How will the Honda deal affect Mclaren?
Today Mclaren finally unveiled a partnership that many saw in the pipeline a long time ago. Honda are to supply V6 turbo engines to the Woking team from 2015 onwards. Whitmarsh was keen to conjure up the imagery, such as that featured above, of the all conquering stint that resulted from the partnership in the past. He was insistent that this deal heralded the start of a new successful era at the team, emulating the famous dominance of 1988. However, I am intrigued as to what the actual outcome of this partnership will be. While there is without doubt potential for success given the talent these two engineering giants have, I question the immediate effects as we prepare to enter into a new technical generation of Formula 1.
Why did Mclaren need to change?
Mclaren came off the back of the 2008 season looking at the peak of their game. They had succeeded in ending their drought of world championships by capturing the drivers’ trophy with Lewis Hamilton. Engine supplier Mercedes could also share in this glory, but the German manufacturer may have been yearning for even more recognition. Nevertheless, Mclaren had the full backing of the German manufacturer. The 2009 season changed much however. The phoenix-like rise of a small team from Brackley lured Mercedes into deeper involvement in F1. With the Brawn GP team looking superb to Mclaren’s dismal, Mercedes switched their focus and Mclaren became the second interest from here on in. It is quite interesting that it was Honda themselves who, in leaving the Brackley team vacant of an owner, set in motion the events which would lead Mclaren to desire a new supplier. As Mercedes organised their own charge for the title, Mclaren were demoted from effectively the works team to a mere customer. With the freeze in engine development still in effect in recent years however, this shift had little effect on Mclaren. The equipment has not changed, so there has been no advantage available for Mercedes to keep for themselves. However, in 2014 the engines certainly are changing – here lies Mclaren’s need to change. In 2014 and onwards, engine development will once again be key in F1. Works teams like Mercedes and Ferrari can gain a significant advantage by making effectively a bespoke engine, tailored to their every want and need. The likes of Mclaren are left in the dark and must just take what they are given. This is why Mclaren have needed to re-establish themselves as the prime focus of an engine supplier, engines are becoming relevant again.
Image: A 2005 Honda Engine from their previous stint in F1
Is this good news for Mclaren?
The answer to this question is a little more difficult to predict. For the reasons I explain above, while engine development is unfrozen, in theory Mclaren will be better off in that they can mould the power unit to their liking. However, by the time Mclaren first run the Honda in anger, the three rival power constructors would have completed a whole year of operation, data collecting and learning. There will have to be a supreme effort from the start in 2015 in order to simply get the Japanese engine up to speed. As the current situation stands, Honda are only supplying Mclaren. This makes matters worse on the catch up front as Honda will not be collecting as much data each weekend as the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault who all supply multiple teams. Mclaren may well be spending the majority of the 2015 season adapting and understanding the new engine. Not only that, but 2014 may also be a challenging year for the Woking team. In the Knowledge that Mclaren will be interacting with Honda at every opportunity, Mercedes will be very wary of their secrets being relayed to the Japanese constructor. As a result, Mclaren could spend a year in the dark, with minimal technical assistance. The fact is that Mclaren will have to adapt their cars to a new engine for two successive years. Surely this will impact their ability to refine the other areas of the car, as they will be focussed on getting the packaging correct in both years.
(c)sugar-monster Image: Button pilots his Honda at Silverstone in 2008
The long term
Over the years that follow, it looks a bit brighter for Mclaren. Honda is a very experienced organisation, and its not beyond possibility for them to bring their engine in line with the front runners in the long term. If Mclaren can do what they have seemed incapable of in recent years and perform consistently, the partnership may turn out relatively well. However, these assumptions are large. The Mclaren-Honda may languish in the midfield for countless years and, as we saw in 2008, the Japanese corporation’s patience can run very thin very quickly. By comparison, Mercedes have committed themselves in F1 until 2020.
To conclude
Overall, I can see why Mclaren have made this decision, and certainly it has the potential in the long term to generate the team a long awaited return to success. However, there will likely be large amounts of pain in the immediate future. The true test of this partnership will be in how Mclaren can adapt and rise from the change in the following years after 2015. One thing is certain, and that is that Mclaren will need to be more prolific and organised than they currently are to make this deal a true return nearer to the greatness of the late 1980s.
Race Review: Spanish Grand Prix
Traditionally, the arrival of the F1 circus in Spain heralds a shuffling of the pack, a new hierarchy in car performance. Rafts of upgrades are flown in by each and every team. Some, like Red Bull, return from F1′s spring excursions to exotic locations looking to consolidate their superiority at the head of the field. Others, such as Williams, are in a far different scenario, no doubt still reeling at the four race trial that has ultimately indicated the reality of a very challenging year ahead indeed. Nevertheless, all of F1′s teams return assuring their fans that they have worked, to quote the often overused term, “flat out”. What gradually became evident over the course of the weekend however was that some team’s persistent work over the three week break was more productive than that of others. While the battle at the front of the pack remained on a knife-edge, the likes of Mclaren had clearly returned to the track worse for wear relative to their rivals. Qualifying left the Woking squad languishing in the midfield, Button only capable of P14. I don’t wish to criticise Mclaren too harshly, however it must be said that this is not the first time they have frankly made a mess of things. The first few rows of the grid took up a notably familiar look, with an impressive Mercedes in qualifying trim and the likes of Red Bull, Ferrari and Lotus in reasonably close pursuit. The question most were asking was would the W04 hold its tyres together in the first stint?
The answer was no, in fact nobody truly kept the shoddy Pirellis from degrading and wearing. What we saw today was a farcical event, a parade more than a race. In past years we have often seen drivers set qualifying lap after qualifying lap in the race, yet today we saw the drivers doing the equivalent of out laps in their futile attempt to prevent more Pirelli wear. When will it occur to those in charge that in order to have good racing, the tyres must be well built enough in order to enable drivers to attack. Of course, I don’t advocate a complete return to the days of the Bridgestone tyres, but there is a balance to be made, and these tyres do not meet that. As a result, this event, I am reluctant to call it a race, was a disappointing thing – startlingly far away from what F1 should be.
Rosberg held his lead very early on, with a quite thrilling surge by Alonso in the first few corners behind him. From here on in however there was no battling, no racing of note – only tyre management and swapping of positions via the pitlane. Once Fernando took track position from Vettel after the first round of pit stops the result was never really in doubt – even with a three stopping Raikkonen. Rosberg was scuppered as the likes of Vettel, Alonso and Raikkonen drifted past the helpless Mercedes with ease during the second stint. From here, Alonso built a huge lead over the chasing Red Bull, as Vettel was told not to race by his engineer – is this F1? During the middle part of the race there was the occasional obvious passing moves by cars which had just been fitted with new tyres. Raikkonen dived up the inside of Vettel at one point, however he need not be so aggressive as the world champion looked resigned to his fate, basically waving him past. This isn’t really what we fans tune in to see on a Sunday afternoon.
I was struck that at one point, by the onboard footage from Raikkonen’s Lotus. This was supposedly the car that was meant to be hunting down Fernando, going for victory. What I saw was a car cruising blissfully off the throttle into corner after corner, minimal acceleration, minimal driver input. Even the “Iceman” shouldn’t be this sedate at the wheel of one of motorsport’s most advanced vehicles. No longer are drivers at the limit of their capabilities for two hours, F1 in 2013 is a walk in the park.
Alonso duly took his victory, comfortably ahead of Raikkonen as anyone who watched could have predicted from the start of the second stint. Massa joined him on the podium as proof that today it was the car’s capabilities in monitoring rubber that was the dominant factor in success. The Mercedes completed a hilariously disastrous day by finishing in 6th and 12th, starting from the front row.
This sort of tyre management requirement is not a new thing for us Formula 1 fans. We have endured such exploits on many an occasion before, however I feel that today was worse than most, such that it was one of the poorest racing contests I have ever witnessed. In some races like today’s, at the very least there would have been a tactical battle to enthral viewers, but today however we saw no such tactical intrigue, the “strategic fight” was a flat, forgone conclusion. We see teams developing not for outright speed any more, but to conserve the black crumbling tyres on each corner of the car. This time Pirelli surely cannot cower behind their overused mantra: “We are doing it to improve the spectacle”. Quite honestly F1 should not be holding races like this – these tyres must be ousted or F1 could face a shrinking, disgruntled fan base.
Race Review: Bahrain Grand Prix
For a third consecutive year, Formula 1 has left itself grappling with the moral questions of racing in Bahrain in the face of protests and violence that has occurred. Nevertheless, once again, the sport did not pass judgement on the goings on and ventured to the gulf state for the fourth race of the season. Warmer ambient temperatures were poised to offer up a quite different challenge for 2013′s cars and, more prominently, their Pirelli tyres.
A silver arrow once again took up the prime starting position on the grid, this time it was Nico Rosberg – who was on pole for just the second time. Few thought he would have much of a chance in claiming the win in the arid desert sun though, with the W04 not being one of the lighter cars on its tyres. Off the line, Rosberg was made to defend hard, weaving across the dusty track to block. Alonso relied on his much used and much successful tactic of taking the outside line into the first corner – here once again paying a dividend as he passed Sebastian Vettel. As the field navigated the first lap, it quite quickly became clear that the Mercedes of Rosberg would not be able to keep up with the likes of the Ferrari of Alonso and the Red Bull of Vettel, who were squabbling for position in 2nd and 3rd behind him. Vettel swiftly overtook the Spaniard and then set out to dispose of Rosberg in quick succession. Rosberg defended as best he could, but eventually the Red Bull slid past into the fast left right section early in the lap. The battle at the front quickly descended into a formality as the medium compound tyres on the Mercedes predictably deteriorated , followed by Alonso twice visiting the pitlane with a faulty DRS. With chaos rapidly ensuing behind him, Vettel was free to build up a mighty lead that would never be in doubt throughout the remaining laps of the grand prix.
The battle of the race was to be the best of the rest, and an impressive Force India made its claim for the podium positions as Di Resta aimed for a two-stop strategy along with the Lotus of Kimi Raikkonen. Ultimately after a long race on a challenging Sakhir circuit it was the Lotus team that won out, locking out the podium positions, leaving Scotsman Di Resta pleased with his performance in fourth.
Further down the field, we saw prolonged captivating battles. Most notable of these was the duel of the Mclaren team mates. Perez showed a marked improvement in his race performance and provided a severe challenge to his experienced colleague Button. The pair largely raced in a manner that was close but fair. However, after Button forced Perez onto the sand coloured concrete at the exit of turn 4, the Mexican was riled and set out for some revenge. With the advice of Whitmarsh (suggesting more racing aggression) ringing in his ears, Sergio charged up to the back of his team mate, clipping the right rear tyre of the sister Mclaren and losing a front wing component. Jenson was none too pleased with his team mate, disparagingly saying: “Calm him down” over the radio. I found these comments a bit rich from the man who said he favoured team mates racing without the influence of the pit wall after Malaysia’s Multi 21 incident. Towards the end of the race, Button – along with Rosberg (who by that time had well and truly fell from grace) – took a fourth pit stop, ending the battle with Perez.
The fighting on track did not stop however, with a resurgent Hamilton making up for a quiet start to the race, passing the aforementioned Perez and then setting out to get Mark Webber. Alonso also joined the fray of this battle, remarkably after the trials of his afternoon. Hamilton passed the Australian after an intense and interesting scrap, with Perez completing a more impressive than usual performance by doing the same on the final lap.
Thankfully, Pirelli decided to bring the more durable compounds to this race, and us fans were all the better off for it. The Bahrain Grand Prix was an absorbing affair, with many compelling battles throughout. The passing was not like last week in that tyres and DRS did not consistently provide a ridiculous advantage and as a result, the on track action was closer and more protracted. Sadly, we didn’t get a challenge for the lead at all, but overall the grand prix was entertaining.
Race Review: Chinese Grand Prix
image: (c)emperornie
Tyres are still the name of the game in Formula 1 at the moment. Saturday saw a strange and flawed qualifying session in which some teams in q3 simply evaluated that the benefits of a higher grid position paled in comparison to having free reign over fresh Pirelli rubber to start the race. The fans were left feeling slightly bewildered at what F1 has become, when some drivers and teams do not feel willing to compete for the fastest lap time there is surely something wrong with the world’s premier motorsport competition. Still, those who did go out in anger in the final qualifying session failed to keep up with a speedy Lewis Hamilton, who dominated the afternoon and took pole position in some style. His lap was something to behold, with his Mercedes absolutely planted – no doubt as a result of upgrades brought to China by the team.
Yet again, pre-race all anyone could talk about was the tyres, with debate growing over the relative merits of the opposing strategies. Is it better to start on the primes or the options? I for one desperately hoped it was the latter, to save qualifying as a spectacle being dead and buried for future races. Many, including myself, expected Raikkonen to be a strong factor and contender for the win in this race. However, after a poor start and getting stuck behind Hamilton (whom the Ferraris had passed) towards the end of the pathetically short first stint on the bubblegum soft tyres, he began to grow distant. Fernando Alonso, initially tagged by Hamilton, began picking his way through the traffic – towards the medium-tyred leaders in Hulkenberg, Vettel and Button. It soon became relatively clear that the soft-runners were not being slowed as much as expected by having to pass other cars, and hence the prospect of an Alonso win looked strong from very early on. The Spaniard looked even more likely to take Ferrari’s first win since Hockenheim 2012 after Hamilton’s Mercedes failed to give him the race pace needed to keep up, and also after Raikkonen lost a large component of his front wing in a collision with a careless Perez.
As the race progressed, it became clear that no-one else really had the pace to make themselves a realistic proposition for the win. Those who refrained from setting times in qualifying tried to eke out every lap from their primes, with Button ultimately being the only one who could manage a two stop. The Brit was however never really in contention in a mediocre Mclaren. Vettel too began to slip back and was eventually caught and passed by Alonso before he took to the pitlane for his compulsory set of the soft compound tyres. By this point, the podium was looking pretty well formed, with Raikkonen now ahead of Hamilton after pitting earlier for the final stint than the Mercedes driver. Having left the undesirable fragile rubber to cover the minimum distance possible, the likes of Button and Vettel were very quick at the close of the race, with the Mclaren driver overtaking Massa for fifth. Vettel also tried to make up positions and pushed Hamilton all the way to the line for that final position on the Chinese podium. It was perhaps not the most impressive week from Red Bull, but then this isn’t one of their favoured tracks – with the Shanghai circuit being front tyre limited. Although, in the race all over cars seemed to be lacking in comparison to the Ferrari in Alonso’s hands – perhaps the Lotus will have more to give when undamaged.
The statistics will say that there were multiple lead changes during the course of the race, and this on the face of it may cause some to say what a good race it was. However, in reality these changes were not dealt with on track – with two races effectively being run in parallel by the two groups of cars on opposing strategies, the vast majority of the “racing” on track simply had an obvious conclusion – that being a motorway-style pass in one of the ridiculously overpowered DRS zones. The FIA need to have a bit of a think in my opinion about whether, a – the DRS zones are too long, and b - whether it is really necessary to have two of them. The tyres were once again a bit too decisive – how much have I had to mention them above? Although, the tyres did give us a highly strategic race, which was interesting in its own right.
Race Review: Malaysian Grand Prix
Today’s Malaysian race certainly leaves much to discuss, and not all of it pretty for Formula 1. It was a race in which there were some truly exhilarating battles into the ever action-inducing turns one and two, but also a race in which far too much was determined through politics and priorities of the teams involved. The much maligned usage of team orders once again reared its ugly head in deciding the podium in its entirety. The events of the final few laps took something out of the enjoyment of the race, particularly when viewed in light of what has transpired post grand prix.
The afternoon began on intermediates, with plenty of jostling into the opening complex and an uncharacteristic error of judgement from Alonso – both in his collision and failure to pit, leading to an unnecessary retirement. Mark Webber had improved beyond expectation and lied second early in the race. With the Ferrari of Massa dropping down the order, it was left up to Mercedes to be the team to challenge the Red Bulls. This didn’t truly happen in the first stint, and it was left until the first round of pitstops for the order to be shaken up. With the track still on the edge of dry, Vettel was first to react in switching to medium tyres. He endured an eventful outlap in which he lost a significant amount of time being passed and re-passing the likes of the Mclarens and Force Indias as his cold tyres failed to give him sufficient adhesion in the moist sector 1.
This cost him the lead, and led to an intriguing stint as we neared the middle part of the race. Both of the quick looking Mercedes cars began to close in on the leading pair of Red Bulls. As Hamilton began to gain with each lap, Vettel was ever more being pushed into challenging his team mate, who seemed to be trying to manage the gap at the head of the field. This led to signs of friction which would only become more evident as the race progressed. Sebastian demanded that Mark be moved aside as he was too “slow”. The German seemed pretty oblivious to the ever apparent need to conserve the tyres – the reason why Webber was not as fast as the World champion wanted him to be. The Mercedes did not manage to pass the Red Bulls, but their strategy to “push 100%” in that critical stint had exerted substantial pressure on the leading pair that a crack formed that may well have been pivotal in Vettel’s ultimate disobedience later in the contest.
Hamilton came in for an early stop for new tyres at the end of the closest stint of the race between the two teams – this decision moved him ahead of Vettel temporarily before a critical lack of fuel forced him backwards into the clutches of team mate Nico Rosberg. As the Mercedes began to squabble, Vettel made his move towards Webber at the front. After playing the early pitstop card himself, Sebastian was lapping very close to the leader, Webber. The Australian was seemingly under the impression that he would not be challenged by the pursuing German – he believed that they would hold station (as apparently pre-agreed) until the checkered flag in light of the need to bring the cars, and 43 points, home. What Webber did not count on was Sebastian Vettel completely ignoring this plan. The German promptly turned up his engine, and made to overtake his startled team mate. After a compelling duel over the course of a couple of laps, the like of which is very seldom seen between two team mates, Webber seemed to give up the fight in dismay at the actions of the other Red Bull driver.
On the face of it, its difficult to say that Vettel didn’t have the speed and tyre longevity to outrace his teammate outright. However there is no doubt that Mark had much more pace available to him prior to the clash and in the end it felt a bit as though Vettel had taken an unfair advantage over his team mate who was simply following team instruction to preserve the car. The whole scenario just felt very messy and the post race fallout to the incident confirmed that it was indeed Red Bull’s intention to keep the cars in formation. Webber was clearly devastated at the result and it didn’t take too long for Sebastian to see the error of his ways, apologising for the ill-judged attack that has only led to worsen an already sour relationship with Webber. With the charging Rosberg choosing to obey his team’s commands to follow Lewis Hamilton over the line in fourth, F1 fans had more than one reason to quarrel today’s result.
To conclude, today we say a great race which had the shine taken off through several dubious examples of team management. The racing was close and constant throughout the race and thankfully the tyres were not AS decisive as last week in Australia. There was plenty of drama with Kimi’s race long battles and more Mclaren pit stop woes costing Button a large points haul. Overall, I felt it was a marginally better race than the season opener in which the bubblegum tyres were king, but this race will always be remembered for the intra-team antics which soured the result.
Race Review: Australian Grand Prix
We arrived in Australia with little clue as to which cars would be the front runners come Sunday afternoon. An intriguing Friday and a washout Saturday did little to clear this uncertainty, beyond the assertion that Red Bull – once more – were quick. Sunday brought clarity, with the aforementioned speedy RB9s taking a monopoly of the first row. Mercedes looked to have some pace throughout, with Hamilton ultimately taking the upper hand over Rosberg in the drying conditions. Ferrari were in the mix along with Lotus, however it was clear that once more, as is the situation in this era of Formula 1, race pace and tyre management would be crucial as to who would stand on the first podium of the season.
Five red lights extinguished to the sound of Mark Webber bogging down at the start yet again, being passed by the five cars that lined up behind him. This left Vettel to scamper away in his usual fashion, leaving the ever lightning quick starting Ferrari’s to do battle with the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton. At this point it all looked rather uniform, but surprisingly the race began to heat up. Massa valiantly held his second position ahead of teammate Alonso, and with team-orders nowhere to be seen this early on, the pair surged in formation up to the back of the supposedly dominant Red Bull. By this stage Raikkonen was past the Mercedes of Hamilton and began to join the trio at the front of the pack. The order remained constant for the rest of the stint.
It was Vettel first to pit, followed by the Ferraris and then the long running Mercedes (who were in an ill-fated attempt to race a two-stopper). In an interesting development, Adrian Sutil, who started on the medium compound, led the race into the second phase after not taking to the pits. Shockingly the German on the first race of his comeback was able to successfully hold up the triple champion and co, even pulling away slightly towards the end of the stint. Alonso was pitted earlier this time around, surely in an attempt by Ferrari to leapfrog both teammate Massa and Vettel. It worked superbly, with the Spaniard sliding past Sutil at turn 1, allowing him to create a large gap behind to his pursuers. A few cars including both the Mercedes and the Lotus of Kimi Raikkonen stayed out longer on the medium compound, hence leading at the midway stage.
The Lotus exhibited supreme tyre preservation to go with its solid pace, allowing Raikkonen to follow a two stop strategy. This was something his rivals were just not able to do. When Rosberg was eliminated through electrical issues, the lone Mercedes of Hamilton was left to, very capably, fight a losing battle against the trio of Alonso, Vettel and Massa, later conceding that his W04 could not emulate the E21 up front and thus chose to follow a three stop strategy for the remainder of the race. As the laps crept onwards, the Finn’s position at the head of the field became ever stronger, his medium tyres surviving ever longer on the bumpy Melbourne park roads. As the race drew to a close, despite Alonso’s best efforts – setting a string of fastest laps – it was clear that Raikkonen would not be caught, his pace never diminishing significantly.
Final Result:
Lotus come away from this entertaining Grand Prix stronger than they have ever looked before in the hands of a sublime Kimi Raikkonen. The rest of the field will surely be puzzled as to just how the E21 managed to extract so much from its tyres and will likely feel slightly concerned at just how they were so comprehensively outraced. For a race essentially won on a strategic call I felt there was plenty of great wheel-to-wheel racing. The race was however won and lost in the pitlane and on numerous tyre calls. This however was a thoroughly enjoyable opener to the 2013 season that was far from the dull Red Bull domination many predicted.
2013 testing mileage
Testing reached its conclusion today and the next time the 2013 F1 cars will run will be in FP1 in Melbourne in just under two weeks time. It therefore seems like a good time to look at what has gone by in testing over the last month or so. To do this, I have complied some data on the distance each 2013 car has covered over the course of the three tests in Spain.
Here is the testing mileage each team has put on their new machines:
|
Car |
Laps (Test1/Test2/Test3) |
Total Equivalent distance (km) |
|
Sauber C32 |
430/343/388 |
5306.845 |
|
Mercedes W04 |
322/335/481 |
5224.300 |
|
Ferrari F138 |
278/363/428 |
4913.085 |
|
Mclaren MP4-28 |
299/315/395 |
4629.020 |
|
Red Bull RB9 |
372/322/314 |
4607.800 |
|
Caterham CT03 |
318/294/373 |
4512.985 |
|
Toro Rosso STR8 |
330/329/325 |
4505.610 |
|
Force India VJM06 |
357/283/340 |
4480.865 |
|
Marussia MR02 |
220/241/338 |
3669.405 |
|
Lotus E21 |
272/247/252 |
3527.265 |
|
Williams FW35 |
0*/367/298 |
3095.575 |
*Williams completed 1474.52km in the 2012 car
Sauber have done very well in forming a car with reliability that defies its innovation and tight packaging around the sidepods – the C32 has been on track more than any other 2013 challenger. What’s interesting is just how well Mercedes have done to make up for lost ground due to unreliability in the first two days of testing, they lie second on overall mileage. Its also interesting to note just how much Lotus have suffered through their persistent issues. As a result of various breakdowns on the E21, they have done the least amount of testing of any team with the exception of Williams (who did not run their new car in the first Jerez test). The teams which Lotus wishes to compete with at the front have had far fewer issues. Ferrari, Mclaren and Red Bull have all clocked in excess of 4600km of testing and have generally had a much smoother ride this winter. Of course, it is not just the quantity of testing that is important, but the quality and we will see in Australia who has learned and improved the most from analysis of their collected data.
The warm-up to Formula One 2013
Over the past few weeks, we have seen each team unveil its 2013 challenger (with the exception of Williams who will launch their car soon at the next test). The vast majority of the cars looked like a direct evolution of their predecessor, with the changes becoming ever more subtle as we enter the fifth and final year of the current regulations. Because of this apparent lack of any huge alterations to the vehicles this year, many predicted that little would change at the front for 2013. With the first test having just finished in Jerez on Friday it looks as though these predictions may not be far from the truth. Mclaren, Red Bull, Lotus and, to a lesser extent, Ferrari all look to have prolonged the advantage in pace they had over the rest of the field from the end of last year. Of course, anything other than a general prediction would be foolish, given we are clueless as to what fuel loads each team was running on each of their runs.
We do however know that, for instance, Mclaren and Red Bull set their (very competitive) best times on the hard compound tyre and set similar pace to, for instance, Mercedes on the medium compound. This in reality may also be meaningless. The fact that some chose to operate primarily on the hard tyre, whilst some chose the medium tyre instead may in fact point towards more in-built properties of the cars themselves. For instance, Rosberg was complaining of understeer issues in his Mercedes, its possible that the car rode far better on the mediums than the hards. The opposite may well be true in the Mclarens and Red Bulls. The Jerez track was very abrasive and some teams simply felt the softer compound tyres would not allow any more than a few laps. Even in chilly temperatures of below 15 degrees Celsius the teams seemed to have no trouble getting heat into the hardest of tyres – this speaks measures of just how rough the Spanish track has become. With many of the teams keen to get some long runs done to obtain as much data as possible, the softer tyres were largely ignored. On said long runs, the story looks remarkably similar to last year. Red Bull’s long runs looked incredibly strong in terms of the fact that the drop off each lap was minimal. Ferrari too looked to have made a step forward – however it always was the qualifying that was the issue for the Maranello team last year as opposed to the race pace. Mercedes and Sauber were interesting to compare, particularly as they could well be fighting each other on track come the first race. The new W04 does not seem to have shaken the mediocre tyre wear rates of last year’s W03 – this could be an issue against a Sauber that seems to be moderately kind to its tyres at this stage. Of course, if 2012 taught us anything, its that in these early stages, understanding of the tyres is an ongoing thing and which team has the best grip, pun intended, on the tyres can change from week to week, from race to race. Obviously this understanding will be a crucial factor in the early season performance of each car. Perhaps this is another reason why we shouldn’t read too much into testing.
One thing that is however beyond obscurity in testing is of course reliability. On this front, Mclaren looked very much themselves with little issues like fuel pump failures plaguing them occasionally throughout the test. Aside from a breakdown on the final day which curtailed Pedro De la Rosa’s running, the Ferrari looked largely reliable – this is an area in which they of course excelled last year. After a disastrous Tuesday and Wednesday in which there was an electrical fire in the wiring loom and a rear brake failure respectively on the W04, Mercedes recovered very well to clock in excess of 1400km on the new car in the remaining, remarkably reliable two days. Others such as Sauber and Force India had their share of small problems as you’d expect – however the latter still managed to be the team with the most running. For reference, here is some data on the mileage of each car at the test:
| Team | Model | Total laps | Total distance (km) |
| Sauber | C32 | 430 | 1,904.04 |
| Red Bull | RB9 | 372 | 1,647.22 |
| Force India | VJM06 | 357 | 1,580.80 |
| Williams | FW34 | 333 | 1,474.52 |
| Toro Rosso | STR8 | 330 | 1,461.24 |
| Mercedes | W04 | 322 | 1,425.82 |
| Caterham | CT03 | 318 | 1,408.10 |
| Mclaren | MP4-28 | 299 | 1,323.97 |
| Ferrari | F138 | 278 | 1,230.98 |
| Lotus | E21 | 272 | 1,204.42 |
| Marussia | MR02 | 220 | 974.16 |
As usual then only the blurriest image of what we are likely to see in the season ahead can be taken away from the first test of the year. However, all the signs point to another close, and surely fascinating, series of races to look forward to in the coming months.
Final Standings of the 2012 Formula 1 Season
After a thrilling title finale in Brazil, reminiscent of the rain soaked affair in 2008, Sebastian Vettel clinched his 3rd driver’s championship. The Red Bull RB8 withstood a severe battering on the first lap in a collision with Williams’ Bruno Senna, which left Vettel in last place. Following subsequent retirements Fernando Alonso looked to be in with a chance of taking the title, but ultimately the German in the Red Bull managed to claw back the positions and points he needed to win the championship by just three points.
image:getty
Two Grand Prix in – How is the grid shaping up?
A level of dominance that had seldom been seen in recent times was achieved by a charging Red Bull team in 2011 and the question on many minds following the conclusion in Brazil was whether or not the chasing pack, in particular an all too underachieving Mclaren team, could finally reclaim the coveted number one position. A frantic few days of testing in the winter sun of mainland Spain did little to decipher the relative pace of the 2012 challengers. Lotus showed promise, Mclaren and Red Bull looked predictably strong, but this was after all just mere speculation – separating the sponsor pleasing glory-runs from genuine race ability was nigh on impossible with only laptimes on their own and not fuel loads. The final day at Catalunya promised much, all teams previewed as much of their Australia-spec cars as they dared. The net outcome was still inconclusive – bar a surprising lack of running from Vettel and Red Bull. The early season racing would provide many answers, yet also many questions. So, where do they stand after the opening duo of championship rounds.
Mclaren
On the sole two sets of data points we have so far, Mclaren seem to have created the most consistently quick car across all conditions. Supreme qualifying pace has been supplemented by consistent race speed – which, from the evidence thus far, seems only a very close second to that of Red Bull in dry conditions. The Mclarens have capitalised in this respect in a similar way to the Red Bulls of previous years – they are able to duly pull away at the starts and nurture a gap that is most of the time insurmountable to the opposition. Overall, aside from Button’s puzzling performance in the manic Malaysian GP the Woking-based team have a lot to be smiling about so far – most of all the notable muteness of Red Bull and a flustered Sebastian Vettel.
Red Bull
Red Bull look to be having their worst start to a season for a while. However, considering the utter dominance the outfit has enjoyed in the recent past, 2012 has by no means whatsoever been a disaster so far. While the double-WCCs may not be fully content with lying second to bitter rivals Mclaren, there remains reason for Horner and co to be optimistic at the 18 races that lay ahead. The RB-8 looks blisteringly quick on higher fuel loads and Webber has shown signs he has overcome his Pirelli-induced 2011 blip. It still remains the case that Red Bull have suffered more than most from the abolishment of the exhaust-blown diffuser – they will be relying on the genius of Newey now more than ever to ensure they earn their triple-crown. The defending champions leave the impression that there is more to come – hopefully this will mean a classic battle between F1′s two strongest teams.
Ferrari
Ferrari set off on their 2012 adventure looking to bring to an end their trend of decline. Each season in recent years has been more desperate and disappointing than the last. The tifosi were proving tolerant throughout what was a very dry period, but were beginning to demand improvement – the red cars had to start well. They didn’t. Uncomfortable rumours of a poor car in winter testing proved correct in a dismal first qualifying session with neither Ferrari into Q3. Since that ordeal it must be said the Maranello team have had stronger showings, making the case the car was not truly represented in that horrifying qualifying session, albeit only in the hands of a resurgent Fernando Alonso. The fortunate snatching of victory by said driver in round 2 may divert questioning eyes for now, but the pressure is still heavy on Ferrari’s shoulders to repeat the showing in more uniform conditions.
Mercedes
Mercedes have a car with a split personality. An innovative DRS-duct has made the W03 the second quickest car in qualifying, but their race pace has been dismally dire by contrast. A car that had the ability to qualify on the front row was being left to pick fights in the midfield during the race. This is all of course born out of the fact DRS is heavily restricted in the race and also that the Meredes has recorded quite poor tyre wear rates. The result is a car that performs much more favourably in qualifying conditions. Schumacher has yet to have a clean race and therefore his standing is difficult to judge. His teammate Rosberg has not been impressive even without those kind of obstructions - the way in which he slid miserably down the field during the Malaysian Grand Prix was rather shocking (many were simly waltzing around him efortlessly). These issues need to be ironed out before the huge pile of Mercedes investment money finally yields much needed results.
Lotus
Enstone has created another strong challenger with a fairly limited budget in comparison to the likes of Red Bull, Mclaren and Ferrari. The hiring of Kimi Raikkonen, whose commitment was widely questioned pre-season, has been vindicated wholeheartedly. The cool Finn has lead Lotus to a string of good early results while teammate Grojean has suffered a challenging re-adjustment. A succession of small errors beyond control of the team have hindered their point-scoring thus far, but at the moment it looks promising. Lotus’ season will surely depend on whether they can defy last year’s drop off in pace towards the end of the season, the team look to have a new lease of life unbound by the shackles of a difficult front exhaust configuration.
The rest of the field
Sauber - An advance on last year has been evident so far, the promising performance in Malaysia shows they have a versatile and capable car in the hands of exciting drivers. Sauber could upset many teams larger than them in 2012.
Force India - Year-on-year the team continue to go up in the championship standings. In 2012 the midfield is tightly packed and it may be difficult for the team to progress, but with a consistent car and a stronger driver line up, anything is possible.
Williams - The team’s worst performance of all time in 2011 left plenty of room for improvement and that is exactly what they have done. A maturing Maldonado could lead the historic team to a more satisfing year. They will certainly be in contention to win the midfield battle.
Torro Rosso - The harsh double sacking of last years drivers was strongly criticized by all but Ricciard ond Vergne have so far given some great results. Whether or not the package is strong enough to truly challenge in the midfield has yet to be seen.
Caterham - Testament to just how difficult it is to start from scratch in F1, Caterham, the best of the “new” teams have once again failed to join the midfield. Could a lonely year of running await?
Marussia - Little or no improvement by Marussia so far despite the change in ownership. How long will it be before Timo Glock (and the investors) get bored?
HRT - Failing to qualify in Australia was not on the agenda for the much ridiculed outfit. They look to once again be aiming for single high finishes in freak circumstances that could allow them to avoid last position again.
2012 looks to be an intriguing prospect. The battle we so craved right at the front is seemingly coming into fruition and the midfield looks unbelievably tight – what a classic year this could be.
