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The Formula One Thread
Topic Started: Nov 6 2012, 07:40 PM (2,053 Views)
Pyrite
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Just as Planned

Formula One is probably the most discussed sport on this forum, so I think it probably deserves its own thread.

Anyway, the 2012 season is coming to an end soon. So to start the topic going, do you think Alonso has any chance of catching Vettel this season, and what changes do you think will be made to the grid in the next season?

Personally, I think if Vettel finishes the remaining races, he'll win the title.

As for grid changes, we already know the McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, Lotus and Toro Rosso line-ups for next year. Glock is staying with Marussia, de la Rosa is staying with HRT and Hulkenberg is moving to Sauber. I expect Maldonado and Di Resta to stay with their teams, and probably Kovalainen (and if he doesn't stay with Caterham, I'd imagine he'll stay on the grid). As for the rest, I'm not as sure (although I still think Senna and Kobayashi will be on the grid next year).
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CJ
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A very minor case of serious brain damage

Yeah, we could do with one of these. It's better than my whole string of topics on the subject that never get any replies :P .

I think you're right about most of your predictions. I hope Kovalainen stays; I was dismayed to hear that Caterham were considering dropping him to have two pay drivers next season. As for Sauber, we know Hulkenberg, and his team-mate will most likely be either Kobayashi or Gutierrez. The fact that Telmex have renewed their sponsorship with Sauber suggests that it'll be Gutierrez, but his testing times have been poor, so Kobayashi might end up staying after all.

Which team would Senna be with? I don't see him staying with Williams (they're keen to put Bottas in the car next year), and I don't see him going back to HRT (because then he'd risk getting his career stuck in a rut, like Glock and Kovalainen have).
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Pyrite
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Just as Planned

Agreed about Senna not staying at Williams, but I think he might end up back at HRT. Not really sure why :P .

Also, it seems like Force India are keen on getting Sutil back as a replacement for Hulkenberg.
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CJ
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Looks like it. Either Sutil or Alguersuari would do well there.

I really don't see what Senna has to gain from a return to HRT - it's highly unlikely that he'll be able to impress his way up the grid (there's very little opportunity for that these days, now that all the big teams have their own young driver academies), and he'd just spend the rest of his career making up the numbers. I think he'd be better off landing a reserve role with a big team (or at least a midfield team. Mercedes would be possible: they'll need someone to step in if Hamilton turns out not to be happy there. Even Williams wouldn't be too bad: Maldonado might get banned if he keeps crashing into people, and Bottas might turn out not to be anything special after all).
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CJ
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http://planetf1.com/driver/18227/8231483/Magny-Cours-set-for-2013-return-

The French Grand Prix, which was last held at Magny-Cours in 2008, could return to the calendar next year. It would be a replacement for the Grand Prix of America in New Jersey (which was due to be held next year, but has been postponed until 2014). Initially, it was thought that if the French Grand Prix were to make a comeback, it would be held at Paul Ricard (which last hosted a race in 1990, and is now used as an advanced test track), but it now looks like it would return to Magny-Cours instead. Presumably, not a lot of work needs to be done to get it ready for an F1 race, and what needs to be done can be in the next few months. However, there's no comment on whether the event would have a future in 2014 and beyond, when the Grand Prix of America and the Russian Grand Prix both join the calendar.

I don't think Magny-Cours is a terribly inspiring track; over the past four years, I haven't even noticed its absence except for when the circuit has been mentioned. The most memorable race held there (at least since I've started watching F1) was the 1999 French Grand Prix, which was pretty crazy, mainly because of the bad weather and the topsy-turvy grid :P . Still, I think I'd rather have this than a 19-race calendar.
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CJ
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/20302796

Spanish private equity firm Thesan Capital, the owners of HRT, are in talks with various prospective buyers about selling the team. There's no word on who those buyers might be, but they are hoping to conduct the sale within the coming weeks.

So, who will it be? I'm guessing it's either some outfit that's been looking to enter F1 for some time (like Prodrive, Epsilon Euskadi, or Carlin), or some super-rich guy who wants a new toy. Personally, I hope it's Paul Stoddart: I miss Minardi!

Anyway, whoever it is, let's hope they can give the team a boost in resources that enables them to move up the grid :) .
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Pyrite
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Just as Planned

I certainly hope this will result in HRT becoming more competitive.

On the subject of HRT, did they confirm that they're retaining de la Rosa for next year?
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CJ
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I don't think they actually need to. He has a two-year contract.
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Pyrite
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Just as Planned

Ah, that explains it. (I saw him on the list on Wikipedia, but I couldn't remember them saying he was being retained).
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CJ
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A very minor case of serious brain damage

With that said, I'm sure we all know just how often contracts get ripped up - especially where changes of ownership are involved :P .
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CJ
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A very minor case of serious brain damage

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/20463420

Sauber have confirmed 21-year-old Mexican Esteban Gutierrez as their second driver in 2013. He replaces his outgoing countryman Sergio Perez, who is moving up the grid to McLaren next year. They've also signed Dutchman Robin Frijns - who is only two days younger than Gutierrez - as their test and reserve driver.

Hardly surprising. I suspect that Sauber were heavily influenced by their Telmex sponsorship (Sauber is basically "Fuerza México" now). However, I do wonder whether this is the best decision: Gutierrez himself isn't sure that he's ready.

Also, things aren't looking good for Kamui Kobayashi next year :( .
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Pyrite
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Just as Planned

Or for Alguersuari :( . It seems like Sutil will be going back to Force India, which would probably leave both of them without a drive.
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CJ
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Yep :( . I was really hoping that Alguersuari would get a drive this year.

He *could* still land a drive at Caterham, but I think that's the only seat left that it's even remotely worth him trying to take.
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CJ
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So, the 2012 season is over. Sebastian Vettel has won his third world title to become the sport's latest triple World Champion. He's the first driver ever to achieve that before his 30th birthday - and he's still only 25! A remarkable achievement whichever way you look at it.

Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen have had superb seasons too: by finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively in the World Drivers' Championship, they've both outdriven their respective cars. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of McLaren: they had two drivers and a car capable of winning the Championships, but the team made too many blunders throughout the season, and ended up being their own worst enemy. Sauber, Force India and Williams all had relatively good seasons (Williams went from 5 points last year to 76 this year - and they're race-winners again!). Caterham, not so much: they were promising to join the midfield, but they've still failed to score a single point. However, the disappointment of the year has to be Mercedes. They came into F1 with so much promise, given what they had inherited from Brawn - but three years on, they've barely held on to 5th in the Constructors' standings. They must be bitterly disappointed with their achievements - but maybe it'll be a different story next year, with Lewis Hamilton on board? Myself, I think they'll have to wait until the big regulation shake-up of 2014 before they become front-runners again.

Before 2013, though, there are still a few unanswered questions. Which team will do the best job over the off-season? Will Kamui Kobayashi make it onto the grid? Will the German Grand Prix take place? Will HRT find a buyer, and continue into next year? I guess we'll have to wait and see.
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Pyrite
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Just as Planned

Vettel's done really well (though I was rooting for Alonso to win :P ).

Surely Raikkonen had the best season out of any of the drivers (given what he had to work with).

Caterham were so close to a point in the last race (Petrov finished 11th). Speaking of Caterham, they've got a new driver: Charles Pic. He's moving from Marussia, which opens up a drive there.

So, who do you think will drive with Pic at Caterham next year, and who will replace him at Marussia (it looks like it may be Max Chilton)?
Edited by Pyrite, Nov 26 2012, 04:13 PM.
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CJ
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Most likely Chilton at Marussia. I'm hoping that either Heikki Kovalainen will keep the other Caterham seat, or it will go to Bruno Senna, Kamui Kobayashi or Jaime Alguersuari. However, I'm worried that it will go to some random pay driver instead :( .
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Pyrite
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Possibly. I think Alguersuari might end up with De La Rosa at HRT.

So with Bottas going to Williams and Sutil probably returning to Force India, that's all of the competetive drives already taken. So it's not looking good for Kobayashi.
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CJ
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A very minor case of serious brain damage

I think Alguersuari rejected HRT at the beginning of this year because they weren't competitive enough. Maybe he's changed his mind now?

Of course, this is all assuming that HRT even make it onto the grid....
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Pyrite
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Just as Planned

As CJ predicted, Bottas has replaced Senna at Williams. Maldonado keeps his drive.

Not too surprising at all, really.
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CJ
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Yeah, that was one of my less outlandish predictions.

I've seen people suggesting that since Luca di Montezemolo keeps going on about 3rd cars, maybe he could buy HRT? He could throw them just enough money to keep them alive, and use it as a junior team for Ferrari - or it could be used to keep Massa on the grid into 2014 and beyond.

Alternatively, McLaren could do pretty much the same thing.
Also, have you seen this? The championship could be going to Alonso after all:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/20531638

Ferrari have some on-board footage which appears to show Vettel overtaking illegally in a yellow flag zone. If Vettel gets penalized for it, then he'll lose four points and the title.

Personally, I hope nothing happens. The last thing I want to see is a WDC decided in court.
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Pyrite
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Just as Planned

Yeah, I heard about that the other day. I can't say I think it'll change anything, though.
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CJ
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Nor can I. The FIA have said they believe that Vettel didn't commit any kind of offence.

Now, Kobayashi's being linked to Lotus: http://planetf1.com/driver/18227/8293781/Kobayashi-linked-to-Grosjean-s-seat
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CJ
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Looks like HRT won't be there next year :( . They're missing from the official 2013 entry list:

http://planetf1.com/news/3213/8302564/HRT-Missing-From-2013-Entry-List
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CJ
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A very minor case of serious brain damage

So, with the New Jersey race off, there's been some speculation as to which track might replace it. Presumably, this would just be a one-year thing, and whichever track hosts the race isn't going to be back on the calendar permanently.

At the moment, three tracks are in the frame for the additional race next year, as follows. All have hosted F1 races within the past 10 years:

:turkey: Turkey - the Istanbul Park circuit, which was used from 2005 to 2011, could host a race again in 2013. However, there are questions about funding: the Turkish government isn't prepared to fund the race.
:france: France - Magny-Cours, which hosted the French Grand Prix between 1991 and 2008, has been mentioned as a candidate for an extra race in 2013. Somewhat surprising choice, since the track is in the middle of nowhere and not particularly memorable.
:austria: Austria - Red Bull have made the Red Bull Ring available to host an F1 race next year. It held the Austrian Grand Prix between 1997 and 2003; at the time, it was called the A1-Ring.

Which of these would be the best tracks to use? Personally, I'd like to see Istanbul Park; it's one of Hermann Tilke's best tracks, and one of the few modern tracks that the fans actually like :P .
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Pyrite
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Just as Planned

I agree with Istanbul Park being the best choice.

Somehow I don't like the idea of Red Bull's own track being used, and the French one sounds kind of dull in comparison...

Sad about HRT :( .
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CJ
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Well, if Red Bull's track was used, I'm sure there would be plenty of conspiracy theories :P !
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CJ
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http://planet-f1.com/driver/18227/8335903/Sauber-F1-is-too-expensive

So, Peter Sauber is saying that in spite of recent cost-cutting measures, F1 is still too expensive. Sauber team principal Monisha Kaltenborn believes that a budget cap, as suggested three years ago, is needed.

The trouble with budget caps is that although they work well in theory, they're very difficult to enforce in reality. Someone in the comments come up with an alternative idea, which was to allow the teams to run cars with different title sponsors to make it easier for the teams to find sponsorship. Sounds sensible, although some people (including Bernie) don't like the idea of teams running their two cars in different liveries. It works in other sports, and I'm sure F1 fans would come to accept it (although it would take a bit of getting used to, after 30+ years of both cars having the same livery), but if it's really that big a problem, how about just allowing them to run different title sponsors, as long as the liveries of the two cars are broadly similar?

Of course, you'd need to define exactly what is meant by "broadly similar", but to illustrate what I'm thinking of, these two cars would qualify as "broadly similar" (Honda's usual 2006 livery and the one they used in China):
http://www.automation-drive.com/EX/05-15-03/anthonydavidson_honda_sepang_2006.jpg
http://www.team-integra.net/sections/members/images/85514b66-51dc-4726-8ef1-24b583498e70.jpg

These two, on the other hand, would not (BAR's pre-season 1999 liveries):
http://www.atlasf1.com/news/1999/images/bar3.jpg

Thoughts?
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CJ
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http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/force-india-could-collapse-amid-mallya-crisis-430830/

Force India appear to be in trouble now. Their owner, Vijay Mallya, has been experiencing "severe economic difficulties" with his other businesses, and is no longer a billionaire, and there are fears that his Formula One team could collapse.

However, according to the Italiaracing magazine, Bernie Ecclestone has a plan to save the team. It's possible that this could lead to the return to Formula One of Colin "Chavski" Kolles, who was with the team back when they were called Midland, and was also with HRT in 2011. Flavio Briatore's name was also mentioned....
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CJ
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http://www.planetf1.com/news/3213/8419711/It-s-Official-Timo-Glock-Leaves-Marussia

Timo Glock has left Marussia with immediate effect. Apparently, it's for economic reasons: Marussia need a pay driver.

I wonder who will replace him? Vitaly Petrov, Bruno Senna and Sébastien Buemi have all been mentioned. (Of those, the first two are also in the running for the remaining Caterham seat, along with Luiz Razia)
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CJ
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Teams are currently in the process of launching their 2013 cars. So far, five have launched theirs, and I've rated each one according to how nice I think they look (so they're completely subjective, and you can give them your own ratings if you want :P ).

Lotus: http://www.planetf1.com/photo-gallery/8451240/The-Lotus-E21-Studio-Shots
I'm not too keen on this one, especially with these red splodges all over it. The red on the front wing works well, and the red on the sidepods isn't too bad (it makes the car look a little bit like a McLaren), but the red on the airbox looks stupid and ruins the livery IMO. And they kept the stepped nose >_< ....
I think Kimi Raikkonen designed the car himself. When the people who were supposed to design the livery told him it was ugly, he said "Leave me alone - I know what I'm doing!"
Rating: 5/10

McLaren: http://www.planetf1.com/photo-gallery/8457914/McLaren-Launch-the-MP4-28
Pretty much what we've come to expect from McLaren. The livery is basically the same as it has been since 2006 - but then, since it looks so nice, why change it?
McLaren didn't use a stepped nose last year, and they aren't using one this year either, but the nose does look very high.
Rating: 9/10

Ferrari: http://www.planetf1.com/photo-gallery/8460189/Ferrari-s-F138-In-Pictures
A big improvement on last year's car IMO. The nose does still look a bit boxy, but unlike last year's car, it's no monstrosity. It also looks even higher than the McLaren's nose!
Rating: 7/10

Force India: http://www.planetf1.com/photo-gallery/8460288/Di-Resta-And-His-Force-India-VJM06
No major changes livery-wise, but I like this car. IMO, it's the best-looking Force India yet. Those aero bits at the front of the sidepods look interesting; I haven't seen them on any F1 car before.
Rating: 8/10

Sauber: http://www.planetf1.com/photo-gallery/8464714/Sauber-launch-the-C32
The colours used at the same as they were last year, but white is no longer the dominant colour. Instead, most of the car is in a sort of gunmetal colour. It's still a bit boring, but I like how it recalls the original Sauber from 1993 (have they really been in F1 for 20 years now?!).
The nose is an interesting hybrid of last year's ones and the ones from previous years. There's still a step, but it isn't visible from side-on.
Rating: 6.5/10

So, which is your favourite?
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