F1 2012 Season Review - Part 1

What a season it has been. We have seen drama, elation, domination and speculation. We have witnessed stunning driving, poor driving and frankly bizarre driving. It has truly been a season to remember, so how about a re-cap?

(c) Octane Photographic

This year has been the best season that I have ever seen. Yes, it has been up and down. We have seen so many different winners, podium finishers and memorable moments. And now it is all over.  Here’s part 1 of my Formula 1 2012 season review, from Australia to Germany.

We started the year in Australia. After just over weeks’ worth of pre-season testing, for some even less, the Formula 1 fraternity arrived in Melbourne to start a new, fresh campaign. There had been speculation over who was fast and who wasn’t over the winter, but that was just paddock gossip. In Australia we really got a chance to see who was hot, and who was not.

In contrast to previous seasons, McLaren started the year on top. Jenson Button took a fantastic victory for the team, making it is third victory at the Albert Park circuit. He had the better start from the front row, beating pole sitter and team mate Hamilton to the first corner. From then on he controlled the race, winning by just two seconds from Sebastian Vettel. A late race safety car bunched the field up and Sebastian moved ahead of Hamilton in the pit stops. The race took a dramatic turn on the last lap. In his desperation to nab fifth place from Fernando Alonso, Pastor Maldonado lived up to his reputation and crashed out. As a Button fan, I was ecstatic to see JB start the season so well. McLaren started on a high but the celebrations were short lived.

After the near dream start to 2012 in Australia, Malaysia by comparison was disappointing. However for both Ferrari and Sauber, it could not have been better. Ferrari’s 2012 tale started with an uncompetitive car, Alonso harrying his F2012 to fifth in Australia and team mate Massa lapping well off the pace. Despite this, the typical wet weather came in hot and humid Malaysia. This turned the race on its head. McLaren still dominated the front row, but their race was far from smooth. After a red flag due to the typical monsoon rain, a misjudgement by Button meant he hit a backmarker, damaging his front wing and forcing him to pit.  Hamilton also dropped down the field thanks to some superb pit stop timings by Sauber and Ferrari. Perez pitted on the first lap for full wets, just before the rain arrived. He made up huge amounts of time and when the order and pit stops levelled out, he was racing Alonso for the lead. It was a stunning drive by “Checo”, closing in on the double world champion. He probably could have won the race had it not been for a late error, losing precious seconds. Alonso took a surprise victory after their below par pace in pre-season testing and Australia.

The third round of the Formula 1 2012 world championship was held at the Shanghai International circuit in China. The circuit provided one of the most dominant victories of the season. After their strong pace in Australia and Malaysia, scoring points but ultimately losing out on the big hauls due to problems, Mercedes finally moved to the forefront. Surprisingly it was not a McLaren taking up pole position. Instead Nico Rosberg set the fastest lap time, the cooler conditions suiting his W03 machine. Another star of qualifying was Kamui Kobayashi, he initially set the fourth fastest time but a gearbox penalty for Hamilton meant he started from third. However Sauber’s success was short lived as the faster cars moved ahead. McLaren put up a good fight but a different pit strategy meant second and third position were the best they could do, Button being Nico’s nearest challenger (all be it 20 seconds off). Rosberg’s team mate was looking at a certain podium, but a loose wheel at Schumacher’s pit stop forced him to retire. Webber took fourth, but a dramatic moment where he ran wide and hit a bump forced his front wheels to lift off at an alarming angle. Thankfully all four wheels were soon back on track.

The trend of a different winner at each race continued as Formula 1 returned to the controversial Bahrain Grand Prix. Some disagreed with the sport returning to the country after all the unrest and dispute, but thankfully the weekend went ahead with no major problems. Sebastian Vettel took his turn at the front, winning his first race of the season. However the paddock was more impressed with Lotus’s pace. Kimi Raikkonen narrowly missed out on the victory after chasing the Red Bull driver to the line. Romain Grosjean also proved to the doubters that Lotus did make the right decision in hiring him by taking third. The supremacy of McLaren in the opening round seemed to be a distant memory by Bahrain. The team had seen both drivers fall back from their high starting positions. The causes were a problematic pit stop for Hamilton and a puncture for Button. China’s race winner Nico Rosberg crossed the line 55 seconds behind Vettel in fifth, but his driving was criticized during the race after he forced both Hamilton and Alonso off the track. The race was not a stunner, the climax coming from a failed pass for the lead by Raikkonen. F1’s unpredictability in 2012 continued.

The 2012 Spanish Grand Prix was a shocker, no one expected that result. In all fairness I do not think Williams did either, Pastor Maldonado bringing the Grove based team back to their winning ways. The controversy continued, first in qualifying when Lewis Hamilton was excluded for stopping on track after his pole position worthy lap. This was because he did not have enough fuel to return to the garage and provide the compulsory one litre fuel sample for the FIA. Maldonado was promoted to pole position, Alonso starting alongside and Hamilton in last. It was a dramatic race, with numerous collisions and an increased amount of overtakes in comparison to previous races at the Circuit de Catalunya. Pastor’s nearest challenger was Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard had pinched first from the Venezuelan at the start, but the Williams strategy of pitting earlier meant he emerged ahead of Alonso. Fernando was never far away, but Maldonado did just enough to keep ahead. It was one of the revelations of the season, Maldonado turning from erratic rookie to controlled race winner. Kimi Raikkonen scored yet another podium, while Hamilton carved his way from 24^th to eighth by flag fall. The drama continued after the race. 90 minutes after the race a fire started in the Williams pit garage. It was an intense fire that damaged expensive equipment and Bruno Senna’s chassis, the car was in the garage after being hit by Michael Schumacher. Teams bravely battled to control the fire, showing fantastic team work and determination. No one was badly injured but the team had to loan equipment from other teams.

 After the fiery nature of Spain, Formula 1 returned to the stunning surroundings of Monaco. The principality is famous for its glitz, glamour and sophistication. F1 arrived at the street circuit after five different winners in the same amount of races. Would the trend continue? You bet. The noise of 24 Formula 1 engines echoed around the elegant hill tops of Monaco, with Mark Webber eventually emerging on top. The tight and twisty nature of the circuit limits overtaking, and the Aussie had a train of cars behind him throughout the race. Veteran Michael Schumacher put his Mercedes car on pole, but he was given a grid penalty for causing a collision at the previous round. Webber moved up to second and won the classic race, piping Nico Rosberg to the flag. The top four were separated at the line by just 1.4 seconds, thanks to the lack of passing opportunities. Paul Di Resta did well to progress from 14^th to seventh. There was drama at the start when Romain Grosjean collected Michael Schumacher. His Mercedes tagged Kobayashi’s Sauber, causing it to fly in to the air and land on all four wheels. I remember tweeting a picture of this that went viral, it was an odd sight. Pastor Maldonado went from hero to zero in Monaco. After his win, the Venezuelan started last after purposely turning in on Perez in practice. At the start he collided with a HRT before collecting the barriers at the hairpin.

Seven from seven? Yes it DID happen. What a first seven races of the season, with Lewis Hamilton becoming the seventh Formula 1 driver to score a win in 2012 after winning the Canadian Grand Prix. The Montreal circuit always produces drama and excitement and in 2012 it was no different. Hamilton took a gamble late on after taking the lead, but realising that his tyres would not last the distance. He pitted, falling behind Vettel and Alonso. They stayed out and took a risk, but Lewis soon caught up and overtook them in brilliant moves to take the win. Both Vettel and Alonso dropped down the order as Grosjean and Perez , who similarly pitted for fresh rubber later than most. The two young guns impressed the paddock, overtaking with control and precision. The race was a story of tyres, with Pirelli bringing the two softest tyre compounds. The race could not rival the 2011 round, where Button went from last to first, but it was a race full of strategy and clean racing. In contrast to his team mate’s fortunes, Button struggled during the race and dropped from 10^th to 16^th.

After a stunning and brilliant start to the 2012 season, Formula 1 closed in on the half-way point. There was not much time to recover from the drama of the first seven races, thanks to a thrilling eighth round of the championship at the Valencia street circuit. Yes I did describe the European Grand Prix as “thrilling”, because surprisingly it really was. Fernando Alonso broke the trend of a new winner every race, becoming the first double victor of the season. It was an impressive drive from the Spaniard, on home turf and in a car that was far less superior. Yes, if it was not for Vettel’s retirement with an alternator failure Fernando would not have taken the 25 points. He may not have even got second, because Romain Grosjean was on form too. However a rare mechanical retirement for the Lotus cruelly took a win or second place away, I felt pretty sad for the Frenchman. Alonso came from 11^th on the grid, carving his way through the field expertly and narrowly avoiding numerous collisions and drama’s to win. He made up positions in the pit stops too, thanks to a great strategy from Ferrari. A mid-race safety car thanks to contact between Kovalainen and Vergne closed up the field, aiding the Ferrari further. Raikkonen drove a great race for second, whilst Michael Schumacher finally got the podium we had all been expecting. Mark Webber had a fantastic race to move from 19^th on the grid to fourth. There were some amazing drivers, but also some bad driving too. Maldonado took Hamilton out after a late clumsy move, whilst a clash between Kobayashi and Senna took the Japanese driver out of the race. A truly thrilling race which I really need to re-watch when I get my hands on the season review DVD.

The paddock was still in shock after Valencia’s thriller as the F1 fraternity rolled in to the iconic Silverstone circuit, the home of motor racing, for the British Grand Prix. Drivers and fans faced tricky conditions over the weekend thanks to Britain’s usual heavy rain. It was a shame for fans, slightly tarnishing their weekend by getting their cars stuck and camping in soaking wet conditions. However we Brits are some of the best fans in the world and they soldiered through to watch a great race. The race conditions were dry and it was an early exit for Paul Di Resta after contact with Romain Grosjean. We saw a race long battle for the lead between pole sitter Fernando Alonso and Webber, the Aussie took the lead on lap 50 and went on to take a controlled win. Some drivers were not so controlled in their driving, Maldonado and Perez coming together. The Mexican was furious and retired from the race, and his team mate also struggled. He out braked himself in the pit lane and hit some of his team members, fortunately none were injured. Vettel just missed out on second, but scored a deserved podium after the disappointment of Valencia. It was great to see Massa return to form as well, finishing fourth. The Brit’s did not have good races. Hamilton finished eighth and Button took the chequered flag in 10^th.

The half-way point to the season arrived, with the championship still open. As the teams left Silverstone for the German forests, Fernando Alonso had a commanding lead over Mark Webber, with Vettel, Hamilton and Raikkonen still in contention. The Spaniard extended his lead further after taking his third win of the season at the Hockenheim ring. Drivers had to improvise their strategies for the race after practice and qualifying were held in the wet, with the rain holding off for the race. Alonso dominated the race, finishing six seconds ahead of Jenson Button. The Brit was promoting to the position after a time penalty was added to Sebastian Vettel’s race time for overtaking him off the track, a deserving penalty in my eyes. Kimi Raikkonen was promoted to another solid podium but I was starting to wonder if Lotus were ever going to win. Kobayashi took fifth at the flag, but fourth in the overall result. Sauber had a fantastic race and I was so pleased for them after a few tough races. Surprisingly the retirement rate was low; Lewis Hamilton was the only retirement. It was another poor race for Lewis after picking up a puncture and falling a lap down, before suspension issues halted his race. 

Check out part 2 for the remaining half of the 2012 season.