-
Home
- TV Shows
-
TV Schedule
-
SPEED Showcase
-
- NASCAR
-
Formula 1
- Auto Racing
- Moto Racing
- Cars
- Bikes
- Store
- Social
- Games
- Mobile
- Deals
- Videos
- Photos
- Home
- TV Shows
-
TV Schedule
-
SPEED Showcase
-
- NASCAR
- Formula 1
- Auto Racing
- Moto Racing
- Cars
- Bikes
- Store
- Social
- Mobile
- Deals
- Videos
- Photos
Formula 1
VARSHA: Australian GP Preview - Let The Madness Begin
I see Sebastian Vettel getting the historic hat trick, but Red Bull will face stiff competition from McLaren...
The 2012 F1 season kicks off this weekend. (Photo: Getty Images)
On a recent morning, sitting in the kitchen performing my usual ritual of drinking coffee, scanning the newspaper and watching the early news shows, I caught this bit of advice on CNN from a so-called “bracketologist” regarding picking winners in the NCAA basketball championship: Go with the team who scores when they have the ball, and who prevents the other team from doing so. At first I thought, “Seriously, dude?” Then I began to ponder the similarities between predicting NCAA bracket matchups and the new Formula One season on SPEED that begins this weekend in Australia.
As in college hoops, picking the F1 top seeds is pretty straightforward. Red Bull Racing has been the dominant team over the last two seasons, with young (still just 24) Sebastian Vettel basically doubling his career totals for poles and race wins last season en route to his second straight World Championship. That makes him the favorite among drivers coming in. Whether RBR repeats as constructor champions depends on whether second driver Mark Webber, with just one win last season, can regain his 2010 form, when he was part of a four-man scramble for the title won by Vettel in the final race.
The number two seed has to be McLaren, whose incredible rebound from mediocrity at the start of last season to win six races and hoist Jenson Button to second in the championship was eclipsed only by the Vettel/Red Bull rampage. Button’s teammate Lewis Hamilton has reportedly put his personal life in order and, if so, McLaren’s Button/Hamilton pairing is the strongest on the grid.
Ferrari suffered through a lackluster 2011, getting one lonely win from Fernando Alonso. They tested off the pace, as well, but Ferrari is always a team to watch, and Felipe Massa is on notice that he must produce or else. Call them third, with Mercedes, champions as Brawn GP as recently as 2009 but winless since with Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg, the fourth member of the Big Four.
History tells us that at the “Big Dance” won-lost records coming in mean little. Similarly, off-season F1 testing has little value when measuring performance in race conditions. In addition to dealing with new rules banning exhaust-blown diffusers and moving the exhaust outlets to the upper bodywork, the teams had to learn the new Pirelli tires that have been re-engineered to warm up quicker and produce less debris as they degrade. By my unofficial tally, 10 of the 20 drivers representing seven of the 10 teams testing new cars (HRT and Marussia did not run 2012 equipment due to failed crash tests) ended at least one day atop the time sheets. Like college coaches, teams have been playing up their opponents’ strengths and downplaying their own potential. Don’t believe it.
At the tournament you can always expect bigger programs toppled by smaller ones. The battle among the midfield F1 teams should be really entertaining this year. The former Renault factory squad has sole possession of the iconic Lotus name this year, as well as the services of Kimi Raikkonen, who returns to Formula One from a two-year hiatus and gives us an unprecedented six World Champions on the grid. The new Lotus proved troublesome in testing, but both the Kimster and GP2 champion Romain Grojean ran well in testing, and could surprise. The same goes for Force India, who have promoted test driver Nico Hulkenberg to partner incumbent Paul di Resta, and whose technical partnership with McLaren seems to be bearing fruit.
Sauber’s returning lineup of Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Perez is now more experienced, which should help, while Toro Rosso’s new pairing, rookie Jean-Eric Verne and 11-race veteran Daniel Ricciardo, will likely suffer. That makes them vulnerable to woebegone Williams, who bidded farewell to popular Rubens Barrichello and replaced him with Bruno Senna alongside second-year pilot Pastor Maldonado, whose $45 million sponsorship invoice from the team to Venezuela’s national oil authority raised eyebrows when it leaked this winter.
The “other” Lotus team from last year, now called Caterham, has added heavily-financed Russian Vitaly Petrov to partner Heikki Kovalainen, and could well score points this year that must, of course, come out of some other team’s hide. Which brings us to the “Cinderellas,” the name given to NCAA fringe teams who produce fireworks by embarrassing a better team. Do we expect that kind of success for the third-season efforts from HRT (formerly Hispania) and Marussia (formerly Virgin)? Frankly, no. Comparisons only go so far.
And so, looking ahead to Melbourne, I hereby adopt a guide to predicting the 2012 World Championships similar to that of the CNN hoops guy: Go with the driver of the fastest car. I see Sebastian Vettel getting the historic hat trick, joining Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher as the only drivers in F1 history to win three straight. Too easy, say you? Then write this down: McLaren to stun Red Bull Racing for the Constructors title.
Madness, indeed.
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED
As in college hoops, picking the F1 top seeds is pretty straightforward. Red Bull Racing has been the dominant team over the last two seasons, with young (still just 24) Sebastian Vettel basically doubling his career totals for poles and race wins last season en route to his second straight World Championship. That makes him the favorite among drivers coming in. Whether RBR repeats as constructor champions depends on whether second driver Mark Webber, with just one win last season, can regain his 2010 form, when he was part of a four-man scramble for the title won by Vettel in the final race.
The number two seed has to be McLaren, whose incredible rebound from mediocrity at the start of last season to win six races and hoist Jenson Button to second in the championship was eclipsed only by the Vettel/Red Bull rampage. Button’s teammate Lewis Hamilton has reportedly put his personal life in order and, if so, McLaren’s Button/Hamilton pairing is the strongest on the grid.
Ferrari suffered through a lackluster 2011, getting one lonely win from Fernando Alonso. They tested off the pace, as well, but Ferrari is always a team to watch, and Felipe Massa is on notice that he must produce or else. Call them third, with Mercedes, champions as Brawn GP as recently as 2009 but winless since with Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg, the fourth member of the Big Four.
History tells us that at the “Big Dance” won-lost records coming in mean little. Similarly, off-season F1 testing has little value when measuring performance in race conditions. In addition to dealing with new rules banning exhaust-blown diffusers and moving the exhaust outlets to the upper bodywork, the teams had to learn the new Pirelli tires that have been re-engineered to warm up quicker and produce less debris as they degrade. By my unofficial tally, 10 of the 20 drivers representing seven of the 10 teams testing new cars (HRT and Marussia did not run 2012 equipment due to failed crash tests) ended at least one day atop the time sheets. Like college coaches, teams have been playing up their opponents’ strengths and downplaying their own potential. Don’t believe it.
At the tournament you can always expect bigger programs toppled by smaller ones. The battle among the midfield F1 teams should be really entertaining this year. The former Renault factory squad has sole possession of the iconic Lotus name this year, as well as the services of Kimi Raikkonen, who returns to Formula One from a two-year hiatus and gives us an unprecedented six World Champions on the grid. The new Lotus proved troublesome in testing, but both the Kimster and GP2 champion Romain Grojean ran well in testing, and could surprise. The same goes for Force India, who have promoted test driver Nico Hulkenberg to partner incumbent Paul di Resta, and whose technical partnership with McLaren seems to be bearing fruit.
Sauber’s returning lineup of Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Perez is now more experienced, which should help, while Toro Rosso’s new pairing, rookie Jean-Eric Verne and 11-race veteran Daniel Ricciardo, will likely suffer. That makes them vulnerable to woebegone Williams, who bidded farewell to popular Rubens Barrichello and replaced him with Bruno Senna alongside second-year pilot Pastor Maldonado, whose $45 million sponsorship invoice from the team to Venezuela’s national oil authority raised eyebrows when it leaked this winter.
The “other” Lotus team from last year, now called Caterham, has added heavily-financed Russian Vitaly Petrov to partner Heikki Kovalainen, and could well score points this year that must, of course, come out of some other team’s hide. Which brings us to the “Cinderellas,” the name given to NCAA fringe teams who produce fireworks by embarrassing a better team. Do we expect that kind of success for the third-season efforts from HRT (formerly Hispania) and Marussia (formerly Virgin)? Frankly, no. Comparisons only go so far.
And so, looking ahead to Melbourne, I hereby adopt a guide to predicting the 2012 World Championships similar to that of the CNN hoops guy: Go with the driver of the fastest car. I see Sebastian Vettel getting the historic hat trick, joining Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher as the only drivers in F1 history to win three straight. Too easy, say you? Then write this down: McLaren to stun Red Bull Racing for the Constructors title.
Madness, indeed.
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED
Spanish Grand Prix
LATEST HEADLINES: FORMULA-ONE
-
F1: Alonso Tips Mercedes To Set Monaco Pace
Fernando Alonso's No. 1 priority in Monaco is beating his championship… -
F1: We Have To Outqualify Mercedes, Says Webber
Mark Webber is aiming to qualify up front in Monaco... -
F1: Sutil Aiming To Bounce Back From Problems
Adrian Sutil has endured more than his share of bad luck in recent… -
F1: Hamilton Hoping Mercedes Tire Issues Under Control
Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes is working hard to improve its car...… -
F1: Monaco Form Impossible To Judge, Says Vettel
Sebastian Vettel won the 2011 Monaco GP... -
F1: Raikkonen Still Coy On Future Plans
Kimi Raikkonen remains mum on where he's driving in 2014... -
F1: Valencia Wants Lower Fee For F1 Return
Valencia hopes to annually alternate a spot on the Formula One calendar… - More News
