A Perfect Birthday Present for Sir Frank

Five races and five different winners. Who will have scripted that at the beginning of the 2012 Formula One season? It has been a truly remarkable start to 2012 and I only hope it continues.

Will Monaco see a sixth different winner this year? With the way things are going, I wouldn’t back against it. The Pirelli tyres are once again playing their part and you would be a very brave person to predict who will come out on top at Monaco.

Considering how dull previous Spanish Grand Prix’s have been, this years race was thoroughly entertaining from start to finish. Before I talk about Pastor Maldonado’s excellent win my thoughts are with the mechanics who were injured in yesterday’s horrific fire that occurred in the Williams pit garage.

Three Williams team members were taken to a local hospital with one believed to have been suffering from burns. It was great to see team personnel from different teams helping to put the fire out and it just shows you Formula One is united.

All the teams may be competing against one another on the track but off the track they are united and yesterday was an example of just that. I speak for everyone in Formula One and hope those injured in the pit fire make a speedy recovery. We are all behind you.

An Eight Year Wait

Williams’ eight year wait for a race win came to an end on Sunday with Pastor Maldonado putting in a brilliant performance to take his maiden victory in Formula One. Pastor became the first Venezuelan to win a Grand Prix.

The last time Williams tasted race victory was back in 2004 at Brazil when Juan Pablo Montoya came out victorious in his last race for the team. No doubt Maldonado’s victory in Spain will be one the Williams team personnel will remember for many years to come.

Pastor’s win will have also been a perfect birthday present for Sir Frank Williams. It was obvious up and down the paddock that everyone was delighted for Williams.

Although he lost the lead on the opening lap, Pastor kept his cool and was able to get past Fernando Alonso during the second stage of pit stops.

The Venezuelan went on to win the race and was able to hold off the challenge of Alonso to take his first ever victory in Formula One. Thoroughly deserved and it was great to see Williams back on the top step of the podium.

To bounce back as they have done this year has been incredible. However there is a long way to go and everyone at Williams will be looking to stay on their feet and not get too carried away.

If Lewis Hamilton was not stripped of his pole position, perhaps we would have had a different result on Sunday. But take nothing away from what Maldonado and Williams achieved.

Ferrari and the Rest

Finishing second in front of his home crowd will have felt like a win for Fernando Alonso. The start he made to this years race was reminiscent of the start the Spaniard made in last years race at the Circuit de Catalunya.

Fernando was overtaken in the second stage of pit stops by Maldonado and lost the lead. He was not quite able to get past the Venezuelan but Alonso shouldn’t be disheartened by coming home in second place.

It is ironic that Ferrari don’t have the best car and yet Alonso is tied on 61 points with Sebastian Vettel leading the Drivers Championship. The great thing about Alonso is that he is always consistent and has always been able to get the best out of a car even if it is not at its best.

The pressure will be building on Felipe Massa after the Brazilian could only manage a 15th place finish. Massa does need an upturn in form and if things do not improve he might not even last the season.

Lotus had yet another solid weekend with Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean finishing third and fourth. Eric Boullier should be delighted with the way both his drivers have performed this season and I would not back against them picking up another strong result in Monaco.

The Enstone based team could have won in both Bahrain and Spain but they should not be disappointed by the way they have performed. I have been very impressed with how well Raikkonen has performed on his return to the sport. But at the same time I have also been equally impressed with Grosjean.

Romain has been given a second chance and the Frenchman has so far done himself proud. Ending up on the podium in Bahrain and finishing fourth in Spain will have delighted Grosjean and he has every right to be pleased with how his season has gone so far.

Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi had a great day at the office as the Japanese driver finished fifth. Again I have been impressed by the start Sauber have made to the 2012 season and both Kobayashi and Sergio Perez have done a great job. Could Sauber spring a surprise in Monaco? You never know.

After Free Practice on Friday you would have backed Red Bull to score big points in Spain. But come Sunday, Sebastian Vettel could only come home in sixth and Mark Webber finished outside the points in 11th.

I really cannot put my finger on what went wrong for Red Bull and I guess the only saving grace for them was McLaren not scoring big points either. Red Bull have enjoyed recent success at Monaco and it would not surprise me if they were to bounce back in Monaco. But based on what we have seen this season it is unpredictable as to who will win the next Grand Prix.

Nico Rosberg finished seventh for Mercedes with team-mate Michael Schumacher retiring from yet another race. Schumacher not surprisingly received a five place grid drop for causing a collision and going into the back of Bruno Senna. I totally agree with the stewards decision and there is no arguing that Schumacher was at fault for the collision.

Had Lewis Hamilton not been stripped of his pole position, I reckon the Brit would have gone onto win the race. To be forced to start at the back of the grid was harsh in my view. Having said that the McLaren pit crew should take responsibility for what happened on Saturday.

But give credit where it is due. Lewis was able to make his way through the field from 24th to finish the race eighth. Hamilton did a great job and it was a shame he was not able to hold off Vettel for seventh.

Jenson Button will have been in a buoyant mood after being quickest in the second Free Practice session on Friday. Button is one of those drivers who is able to make his strategy work well and look after his tyres. But for some reason he was not able to do that this time round in Spain.

Finally Nico Hulkenburg defended brilliantly from Mark Webber to finish tenth and pick up a point for Force India. It has not been a strong start to the season for Force India but yet they are picking up points.

Paul di Resta did a great job at Bahrain coming home in sixth. We have yet to see the best of Force India and the way they have started this season reminds me of how they started last season.

2011 was a slow start for the team but in the second half of the season they started putting in more consistent and stronger performances. I genuinely believe Force India have been surprised by how well the likes of Sauber and Williams have done. But there is still a long way to go and there are plenty of points to play for.

I am looking forward to Monaco and I really cannot predict who will come out on top. But I am loving Formula One this season and long may the unpredictability continue.

Over And Done With – Bahrain Grand Prix Review

Relief. One word that can be used to describe how the teams and drivers are feeling now the Grand Prix weekend in Bahrain is over. All the teams will now be focused on the in-season test at Mugello early next month ahead of the European season which starts in Spain.

I have been following Formula One for over a decade and my passion and love for the sport has continued to grow year by year. But I was one of those who thought Formula One should not have gone to Bahrain.

What happened last Wednesday will no doubt have affected members of the Force India team and I can totally understand why two of the team members went home. At the end of the day safety is more important than sport.

I don’t think Formula One covered itself in glory by going to Bahrain when you consider the fact there has been constant civil unrest, major political issues and not forgetting civilians are getting killed. But that’s just my view. In these circumstances sport comes second every time.

On the track however we were treated to yet another entertaining Grand Prix and Sebastian Vettel took his and Red Bull’s first win of 2012. Considering how dull the previous Bahrain Grand Prix’s have been, this years race had drama from start to finish.

Four races and four different winners. Hopefully a sign of things to come for the remainder of the season.

Vettel Is Back

The Grand Prix weekend in Bahrain proved reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel is back. The German drove beautifully in the race and was able to hold off the challenge of both Lotus drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean.

For sure Vettel was made to work hard for his first victory of the 2012 season but winning in Bahrain was just what the doctor ordered. Red Bull may not have won any of the opening three races but they were not far away from McLaren and were still able to pick up strong results.

Seb was also able to put the car on pole for the first time this season with a stunning lap. Pole position and a race win. A great weekend for Vettel. But everyone at Red Bull will know there is a long way to go and there is no room for complacency.

For the fourth consecutive race, Mark Webber finished fourth. It has been an unspectacular but solid start to the season for the Aussie and at least he is taking the fight to his team-mate which is what we want to see.

Although it is early days, Webber is only five points behind Vettel in the Drivers Standings. I personally feel Mark can be happy with the start he has made to the season. I’m sure he will be looking to turn his fourth place finishes into race wins and podiums for the duration of 2012. Things do appear to be on the up for Webber.

Excellent Showing

The team of the weekend without question was Lotus. Kimi Raikkonen might not have been able to get past Vettel for the race win. However finishing second and with Romain Grosjean coming home in third, it was a fantastic weekend for the team.

Not for the first time this season, Raikkonen was able to scythe his way through the field. After qualifying 11th, Kimi pulled off some decent overtaking moves and proved he still has what it takes to challenge the big boys.

It is great to see Raikkonen back in the sport and he has already shown this season that he has the pedigree and determination to do well on his return to Formula One. The race pace of the Lotus car in Bahrain was staggering and I was shell-shocked by how well Raikkonen and Grosjean performed.

Lotus have momentum and they will be looking to be more consistent this year than they were last season. After making a flying start to 2011, the team struggled in the second half of the season and were just about able to hold off Force India for fifth place in the Constructors.

I would like to congratulate Romain Grosjean on his first ever podium in Formula One. Thoroughly deserved and a strong result which in my opinion was coming.

The Frenchman has performed well in all the qualifying sessions this year and not forgetting he qualified third in Australia. In the opening three races he was not really able to convert his strong qualifying performances into big points finishes.

Romain made yet another flying start on Sunday and like his team-mate he was also able to pull off some fine moves. Grosjean has certainly demonstrated that he will be no pushover for Kimi.

Difficult

Both McLaren and Ferrari endured difficult weekends. I was surprised with how McLaren performed in the race and was expecting better from them. Every team will have an off weekend and you are hoping that the weekend in Bahrain was just a one off for McLaren.

It was Jenson Button in China who had problems in the pit lane. This time round it was Lewis Hamilton who had the issues in the pits and the Woking-based team need to sort these problems out asap.

If Lewis had not encountered any problems in the pits, perhaps the Brit could have gone on to challenge for a podium. Hamilton had a pretty eventful race and was not given a penalty for his overtake on Nico Rosberg. What happened in the pits ruined Lewis’s chances of scoring big points. But there are times where you have to take the rough with the smooth.

Jenson will want to forget the Bahrain weekend and purely focus on the next Grand Prix in Spain. The 2009 World Champion made a poor start to the race and was not really able to recover from that start. Button retired from the race on the penalutimate lap with a broken exhaust.

McLaren will bounce back and there are still positives the team can take from the way they have started 2012. I do expect McLaren to be near the top of the pecking order when it comes to the Spanish Grand Prix and challenging Red Bull for the win.

A team like Ferrari should be in the hunt for race wins on a regular basis. The car is simply not good enough despite Fernando Alonso winning in Malaysia. Alonso and Felipe Massa finished seventh and ninth in Bahrain and that result reflects where the car is at the moment.

The Maranello team have promised upgrades for the next Grand Prix and it will be interesting to see where Ferrari are come the end of the weekend in Spain. Only time will tell whether the upgrades will have an impact.

It was not quite a stellar weekend for Mercedes and Nico Rosberg. Nonetheless Rosberg still picked up some decent points coming home in fifth whilst Michael Schumacher made his way through the field from 22nd to finish tenth. Like McLaren, I would expect Mercedes to have a stronger weekend next time round at the next Grand Prix.

The race might not have gone to plan for Caterham but well done to Heikki Kovalainen for making it into Q2 on Saturday. The Finn posted the 17th quickest time in Q1 which meant Schumacher was the big name to leave the first qualifying session. Kovalainen started the race in 16th due to Pastor Maldonado taking a five place drop.

Force India

Finally I want to focus on Force India. Last Wednesday was a difficult day for the team and I can totally understand why two of the Force India mechanics went home. Four team members were caught in the middle of clashes between protestors and riot police. Who wouldn’t be affected by what happened.

I can also understand why the team wanted to leave early on Friday and miss the Second Free Practice session. It was a difficult weekend for Force India off the track but at least they had something to cheer about come the end of the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Paul di Resta made his two stop strategy work and came home in a superb sixth place. The Scotsman was able to hold off Fernando Alonso for sixth to claim eight crucial points. Nico Hulkenburg finished 12th.

Force India will no doubt be targeting a major step forward by introducing an upgrade package for the Mugello tests. I’m sure Paul and Nico will be hoping these upgrades can make a difference for them to get closer to the likes of Mercedes and Lotus. But the first aim is to get the better of both Williams and Sauber.

Its Been A Long Time Coming!

The 2012 Chinese Grand Prix weekend will be one that Nico Rosberg remembers for many years to come. His first pole position and maiden race win all achieved in one weekend, not a bad weekend’s work for the German.

The 26 year-old put in a stunning performance at the Shanghai International Circuit to secure not only his first win in Formula One but also Mercedes first win since 1955. All in all it was a great weekend for the Brackley-based team and who knows Rosberg’s victory in China could be the first of many for the team this season.

Since entering Formula One in 2010, Mercedes have faced enormous pressure from inside and outside the paddock. However winning in Shanghai will have been a relief for everyone at the team. Now Mercedes have achieved their first win, it is vital the team build on their excellent weekend in China. No doubt the team will have momentum heading to Bahrain for the next Grand Prix.

Three races and three different winners. It doesn’t get any better than that and if you said to any Formula One follower at the beginning of the season that after three races there would be three different race winners, I’m sure they will have taken it.

Lets be honest 2011 was a season where Sebastian Vettel blitzed the field. But the two-times World Champion has not had it all his own way this year and neutrals will be loving this.

Monkey Off The Back

It might have taken 111 attempts to win a race but Nico Rosberg can now say he is a Grand Prix winner. It took Jenson Button over 100 Grand Prix’s to win his first race and look where he is now. Now that Rosberg has won his first race, perhaps we will now start to see the best of Nico in a competitive car.

Prior to the weekend in China, Mercedes had only scored a solitary point from the opening two races. However there were encouraging signs from what we saw of the F1 W03 especially as Michael Schumacher was able to qualify in the Top 4 in Australia and Malaysia. Lets not forget Mercedes also locked out the front row at the Chinese Grand Prix.

Schumacher has not been able to convert his strong qualifying performances into strong points finishes so far. But you could argue Schumacher has not been at fault for both of his retirements this year. Personally for me it was only a matter of time before Mercedes scored big points in 2012 and that proved to be the case at China.

I am so happy for Nico Rosberg and I would like to congratulate him on his first ever win in Formula One. His victory in China was thoroughly deserved and it will be interesting to see how Mercedes perform in Bahrain.The conditions in Bahrain will be totally different to the conditions in China and the warmer temperatures in Bahrain should suit McLaren and Red Bull more. But you never know Mercedes could spring another surprise.

Bahrain

So we now know Formula One will be going to Bahrain. Is it the right decision? The FIA seem to think going to Bahrain is safe.

Mercedes will go to Bahrain in buoyant mood after their heroics in Shanghai. But just because they have won a Grand Prix does not mean they can rest on their laurels. Formula One is a development race and everyone at Mercedes will need to develop the car so Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg can challenge the McLaren’s and Red Bull’s on a regular basis.

Rosberg will go to Bahrain in a more positive mood out of the two Mercedes drivers. Schumacher on the other hand will want to score some points to get his season back on track before F1 heads to Spain in May. The results will come for Michael and I’m sure the seven-times World Champion will be extra determined to put one over his team-mate this time round.

Is 2012 the year Mercedes can finally challenge for race wins and regular podium finishes? I think so and based on what we have seen in the first three weekends of the season, I would be quietly optimistic if I was in the Mercedes camp. I agree Mercedes did not have great races in Australia and Malaysia but there were positives the team could take from qualifying.

It will be interesting to see the race pace of both Mercedes cars in Bahrain and in warmer conditions. The team have had issues with their tyres this season and Bahrain will give us another indication on whether Mercedes have learnt their lesson about looking after their tyres.

Two Races and Two Crackers

At the beginning of the season I honestly felt 2012 was going to be a memorable year for Formula One. And if the first two races are anything to go by, we are going to be in for another cracking season of Formula One.

Two different winners in the first two races, exactly what the neutral will have wanted after Sebastian Vettel blitzed the field in 2011. However do not underestimate Red Bull and Vettel yet. You would be a fool to write them off and we have yet to see the best of the RB8.

But the first two races have been a joy to watch and I am very much looking forward to the Chinese Grand Prix this month. Bring on the next 18 races.

McLaren

Without question McLaren could have been celebrating two victories rather than the one. But the Woking-based team have made a strong start to 2012 and it is great to see a strong McLaren at the beginning of the season. Question is can they maintain their fine start to the season.

Jenson Button was simply brilliant at the season opener in Australia and after getting past his team-mate Lewis Hamilton on the opening lap, Button put in a Vettelesque performance. Jenson always seems to excel at Albert Park and yet again he did a stellar job in Australia.

The 2009 World Champion could so easily have got a strong result in Malaysia. But after damaging his front wing in a collision with HRT’s Narain Karthikeyan, Jenson failed to recover and finished a lowly 14th. Jenson was at fault for the collision and even he admitted that it was a clumsy mistake after the race.

Nonetheless I can see Jenson winning more races this season and if McLaren continue to improve the car, there is absolutely no reason why Button cannot be in contention for the Drivers title come the end of the year.

Two poles and two third place finishes for Lewis Hamilton. I’m sure Hamilton would liked to have been celebrating two wins after qualifying on pole in Australia and Malaysia. But if you said to Lewis he would be on 30 points after the first two races, he probably would have taken that after what happened last year.

It was evident on the podium how Hamilton was feeling after the Australian Grand Prix. But personally I do not think Lewis should be too disheartened by how he has performed this year. It has been a decent start to the season for the 2008 World Champion and there are positives Lewis can take from the opening two races.

Ferrari

Fernando Alonso winning in Malaysia was a result I’m sure many of us were not expecting at the beginning of the Malaysian weekend. But Alonso’s win at Sepang will no doubt give everyone at Ferrari a massive boost ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix.

Based on what we have seen, Ferrari’s race pace has been pretty good but qualifying has been nowhere near good enough. Alonso was only able to qualify ninth in Malaysia although he started the race eighth due to Kimi Raikkonen’s five place grid drop.

Felipe Massa has failed to make it into Q3 this season and the Brazilian is yet to score his first points of the season. The fact that Felipe has continued to struggle to get the best out of the Ferrari will crank up the pressure on him.

He needs a strong result from somewhere and that result could kick start his season. Even finishing on the podium would be a huge relief for him and Ferrari. Massa just needs to string some points finishes together and if he does that the pressure will lessen.

Winning in Malaysia will give Alonso impetus for the rest of the season and I can see Fernando getting stronger and stronger as the season goes on. But Ferrari need to give both Alonso and Massa a competitive car in which they can challenge for wins and podiums.

The F2012 has struggled in qualifying and yet the race pace is pretty good which I find mystifying. It remains to be seen what progress Ferrari make for the remainder of the season.

Red Bull

It has not been a stellar start to 2012 for Red Bull and out of the two drivers you have to say Mark Webber will be the more satisfied. We have yet to see the best of the RB8 but its not as if Red Bull are a million miles away from McLaren.

Qualifying was a major strong point for Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull last year but in 2012, Red Bull have so far failed to make it onto the front row. But you would expect to see a Red Bull qualify on pole at some point during the season.

The neutral so far will no doubt love the fact that the reigning Constructors Champions have not had it all their own way and that Vettel has not made the flying start that we were all expecting. There is still a very long way to go and do not underestimate Red Bull and Sebastian.

What happened in Malaysia between Vettel and Narain Karthikeyan was a racing incident. Narain unintentionally ruined Vettel’s race and Sebastian needs to realise that backmarkers are racing their own race as well as letting the big boys get past.

The 2010 and 2011 World Champion will bounce back and once the RB8 is on par with the McLaren, I can see Vettel giving Lewis and Jenson a tough time. Vettel though does have a challenge on his hands to beat both McLaren drivers.

Two fourth place finishes for Mark Webber. Not a bad start to the season for the Aussie and at least he has momentum heading into the weekend at China. It has not been a spectacular start to 2012 for Webber but it has been a solid start nonetheless.

The former Williams driver has been able to get the best out of the Red Bull car and being in front of Vettel in the Drivers Standings will psychologically do Webber the world of good. Will Webber be in front of Vettel come the end of the year? The likely answer is no but you never know what Mark could achieve come the end of the season.

Consistency is the key to winning a Championship and if Webber can continue to pick up strong points finishes, perhaps the Australian can go onto become a challenger for this years Drivers Championship. Only two races have gone and the season is only young but Mark can be pretty pleased with his performances in Australia and Malaysia.

The Rest

First and foremost, massive congratulations to Sauber and Sergio Perez for an astonishing second place at Sepang. Perez has performed remarkably well since making his debut in Australia last year and he has certainly proved that he can look after his tyres well.

Had the Mexican not ran wide in the latter stages whilst chasing Fernando Alonso in Malaysia, it could have been a whole lot better for Sergio. But lets not take anything away from Sauber. Finishing second was a terrific result for the Swiss team and that result will give the likes of Lotus, Force India, Toro Rosso and even Williams a glimmer of hope that they can go onto achieve similar results this season.

We all love it when the underdog produces something out of the blue. I hope Sergio’s result at Sepang is a sign of things to come.

Mercedes will be looking to score some big points in China after two disappointing results in the opening two races. One point from two races was not the start Mercedes will have wanted but there are encouraging signs.

Michael Schumacher has been impressive in qualifying but has failed to convert those strong qualifying performances into a points finish. But you could argue he was not at fault for his retirement in Australia and only being able to finish tenth last time out.

Had Romain Grosjean not collided with Schumi on the opening lap in Malaysia, maybe Michael could have gone on to get a strong result. The seven-times World Champion was also on course to score points in Australia but was forced to retire from the race after losing drive.

It has not been the best of starts to the season for Nico Rosberg but I can see Nico challenging for podiums from now till the end of the season. If he can qualify consistently in the Top 6, I do fancy Rosberg to pick up some podium finishes. There is cause for optimism at Mercedes regardless of what is happening off-track and I believe Rosberg will bounce back after two disappointing races.

Kimi Raikkonen has made a solid and positive start on his return to Formula One. And based on what I have seen, there is no reason why Lotus cannot challenge Mercedes to finish at least fourth in the Constructors.

Raikkonen scythed through the field brilliantly in Australia to finish seventh after qualifying a lowly 18th. And he was also able to make his way up to fifth in Malaysia after qualifying 10th (Did have a five place grid drop). Like Rosberg, I fancy Kimi to be challenging for podium finishes and who knows even go for a race win.

Romain Grosjean will no doubt be frustrated with how his races have panned out in 2012 but once he has scored his first points in Formula One, I’m sure we will see the Frenchman finishing in the points on a regular basis.

Considering the car is not at its best yet, Force India have done well to score eight points overall in the first two races. Paul di Resta scored points in Australia and Malaysia with team-mate Nico Hulkenburg finishing ninth last time out at Sepang. The in team battle at Force India will be an intriguing one and it is a battle I cannot call in terms of who will come out on top.

Also big congratulations to Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo for scoring their first points in Formula One so early in their Toro Rosso careers. Big things are expected of Ricciardo and to score points on his Toro Rosso debut at his home Grand Prix will have delighted the Aussie.

Vergne performed admirably in Malaysia and was on the verge of scoring points in Australia but Force India’s Paul di Resta pipped the Frenchman to the finishing line on the final lap.

Williams have already beaten their points tally of last season and this years car is a massive improvement from the FW33. Bruno Senna did a great job in Malaysia and was able to bring the car home in sixth.

Pastor Maldonado has had terrible luck so far in 2012 and was on course to score points in both Australia and Malaysia. But a driver error at Albert Park and engine failure in Malaysia means Maldonado still remains on zero points. But Williams, Pastor and Bruno can take plenty of positives heading to China and things do appear to be on the up.

The midfield is tightly bunched up and there is nothing to choose between any of the teams. If Perez’s result at Malaysia is a sign of things to come, then do expect some more shock results. The midfield battle is just as fiercely competitive as the battle at the front.

Finally on the new teams. Charles Pic has adapted to life at Marussia well and finishing both races will do his confidence the world of good. I do expect Caterham to be able to get closer to the more established midfield teams come the end of 2012 despite the poor start to this season. As for HRT, they will be aiming to beat Marussia for the third consecutive year and it was great to see all 24 cars starting the race in Malaysia. Hopefully the HRT’s can qualify within the 107% Rule for every race.

I really hope China serves up another memorable Grand Prix and if the first two races are anything to go by, we are certainly in for another cracker.

The Wait Is Almost Over! – 2012 Formula One Season Preview – Part 3

Williams

Lets face it 2011 was a disastrous year for Williams and with the likes of Sam Michael and Jon Tomlinson having left, 2012 is set to be another challenging year for the team. It was really sad to see Williams struggling last year when you consider their history and prestige in Formula One. Williams are a team that should be challenging for titles.

Pastor Maldonado certainly had a difficult year in his rookie season. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and come the end of 2011, there may have been some people asking why Williams did not hold onto Nico Hulkenburg.

As poor as the FW33 was last year, you could argue Maldonado was able to get the best out of the car. And qualifying ahead of his more-experienced team-mate Rubens Barrichello on nine occasions was a fine achievement. Scoring his first point in Formula One at Belgium will have been one of the major highlights of 2011 for the Venezuelan.

Maldonado will be hoping 2012 is a better year for him and Williams. And hopefully the team will have a stronger season compared to last season.

No doubt Aryton Senna will be looking down on nephew Bruno this year as the 28 year-old will be driving for the nine-times Constructors Champions in 2012. Seeing a Senna back in a Williams will be an emotional moment and I’m sure the Senna family will be keeping a close eye on what Bruno achieves in 2012.

Bruno in my view did a solid but unspectacular job for Lotus Renault GP last year. The Brazilian has come a long way since making his F1 debut in Bahrain 2010 and the progress he has made has been steady.

I would love to see Bruno and Pastor finishing in the points on a regular basis in 2012 but this year does promise to be another difficult and challenging year for Williams.

Caterham

Out of all the three ‘new teams’, you have to say it is Caterham who look like breaking into the midfield and scoring their first points in Formula One. And with Heikki Kovalainen and Vitaly Petrov driving for the team this year, I reckon Caterham will score their first points in F1.

For the last two seasons, Heikki has been the top dog out of the six drivers driving for the three backmarker teams. The Finn certainly proved in 2011 he can battle it out with the more established midfield teams and there were occasions where Kovalainen finished races ahead of Sauber and Williams.

The former McLaren driver totally dominated Jarno Trulli last year and was only outqualified by the Italian twice. Caterham do have a long-term project and I’m sure Heikki is part of that project.

If Kovalainen can continue to be consistent as he was last year, there is no reason why he cannot challenge the midfield and even pick up the odd point now and then.

Vitaly Petrov will be partnering Heikki at Caterham in 2012 and I expect the Russian to challenge his team-mate on a regular basis unlike Jarno. Having long-term financial stability is crucial for any company and with Petrov bringing money to Caterham from Russian backers, I’m sure Caterham will be on the F1 chipping block for many years to come.

The ex-Renault driver now has two full seasons of F1 under his belt so there should not be any excuses for not doing well. Petrov has proven that he can cut it in Formula One and has the potential to do well. Just remember his podium at Australia last year and of course not forgetting his fine drive in Abu Dhabi 2010.

The in-team battle between Kovalainen and Petrov will be interesting and 2012 could be a good year for Caterham.

HRT

When you consider the difficulties they have had both on and off the track, HRT have done well to remain in Formula One and 2012 will be their third year in the sport. Also beating Marussia in the previous two seasons will have been a boost for the Spanish team.

Pedro de la Rosa will bring bags of experience to the team and no doubt his experience will be vital in the team going forward. He could so easily have remained with McLaren as a Test Driver but the Spaniard has decided to take up as race seat at HRT. Fair play to him.

Narain Karthikeyan was the final driver to have his seat confirmed for the 2012 season and I think he deserves to still be in F1. Narain did a decent job for HRT last year and driving at his home Grand Prix will have topped off his season.

I do expect 2012 to be another season of struggle for HRT and not being able to test their new car at all three Pre-Season tests will have been the last thing they will have wanted.

Marussia

Failing a crucial crash test and not having done any Pre-Season testing. Not exactly the best of starts to the season for the newly named team Marussia. Like HRT, I expect 2012 to be another year of struggle for Marussia. But then again I could be wrong.

Timo Glock has remained with the team despite their struggles and the German has continued to retain his professional focus and managed to deliver strong results for Marussia in the past two seasons.

He certainly does have faith that the team will improve but I just wonder whether Glock will consider his options if Marussia fail to take a step forward this season.

I had not heard of Charles Pic until he was announced as Jerome d’Ambrosio’s replacement. Getting rid of Jerome was harsh because he was consistently finishing races and even getting the better of Timo at times. But obviously Marussia know what they are doing.

I wish Timo and Charles well for 2012 but it could be another year of struggle for Marussia.

The Wait Is Almost Over! – 2012 Formula One Season Preview – Part 2

Lotus

The Enstone-based team have been pretty impressive in Pre-Season testing but I don’t expect them to finish ahead of Red Bull and McLaren in Australia. However I can see Lotus fighting the likes of Ferrari and Mercedes regularly this year.

Lotus (named as Lotus Renault GP last year) started 2011 in fine fashion as they finished on the podium in the opening two races. But the team really struggled in the second half of the season and only just finished ahead of Force India in the Constructors. Consistency is the key for success and last year Lotus were too inconsistent in my view.

All the attention will be on Kimi Raikkonen as the Finn returns to Formula One after a two year break. And no doubt comparisons will be made about how Kimi fares on his return to the sport compared to Michael Schumacher’s first year at Mercedes.

Its great to see Kimi back in a Formula One car and he has already proved in Pre-Season testing he still has the speed. The question is can Lotus provide Kimi with a competitive car for the 2007 World Champion to challenge for podiums. Does Raikkonen also have the determination and enthusiasm to succeed on his comeback to Formula One?

I personally feel Kimi has what it takes to win another Drivers title and its up to Lotus to provide Raikkonen the tools for him to be at the sharp end of the grid. It will be interesting to see how Kimi approaches this season and which Kimi turns up.

Along with Raikkonen, Romain Grosjean will be making a second return to Formula One. And I think the Frenchman is better equipped and has the pedigree to do well in 2012. I also reckon Grosjean can give Raikkonen a run for his money this season.

Romain was literally thrown at the deep end in 2009 when he replaced Nelson Piquet Jnr at the European Grand Prix. Grosjean failed to make a major impression and struggled for the remainder of the 2009 season.

But having been crowned GP2 Champion last year and done a solid job for Lotus in the Free Practice Sessions towards the end of 2011 season, Grosjean will be bullish about his chances of doing well in 2012.

This is a second chance for Grosjean to establish himself in Formula One and I think this time round he can.

Force India

2012 could potentially be a year where I think Force India could surprise one or two people and even challenge for the odd podium. With Paul di Resta and Nico Hulkenburg driving for the team this year, the in-team battle at Force India will be very intriguing.

Putting aside what happened off-track, I do have sympathy for Adrian Sutil after he finished ninth in the Drivers Standings and had another decent season in 2011. But Force India have decided to go with di Resta and Hulkenburg for this year.

There is no arguing that Paul di Resta was Formula One’s Rookie of the Year in 2011. The Scotsman impressed against his more experienced team-mate Sutil last season despite the German eventually scoring more points come the end of the year.

Di Resta did a superb job in first full season as a Formula One driver and who can forget his qualifying performance at Silverstone where he ended up sixth. And lets not forget his fine sixth place finish in the race at Singapore.

The VJM05 has been pretty reliable throughout Pre-Season testing without any major problems although Test Driver Jules Bianchi did shunt the car on the third day of testing at Jerez.

If Force India can continue where they left off last season then there is no reason why di Resta cannot have another strong season. And I’m sure Force India will be aiming to battle with the likes of Lotus and Mercedes. The future is bright for di Resta and he is a force to be reckoned with.

The Hulk is back. Not the Incredible Hulk but Nico Hulkenburg. The German having endured a frustrating 2011 by being on the sidelines as Force India’s Reserve driver now has a race seat for 2012. And its up to Hulkenburg to grasp this opportunity.

I did feel sorry for Hulkenburg when he was ousted from Williams at the end of the 2010 season. That was despite the German qualifying on pole in Brazil and being one of the Rookies of the Year.

It is a shame that money seems to count more than talent and Hulkenburg was replaced by Pastor Maldonado. Williams’ loss but Force India’s gain. Hulkenburg will want to prove a point in 2012 and I fancy the German to have solid and successful season.

Sauber

The Swiss team were able to hold off Toro Rosso for seventh in the Constructors last season. After a bright start, Sauber’s form in the second half of the season dipped due to their lack of resources. But like Force India, Sauber have two exciting drivers on their books.

Kamui Kobayashi has been a revelation since making his Formula One debut in Brazil 2009. His driving style has proven to be a hit with many fans but he will be hoping Sauber can develop the car throughout the whole of the 2012 season.

Kobayashi finished in the Top 10 for seven consecutive races (If you count the team’s disqualification in Australia) and things appeared to be on the up. But post-Silverstone, Sauber were unable to make significant improvements to the car which led to them being overtaken by Force India in the Constructors.

The Japanese driver is only 25 and if he can consistently finish in the points, maybe the likes of Red Bull and Ferrari might take a punt on him in the future. And Kobayashi might well target the Top 10 of the Drivers Championship this year.

Sergio Perez certainly had an eventful 2011 and the Mexican made a flying start to his Formula One career, albeit Sauber were disqualified from the opening race due to a rear-wing rule breach.

Perez was able to make his one stop strategy work to bring the car home in seventh but was then later disqualified. However he was fortunate to survive a horrific crash during qualifying at Monaco.

There are plenty of positives Perez can take from the way he performed last year and he was more than a match for Kobayashi throughout 2011. Perez is a product of Ferrari’s Junior Drivers Programme and if the 22 year-old can do a fine job for Sauber this year, he could be in a Ferrari sooner rather than later.

Toro Rosso

Helmut Marko and the Red Bull hierarchy were certainly ruthless in getting rid of both Sebastian Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari. Harsh in my view because I thought Buemi and Alguersuari performed well in 2011.

But the decision has been made and Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne are the new driver-line up for the team. No pressure then on Ricciardo and Vergne to deliver the results for Toro Rosso.

There has been a lot of hype surrounding Ricciardo and now it is time for the Australian to prove he is worth a place in Formula One. I was surprised by how well Ricciardo did at HRT and he was able to get the better of Tonio Liuzzi on many occasions.

Finishing in the points at his home Grand Prix would be a dream start for Ricciardo and no doubt he will want to get the better of his team-mate from the start of the season.

A lot has been said about Ricciardo being the new Sebastian Vettel and this year is a massive season for the 2010 Formula Renault 3.5 runner-up. If Ricciardo can perform well consistently in 2012 then who knows he might be in a Red Bull in 2013 or 2014.

It is all about giving youngsters a chance and Jean-Eric Vergne has now been given an opportunity to shine. Fernando Alonso started off at Minardi and now look where he is. Anything is possible if you take your chances.

If I am being honest, I haven’t seen much of Vergne apart from the Practice Sessions he participated in for Toro Rosso towards the end of the 2011 season. The Frenchman must have done something right in the Practice Sessions and Formula Renault last year for Toro Rosso to take him on this season.

JEV will face the same pressure as Ricciardo in trying to deliver results for the team and take Toro Rosso forwards. Franz Tost, Helmut Marko, Dietrich Mateschitz along with the Red Bull hierarchy will be expecting big things from Ricciardo and Vergne this year. Along with Mercedes, Toro Rosso are another team who are under pressure to improve this year.

The Wait Is Almost Over! – 2012 Formula One Season Preview – Part 1

Excited, ecstatic, elated: Terms that can be used to describe how Formula One fans are feeling ahead of the new season. At this time of the year, there is always going to be a buzz amongst the fans and the teams.

2012 promises to be great year for Formula One and I believe this year might be closer than you think. Yes Sebastian Vettel ran away with the Championship last year. However Red Bull and Vettel’s rivals will be very determined to get the better of Seb this time round.

Six Champions on this years grid, new regulation changes, the likes of McLaren and Ferrari looking to beat Red Bull, the return of Kimi Raikkonen: Plenty of reasons to look forward to Formula One in 2012.

Pre-Season Testing

If I am being brutally honest, I don’t think you can take any major conclusions from Pre-Season testing.

Its all about testing new parts on the car, getting as much data as you can from long runs but also getting familiar with the Pirelli tyres. But no doubt there will be those who disagree with me about not taking any major conclusions from the Pre-Season tests.

Lotus for sure will be delighted with the form shown by both of their drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean at Barcelona and Jerez. Will they be topping the majority of Qualifying and Free Practice timesheets this year? No is the simple answer. But the signs from Pre-Season are positive for Lotus and maybe they can look to compete for fourth in the Constructors against Mercedes.

We also saw the likes of Williams, Sauber and Force India top the timesheets. Its not about finishing quickest. Its more about the drivers getting use to the new car and seeing what improvements can be made.

The only real conclusion I can personally take from the Pre-Season tests is the fact that McLaren appear to be much closer to Red Bull. Pre-Season in 2011 was not a great one for McLaren and there were fears that 2011 could have been another 2009.

McLaren have certainly had a better Pre-Season this year compared to last season. Will they be able to challenge Red Bull from the word go? Only time will tell.

I think we will get an idea of the pecking order when it comes to the Free Practice Sessions in Australia. The usual suspects of Marussia and HRT will be at the back. But it will be interesting to see if Caterham are any closer to the established midfield teams, who will come out on top in the midfield battle and will Ferrari and McLaren be ahead of Red Bull before Qualifying gets underway?

2012 I reckon will be another great year for Formula One and I for one am very much looking forward to seeing all 24 cars line up for the start of the season in Australia. Here are my thoughts on all the teams and drivers competing in 2012.

Red Bull

Red Bull will be hoping the RB8 is the car that will secure a third Consecutive Drivers and Constructors title. Without doubt they are the team to beat and I’m sure the majority of neutrals do not want to see Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull go off into the distance like they did in 2011. They do have the pressure of maintaining their position as the No.1 team in Formula One but you wouldn’t bet against them adding another Drivers and Constructors Trophy to their Trophy cabinet.

2011 was a majestic year for Sebastian Vettel and there is no reason why he cannot achieve his third title this year. 11 wins, 15 pole positions, one retirement and only one finish outside the podium, 2011 really was Vettel’s year and a season in which the German totally dominated the rest of the field.

Christian Horner has already come out and said there is more to come from Seb. If that is the case then I dread to think how good Vettel will be this year. Vettel’s one finger celebration was probably annoying for most neutrals and even for his main rivals.

To stop Sebastian from doing that on a regular basis throughout 2012, the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber will have to be at their very best. There will be times this year where Vettel makes mistakes and its down to his main rivals to pounce on Vettel’s mistakes. But then again if Sebastian continues where he left off last year, it is difficult to see how the German will be beaten.

Winning the final race of the 2011 season in Brazil will have psychologically done Mark Webber the world of good. Lets face it, the Australian was beaten comprehensively by his younger team-mate last year.

Mark still has what it takes to challenge for race wins and I would love to see him challenge for another Drivers title. We want to see Webber take the fight to Vettel more often in 2012 and winning the opening race in his homeland would be a fairytale start to the season.

Webber has the same machinery as Sebastian so there is no reason why @AussieGrit cannot challenge for a race win in front of his home crowd. I still believe we have yet to see the best of Mark Webber in a Red Bull and I hope I’m proved right.

McLaren

They might have won eight Constructors titles but the last time McLaren won the Constructors Championship was back in 1998. That is a hoodoo McLaren will certainly want to break this year. Plus Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton will be aiming to win their second Drivers title in 2012.

If there is one team who can take the fight to Red Bull you would have to say that team is McLaren. We saw last year both Lewis and Jenson can beat Vettel and Red Bull but it was not as often as we would have liked.

However 2011 was a decent year for Button and no one will ever forget his phenomenal performance and race win in Canada. That race sums up Formula One. Absolutely anything can happen.

Jenson has continued to improve season after season since his World Championship winning year and based on what we saw last year in a largely error-free season, Button may well turn out to be Vettel’s main Championship rival.

I predict 2012 will be another solid season for Jenson and I’m going to put my head on the chopping block and say Button will be crowned World Champion in 2012. I’ve got a funny feeling this year could be a year to remember for Jenson. And if his performances at Hungary, Canada and Japan in 2011 are anything to go by, Button could be a contender for the Drivers Championship this year.

2011 as I have already said was a great year for Button but the same cannot be said for Lewis Hamilton. Both on and off the track, 2011 proved to be a difficult year for Hamilton.

But winning at Abu Dhabi will have lifted Lewis and given him a boost heading into the winter break. His father Anthony is already Paul di Resta’s manager but would Lewis would benefit from having Anthony as his manager again?

This year we want to see the Lewis Hamilton we saw in 2007 and 2008. Lewis is without question one of the most gifted and talented drivers in Formula One. Remember his outstanding overtake on Fernando Alonso around the outside at the Nurburgring, remember his qualifying performance in Korea where he managed to get pole.

If Lewis can avoid regular collisions, not let his frustration boil onto the track and control his aggression then perhaps Hamilton could have a strong 2012. Every sportsman and sportswomen have a bad patch where they not performing at their very best or things are simply not going for them. Thats exactly what happened to Lewis last year but I believe Hamilton will bounce back this season and we will see the best of him this year.

Ferrari

Every year we always say this year is going to be a big year for Ferrari. But 2012 really is a massive year for the Maranello team and this season must be a huge improvement from 2011. One win in the entire 2011 season was simply not good enough for a team like Ferrari. Stefano Domenicali, Luca di Montezemolo and the Ferrari fans will be demanding better results in 2012.

Fernando Alonso did not have the car to challenge for the Championship last year. But what the Spaniard did consistently throughout 2011 was bring the car home and get the best out of the Ferrari even if it wasn’t good enough to win races.

Alonso is a class-act and if he is given a competitive Ferrari from the word go, he along with Button could be a real threat to Red Bull. Do not underestimate Ferrari and Alonso. They are a formidable force in the making.

The two-times World Champion looks set to remain with the Prancing Horse for many years to come, so it is up to Ferrari to give Fernando the car for him to challenge Red Bull and McLaren on a regular basis.

2012 is definitely a make or break year for Felipe Massa. The Brazilian had a poor 2011 season by his standards and spent most of last year colliding with Lewis Hamilton.

On any given day Felipe is capable of winning races but since his near-fatal crash in Hungary 2009, he has struggled which is a massive shame. Having to allow team-mate Alonso to take that infamous win at Hockenheim in 2010 will have shattered Felipe’s confidence and self-belief.

Felipe is one of the most likeable characters in the paddock but if he doesn’t deliver this season, Luca di Montezemolo and the Ferrari hierarchy may well look at other drivers to partner Alonso in 2013. I hope like Hamilton, Massa can bounce back from a disappointing 2011 and start delivering strong results. Its now or never for the Brazilian.

Mercedes

Similarly to Ferrari, 2012 is a massive year for Mercedes. They will be aiming to break into the Top 3 and at least challenge for regular podiums and dare I say it race wins. Bringing in Bob Bell, Geoff Willis and Aldo Costa: Mercedes really do mean business.

Considering the F1 W03 made its first appearance at the second Pre-Season test, it will be interesting to see where Mercedes end up in the Free Practice Sessions in Australia and whether their gamble to launch late was the right decision.

Michael Schumacher had a decent season last year in my view and finishing fourth in Canada and fifth in Belgium after starting the race from the back of the field were probably the highlights of his season.

Schumacher will have been hoping to challenge for race wins on his return to the sport. But so far it hasn’t turned out to be a fairytale return and the Mercedes car in the last two seasons has not had the pace to compete for race wins.

Will Schuey be around in 2013? Well that depends on how well Mercedes perform this year. If 2012 turns out to be a season where Mercedes do make significant improvements then perhaps the seven-times World Champion will stay around.

Six years in Formula One and yet Nico Rosberg has still not won a race. But you could argue he has not been given a car in which he can secure that elusive first win. Nico will win a race, its a matter of when.

Rosberg Jnr has already demonstrated he does have the talent and speed to do a solid job for any team. But he will be thinking when can I get that first win and can Mercedes give me the car to do that.

I just wonder if Massa fails to deliver for Ferrari this season, could the Italian team approach Rosberg and would the German be interested in a move to Ferrari. Who knows but I’m sure Rosberg is part of Mercedes long-term plans.

The aim for the former Williams driver is to finish on the podium. Winning a race would do wonders for Rosberg but will his first win in Formula One come this year? I’m not so sure.

2011 Italian Grand Prix Podcast on Formula1 FanCast

Formula1 FanCast’s Manish Patel and Formula One pundit Will Vincent look back on an exciting Italian Grand Prix.

Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel edged closer to his second consecutive Drivers title after the German made it eight wins in 2011 with his latest victory came at the illustrious Monza. Providing results go his way and he wins in Singapore, Vettel will be crowned World Champion.

Delight for one Red Bull driver but disappointment for the other as Mark Webber retired from the race. The Australian lost his front wing at Turn two after trying to get past Felipe Massa and then Webber went straight into the wall at the Parabolica on lap five. It was yet another frustrating weekend for Mark.

McLaren’s Jenson Button finished Sunday’s race second ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton who came home in fourth. Button is currently ahead of Lewis in the Drivers Championship and some would say this is Jenson’s best chance to stay ahead of Hamilton.

The Tifosi turned out in their thousands hoping to see a repeat of last years Italian Grand Prix where Fernando Alonso stepped onto the top step of the podium. The Spaniard in this years race finished third with Felipe Massa in sixth.

Michael Schumacher put in another fine performance to beat his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg. Schumacher finished the race fifth and was involved in an enthralling battle with Lewis Hamilton.

Toro Rosso have fond memories of Monza after Sebastian Vettel picked up their first and only win in F1 at Monza in 2008. This year Jaime Alguersuari once again came through the field to finish in an impressive seventh place and Sebastian Buemi finished in tenth.

Force India’s Paul di Resta came home in eighth and Renault’s Bruno Senna scored his first ever points in Formula One as he took the chequered in ninth.

Visit www.formula1fancast.com to keep up to date with the latest Formula One news and you can also follow us on Twitter @Formula1FanCast.

You can also visit www.youtube.com/user/TheManishism to listen to all the Formula1 FanCast podcasts this year.

Hamilton Back In The Game – German Grand Prix Review

You know how they say things come out of the blue, well Lewis Hamilton’s victory at the Nurburgring certainly was unexpected.

Hamilton had written off McLaren’s chances of challenging Red Bull at the German Grand Prix and yet in qualifying, Lewis only found himself five-hundredths of a second behind pole sitter Mark Webber on Saturday.

The 2008 World Champion put in a sensational lap in Q3 and things were about to get a whole lot better for him on race day. No doubt Lewis will have been on a high come the end of Saturday and that was without doubt Hamilton’s best qualifying performance of the season. Managing to split the Red Bull’s as well was a fine effort from Lewis.

The Brit was able to leapfrog Webber at the start and then went onto drive a faultless race. You could argue the turning point came on lap 33 when Hamilton pulled off a tremendous move on Fernando Alonso by taking the outside line at Turn 2 to get past the Spaniard. That has to be a contender for overtaking manoeuvre of the season so far.

But on the other side of the coin, Jenson Button had yet another weekend he will want to forget. After only being able to qualify 7th and a full second behind his team-mate, qualifying did not go to plan for the 2009 World Champion. And on Sunday, Button made a poor start and was then later forced to retire due to hydraulics problems.

It was not the best of weekends for Jenson and he will be hoping for a strong weekend in Hungary. Being a whole second behind Hamilton in qualifying will have been a concern for Button.

I’ve said this time and time again but Button does need to improve his qualifying to give himself a chance of at least challenging Red Bull and Ferrari. But Lewis’ performance in Germany will give Jenson hope that McLaren are getting closer to Red Bull.

Despite not winning the race, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso put in another strong performance to finish the race 2nd behind Hamilton. Alonso may have been slightly disappointed to have only managed to qualify 4th. But as we have seen in 2011, both Alonso and Felipe Massa have made flying starts in the majority of races.

Since Monaco, Ferrari and Alonso have been pretty impressive and for me it was no surprise the Spaniard won at Silverstone. But its just frustrating that Ferrari seem to get into their stride during the middle part of the season and not at the beginning of the season as we have seen this year and in 2010.

Make no mistake though Ferrari are back and don’t underestimate Fernando Alonso. Fernando’s team-mate Felipe Massa came home 5th after losing out to Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel on the final lap in the final pit stop. Massa was in front of Vettel heading into the pit lane on the final lap but Sebastian left the pit lane ahead of Felipe after the Ferrari pit crew were slow to release the Brazilian.

Massa for me has made a solid start this year and I would love to see him win another race. Felipe is the No.2 driver at Ferrari but there have been occasions where the Brazilian has finished in front of Fernando so Alonso has not had it all his own way in 2011.

Sebastian Vettel is still 70+ points clear of the second placed man in the Drivers standings but Sunday’s race was not a walk in the park for last years World Champion.

It was the first time really where we saw Vettel making rare mistakes although he did make an error on the final lap of the Canadian Grand Prix to allow Jenson Button to take the chequered flag.

For sure Vettel is in the box seat even though he finished the race 4th. And the likes of Hamilton, Webber and Alonso would like to be where Seb is in the Drivers standings. I still fancy Vettel to take the 2011 crown but the last two Grand Prix’s have given McLaren and Ferrari hope that they can take the fight to Red Bull.

As for Mark Webber he put in a fantastic lap on Saturday to qualify pole. But on Sunday, the Australian was unable to capitalise and finished the race 3rd.

It was another missed opportunity for Webber to convert pole into a race win. Just how many chances does he need to try and win his first race of 2011?

Mark did finish the race ahead of Sebastian so that will be a huge boost. But yet again Mark did not make the best of starts to the race. Like Massa, I would love to see Webber win a race this year but he needs to convert pole into race victories.

Along with Lewis Hamilton, Force India’s Adrian Sutil will have been a contender for driver of the day after the German finished the race in a superb 6th place. Sutil was able to make his two stop strategy work and he even beat both Mercedes drivers.

Sutil had a good solid weekend and he will be hoping for more of the same at the Hungaroring. The battle for 6th in the Constructors between Sauber, Force India and Toro Rosso might just go down to the wire and I would not like to call who will come out on top.

There has also been speculation about Nico Hulkenburg wanting a Force India race seat for next season so it will be interesting to see driver line-up at the team next season.

Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher finished Sunday’s race 7th and 8th for Mercedes. It was a double points finish for the team but this was supposed the season where we saw both drivers challenging Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren on a regular basis. But it has not panned out like that.
I’m one of those who still feel we have yet to see the best of Nico Rosberg. This is Rosberg’s 6th season in Formula One and some will argue he should have won a race by now.

But to be fair to him he has not been given a car in which he can challenge for race victories. Look at how long it took for Jenson Button to record his first victory.

Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi finished in the points yet again as he finished 9th. And Lotus Renault’s Vitaly Petrov picked up the final point as he came home in 10th.

HRT’s Daniel Ricciardo finished the race in what was only his second start in Formula One. And well done to Karun Chandhok who managed to finish the race. The Indian driver replaced Jarno Trulli for the German Grand Prix weekend and I suppose the best he could have wished for was to finish the race.

The German Grand Prix Podcast will be uploaded tommorow so watch this space.

British Grand Prix Podcast on Formula1 FanCast

Formula1 FanCast’s Manish Patel and Scratch Radio’s Will Vincent look back at an entertaining 2011 British Grand Prix.

Just as we thought Sebastian Vettel was going to make it seven wins out of nine, a rare mistake from the Red Bull pit crew allowed Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso to leapfrog the German and go onto to take his first win of 2011.

Alonso still finds himself 90+ points behind Vettel in the Drivers standings but could the result at the British Grand Prix be the result that turns the season around? Only time will tell.

Felipe Massa also played his part in this stunning Grand Prix. The Brazilian had some great battles with both Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton. Massa finished the race 5th.

It was another frustrating weekend for McLaren as Hamilton ended Sunday’s race 4th and Button was forced to retire. Qualifying yet again proved to be McLaren’s Achilles heel and the team will be looking for a strong a result in Germany.

Nico Rosberg was the first of the two stoppers to finish the race as he finished in 6th. Rosberg’s team-mate Michael Schumacher despite having to serve a stop go and change his front wing picked up two points and finished 9th.

Schumacher recovered well but the seven-times World Champion could have finished higher up had he not caused a collision with Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi.

Sauber’s Sergio Perez continues to impress in his debut season as he finished 7th ahead of Lotus Renault’s Nick Heidfeld. And Jaime Alguersuari continued his revival with another points finish.

Force India’s Paul di Resta had a sensational Saturday by qualifying sixth. But di Resta lost roughly 25 seconds during his second stop in the race as the team were expecting Adrian Sutil. That pit stop ruined di Resta’s race and then the Scotsman collided with Sebastian Buemi. It was an unfortunate end to what promised to be a decent weekend for Paul.

And finally Daniel Ricciardo made his Formula One debut with Hispania. The best the Aussie could have hoped for was to finish the race and that’s exactly what he did.

You can follow Manish Patel on Twitter (@Baggies20) and you can also read about Manish’s opinions on every Grand Prix weekend by visiting his blog: http://mannyi.wordpress.com/