F1 in 2012

[Pete McCluskey.]

2012 FIA Formula One World Championship Race Calendar

01 2012 FORMULA 1 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX (Melbourne) 16 - 18 Mar
02 2012 FORMULA 1 PETRONAS MALAYSIA GRAND PRIX (Kuala Lumpur) 23 - 25 Mar
03 2012 FORMULA 1 UBS CHINESE GRAND PRIX (Shanghai) 13 - 15 Apr
04 2012 FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX (Sakhir) 20 - 22 Apr
05 FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE ESPAÑA SANTANDER 2012 (Catalunya) 11 - 13 May
06 FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE MONACO 2012 (Monte Carlo) 24 - 27 May
07 FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DU CANADA 2012 (Montréal) 08 - 10 Jun
08 2012 FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE (Valencia) 22 - 24 Jun
09 2012 FORMULA 1 SANTANDER BRITISH GRAND PRIX (Silverstone) 06 - 08 Jul
10 FORMULA 1 GROSSER PREIS SANTANDER VON DEUTSCHLAND 2012 (Hockenheim) 20 - 22 Jul
11 FORMULA 1 ENI MAGYAR NAGYDÍJ 2012 (Budapest) 27 - 29 Jul
12 2012 FORMULA 1 SHELL BELGIAN GRAND PRIX (Spa-Francorchamps) 31 Aug - 02 Sep
13 FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO SANTANDER D'ITALIA 2012 (Monza) 07 - 09 Sep
14 2012 FORMULA 1 SINGTEL SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX (Singapore) 21 - 23 Sep
15 2012 FORMULA 1 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX (Suzuka) 05 - 07 Oct
16 2012 FORMULA 1 KOREAN GRAND PRIX (Yeongam) 12 - 14 Oct
17 2012 FORMULA 1 AIRTEL GRAND PRIX OF INDIA (New Delhi) 26 - 28 Oct
18 2012 FORMULA 1 ETIHAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX (Yas Marina Circuit) 02 - 04 Nov
19 2012 FORMULA 1 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX (Austin) 16 - 18 Nov
20 FORMULA 1 GRANDE PRÊMIO DO BRASIL 2012 (São Paulo) 23 - 25 Nov

[Pete McCluskey.]

Lewis Hamilton has brought an end to his long-running feud with Felipe Massa by giving the Ferrari driver a hug after the Brazilian Grand Prix.

The duo had not been on speaking terms after colliding six times this season.

"It was good to have a nice chat with Felipe," said Hamilton. "I have great respect for him and I'm looking forward to racing him again next year."

Massa added: "I was pleased that Lewis came around to see me. It was a very nice gesture on his part."


Hamilton and Massa have clashed in a number of incidents this season, most notably in Monaco and Singapore, where Hamilton was blamed by officials and received drive-through penalties.

[Kym Haines]

I have created another version of this thread in the Race Track Forum:

http://www.gt40s.com/forum/race-trac...f1-2012-a.html

[Pete McCluskey.]

F1magazine asks is Vettel the next Senna? What do you people think?

[Terry Oxandale]

I'm surprised to see the USGP in Austin, much less existing at all.

[Doc Kaler]

Terry,

Circuit of The Americas

I guess money talks.....

Pete,

Good chance he will.

[Pete McCluskey.]

So who do you think will be 2012 World Champion? Vettel is an obvious choice
but Alonso, Hamilton, Button, Webber and latterly Rosburg are all showing pace.
I'd do a poll but I don't know how.

[Doc Kaler]

What?? No mention of Massa?

The incumbent number 1 will be hard to beat. But, I like the "dark-horse" Rossburg if only to add new blood to the champions list.

[Jon]

Rikkonen?

May be not.

[Terry Oxandale]

I believe Button's ride will improve, resulting in the points win.

[Jim Craik]

Originally Posted by blueovalz

I believe Button's ride will improve, resulting in the points win.

Terry,

I have to say that I've been greatly impressed with Button. When he went to McLaren, I really though it was a mistake.

I kind of figured after being WC that the max effort needed might not be there and I really though Hamilton would embarrass him.

I could not have been more wrong!

I have always liked Button, but now I'm a big, big fan! That run in Canada was one for the ages.

It will be included with the greats.

[tom pritchett]

To answer your question Pete, it'll take some time and maturity for him to be a Senna. He may be a Schumacher, but not a Senna. In this he shares talent with the best car in the field. Now, if he had this kind of run in a Renault or a Williams with the same result, then that is different.

I do like Button as he is a consistant driver that is easy on his tires. That makes him good in the wet as shown in Canada. That was a great drive.

[Pete McCluskey.]

Daniel Ricciardo says he is hopeful of remaining part of the F1 grid for the 2012 season, despite admitting that his hopes of a drive with Toro Rosso may have ended.

The Red Bull-backed Australian made his race debut this season with HRT having replaced Narain Karthikeyan from the British Grand Prix and was widely tipped to move over to Toro Rosso for the new campaign.

However, improved performances from both Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastien Buemi through the latter part of the season have increased the chances of the pair staying on for 2012 and Ricciardo admitted that his best chance of racing in F1 again next year now appeared to lie elsewhere.

"At the moment it seems like Toro Rosso are going to stay with who they've got," he told The West Australian. "It wasn't put down 100 per cent, but it was the wording I was making out. There's a good chance if I'm on the grid next year it's going to be with another non-Red Bull outfit, but I guess the good news is I'm still contracted by Red Bull. They've agreed to continue with me."

One possible option for the youngster could be with Caterham, with rumours suggesting that Jarno Trulli's position isn't as secure as it would first have appeared; despite him appearing on the FIA entry list published last week.

"I would like to say there's a chance, but at least for me that's probably all it is for now, just a chance," Ricciardo admitted. "It would be a step up from this year, so it's not really a bad thing. I doubt they'll still be able to fight for points next year. They'll still be towards the further end, but I think they're progressing well.

"If Kovalainen was to be my teammate, it's someone very good to measure up to. He's won a grand prix before and he's smashed Trulli this year."

[Pete McCluskey.]

Former world champion Kimi Raikkonen has injured his hand in a crash in a snowmobile race but his Lotus team say the Finn is not seriously hurt.

The 32-year-old is returning to Formula 1 with Lotus in 2012 after two years in the world rally championship.

The team, who raced as Renault in 2011, said on Twitter: "Kimi is absolutely fine. There's nothing to worry about, he only has a sore wrist.

"He might have it checked again on Monday, but that's all."

Raikkonen's return to F1 with Lotus was announced less than two weeks ago, and team boss Eric Boullier has said that signing the 2007 world champion should be taken as a mark of their ambition.

Boullier said the team's aim was to win the world championship "within the next two or three years".

RAIKKONEN F1 FACT FILE

Born: 17 October 1979
F1 debut: 2001 Australian GP
Former teams: Sauber, McLaren, Ferrari
Titles: 1
Wins: 18
Podiums: 62
Career points: 579
Poles: 16
Fastest laps: 35

[Pete McCluskey.]

Kimi Raikkonen will be given all the time he needs to get back up to speed in Formula 1, with his new bosses adamant that there is no expectation on him to deliver straightaway.

With Michael Schumacher having shown since he came back the difficulties that even top-line drivers can face getting dialled back into F1, Raikkonen has been assured that Renault - which will be renamed after sponsor Lotus next year - will be patient with him.

Group Lotus CEO Dany Bahar said on Monday that Raikkonen's two-year absence from F1 will not make it easy for him to produce results immediately - and underlined that all the outfit was looking for was consistent improvement.

"You cannot expect from a driver that was absent for two years to come back and adapt to the new tyres and new regulations from day one, so he needs his time," said Bahar during a lunch with selected media in London on Monday.

"But whether this time is three days, six races or 20 races, we will see. What is important is to see how his tendency goes towards the performance. If it is always improving, then of course we will give him the time."

Although there has been much talk in recent weeks about Raikkonen's motivation levels - and whether or not he will be prepared to knuckle down if the 2012 Lotus is not a frontrunner - Bahar insists that Raikkonen knows fully what he has let himself in for.

"Kimi is a cool guy, and he has grown up," he explained. "He is not as young now. He knows what he does, he knows what people expect from him and I think he takes it a bit more seriously now than when he was at McLaren."

He added: "I think Kimi is a very good guy, he is a very pure guy. I respect him a lot, we respect him a lot and that is the reason he is with us. He has matured a lot in the past 10 years in F1, so he is a grown-up man and he knows his return to F1 is not easy and he knows he has to deliver.

"But he is not the same kid as he was at Sauber and at McLaren. These are different times, he has to deliver and he realises that."

Bahar also believes that, despite there being no guarantee that Raikkonen will produce as much as in his last time in F1, the team made the right call in opting to invest in his services.

"Kimi is Kimi, and he is a world champion in F1," he said. "He deserves definitely to have a higher value than a normal driver, just because he is Kimi Raikkonen.

"Everybody appreciates that – but this is not Ferrari and this is not a world championship winning car at the moment, so you always have to see this side as well, and maybe our team, or any other team in that field, cannot afford to pay that kind of salary now.

"Kimi has realised that, but he will never sell himself under his value. He is too strong a character for that. I think what he is getting now is a fair value for what he delivers, but we have to see the performance on the track."

[Mark]

If I were a betting man, I'd stick a tenner on Button and a fiver on Lewis. I think MClaren could be great next year. I don't think Ferrari will be in a winning position until 2013. Just a gut feeling though. Absolutely no science behind it, (as with most of my posts).

[tom pritchett]

Did Kimi go through all of the money that Ferrari paid him not to drive? What was it 45m or 65m. I forgot.

[Pete McCluskey.]

Ricciardo gets drive with Toro Rosso

New driver line-up at Toro Rosso | Toro Rosso | Formula 1 news, live F1 | ESPN F1

[Pete McCluskey.]

Ferrari released their new 2012 car recently. I hope that nose works for them because it is butt ugly.

[Terry Oxandale]

And the wierd step behind the nose. Ferrari made up for it in the well positioned (oriented) Pirelli tires!