2012 Predictions / Driver Line-up / News etc...

Apparently Red Bull are hiding the exhaust they plan to race in Australia, they want to test a day later just to give the others less time to copy. Understandable after what happened last year but it still shouldn't be allowed.

 

But that's the thing, apparently they're not going to be able to make this pre-arranged test! How? What can there possibly not be enough of that they can't make it, and why is more not being done to give them it?

 

Less than 20 days to the Australian Grand Prix now

 

or, as HRT call it 'Testing weekend'

 

Remember to put your predictions from zdk in

(I didnt get an email as i forgot about it )

 

Sarah Holt ‏ @sarahholtf1

Rotten luck for Marussia/Virgin who won't run their new car at this week's final test after failing to pass all the required crash tests.

 

So Marussia are behind even HRT in terms of development? Caterham look to have 10th place sewn up already (not that they'll be happy with settling for that). Not great signs for Marussia, and two teams using free practice as test sessions in Melbourne could get a little dangerous if they're slow or doing aero runs. Still, I'd much rather have 12 than 10 teams on the grid, and the battles at the back of the grid can be just as interesting as at the front.

Also - Sarah Holt is back?

 

Yessss!!!! Unfortunately, I won't be able to make it to the GP as planned, so my consolation was the Bathurst 12 Hour as my first motor race experience. It was pouring down rain. But those cars sounded spectacular. The Ferrari 458 GT sounded like it should be locked up. Underground. In a dungeon. Surrounded by a giant maze. In turn surrounded by lava. And had it's soul split into seven pieces by magic. And now I'm keen for some more racing, let's do this!!!

EDIT: To sea-man: I was standing in fron of the pits watching the big screen as a Porsche 911 GT3 came past. Watching both of them at the same time, it looked like it was five times faster than what the TV showed, so F1 cars are probably as fast as we are led to believe.

 

Fixed

 

How incompetent do you have to be to be worse than HRT???
Answers on a postcard to Marussia F1, Vladivostok...

Also hilariously, this is what comes up in Google:

 

A ​GMM report suggests that the pit-lane speed limit is to be reduced from 100kph to 60kph for 2012. My initial reaction is that, combined with more resilient tyre compounds this season, I'm worried it will reduce the excitement significantly. It would have been more welcome in 2011, encouraging teams to risk pushing the tyres to the edge of the cliff in order to save a much longer pit stop.

 

On the other hand though, it'll disadvantage anyone trying to break free of the pack to get a stop in hand, as the gap they'd need would be much bigger. It might give more wheel-to-wheel racing, even if it is just front runners overtaking midfield drivers.

 

In principle that's a good point but did we see much of that last year? I think Vettel might have done it once or twice but he generally tried to build up a shorter lead and maintain it only in order to mitigate the effects of any potential pit stop problems than to have a clear free pit stop. If Red Bull have such a performance advantage again this year then we may just see more of the same or the more resilient tyres* may encourage him to push on in order to get that free stop.

*I have to admit that I didn't pay much attention to the news over Xmas and New Year. I know at the end of last season Paul Hembery said Pirelli were intent on making the 2012 compounds more durable, which I regretted, and I know this year they've said the compounds are closer together (indicating that the harder compounds are faster and the softer more durable) but does anyone have any better info on degradation following testing?

 

Yes but that can be exciting too, such as Button at Monaco 2011 before the SC messed it up.

On one hand it could mean less pit stops because they will take longer so teams will try strategies with less stops which would lessen the excitement. Or they might try and push the tyres for longer to again try and prevent extra pit stops which could be exciting if the tyres go off. Or it could have no effect.

 

My greatest fear is that the tyres, being more durable, will also be more predictable and thus the racing will return to being dreary and dull.

Increasing pitstop times will not improve this.

 

All I know about the 2012 tyres are that they are a step down in compounds (eg. 2012 hards are more like 2011 mediums), they are lasting longer than last year but are still degrading, especially in cooler temperatures. They also offer more rear grip compared to the front tyres than in 2011, and they take slightly longer to warm up because of a wider contact area.

 

The pit lane speed limit is positive in my opinion. I think Genji's point about drivers trying to avoid will be good because we'll probably see them sliding around on old tyres more than we did last year. I also think it adds more of a tactical element with pitstop strategy, it will be harder to find a window. Last season Vettel for example, would be able to build up enough of a gap to say Rosberg in 6th to pit and come back out in front, with a longer pit time there'll be more chance of pitting into traffic. I could see it helping someone like Button as well. If he was trailing Hamilton for example, LH would normally pit first to use the undercut, but if he had to pit three laps earlier than Button and came out into traffic he wouldn't be able to make it work, or would have to swiftly negotiate some traffic like Vettel did in Spain last year to recover the situation. Button's clean air vs Hamilton's fresh tyres. I just think it's an added tactical complication.

Pirelli have made their range softer. I think the super softs are about the same, but the rest have got a bit softer, I'm sure I read they're aiming for 0.8 seconds between compounds.

 

That would make all the difference for me. If the options are no more durable than last year then I would agree that, because the teams will want to avoid pit stops where possible, they'd have to compromise strategy and balance what they've got better. That might benefit Button against Hamilton but it's not going to benefit him much against someone driving an altogether better balanced car.

 

More info here: http://www.pirelli.com/tyre/ww/en/n...titive-tyres-for-the-2012-formula-one-season/

The super softs are the same compound but different profile, so they'll probably be more durable which will be a worry at Monaco. The rest are softer.