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The 2012 F1 Countdown Thread

151K views 1K replies 138 participants last post by  DIAF 
#1 ·
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?id=uk.co.hamiltonweb.f1countdownwidget&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.
 
#2 ·
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.
 
#4 ·
i wish, speed totally kills it for me. i usually wait to torrent the bbc version :laugh:

and juan, which side of the hamilton v alonzo battle are you on?
 
#5 ·
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.
 
#11 ·
#8 ·
I am a huge Kimi fan but I am not holding my breath so to avoid disappointment.

Fingers crossed though. :thumbup:
 
#10 ·
I am a huge Kimi fan but I am not holding my breath so to avoid disappointment.

Fingers crossed though. :thumbup:
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.
 
#9 ·
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.
 
#14 ·
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.
 
#17 ·
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...

 
#25 ·
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
 
#33 ·
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.
 
#40 ·


Nobody can knock Kimi after Suzuka 2005. Easily the most impressive single race performance in the last decade or so.
LOL. Not sure if serious, but thanks for the laugh
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:He went on to fill the seat left by Hakkinen at McLaren, so in your mind, Ron Dennis must have been crazy.
Did I not say, friend, the man was very talented? And Ron Dennis is crazy thank you very much. He has to be after signing off on that McLaren's road car snooze-fest of an exterior.
 
#32 ·
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? :D

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.
 
#37 ·
lol. miss scandinavia, mmmmmmm.

but seriously, cmon guys. lets keep the **** talking down to actual **** talking and keep the gay bashing to a minimum.
 
#39 ·
i'm to finally see Trulli out of F1. i didn't dislike him, but he never amounted to much considering all his years in F1. his loss is at least a chance for another younger driver to enter the sport, even though they replaced him with Petrov.

but i'm really stoked to have kimi back and really look forward to more of his riveting interviews. :laugh:
 
#44 ·
im the other way around, hamilton all the way! i love the raw recklessness and the passion, so much fun to watch. he may not be the smartest driver on the track, but definitely one of my favorites.
 
#45 ·
I wouldn't call him reckless but overly aggressive at times. However, if there is a gap a racer should go for it. If he is unable to commit himself to his craft and go for a gap that exists then he should no longer consider himself a race car driver. You race not to come second third or fourth but to win. That's how Hamilton approaches every race and I would have it no other way. The fact of the matter is ofter a lot of these drivers Turn into Hamilton to keep him behind [Button(canada) and Mass(monaco) from last season]. Does he make mistakes of course, but he is committed to the art of racing and without him F1 would be just as boring as Nascar. It's so bad they had to come up with the moveable rear wing just to help these drivers pass their opponents out on the circuit. Ask yourself, did Hamilton need any help with that cause?
 
#49 ·
In for more videos, and paddock girls. :beer:
 
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