32 replies to this topic

[Snic]

Best Race
I’ve thrown some of the race ratings into Excel to try and decide which has been the best race so far in 2012, and also to compile a list of some of 2012’s best bits – this season has been the most fun I’ve had watching F1 in a LONG time!



Second table is ordered from the highest rated to lowest rated, combined with a ratio of the total overtakes per race (Thanks to www.Cliptheapex.com for the numbers). (Formula used for red line = overtakes in race/8)



Perhaps unsurprisingly the 3 highest rated races have also had the 3 highest number of overtakes. The next three highest, Spain, Canada and Australia were some of the the most tense and exciting races of the season & enjoyable due to the tension and not from DRS overtakes handed out by FOM.

The crown jewel of F1 is comfortably the worst race of the season so far

I would just put Valencia ahead of China as my favourite race of the season so far.

Best Drives
Fernando Alonso – Valencia

Fernando Alonso – Hockenheim

Sergio Perez - Malaysia

Lewis Hamilton – Spain

Worst Driver
Pastor Maldonado – Has had a Jekyll and Hyde year, with streaks of genius tempered by moments of madness. Despite having the pace in qualifying (9-2 up on Senna) he is incredibly clumsy in the races, another year in GP2 would probably do him some good. He’s only 5 points ahead of Senna - The second half of 2012 could decide who partners Bottas next season. 7th in the constructors just isn’t good enough for a car that quick.

Best Overtake
Alonso Vs. Grosjean – Valencia -

Vettel Vs. Raikonnen – China

Hamilton Vs. Rosberg - Bahrain

Hamilton Vs. Toro Rosso – Spain -

Kobayashi Vs. Button – Spain 2012

Best Pole Lap (-delta to P2)
Alonso – Hockenheim (-0.595)

Rosberg – China (-0.505)

Hamilton – Spain (-0.422)

Schumacher – Monaco (-0.08)

Best Team
Ferrari – from where they started in Mugello the turnaround has been incredible. With good strategy behind Fernando Alonso, they’ve made the most of every single point on offer this year. If they can keep the development going, Alonso will surely repay Ferrari with “one of the most beautiful” Driver’s Championship wins in their history.

Worst Team
Mclarens' consistently ridiculous blunders in the early parts of the season have dropped them way down the table from where they should be. However with things still close the team that develops best in the second half of the season has every chance of winning the Championship. At least Mclaren & Lotus seem to be learning from their mistakes... And Mclaren never win titles the easy way.

Tyres
The tyres have gradually become less of an issue as the teams have learnt how to manage them. To see Alonso pushing the car on the edge in Hockenheim was what F1 was missing in some of the early races, the balance now just about right between conservation and aggression.
Overall Pirelli have done a fine job. The different strategies and choices in Canada resulted in one of the most exciting GP’s of the year. It’s still a bit of a mystery how at some races the prime tyres can be faster than the options on raw pace; hopefully they can amend that for next year.

DRS
DRS is the Adam Sandler of F1: whenever it’s given a lead role in a race you know it will never fail to ruin the spectacle. However once every 6 or 7 races it does OK and keeps the traffic moving without making things too easy. Whilst the zone at Valencia and Spain was just right, Canada Hockenheim and Silverstone were completely butchered. I fear for Spa!

Please discuss your thoughts & favourite moments so far this season

[Coops3]

Nice one

Re. the Monaco thing: I think some people like Monaco for different reasons than the actual racing itself, so I don't necessarily think it means it was the least enjoyable race weekend (for a lot of people anyway).

[William Hunt]

How can you not add Maldonado in the best drives section with his Barcelona win?

[rossbrawn]

I would say Mercedes are the worst team: unreliability, crap pit-stop and now a dog of a car. They've fallen back rapidly. At least McLaren, with now a great car for qualifying and race, can make an amends.

[Vesuvius]

I would add to the best drives list:

Nico Rosberg- China
Kimi Räikkönen- Hungary
Pastor Maldonado- Barcelona
Sebastian Vettel- Valencia (dominated the weekend despitate dnf)

best overtake list:

Kimi Räikkönen vs. Paul Di Resta- Hockenheim

best pole lap:
Sebastian Vettel Valencia (-0,324)
Sebastian Vettel Canada (-0,303)

[gm914]

I would say Mercedes are the worst team: unreliability, crap pit-stop and now a dog of a car. They've fallen back rapidly. At least McLaren, with now a great car for qualifying and race, can make an amends.

[Snic]

Nico Rosberg- China
Kimi Räikkönen- Hungary
Pastor Maldonado- Barcelona
Sebastian Vettel- Valencia (dominated the weekend despitate dnf)

I don't necessarily think Rosberg's drive was that impressive since he had the quickest car, pretty sure he said he was just conserving tyres most of the race anyway.

Can't argue with Pastor and Kimi though!

[rossbrawn]

I don't necessarily think Rosberg's drive was that impressive since he had the quickest car, pretty sure he said he was just conserving tyres most of the race anyway.

Can't argue with Pastor and Kimi though!

Rosberg owned that weekend - nobody was going to stop him from getting that win. Good car or not, I'd go as far as saying he's the best at China vs. anyone on the grid.

[BetaVersion]

Saying Mclaren was worse than Mercedes is so fanboyistic, I'm sorry.

Not that Mclaren have been great but Mercedes/Brawn/Honda/BAR is the worse team of F1 for so many years, 2009 apart.

[ArkZ]

Best Drives Fernando Alonso - Malaysia, by far best drive this year.

[TFLB]

Best Drives Fernando Alonso - Malaysia, by far best drive this year.

I think his drive in Valencia was better.

[TFLB]

I'd suggest Grosjean on Hamilton in Valencia as the best overtake this year.

[Nigol]

I'd suggest Grosjean on Hamilton in Valencia as the best overtake this year.

Yes, very good move from Romain! But Kimi vs. Paul in Hockenheim was even better.

[TFLB]

Yes, very good move from Romain! But Kimi vs. Paul in Hockenheim was even better.

No, I don't think so. Hockenheim as a circuit is much more conducive to overtaking than Valencia is. Plus the speed advantage of Raikkonen vs the FI was greater than Grosjean vs the Mclaren.

[BackOnTop]

No, I don't think so. Hockenheim as a circuit is much more conducive to overtaking than Valencia is. Plus the speed advantage of Raikkonen vs the FI was greater than Grosjean vs the Mclaren.

Romain had artificial DRS on which makes it less worthy. Compare that to KR & PDR, and there is always going to be non-drs overtakes on top.

Also, Paul had Mercedes engine compared to Kimi's renault... So no speed advantage there, just good old faster race pace by Raikkonen. In the end, all cars need to be faster to overtake in scientific term, so it's funny you say kimi had speed advantage. Same can be said for Romain as well then!

[Zava]

you have Alonso in valencia but no Kimi in bahrein? the difference between those two rides is that Vettel's car failed from the front only in valencia. maybe you could add that there was no SC in bahrein to help Kimi.

[TFLB]

Romain had artificial DRS on which makes it less worthy. Compare that to KR & PDR, and there is always going to be non-drs overtakes on top.

Also, Paul had Mercedes engine compared to Kimi's renault... So no speed advantage there, just good old faster race pace by Raikkonen. In the end, all cars need to be faster to overtake in scientific term, so it's funny you say kimi had speed advantage. Same can be said for Romain as well then!

I think Raikkonen did have the DRS on the long straight. What I meant by speed difference anyway was the natural speed of the car - that is, a Mclaren is faster than a Force India. And as I said, it is much easier to overtake in Hockenheim because it is wider and the corners are specifically designed to help overtaking. I Valencia if Grosjean had got it wrong by a few inches he'd have ended up in the wall. It was a braver move requiring more precision, and was therefore better.

[TFLB]

you have Alonso in valencia but no Kimi in bahrein? the difference between those two rides is that Vettel's car failed from the front only in valencia. maybe you could add that there was no SC in bahrein to help Kimi.

The difference is that Alonso did everything he could in Valencia, whereas in Bahrain Kimi had several opportunities to attempt to overtake Vettel and backed out of all of them.

[Vesuvius]

The difference is that Alonso did everything he could in Valencia, whereas in Bahrain Kimi had several opportunities to attempt to overtake Vettel and backed out of all of them.

Kimi had just that one time and he failed on that and Alonso never overtook the race leader on that race!....oh and it was later noticed that Vettel changed driving lines twice in front of Kimi at bahrain which means if Lotus would have complained Vettel would have been given penalty.

[Vesuvius]

I think Raikkonen did have the DRS on the long straight. What I meant by speed difference anyway was the natural speed of the car - that is, a Mclaren is faster than a Force India. And as I said, it is much easier to overtake in Hockenheim because it is wider and the corners are specifically designed to help overtaking. I Valencia if Grosjean had got it wrong by a few inches he'd have ended up in the wall. It was a braver move requiring more precision, and was therefore better.

Grosjean overtook Hamilton at the end of the drs straight with the help of DRS gained speed while Kimi-PDR was not done in DRS zone and it was not even at the end of the straight...both were great overtakes but Kimi's one was more impressive.

[TFLB]

Grosjean overtook Hamilton at the end of the drs straight with the help of DRS gained speed while Kimi-PDR was not done in DRS zone and it was not even at the end of the straight...both were great overtakes but Kimi's one was more impressive.

No, I think Raikkonen had the DRS on the long straight down to the hairpin, which is what enabled him to get in the position to overtake Di Resta.

Edited by TFLB, 05 August 2012 - 10:29.

[TFLB]

Kimi had just that one time and he failed on that and Alonso never overtook the race leader on that race!....oh and it was later noticed that Vettel changed driving lines twice in front of Kimi at bahrain which means if Lotus would have complained Vettel would have been given penalty.

He was close enough to have a go several times. Even when Vettel moved, he could still have had a go.

[TFLB]

I think Grosjean and Perez in Canada deserve consideration as some of the best drives this year, especially since they were both on a one-stop strategy which few others could make work. Perez in particular, who was something like 20 seconds down on the lead after his first stop and finished just 5.7 seconds off the win.

[Vesuvius]

No, I think Raikkonen had the DRS on the long straight down to the hairpin, which is what enabled him to get in the position to overtake Di Resta.

true it helped but the overtaking happened two corners later with wheel to wheel battle, Grosjean vs Hamilton which was also great overtake happened right after the DRS-zone ended...but it's matter of taste which to choose, both were great and deserves credit.

[Vesuvius]

He was close enough to have a go several times. Even when Vettel moved, he could still have had a go.

Kimi himself said despitate being close he was only close enough one time and that was his only real chance to overtake as after that his tyres were gone and his speed advantage as well...he did mistake during that overtake attempt and that was it, also it didn't help that Kimi had broken front wing cause by a hit while overtaking Massa. I'm sure Kimi has learned from that is doing better job with overtakes now, even if he did some great ones on that race as well.

[TFLB]

true it helped but the overtaking happened two corners later with wheel to wheel battle, Grosjean vs Hamilton which was also great overtake happened right after the DRS-zone ended...but it's matter of taste which to choose, both were great and deserves credit.

Okay, each to their own. They were both great moves, Grosjean's slightly better in my view, but that's not to take anything away from Raikkonen. Let's agree to disagree, yes?

[Vesuvius]

Okay, each to their own. They were both great moves, Grosjean's slightly better in my view, but that's not to take anything away from Raikkonen. Let's agree to disagree, yes?

Yes, I respect your view

[Creepy]

Interesting the position of Valencia regarding overtakes. Hope this year finally sees the end of those former myths going on against the track.

[BackOnTop]

Okay, each to their own. They were both great moves, Grosjean's slightly better in my view, but that's not to take anything away from Raikkonen. Let's agree to disagree, yes?

Both moves were mighty important for both drivers, and Romain & Kimi made it stick. Excellent move from both.

Also, how can I forget to mention Kimi's overtake on Maldonado @ Valencia! That's the best of them all simply because it involved "you know who".

[Anderis]

Nobody has mentioned something like the best wheel-to-wheel battle.

For me it's Maldonado-Grosjean in China.

[Kvothe]

Nobody has mentioned something like the best wheel-to-wheel battle.

For me it's Maldonado-Grosjean in China.

For me it's Button-Massa Malaysia.

[Sakae]

Best Race
No opinion, for they all have their ups and downs.
Best Drives
No opinion. Conditions of tires are blurring the issue. I am unable to read races correctly and make my mind who was lucky, and who was really good. I am refusing to sign on Alonso's bandwagon; teflon is too thick.
Worst Driver
How do you judge those things, or you simply let emotions guide your judgement?
Best Overtake
Vettel on Button a race or two back.
Best Pole Lap
Schumi - Monaco. Either it was miracle achieved in the worst car, or car is not as bad as some posters claim in here; but it cannot be both.
Best Team
Renault, no doubt about it. What we see is pretty good work on relatively small budget, that cannot be denied.
Worst Team(s)
Ferarri and RBR hand in hand. With their budgets they should be further ahead. McLaren is not much behind them in disgrace. Huge budgets, yet Renault is smoking them all out one by one.
Tyres
I can't make my mind if, after half season is gone, teams have mastered tires, or tire compound has (quietly) changed, and consequently racing is slightly better. Regardless of facts, this is an atrocious year because of this issue.
DRS
IMO they do not belong to F1.

Edited by Sakae, 06 August 2012 - 11:27.

[Tract1on]

Where's the bloody pie chart jesus talk about half a job

Best Race
I’ve thrown some of the race ratings into Excel to try and decide which has been the best race so far in 2012, and also to compile a list of some of 2012’s best bits – this season has been the most fun I’ve had watching F1 in a LONG time!



Second table is ordered from the highest rated to lowest rated, combined with a ratio of the total overtakes per race (Thanks to www.Cliptheapex.com for the numbers). (Formula used for red line = overtakes in race/8)



Perhaps unsurprisingly the 3 highest rated races have also had the 3 highest number of overtakes. The next three highest, Spain, Canada and Australia were some of the the most tense and exciting races of the season & enjoyable due to the tension and not from DRS overtakes handed out by FOM.

The crown jewel of F1 is comfortably the worst race of the season so far

I would just put Valencia ahead of China as my favourite race of the season so far.

Best Drives
Fernando Alonso – Valencia

Fernando Alonso – Hockenheim

Sergio Perez - Malaysia

Lewis Hamilton – Spain

Worst Driver
Pastor Maldonado – Has had a Jekyll and Hyde year, with streaks of genius tempered by moments of madness. Despite having the pace in qualifying (9-2 up on Senna) he is incredibly clumsy in the races, another year in GP2 would probably do him some good. He’s only 5 points ahead of Senna - The second half of 2012 could decide who partners Bottas next season. 7th in the constructors just isn’t good enough for a car that quick.

Best Overtake
Alonso Vs. Grosjean – Valencia -

Vettel Vs. Raikonnen – China

Hamilton Vs. Rosberg - Bahrain

Hamilton Vs. Toro Rosso – Spain -

Kobayashi Vs. Button – Spain 2012

Best Pole Lap (-delta to P2)
Alonso – Hockenheim (-0.595)

Rosberg – China (-0.505)

Hamilton – Spain (-0.422)

Schumacher – Monaco (-0.08)

Best Team
Ferrari – from where they started in Mugello the turnaround has been incredible. With good strategy behind Fernando Alonso, they’ve made the most of every single point on offer this year. If they can keep the development going, Alonso will surely repay Ferrari with “one of the most beautiful” Driver’s Championship wins in their history.

Worst Team
Mclarens' consistently ridiculous blunders in the early parts of the season have dropped them way down the table from where they should be. However with things still close the team that develops best in the second half of the season has every chance of winning the Championship. At least Mclaren & Lotus seem to be learning from their mistakes... And Mclaren never win titles the easy way.

Tyres
The tyres have gradually become less of an issue as the teams have learnt how to manage them. To see Alonso pushing the car on the edge in Hockenheim was what F1 was missing in some of the early races, the balance now just about right between conservation and aggression.
Overall Pirelli have done a fine job. The different strategies and choices in Canada resulted in one of the most exciting GP’s of the year. It’s still a bit of a mystery how at some races the prime tyres can be faster than the options on raw pace; hopefully they can amend that for next year.

DRS
DRS is the Adam Sandler of F1: whenever it’s given a lead role in a race you know it will never fail to ruin the spectacle. However once every 6 or 7 races it does OK and keeps the traffic moving without making things too easy. Whilst the zone at Valencia and Spain was just right, Canada Hockenheim and Silverstone were completely butchered. I fear for Spa!

Please discuss your thoughts & favourite moments so far this season