Barrichelloless Grid and pre 2012 predictions.

Williams announced this week that Bruno Senna would be taking the second place at Williams. I don't particularly believe this to be a mistake. He showed flashes of pace and race craft in what by the end of 2011 was a terribly inconsistent Renault. What is the mistake is not retaining Rubens Barrichello. The man has 19 seasons of F1 experience to give to a team. Williams are in the doldrums. They've singed on a raft of new people, and undertaken an engine deal with Reno for the 2012 season, a change from two seasons with Cosworth. The thing they need above all is consistency. A known quantity in their car. Instead they've plumped for Maldonado and his Venezuealan bankroll. I understand that the team are suffering for a few too many years on the trot as a low scoring constructor, and sponsorship is hard to find but settling on a veritable rookie with what i'd consider a dangerous streak (see Spa qualifying 2011) is a huge mistake in my book. Two veritable rookies will make it hard to find direction with development, and a limited amount of feedback. While technically both are probably quite capable, they weren't the best that was on offer and it strikes me as odd that a team hoping to pull themselves up the grid would plump for two such men. I'd love to see Williams draw an ace and find themselves up the front. I haven't been a fan of the sport long - see my introductory blog - but i've done enough backlog research to know that they were a force to be reckoned with and a great team. The deal is done now, and only when the season is underway will we see whether Williams have what it takes to get back to fighting ways. How the drivers perform, and if their decision pays off. 

Which brings me on to my next point my 2012 hopes and predictions. 

The regulation changes are minimal for 2012, the biggest technical one is the repositioning of the exhaust exit, no more exhaust blown diffusers (EBD). That should erode some of the advantage the top teams have to the midfield and backmarkers at least. Personally, i'm hoping it'll dent Red Bull enough that we have a closer championship. Looking at the only example we have for a lack of EBDs (Silverstone) the best showing were Ferrari. If I had to bet money, i'd place some on them. I think they are on course for a strong year, and based on that showing they really could be. Of course the teams have all had a similar amount of time to come to terms with the change, and will claw back a certain amount of the downforce anyways. Still, Red Bull evolved their concept around that feature and it could hurt them a lot. 

If i'm going to go with hopes, i'd want McLaren to start the year in a strong fashion. I'd love it if they were just blitzing the field from the off, but realistically i'd just like a competitive showing, pacesetting, challenging. The addition of Sam Michael to the team I think is a good one. From what i've read he was like butter over too much bread at Williams, not getting to use his skills to the best. Hopefully he will add strength to McLaren operationally in 2012, it was an area they suffered on a few different occasions. Jenson's Monaco strategy, Lewis' lack of banker lap at Monaco, Critical fuel for Lewis in Silverstone for thinking he'd save some in traffic seems like a doozy. Hopefully his appointment will see these ironed out. 

Ideally i'd like to see: Hamilton win his second WDC, and McLaren end their drought of WCC's. 

Realistically: I think Ferrari will be strong, McLaren there or there abouts and Red Bull either the same, or pace setting. The new and now only Lotus on the grid seem off to a good start with some innovative ideas so hopefully they can enter the mix with Mercedes more often. I'd love a year like 2010, but they can't all be diamond. So just more Formula 1 would be fantastic! Good grief the winter's long! 

I'll possibly post more predictions when testing is underway, right now, these are gut instincts. Also, looking back, I look comfortable on my fence, might as well have listed the whole grid!

Formula Flap

Welcome to Formula Flap.

With this here blog i'm gonna discuss my personal thoughts on Formula 1, it's races, issues, drivers and anything and everything F1 related that comes to my bouncing brain! 

To start, a brief(ish) history of how I got into the sport.

From a young age I used to detest Formula 1, I've never been interested in cars. We visited my grandparents house for Sunday dinner, every Sunday and my Dad always used to watch it whilst we were there. I found it boring, and pointless. I used to protest ad infinitum for Dad to change the channel. Round and round in circles they went never seemingly doing anything remotely interesting. I never really payed much attention after that, I'd heard of a few of the drivers, and in the early 00's I knew of Schumacher's dominance, this turned me off the sport even more. I saw it as even more pointless if only one guy seemingly ever won it. 

It was 2007 before I even looked at the sport again. My now girlfriend was a huge fan. She'd come round to my house on Sundays and we'd watch the races together, me more out of niceness to begin with. Sadly I didn't see all of the races that year, usually only those I watched with her. Towards the end of the year I was gaining an interest for the sport, I wasn't absorbed, but I had seen some of it's intricasies and my attention was caught. There was a lot more to it than going around and around. I watched the final round that year and was dissapointed as Lewis Hamilton failed to clinch the title. Now i'm not sure whether I felt dissapointed because my girl was supporting him and she was sad or because I was beginning too. 

Over the Winter I sort of forgot about Formula 1, 2007 had passed me by really and even though my interest in it was growing, it was very much a case of out of sight out of mind. I knew relatively little of the goings on in the sport. I didn't even know there was Winter Testing. So Austrailia came around and I watched it with my Girlfriend and happily Lewis Hamilton won! Now with someone I was pretty sure I was supporting, I really started to get into this sport. I still wasn't hardcore, I didn't see every qualifying session.. and can shamefully admit, I knew not of the three practice sessions that played precursor to the main parts of a race weekend. However, I watched nearly every race, Spa 08 (despite the injustice at the back of it) was a firm favourite. It raised my expectations and delivered a level of excitement I don't think i'd felt from any other sport. Now, I was absorbed. The championship battle was fiery, and I did my first bit of after race research about the Spa penalty. The last few races of 08 saw my support and fanship grow and I longed for Hamilton to win that championship! Finally I could call myself a fan. Brazil 08 had me flitting around the living room, a cocktail bubbling inside me - nerves, excitement and fear - Hamilton did it! I was elated. Over the back end of the season I had begun researching the sport, I was visiting known news websites and looking up past seasons. Now the off season was boring! I knew about winter testing! I looked forward to car launches! 

Over 2009, I absorbed as much information as I could and looked forward to every race, qualifying and practice session - Now with the BBC showing F1 I got all these things - F1 seemed more accesible and vast and that just made it ever more interesting. I began searching forums and more websites, I bought the past season reviews and became engrossed in the technical side. Those who know me, know that's strange. Enjoying the sport as much as I was beggining too had it's downsides, the time between races was an annoyance and the pain of watching my team down in the doldrums for the first half of the season was a new feeling. Then there was the off-season where news was non-existant. Still these feelings were all forgotten when we sat down to watch the 5 red lights go out! 

2010 and 2011 have been amazing. I feel like i'm taking part in a golden era of F1 and I still find it strange when I reflect on my feelings for the sport before 2007. I totally have my girlfriend to thank for making me endure those first few Grand Prix, without her, I wouldn't be insanely passionate about a sport so utterly mesmerising. It's off-season, and i'm inanely bored. McLaren's launch approaches, till then, i'll be filling this blog with race reviews of my favourites, and my thoughts for the 2012 season. Can't wait.