Gran Premio de España Santander 2012

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Who will win the 2012 Gran Premio de España?

Sebastian Vettel
1
2%
Lewis Hamilton
12
27%
Mark Webber
3
7%
Jenson Button
1
2%
Fernando Alonso
6
14%
Nico Rosberg
1
2%
Kimi Raikkonen
16
36%
Romain Grosjean
0
No votes
Other driver
4
9%
 
Total votes: 44

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iceman1
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Gran Premio de España Santander 2012

Post by iceman1 » 04 May 2012, 20:07

Image



Image

Catalunya Info
Race Date: 13 May 2012
Circuit Name: Circuit de Catalunya
Number of Laps: 66
Circuit Length: 4.655 km
Race Distance: 307.104 km
Lap Record: 1:21.670 - K Raikkonen (2008)
The Formula One teams are no strangers to Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya; not only have they raced there every year since 1991, they also conduct extensive testing at the venue.

Familiarity does not, however, lessen the challenge for car or driver. Barcelona's mix of high and low-speed corners, plus its abrasive and rather bumpy track surface, makes for a physically and mechanically taxing race. Tyre wear is particularly high and the varying winds that cut across the circuit mean an optimum set-up can be hard to find.

For spectators Elf corner is among the best places to watch, as it is one of the track's few overtaking opportunities. For the drivers it is the final two turns, known collectively as New Holland, which provide one of the biggest challenges of the season. A fast exit is essential in order to maximise speed down the start-finish straight into Elf.

2012 marks the 22nd time Barcelona has hosted the Spanish Grand Prix. Michael Schumacher has been the most successful driver at the circuit, with a total of six victories. Among the other current drivers, Kimi Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button, Mark Webber and Felipe Massa have all won there.
Past winners:
2011 - S. Vettel (Red Bull)
2010 - M. Webber (Red Bull)
2009 - J. Button (Brawn)
2008 - K. Raikkonen (Ferrari)
2007 - F. Massa (Ferrari)
2006 - F. Alonso (Renault)

Past pole sitters:
2011 - M. Webber (Red Bull)
2010 - M. Webber (Red Bull)
2009 - J. Button (Brawn)
2008 - K. Raikkonen (Ferrari)
2007 - F. Massa (Ferrari)
2006 - F. Alonso (Renault)

Animation Lap of the Circuit


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François
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Re: Gran Premio de España Santander 2012

Post by François » 05 May 2012, 09:18

I'll tip Räikkönen to go one better than in Bahrain. A close fight at the front between Lotus, RBR and McLaren, then Mercedes and Ferrari leading the chasing pack.

Any chance of rain? I don't recall seeing a wet Spanish GP since the late 90's or so.
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hamilton10000
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Re: Gran Premio de España Santander 2012

Post by hamilton10000 » 05 May 2012, 12:10

François wrote:I'll tip Räikkönen to go one better than in Bahrain. A close fight at the front between Lotus, RBR and McLaren, then Mercedes and Ferrari leading the chasing pack.

Any chance of rain? I don't recall seeing a wet Spanish GP since the late 90's or so.
http://f1weather.com/ this website has weather forecast for every race like they used to on autosport live. check on Monday afternoon for first forecast then thursday, friday and saturday

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phil1993
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Re: Gran Premio de España Santander 2012

Post by phil1993 » 06 May 2012, 14:56

Prix-view*
http://www.f1zone.net/news/spanish-gran ... iew/13796/

*Also tweeted by the Official Circuit de Catalunya profile. Therefore it is essential to be read. :O

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Re: Gran Premio de España Santander 2012

Post by cformula1 » 06 May 2012, 16:31

Expecting Lotus and RBR to be strong, with McLaren and (to a lesser extent) Mercedes not far behind, and Ferrari, Sauber and Force India fighting it out in the upper midfield.
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reppo
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Re: Gran Premio de España Santander 2012

Post by reppo » 06 May 2012, 18:38

If it is warm, Mercedes can do well. Could be 27-31C
http://www.spanishweather.net/weather.a ... t=Valencia

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Re: Gran Premio de España Santander 2012

Post by iceman1 » 06 May 2012, 18:40

Sauber team did a pretty good video explaining the circuit



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79rN4UxAPes

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Eric_Cartman
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Re: Gran Premio de España Santander 2012

Post by Eric_Cartman » 06 May 2012, 22:17

reppo wrote:If it is warm, Mercedes can do well. Could be 27-31C
http://www.spanishweather.net/weather.a ... t=Valencia
Mercedes needs cold temperatures like in China.
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Re: Gran Premio de España Santander 2012

Post by mileso » 07 May 2012, 02:37

Great Sauber video iceman. Thanks!

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Suomileijona
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Re: Gran Premio de España Santander 2012

Post by Suomileijona » 07 May 2012, 09:15

Guys, thank you very much for the info! :) :thumbsup:

hamilton10000
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Re: Gran Premio de España Santander 2012

Post by hamilton10000 » 07 May 2012, 10:31

just read a early weather forecast dry and sunny friday and saturday then a chance of a shower or heavy downpour during the gp but this is very likely to change

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reppo
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Re: Gran Premio de España Santander 2012

Post by reppo » 07 May 2012, 13:17

Eric_Cartman wrote:
reppo wrote:If it is warm, Mercedes can do well. Could be 27-31C
http://www.spanishweather.net/weather.a ... t=Valencia
Mercedes needs cold temperatures like in China.
Oh yeah, you are right. My memory is doing tricks :blink: China was cold, not warm. Not so good for Mercedes then. I'll promise, one day I'll start also reading what I'm writing :p

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phil1993
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Re: Gran Premio de España Santander 2012

Post by phil1993 » 07 May 2012, 13:26

Mercedes has a very narrow operating window. If it is too cold, like in Malaysia, the tyres will not work. If it is too hot, like in Australia, they get too much degradation. A lot of teams need either cooler or warmer conditions, but Mercedes have a window where they work perfectly. That's what they had in China.

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majidasadi
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Re: Gran Premio de España Santander 2012

Post by majidasadi » 07 May 2012, 13:54

Mercedes has all the ingredients necessary for winning championship, they just cannot make them work together, in their case it's like: 2+2=3!
A craven can be as brave as any man, when there is nothing to fear. And we all do our duty, when there is no cost to it. How easy it seems then, to walk the path of honor.

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Re: Gran Premio de España Santander 2012

Post by iceman1 » 07 May 2012, 17:17

Brundle analyzed the whole situation :lol:

Spanish GP. Red Bull domination returns? Ferrari to make big gains? Can Lotus really win? Mercedes easy on tyres? McLaren back on top form?

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