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

I wouldnt be suprised if he lost to him tbh.

 

I reckon Pastor's podium at Monaco will be all the points he'll score and just enough to keep him ahead of Senna.

 

I reckon Senna will take a couple of races to get going but after that will pretty much destroy Maldonado.

 

I'd bet on Senna beating Maldonado tbh... he's my current least favorite driver.

 

Monaco aside, I have no idea how Maldonado managed to win the GP2 title based on his F1 form.

 

Because Hamilton, Glock, Rosberg, Hulkenburg, Petrov, Senna, Di Grassi, Kovi and Piquet had already graduated to F1.

 

By the way, has there been any speculation about the vacant HRT seat apart from Alguersuari?

 

All I've heard is that they're looking out for GP2/3 drivers with cash.

 

Woohoo.
I don't really mean that.

 

Imagine my surprise!

 

This might be an uninformed question, but why do very few drives who fail in F1 go back to GP2? I know Grosjean did, but why do other young drivers who don't get on well in F1 the first time around do the same? It always seems that they go into Le Mans, DTM, etc.

 

Yeah I think if Senna does get the Williams seat then he is going to need to comfortably beat Maldonado. From what I have seen though I would expect him to do so.

 

I would guess that each driver may have differing reasons, but I would hazard a guess that they probably feel that they've already achieved that goal (of racing in F1) so GP2 would be a step back in their eyes. Who knows? I guess if a GP2 slot isn't available for the forth coming season then a driver is naturally going to seek a drive elsewhere in another series. If they then get a drive, they probably want to dedicate themselves to achieving in that form of motorsport. Like I said though, each probably has their own differing reasons.

 

I guess its their sponsors loosing interest if they get dropped, feel they'll never make it in F1 so the money isn't worth it. DTM is a lot cheaper to get into probably.

 

Partly because GP2 is meant to be a breeding ground for younger drivers and most of the GP2 teams have links to F1 teams nowadays.

 

GP2's really expensive. I think most if not all drivers in it are gambling on getting an F1 chance, if they blow it I think they look elsewhere because they're unlikely to get another crack. Not sure what it costs to race in Le Mans and DTM but DTM in particular must cost a fraction of GP2.

 

Told you I'd come on over. Although I have nothing to say. I will be reviving the not606 Newcastle United F1 thread come Bahrain though...

 

A few quick news articles from around the web:

Ferrari give Massa until mid-season to prove himself. Nothing new there really, although there are quotes attributed to Alonso saying that he believes Kubica could be back by 2013. Maybe this injury setback isn't as we've discussed here.

From the same link, apparently Ferrari are working on a Lotus-style braking / ride-height system, although apparently thats Benson. Not exactly news, I imagine most teams are unless they already have something better.

Autosport are reporting that Pat Symonds reckons the diffuser ban should help the small teams to be competitive. Not sure how much I see this myself, as Caterham had the diffuser by the end of the season, and they still weren't massively competitive, but maybe the 'new teams' may be a little closer.

And on the subject of tyres, Pirelli have shed some light on the 2012 compounds. Reprofiling the rear tyres has already been mentioned, but I think a quote from Paul Hembery was quite enlightening:

The most interesting element of that is whether their assumption is correct. If it isn't, higher than expected downforce will probably cause much greater wear than anticipated, and with the compounds already softer than in 2011, we could see much greater tyre wear. In the early races, this should hopefully lead to the unpredictability seen in 2011.

 

I thought Ferrari were just waiting for the FIA to ok their active suspension design.
As for the tyres, I'm looking forward to see if the more forward bias tyre wear will shake up which drivers can cope the best. Last year in theory favoured the drivers who lean on their fronts the most, this year who really knows till Australia and even beyond.

 

Well, apparently Liuzzi has a contract until 2013 but I can't see both him and De la Rosa racing together.

Regarding GP2, the fact that no previous champion is allowed to compete in the category again could be another reason for the lack of ex-F1 drivers.