In the battle of noses, the sleek and sharp made the platypus look ugly. In Formula One, it’s said, a good looking car is a fast car. On Sunday, in the 2012 Formula One season opener at the Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne, it was conclusively proven that the McLaren-Mercedes MP4-27 is an outright ramp-scorcher by a country mile – she is beautiful, she hugs the bends and she has long legs.
She danced an elegant dance of speed with a poise of a ballerina to Jenson Button’s caress. But, the same cannot be said about Lewis Hamilton’s grab-by-the-scruff-of-the-neck style of driving, leaving the 2008 champion mystified and sulking in equal measure after the race.
Button vs Vettel
Hamilton’s racing DNA has been shaped at McLaren. It was expected that he would set the rules of engagement within the team this year; on the contrary, Button had the first stab at glory. Though, some might say that Hamilton was trifle unlucky to pit just a lap before the safety car came out on lap 38 that resulted in him losing his second place to defending champion, Sebastian Vettel, but it’s equally fair to say that Hamilton lost the race the moment Button made a cleaner getaway at the start. Once Button got his nose ahead, Hamilton was struggling to match his pace. By the 10th lap Button was leading Hamilton by 4.032 seconds. It appears that this year’s McLarens respond better to the smoother driving style of the 2009 champion, than Hamilton.
Hamilton’s racing DNA has been shaped at McLaren. It was expected that he would set the rules of engagement within the team this year; on the contrary, Button had the first stab at glory. Though, some might say that Hamilton was trifle unlucky to pit just a lap before the safety car came out on lap 38 that resulted in him losing his second place to defending champion, Sebastian Vettel, but it’s equally fair to say that Hamilton lost the race the moment Button made a cleaner getaway at the start. Once Button got his nose ahead, Hamilton was struggling to match his pace. By the 10th lap Button was leading Hamilton by 4.032 seconds. It appears that this year’s McLarens respond better to the smoother driving style of the 2009 champion, than Hamilton.
The Formula One season opener at Melbourne proved that the McLaren-Mercedes MP4-27 is an outright ramp-scorcher by a country mile. John Donegan/AP
Judging by his post race reactions, people are increasingly coming to believe that Hamilton is losing the races in his head rather than on the track. Last year he admitted that he was not 100 percent focused on the job and that he has cleared the cobwebs, but that was not all that evident post-race. It will be interesting to see how the rivalry shapes in the team garage as the season progresses.
The race also proved that McLaren has the cars this year to take the fight right into the heart of the Red Bull territory. Though, much will depend on the pace of development and upgrades that they are certainly going to bring to Barcelona in May that marks the beginning of the European swing of the calendar.
Class of Vettel and Alonso
After the dust had settled, Red Bull team principal said that, “they may be down but not out.” Trust Newey, to come up with a few tricks in the next few races to make the RB8s go faster around the corners. The race, however, gave an opportunity to Vettel to prove how good a driver he is. Actually, Webber’s performance was at par with the car, while Vettel showed that he can punch well above his weight. After his domination of the 2010 season, the sceptics would often point out that Vettel had the best cars that helped him remain ahead of the pack 11 times and claim a record 15 pole positions. His move on Nico Rosberg on the third lap was a master-class in race craft. And, by the 10th lap, he was all over Michael Schumacher’s backside. Differential failure or not, he would have taken the seven time world champion within a lap or two.
After the dust had settled, Red Bull team principal said that, “they may be down but not out.” Trust Newey, to come up with a few tricks in the next few races to make the RB8s go faster around the corners. The race, however, gave an opportunity to Vettel to prove how good a driver he is. Actually, Webber’s performance was at par with the car, while Vettel showed that he can punch well above his weight. After his domination of the 2010 season, the sceptics would often point out that Vettel had the best cars that helped him remain ahead of the pack 11 times and claim a record 15 pole positions. His move on Nico Rosberg on the third lap was a master-class in race craft. And, by the 10th lap, he was all over Michael Schumacher’s backside. Differential failure or not, he would have taken the seven time world champion within a lap or two.
Mind you, this is when the Renault engines have a lower grunt than the Mercedes powerplants and this year’s cars don’t have the aerodynamic efficiency of the RB7s. His overtaking manoeuvre on Rosberg, apart, the way Vettel managed to keep Hamilton behind him for a good part of the 20 laps after the safety car period turned out to be a classic display of defensive driving. McLaren has the head start at the moment, but trust this performance gap to become smaller by the time the circus moves to Europe in May.
Ferrari have their task cut out. It was the sheer ability and cussedness of Fernando Alonso as a racing driver that the prancing horse could climb into fifth place. Rob Griffith/AP
The other team that has its task cut out is Ferrari. It was the sheer ability and cussedness of Fernando Alonso as a racing driver that the prancing horse could climb into fifth place. Felipe Massa’s tribulations at the Albert Park Circuit is a truer reflection of how bad tempered the scarlet beasts are. Alonso’s gain of seven places from his 12th place start was purely due to his ability to drive an inferior car well beyond its capability, which is always a hallmark of a class driver. The seriousness of the problems at Ferrari can be gauged from the fact that, team boss, Stefano domenicali and Pat Fry, rushed back to Maranello instead of going to Kuala Lumpur to find solutions to the gremlins plaguing the F2012s.
Sharper silver arrows
After an average 2010, Mercedes look much sharper this year. Right through the winter tests, they had given a glimpse of their pace. This season, in three practice sessions and qualifying, the German marquee showed that they were not indulging in showboating or sandbagging in the pre-season tests.
After an average 2010, Mercedes look much sharper this year. Right through the winter tests, they had given a glimpse of their pace. This season, in three practice sessions and qualifying, the German marquee showed that they were not indulging in showboating or sandbagging in the pre-season tests.
Schumacher appeared much sharper this year in a better handling car, but as it transpired that the Silver Arrows were eating up rubber at an alarming rate. If Ross Brawn and his team are able to sort out the problem, Mercedes will be right up there to harass McLaren and Red Bull. Discerning observers must have noticed that right through the Australian GP weekend, Schumacher had a smug smile on his face. Though, he didn’t say much and Brawn said that winning the championship will be a tall order, he didn’t rule out podiums. Maybe, in the cooler climes of the European races the tyre degradation won’t be as high as it was in Australia. Whatever, the final outcome might be, Mercedes is very much back in the mix.
Kimi is back, but…
Talking or being gregarious was never Kimi Raikkonen’s forte, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be entertaining. In the Australian GP, while he was scrapping his way from the back of the grid to the midfield, he was wondering to whom the marshals were showing blue flags. This is how the team radio communication went:
Talking or being gregarious was never Kimi Raikkonen’s forte, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be entertaining. In the Australian GP, while he was scrapping his way from the back of the grid to the midfield, he was wondering to whom the marshals were showing blue flags. This is how the team radio communication went:
Kimi: Why do I get all the time blue flags!
Race engineer: The blue flags are not for you, Kimi, they are for people who need to be lapped.
Race engineer: The blue flags are not for you, Kimi, they are for people who need to be lapped.
Maybe, the two years he spent in the rallying world has mixed up things for him. He must have forgotten about the flag system in Formula One having spent two years in rallying. Whatever the case might be, but he still knows how to drive a Formula One car and is still lightning quick. His gain of 10 places from his starting position after a horrendous qualifying session is a good testimony of his ability behind the wheels of a Formula One car, even after staying away from the sport since 2010.
Midfield mavens
The midfield in the first race was bunched up much closer than 2010. Williams is clearly back and had Pastor Maldanado not pressed the re-boot button in his head on the penultimate lap, Williams would have finished among the points. It’s high-time that a team with proven world championship winning pedigree moves northwards after seeing its fortunes plummet to ninth place in the constructors’ standings last season. Like Williams, Sauber too has taken a leap forward with their C31 cars. Both, Kamui Kobayashi (sixth) and Sergio Perez (eighth) finished among points, something that it was not able to do regularly last year. Force India, looked good, and one might say that both Paul di Resta and Nico Hulkenburg bore the brunt of the first lap incident, but the way Williams and Sauber acquitted themselves, Force India, would have to pull out a lot of rabbits to hold on to their sixth place of 2010.
The midfield in the first race was bunched up much closer than 2010. Williams is clearly back and had Pastor Maldanado not pressed the re-boot button in his head on the penultimate lap, Williams would have finished among the points. It’s high-time that a team with proven world championship winning pedigree moves northwards after seeing its fortunes plummet to ninth place in the constructors’ standings last season. Like Williams, Sauber too has taken a leap forward with their C31 cars. Both, Kamui Kobayashi (sixth) and Sergio Perez (eighth) finished among points, something that it was not able to do regularly last year. Force India, looked good, and one might say that both Paul di Resta and Nico Hulkenburg bore the brunt of the first lap incident, but the way Williams and Sauber acquitted themselves, Force India, would have to pull out a lot of rabbits to hold on to their sixth place of 2010.
Australia provided for an entertaining season opener, and one hopes that the remaining 19 races will be just as good.
source:firstpost
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