2012 Formula One Discussion

[reppo]

Petrov has sponsors. Maybe he has money to wreck the car couple of times. Anyway I'm glad to see him on the grid again

[phil1993]

Petrov needs to iron out his mistakes. Working with Caterham could be positive for both parties.

[reppo]

http://www.f1zone.net/news/toro-rosso-t ... son/12351/

Tost said Red Bull will only be looking for a driver with the ‘wow-effect’ to replace Webber, so 2013 could be too soon for Australian Ricciardo,
or the French rookie Vergne

Ricciardo and Vergne better to start study this then:

Brief Description:

There are a number of things you can do to WOW your customers and force them into the sale. This resource reveals 70 highly effective, tested methods to give all your sites and sales offers the WOW factor.

Estimated Retail Value: $17

Fisichella did a 'wow-effect' in Spa 2009 driving Force India to P2 after Kimi. Then he went to Ferrari to spoil his reputation and haven't been driving in F1 after 2009.

[phil1993]

I'm writing a feature this avo and I hope you guys agree with me on this - pay drivers nowadays are more 'nationalistic' pay drivers. Ie, like Perez, Petrov, Maldonado - they are being used to represent a country rather than their own personal glory

[reppo]

I'm writing a feature this avo and I hope you guys agree with me on this - pay drivers nowadays are more 'nationalistic' pay drivers. Ie, like Perez, Petrov, Maldonado - they are being used to represent a country rather than their own personal glory

Agreed. One reason could be Bernie's ambitions like in Russia

[sleenster]

Pretty lame move by Caterham, IMO. Especially since Trulli was testing the car in Jerez last week. Whatever happened to them priding themselves on the fact that they didn't have any pay drivers?

[Ferrariman60]

Jarno Trulli not having a seat is a loss to F1.

He might not have been a frontrunner in recent years, but his presence on the grid has been wonderful.

I'm afraid Petrov has only been given the seat because of the Russian GP coming up. I hope Trulli is able to find a position in a top team like Lotus, McLaren, or Ferrari like Giancarlo Fisichella did. His experience is invaluable.

[François]

I disagree with you guys. Trulli's F1 career is behind him, it has been quite obvious in his two-year spell at Lotus/Caterham. He had been in F1 since 1997 and has driven for Minardi, Prost, Jordan, Renault, Toyota, Caterham... I would say he peaked around 2004-2005, with strings of podiums, good results and a well-deserved Monaco GP victory (I reckon he was the net leader anyway when his opponents eliminated themselves). Overall it seems he never quite managed to put a whole season together, being a consistently excellent qualifier but not always finding the same speed in the actual races. Anyway, you gotta hang up the keys at some point... when you're known as a good qualifier and outqualified 16-2 by your teammate over a whole season, get a clue. Jarno needed a bit of help on that one but he eventually did.

As for the choice of Petrov... let's just assume they needed the money and couldn't afford Sutil. Obviously I'm not a fan but the guy definitely has some speed... albeit inconsistently. A bit of a gamble, let's hope for the sake of the team that he doesn't cost them more money for repairs than his sponsorship brings.

[phil1993]

I pretty much agree with François. 2011 was woeful for Jarno, he just looked lost. He used to be utterly sensational over one lap, while his drive in Japan 2009 was brilliant.

Anyway, here is said article on nationalism and F1
http://www.f1zone.net/news/the-national ... one/12381/

[tderias]

According to Stirling Moss, Vettel is the modern day Fangio:
http://www.planetf1.com/driver/18227/75 ... as-Vettel-

Someone's getting a bit ahead of himself or?

[phil1993]

No, I believe Vettel is one of the greatest of all time. 21 wins, 2 titles and he isn't even 25 yet. Granted, he has had favourable machinery but the way he has utilised it has been astonishing.

Moss is entitled to his opinion, and he's usually pretty spot on.

[donald29]

I often disagree with Moss actually, particularly on his view that motorsport is too safe.

But given before he seemingly only ever said no one is as good as Fangio, this is not a comment to be taken lightly. And he's right, Vettel is exceptional.

[tderias]

Really... Fangio? isn't that a bit too far? I mean Vettel has done great things at his young age, but is he now an equivalent of a 5-time world champion, who was racing at a time when driving an F1 car was the closest thing to committing suicide?

I'm not taking anything away from Seb. It takes skill to milk the most out of what you got, and he has succeeded in doing so, besides the fact that he's such a lovable guy, top bloke. But comparing him to Fangio, who was famously idolized by Ayrton Senna (and that's saying something), is just pushing it in my honest opinion.

[donald29]

Re-reading my post the day after it comes across as too much in agreement with Moss. I agree that Vettel is exceptional, but to directly compare him with Fangio is a bit much.

[phil1993]

I'll look into it in the season preview, but this year will define Vettel. A season like 2011 and he can be put on a par with Senna et al.