2012 season review part 2; ferrari mercedes williams and marussia
ferrari
@AFC_Harry34 : Ferrari had a great season considering how poor their car was! Alonso drove well all year, showing he is perhaps the most complete driver out there. He had the title in his grasp, only losing it to some super performances from Vettel's Red Bull. Massa had a shocking start, but improved and finished the season strongly.
@jo_johnson63 : Ferrari did so well this season considering the car they started with, largely due to Alonso's consistant performances. Massa did do better in the second half of the season.
@DarshanChokhani : Ferrari was all about Alonso really. They were hunt for the championship only because of him. The car was nowhere near the best, in European races it looked good but from then on in away races it was poor from Ferrari standards. Alonso with his driving made it looked far better than it was. Massa struggled initially or for most part until the last few races which helped Ferrari beat McLaren for P2.
@cbeSudha : It turned out to be another season of what could have been for the Red team. After the close battle they lost for the WDC in 2010, their star driver Alonso lost yet another narrow race for the championship to that man Vettel. After they started with a car which was close to over a second slower than their rivals in the first GP in Australia, they improved during the middle of the season. But the car was always 3rd or 4th fastest on the grid and if not for Alonso they could have not have ended up second in the Constructors' Championship.
@NigelBeechey : These guys didn't seem to have much of an idea during the early part of the season, all sorts of issues arising, including inaccurate wind tunnel data. However, With Alonso taking on Lewis's idea of consistency, but being better at it somehow he was the runner up come Brazil!
@hedgeryhoops : As with many teams, it was a season that could have been, but for a different reason. Had the car not been such a dog at the beginning of the season or if upgrades had come quicker, then Alonso would have scrapped the Championship. Despite Massa's good form in the second half of the season, I still feel he has questions to answer for the first half, especially when we saw Alonso's amazing performances. 60 points separated Red Bull and Ferrari at the end of the season, it could have been a lot slimmer by the end of the year with some bolstered Massa performances.
@MarussiaF1Will : A very good season for them despite not having the best car on the grid. Fernando Alonso proved what a great driver he is by always getting 100% out of the car at every race. Deserved to be world champion. Felipe Massa showed good form towards the end of the season and deserves another year to continue this.
@RachThukral : Ferrari had a poor car at the start of the season, and was probably only 3rd or 4th fastest. They brought major updates in Germany and that helped Alonso in his title fight. Despite regular updates, they never really had the fastest car. In fact, they were lucky to finish 2nd in the championship after McLaren lost way too many points due to slow pit stops and reliability issues. But Fernando Alonso, driving better than he ever did in his career, made most of the car and opportunities thrown to him to take the fight in drivers championship to the last race, ultimately losing it by 3 points.
@jo_johnson63 : Ferrari did so well this season considering the car they started with, largely due to Alonso's consistant performances. Massa did do better in the second half of the season.
@DarshanChokhani : Ferrari was all about Alonso really. They were hunt for the championship only because of him. The car was nowhere near the best, in European races it looked good but from then on in away races it was poor from Ferrari standards. Alonso with his driving made it looked far better than it was. Massa struggled initially or for most part until the last few races which helped Ferrari beat McLaren for P2.
@cbeSudha : It turned out to be another season of what could have been for the Red team. After the close battle they lost for the WDC in 2010, their star driver Alonso lost yet another narrow race for the championship to that man Vettel. After they started with a car which was close to over a second slower than their rivals in the first GP in Australia, they improved during the middle of the season. But the car was always 3rd or 4th fastest on the grid and if not for Alonso they could have not have ended up second in the Constructors' Championship.
@NigelBeechey : These guys didn't seem to have much of an idea during the early part of the season, all sorts of issues arising, including inaccurate wind tunnel data. However, With Alonso taking on Lewis's idea of consistency, but being better at it somehow he was the runner up come Brazil!
@hedgeryhoops : As with many teams, it was a season that could have been, but for a different reason. Had the car not been such a dog at the beginning of the season or if upgrades had come quicker, then Alonso would have scrapped the Championship. Despite Massa's good form in the second half of the season, I still feel he has questions to answer for the first half, especially when we saw Alonso's amazing performances. 60 points separated Red Bull and Ferrari at the end of the season, it could have been a lot slimmer by the end of the year with some bolstered Massa performances.
@MarussiaF1Will : A very good season for them despite not having the best car on the grid. Fernando Alonso proved what a great driver he is by always getting 100% out of the car at every race. Deserved to be world champion. Felipe Massa showed good form towards the end of the season and deserves another year to continue this.
@RachThukral : Ferrari had a poor car at the start of the season, and was probably only 3rd or 4th fastest. They brought major updates in Germany and that helped Alonso in his title fight. Despite regular updates, they never really had the fastest car. In fact, they were lucky to finish 2nd in the championship after McLaren lost way too many points due to slow pit stops and reliability issues. But Fernando Alonso, driving better than he ever did in his career, made most of the car and opportunities thrown to him to take the fight in drivers championship to the last race, ultimately losing it by 3 points.
mercedes
@AFC_Harry34 : Mercedes had a strange year. After winning in China through Nico Rosberg, we all expected them to challenge for more race wins. But instead of that, they went downhill, with Schumacher having a dreadful season, only a 3rd place to show for it, and both drivers' qualifying form poor. Hamilton will improve team in 2013.
@jo_johnson63 : Mercedes should have a really strong car considering they are a factory team and have Ross Brawn. Hopefully they'll give Lewis a great car next year.
@DarshanChokhani : Worst ever season for Mercedes. No one will believe that the team had a win under their belt earlier in the season. 10 DNF's in 20 races is not the kind of result a team like Mercedes wants. Towards the end both Force India, Sauber were doing better than them. Losing the P4 position didn't help either. Only saving grace will be the win, and the two podiums even though they would have certainly hoped for more.
@cbeSudha : Lot of attention was focused on this team at the start of the season with their new DDRS system. Rosberg's win in China and subsequently his second place finish in Monaco raised visions of a great season for Mercedes. But Schumacher had to endure reliability problems in the first few races and eventually they went backwards with other teams improving around them. They could not master the Pirelli tyres and almost always had one more pit stop compared to their rivals. They ended in 5th position only 16 points in front of Sauber, Signing one of the Top 3 drivers on the grid, Lewis Hamilton was probably the biggest coup for this team in 2012.
@NigelBeechey : Not an exactly show stopping season from one of the Worlds largest Car Manufacturers (in F1) and with such a competent management team. A couple of notable finishes, esp Nico Winning in China lots of team changes and latterly Lewis's announcement to join them and Norbert departure.
@hedgeryhoops : Everyone was asking the question at the beginning of 2012 if this was to be Mercedes' year. By Brawn's own admission, they needed 3rd in the Constructors Championship otherwise 2012 would be considered a failure. And to be honest I thought they were lucky to get 5th. Bar Rosberg's win, reliability haunted Schumacher while Rosberg remaining otherwise quiet as the car failed to perform and was heavy on it's tyres. I just pray for Hamilton that the 2013 is a winner!
@MarussiaF1Will : Started the season really well and then performance dipped. Nico Rosberg's pole and win in China was a highlight, as was Michael Schumacher's pole in Monaco and his podium in Valencia. But towards the end, it was a poor season for them.
@RachThukral : Mercedes looked strong at the start of the season specially during qualifying. They had innovated the double DRS system in which a duct is visible after DRS gets activated. The air enters this duct and then travels to the front of the car and stalls the front wing. However, the limitations on the use of DRS in race meant they weren't as strong when it matters the most. They also lost in the development race and had many reliability problems, particularly with Michael's car. Their highlight of the season was obviously the Chinese Grand Prix where Rosberg won his and team's first race, that too from pole position.
@jo_johnson63 : Mercedes should have a really strong car considering they are a factory team and have Ross Brawn. Hopefully they'll give Lewis a great car next year.
@DarshanChokhani : Worst ever season for Mercedes. No one will believe that the team had a win under their belt earlier in the season. 10 DNF's in 20 races is not the kind of result a team like Mercedes wants. Towards the end both Force India, Sauber were doing better than them. Losing the P4 position didn't help either. Only saving grace will be the win, and the two podiums even though they would have certainly hoped for more.
@cbeSudha : Lot of attention was focused on this team at the start of the season with their new DDRS system. Rosberg's win in China and subsequently his second place finish in Monaco raised visions of a great season for Mercedes. But Schumacher had to endure reliability problems in the first few races and eventually they went backwards with other teams improving around them. They could not master the Pirelli tyres and almost always had one more pit stop compared to their rivals. They ended in 5th position only 16 points in front of Sauber, Signing one of the Top 3 drivers on the grid, Lewis Hamilton was probably the biggest coup for this team in 2012.
@NigelBeechey : Not an exactly show stopping season from one of the Worlds largest Car Manufacturers (in F1) and with such a competent management team. A couple of notable finishes, esp Nico Winning in China lots of team changes and latterly Lewis's announcement to join them and Norbert departure.
@hedgeryhoops : Everyone was asking the question at the beginning of 2012 if this was to be Mercedes' year. By Brawn's own admission, they needed 3rd in the Constructors Championship otherwise 2012 would be considered a failure. And to be honest I thought they were lucky to get 5th. Bar Rosberg's win, reliability haunted Schumacher while Rosberg remaining otherwise quiet as the car failed to perform and was heavy on it's tyres. I just pray for Hamilton that the 2013 is a winner!
@MarussiaF1Will : Started the season really well and then performance dipped. Nico Rosberg's pole and win in China was a highlight, as was Michael Schumacher's pole in Monaco and his podium in Valencia. But towards the end, it was a poor season for them.
@RachThukral : Mercedes looked strong at the start of the season specially during qualifying. They had innovated the double DRS system in which a duct is visible after DRS gets activated. The air enters this duct and then travels to the front of the car and stalls the front wing. However, the limitations on the use of DRS in race meant they weren't as strong when it matters the most. They also lost in the development race and had many reliability problems, particularly with Michael's car. Their highlight of the season was obviously the Chinese Grand Prix where Rosberg won his and team's first race, that too from pole position.
williams
@AFC_Harry34 : Good season for Williams, who managed a race win through Pastor Maldonado. He was good for most of the season, but Bruno Senna was poor, as although he scored more regularly than Pastor, he lacked an outstanding race performance all year, which ultimately is what you're remembered for. Bottas replaces Senna next season, which should help the team.
@jo_johnson63 : It's a shame Williams didn't do better but they did have some success this year compared to last year. I think they need a more experienced diver alongside Maldonado.
@DarshanChokhani : Up and down season for them, think the car wasn't that bad, they didn't get the results they might have reserved. The win was the surprise really from Pastor but the penalties and incidents didn't help his and team's cause at all. Senna was a bit dodgy, some unfortunate car problems for him. They built up a good lead over Force India but lack of consistency saw them lose the P7 place in CC, summed up their season this.
@cbeSudha : After an extremely poor season where they finished 9th with just 5 points in 2011, this was a comeback year for Williams. They improved to 8th position with 76 points and a race win by Pastor Maldonado. Maldonado also showed great one lap pace and qualified a lot in the front of the grid including a Pole in Spain. Senna was no match in Quali but was more consistent in the races. One always wondered what a better pair of drivers could have done with the car.
@NigelBeechey : Not a great year for Williams either. One notable win for Pastor in Spain but not much else to write about. A disappointing season and I expected more from them. Perhaps 2013 with the cars essentially evolutions of last year?
@hedgeryhoops : Well it couldn't have gone much worse than 2011, and although they only moved up one place in the Constructor's Championship from 2011 (mainly in thanks to the new Renault engines), the performance difference was clear to see. Still opportunities missed in 2012 though, despite Maldonado's stunning win in Spain and obvious pace, his many, many incidents cost the team points, while although Senna was very consistent during the race itself, he was always making up for his losses in qualifying.
@MarussiaF1Will : A much better season than 2011, highlighted by Pastor Maldonado's brilliant pole lap and win in Spain. Showed how fast he was in qualifying with some brilliant laps. Bruno Senna on the other hand didn't have a good season and was always sitting out Friday morning practices to let Bottas in, who looks a terrific driver. 2013 will be another good year for them.
@RachThukral : After a poor season in 2011, Williams were back in 2012 with one victory and some good point finishes. However, they lacked consistency both in qualifying and race. That meant they were beaten by a more consistent Force India in the standings. Spain was the highlight of the season where Pastor Maldonado took pole position and after being overtaken by Alonso at the start of the race, he undercut the Spaniard to win team's first race since 2004.
@jo_johnson63 : It's a shame Williams didn't do better but they did have some success this year compared to last year. I think they need a more experienced diver alongside Maldonado.
@DarshanChokhani : Up and down season for them, think the car wasn't that bad, they didn't get the results they might have reserved. The win was the surprise really from Pastor but the penalties and incidents didn't help his and team's cause at all. Senna was a bit dodgy, some unfortunate car problems for him. They built up a good lead over Force India but lack of consistency saw them lose the P7 place in CC, summed up their season this.
@cbeSudha : After an extremely poor season where they finished 9th with just 5 points in 2011, this was a comeback year for Williams. They improved to 8th position with 76 points and a race win by Pastor Maldonado. Maldonado also showed great one lap pace and qualified a lot in the front of the grid including a Pole in Spain. Senna was no match in Quali but was more consistent in the races. One always wondered what a better pair of drivers could have done with the car.
@NigelBeechey : Not a great year for Williams either. One notable win for Pastor in Spain but not much else to write about. A disappointing season and I expected more from them. Perhaps 2013 with the cars essentially evolutions of last year?
@hedgeryhoops : Well it couldn't have gone much worse than 2011, and although they only moved up one place in the Constructor's Championship from 2011 (mainly in thanks to the new Renault engines), the performance difference was clear to see. Still opportunities missed in 2012 though, despite Maldonado's stunning win in Spain and obvious pace, his many, many incidents cost the team points, while although Senna was very consistent during the race itself, he was always making up for his losses in qualifying.
@MarussiaF1Will : A much better season than 2011, highlighted by Pastor Maldonado's brilliant pole lap and win in Spain. Showed how fast he was in qualifying with some brilliant laps. Bruno Senna on the other hand didn't have a good season and was always sitting out Friday morning practices to let Bottas in, who looks a terrific driver. 2013 will be another good year for them.
@RachThukral : After a poor season in 2011, Williams were back in 2012 with one victory and some good point finishes. However, they lacked consistency both in qualifying and race. That meant they were beaten by a more consistent Force India in the standings. Spain was the highlight of the season where Pastor Maldonado took pole position and after being overtaken by Alonso at the start of the race, he undercut the Spaniard to win team's first race since 2004.
marussia
@AFC_Harry34 : Marussia had a fantastic season, narrowly missing out on 10th spot to an under-performing Caterham. Glock and Pic both had good seasons, but Pic leaving for Caterham next year will damage the team. Should be proud of their season, as they regularly beat HRT and challenged Caterham to the wire.
@jo_johnson63 : I would love to see this team succeed next year. It seems a very close knit organisation on limited funds. It was a shame Caterham pipped them to 10th in the constructor's championship.
@DarshanChokhani : A revelation this team after yet another slow start from them. They were behind Caterham mostly fighting off with HRT mostly. But post season break and mostly since Singapore where they got ahead of Caterham in CC, they started looking good. Pic was a rookie of the year for me as he drove some brilliant races, better than Glock in few. They fought hard with Caterham in the end building up good pace. It was a heart break in the end in Brazil though.
@cbeSudha : For a team that did not have its car ready for testing and went into the season with an untested package they did reasonably well. They were ahead of Caterham in 10th place after Timo Glock finished 12th in the Singapore GP. They lost that position in the very last race in Brazil and finished 11th. If they put their best foot forward in 2013, they could challenge Caterham again.
@NigelBeechey : No points for 2012. That's a pretty bad result. Nothing. Well lets hope that Pat Symonds has some plans for 2013 as I'd like to see some major improvements for them. They do have Max Chilton joining but he is essentially less experienced than Glock and Pic in F1.
@hedgeryhoops : Although I am more of a Caterham fan when it comes to the smaller teams, looking at the resources at their disposal, Marussia did a far better job than Caterham, with no KERS, in my opinion inferior drivers and less opportunities for sponsorships. However the current rule that would have allowed Marussia to take 10th before the Brazil result I think does need reviewing, as based on results over the course of the season Caterham were more consistent.
@MarussiaF1Will : A brilliant year for the team and was very unlucky to finish P11 in the WCC after being P10 for 12 of the 20 races this year. The year didn't get off to the best start with the MR01 failing the last crash test, but since then progress has been on the up. The help of technical consultant Pat Symonds is a great plus. Timo Glock had another great year with the team, always getting the most out of the car and delivering a P12 in Singapore for the team's best ever result at his favourite circuit. Charles Pic had a brilliant first season and delivered a good P12 in Brazil despite Petrov finishing P11. They're a team to watch next year, with the addition of KERS, Marussia have the potential to be in front of their rivals Caterham.
@RachThukral : I think Marussia had a decent season. Their target was to being the fastest among the newcomers and they were fairly successful in that. In fact, after their 12th place finish in Singapore, they moved ahead of Caterham and in 10th place in the c'ship only to lost it in the last race at Brazil. Charles Pic was really impressive in his debut season while the more experienced Timo Glock had a tough year driving for the Russian team.
@jo_johnson63 : I would love to see this team succeed next year. It seems a very close knit organisation on limited funds. It was a shame Caterham pipped them to 10th in the constructor's championship.
@DarshanChokhani : A revelation this team after yet another slow start from them. They were behind Caterham mostly fighting off with HRT mostly. But post season break and mostly since Singapore where they got ahead of Caterham in CC, they started looking good. Pic was a rookie of the year for me as he drove some brilliant races, better than Glock in few. They fought hard with Caterham in the end building up good pace. It was a heart break in the end in Brazil though.
@cbeSudha : For a team that did not have its car ready for testing and went into the season with an untested package they did reasonably well. They were ahead of Caterham in 10th place after Timo Glock finished 12th in the Singapore GP. They lost that position in the very last race in Brazil and finished 11th. If they put their best foot forward in 2013, they could challenge Caterham again.
@NigelBeechey : No points for 2012. That's a pretty bad result. Nothing. Well lets hope that Pat Symonds has some plans for 2013 as I'd like to see some major improvements for them. They do have Max Chilton joining but he is essentially less experienced than Glock and Pic in F1.
@hedgeryhoops : Although I am more of a Caterham fan when it comes to the smaller teams, looking at the resources at their disposal, Marussia did a far better job than Caterham, with no KERS, in my opinion inferior drivers and less opportunities for sponsorships. However the current rule that would have allowed Marussia to take 10th before the Brazil result I think does need reviewing, as based on results over the course of the season Caterham were more consistent.
@MarussiaF1Will : A brilliant year for the team and was very unlucky to finish P11 in the WCC after being P10 for 12 of the 20 races this year. The year didn't get off to the best start with the MR01 failing the last crash test, but since then progress has been on the up. The help of technical consultant Pat Symonds is a great plus. Timo Glock had another great year with the team, always getting the most out of the car and delivering a P12 in Singapore for the team's best ever result at his favourite circuit. Charles Pic had a brilliant first season and delivered a good P12 in Brazil despite Petrov finishing P11. They're a team to watch next year, with the addition of KERS, Marussia have the potential to be in front of their rivals Caterham.
@RachThukral : I think Marussia had a decent season. Their target was to being the fastest among the newcomers and they were fairly successful in that. In fact, after their 12th place finish in Singapore, they moved ahead of Caterham and in 10th place in the c'ship only to lost it in the last race at Brazil. Charles Pic was really impressive in his debut season while the more experienced Timo Glock had a tough year driving for the Russian team.