F1 Returns to the USA - Interview

As part of the lead up to the 2012 season, I wanted to look at the newest date on the calendar, this being Austin, USA. I spoke with Peter Habicht, author of the blog 'F1 in America'. He kindly gave me some of his time to give us a look at what this new date means for F1 fans in America. Here is the interview in full:

First of all thank you for allowing me to ask you some questions. How excited are you to have F1 back in the USA?

"Formula 1 fans in America are very enthusiastic about the upcoming race in Austin later this year, and we're looking forward to experiencing what we've been watching around the world on home soil."

Do you think the American public will take to F1 this time? All over the world it is the pinnacle of motor sport but in the USA it has to fight for supremacy with NASCAR and IndyCar to name just a couple.

"F1 in America can succeed, but it will take a unified approach between Bernie, teams, drivers as well as F1's sponsors and partners to make the most of the opportunity. NASCAR and IndyCar are naturals as far as converting a fan base, but to ensure the sport's longevity, F1 needs to create something different in the US while building a brand following."

Over the past couple of seasons we have seen new races in South Korea and India. The one big news story that seems to precede every new circuit launch is, will it be finished in time? They always are, but there have been some publicly announced contract issues in Austin. Will Austin be finished in time?

"The news from Circuit of The Americas has been good and work's moving ahead full steam. They've been great with photos and updates on their Facebook page, and now there's even a webcam set up to cover the site. I recommend @StatesmanF1's (Twitter feed) coverage of the progress also for another perspective as well and haven't heard of any reason why the track won't be finished in August as announced. India and Korea certainly ran into their own roadblocks to getting ready for race day, but my friends in Austin have said there seems to be a way where there's a will in Texas, and I would add that's especially true when there's plenty of financial and political capital at stake."

With the announcement of a 2nd race for the USA, this time in New York, this must be dream land for US motor sport fans?

"The 2013 race will be taking place in New Jersey, across the Hudson river from the iconic Manhattan skyline, and the location seems to have all the earmarks of a real coup for Bernie and the sport. The construction of this street circuit will be interesting to follow, and the use of public transportation on behalf of a 'green event' is very forward thinking."

Isn't it time we had some North American race drivers in F1?

"The US has been ready for an American behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car, and with two home races for the 2013 calendar there can't be many reasons left why we don't see more than one driver compete on the same stage for a US audience. The effect of having two races here for drivers like Californian Alexander Rossi, who has been preparing for an opportunity like this for most of his career, should be to sustain American driving talent in the sport while giving American F1 fans someone to cheer on at every grand prix."

Are you expecting an exciting race in Austin? What do you think of the circuit design?

"This track will see some of the best racing in North America, and the feeling among the Tilke engineers I spoke to during my last visit was that both the city of Austin and Circuit of The Americas will make for the best fan experience any of them have had a hand in creating. From a driver's perspective, the circuit's layout is a great mix of legendary sections from Silverstone, Hockenheim and Bahrain with plenty of runoff and overtaking opportunity. The 200 mph back straight should be a good spot to listen and the 133 foot elevation change that peaks by turn 1 will make for some of the best views at any current F1 circuit."

Tell us about your website?

'F1 in America' is a blog I started while organizing the longest running and largest community of American F1 fans in San Francisco. After the final USGP in 2007, our group has brought together more US based F1 fans to watch Grand Prix racing together than any other event in the USA. I've met thousands of fans from more than 50 countries at over 120 races, so it was natural that I began to develop a picture of an American audience as well as an understanding of the challenges and opportunities the sport faces. I'm particularly interested in the wave of new ideas that are coming from companies in my backyard here in the social space, and I keep visitors in touch with what I'm reading on my Facebook and twitter pages."

Who will win the championship in 2012? Drivers and constructors

"You know, I get asked if I bet on Formula 1 all the time, and the more it seems that I learn about the sport, the less I feel inclined to predict any given outcome. Your readers may not know this, but it's even difficult to find a sports book that will take an F1 bet in Las Vegas - the home of sports betting! Newey and Vettel have clearly been a force to be measured against at Red Bull, so I'm keeping an eye on how everyone does their first few races this year against them - ask me in a bit when I have a better idea how much the other teams have made up the difference over the winter . . ."

Which team do you follow?

"I'm one to root for an underdog with heart and I've followed Williams since their BMW days - let's see how they do this year!"

Will the number of F1 cars racing in the USA this time reach double figures? (thinking of Indianapolis)

"There are still fans who haven't recovered from that race on Father's Day in 2005 - so let's hope it stays in the double digits. We're all looking toward the future of the sport and I would expect that the same set of circumstances wouldn't ever occur again at any circuit."

This all sounds very promising. I personally am looking forward to F1 going back to the USA. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Peter for his time and for giving us all an insight into how US Formula One fans are feeling right now.

You can follow Peter's blog by visiting the address http://f1us.co/

2012 Season Preview - McLaren

We finally come to the end of our season preview looking at the teams. This time it's McLaren Mercedes, runners up for the past two seasons having been chasing down Red Bull with everything they have. I decided to upload both Red Bull and McLaren previews at the same time, just to keep you guessing as to which order my top two would be in.

Up and down the paddock McLaren are the envy of the rest of the teams, purely due to having the strongest drier partnership of all. Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button are both recent world champions and when on top of their game are a match for anyone. Since Jenson won the championship with Brawn he has got better and better, a complete racing driver who I rate as one of the best in the history of the sport. He had pulled off some great results in poor cars earlier in his career, but nothing can compare to his drive in Canada last season. Simply put that drive in Canada was the greatest performance from any driver anywhere, anytime. Lewis, on the other hand had a poor season in 2011, the majority of pundits put that down to off the track issues, specifically his split with his girlfriend and his managerial split with his father.

In 2012 I am expecting Lewis to come out fighting, I'm expecting him to get back to his best this season and perhaps have his best season ever. It'll take a lot to beat Jenson Button this season as he has established himself as a number one driver, despite what all the pundits said when he moved to McLaren two years ago. Lewis will find that having a competitive car from the word go and improved focus will ultimately land him the world title. Jenson in my opinion will come in 2nd, which will give McLaren the constructors championship.

How accurate will my predictions be? Only time will tell. I guess as pre season gets underway, in just over a week we will have a much better idea of where the cars are at. I hope to have someone at the Barcelona test to give me some inside information, so stay tuned for more on pre season.

2011 Position - 2nd
2012 Predicted Position - Champions

Conclusion - An excellent season ahead for the McLaren team. A double championship and a one-two in the drivers championship could be ahead. I'm looking forward to seeing Lewis Hamilton back on song and Jenson Button pushing him all the way. The only thing that can stop Lewis Hamilton in my opinion, Jenson Button. So sit back, relax and look forward to what I predict is going to be one hell of a season.

2012 Season Preview - Red Bull Racing

Following two dominant seasons in Formula One, Red Bull Racing will be looking for a hat trick in 2012. How easy will that be?

This coming season, Red Bull Racing will be using a completely redesigned car. Last seasons car was a direct descendant of the 2010 car, using the blown diffuser as the main build around. They had the most successful adaptation of this technology by a country mile and that showed with Sebastian Vettel seemingly always at the front. Mark Webber, however didn't fair so well but still had plenty of good finishes.

Red Bull will find this season a lot more difficult. McLaren will push them a lot harder this season and are, in my view, likely to beat Red Bull to the championship. In 2012 Red Bull will stick with the same drivers, that being World Champion, Sebastian Vettel and Australian Mark Webber. Mark Webber is in a situation similar to Felipe Massa, in that he needs to have a much better season to keep his seat going into 2013. You'd go a long way to find anyone who dislikes Mark Webber so it'll be a shame if he doesn't stay on the grid, but as F1 is a competitive sport, emotions have to take a back seat. When I talk about it being a more difficult season for Red Bull, please don't mistake that for a struggle, try certainly won't struggle. They will in my opinion fall just behind to McLaren.

In my previous previews I've not really talked about individual drivers and/or the drivers championship. In the final two previews I will talk about it and where I think they'll finish. For Mark Webber, I think he'll have a much better season, however it still won't be enough to make a great deal of difference to his final position. This season I believe Mark will have two wins to his name but it'll only mean a 5th place finish for him as he'll find the consistency of Alonso a tough nut to crack. For current double champion, Sebastian Vettel I think a 3rd place will be his final outcome this season. I've been hovering between 2nd and 3rd for Sebastian, but settled in 3rd, purely because I think Lewis Hamilton will have his best season yet. More about that in the McLaren preview.

Red Bull are likely to be strong in aero again as they have the massive talent that is Adrian Newey. In races where aero matters you should expect Red Bull to reign supreme.

2011 Position - Champions
2012 Predicted Position - 2nd

Conclusion - its a huge ask for a team to win three titles in a row. I don't believe Red Bull will manage this, however they will still have a good season with some very dominant races. You may well see them dominate again if Newey comes up with an innovation no one else has come up with. You can never write off a team like Red Bull. In recent years they've been unstoppable. This coming season will be a little different, perhaps this will make F1 a little more exciting, on the other hand it may just be season 3 of the world domination of Red Bull.

2012 Season Preview - Ferrari

The top 3, a place everyone in Formula One wants to be and yet when you get there, you are no longer satisfied and you want to be number one.

We start our look at the top 3 with Italian giants Ferrari, a team with such a rich history they get a special deal just for turning up. This, of course is somewhat annoying to the rest of the teams, even though they don't mention it so much.

Ferrari have been under performing since Kimi Raikkonen's championship year and Felipe Massa's near miss. Their cars just haven't been on the pace with numerous glaring errors in their design. We saw Alonso storm into the lead on a few occasions, only to be hampered through no fault of his own. Let me explain, he made some amazing starts and overtakes in 2011 but as soon as he moved onto the harder compound tyre, he started to go almost backwards. There was also the front wing debacle, watching Felipe Massa drive around circuits during practice sessions was almost painful sometimes, his front wing wobbling like it was on a pogo stick. This was their attempt to copy the Red Bull flexible front wing with no success.

Italy is screaming out for success in Formula One, you'd be hard pressed to find a more passionate set of fans than the Tifosi at Monza. Can Ferrari deliver what they are hoping for? Well the short answer is no in my opinion. They will race with the same two driers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa for the 3rd season running. Massa Will be required to lift his game considerably this season as its the final year of his contract, he's been told in no uncertain terms that another season like last year, without any podiums will not be acceptable. I still believe that he has the ability, last season he spent too much time tangling with Lewis Hamilton. Fernando Alonso won at Silverstone last season, that was his only win of the year, but he did an incredible job staying up close and personal to the leaders in an inferior car. Alonso's win at Silverstone was due to the ban on off throttle blown diffusers. For that race only it was clear to see that this was Ferrari's main issue, had they designed this technology well, they would have challenged in 2011.

What can the Tifosi expect from their heroes in 2012? I am expecting the top 3 to be much closer this season but unfortunately for the prancing horse supporters, I still believe Red Bull and McLaren will be number one and two. Ferrari will be in a battle with Mercedes for 3rd place. It's a battle that they will win, I think that it'll be down to a couple of wins for Alonso. This will be the difference between the two teams. The complete ban on off throttle blown diffusers won't really make a difference to Ferrari this season as everyone starts from a clean sheet. Massa will hopefully get back into shape this season, I'm just concerned that it won't be enough to keep his drive in 2013.

2011 Position - 3rd
2012 Predicted Position - 3rd

Conclusion - another season staring at the back of Red Bull and McLaren cars. They are likely to get more podiums this season and a couple of wins for Alonso is not out of the question. Massa will hopefully have a better season, he is still a top driver but he hasn't had the rub of the green recently. I've already said in my other previews that the top will be a lot closer this season, I'll say it again as I believe the points difference will be minimal and Ferrari will still be in the hunt going into the last few races.

2012 - Ugly Duck Billed Year?

With the release of the Caterham 2012 F1 car a couple of days ago it looks as though the front end of this years machines will be somewhat ugly.

Formula One has a sexy image, the cars usually look stunning, but this year, if the Caterham challenger is anything to go by, looks will take a huge nose dive (excuse the pun).

Revealed in this months F1 Racing magazine, the Caterham 2012 car has caused quite a stir. Being the first car released in a season with major regulation changes is a brave move. A spokesman for Caterham has said to expect this to be the norm as it seems the most logical step considering the new regulations. FIA regulations have now changed for the height of the nose, this means a choice of a lower nose or a unique design to allow the airflow to work at a premium. Caterham have gone for the later and despite the ugly styling it seems to look like it'll work. You can see the logic in this design. A friend of mine used a phone to explain why this probably won't work, he showed me how the air flow will be blocked by something that isn't flat. I reminded him that a F1 car isn't flat at the back so this was probably the best way to get around the new regulations.

Ferrari have already described their new car as ugly, so I'd guess that this styling is indeed the way most will go this season.

Ugly? Maybe. Innovative? Definitely

2012 Season Preview - Mercedes GP

Now we come to the business end of the grid and the first of our top 4 teams, Mercedes GP.

Ever since winning the championship under their previous name Brawn GP, this team have been trying to get back to the top. Blessed with a first class engine, the brains of Ross Brawn, the might of a huge manufacturer and one of the greatest ever drivers in the history of the sport (according to others), this team really should be on the podium regularly. Last season they failed to get a podium and spent the season fighting off rumours that Michael Schumacher is about to leave. Prior to last season pundits said they'd get on the podium and yet again this season people are saying the same. What am I saying though? That's of course the most important thing (kidding, of course, there are many people far more in tune with F1 than me).

It's unarguable that they have a great driver line up in Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher. It's also a dead cert that they have a great team of background staff, both engineers and managerial. However, as so many football teams have found out in the past, you have to make the team gel in order to gain success. So far this team haven't gelled well enough to make the podium. There have been flashes of brilliance, I'm specifically remembering Nico Rosberg in China and Michael Schumacher in Canada.

2012 will be Schumacher's final year of his current contract and unless he tastes success again, I can't see him extending that further. He was the driver who made the most overtakes in 2011, whether that was down to skill or a mixture if DRS and poor qualifying, we don't know. I'll be honest and say that I couldn't stand Schumacher in his first career, I hated the aggressive style of driving that often put people in danger, I got really annoyed with his arrogance. Since his return he has mellowed out somewhat and interviewers have found a more pleasant man to deal with. He's been less aggressive on the track, if you put the Barrichello incident to one side for a minute. Nico Rosberg has been the better driver in the last two seasons, that is without a doubt in my humble opinion. I think he will be the better driver in 2012 too, this will make it even more difficult for Schumacher to stay. He will hate being second best to a team mate.

Mercedes will get on the podium this year, I believe they'll get it together and finally challenge again at the front of the pack. They had a great top speed last season and that is likely to roll over into this season. Couple that with a car that has been two seasons in the making (by that I mean trying to put all the pieces of the jigsaw together, not literally building it for two years) and they'll not be far off. Mercedes at the front will make this season even more exciting as Red Bull are unlikely to run away with it. The main challengers for Mercedes this year will be Ferrari, I think it'll be a very close run thing between the two teams right up until the end of the season. Unfortunately for Mercedes, I think that Ferrari will win that battle.....just. Why do I think that? Well, I think a couple of wins during the season for Alonso will be the difference between the two teams.

2011 Position - 4th
2012 Predicted Position - 4th

Conclusion - despite my prediction placing them in exactly the same position as last season, I think they will finally gel as a team and start to get podiums. I can see a maiden win for them under the name Mercedes, but as I said before, it'll be a couple of Alonso wins that'll keep them outside the top 3. Will Michael Schumacher win again? Possibly, but I wouldn't bet my house on it. It may well be a bittersweet win, perhaps following an announcement that he is retiring........again. The outstanding Ross Brawn will look back at 2012 and see it as the beginning of the road to another championship.

2012 Season Preview - Lotus Renault

Next in our season preview we come to the team formally known as "the other Lotus". A team that had been in so much controversy over the last few years they could be mistaken for trouble makers, although I'm sure they're not.

Last season they ran with a number of drivers mainly due to the unfortunate accident to the talented Robert Kubica. They started the season with Vitaly Petrov and Nick Heidfeld, the when Quick Nick didn't perform as well as they'd hoped, Bruno Senna was employed. The season started with so much promise when both drivers scored podiums in the first two races . It soon went down hill when the innovative front facing exhausts seemed to limit the update opportunities. They still picked up points but they fell further and further back down the field as the season progressed.

For the coming season they have dispensed of both their drivers from 2011 making way for 2nd chance youngster Roman Grosjean and former world champion Kimi Raikkonen. Roman last had a shot with Renault a couple of seasons ago but failed to live up to expectations, it could be argued that he was thrust in at the deep end following the departure of Nelson Piquet late in the season. I don't believe he was really given the chance to shine. Kimi Raikkonen, on the other hand is a very successful F1 driver, but left Ferrari when it seemed he didn't have the appetite for it anymore. After two years away from the sport, he returns and if stories are to be believed, is hungrier than ever.

The problem that I have with accessing how well Lotus will do this season, is that they have yet again been blighted by their own innovation. They had been the main protagonist behind the reactive ride height system, this allowed stability under braking in the corners. This was banned last week by the FIA and one wonders how much the Lotus car was designed round this technology. If it was heavily designed round this they will have an issue, as to go back to the drawing board at this late stage will surely hurt them.

How will this all play out for Lotus? Well to be honest I am not entirely sure. Their driver line up is somewhat untested at the moment as two questions remain unanswered, can Roman live up to his promise this time? And, what is Kimi's motivation. Given all this, I have to conclude that it won't be such an easy year for the team. Couple that with a resurgent Williams and an improving Force India, I think they will spend most of the season in the midfield.

2011 Position - 5th
2012 Predicted Position - 7th

Conclusion - another tough season for Lotus, however I think the results will come toward the later end of the season when Kimi gets back into his groove and Roman learns the ropes. I do think they are destined for better things in the coming seasons, just not yet. Role on 2013, might just be the shouts from Lotus fans during 2012.

Autosport Have 1st Pics of Raikkonen in Testing

Autosport have today released a photo of Kimi Raikkonen testing for Lotus in Valencia.

This is the first time Kimi has tried F1 machinery since he moved over to Rallying in 2009. The car was a two year old Renault R30 but was painted in the black and gold livery of last season. Kimi took to the track at 0830 CET to begin a two day test allowing him to get used to F1 again prior to the first official tests in a couple of weeks.

Outside official tests, teams can only use machinery which is two years old and is only allowed to run on test rubber. This is to stop any team getting an unfair advantage.

For a 'spy' photo of this test, head over to autosport.com

Circuit of the Americas Taking Shape?

After all the negotiating and news reports of financial issues it seems that the Circuit of the Americas is back on track.

Today It has been tweeted that an advance waiting list has been launched for the Grand Prix later this year. It's about time we had a Grand Prix back in the USA so hopefully this is it. Hopefully this is the end to the squabbling and we can finally look forward to a great F1 event in Austin, Texas. Oh, before I go, what a great circuit it looks too.

HRT Late Again?

Things don't seem to be ok at the HRT stable according to sources at Sky Sports and BBC.

As rumours are abound that HRT may have to contest the first few races of 2012 with their 2011 car, a HRT spokeswoman has spoken out to say that despite a 'critical delay' they fully expect to be at the 2nd pre season test.

What does a critical error mean? I don't think in the third year of a teams existence they should be in any danger of being delayed to any extent. Could this be the third year in a row that the F1 grid are left wondering what is happening with the team? I know it's under new ownership but they really need to get their act together. This isn't any good for anyone involved and must be embarrassing for their fans.

Perhaps there should be a waiting list of teams, a kind of 2nd division if you like, made up of teams who would love to be in F1 and can prove they can afford it and have the expertise in place. Obviously there are only so many grid places, but if there were five teams wanting to come in then they could fight it out in a short championship in GP2 cars for instance. The winning team would then enter Formula One at the expense of the bottom team or a team that consistently showed that they couldn't meet the basic needs of Formula One. If HRT are late, that'll be three years in a row there's been an issue, where we've wondered whether they'll be on the grid come the first grand prix.

Just a thought, what do you all think? Will HRT make it to the grid? Is promotion and relegation a way forward?

2012 Season Preview - Sahara Force India

 

Renamed ever so slightly this year as Sahara Force India, Dr Vijay Mallya's outfit have been rising up the F1 grid at a steady pace over the past few years. In this preview I will ask the question whether they can go any further or whether they have found their place.

In the 2012 season they will be continuing with the impressive and promising Paul Di Resta, and someone who I rated a couple of years ago when he raced for Williams, Nico Hulkenberg. Williams let Nico go following a pole position at Interlagos, but I won't go into that right now, see my Williams preview to figure out my silence in that madness.

Force India, however saw the potential in Nico and took him on as reserve for 2011. I personally was happy to see him still in the fold, I really didn't want him to be another talent that we never saw again in Formula One. During this season they must have seen something in Nico (I suppose like a lot of us did), as they've done away with the experienced Adrian Sutil.

Last season was a bit hit and miss for Force India. They had some great results, especially with Paul Di Resta, who more often than not out-performed his team mate. I don't know about you guys reading this, but did it seem that on some occasions, when we all said what a great race Paul had, he would sometimes look disappointed? Or was that just me? For me that spoke volumes, because it was obvious that Paul knew how good the technicians and other talent at Force India were, yet they deserved more out of their car on occasions. I believe it was a very good car with potential but some upgrades didn't seem to work well for them. I suppose only the lads at Force India can confirm that.

On their day, Force India can and do compete with the front runners, the question is, what's in store for 2012? Well, they have two, what I would class as world champions in the making. To realise that ambition though they'll have to have some luck as well as talent. I think we'll see Force India in the points on a regular basis again, only this time i think they'll make another step up in class and it'll be Lotus Renault who'll be doing the chasing, I'll speak more about that in the Lotus preview. There'll be many people out there who will scoff at my prediction at this point, but there is a very valid reason why I believe this. I'd ask that you reserve judgement until all my previews are complete, thanks, that's very kind of you. I believe another step up the final championship table is on the cards in 2012, but then they reach the Premier League of Formula One and the question is will they be able to consistently beat the top 4? Well, that's a question for another year isn't it?

2011 Position - 6th

2012 Predicted Position 5th

Conclusion - Another great year for Force India. I don't believe it's a time of consolidation, I believe they have the team at the factory, the team at the track and the team of drivers to do pretty well. Dr Vijay Mallya will be a happy man in 2012 I think. Paul Di Resta will have an even better year and Nico Hulkenberg will be up to speed pretty quickly. It's points, points and more points in 2012 for Sahara Force India.