34 replies to this topic

[Snic]

Okay, I've managed to sort through the polls I've been pestering you guys with over the last 8 months and have compiled a review of what the forum made of the 2012 Formula One season! I know you guys love your Excel graphs (who doesn't) so here's a couple to keep you busy. All the overtaking stats are off www.cliptheapex.com






Unsurprisingly there is a marked correlation between overtake numbers and rating. Korea and India prove the two lowest rated tracks and were unsurprisingly among the biggest processions of the season. I don't think those two Tilkedromes will ever get better, unless FOM decide to make everything that isn't a corner a DRS zone (surely only a matter of time then..)

I've also compiled some of your picks for the season awards. Here's the shortlist (enjoy the videos before they disappear)

Best Drives

Fernando Alonso – Valencia, India
Lewis Hamilton - USA, Spain
Sebastian Vettel - Abu Dhabi

Best Overtakes

Alonso Vs. Grosjean – Valencia
Massa Vs. Senna - Singapore
Raikonnen Vs. Schumacher - Brazil

Honorable mentions to
Vettel Vs. Button at Abu Dhabi
Raikonnen on Hulkenburg - USA
Hamilton on Raikonnen - Japan

Best pole lap

Alonso – Hockenheim [outside UK](-0.595)
Schumacher – Monaco (-0.08)
Hamilton - Abu Dhabi (-0.348)
Vettel - USA [outside UK] (-0.109)

Best Moments of 2012:

The Vettel Karthikeyan feud.
Hamilton's CQ photoshoot way back when. The photoshopping threads dreams came true.
The crowd going nuts for Kamui on the podium in Japan.
And finally Alonso's balls to the wall overtake on Grosjean in Valencia will live long in the memory, just one of the many awesome drives from him in 2012.

Thanks so much for your input throughout the season,
Please leave your final thoughts on the season and favourite moments below

[Creepy]

Thank you man. I hope this dispel some myths regarding Valencia. Wow, second one with the most overtakes and highly rated!

Edited by Creepy, 29 November 2012 - 02:00.

[Disgrace]

Monaco was one of my favourite races of the season and Abu Dhabi is hopelessly overrated. There I said it.

Edited by Disgrace, 29 November 2012 - 02:25.

[slmk]

I would have nominated Hamilton's "unofficial pole lap" in Spain or his Singapore lap. As for overtake, his double overtake of the Toro Rosso in Spain.

Agree with all the rest though.

[fum3s]

112 overtakes in Brazil

[ViMaMo]

Okay, I've managed to sort through the polls I've been pestering you guys with over the last 8 months and have compiled a review of what the forum made of the 2012 Formula One season! I know you guys love your Excel graphs (who doesn't) so here's a couple to keep you busy.

Keep it up !! Good job.

[Jejking]

Monaco was one of my favourite races of the season and Abu Dhabi is hopelessly overrated. There I said it.

Why was one of the greatest tyre saving farces one of your favs?

[abc]

Vettels Brasil was easily best drive of season. His Abu Dhabi was rather average in comparison.

Arguments for Brasil:

Most difficult conditions, slippery as hell, but no aquaplaning BS, many laps on slicks on wet track = many drivers described it as their toughest race.

After being squeezed at start and IMO racing incident in lap 1 (3 cars going for one corner), he was absolutely flying with badly DAMAGED car and under highest pressure situation possible. He was one second quicker than anybody in last most wet laps where possibly only JB could up his pace when needed. Add to that he had no radio and some disaster pitstops and I dont see why this drive fell under the radar when talking about drives of the yaer.

It was proving the point drive in the same vain as Hamiltons Silverstone 2008 or Alonsos Hungary 2006.

[AvranaKern]

Great job Snic, thank you

[Kucki]

Hamiltons Pole lap in Singapore was one of the greatest Pole laps in the last couple of years. It was just insane driving bouncing off the walls. Over half a second faster then the Red Bull car.

[choyothe]

Vettel at Spa was as good as his AD IMO, noticeable for carving through the field without a DRS overtake. Or maybe there was one, I don't remember.

Rosberg's pole in China was pretty great too.

[Zava]

best moment, no Raikkönen going for the service route?
sorry, but that makes me question the credibility of the other parts of the post.

[KingB]

best overtakes without Hulkenberg's double move on Hamilton and Grosjean at Korea? come on

[swerved]

I thought this was pretty good as an ending.

http://www.skysports...8282518,00.html

[Atreiu]

Interlagos was insane, it couldn't have been scripted.

[PretentiousBread]

Monaco was one of my favourite races of the season and Abu Dhabi is hopelessly overrated. There I said it.

Can I politely ask why? It was the biggest tyre conservation exercise of all the Pirelli F1 races. An illusionary shitfest, there were about 20 laps of actual racing out of 78.

EDIT: Agree with you on Abu Dhabi.

Edited by PretentiousBread, 29 November 2012 - 12:43.

[Seanspeed]

Abu Dhabi and Valencia in the top 5. Who'da thunk it.

Great thread, by the way. Thanks for doing all this.

Edited by Seanspeed, 29 November 2012 - 12:49.

[Tenmantaylor]

Well done, Snic

Thinking back to Malaysia, Australia, Spain, Italy, all were great races worthy of any F1 season I can remember. How unbelievable to think we've had 5 that were rated better than these! We're been lucky enough to have more awesome races than not this season. Look back 10 years at how boring F1 was compared to now. Whatever people think about the rules and regulation changes they have without doubt made F1 a better spectacle.

[maverick69]

Loving your work

It's quite telling, and somewhat ironic that the names that come to the fore are Hamilton, Alonso and Vettel..... With a bit of Kimi.

To me this very much reflects current thinking in F1 circles.

Mad, isn't it?

[Disgrace]

Why was one of the greatest tyre saving farces one of your favs?

Can I politely ask why? It was the biggest tyre conservation exercise of all the Pirelli F1 races. An illusionary shitfest, there were about 20 laps of actual racing out of 78.

EDIT: Agree with you on Abu Dhabi.

All of the races this year were tyre saving races. Monaco was simply a quality race on the pitwall. Yes the cars were driving several seconds a lap slower than they could have, but the spectacle of Monaco overcame that for me compared to a tyre saving race at a Tilke car park. There was no margin for error strategically and the sprinkling of the rain at the end made it very tense. Obviously I would have liked more overtaking but it's not everything.

Abu Dhabi by comparison was driven by amateur mistakes and consequent safety cars, which also threatened to spoilt the championship battle at the time. We got a load of DRS overtaking as a result but it was like watching a Transformers film, it was totally devoid of any quality until the end when the top drivers could get on with it, or in the case of Transformers when the credits started rolling.

Edited by Disgrace, 29 November 2012 - 15:24.

[TigersWood]

I didn't remember Massa in Singapore dancing in that overtaking

I will always remember Fernando Alonso's drive. How with an inferior car he always made it to the podium. The car was not rubbish clearly but he drove far ahead its possibilities, almost winning what could have been the greatest championship ever.

And Vettel has made better races than Abu Dhabi. That race is very overrated, he was very very lucky with the SC, and crashed Senna in his first overtake attemp. The best, his overtake on Button

[Wander]

All of the races this year were tyre saving races. Monaco was simply a quality race on the pitwall. Yes the cars were driving several seconds a lap slower than they could have, but the spectacle of Monaco overcame that for me compared to a tyre saving race at a Tilke car park. There was no margin for error strategically and the sprinkling of the rain at the end made it very tense. Obviously I would have liked more overtaking but it's not everything.

Abu Dhabi by comparison was driven by amateur mistakes and consequent safety cars, which also threatened to spoilt the championship battle at the time. We got a load of DRS overtaking as a result but it was like watching a Transformers film, it was totally devoid of any quality until the end when the top drivers could get on with it, or in the case of Transformers when the credits started rolling.

Yeah, not many amateur mistakes were done in Monaco, cause you can't even attempt to overtake unless you're more than five seconds quicker per lap. Big shock.

That race was terrible for the viewers and if it was not for "the spectacle of Monaco", it would have been even worse.

Edited by Wander, 29 November 2012 - 19:31.

[Francesc]

Best qualifying lap should be Maldonado in Singapore.

[Rikhart]

So on the best overtakes you completely forget Raikkonen on schumacher, completely insane overtake going into eau rouge in spa? And instead put an extremely common pass, alonso vs grosjean. Ok then.

Here´s the best overtake of the season:

Edited by Rikhart, 29 November 2012 - 19:56.

[Anderis]

Best qualifying lap should be Maldonado in Singapore.

:up:
Williams was around a full second of the Red Bull's pace throughout the weekend, starting from FP1, ending at Q2. Yet Maldonado somehow managed to beat both Red Bulls in Q3. I don't think Williams was one of 2 best cars that day, Pastor did a stunning job securing front-row start.

The best drive for me are first 54 laps od Brazilian GP by Hulk. Shame he lost it when overtaking Hamilton, because until this moment it was for me the most impressive drive not only this season, but since I watch Formula1. How did he manage to lap quicker throughout the whole race than all of those top drivers in superior cars? Force India's current car wasn't developed for months. It looks like Hulk has found some "cheats" how to lap quicker than others on slicks on damp circuit. At least at Interlagos.

[ArkZ]

Alonso double overtake at the end of 1st lap in Brazil was very nice.

[PretentiousBread]

So on the best overtakes you completely forget Raikkonen on schumacher, completely insane overtake going into eau rouge in spa? And instead put an extremely common pass, alonso vs grosjean. Ok then.

Here´s the best overtake of the season:

Please, overtakes like that simply require a yield from one driver, Schumacher was missing Kers at that point so knew the game was up. Don't get all dazzled just because it was Eau Rouge, Schumacher etc. It was a Hollywood overtake for sure, but Schumacher made it pretty straight forward.

Make no mistake, Alonso's outbraking manoeuvre on Grosjean was technically daring, ballsy, opportunistic and at the pivotal moment of the race, winning him the GP. It gets my vote for sure.

[Kucki]

The best drive for me are first 54 laps od Brazilian GP by Hulk. Shame he lost it when overtaking Hamilton, because until this moment it was for me the most impressive drive not only this season, but since I watch Formula1. How did he manage to lap quicker throughout the whole race than all of those top drivers in superior cars? Force India's current car wasn't developed for months. It looks like Hulk has found some "cheats" how to lap quicker than others on slicks on damp circuit. At least at Interlagos.;)

Interlagos is his very best track. It was a great race by him but he still made two major mistake costing him the lead and then spinning himself out and taking out the leader of the race in the process. After the race he couldnt apologise and said "I spun just a little bit, Lewis should have given more room". If he cannot see his own mistakes in such a clear case and learn from that he's bound to make the same mistakes again.

[Kucki]

Please, overtakes like that simply require a yield from one driver, Schumacher was missing Kers at that point so knew the game was up. Don't get all dazzled just because it was Eau Rouge, Schumacher etc. It was a Hollywood overtake for sure, but Schumacher made it pretty straight forward.

Make no mistake, Alonso's outbraking manoeuvre on Grosjean was technically daring, ballsy, opportunistic and at the pivotal moment of the race, winning him the GP. It gets my vote for sure.

It was a good move by Alonso but nothing special, he was on the clean racing line, Grosjean was on the dirt and braked early, Alonso could even immediately close the door to the inside because Grosjean yielded back so fast. It was nothing out of the ordinary. Grosjean was very cooperative.

[Puhoon]

Please, overtakes like that simply require a yield from one driver, Schumacher was missing Kers at that point so knew the game was up. Don't get all dazzled just because it was Eau Rouge, Schumacher etc. It was a Hollywood overtake for sure, but Schumacher made it pretty straight forward.

Don't write crap. He used his KERS after Eau Rouge as you can see from the video.

The thing that made that overtake great, was the build-up and clever use of DRS for defending.

[Miggeex]

Don't write crap. He used his KERS after Eau Rouge as you can see from the video.

The thing that made that overtake great, was the build-up and clever use of DRS for defending.

Yea that overtake looked pretty awesome. Nicely handled situation from Michael also. Knew that it was going to be either crash or lost position. And he almost got the place back at the end of Kemmel straight.

The main reason that lead to that Eau Rouge move was that Schumi locked up and went just a bit wide in T1. Kimi saw it and concentrated on getting good later apex in T1 to make the biggest possible gain in the exit. It went well and he just used the KERS and it sealed the deal.

But the best bits of the season?

-Very difficult to say. In the first part of the season all the tire mess made everything so difficult to guess. That was awesome.

-Alonso's drive in Valencia was impressive. Very nice win and helped him in the WDC fight with Vettel and Hamilton retiring. Alonso's starts were incredible also through the whole season. Did everything that he could in every race.

-Vettel in Abu Dhabi and Interlagos. Kept his head cool when it mattered.

-Kimi's win!

-Maldonado won. That was totally unexpected.

-Massa's comeback from a very bad looking situation in the just right time.

[Snic]

best overtakes without Hulkenberg's double move on Hamilton and Grosjean at Korea? come on

I agree but can't find any videos of it online! Love opportunistic passes like that one

[SpaMaster]

Please, overtakes like that simply require a yield from one driver, Schumacher was missing Kers at that point so knew the game was up. Don't get all dazzled just because it was Eau Rouge, Schumacher etc. It was a Hollywood overtake for sure, but Schumacher made it pretty straight forward.

Make no mistake, Alonso's outbraking manoeuvre on Grosjean was technically daring, ballsy, opportunistic and at the pivotal moment of the race, winning him the GP. It gets my vote for sure.

Normally overtakes at that place are like that. But, this for a change was actually an overtake. KERS made no difference here. This was no choice by Schumacher to yield. He could have taken out both similar to what Senna did to Prost in '90. Other than that, it was a proper overtake.

I think I understand why the nominations are skewed. The reports are fine as far as race-by-race reporting is concerned. But this does not give inter-race comparison. Some choices get higher % for an individual race when they did not have other competitive choices from the same race. But in another race, even if you have two better choices, they take votes from each other and end up getting less vote overall compared to the first one.

[Torsion]

Best overtakes, thought Kimi on Diresta in Hockenheim was one of the better ones.

[jrg19]

Great overtakes whilst looking after his tyres too.