in both qualifying and the races but the big results that Sauber and Williams have scored seem to elude them. 46 points is still pretty good from a small team based in the old Jordan factory. Both drivers expected a podium in 2012, but that has yet to happen. Whether it will by the seasons end, I'm not sure. I think the Mclaren's, Ferrari's, Lotus's and Red Bull's will always have those spots covered. An ambitious pre-season aim which has not gone quite to plan, a common story in F1.
Looking at the drivers, both have been consistently fast and scored points on a number of occasions. The line up is probably one of the most balanced of all the teams, their pace being very comparable. Both drivers have had bad luck, losing possible points in Australia and Britain, but that is something that all teams experience. They just need to keep pushing and bringing big upgrades, while also focusing on their qualifying pace which has let them down slightly.
Driver Reviews
Paul Di Resta: It is hard to believe that 2012 is Paul's 2nd year in F1. He showed such maturity last year, so its hardly surprising that he has been consistent and smart. Paul plays the race very smartly. It may look like he is giving up positions to Mclaren's or Ferrari's during out of sync pit stop windows, but he is actually trying to lose as little time as possible. He currently lies 13th in the standings, on 27 points. This may not look so good, but compare those statistics to last year. By the end of the season, Paul finished in 13th on 27 points. You can see the improvement, 9 races left and he has already matched his debut year. Highlights of the year so far? His brilliant 6th in Bahrain which happened thanks to out right speed and a risky strategy. He also scored well in Malaysia and Monaco, showing maturity in his driving.
Grade: B
Nico Hulkenberg: Nico came into the team after a year out of racing, so the F1 community did not expect much. However, for me, he has equalled my expectations of being on the pace and matching his team mate. Looking at his season so far, Nico is probably slightly disappointed. He had a chance of points in Australia but was involved in a first lap incident, leading to retirement, and his race pace has never really lived up to his qualifying pace. The European Grand Prix was one where he shadowed his team mate, finishing an impressive 5th. That performance really changed my opinion on him because he drove an aggressive race, but managed to finish cleanly and consistently on a daring strategy. Much to improve for Nico in the remaining 9 races, but still a solid first half to 2012.
Grade: C
JLF1 View: Force India have done a decent job and the car seems to suit quite a few tracks. Their qualifying performances have not been as consistant as their race pace, so maybe that is something that they need to work on.
Your View: Chris Cousall @chrisf1cousall "There having a good season, but not as good as they hoped, i thought they would be quicker than the Williams at least!"
 |
| (c) Octane Photographic |
Williams
Grade: B-
Williams have made a huge step forward compared to 2011, which is plain to see. After finishing the 2011 season with 5 points, the team really needed a good season this year. Overall, they have been good, with both drivers excelling in different area's. We have seen that Maldonado qualifies well, but can not necessarily hold on to that place during the race. In contrast, Senna seems to be more comfortable with the car in race trim and has scored points on 6 occasions so far, a much greater statistic when compared to his team mate.
That incredible win seems a long way back now. It was a weekend to celebrate, but also to remember in a bad way. Williams lost a huge amount of equipment in that fire and even lost one of their race cars. We know that the British team struggled financially and are still running on one of the lower budgets, so it was a huge loss. Fortunately, the injuries were fairly minor and it was amazing to see the teams up and down the paddock help them get back on their feet.
So overall, its been a good performance and a big step up by the team. They need to keep this going though, if they want to challenge Sauber and stay ahead of Force India.
Driver Reviews
Pastor Maldonado: What can I say? That win in Barcelona was fantastic, one of the highlights of the season so far. However, I do think if Hamilton had not been dropped to the back of the grid he could of challenged and possibly taken it. But, the circumstances on the day helped Maldonado win and he did it in fine style. But, ever since then he has failed to score a single point. Pastor himself put this down to "bad luck", but that is completely untrue in my eyes. He has ruined his season through numerous incidents and penalties, when the car had the pace to challenge for good points. In Valencia, he could of got 4th or even 3rd had he not hit Hamilton. In Hungary he got a penalty which booted him down the order and in Monaco he started at the back of the pack due to purposely chopping Perez in practice, ruining what could of been an impressive weekend. My grading completely reflects that inconsistency to finish in the points and consistency of hitting other people. He may have won in Barcelona, but putting all 11 rounds together, it has been disappointing at best.
Grade: C-
Bruno Senna: The team were out under increased criticism for signing Senna at the start of 2012, some saying he was too inexperienced and others saying he just does not have the talent. However, Senna has quietly proved them wrong this year. In the races, he has outperformed his team mate hands down. Despite not getting a stand out result in the first 11 races, he has consistently got the car home. The 1 retirement he has had this year was not even his fault, Schumacher taking him out of a possible points finish in Spain. What's really impressed me though is his ability to move up the grid and finish in the points through tyre management and quick laps. His performance in Hungary was very good, moving up from 9th on the grid. In a direct comparison to his team mate, Senna started behind him and finished 6 places ahead. Maldonado did get a penalty, but he was never challenging for points anyway. A strong result in Malaysia put the disappointment of Maldonado's crash in Australia behind the team and helped them surpass their 2011 tally.
Grade: B
JLF1 View: Williams have had an up and down season, but some stand out performances are Pastor's win in Spain and Bruno's drives in Hungary and Malaysia. However, Maldonado has been eratic all year and he needs to tone it down if he wants to score more points.
Your view: @ben_sulley "good season, a win in barca and if you think about it..if they could have kept it together, they'd have more points! (oz etc)"
Force India
Grade: C
They set a tough target of 5th in the constructors at the beginning of 2012, but that now looks increasingly unlikely as the season has progressed. To be fair, the team and drivers have had some bad luck and the VJM05 needs some work to challenge the likes of Sauber, but the cars base is pretty strong.
Their two drivers, Nico Hulkenberg and Paul Di Resta, have shown strong pace in both qualifying and the races but the big results that Sauber and Williams have scored seem to elude them. 46 points is still pretty good from a small team based in the old Jordan factory. Both drivers expected a podium in 2012, but that has yet to happen. Whether it will by the seasons end, I'm not sure. I think the Mclaren's, Ferrari's, Lotus's and Red Bull's will always have those spots covered. An ambitious pre-season aim which has not gone quite to plan, a common story in F1.
Looking at the drivers, both have been consistently fast and scored points on a number of occasions. The line up is probably one of the most balanced of all the teams, their pace being very comparable. Both drivers have had bad luck, losing possible points in Australia and Britain, but that is something that all teams experience. They just need to keep pushing and bringing big upgrades, while also focusing on their qualifying pace which has let them down slightly.
Driver Reviews
Paul Di Resta: It is hard to believe that 2012 is Paul's 2nd year in F1. He showed such maturity last year, so its hardly surprising that he has been consistent and smart. Paul plays the race very smartly. It may look like he is giving up positions to Mclaren's or Ferrari's during out of sync pit stop windows, but he is actually trying to lose as little time as possible. He currently lies 13th in the standings, on 27 points. This may not look so good, but compare those statistics to last year. By the end of the season, Paul finished in 13th on 27 points. You can see the improvement, 9 races left and he has already matched his debut year. Highlights of the year so far? His brilliant 6th in Bahrain which happened thanks to out right speed and a risky strategy. He also scored well in Malaysia and Monaco, showing maturity in his driving.
Grade: B
Nico Hulkenberg: Nico came into the team after a year out of racing, so the F1 community did not expect much. However, for me, he has equalled my expectations of being on the pace and matching his team mate. Looking at his season so far, Nico is probably slightly disappointed. He had a chance of points in Australia but was involved in a first lap incident, leading to retirement, and his race pace has never really lived up to his qualifying pace. The European Grand Prix was one where he shadowed his team mate, finishing an impressive 5th. That performance really changed my opinion on him because he drove an aggressive race, but managed to finish cleanly and consistently on a daring strategy. Much to improve for Nico in the remaining 9 races, but still a solid first half to 2012.
Grade: C
JLF1 View: Force India have done a decent job and the car seems to suit quite a few tracks. Their qualifying performances have not been as consistant as their race pace, so maybe that is something that they need to work on.
Your View: Chris Cousall @chrisf1cousall "There having a good season, but not as good as they hoped, i thought they would be quicker than the Williams at least!"
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.