Fan Formula Awards 2012

Favourite Race: European Grand Prix (Valencia)

It was a very close contest between this and Brazil, but I went for Valencia because it was arguably the most exciting dry race we had all season. 

And for it being the first recorded instance of an exciting race at Valencia.

Joking aside though, it had everything Brazil had apart from the rain. Cars going off, breakdowns, overtaking, and the best driver of the season won when the car was still pretty terrible. It summed up what a crazy season it's been.

Favourite win: Pastor Maldonado (Spain)

Even though I'm not a fan of Pastor per se, it was great to see a driver get their first win and Williams' first since 2004. And on Frank Williams' 70th birthday to boot. Only overshadowed by the fire in the garages afterwards, but even that showed the true spirit of the sport.

Most enjoyable overtake: Fernando Alonso on Felipe Massa and Mark Webber (Brazil)

Taking two cars at once into the Senna S, in very tricky conditions, in what was far from the best car in the field, can only be yet another reason why people are naming Alonso as the driver of the season. Magnifique!

Favorite Quote of the Season: "Leave me alone, I know what I'm doing!" (Kimi Raikkonen, Abu Dhabi)

Nothing more needs to be said really. You know a quote is good when it's immortalised as a t-shirt slogan.

Favourite VT: BBC's 2012 Season in Review

The arguments about the BBC's commitment to Formula 1 since the coverage split are still going on, but there's no denying that they can still make a VT that tugs at the heartstrings. It keeps the focus on the key moments, while not going overboard with the funny moments from Jake, DC and Eddie. It feels very final; shots of tracks and their lingering fans in the sunset, and the teams packing away equipment, are very well edited, and filming artist Nikki Douthwaite making a portrait of Vettel from dots of Formula 1-themed newspaper cuttings was a clever touch. But it's the use of Alistair Griffin's 'Always Number 1' that I think adds to the poignancy the most, emphasising the feeling that we might never witness a season like this again. I'll admit that it did make me tear up a bit!

Most Shocking Moment of the Season: Maria de Villota's test crash

I think everyone was shocked when they heard how seriously Maria had been injured in the test at Duxford back in July. As soon as you see the words 'life-threatening injuries', nothing other than them pulling through matters.  This more than anything else this season brought home the fact that motorsport is still dangerous. We hope that Maria keeps on her remarkable path to recovery.

Naughty Boy of the Year: Romain Grosjean/Pastor Maldonado

Couldn't really mention one without the other here, for obvious reasons! Hopefully Pastor will keep on his calm and collected streak, and Romain will develop his spacial awareness more. Because they're both clearly very fast drivers, and although the controversies surrounding them added to the excitement of the season, it's not nice to see a lot of penalties in every other race.

Most Emotional Moment: Vettel in last place after being hit (Brazil)

A moment of despair for a Red Bull fan, and in the midst of the whole bar we were in cheering wildly, I honestly thought it was all over after this happened. My initial thought at the time was, "so this is what Fernando felt like back in 2010...". The next 2 hours were spent nervously drumming the table and keeping tabs on Seb's progress through the field, and a massive sigh of relief when he finally came across the line a triple world champion. Nerve-wracking stuff.

Most Hilarious Moment: Kimi Raikkonen getting lost (Brazil) and High Five Fail (USA)

Couldn't really separate these two, as I've never heard a whole room howl with laughter as much as when these two things happened. Kimi trying to find the gate back to the track gave way to this brilliant parody video, and the VIPs epic fail has been GIF'd for everyone's viewing pleasure.

Most Breathtaking Moment: THAT first-corner crash (Belgium)

If anything, I think this made us even more thankful than we already are, that Formula 1 cars are strong enough to withstand an impact like that these days. I was watching the race at the pub with some friends, and the emotions went from shock > fear > anxiety > relief in the space between the crash starting, to everyone involved being safely out of their cars. It literally took our breath away and left us in an uneasy silence. Definitely the scariest moment of 2012, and we were damn lucky that no-one was seriously injured.

On The Road: 2012 British Grand Prix

I did mean to write this up as soon as I got back, but various things have got in the way - not to mention having to put myself on the radiator for a few days to dry out... but better late than never, and the few months break has given me time to really think through how the weekend went. It's going to be written in the standard Fan Formula layout for the On The Road posts, so here you are - my review of the 2012 British Grand Prix!

Why Silverstone?

Originally I'd planned to go to the Spanish Grand Prix, but when plans for that fell through, using the money saved to buy an expensive ticket for Silverstone seemed like the best alternative. With the way this season has been so unpredictable, everyone thought we were going to see the true pace of the teams, as the weather forecasts at the time were predicting sun all weekend (how wrong they were...!).

And it's a cliché, but Silverstone feels like home. There's a really positive vibe, which can't even be dampened by the weather, and everyone is extremely friendly and respectful of each other regardless of what team or driver they support. Where else are you going to find Mexican waves transcending three grandstands to fill up a delay, or a massive mud-sliding competition after the race? The racing almost seems like an add-on compared to the fun you'll have!

Did you meet anyone in particular?

Unless you're very lucky to win a pit lane/paddock pass at the competitions they put on at the Luffield Stage, or get close to the pit wall after invading the track at the end of the race, it's nigh on impossible to meet any of the drivers or other famous faces. Security is extremely tight and you'll be caught very quickly if you try to sneak in anywhere. A pit walk on the Thursday, like most other races have, would be a welcome addition (though you can get in, if you're lucky - more on that later). However, the Grand Prix After-Party, held at the Luffield Stage, goes a long way to make up for this. If you're prepared to leave your place before the end of the race (there's a big screen there, so you won't miss anything), get a spot near the front and take the full brunt of any bad weather, then you're rewarded with live music and interviews with a lot of the drivers:

 

What about the cost?

It'll be as expensive as you want to make it. You can do Silverstone on a budget, if you go General Admission and bring your own food. But prices for grandstand tickets, and on-track catering in particular, are high. Prices for a bacon roll or burger were averaging £5, £8 for fish and chips, £2 for a tea/coffee and £3 for a pint of lager, although you have Chinese, Thai, Italian and Spanish cuisine to add variety and it's all good quality. I bought a 3-day ticket with a reserved, front-row seat for Sunday in the temporary Luffield Complex grandstand, for £285. Which is expensive, but proved to be a good choice, despite its lack of cover. We got to see Pastor Maldonado bump Sergio Perez off the track, and it was also the place where Mark Webber passed Fernando Alonso for the win! It's a shame they're not going to build it for 2013, as it gave great views and plenty of opportunity to take photographs due to the corners here being slow.

Camping was £60 for 5 nights at Silverstone's official campsite, Woodlands, which is great value for money. Food and drink are track prices but very tasty, and you have plenty to keep you occupied, with an on-site pub and various bands and DJs playing throughout the weekend. The Wimbledon tennis final was also shown on a big screen in The Big Top, which proved very popular. Although the campsite is divided into zones, it doesn't really matter which you choose unless you have a campervan or motorhome, where you're automatically assigned.  The campsite operates a tractor shuttle from various bus stops, so you can pitch up in the furthest Quiet Zone and be taken to the track entrance in about 10 minutes. Having said this, the Lively zones weren't overly rowdy and there were plenty of children staying in them - but if live music until 1am and shouts of 'IAN!' in the middle of the night aren't your cup of tea, you may want to try somewhere a bit quieter.

What advice would you give to others?

1) Pack for dry and wet weather, dress in layers and bring a good pair of walking shoes - Silverstone is a huge place and distances between grandstands are large, so you'll be doing a lot of walking. There's also a very cold wind due to the lack of trees, so dress in layers or the cold will get to you, especially if a session is delayed like this year. And as it's Britain, the weather changes constantly - one minute you'll be perishing in the mud and pouring rain, the next you'll be getting sunburn, and often you'll get soaked and sunburnt at the same time!

2) Don't be shy - wear your team/driver colours and be proud of it, you won't be bashed for who you support! You may be teased if whoever you support isn't doing well (especially if you're a Ferrari or Red Bull fan), but it's all in good humour and never nasty. Take advantage of the friendliness of the Silverstone fans and get chatting to those around you, you'll make friends in no time.

3) Plan what you want to see and do - there's so much going on during the weekend that it can get a bit overwhelming. A few days or weeks before you go, sit down and decide what you want to get out of your visit. If you want to take lots of photos, head to slower corners like Vale and Luffield, where you'll have more chance of getting a clear shot of the cars. If you just want to see as much of the track as you can, the Woodcote grandstands let you see the cars for nearly half the lap, from the Wellington Straight into Copse. And if you want to really appreciate how fast the cars can go, watch from Abbey and Maggots/Becketts complex; the speed at which the cars can change direction going through these corners is mind-boggling.

4) Stick around after the race - not everyone can do this, but if you're going for the weekend, stay on Sunday night. The vast majority of the campsites don't close until midday Monday, and the traffic straight after the race is horrendous. There's still plenty to do, the after-party being one thing, but you can also pick up teamwear and mementos from the F1 Village on the old Bridge corner, and even walk the track. I'd definitely recommend walking the track, because you could get more than you bargained for - while on the start-finish straight this year, the pit gates were opened to let the teams' forklifts in, and they allowed the fans in for a while! It was brilliant to get so close to the garages and see how all the packing up worked, and the mechanics are more than happy to have a chat if you don't disturb their work. 

You can see more driver interviews from the after-party in my Youtube playlist, and lots more photos in my imgur album. If you have any more questions about the race, you can get in touch via my Twitter account above or in the comments. Hope you enjoyed it!

Crazy Canada

Firstly, apologies for this being nearly a week late. Things happening at home meant that I couldn't get this entry ready in time to publish it in conjunction with the video going online. I've published it as a double-bill with this week's answers though, so enjoy!


One of my favourite races of the year certainly lived up to expectations. Realistically it wasn't going to top last year, and it did lull a little in the middle of the race (maybe we should start calling this phase of the race "no-man's land"?), but the end more than made up for it. And I must admit, I did get emotional when I saw Lewis driving back to parc ferme with the Union flag in his hand...

© LAT Photographic

Q1) With Grosjean and Perez both claiming spots on the podium this weekend, do you believe that they are the best of the new crop of young drivers?

A: Up to now, definitely. Grosjean especially has really impressed me - I thought Kimi would be whipping him this year, but he's proven that when he can stay out of trouble he's got brilliant pace. Perez, meanwhile, seems to be the only driver on the grid that can make the Pirelli tyres work to his liking to some extent, letting him gamble with the conservative strategies that he's become famous for. If Grosjean can become more consistent with his results and Perez can improve his qualifying performances, people are going to take even more notice of them.

Having said this, there's new drivers further down the grid that haven't got the cars to be able to show their true potential. Jean-Eric Vergne, Daniel Ricciardo and Charles Pic in particular could be very talented for all we know, but the Marussia and Toro Rosso won't let them showcase their true potential.


Q2 [as suggested by @domcovkid]) Why, if Lewis Hamilton is repeatedly consistent with the McLaren, has Jenson Button been so poor in recent races when they both have the same car?

A: I think Jenson needs a much more stable car to suit his smoother driving style, unlike Lewis, who can really drag the car around the track as he's so aggressive. His performances have gone downhill quite dramatically since McLaren have used the modified, slightly curved nose... maybe that has something to do with it?


Q3) SKY viewers - what did you make of Jacques Villeneuve working for SKY this weekend?

A: Quite interesting actually! One thing you're guaranteed with Jacques Villeneuve is that you're going to get a straight answer - you may not like it, you may disagree with it and you may not like the man for it, but you have to have some respect for him for not being afraid to say what he truly thinks. For that one race I think he added a bit of something different, but I don't think I'd like him as a permanent pundit, à la Johnny Herbert. It's his new Dr Eggman look he's rocking. It scares me a little. All he needs is a pair of fancy goggles, a massive moustache and he'd be sorted:

BONUS) Who would you have liked to see join Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber in the river after the Grand Prix?

A: My favourite moment of the weekend, hehe! Judging by his many and lovely photo shoots, maybe Bruno Senna? Though that may have been a bit too much - just Seb and Mark in there was enough to get me, @Thrinne1 and @Sammybingo giggling like little girls!

Monaco Mania

To be totally honest, I only partially agree with this week's title as I found the race a bit boring. It got to the point that I was even yawning at some points... but there was plenty of mania before the race and Webber won after *finally* getting a good start off the line, meaning Red Bull have now got a hat-trick in Monaco. So I really can't complain all that much!

© Daily Mirror Sport

Q1) In FP3 we saw Pastor Maldonado bump tyres with Sergio Perez, and in response was awarded a 10-place grid penalty. What was your view on the incident and the resulting penalty?

A: Maldonado has garnered quite a reputation for being hot-headed, and the incident with him and Perez hasn't done anything to try and rebuff that. He said afterwards that he 'lost the car' due to being on cold tyres, but from what I've seen from replays of the incident, there's nothing to suggest that he had oversteer or any other problem that could have caused him to swipe across Perez in the way that he did. With the confines of the track being so tight in Monaco it's incredibly difficult for cars that have been blue-flagged to move over, and to be fair to Perez he did his best to move over as much as he could, slowing down significantly. Maldonado could see this and had enough space to go around the outside of him going into Portier, so I don't understand why he chose to stay on the line he took. 

Looking at it like this, I think it was right for the stewards to give Maldonado the 10-place grid penalty. Although this incident was fairly minor compared to the one with Lewis Hamilton in Belgium last year, it was still a dangerous piece of driving that would have been completely avoidable had he kept his head and just backed off a little. With him being on cold tyres and on his first lap it wouldn't have been that detrimental for him to do this, as he could have created a gap and pushed again on the next lap. Also, with it being the second time of him doing something like this, the punishment needed to be harsher to act as a deterrent to Maldonado and the rest of the drivers. If he were to do something similar again in the future, I'd expect him to be starting from last or DSQ'd from the race as a third strike.

Q2) Qualifying saw Sebastian Vettel not set a lap time, and through this benefiting from the choice of tyres in the race. Do you think that this rule should be changed, with penalties enforced if a driver/team do not set a time in Q3?

A: You can't give the teams/drivers penalties when all they're doing is maximising their chances of getting a good result - Formula 1 would be a very funny sort of sport otherwise. The rule saying that the top 10 have to start on the tyres they set their Q3 times on will mean that teams will gamble with not setting a time, in order to start on fresh rubber. And when it works, like it did for Sebastian, then it will make it even more of an incentive, so I think we'll see it a lot more as the season progresses. The above rule hasn't really done anything to alter the running in the early stages of races, which it was designed to do, instead ruining Q3 and making it anti-climatic, even dull in some cases, for those of us watching. In an ideal world the rule would be scrapped and teams would be given a slightly larger allocation of tyres to accommodate for it, or even be given special qualifying-only tyres. But with Formula 1 trying to cut down on its environmental impact this won't be happening, so I'm afraid drivers sitting out Q3 will be a regular occurance. Which is sad, as we're not getting to see the cars' true capabilities when on the edge.

Q3) A slow pitstop, being hit on the head by numbers falling off pit boards, and a lack of communication regarding Vettel's pace left Lewis Hamilton frustrated with the race. Do you think this will affect his upcoming contract renewal, and what do you think his options would be aside from McLaren?

A: Lewis, bless him, doesn't seem to having much luck this season! And it isn't his fault, as he seems to have got himself together psychologically after his worst ever season last year. You can't blame him for being frustrated with everything that's happened at McLaren in these first six races. The car is capable of winning,  as Jenson Button proved in Australia, but it's been mistakes from the team like poor pitstops and the fueling problem in Spain that have caused them to now be lagging behind. If McLaren don't get their act together soon, I think Lewis will start to consider looking for a ride elsewhere. Where at is another matter...

On the face of it, his options are broad - at the time of writing Ferrari, Lotus, Mercedes and Red Bull all only have one driver contracted for next season, with Williams, Sauber, Force India and Toro Rosso having no-one confirmed for 2013. But assuming he wouldn't want to move to a midfield team and taking other factors into account, Lewis' opportunities are soon narrowed:

Ferrari - appears to be a no-no as the history between Lewis and Fernando Alonso isn't great, with the two having had some controversial incidents while together at McLaren in 2007. Add to that an uncompetitive car, and Sergio Perez being widely accepted to be taking the seat if Felipe Massa doesn't improve sufficiently, the door at Maranello seems firmly closed for the moment.

Lotus - personally I couldn't see Lewis going to Lotus and I think it would be a risky move, as historically Lotus have been poor at developing a car throughout the season (a key strength of McLaren's). Despite this they've built a strong car this year, regularly fighting for podiums, so wins aren't out of the question. But Kimi Raikkonen is doing well despite his few years out of the sport and seems motivated and happy, while the close relationship between Romain Grosjean and Eric Boullier means that I think he'll be given another season to assess his performance.

Mercedes - Mercedes and McLaren have a close relationship through their engine deal and the team are now proven race-winners after their victory in China. If everything can come together, as this season has shown, then Mercedes have the potential to be regularly competing for wins and this will be a big incentive for Lewis. Michael Schumacher has struggled on his return to the sport and question marks have already been raised about his future, while Lewis and Nico Rosberg have a very good relationship, having competed against each other through the lower formulae. If Mercedes continue to show good pace and Red Bull keep Mark Webber on, a move here can't be ruled out.

Red Bull - probably the place where Lewis would have his eye on first. Although not as competitive this season, they've proven that they still have what it takes to win, and constructors' and drivers' championships for the last two seasons will make Red Bull a very attractive move. I think Lewis would relish the challenge of having Sebastian Vettel as a team-mate and they would push each other hard, so it would be very interesting to see how they performed together. This is all dependent on Mark Webber leaving - at 35, he's nearing the end of his career and rumours of his retirement, along with a move to Ferrari, crop up around this time of year. He's also made it no secret about his unhappiness with certain events in the past, with his 'not bad for a number two driver' comments in 2010. But he's proven that he still has the talent and experience to win races and seems happy in the team for the moment. Depending on what Mark decides to do, I could really see Lewis making the switch here.

BONUS [as suggested by @joshbohnf1]) Do you think we should still be racing at Monaco when overtaking is clearly important in modern Formula 1?

A: There's lots of arguments for and against Monaco still being on the calendar. Of course the narrow and twisty nature of the circuit makes overtaking extremely difficult, resulting in often boring races as well as maybe making the race more dangerous than the rest. But that's what makes Monaco unique - it provides a unique test for the drivers, and the history and prestige (as well as the glamour) that surrounds it makes it a thrill for both drivers and fans. Having said that, Spa-Francorchamps has a lot of these qualities, but its future in Formula 1 has been under threat for a couple of years now. It's interesting to hear everyone's viewpoints on the subject but the fact is that Monaco will be staying with us for the forseeable future.

© Mark Thompson/Getty Images