Hasn't this year gone by quickly. Here we are, previewing the Formula 1 2012 season finale held at the famous Interlagos circuit in Brazil.
Fernando Alonso still has a shot at clinching the title, but Sebastian Vettel is on form. A two horse race, with both drivers going for their third world title. It's the battle of the best. Here's my preview of the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix, with my thoughts on Austin, the title and an Interlagos track guide.
Last time out in Austin
The return of the United States Grand Prix, in my view, was a big success. The track exceeded the high expectation, the crowds were out in force and the drivers loved the track layout.
It was no Abu Dhabi or Valencia, but the race itself was pretty good. The slippery track and lack of experience meant we saw mistakes, closing up the field. We also saw drives from the back, overtaking, impressive speed and clean racing. Actually, that last point was what impressed me more. There was some contact, but none of it caused retirement. The overtakes were clean, with a little bit of wheel rubbing for good measure. Overall, all the drivers pretty much performed cleanly and consistently.
I love the track. I have to admit, every time those lovely aerial views came on the screen I smiled. The track is strong in many areas. There's straights for overtaking, twisty parts to close up the cars, high speed challenging stuff and plenty of tight hairpins. I also like the splashes of colour on the run off, and I was pretty jealous by the view from the turn 1 grandstands.
Overall, America hosted a very good, well organised and exciting race.
Two horse race
Sebastian Vettel was not crowned champion in Austin, but I'm pretty sure he will take it in Brazil unless he crashes or retires. Obviously whether it is Alonso or Vettel who takes the title, they deserve it.
However both have taken very different paths this year. Vettel had a strong car early on but really found his form in the latter part of the season. Meanwhile Alonso started with a dog of a car but drove around the problems and came to form around the mid-season. Both have driven fantastically this season.
However as much as I like Vettel's personality, I just don't want to see him take a third title in a row. Alonso has fought for the title for the past five seasons and has yet to find success since 2006. He has been on a charge and has really out drove a below par car. In contrast Vettel has already had the car underneath him thanks to Adrian Newey, so I feel overall Alonso has driven better and tried harder to score those points.
As we know in F1, anything could happen. But I'm going to say Vettel for the title, even though I would prefer to see Alonso crowned.
Autódromo José Carlos Pace, Sau Paulo
This track has been graced by the greats. Senna, Prost, Mansell, Hill, Schumacher and Vettel to name but a few. It is a real old school track, the pit garage roofs may leak a bit and the facilities are slightly below par when compared to those of Austin and Abu Dhabi, but it is that history and nature that make it so loved by the F1 fraternity.
It first hosted an F1 race in 1972, when it was named "Interlagos". Now named after the 1975 Brazilian Grand Prix race winner Carlos Pace, the track boasts so many iconic memories in Formula 1's history. Take the 1991 race. After years of trying, home favourite Ayrton Senna won his first home race. The conditions were wet and treacherous, coupled with the fact that Senna only had 6th gear after a gearbox problem. He soldiered on and crossed the line to win, but he stopped after the line and had to be lifted out of the car thanks to exhaustion. More recently, Alonso, Raikkonen, Hamilton and Button all clinched their respective world championships at the track.
It is world renowned for its contrasting high speed and twisty sections. The cars cross the start finish line on a long, curved straight that leads to the first corner. It is a downhill left, right bend shaped like an "S" and was named the "Senna S". This leads on to a long, flat out left before a medium length straight. Turn four has a big braking zone, as the cars turn left and then left again for the flat out turn five. Then comes the twisty infield section. The turn 6/7 complex has a fast right entry but tightens as the cars reach the crest of the hill.
Turn eight and nine are both medium speed hairpins, the former can produce some overtaking. Turn 10 follows, a tight right that leads on to the flat out left curve of turn 11. After a short straight, the cars enter sector three. It starts with a tight left that makes up turn 12, before it is then a flat out run to the flag. While accelerating to top speed, cars pass through turns 13-15.
The Fans
Like the Brits and Italian's, the Brazilian fans love a bit of F1. They are usually some of the most lively crowds of the year, making lots of nice and creating a fantastic atmosphere. Particularly on the heavily grandstanded main straight.
They are known to boo if their home favourites do not get their way. For example, Hamilton was booed slightly when he took the 2008 championship crown off Massa at the final corner. Felipe Massa is the home favourite, and he is on form. Expect the crowds to go wild if he gets on the podium.
Who's looking strong?
McLaren are known for their mechanical grip, so the slow hairpins should suit them. They also perform well in the high speed stuff, but their straight line speed is lacking slightly. Expect them to be strong, with both Hamilton and Button eager to end 2013 on a high.
With the addition of KERS, Caterham should end the year out racing Marussia. Whether they can snatch back 10th in the constructors is a slightly difficult question. They will be hoping for rain and a large amount of retirements, something that is quite common in Interlagos.
Season Finale
I'm actually really sad that the F1 2012 season is about to end. The winter months are slightly painful for a writer/blogger like me. With not much to write about, I tend to get rather bored. We have had a fantastic year to be honest, possibly the best I have ever seen.
We started off with the 7 winners in 7 races, but thankfully the best drivers rose to the top of the pack and pulled clear. We have seen some exciting races, packed with action, drama, overtaking and controversy. Very rarely have we seen a boring race, or though that is obviously just my opinion.
It has been a really good first full season of reporting on F1 for me. I have been writing for both the blog and RichlandF1 for the whole season, along with many other fantastic websites like F1Plus, Formula1Blog and PureF1 that I joined later on.
Here's to a great 2012 season and hopefully an even better 2013.
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| (c) Octane Photographic |
Last time out in Austin
The return of the United States Grand Prix, in my view, was a big success. The track exceeded the high expectation, the crowds were out in force and the drivers loved the track layout.
I love the track. I have to admit, every time those lovely aerial views came on the screen I smiled. The track is strong in many areas. There's straights for overtaking, twisty parts to close up the cars, high speed challenging stuff and plenty of tight hairpins. I also like the splashes of colour on the run off, and I was pretty jealous by the view from the turn 1 grandstands.
Overall, America hosted a very good, well organised and exciting race.
Two horse race
Sebastian Vettel was not crowned champion in Austin, but I'm pretty sure he will take it in Brazil unless he crashes or retires. Obviously whether it is Alonso or Vettel who takes the title, they deserve it.
However as much as I like Vettel's personality, I just don't want to see him take a third title in a row. Alonso has fought for the title for the past five seasons and has yet to find success since 2006. He has been on a charge and has really out drove a below par car. In contrast Vettel has already had the car underneath him thanks to Adrian Newey, so I feel overall Alonso has driven better and tried harder to score those points.
As we know in F1, anything could happen. But I'm going to say Vettel for the title, even though I would prefer to see Alonso crowned.
Autódromo José Carlos Pace, Sau Paulo
This track has been graced by the greats. Senna, Prost, Mansell, Hill, Schumacher and Vettel to name but a few. It is a real old school track, the pit garage roofs may leak a bit and the facilities are slightly below par when compared to those of Austin and Abu Dhabi, but it is that history and nature that make it so loved by the F1 fraternity.
It is world renowned for its contrasting high speed and twisty sections. The cars cross the start finish line on a long, curved straight that leads to the first corner. It is a downhill left, right bend shaped like an "S" and was named the "Senna S". This leads on to a long, flat out left before a medium length straight. Turn four has a big braking zone, as the cars turn left and then left again for the flat out turn five. Then comes the twisty infield section. The turn 6/7 complex has a fast right entry but tightens as the cars reach the crest of the hill.
Turn eight and nine are both medium speed hairpins, the former can produce some overtaking. Turn 10 follows, a tight right that leads on to the flat out left curve of turn 11. After a short straight, the cars enter sector three. It starts with a tight left that makes up turn 12, before it is then a flat out run to the flag. While accelerating to top speed, cars pass through turns 13-15.
The Fans
Like the Brits and Italian's, the Brazilian fans love a bit of F1. They are usually some of the most lively crowds of the year, making lots of nice and creating a fantastic atmosphere. Particularly on the heavily grandstanded main straight.
They are known to boo if their home favourites do not get their way. For example, Hamilton was booed slightly when he took the 2008 championship crown off Massa at the final corner. Felipe Massa is the home favourite, and he is on form. Expect the crowds to go wild if he gets on the podium.
Who's looking strong?
The tight and twisty middle sector should suit the Red Bull cars, and we have seen them do well at the track. They will be at a disadvantage on the straights, of which there are many. This should mean that Williams, Toro Rosso and Ferrari (who have topped the speed traps in the past few races) will be good too.
With the addition of KERS, Caterham should end the year out racing Marussia. Whether they can snatch back 10th in the constructors is a slightly difficult question. They will be hoping for rain and a large amount of retirements, something that is quite common in Interlagos.
Season Finale
I'm actually really sad that the F1 2012 season is about to end. The winter months are slightly painful for a writer/blogger like me. With not much to write about, I tend to get rather bored. We have had a fantastic year to be honest, possibly the best I have ever seen.
We started off with the 7 winners in 7 races, but thankfully the best drivers rose to the top of the pack and pulled clear. We have seen some exciting races, packed with action, drama, overtaking and controversy. Very rarely have we seen a boring race, or though that is obviously just my opinion.
It has been a really good first full season of reporting on F1 for me. I have been writing for both the blog and RichlandF1 for the whole season, along with many other fantastic websites like F1Plus, Formula1Blog and PureF1 that I joined later on.
Here's to a great 2012 season and hopefully an even better 2013.
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