Who will fight in 2013 for title?
#51
Posted 25 December 2012 - 21:13
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#52
Posted 26 December 2012 - 01:14
I'm not expecting Grosjean to be any better, I think his flaws are hard-wired. Kimi will be better though. I think the fight behind Sebi and Nando will be the big interest next year: JB/LH/KR should be fascinating. Webber and Massa running interference.
Merc challenging for 3rd in wcc against Mac and Lotus.
I like your prediction, but i hope F1 might just throw up some surprises again.
#53
Posted 26 December 2012 - 01:24
- Definitely Alonso/Vettel
- Kimi as he is consistently reliable and quick
- Button (had a relatively poor first half of the season, second half was only second to Vettel on pts) and Webber (only second to Alonso after the British GP, lousy second half of the season) if they can sort out their consistency over the whole season
- If Mercedes build a competitive car, I can see Lewis up there
- Do not expect Perez/Rosberg/Massa to be challenging
#54
Posted 26 December 2012 - 04:48
#55
Posted 26 December 2012 - 05:08
A lot of it depends on what webber, massa and romain deliver. Web was beating vet at the start of the year, massa matching alonso end of the year and we all know romain has talent if he can get it together. If these 3 come to the party it will be a cracker of a year (which we will need as hammy will be tail end of top ten in his merc)
Far less than Perez, who is in a faster car.
Maybe Romain can score half of Kimi's points this year. What a driver!
#56
Posted 26 December 2012 - 06:44
not really sure how perez will go but think he will do a solid job and definately get a win or two.Far less than Perez, who is in a faster car.
Maybe Romain can score half of Kimi's points this year. What a driver!
#57
Posted 26 December 2012 - 08:00
I dont know what to expect from Perez. He might Coulthardize Button or be completely useless.
Flexing test are changed next year. Let's see how that affects RB. I dont think they will be as strong as they were in the end of 2012 but the will be in the fight for sure.
Ferrari - unless their efforts this year undermined 2013 project seriously (which Fry accepted in one of his interviews) they will be better in qualifying due to DRS restriction in qualy. It was their main problem, they were not recovering rear downforce quickly after DRS deactivation causing terrible turn in oversteer.
Lotus - Kimi will be strong and better in qualifying. He showed that in the second part of the season. I guess their car will be good as well. They will fight for the WDC unless they screw something up seriously mid-season. Their wind tunnel seems to be working very well as well. Main challenge here is operations (pit stops, strategy, continuous problems in free practices). Grosjean will improve but he will have moments occasionally again and this is not good enough for title challenge. His problems are down to his spacial abilities which is a fundamental problem.
Merc - they will not fight for the championship unless their only problem was tire temperature. Tires will have wider operating window next year which might help but they wont mount a title challenge.
I can not predict the WDC standings but I can see who will fight for the championship
Button
Alonso
Vettel
Raikkonen
Unless Perez turns out to be a miracle, Button will be a favorite as he will blossom as a Mclaren #1
Edited by beqa16v, 26 December 2012 - 08:02.
#58
Posted 26 December 2012 - 10:42
#59
Posted 26 December 2012 - 11:51
In the contrary, I think that he will struggle. He has never changed teams before in F1 and was always Mclaren's baby. I think he will be struck in the beginning of the season.Can't explain it, but got a gut feeling that Hamilton is gonna surprise in that Mercedes. He'll snatch some wins and finish top four I think.
He will shine but only at times. I wont be surprised if Rosberg outscores him in the first half of the season.
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#60
Posted 26 December 2012 - 12:00
No cars have been presented yet, no wintertests yet, how can we say anything about the 2013 championship yet? It's all speculation and everyone's favourite who will win the title, win races etc.
The regulations mean 2013 will likely be a continuation of 2012.
#61
Posted 26 December 2012 - 12:28
The regulations mean 2013 will likely be a continuation of 2012.
Tyre construction is different, which might throw a few surprises our way, at least in the first rounds.
#62
Posted 26 December 2012 - 12:32
The Red Bull and Lotus will likely be more straight forward evolutions.
Plus with DRS in qualifying restricted, if any team can get a passive DRS system working there would be a greater gain next year as they wouldn't just be carring some DRS advantage to the race, they will also benefit their qualifying speed. Mercedes have the most experience with Passive DRS solutions (2010 and testing this year) so they may have an advantage getting a working system on the car.
I think it comes down to who comes out of the blocks strong - if rumours of Red Bull being behind on 2013 build turn out to be true and they start behind the curve - and Ferrari are still having correlation issues, you could see McLaren, Lotus and Mercedes grabbing some solid points at the start of the campaign. If one grabs enough of a lead you could see more competition turning their attention to 2014 sooner.
I think Vettel has to be a contender - just look at this year - even if the Red Bull is not the best at the start - they can turn it around rapidly. Webber seems hit and miss, so unless they have a dominant car and Vettel has a greater share of unreliability I'm looking past him somewhat.
Alonso is a questionmark - if the car is decent he has a shot - but considering the late 2012 development there are questions about Ferrari's ability to deliver. Massa as a #2 benefits Alonso greatly.
Button has to be in with a shout if the car is fast - but he has to be more consistent in qualifying and establish himself as the number 1 early to get every advantage he can - because next year will likely be another tight competition and every additional point will count in the end. Perez would need to develop a lot before fighting for the WDC himself, but he could take points from Button if the car is fast.
Kimi will be a contender if the car is as competitive as this year - the Lotus' fell back at the end of the year as others developed faster - but with some new sponsors hopefully resources will allow more development.
Lewis will be hit and miss due to the car - you hope Mercedes started 2013 development early considering how they fell away at the end of 2012, and that may give them an advantage at the start of the year - alongside any passive DRS knowledge they have. With their focus on 2014 though, I wouldn't expect them to develop to the very end even if Lewis was in P3 or P4 in the WDC - so he'll fall off at the end of the year.
Edited by onewingedangel, 26 December 2012 - 19:07.
#63
Posted 26 December 2012 - 18:32
Mmm, dunno, it could also mean everyone gets to fix their mistakes and copy the best ideas of 2012. The cars should close up.The regulations mean 2013 will likely be a continuation of 2012.
#64
Posted 27 December 2012 - 20:43
So, Norbert Haug lures him to Mercedes, and promply resigns.In the contrary, I think that he will struggle. He has never changed teams before in F1 and was always Mclaren's baby. I think he will be struck in the beginning of the season.
He will shine but only at times. I wont be surprised if Rosberg outscores him in the first half of the season.
Not a good omen.
#65
Posted 09 January 2013 - 18:29