F1 2012 Championship Thread

Discussion in 'Sports and Fitness' started by MacLeod, Dec 12, 2011.

  1. Lonemagpie

    Lonemagpie Writer Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 31, 2007
    Location:
    Yorkshire
    According to the Beeb today she's made it trhough surgery mostly OK, but has lost her right eye.
     
  2. MacLeod

    MacLeod Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2001
    Location:
    Great Britain
    looks like the Forecast is for a wet race, why am I not surprised?
     
  3. Lonemagpie

    Lonemagpie Writer Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 31, 2007
    Location:
    Yorkshire
    I see Mark Webber has signed to stay at Red Bull for another year.

    Meanwhile, Sky is having a free Sports Weekend next weekend - which means folks like me who have Sky but not Sky Sports can see the F1 channel for the German Grand Prix without paying any extra...
     
  4. MacLeod

    MacLeod Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2001
    Location:
    Great Britain
    Well with the Red Bull seat gone, I guess that means Lewis will be staying at McLaren for next year. After all about the only seat left that hasn't been taken is one at Mercedes.
     
  5. Lonemagpie

    Lonemagpie Writer Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 31, 2007
    Location:
    Yorkshire
    Unless Ferrari succeed in poaching Vettel to replace Massa
     
  6. MacLeod

    MacLeod Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2001
    Location:
    Great Britain
    True, but I suspect for that to happen, they might have to buy out Vettel's contract. What Lewis might be better off doing is signing a performance contract that allows him to leave for the 2014 season. Depending on the performance of the car in 2013.

    However the 2014 season is when a few signifigant rule changes come in, engines etc.. So everyone will have to adapt to the new specifications.
     
  7. Lonemagpie

    Lonemagpie Writer Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 31, 2007
    Location:
    Yorkshire
    So, Vettel passes Button while off the track - flooring it while on the Santander logo on the wrong side of the rumble strip. When Button says (as they walk into the waiting room for the podium) the Stewards are going to investigate that, Vettel goes "I didn't know whether you were inside so I left room"? Didn't you notice you were off the road, Seb? Isn't it an important qualification for any driver, let alone a pro racing driver, to know whether he's actually on the fucking road or not!?

    Vettel to Niki Lauda when asked about passing Jenson off the track "He didn't complain to me" - yes he fucking did, we saw it like two fucking minutes ago, when he told Seb the Stewards would be investigating his overtake!

    Button should be given that second place back. A grid penalty for next time would not do anything about Vettel's illegally-gained position. Fuck it - give him both: demoted to third, *and* a grid penalty for Hungary. That was one of the most blatant cheats I've seen in *years* in F1.

    And off the back of Red Bull getting off with fiddling the engine mappings too... (a rule which I suspect will be rewritten for clarity asap)
     
  8. MacLeod

    MacLeod Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2001
    Location:
    Great Britain
    Vettel should get a stop-go penalty which should abot 30 seconds to his time, at minimum it should be a drive through about 20 seconds.

    Vettel clearly had a faster car than Jenson, but if he had tucked in behind him he might have been able to pass him on that straight after the hairpin. Though I won't be surprised if no penalty is awarded. They might argue that Lewis overtook Rosberg of the racing line a few races back.

    As for the safety car, it was perhaps marginal as to whether or not they should have brought it out, but if they bring it for debris on the racing line at one circut they should do it avery circut in the intrests of consitancy. (Though thy have been better at this in recent years)

    Vettel was also complaining about Lewis unlapping himself, there is no rule that says a driver can't unlap himself. Lewis had a faster car (damaged) car at that point.

    Though whilst Alonso doesn't have to let Lewis pass I think he should have done, as battling with Lewis could cause him to lose time or risk a coming together. Lewis wouldn't be able to hold up Alonso, because if he tried he would have been blue flagged.
     
    Last edited: Jul 22, 2012
  9. Lonemagpie

    Lonemagpie Writer Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 31, 2007
    Location:
    Yorkshire
    Ah, Vettel has been demoted to fifth place, and rightly so. He and Christian Horner need to stop bitching about Hamilton (who had nothing to do with any of this) and man up to doing wrong.
     
  10. MacLeod

    MacLeod Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2001
    Location:
    Great Britain
    Quite rightly, have you heard his latest quote

    He added: "I don't think we need a different rule, if you want to go quick and you are a lap down and there is no chance to win the race, you should respect it and use common sense. I didn't expect him to attack."


    http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/18946719

    Wait a minute there could have been a SC incident, a Red Flag. Any number of things could have happened. And if you car was so fast how come it was Lewis on the back of Alonso and not you.
     
  11. Lonemagpie

    Lonemagpie Writer Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 31, 2007
    Location:
    Yorkshire
    Has the up-to-now likeable Vettel had some sort of brain transplant with Pastor Maldonado?
     
  12. MacLeod

    MacLeod Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2001
    Location:
    Great Britain
    Don't think so. I think it's just a case of a bad weekend, plus it's his home GP so that only compounds the bad weekend.

    On the plus side the McLaren looks to be a lot closer to the Ferrari and the Red Bulls, though it might be ahead of the Red Bull after all Lewis in a damaged car was at one point faster than Vettel (on newer tyres). Though the McLaren doesn't appear to like the wet.

    I wonder how quickly the wording of the mapping regulation, whist the stewads at the race might have decided that it doesn't technically break the rules (the FIA is the higher authority) it sounds as if it breaks the spirit of the rules.
     
  13. Lonemagpie

    Lonemagpie Writer Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 31, 2007
    Location:
    Yorkshire
    I really thought the stewards would chicken out of taking action, since it was his home crowd...

    Yeah, they were pretty open about that, between dire performance at wet Silverstone, and here.

    Yeah, their verdict says Red Bull didn't break the letter of the rules "as written" so it's clear they mean it breaks the intent, and that the rule will be rewritten for clarity. I doubt they'd be able to do it for Hungary next week, but might manage to do it over the summer break. Failing that I'm sure they'll have it in place for next year.
     
  14. MacLeod

    MacLeod Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2001
    Location:
    Great Britain
    Agreed, I have doubts that the FIA can workout the wording in time for Hungary. But they should be able to manage something over the summer break. But as you say falling that they should be able to clear it up for the 2013 season.

    Though It's looking like it might be Alonso's year.
     
  15. Lonemagpie

    Lonemagpie Writer Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 31, 2007
    Location:
    Yorkshire
    From the way he's come over in interviews and off-track over the past few weeks, I no longer hate that prospect.

    Looks like, in general, Maldonado's taken over the position of "total douchebag with an inflated sense of self-importance" - though Vettel was making a grab for it today...
     
  16. MacLeod

    MacLeod Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2001
    Location:
    Great Britain
    I'd like Lewis or Jenson to win, but as that's unlikely. It would be nice if Webber won the Championship.

    Maldonando's no doubt trying to keep under the stewards radar and have afew uneventful races.
     
  17. Lonemagpie

    Lonemagpie Writer Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 31, 2007
    Location:
    Yorkshire
    I'd love to see Webber get a championship
     
  18. MacLeod

    MacLeod Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2001
    Location:
    Great Britain
    I suspect that's a feeling shared amongest many in the paddock and out of the paddock.
     
  19. Lonemagpie

    Lonemagpie Writer Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 31, 2007
    Location:
    Yorkshire
    I see they've managed to reword the rules for this week...
     
  20. MacLeod

    MacLeod Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2001
    Location:
    Great Britain
    Yep, seems as if the FIA can work fast if they need to.

    But back on track it was a dominant performance by Lewis in Qualifying. Esp in Q1, where his rivals couldn't beat his time on the hard tyres even on the soft tryes.