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What's the biggest surprise so far in 2012?

Started by Lone , Aug 04 2012 17:56

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105 replies to this topic

#1 Lone

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Posted 04 August 2012 - 17:56

What's the biggest surprise so far in 2012?

You can choose whatever you want in the world of F1. Is it perhaps Alonsos outstanding season so far, Grosjeans qualifying performance, Saubers race pace, Maldonados win, Buttons poor season so far or that Mercedes is still so uncompetitive?

Choose freely on what has surprised you the most! My biggest surprise is that the Lotus is so competitive.

As you can understand a poll is impossible since even a single qualifying lap can be what has impressed you the most.

#2 Wander

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Posted 04 August 2012 - 18:01

Never expected Maldonado to win a race so that has to be it.

#3 jjcale

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Posted 04 August 2012 - 18:14

40 point lead for FA .... my ferrari supporting friends refuse to let me live down my start of season predictions

#4 Lone

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Posted 04 August 2012 - 18:15

Never expected Maldonado to win a race so that has to be it.

Since he hasn't scored a single point after the win I have to agree that in retrospect that was quite surprising.

#5 Lone

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Posted 04 August 2012 - 18:16

40 point lead for FA .... my ferrari supporting friends refuse to let me live down my start of season predictions

Which were?

#6 velgajski1

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Posted 04 August 2012 - 18:19

Alonso leading the championship and performing on such a high level. This is by all means his best season in F1 so far.

#7 jjcale

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Posted 04 August 2012 - 18:21

Which were?

I said pretty much the same as JB said after the first race.

#8 Atreiu

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Posted 04 August 2012 - 18:37

Maldonado's win and Red Bull not dominating.

Edited by Atreiu, 04 August 2012 - 18:37.

#9 undersquare

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Posted 04 August 2012 - 18:39

I think the performance of the Lotus has been the biggest surprise for me.

Schumi's pole a close second.

#10 prty

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Posted 04 August 2012 - 18:39

Alonso leading the championship and performing on such a high level. This is by all means his best season in F1 so far.

I think his 2006 season was better, in fact one of the best seasons by anyone in a long long time, but probably because it was against maybe the most popular driver of that time, he didn't get full credit.

#11 Ross Stonefeld

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Posted 04 August 2012 - 18:50

Yeah, no one ever supported Alonso against Schumacher :lol:

#12 BigCHrome

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Posted 04 August 2012 - 19:02

Merc being so bad when so many other teams are good with much lower budgets.

#13 prty

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Posted 04 August 2012 - 19:03

Yeah, no one ever supported Alonso against Schumacher

I don't recall saying nobody supported Alonso against Schumacher. Are you saying that Alonso had more fans than Schumacher at the time?

#14 SpartanChas

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Posted 04 August 2012 - 19:05

Maldonado's win, McLaren being so poor in the second quarter, Perez nearly winning in Malaysia.

#15 MP422

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Posted 04 August 2012 - 19:06

Maldonado winning.

#16 Ross Stonefeld

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Posted 04 August 2012 - 19:09

I don't recall saying nobody supported Alonso against Schumacher. Are you saying that Alonso had more fans than Schumacher at the time?

Schumacher wasn't loved by all when he was at Ferrari. In fact there was a lot of support for Alonso just because they wanted him to beat Schumacher.

#17 billm99uk

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Posted 04 August 2012 - 19:51

Felix Serralles leading the British F3 championship after being as slow as a pig in FRenault.

Oh, hang on a minute, we're talking F1 are we? Maldonaldo's win then. Not that I was as down on Pastor as some here or anything. He's perfectly decent, but I didn't expect the Williams to have the pace and if he was going to get near the front it would probably be at Monaco.

#18 KnucklesAgain

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Posted 04 August 2012 - 20:03

Seven different winners in seven races.

#19 Devero

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Posted 04 August 2012 - 20:09

I think his 2006 season was better, in fact one of the best seasons by anyone in a long long time, but probably because it was against maybe the most popular driver of that time, he didn't get full credit.

I do not think 2006 was better than this one so far.

That time he had overall 2nd fastest car and this year 4th fastest. This season though is better so far (need to see the whole one) and not just because of the car.

2005 & 2006 were the glimps of Fernando`s ultimate potential and now he has been delivering the big picture.

Actually last year was the same level of performance but thanks to Pirelli and BD ban competitors in better cars cannot really show their hand.

Edited by Devero, 04 August 2012 - 20:10.

#20 Anderis

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Posted 04 August 2012 - 20:12

The biggest surprise for me is that so many people are surprised.

#21 Devero

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Posted 04 August 2012 - 20:12

Maldo race win
Button`s way of decline

#22 garoidb

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Posted 04 August 2012 - 20:21

Maldonado's win is the biggest surprise for sure. Nothing else is close to that.

For me, it is a pleasant surprise to see Lotus so competitive and have Kimi looking like a potential contender for the WDC and Grosjean as a future star.

#23 Sakae

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Posted 04 August 2012 - 20:23

BE's negotiating tactics with Mercedes Benz was totally unexpected, shocking really, and perhaps most significant for me thus far in 2012.

#24 Disgrace

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Posted 04 August 2012 - 20:31

Williams revival. I was seriously contemplating whether they were going the way of Tyrrell after last year. Button likewise a disappointment, but half the season is still yet to go.

Edited by Disgrace, 04 August 2012 - 20:32.

#25 Kingshark

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Posted 04 August 2012 - 20:46

Maldonado's race win
Button's decline
Webber beating Vettel
Schumacher's pole
Mercedes somehow bombs it again
Perez and Grosjean's rise to the top

#26 BackOnTop

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Posted 04 August 2012 - 20:52

Kimi Raikkonen making his Pirelli squeal with a 1.25.7 & 1.25.9 on 22nd and 23rd lap old soft tyres @ Hungary! On the same lap, Webber beat his fastest lap with 1.25.4..... On new tyres!

In the process, Kimi Raikkonen single-handedly bringing "overcut" back in fashion in the Pirelli era! Romain, Vettel must still be in shock... I know i was when kimi went purple.

Edited by BackOnTop, 04 August 2012 - 21:31.

#27 garoidb

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Posted 04 August 2012 - 20:54

Alonso leading the championship and performing on such a high level. This is by all means his best season in F1 so far.

I think he has been performing at this level since Hockenheim 2010, but this was obscured by the EBD related Red Bull and McLaren superiority of 2011 (apart from the temporary rule change at Silverstone). I don't think his performance level is a surprise, to be honest.

#28 TFLB

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Posted 04 August 2012 - 21:07

Maldonado's win, Sauber being so fast, Mercedes' drop off in pace, Alonso leading the championship, Webber not being awful, Button having such a contrasting season, Marussia getting near Caterham's pace by the mid point of the season.

#29 TheWilliamzer

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Posted 04 August 2012 - 22:30

HRT, starting rhe season outside the 107% and now are within 104%.

#30 SCUDmissile

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Posted 04 August 2012 - 22:35

Maldonado winning, and Lotus keeping well on it so Kimi is a WDC contender. Another surprise is McLaren fans being surprised by Ferraris turnaround.
Maybe you guys forgot 2007?

Edited by SCUDmissile, 04 August 2012 - 22:36.

#31 Jimisgod

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Posted 05 August 2012 - 14:48

Maldonado proving to actually be fast.

Kimi being better than 2008/09 straight off his return to the sport, and Lotus being genuinely fast.

#32 Andrew Hope

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Posted 05 August 2012 - 15:39

Got to be Maldonado's win. Nothing else has been nearly as stunning an event in F1 so far this year, and I'd be surprised to see a more unexpected winner in F1 in the next few seasons. Perez wouldn't be as surprising a victory, but someone like Kobayashi or Hulkenberg would be on the same sort of level.

#33 Watkins74

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Posted 05 August 2012 - 15:41

How pitiful Caterham still is.

#34 kosmos

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Posted 05 August 2012 - 16:10

Alonso leading with 40 points advantage, after the inital impression in winter and the first races, it's like a miracle.
Maldonado win.
Webber beating Vettel.
And Schumacher in general, the guy can't get a break, it's just one after another.

#35 George Costanza

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Posted 06 August 2012 - 00:15

Alonso leading with 40 points advantage, after the inital impression in winter and the first races, it's like a miracle.
Maldonado win.
Webber beating Vettel.
And Schumacher in general, the guy can't get a break, it's just one after another.

Agree with this.

If Schumacher had it all going for him, it would be Alonso-Schu like in 2006.

#36 Zippel

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Posted 06 August 2012 - 00:27

Maldondo's win and the pace of the Lotus-Renaults. I wonder if Mark Webber ponders on that Lotus as they were actively pursuing him for this year.

#37 ali_M

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Posted 06 August 2012 - 00:35

I'm still trying to understand Maldonado's win in Barcelona, so that's my biggest surprise.

Pirelli tire performance and how they have influenced the races comes in a close second.

The others -

- Schumacher's run of bad luck

- Ferrari's improvement in car performance. I had pretty much written them off a mediocre for the year.

- Button's slump in performance

- Lotus's jump in performance.

#38 AlexS

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Posted 06 August 2012 - 00:52

Biggest surprise: Pirelli

#39 rossbrawn

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Posted 06 August 2012 - 00:54

Agree with this.

If Schumacher had it all going for him, it would be Alonso-Schu like in 2006.

Put Kimi in the mix and it would just be like 'old times' again :up:

#40 rossbrawn

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Posted 06 August 2012 - 00:57

- Pirelli lotto
- Schumacher's horrific run of bad luck
- Maldonaldo winning a race
- Button's decline in performance
- How far Mercedes's have fallen back
- How quickly Ferrari reacted and have now fielded a car, capable of front-running pace

#41 rossbrawn

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Posted 06 August 2012 - 00:59

Kimi Raikkonen making his Pirelli squeal with a 1.25.7 & 1.25.9 on 22nd and 23rd lap old soft tyres @ Hungary! On the same lap, Webber beat his fastest lap with 1.25.4..... On new tyres!

In the process, Kimi Raikkonen single-handedly bringing "overcut" back in fashion in the Pirelli era! Romain, Vettel must still be in shock... I know i was when kimi went purple.

What on earth did I just read? Looks like a Kimi fan squirted their load all over their screen :lol:

#42 Nustang70

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Posted 06 August 2012 - 05:10

I don't recall saying nobody supported Alonso against Schumacher. Are you saying that Alonso had more fans than Schumacher at the time?

Into the archives!

#43 BackOnTop

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Posted 06 August 2012 - 06:52

What on earth did I just read? Looks like a Kimi fan squirted their load all over their screen .

usually I don't like replying to ******* who think their personal opinion not being mentioned is reason to attack other members personal opinion!!

The topic says, what's the biggest surprise??
I said Kimi's middle stint in Hungary... jumping from 5th to 2nd by posting multiple fastest laps on older tyres, which technically, looked impossible to do on worn out Pirelli tyres. I was expecting him, like millions others, to finish no better than 5th.

Being a 2 year old child and come around throwing junk just because you fail to understand the "Topic" and what "Surprise" really means, doesn't make your lol funny at all.

Edited by BackOnTop, 06 August 2012 - 06:59.

#44 seahawk

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Posted 06 August 2012 - 06:59

Maldonado´s race win. I mean not only is it a surprise that the Willaims was quick enough, it is a even bigger surprise that he had one full race without crashing the car into another car.

#45 puxanando

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Posted 06 August 2012 - 07:57

Seing Ferrari to make good forsteps, having an underdog in the begining of the season.

#46 flyer121

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Posted 06 August 2012 - 08:45

Kimi being back on form as early as the first race has to take the biscuit....
... and then to see him in the title fight is just like a dream come true !!

If he does indeed win the title - that will be the biggest surprise of the decade - not just this year

#47 karlth

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Posted 06 August 2012 - 08:57

Webber's resurgence against Vettel.
Button's drop in performance.
Raikkonen struggling to beat Grosjean
Williams' win at Barcelona
Caterham's lack of pace
The number of different winners in the first quarter of the season.

#48 teejay

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Posted 06 August 2012 - 09:09

Seing Ferrari to make good forsteps, having an underdog in the begining of the season.

That is "things that make you happy" not surprising.

#49 Headspin

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Posted 06 August 2012 - 09:46

My suprises: Alonso / Ferrari damage limitation being so effective that they're now leading championship. Button struggling so much with his car. Field being so close (most pleasant of all suprises). Maldonado for being so god damn wreckless and still winning a race!

#50 midgrid

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Posted 06 August 2012 - 10:42

From last year: how open this season is compared with Vettel's previous domination, with seven teams in contention for at least one race victory so far.

From the beginning of the season: Ferrari not only producing a superb run of damage-limitation early in the season, but also improving the F2012 dramatically to the extent that it has been a genuine frontrunner for most of the last few races.

Edited by midgrid, 06 August 2012 - 10:43.

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What's the biggest surprise so far in 2012?

#1 Lone

#2 Wander

#3 jjcale

#4 Lone

#5 Lone

#6 velgajski1

#7 jjcale

#8 Atreiu

#9 undersquare

#10 prty

#11 Ross Stonefeld

#12 BigCHrome

#13 prty

#14 SpartanChas

#15 MP422

#16 Ross Stonefeld

#17 billm99uk

#18 KnucklesAgain

#19 Devero

#20 Anderis

#21 Devero

#22 garoidb

#23 Sakae

#24 Disgrace

#25 Kingshark

#26 BackOnTop

#27 garoidb

#28 TFLB

#29 TheWilliamzer

#30 SCUDmissile

#31 Jimisgod

#32 Andrew Hope

#33 Watkins74

#34 kosmos

#35 George Costanza

#36 Zippel

#37 ali_M

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