The 2012 F1 Countdown Thread

[AHFlynn]

25 days till the first practice in melbourne, i figured id make a thread for everything 2012 formula 1.

i guess ill start things off with this android widget i just discovered

https://market.android.com/details?i...wnwidget&hl=en

and whats been occupying my f1 obsession the past couple days. kimi at lotus.



looks like he could be pushing some serious competition.

[JuanManuelFangio]

Here's to finally having an Alonso v. Hamilton season. I've been looking forward to that war since the second Alonso went to Ferrari, but RBR and Vettel have robbed me of that.

I'm also hoping for a better season than last year. Pretty easy to lose interest when a team dominates like RBR did last year, even though there was far more passing last year.

[geofftii2002]

I've just been excited to finally start watching in HD on my new 46" Samsung LED. Wooo!!

[AHFlynn]

I've just been excited to finally start watching in HD on my new 46" Samsung LED. Wooo!!

i wish, speed totally kills it for me. i usually wait to torrent the bbc version

and juan, which side of the hamilton v alonzo battle are you on?

[vwpiloto]

I'm glad the Macca has a traditional nose. I hate the look of stepped noses the rest have gone with, although Macca claims that the don't need to resort to it because their car is already low relative to the others, especially near the suspension pickup points.

The start of this season seems relatively exciting, as it's hard to predict how the cars are going to be coming out of the gate. I believe there are enough rule changes, espcially the banning of the blown diffusor that it's hard to say that RBR will remain up from right out of the gate.

Can't wait for Melbourne! And I hope to be in the grandstands for Austin.

[duke774]

I don't think i've really followed F1 after Häkkinen vs. Schumi times, or maybe for Kimi's first seasons, but I'm gonna be wathcing 2012

Hope we get an interesting season

[92skirmishgti]

[video]Kimi video[video]

looks like he could be pushing some serious competition.

Hoped for a HUGE crash and burn, left disappointed.

[J-Tim]

I am a huge Kimi fan but I am not holding my breath so to avoid disappointment.

Fingers crossed though.

[Gran Turismo]

I'm really am curious if the return of Kimi will interrupt Vettel's quest for a 3rd consecutive title. With one more champion on the grid, it ought to be at least more interesting than last season. A bit of a morbid reminder--there is a Senna in a Williams car this season. Although I don't expect much from Bruno, I do want to see what he can do with a more competitive car.

[vwpiloto]

I am a huge Kimi fan but I am not holding my breath so to avoid disappointment.

Fingers crossed though.

Same here. It boils down to the car though. If the LRGP is good, then I think we'll see him as competitive as ever. He's not "old" (in F1 terms), and I would think his reflexes are still very sharp.

I'm really am curious if the return of Kimi will interrupt Vettel's quest for a 3rd consecutive title. With one more champion on the grid, it ought to be at least more interesting than last season. A bit of a morbid reminder--there is a Senna in a Williams car this season. Although I don't expect much from Bruno, I do want to see what he can do with a more competitive car.

I don't see how Kimi will, unless the car is good enough to be on the podium. If not contesting for outright wins, if the Lotus takes a few podiums, and the rest of the front runners are close, then yes, he can be a factor. But I don't see him pulling off miracles with a subpar car. Even Alonso had trouble doing that and he's about as fast and driven as they get. Ditto with Hamilton in early 2009 with a subpar McLaren.

[Air-over-water]

And I hope to be in the grandstands for Austin.

The track is still dirt.
I am hoping it starts to come together soon.

[Tuneman7]

Kimi I think will be the dark horse pick to contend for the WDC.

[JimmyD]

I can't wait for the season to start. Thanks for the tip on the Android app.

[AHFlynn]

Kimi I think will be the dark horse pick to contend for the WDC.

especially alongside vettel on his whitehorse. theyre complete polar opposities.

im hoping lotus will be competitive this season and hopefully mercedes steps it up too. i would love to see schumi do more than just blocking people.

[enigmatic enthusiast]

I'm not sure why people think kimi is a great driver. He was gifted the title in '07 and beaten by massa in '08. He is talented but often appears to not have his heart into it.

[AHFlynn]

hilarious

[nickthaskater]

I'm not sure why people think kimi is a great driver. He was gifted the title in '07 and beaten by massa in '08. He is talented but often appears to not have his heart into it.

Kimi is a very quick driver, as evidenced by his rise to the sport and his performance at Sauber and McLaren, and ultimately his run with Ferrari.

No one is "gifted" a title; you have to put yourself in the position to get it. If the chips fall the right way, so be it. Kimi deserved another 2 or 3 titles back in his McLaren days that were just as much ripped away from him as the '07 was gifted.

'08 was definitely the start of his declining interest in the sport, but he still finished 3rd to Massa's 2nd in the WDC that year; however, he seems to have had the fire reignited, and it looks as though he's fitting in very well at Lotus, so there's no reason to believe he won't put in a respectable performance.

That said...

[92skirmishgti]

Sebastian Vettel > Kimi Faggonen

[AHFlynn]

im looking forward to more of this



and to get pumped...

[J-Tim]

Sebastian Vettel > Kimi Faggonen

Finns > Krauts

[nickthaskater]

Sebastian Vettel > Kimi Faggonen

Smart people > Ignorant bigots

[six_banger]

Sebastian Vettel > Kimi Faggonen

someones mad

[duke774]

Sebastian Vettel > Kimi Faggonen

I actually like 'em both

[enigmatic enthusiast]

Kimi is a very quick driver, as evidenced by his rise to the sport and his performance at Sauber and McLaren, and ultimately his run with Ferrari.

No one is "gifted" a title; you have to put yourself in the position to get it. If the chips fall the right way, so be it. Kimi deserved another 2 or 3 titles back in his McLaren days that were just as much ripped away from him as the '07 was gifted.

'08 was definitely the start of his declining interest in the sport, but he still finished 3rd to Massa's 2nd in the WDC that year; however, he seems to have had the fire reignited, and it looks as though he's fitting in very well at Lotus, so there's no reason to believe he won't put in a respectable performance.

That said...

ROFLMAO. Now that was a great laugh.


Go LEWIS

[oakley917]

im a big fan of vettel and webber so i hope red bull comes back as strong as last year. i do hope that ferrari and mclaren are more competitive though, having vettel dominate every qualifying session and race was a quite a feat but i'd rather see the top teams all competing for the title and not just 2nd place.

as for kimi, i hope his return doesnt totally flop like when schumacher. sad to see him return just to drive a mediocre car that wasnt able to compete

[JuanManuelFangio]

Nobody can knock Kimi after Suzuka 2005. Easily the most impressive single race performance in the last decade or so.

[nickthaskater]

ROFLMAO. Now that was a great laugh.


Go LEWIS

Look up the stats, friend, and then take into consideration the large number of car failures that either had him start at the back of the grid or took away otherwise all-but-guaranteed race wins.

I'm sorry, but you don't get handed a Super License after competing in just a few dozen races outside of karting if you don't have some proper talent.

Per Wiki:

Räikkönen had a long line of success in karting from the age of ten. His first race outside Finland was in Monaco when he was 15 years old. During the race, the steering wheel broke, but he continued, informing his mechanic by frantically waving the steering wheel in the air on the home straight. Räikkönen's next Monaco race was also memorable; he was thrown on the wrong side of the safety fence in a first lap collision, but continued driving until running out of road. Undeterred, he lifted his kart back on to the track and continued to race. His mechanic thought Räikkönen had retired, but he eventually caught up with the other competitors and finished third.[7] In 1998 he was 1st in the Nordic (karting) Championship at Varna in Norway. In 1999, Räikkönen placed second in the European Formula Super A championship, and also competed in the Formula Ford Euro Cup. By the age of twenty, he had won the British Formula Renault winter series of 1999, winning the first four races of the year. In 2000, he won seven out of ten events in the Formula Renault UK Championship. Combined, over these two series of Formula Renault, he won 13 out of 23 events - a 56% win rate.

On the basis of these results, Peter Sauber gave the Finn a test with the Sauber Formula One team in September 2000 at the Mugello Circuit.[8] After further tests in Jerez and Barcelona, Sauber signed Räikkönen for the 2001 season. However, some critics (including FIA president Max Mosley) voiced concerns over granting an F1 Super Licence to such an inexperienced driver; Räikkönen had only 23 car races to his credit. He was nevertheless granted his license and scored a championship point in his debut at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix.

He went on to fill the seat left by Hakkinen at McLaren, so in your mind, Ron Dennis must have been crazy.

[flat6guy]

Smart people > Ignorant bigots

Bigot : a person who is obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices; especially : one who regards or treats the members of a group (as a racial or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance

Try a dictionary once in a while.

[nickthaskater]

Try a dictionary once in a while.

"Faggonen"

Thanks for playing.

[The Red Baron]

can't wait for the season to start...also to hit the canadian GP in june

[flat6guy]

"Faggonen"

Thanks for playing.

Do you really think he meant that as a swipe to homosexuals? Is Kimi homosexual?

[Elbows]

I'm in for anything which keeps F1 from becoming a Schumacher/Ferrari parade albeit with Vettel/RBR. I thought the past couple of seasons were quite good - if you simply ignored Vettel running away at a clip.

I'm hoping for more incredible runs, like Button in Canada last year - one of the weirdest, coolest, most-confusing races I've seen in F1 in years. 5 hours, 7 pit-stops etc...wtf?

To be honest I haven't followed enough off-season to even know about the teams. I knew Kimi was back, but honestly unless something fouls Vettel/RBR it'll be everyone batting for 2nd place again. I really hope someone screws up, or Vettel has a crash or two.

[Tuneman7]

as for kimi, i hope his return doesnt totally flop like when schumacher. sad to see him return just to drive a mediocre car that wasnt able to compete

Actually, the Formula Renault/Lotus cars have been solid over the past few years. Obviously behind the pack of McLaren, Ferrari, and RBR but seemingly like the Mercedes GP team they have the realistic potential to be cars that can consistently finish on the podium. What's important to note is that you never know with the adjustments made in the off-season who will be in front.

Also Schumi is beyond the twilight of his career at the age of 40 or so. Kimi is only 32 and has a decent amount of years left in him.

[nickthaskater]

Do you really think he meant that as a swipe to homosexuals? Is Kimi homosexual?

Does it matter? It's no different than calling him "N*ggeronen", but you're probably cool with that, too.

[J-Tim]

Is Kimi homosexual?

Why don't you ask his wife ?