formula 1 2012

[seansloan]

Ok,we are a mere 3 days from the season opener at Australia.
1.Has Mclaren made the right call by going with a lower center of gravity and not using a slopped nose?
2.Does anyone have anything for Red Bull?
3.Was the delay of the Mercedes a planned move?
4.Is the Ferrari as big of a turkey as it looks?

Im going with a gamble as for who wins the title in 2012
1.Jenson Button
2.Sebastien Vetel
3.Michael Schumacher
4.Mark Weber
5.Lewis Hamilton
6.Fernando Alonso
7.Nico rosberg
8.Kimi
9.Felipe Massa
10.Niko Hulkenberg

[niniendowarrior]

1. McLaren was the only team who was prepared and anticipated the nose regulation changes. They didn't go for a lower center of gravity with the 2012 car. Their cars have always had this in anticipation of the nose measurement changes by the FIA. That is why they aren't using the stepped nose. I think whether they are competitive or not has little to do with using the stepped nose. Some teams have worked around regulations to turn the stepped area into an in-take as what Red Bull did. It's an inelegant design but doesn't necessarily mean the cars will be slower for it. Too much has been made of this particular development.

2. Red Bull will continue to be on top because of only one man, Adrian Newey. When he retires, the team will collapse.

3. The delay is a planned move. This allowed them to have 1 private test session as per the testing regulations of 2012. Plus, people have not noticed that Mercedes has clocked in the most mileage of testing not to mention that the car hasn't completely broken down unlike other teams' cars.

4. Ferrari has a problem in their hands. Some people seem to give credence to Alonso's last testing day as a sign of pace but they fail to see that this was Ferrari putting all their eggs in the basket trying to set the ultimate pace. It was a glory run and they were STILL beaten by Kimi in the Lotus. Pat Fry was disappointed and rightfully so. I would have argued that Ferrari not have taken the last testing session in favour of building a new and more conventional car and having that one private testing allotment to make sure it works. Instead Ferrari went for a glory run.

Ferrari went to this season with a radical car most notably the inverted front suspension and the exhaust pointing to the rear wheels. There was too many new parts and not enough understanding of what each part contributes. For instance, they may have anticipated more rear traction by the new exhaust blowing the wheels but the end result apparently was the wheels melting off. This is also why if you look at the Ferraris running on testing, the car fish tails a lot after a couple of laps in. There is a greater tendency for losing the rear and the times are suffering because of it. It is also unknown just what sort of 'clean air' they are talking about with the inverted front suspension.

The panic and negative style of culture that is deeply rooted in Ferrari doesn't help matters. It starts from the top with Luca who just goes to the press and sh*ts on his team. Then you have your drivers who don't help team morale with negative BS.

There is time to fix it and it must begin with a conventional and solid car base. More importantly, they need level-headed thinking instead of the "We must fix this." and the "I want answers why this isn't working." McLaren ditched the octopus exhaust last year and built a new rear design within 10 days and managed to produce a respectable car. Ferrari can do the same. The question is, will they?

* Also here is one more thing that doesn't seem to get mentioned a lot. Mercedes' exhaust system is supremely suspicious. Equally suspicious is their use of an F-Duct Front Wing.

As far as who wins the world title this year... don't really care.

[seansloan]

Last I had heard Ferrari turned 412 laps and still hadnt figured out to get any heat in the tyres.

[niniendowarrior]

I think the problem is that Ferrari has no idea what their car does. They can have pretty good times with them but the times start falling away way too quickly and the setup window is incredibly narrow. Heating the tyres is one thing, giving them a good consistent rub in is another. If anything, it is possible that the front tyres do not get enough traction while the rear ones die off too quickly.

Does anyone find it hilarious that Ferrari had their test setups leaked? What sort of security does the Spaghetti club has?

[ATroms]

As far as who wins the world title this year... don't really care.

niniendo, you have such a vast knowledge of the sport, and i love hearing everything you have to say about the inside stuff, but why litter it with the hate for the current drivers' crop? Why do you dislike them so much man?

So amped for Surfer's Paradise... I still think Red Bull/Vettel is one up on the rest of the field, but i think Mclaren/Button especially will have narrowed the gap. Ferrari continues to abandon any kind of structure, instead, they try everything of the drastic instead of sticking to a more conventional approach and building off a solid base car. Like niniendo says, their culture just refuses to play the role of partial follower. They always have to do their own thing, even when its unnecessary and may hurt their chances at returning to prominence. My World Championship predictions...

1. Vettel
2. Button
3. Weber
4. Alonso
5. Hamilton
6. Kimi
7. Massa
8. Rosberg
9. Schumacher
10. ????

[niniendowarrior]

I have a great distaste for the current crop of drivers who have not displayed the driving acumen fitting for F1 level of competition. The driver collisions that have happened and the number of errors these drivers make without technical issues have been way too many to my liking. Also, the mental prowess of these drivers are at a pathetic level that is unbecoming of an F1 driver. The current list of drivers do not do anything for me.

Photographs from Melbourne indicate that Ferrari has brought the 2012 spec car with the exhaust altered so that it's no longer pointing to the wheels. Now to see if they can find a way to channel the exhaust gas properly since it looks like the chassis is largely unchanged.

[niniendowarrior]

Mercedes F-Duct rear wings are deemed legal. It is believed that the F-Duct effect happens when DRS is activated, opening up inlets to help stall the FRONT wing using some clever internal tunnels and recreate the stalling effect that McLaren innovated in 2010. Charlie Whiting has deemed it a passive form which is right in line with the restrictions put together by the FIA. The stalling front wing means that on straights, the car will operate seemingly without the drag of the wings thereby creating a Monza-ish style wing setup.

[seansloan]

damp track for practice #1.Massa loses it on the inters and beaches the car.Heikki 13th fast is great news for caterham

[seansloan]

It looks like Schumi is sandbagging a bit,I think he has something up his sleeve.2nd quickest in the session

[niniendowarrior]

A damp track makes it a lot trickier. Massa beaching the car only underscores what I don't like with this group of drivers. Sigh.

Schumi possibly sandbagging, but Friday isn't about going quick. It's about figuring out setup for the race.