Formula 1 2012: General Discussion Thread

11811

Jordan 191 wrote: »

And there is also the mental issue imo. I think once a driver is in a serious accident, their speed is blunted and I don't think they can push their cars to the limit anymore.

This is a good point. Look at Massa after his incident, hasn't been the driver he once was.

Its a pity but I don't think he'll make it back to F1, surely not having one of your arms at 100% would be a massive hindrance...

Jordan 199

11811 wrote: »

This is a good point. Look at Massa after his incident, hasn't been the driver he once was.

Its a pity but I don't think he'll make it back to F1, surely not having one of your arms at 100% would be a massive hindrance...

Same happened with Alessandro Nannini in 1990 when he had his right forearm was severed. It did heal, but it wasn't the same. He ended up in touring cars and GT where he had success.

If Kubica does return to motor racing, he might end up in touring cars or GT racing or something along those lines.

Glico Man

LIGHTNING wrote: »

That said modern F1 cars have power steering and have paddleshift. If you really really wanted to you could accomidate a driver with one arm. That said it could make things tricky like if you needed to get out of the car in a hurry.

Give him an ejector seat

I drove karts with a badly sprained wrist for 6 weeks many a moon ago. I do realise of course having a near severed arm is worse, but it was still ok to drive. A bit painful afterwards as the adrenaline stops flowing and the muscles start to twinge but it was fine.

Jordan 199

Does anyone think he could make an appearance in the latter half of the season depending on his fitness of course. Perhaps he might get a chance at Lotus if Grosjean fails to deliver this year.

Glico Man

Jordan 191 wrote: »

Does anyone think he could make an appearance in the latter half of the season depending on his fitness of course. Perhaps he might get a chance at Lotus if Grosjean fails to deliver this year.

He'll more than likely be given opportunities to test for the team. And as you say, if Grosjean isn't driving well and if Kubica is fit enough to drive, then I'd see him going straight in.

Kimi and Kubica... some team there

Jordan 199

aaronh007 wrote: »

He'll more than likely be given opportunities to test for the team. And as you say, if Grosjean isn't driving well and if Kubica is fit enough to drive, then I'd see him going straight in.

Kimi and Kubica... some team there

At a minimum he should at least be testing before the end of the year. If he doesn't he could be forgotten about as teams might not be interested in him anymore.

Cool_CM

Interesting story involving Sutil and a Renault executive:

BBC wrote:

F1 driver Sutil to stand trial over nightclub fracas

Former Force India driver Adrian Sutil is to stand trial in Germany over an incident in China which left the owner of another Formula One team injured.

The German driver is charged with causing grievous bodily harm in the incident involving Renault F1 executive Eric Lux, who suffered cuts.

Mr Sutil has issued an apology over the incident, which happened in a Shanghai nighclub last April.

Prosecutors are requesting a year's suspended sentence for Mr Sutil.

Munich court spokeswoman Ingrid Kaps said two trial days had been set - 30 and 31 January.

Both Mr Lux and Mr Sutil were among guests at a party to celebrate Lewis Hamilton's victory at the China Grand Prix in Shanghai last April.

Mr Sutil's manager told reporters that the driver was looking forward to seeing the truth of the incident come out in court.

The Renault team has since been renamed Lotus. Force India have already announced Germany's Nico Hulkenberg as Mr Sutil's replacement.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16552069

amacachi

Looks like Sutil didn't play the politics too well.

stevemac

Its meant to have cost him a chance at a Williams seat.

antodeco

Has anyone been to the Valencia street curcuit? Any good for spectators?

rua1972

Jordan 191 wrote: »

And there is also the mental issue imo. I think once a driver is in a serious accident, their speed is blunted and I don't think they can push their cars to the limit anymore.

The crash Kubica had in Canada didnt really effect him and it wasn't a small crash.
Hakkinenen was put in a coma after his crash in adelaide and he went on to become worldchampion.
It depends on the driver i guess how one comes back from a big crash. With Kubica the longer his recovery takes the further he gets from a drive in F1. I don't know if he still has a contract for this year or if there was only an option for 2012.

frostie500

rua1972 wrote: »

With Kubica the longer his recovery takes the further he gets from a drive in F1. I don't know if he still has a contract for this year or if there was only an option for 2012.

He's out of contract

Jordan 199

rua1972 wrote: »

It depends on the driver i guess how one comes back from a big crash.

I agree with that.

amacachi

It's going to vary massively from crash to crash and driver to driver but I can personally see how a situation like Massa's could be worse than Kubica's in Canada. It was a big crash but he wasn't too hurt so that's reassuring. It was an avoidable crash as he was in tight traffic whereas with Massa it was a complete fluke. It must be really hard getting into a car knowing that even without any mistake from you or another driver you almost died.

cocalolaman

antodeco wrote: »

Has anyone been to the Valencia street curcuit? Any good for spectators?

I've never been. But i've unfortunatly watched every race on telly. It currently has to be the worst race of the season imo. Very little action has ever taken place there.

antodeco

cocalolaman wrote: »

antodeco wrote: »

Has anyone been to the Valencia street curcuit? Any good for spectators?

I've never been. But i've unfortunatly watched every race on telly. It currently has to be the worst race of the season imo. Very little action has ever taken place there.

Balls. Might leave it and goto Monza!

Jordan 199

stevemac wrote: »

Its meant to have cost him a chance at a Williams seat.

I guess we have to wait for the court case to be out of the way to see what Williams will do.

I also think that Williams will take Senna and Sutil to testing and see which driver performs the best before choosing which driver will take the second seat.

amacachi

Ficus wrote: »

I would think that Sutil is too risky to give seat time to if he is looking at a prison sentence.
Anyway, im led to believe Williams are set to announce Senna before the end of the week.

Prosecutors are looking for a one-year suspended sentence, that's the likely max he could possibly get unless he ****s on a table in the court or something.

Carroller16

cocalolaman wrote: »

I've never been. But i've unfortunatly watched every race on telly. It currently has to be the worst race of the season imo. Very little action has ever taken place there.

I am going to Valencia this year. My sisters wedding is on in Malaga on the Wednesday before so me and my nephew are flying up there on the Saturday for our first Grand Prix.

Hopefully there will be a drastic change in the amount of action. I'm sitting just at the turn before the bridge on the right hand side as the drivers approach the turn before the bridge. Anybody know if these are decent seats?

h3000

Senna got the Williams seat

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/formula_one/16587505.stm

Brazilian Bruno Senna has signed to drive for Williams in 2012.

The move means the 28-year-old is joining the team for which his uncle Ayrton Senna was driving when he was killed in 1994.

He was preferred to veteran countryman Rubens Barrichello for the position and will partner Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado.

Senna impressed sporadically after being drafted in by the Renault team in the final races of last season.

His only other experience of F1 is spending the 2010 season with the struggling HRT team.

Barrichello, who will be 40 this year, had been hoping to extend his F1 career into a 20th season but Williams preferred to go for the promise and potential of Senna rather than Barrichello's proven pace and experience.

There was support among some sections of the Williams team for Barrichello keeping the drive, on the basis that he is a proven talent and because of his renowned technical expertise.

However, sources close to Williams say the relationship between the driver and the team's management soured over time as a result of the slide in the team's results.

Williams had the worst season in their history in 2011 and are in the middle of a rebuilding process, with a new technical director, chief aerodynamicist and chief engineer, and some in the team felt they could benefit from continuity of drivers and Barrichello's experience.

The only remaining free seat in F1 for 2012 is the second HRT alongside veteran Spaniard Pedro de la Rosa.

But Barrichello is considered unlikely to want to drive for the back-of-the-grid Spanish team.

Veteran Italian Jarno Trulli's tenure at Caterham - who raced as Lotus last year - is also believed to be insecure, but Russian Vitaly Petrov, who drove for Renault in 2010 and 2011, is tipped to get that seat.

cocalolaman

Carroller16 wrote: »

I am going to Valencia this year. My sisters wedding is on in Malaga on the Wednesday before so me and my nephew are flying up there on the Saturday for our first Grand Prix.

Hopefully there will be a drastic change in the amount of action. I'm sitting just at the turn before the bridge on the right hand side as the drivers approach the turn before the bridge. Anybody know if these are decent seats?

Turn 8? You might get some overtakes there. Before the corner is basically a slightly curved straight where someone might get alongside another if they get a better run out of turn 5. You'll get a better chance of some action there than some other corners though. Just dont expect much.

marco2068

h3000 wrote: »

Senna got the Williams seat

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/formula_one/16587505.stm

well if they are keeping Maldonado they may as well stay at home. It just shows i suppose how bad they are financially. If they had any sence sutil would have got the seat and they could have kept Maldonado on the long finger.

Charlie-Bravo

58 days till First Practice and counting....

I noticed I've been suffering withdrawal symtoms over the last few weeks. You know when you're on the road driving through a 50kph zone in second gear, high revs, waiting for the 100kph sign and then flooring it to get up to speed again. Then while in slow moving traffic thinking about serving the car left and right to keep then heat in your tyres....

Top Dog

So its looking like curtains for Rubens then?

Should have taken Massa's advice!

vectra

marco2068 wrote: »

well if they are keeping Maldonado they may as well stay at home. It just shows i suppose how bad they are financially. If they had any sence sutil would have got the seat and they could have kept Maldonado on the long finger.

Sutil could well be in prison for the 2012 season..They needed someone that would be in the seat with a wad of cash I guess

Jordan 199

marco2068 wrote: »

well if they are keeping Maldonado they may as well stay at home. It just shows i suppose how bad they are financially. If they had any sence sutil would have got the seat and they could have kept Maldonado on the long finger.

They do need Maldonado's money for sure. Williams lost an awful lot of sponsors from 2005 onwords, and big ones at that. HP left in 2005, FedEx went to McLaren in around 2007 and Philips left in 2010.

Bruno Senna is bringing Embratel and other sponsors with him to Williams.

Top Dog wrote: »

So its looking like curtains for Rubens then?

I don't see Rubens being on the grid this year.

smellslikeshoes

Ficus wrote: »

Isnt it odd that we have a Senna in a Williams Renault again?

Senna name definitely has unfinished business at Williams. Really hope they can finally stop the rot this year, sad to see a once great team at the tail end.

Jordan 199

smellslikeshoes wrote: »

Senna name definitely has unfinished business at Williams. Really hope they can finally stop the rot this year, sad to see a once great team at the tail end.

I read in Autosport that Williams are hoping to make a significant improvement this year. Getting through to Q3 in qualifying, finishing in the top 10 in races and consistently scoring points.

I do think they will improve this year, but I don't think it will be a significant. It will be a step in the right direction though.

Glico Man

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Well they certainly cant get any worse! You would almost cycle around the track quicker than last years car :pac:

Just watch out for Maldonado... might side swipe you

Jordan 199

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Well they certainly cant get any worse! You would almost cycle around the track quicker than last years car :pac:

I'd say Williams biggest threat this year will come from Caterham. It's their third season in the sport now and they need to start scoring points. They have no excuses now as they have an excellent designer, Renault engines and a healthy budget.

I see Williams, Caterham and Torro Rosso scrapping for the lower points.