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.

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

Spanish Spectacular

Considering this was Barcelona, which is usually a right bore-fest, I'd say this year's race was pretty epic! This was helped no doubt by watching it at the pub and making some new F1 friends (see F1 in Pubs for more details on where you can watch in the UK). 5 different winners, from 5 different constructors, in 5 races just shows how crazy the 2012 season has been up to now. Also, big happy birthday to Fan Formula's founder @GraceF1Fanatic, hope you have a lovely day!


Q1) Qualifying saw Hamilton's penalty and Karthikeyan qualifying outside the 107% rule. What do you make of both incidents and the resulting stewards decisions?

A: It's not the first time McLaren have under-fueled one of their cars in qualifying, deliberately or otherwise. The rule saying the cars have to get back to parc ferme under their own power was tightened because of McLaren's exploits at Canada in 2010, where Lewis had to push his car back to the pits. Even though I think this time the team made an honest mistake, the FIA had to be seen to be taking action as it does create an unfair advantage. However, I thought exclusion from qualifying and being put to the back of the grid was a little harsh. If it was me, I'd have excluded him for Q3 and calculated his grid position from his Q2 time, which would have put him 11th, and maybe have stripped McLaren of constructors points for that race as it was the team's fault that he didn't have enough fuel.

As for Karthikeyan being allowed to race, it makes a complete mockery of the 107% rule. What's the point of having it if it isn't going to be enforced? It's decisions like this that are making the FIA so inconsistent and enduring the wrath of fans. In my opinion, the rule should be modified - unless you have a mechanical problem during qualifying that prevents you from setting a time, then anyone who qualifies outside 107% should not be allowed to race at all. If someone does have a breakdown, only then should the FIA look at their times in practice to assess if they have the pace to keep up.


Q2 [as suggested by @squiffany]) In the Senna vs Schumacher crash, who do you think was at fault?

A: Both drivers had part to blame, but Schumacher was more at fault. I imagine that he would have been told about Senna struggling for grip over his radio, and so a driver of his experience should have been much more aware of his closing speed. Having said that, Senna did move ever-so-slightly left just before going into Turn 1 - I don't know whether that was because of a lack of grip under braking or him trying to fend off Schumacher, but it did play a part in the accident, so in hindsight Senna maybe should have made it a little easier for him to pass if his tyres were that badly worn. A 5-place grid drop for Schumacher in Monaco was deserved though, as it was a silly accident that didn't really need to happen.

Ooops... © Mirror Sport

Q3) Maldonado took his first victory in Spain (the first win for Williams since 2004). Do you think this signals the return of Williams to the top of the grid, or is this just another topsy turvey result for the 2012 season?

A: It's hard to say, as the way the 2012 season is going it's impossible to even make a calculated guess as to what's going to happen! But Williams have clearly made a much better car than those of the last couple of seasons and now that they've won one race, I don't see why they can't win another. It'll take a lot of luck and skill to get the Pirelli tyres to work in their favour, but that's the case for all the teams this year.

Going slightly off-topic, I'm sure everyone was shocked to see the fire that engulfed the Williams garage about an hour after the podium ceremony. It made what was a brilliant and emotional result for the team so bittersweet, though it was very heartening to see such bravery and teamwork from everyone up and down the pitlane to try and help put the fire out. It's events like this that show that Formula 1 is fundamentally a team sport and that at the end of the day, we're all one big family.


BONUS) Who would you say drove the best race at Catalunya and why?

A: Now this is a hard one because no-one really had a race that stood out as being amazing, most of them making the best of a good or bad situation. In the end I've chosen three drivers - Maldonado, Vettel and Hamilton. Pastor stood up to immense pressure from Alonso all race long to produce a very mature drive to silence his critics (including myself), while Sebastian and Lewis pulled off some brilliant overtakes to shoot through the field, albeit they shouldn't have been that far back in the first place (with Lewis' penalty, and Sebastian's drive through and strange front wing problem).  But it all made for an exciting race - maybe we'll see a different driver and constructor take the win in Monaco!

© Vladimir Rys/Getty Images Europe

Sunny Sakhir

Hello everyone! Firstly apologies for not doing any #FanFormula posts for the last couple of weeks, I've had various events back home which meant that I couldn't write my thoughts up. Hopefully, normal service will now resume.

Q1) Friday saw Force India pull out of FP2 due to an incident involving their team personnel on the Wednesday night. What did you make of their decision and the controversy around FOM showing no coverage of the team during qualifying?

A: After what happened to those Force India mechanics I really don't blame some of them for going home. It was interesting to hear deputy team principal Bob Fernley say that the team were pretty much on the verge of a meltdown, had they not skipped FP2 to get back their hotel before sunset, so in that sense I thought it was a sensible decision and one that was for the the greater good of the team. Though it didn't seem to affect their performance all that much, with Paul Di Resta equalling his best-ever finish in Formula 1 by crossing the line in 6th.

The Curious Case of the Invisible Force India's... © Force India/Sutton Images

However, qualifying in particular will be remembered for FOM's apparent snub of the team's performance. It's fair to say that Force India have had a somewhat lukewarm start to this season, so making Q3 was quite an achievement that many weren't expecting. Unfortunately we never got to see any of their hard work, as hardly a shot of them made our TV screens. Social media went rife with conspiracy theories that Bernie Ecclestone had ordered FOM not to cover the team as revenge for them missing FP2, while Bernie's comments on the matter didn't help:

"Nobody cares if someone is 9th or 11th, only the people that are watching a particular team"

By that logic, no-one cared when Michael Schumacher only qualified 18th due to problems; no-one cared when Sebastian Vettel qualified 11th in China; no-one cared when Kimi Raikkonen qualified 18th on his return to the sport in Australia, after so much hype. I often wonder if Bernie makes these controversial comments just to draw more attention to the sport (as the saying goes, any publicity is good publicity). At a time when the whole world has been scrutinising Formula 1, comments such as these show that he's becoming increasingly out-of-touch and as such, it really wouldn't surprise me if he did order FOM to snub the Force India's as revenge.


Q2 [as suggested by @HedgeryHoops]) The stewards reviewed the two incidents between Nico Rosberg and Hamilton/Alonso and have decided not to penalise him. Do you agree with their decision? If not, what would you have done?

A: No I don't agree! I couldn't believe what I was seeing as the incidents, especially the one with Hamilton, reminded me of the Schumacher and Barrichello incident at Hungary 2010:

If it had been another few centimetres Hamilton would have slammed into that barrier, and if that run-off had been grass instead of concrete a crash would have been almost certain to happen. At least Schumi had the good grace to apologise to Rubens after their scrap, unlike Nico, who defended his actions and said that it was good racing. He's entitled to his opinion but in my view pushing another racer off the track, especially so close to barriers and walls, is completely unacceptable and downright dangerous, and he should have been given a drive-through penalty for both incidents.


Q3) Bahrain was our first dry race of the season, which saw the first win for Red Bull and a double podium for Lotus. Do you think that this indicates that even without weather intervening, that the grid is a lot closer this year and that we will continue to see a variety of drivers and constructors on the podium for the rest of the season?

A: The grid has definitely been much closer this year and that's been evident in qualifying, with the top 10 in Bahrain (barring Alonso and Di Resta, who didn't set times in order to save tyres) being covered by just under a second. Red Bull not being the dominant force they were last year, Ferrari struggling, McLaren's pitstop problems, Mercedes' tyre wear and Lotus' pace have really opened up this year's championship and have given us some great racing up to now, which makes a nice change from the domination of last year. Having said that, with Spain being the traditional time of the teams bringing big updates, I think the top 4 teams (McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull and Lotus) will pull away slightly from then on, but the way the results have gone up to now it would be silly to make any concrete guess as to how the rest of the season may unfold.


BONUS) Who was your driver of the day and why?

A: This is a really hard one to answer. There were quite a few great drives to choose from - Vettel did what he does best and left the rest for dust after starting from the front; Webber scored his fourth 4th place in a row in a great show of consistency; Raikkonen performed some great overtaking, as well as using the set of soft tyres he saved in qualifying to challenge Vettel for the win; and Di Resta managed to make a 2-stop strategy work despite a late charge from Alonso.

But my driver of the day is everyone's favourite croissant/giraffe/Sid the Sloth, Romain Grosjean. He finally proved that he has the raw pace to score podiums, maybe even wins, and gave Raikkonen a good run for a while before having to yield to save his tyres. It was a very mature drive and I have a feeling we'll be seeing much more of him on the podium, as long as he can keep out of trouble!

Smile! © AFP

'Magico' Malaysia

I think I've just about caught my breath back from last week! Malaysia was an absolute rollercoaster of emotions - if you ever needed proof of how great a sport Formula 1 is, you had it all in that race. A must-watch for any newbies to the sport out there.


Q1) We saw two incidents involving the HRT of Narain Karthikeyan and a 'front runner' during the race today, none of which appeared to be the HRT's fault. What is your view on the incidents? Do you think that the front runners were overconfident that the HRT would be easy to pass, and that's what caused the incidents, or was it purely just driver error?

A: Both incidents were due to overconfidence and driver error. The awful conditions at Sepang were a big influence but it should never be assumed that passing back-markers will be easy, which Button and Vettel did to some extent. They were unfortunate incidents but that's racing, it happens.

A rather different finger than what we've been used to...

On a side-note, as a big Vettel fan I was very vocal on Twitter in my disappointment with his behaviour and comments about Karthikeyan. Fair enough, it had been a tough race for him and it must be very frustrating being in a car that isn't where you want to be at the moment, but that doesn't give you the right to flip your middle finger up at someone and call them silly names (a cucumber? Really?). It made him look like a child and it certainly isn't the behaviour one would expect of a double world champion. I sympathised a lot with Karthikeyan's comments about some front-runners "bullying" back-markers into slowing down, it must be incredibly difficult to be effectively running two races at once - trying to do the best you can with your own machinery, while trying not to mess up the others' strategies. I just hope that the matter can be put to bed and that any grudges will be settled sensibly and/or forgotten about, so we can all concentrate on the racing.


Q2) With Sergio Perez completing an incredible race and battle with rumoured future team-mate Fernando Alonso, do you think this adds extra pressure on Felipe Massa and do you think we will see a mid-season driver change at Ferrari?

A: Firstly a big congratulations to Perez on such a brilliant drive, keeping Alonso honest is no mean feat! It definitely puts a heap of pressure on Massa to perform, as if he didn't have enough already. I don't know whether it's because of his awful accident a couple of years ago but he just seems to have lost something, he doesn't seem like the same guy who was fighting Lewis Hamilton for the championship back in 2008. I wouldn't be surprised at all if Perez replaced him in 2013, but coming in mid-season this year would be a disaster. Not only is Perez still young and in need of the continuity Sauber are providing, but the last time Ferrari had to make a driver change mid-season it didn't go all that well... good things come to those who wait, so I think it would benefit everyone if Ferrari waited until the end of the season to make a decision.


Q3) The mixed weather conditions really played into the midfield teams' hands, with 9 different constructors making up the top 10 in the results. Do you think this trend will continue across the season or do you think the top teams will pull away from the pack?

A: In short, no. It's tradition that the teams bring massive updates for the Spanish GP so I think we'll see the top 4 teams (McLaren, Red Bull, Mercedes, maybe Lotus at the expense of Ferrari this year) pull away from the rest of the pack from that race on. I hope not though, would be nice to see a season as close as the first couple of races!


BONUS) Who was your driver of the day and why?

A: It would have been Perez, had he not gone wide when it counted. I'd like to think that the radio message given to him didn't put him off, but I think it might have done in some way (I don't subscribe to the whole team orders rubbish here, though). Such a shame because without that little mistake he would have got the win, without a shadow of a doubt. So because of that, my driver of the day was Fernando Alonso, as he did what he does best - getting the absolute best out of a dog of a car. Flawless.

Well done these men! © Pirelli

Mega Melbourne

Wow, what a brilliant race we've had this weekend! There were plenty of great performances from a whole host of drivers and teams which made for a really exciting race, though I'll admit Vettel was extremely lucky with that safety car. Well done to Button for a great win, hard luck Lewis, but I'm sure he'll bounce back. Onwards with #FanFormula!

Q1) Williams appear to have come back strong with a great battle between Maldonado and Alonso. But what did you make of the 'midfield' teams today battling against the like of Ferrari and Mercedes?

A: I thought it was absolutely brilliant. It was great to see Williams fighting for those points after such a torrid couple of seasons and I was genuinely gutted for Maldonado when he had his hefty shunt, despite some questionable moves earlier on in the race. Watching the 'midfield' teams mixing it up with the likes of Ferrari and Mercedes was so exciting to watch; Sauber's tussles with the likes of Kimi Raikkonen and Nico Rosberg made up half the action that went on in the race, and it was so wonderful to see them have a really good go at getting some points. The battle between Alonso and Maldonado was gripping too, kudos to Fernando for managing to stave off Pastor in the end, as it was no mean feat with that extra DRS zone this year. All in all it was just such an exciting first race, helped a lot by Ferrari and Mercedes' performances seemingly becoming the opposite of their qualifying pace.

Q2) What do you make of the rule that lets back-markers unlap themselves under the safety car? Does it just prolong the safety car period, or is it fairer on those that would be out of place due to lapped cars?

A: Let me start by saying that knowing Hamilton would be pushing for Vettel, unhindered, after that safety car today was a quite a nerve-wracking thought! It certainly makes for a much more exciting spectacle for the fans, but for sure it prolongs the safety car period by quite a distance. I'm sure I wasn't the only one thinking 'just get on with it' by the fourth lap under it, but I think it'll be something we'll get used to eventually. Given more time, the positive of drivers being able to have clear runs at each other on the restart will outweigh the negative of waiting longer to see it happen.


Q3) If you watched via Sky what is your overall opinion of the new team and coverage? If you watched via BBC, how did you find watching the highlights show rather than live coverage? Did it lack the excitement knowing that the race was already over?

A: I watched both the Sky and BBC coverage as I'm still in two minds as to which provider I'm going to stick with this season.

Sky Sports F1

Sky need to be given some space for the first few races, as they're new to covering the sport and the team will need time to gel and properly understand how they'll work together. A lot of people have argued that Simon Lazenby seems to be a little 'wooden' and lacking some knowledge and charisma, but the guy is relatively new to Formula 1 and I imagine must have been quite nervous (it's shown, with him sometimes interrupting Martin Brundle and/or Damon Hill in full flow to get a word in), so I'll be giving him the benefit of the doubt for now. Getting Ted Kravitz as part of the team has been a major coup, because the money Sky have to invest in technology has allowed him to really delve deep into the technical side of the sport; I've really enjoyed him explaining about the new innovations with the SkyPad, particularly Mercedes' rear-wing 'F-duct' and the different solutions teams have come up with in trying to cope with the double diffuser ban. In the commentary box David Croft and Martin Brundle seem to be a great pairing, you can tell they get on well and both have a raft of knowledge - Crofty made a few mistakes today but it was a pretty hectic race, and you can't deny that the guy has passion.

Having said all that, up to now I've been a little disappointed with build-up and post quali/race round-ups. This may just be because I have a short attention span, but 30 minutes build-up for practice and 90 minutes for the race seems much too long, so much so that at some points Simon seemed to struggle to think of what to bring up for Martin and Damon to discuss. Keep in mind that this is being written prior to the airing of the F1 magazine show, but I can't see what Georgie Thompson is bringing to the coverage up to now, apart from being something pretty to look at. When she's presented analysis on the SkyPad it's been clear that she doesn't really understand what Anthony Davidson is saying. Again, I'll give her the benefit of the doubt, but I'm sure she knows that she'll need to do her homework to keep up to speed. Overall I think Sky have made a very promising start and that given time, they'll improve even more.

BBC F1

Watching extended highlights will of course never be the same as watching a race live, but the BBC seem to have coped incredibly well with the budget cuts imposed on them. I wasn't too keen on the idea of Ben Edwards taking the lead comms helm but I take it back now - he may get a bit over-excited, but him and David Coulthard have already established a good rapport and were pretty much flawless during the race. Gary Anderson's technical input has also been a very interesting addition, while the camaraderie between Jake, DC and Eddie Jordan is still great to watch despite the shirt jokes being very old now. It's this in particular that gives the BBC a much more casual feel, which is perfect for them as the casual F1 fan is their target audience after all. It's not to everyone's taste, but they're doing a good job and I'll look forward to watching their live race coverage.


BONUS) What was your favourite moment of the weekend?

Vettel's pass on Rosberg in the first couple of laps was sublime, it was very brave of him to try that on the outside of a corner and it payed off beautifully. And who said he couldn't overtake?

Your Formula!

Hi everyone, hope you all had a good week because it's time for #FanFormula again. I'm writing this week's answers up just as pre-season testing has ended, with a less-than-ideal day for the Red Bull boys - Seb Vettel only got 23 laps of running, after front wing damage and a gearbox problem hindered the team's plans. A resounding 'boooooo!' from here. Still, it's best that these problems happen in testing than in FP1 in Melbourne, which is only 12 days away now. To know that this time in two weeks we'll know our first Grand Prix winner of the season... exciting times indeed.


Q1) What is it about F1 as a sport that you love and what do you hope this season will bring?

A: There's two things that make me love Formula 1 as I do. Firstly, the rate of technological advancement in the sport is just phenomenal. Even though I'm not a sciency person at all, it's hard not to appreciate the creativity, hard work and dedication each team member puts into making each hand-made car as perfect as possible, and it's great to know that some of these innovations are being applied outside the track to make a difference for those less fortunate.

The main thing that makes me love the sport so much is that no matter who you support we're all here to appreciate these drivers and team personnel, who are potentially putting themselves in great danger, to entertain us. The sport has its fanboys and fangirls of course, but the vast majority of fans treat each other with the upmost respect and can have a laugh with each other. Unlike with some sections of other sports, it's extremely rare to see drivers/teams and fans being abused for their views and performances, with any criticisms largely being conveyed in a thoughtful manner or as cheeky banter. It's this mutual respect between us that I think makes Formula 1 different from other sports and which makes it such a pleasure to be involved in. As @AilishCatherine* once said, "we're all one big, happy family united by our love for Formula 1" and it couldn't be more true.

For what this season will bring, obviously I'd love Red Bull to get the World Drivers' Championship and Constructors for the third season in a row. Though I'd like the competition to be closer this time around, as even I was getting a bit bored of Seb running off into the distance by the end of the year. If that doesn't happen then Jenson Button winning another WDC would be brilliant, just so he could prove to everyone that 2009 wasn't a fluke.

(*Ailish is a regular #FanFormula contributor who's aspiring to work in Formula 1 as a PR consultant. She's had many lucky run-ins with drivers and teams, which include work experience with Force India and various invites to the Grand Prix Paddock and testing sessions, all of which she writes about in her blog. If you're interested in this part of the Formula 1 world then take a look, it's a great read!)

Q2) What team/driver do you support and why did you choose to support them?

A: I have mentioned this before, but for those of you who are new I'm a Red Bull fan, supporting both Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel. Though I've been developing a soft spot for Jenson Button lately, because he seems like such a lovely guy and I like his smooth driving style. I was quite a big Jaguar fan when I was little, at first because I liked their livery (as you do when you're a kid), but being a British team and being British myself, there's just something about us that makes us want to support an underdog. As Mark drove for the team back then, and now that Jaguar are Red Bull Racing, it just seemed natural to continue supporting both of them. I've followed Sebastian Vettel since his drive back at Indianapolis 2007, because I felt I had to keep an eye on him after scoring points in his first ever race! Nearly five years down the line and it's been a good ride up to now. Not sure how I'd cope if he ever went to Ferrari though...

Q3) If you could be in charge of F1 for the day, what three rules would you put into the sport? (This can include the removal of any rules you dislike)

A: Ban team orders, unless a driver is mathematically out of the championship and his team-mate is still in contention - this might be a controversial opinion, especially with me being a Red Bull fan. In fact having our fair share of team orders and favouritism controversy is what really annoys me when supporting them! But the fact is that I've hated team orders ever since I watched Rubens Barrichello have to give up his win to Michael Schumacher, back at the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix. It was the first time that I'd ever gotten truly angry over a sporting moment and it's one that I don't think I'll ever forget. Everyone who I watched the race with just felt cheated out of seeing what would've been a great win for Rubens. Putting emotions to one side for a moment, however, Formula 1 is fundamentally a team sport and if there's a time when a driver has been mathematically ruled out of the championship, but his team-mate is still in contention, I don't have a problem with team orders then as it's for the greater good of the team. But only then.

Remove the rule making the top 10 start on their qualifying tyres - this is a particular gripe of mine. Not because of how it affects the race, but how it makes qualifying such an anti-climax for those of us watching. By definition the Q3 shoot-out should be just that - the best drivers on the day pushing everything to try and get the best out of their cars, until the chequered flag drops. As it is, too often we've seen a lot of them putting in one or two laps and then pitting to save their tyres. I can understand why the FIA brought the rule in and it does save rubber, but as a spectacle for the fans it's backfired badly! If money truly was no object I'd probably bring in special qualifying tyres, so that we could see what the cars were truly capable of and make Q3 the exciting, nerve-inducing finale it should be.

Bring back V10 engines - again, if money was no object, there'd be nothing better than hearing the V10 singing again. Here it is along with the current V8 to compare:

BONUS) If you were a team principal, which two drivers would you want to drive for you and why?

A: Wishful thinking, but if he ever got into the shape he was pre-crash Robert Kubica would definitely be in there. Despite the terrible bad luck Bobby K's had over the last few years he's shown that he's quick as well as consistent; he claimed a maiden win and fourth overall in the 2008 championship with a car that got gradually weaker as the season progressed, while he was regularly fighting for higher points and the odd podium with Renault in 2010. Here's hoping that his ongoing recovery is a speedy one and that if he ever gets back to full fitness, he gets to have a good shot at the championship one day.

The other driver I'd pick is Fernando Alonso. For those of you who know me on Twitter this may come as a shock! I do take the mick out of him a lot and I don't like the way he's gone about things in the past (qualifying at Hungary in 2007 comes to mind), but you can't deny that he's one of the best drivers on the grid at the moment. The results he achieved with Renault back in 2009 are proof of his talent, finishing in the points 8 times in a car that was nowhere near competitive, and he's achieved good results in his current stint at Ferrari despite them being off the pace compared to their rivals. How he'd cope with a fully-fit Kubica as a partner in a front-running team, however, would be interesting to see...

That's a wrap for this time, don't forget that you can always head over to the Fan Formula homepage if you're interested in getting involved. Hope anyone that comes across this has a lovely week as ever, and remember, just 12 more sleeps until Formula 1 is back. Until next Sunday, much love.