F1 2012 Performance Grid - Part 1

2012 has seen one of the most competitive fields in Formula 1’s history. We have witnessed exciting races, drivers through the field, some questionable driving and a closely fought championship that went down to the wire. All the drivers have had high’s, lows and shown their potential.

This is my Part 1 of my Performance Grid for the 2012 F1 season, rounding out my review of possibly the best season in the sport’s history, if not one of the best. Remember this is my opinion of each drivers pace, potential and 2012 season as a whole. Do you agree or disagree? Who would your top 12 be? Share your opinions with me on Twitter @JackLeslieF1, the blog’s Facebook page or comment below.

1) Fernando Alonso

The double world champion had a fantastic season, in my view possibly one the best seasons of his career. Yes, he missed out on the world title but by just three points but you have to remember that he was in a car that was far less superior to the Newey designed brilliance of the Red Bull RB8. Here we have an example of a driver outperforming the car and teams expectations. Highlights? Well there was his controlled win in Malaysia, surprising me after such a poor winter test. He fended off the charging Perez well too, showing his defensive skills. That superb and feisty drive through the field in Valencia also showed his true brilliance, or though Vettel should have won. However Alonso still made the best of the opportunity to take the win after starting from 11^th on the grid. Overall, I feel Alonso was the best all rounder this season. He was good in qualifying, of not sometimes a bit off, he was strong in the dry, fantastic in the wet and has helped develop the Ferrari F2012, creating the transition from struggling car to championship contender. You also have to consider his team mate, Felipe Massa. In equal machinery, Fernando yet again outraced the Brazilian over practically every race weekend. A brilliant season for him, proving he is one of the best drivers of the modern Formula 1 era. 

2) Sebastian Vettel

I would argue that he was my driver of the year, but after some thought you have to think about how dominant Alonso would have been if he had been racing in the Red Bull. Yes, Sebastian yet again showed his status as the new triple world champion with some stunning drives, but he had far more superior machinery in comparison. He made the best of it though. I could also argue that the McLaren was the fastest car over the first few races, but as Red Bull developed the car they soon swept to the front. Sebastian was dominant in Asia, really showing his speed. Peter Windsor also told listeners of Pit Stop Radio a little fact, Vettel failed to win a single European race this year. It just emphasises his dominance in Asia, he really switches on when F1 moves away from Europe. His best races were probably Bahrain; he was fast and drove a great defensive race, Japan, India and Brazil. Some would say Abu Dhabi would be amongst them, but as good a drive as it was two safety cars really helped him close in on the field. A fantastic year and a deserving champion, but in my eyes Alonso just piped him to the post for my “Driver of the Year”.

3) Lewis Hamilton

Formula 1 is a cruel sport, and you have to think that without those devastating retirements in Singapore and Abu Dhabi Hamilton would have been a true title contender. Ultimately he lost out on some good results early on when McLaren had the fastest car, losing out to Button in Australia and struggled in Malaysia in the tricky conditions. I still believe, alongside Alonso and Vettel, he is one of the strongest drivers on the grid. He can qualify, race well, overtake yet still adapt his driving style and develop a car. Some of those factors were most evident in Canada and Austin. In the former, he took a risk and changed strategy yet still flew past the leaders to win. The returning US GP proved to be a straight fight between Vettel and Hamilton, with Lewis ultimately overtaking to win. Without the retirements in Valencia, where he was on course for a podium, Singapore and Abu Dhabi Hamilton would have been in contention of challenging Alonso and Vettel. Unfortunately things did not go to plan but that is racing, and Lewis knows that. He has a new challenge at Mercedes, a move that I still need to be convinced on.

4) Kimi Raikkonen

What a return to the sport, eh? After a few years crashing rally cars in to ditches and tree’s, the Kimi we all know and love returned to what he does best. He has given us all some fantastic and hilarious quotes, for example “leave me alone, I know what I’m doing”. He also got lost in Brazil which had me in stitches, SatNav Kimi? Despite the moments that have brought laughter, overall his season has been pretty well rounded. I still feel they should have won a race early on; they certainly had the pace but not the luck. Abu Dhabi was a strong result for the squad, and well deserved after the effort they put in. It was like the “Iceman” had never been away. His race craft was top notch, we saw some iconic overtakes. He did struggle on occassion during qualifying, most worryingly the first round where he lined up 18^th. Thankfully he managed to salvage some points, and from then on he was consistent. He also completed 1191 of the 1192 laps completed in the season, another fun fact that impressed me. A strong return to the sport for one of F1’s favourite characters.

5) Jenson Button

Like 2010, it was another rollercoaster ride for Jenson Button, featuring some stunningly high peaks and some very low troughs. The season started on a high for him, winning the season opening in Australia. His season then went from a soaring high in Melbourne, to a bizarre low in Malaysia. It was a rare fall of grace, an error of judgement from Jenson sending him in to the back of backmarker Narain Karthikeyan. However his season did have many more positives, the MP4-27 looked strong all year and the season ended just as it started, with a win. McLaren had designed the second fastest car on the grid, but like Red Bull they suffered heavily from mechanical failures. These were more frequent on Hamilton’s side of the garage, but Jenson still lost a near certain second place in Italy. Of course the collision with Kamui Kobayashi also dropped him further away from the title contenders, but overall he had a strong year with some good wins and podium positions. However I still feel that he needs to improve on his Qualifying pace, losing out to Hamilton in this seasons "quali-wars" 4 to 12. He now becomes team leader at McLaren, a role that I feel will help motivate him fight back in 2013. It will also help him develop the car and create a machine that is more suited to his precise driving style and set up.

6) Mark Webber

Like Button, Mark’s year has been full of ups and downs. As cliché as it sounds, it has. He has won, retired, struggled and scored points but like 2011 he could not compete with his team mate. It is a shame because we saw some fantastic driving from Mark over the year. Some unfortunate results and numerous struggles meant he could not keep up with Sebastian. I think this emphasises Vettel’s potential even more, because Webber is fundamentally a good driver. We saw this early on with his consistent fourth place finishes, he took a controlled but close victory in Monaco and showed off his skills at the front at Silverstone. It is a shame that his season ended with two retirements and a fourth, he deserved more. However that is racing, in Abu Dhabi he was taken out and in Austin it was a mechanical failure. Another strong year for Mark, but missing that big end result that he wants and deserves.

7) Nico Hulkenberg

It was a season to two halves for Nico, struggling early on but ending on a high. Hulkenberg failed to draw my attention in the early races; his team mate consistently out qualified and outraced him. However it was the last part of the season that really made me stand up and take notice. His fantastic and controlled drive to fifth at Valencia was the first boost of confidence, and he kept the momentum up and proved to be very consistent. He benefited from the first lap accident to finish a career best fourth in Belgium, but his drive to sixth in Korea was one of the highlights of his season for me. That stunning overtake on Grosjean and Hamilton in the space of two corners truly had be standing up and applauding him. The final race of the season showed that he could win, also emphasising his strong pace in slippery conditions. I think he could have been on the podium, so it was a shame that he made contact with Hamilton. Overall a strong season, but a move to Sauber could mean he stays firmly in the midfield for another year.

8) Felipe Massa

It was nice to see Felipe return to the fore front after such a long time away from it. This season was the first since his accident in 2009 that he could challenge his team mate, but this only came at the end of the season. A true comparison of a driver can only be made by looking at someone in equal machinery. Compared to Alonso, his season was disappointing. However, like Hulkenberg, he got stronger as the season went on. However he was consistent from the get go, often bringing the car home and in the points. I was so happy to see him on the podium in Japan, well deserved after a great drive. Strong results in Great Britain, Italy, Korea, America and his home race of Brazil really proved to be that he deserves that Ferrari seat.

9) Nico Rosberg

Should a race winner really be placed behind someone who failed to make it on to the podium and someone who failed to stand on the top step? In my eyes, yes. The win in China was fantastic, great to see and I really hoped it could be repeated. He came close in Monaco, a brilliant drive from him in my eyes. However it did not, thanks to the car’s pace dropping off and some lacklustre drives. By the seasons end, Nico unfortunately faded in to the background for me. The W03 was not the most reliable of beasts either, but when it was on track both Nico and Michael were not lighting up the time sheets. I think they should have scored more points early on, when they had a clear front running car. By the seasons end, they had dropped behind Lotus and possibly Force India and Sauber too. I’m not sure why either, maybe development was halted or their struggles with the Pirelli tyres continued. It just was not what I or many others expect from them. Now Nico has Lewis as a team mate, we will really see if they can both help push the team to the front.

10) Sergio Perez

Like Hulkenberg, Sergio has had a divided season. He really did cement his status as one of F1’s rising stars in Malaysia. No one expected him to challenge for a podium, let alone the win. It was a shame that a rookie error on a slippery track cost him a possible shot at 25 points, but he still impressed me none the less. “Checo” also showed his form in Canada and Italy, particularly the latter where he stunningly drove through the field and passed both Ferrari’s to finish the race in the runner up spot. However Perez would have been further up my list had it not been for his inconsistency, particularly at the end of the year. He failed to pick up a single point in the final six races, a shame after his mid-season promise. Still, he showed why McLaren chose him to replace Lewis Hamilton. Another strong season under his belt, but he still has a lot to learn. He is still young though, with heaps of potential that can help him survive the steep learning curve of a Formula 1 Driver 2013.

11) Romain Grosjean

Like many in 2012, Romain had plenty of good and bad points to his season. One of his strengths was in Qualifying, predominantly at the start of the year. He kicked off the season by lining up third on the grid, really changing my views on him. I was sceptical on Lotus’s decision to sign him, but unfortunately we never saw his true pace thanks to a first lap accident. These seemed to be far too common in his returning season, some his fault (Belgium for example) and some that were not. It has slightly tarnished his season in my opinion, but some strong and controlled drives have helped to level that out. The two third places in Bahrain and Hungary were well deserved, particularly the former after starting seventh. Another highlight was his second place in Canada, a strong strategy by Lotus and some aggressive but, this time; controlled driving helped him swoop up to the runner up spot. Many fail to list him as a future world champion, but I think a bit of polish and experience will really help him move to the front. Overall his 2013 season was strong in parts, but he must learn from his mistakes for 2013.

12) Michael Schumacher

He may have retired, but poor old Schumacher certainly did not go out with a bang, more of a quiet fizzle unfortunately. On the subject of his 2012 season, the only impressive moment’s I could point out were Valencia and Monaco. That is it, all the other races saw him either retire or race to a quiet point or two. Nothing like the return we all expected. However the flashes of speed we saw this season proved he still had something, but the Mercedes’ reliability really hurt him. He was also caught up in some incidents of his own, again some his fault (for example Singapore) and some not (Monaco). His pole lap in Monaco was truly sublime, controlled and precise. He raced well in Valencia to pick up a podium, but if others had not retired the result would have been very different for him. It was a disappointing way to bow out, but plenty of great memories to look back on.

Check back soon for Part 2!