F1 2012 so far - Part 1

Given all the excitement at the front of the field (which this season features six to eight different teams fighting for the podium) it’s not entirely surprising that the Formula 1 tail-enders are getting even less coverage than usual in 2012. But how are the most recent additions to Formula 1 (I refuse to call them ‘new’ teams, it’s been two and a half seasons now!) getting on?

Well, perhaps the happiest of the three will be HRT. That sounds odd, given that the Spanish minnows are last in the championship and failed to qualify for the first race, but since then their form and rate of improvement has been impressive. After dire predictions about repeated failures to qualify while getting their car sorted, both drivers have made the grid at each race and Pedro de la Rosa in particular has started to trouble the Marussias recently.

Ironically given their recent improvement, it was the team’s first start in Malaysia which provided the standout moment thus far, Narain Karthikeyan running 10th when the race was red-flagged in appalling conditions. Had the race not restarted (always unlikely but possible), he would have picked up half a precious point. As it was, the Indian driver couldn’t hold off faster cars at the restart, but did make the headlines after collisions with Jenson Button (while battling for position) and Sebastian Vettel (while being lapped).

Other than that Karthikeyan has been almost invisible, and although his qualifying form relative to de la Rosa is improving he hasn’t outqualified the Spaniard yet. De la Rosa himself has been superb at times, putting in great qualifying laps in Monaco and Valencia and many strong races. His motivation seems high despite being mired at the back of the grid, and he is doing exactly what the team hoped by leading them on and off the track. Some evidence of his influence can be seen operationally, as the team’s pit stop times have improved immeasurably and they are even making some good strategic calls (such as starting on wets in anticipation of the aforementioned Malaysian monsoon). Considering their lack of budget and personnel, even compared to the teams around them, HRT are doing a decent job.

Despite being a place higher in the constructor’s standings, Marussia will surely be less happy than their Spanish rivals. In Australia things were looking promising, and a 14th place finish for Timo Glock put the team tenth in the Constructor’s Championship until Monaco where Caterham bettered their result. The team are making positive noises about closing the gap to Caterham, but in truth they are being left behind by the green and yellow cars. Marussia are also coming under increasing pressure from HRT, and at certain tracks de la Rosa has been able to get on terms.

One positive is their rookie driver Charles Pic, who is starting to look like the real deal – he’s outqualified team mate Glock in the last two events, and finished a lap ahead of the more experienced German in Hungary and not far behind Petrov’s Caterham. Glock himself, on the other hand, looks increasingly disinterested and his motivation seems to be up and down, as has been the case for the last season or so. He’s still quick when he wants to be (for example in the opening races of the season), but seems less able or inclined to drive around car problems than his young team mate (and has recently shown his frustration at this state of affairs).

Marussia have made some progress this year, but with McLaren providing technical assistance, Pat Symonds in a consultancy role and a far more stable structure than HRT they really should be further ahead of the back row and closer to Caterham than they are.

As for Caterham, it’s been a bit of a mixed bag really. For the second season in a row the team hasn’t achieved its stated aim of challenging the midfield runners on a consistent basis, although they have developed the car enough to occasionally worry the Toro Rossos (as was the case at the end of 2011).

The team’s general performance has been good, as they are only a couple of seconds a lap off the leaders at most tracks – ten years ago that would have put you solidly in the points at race end. But like Marussia, they are perhaps underachieving given their improving infrastructure, Renault engines and former race-winning lead driver Heikki Kovalainen. The Finn, while not perhaps shining quite as brightly as in 2011, has made his mark again this year. His brilliant performance in Monaco, where he held off Button’s McLaren for most of the race, was one of the drives of the season thus far. Button’s post-race moans only served to underline that fact, and it’s no surprise that there’s talk he could be in line for a grander seat.

Vitaly Petrov, meanwhile, has been just as anonymous as Jarno Trulli was last year but has least maintained a good finishing record, keeping Kovalainen fairly honest and driving particularly well to finish 13th in Valencia. It has to be assumed that he’s also brought commercial benefits, although there has been no discernible increase in the number of sponsors logos (Russian or otherwise) on the car.

Quite where Caterham go from here is unclear – scoring points looks as distant a prospect as ever, at least for the rest of 2012, and if they wind up losing Kovalainen they are more likely to go backwards than forwards.

Next week… the midfield teams.

Australia and Malaysia Round-Up and Driver Ratings

What a fabulous start to the season it’s been. Australia set the tone with a typical Albert Park GP – crashes, overtaking and general mayhem, featuring some excellent performances from Button, Alonso and Maldonado (well, until the last lap anyway). But Malaysia was even better, with a fascinating battle for the lead, surprise podium finishers, and even an attractive arrangement of awnings which resembled the first ever Formula 1 farmer’s market.

Brilliantly, the 2012 form guide remains relatively unwritten given that we haven’t seen a ‘normal’ dry race on a conventional circuit yet. But with nine teams already having scored points, it’s clearly going to be a close season and the performance of individual drivers could be more important than ever. Which leads me nicely on to the driver ratings.

Regular readers of this blog (many of whom are known to me by name…) will know how this works. Basically, after each race each driver gets a rating out of 10 based on their performance across the whole weekend. Yes I know Autosport do something similar, but unlike them I don’t insist on giving all the British drivers at least 6 every race… and mine’s free, so there. Anyway, each rating is then added up at the end of the year to crown a Pits Take Driver of the Season. I’ve added a full chart of last year’s scores to the 2011 Season Review if you fancy revisiting that. So, off we go…

Red Bull

Sebastian Vettel – AUS 8, MAL 6

Mark Webber – AUS 7, MAL 7

It hasn’t really gone the reigning world champion driver or team’s way so far this year. Vettel has been outqualified twice by team mate Webber and appears under pressure to perform, as evidenced by his petty post-Malaysia outburst against a mostly-innocent Narain Karthikeyan. After qualifying only 6th Vettel actually drove very well in the race in Australia, assertively passing Nico Rosberg on his way to a (slightly safety car-assisted) 2nd place. But Malaysia was mildly disastrous – his gamble to qualify on hard tyres was rendered futile by the wet conditions, and after being tagged by Karthikeyan he could only finish 11th. His post-race comments betrayed his frustration at not hitherto being able to run at the very front. Webber has been consistent in finishing 4th in both races so far, and he drove particularly well in the tricky Malaysian rain. The Australian has generally shown better form than in 2011, in spite of running behind Vettel for most of both races and despite the Red Bull not longer being the car to beat.

McLaren

Jenson Button – AUS 9, MAL 5

Lewis Hamilton – AUS 7, MAL 8

Despite the confusing nature of both the Australian and Malaysian races, it’s clear that McLaren have an extremely competitive car. They’re the only team to have mounted the podium more than once and Hamilton and Button are 2nd and 3rd in the championship respectively. Button will probably be the happier of the two men after a great victory in Melbourne which owed much to his continued ability to look after the tyres. Hamilton took pole but then lost out at the start, and from then on never looked like beating his team mate. Another front row lock out in Malaysia boded well, but when the rain came Button’s alleged wet-weather abilities deserted him. A clumsy collision with the seemingly-magnetic HRT of Karthikeyan was one thing, but even after pitting for repairs Button never really looked like a contender, and had to make an extra pit stop after struggling on intermediate tyres. Hamilton’s 3rd place, while useful for the championship, was a little disappointing after another pole, but at least he’s showing much-needed (and apparently intentional) consistency.

Ferrari

Fernando Alonso – AUS 8, MAL 10

Felipe Massa – AUS 3, MAL 4

Pre-season fears that Ferrari would be off the pace have been largely proven correct, with only one Q3 appearance so far this season. And yet Alonso leads the driver’s championship after two quite brilliant performances where he extracted more than seemed possible out of the F2012. The Spaniard admittedly blotted his copybook with an off in qualifying in Melbourne, but his drive in the race was admirable as he fended off faster cars to take an excellent 5th. Felipe Massa meanwhile was a second off his team mate in qualifying (despite Alonso’s spin) and endured one of his worst ever Grand Prix which ended after an unnecessary collision with Bruno Senna. In Malaysia, after the heavens opened, Alonso proved once again that he is the most complete driver on the grid. Massa meanwhile was busy proving he’s not the driver he once was - despite driving reasonably well in the wet he lost nearly a lap to Alonso in around 30 laps of dry running. Sergio Perez’s podium heaps the pressure on the hapless Brazilian.

Mercedes

Michael Schumacher - AUS 9, MAL 7

Nico Rosberg – AUS 5, MAL 4

Mercedes have had a bizarre start to the season; they have arguably the second-best car in terms of one-lap pace but only have a single point to show for it. Michael Schumacher has led the charge, qualifying 4th in Australia and running 3rd before gearbox problems spoiled his day. This at least spared the veteran from the acute tyre wear which afflicted Rosberg, with the younger German holding up a train of cars in the closing stages and then sustaining a puncture after a collision with Perez. Malaysia started well, with Schumacher a second-career best 3rd on the grid, again ahead of Rosberg. An unfortunate collision with Grosjean restricted Schumi to 10th in the race, but Rosberg fared even worse and toiled to 14th. The younger German needs to raise his game, as do the team - the M03 only appears quick in qualifying due to its clever DRS system giving it an advantage against closely-matched rivals. In race conditions, with limited DRS use and tyre management problems, the Mercedes seem destined to always go backwards.

Lotus

Kimi Raikkonen – AUS 8, MAL 8

Romain Grosjean – AUS 8, MAL 5

Lotus have complained that the first two races of the season haven’t allowed them to show their true form. In fact, the 7th and 5th places secured so far probably represent the best results the team can realistically hope for in dry conditions at present. Raikkonen has achieved both finishes, despite the handicap in Melbourne of being knocked out in Q1 and lining up 18th on the grid. It was left to Grosjean to uphold qualifying honour with a fantastic 3rd place, but an aggressive Maldonado pass-cum-nudge put paid to his race hopes. Kimi took a useful 7th place finish though, and followed that up with 5th in qualifying (later relegated to 10th by a gearbox penalty) and in the race in Malaysia. Despite responding in his usual monotone in interviews, Raikkonen has also managed to show he’s enjoying himself though his self-mocking gesture of sending ice creams to journalists in the Sepang paddock. Grosjean made two major mistakes in the Malaysian rain, colliding with Schumacher and then spinning off all on his own. The speed is there if he can iron out the errors.

Force India

Paul Di Resta – AUS 6, MAL 8

Nico Hulkenberg – AUS 7, MAL 7

Despite three points finishes so far, it’s been a slightly underwhelming start to the season for the Silverstone-based squad, who ended last year so well. The team are certainly there or thereabouts relative to the midfield pack, but haven’t yet made the step forward needed to challenge the front runners. Qualifying in Australia provided the first evidence of this, with di Resta failing to progress beyond Q2. Hulkenberg was slightly the quicker driver all weekend and made Q3, but retired early as a result of first-corner contact. Meanwhile, di Resta never looked like scoring until the very last corner, when some smart driving allowed him to catch and pass Vergne’s Toro Rosso. The Malaysian rain served to mask the team’s slight lack of dry pace, with both drivers performing extremely well to finish in the points. In fact, the two drivers have generally been evenly matched so far – this is unsurprising, given that they have similar levels of experience, although it does make some of the hype from British media outlets around di Resta’s debut season look a bit silly.

Sauber

Kamui Kobayashi – AUS 9, MAL 5

Sergio Perez – AUS 9, MAL 10

In my season preview, I accused Sauber of being dull and anonymous, but also referenced their gifted drivers. Well, the sublime talents of Sergio Perez have well and truly catapulted the midfield team into prominence. Melbourne was a good start –despite a poor qualifying showing both drivers finished in the points, with Kobayashi showing his usual fighting spirit to take 6th and Perez hanging on with fading tyres to finish 8th. But of course, Perez’s drive in Malaysia is the one which the team’s whole season will probably be remembered for. The Mexican should really have won but for his late race error, but nevertheless drove brilliantly throughout and catapulted himself into contention for a Ferrari drive next season (or even this season, according to some observers). The team’s Swiss sensibleness was still evident, with a cautious late second pit stop and a radio message to Perez not to throw away the points for second place with an attempt to take the lead, but the car looks good enough for regular points finishes - at least until the inevitable late-season performance drop-off.

Toro Rosso

Daniel Ricciardo – AUS 8, MAL 6

Jean-Eric Vergne – AUS 7, MAL 9

Red Bull will be delighted at the form shown thus far by their latest batch of young guns, after the controversial and oft-discussed decision to remove Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari from their drives at the end of 2011. The new Toro Rosso continued its promising testing form in Melbourne as Ricciardo and Vergne qualified 10th and 11th. The last lap of the race turned into a lottery as a pack of cars jostled behind Rosberg’s hobbled Mercedes, and while Ricciardo profited to steal 9th, Vergne lost out to his team mate and di Resta on the run to the line to finish where he started. The team seemed to take a step back during qualifying in Sepang, but come the wet race Vergne performed magnificently to maintain position on intermediate tyres when the track was at its wettest – a sure sign of a potential star in the making. His eventual 7th place overshadowed a solid drive to 12th by Ricciardo, and the Frenchman has no doubt already caught the eye of the Red Bull hierarchy for all the right reasons.

Williams

Pastor Maldonado – AUS 8, MAL 6

Bruno Senna – AUS 5, MAL 9

Williams have unexpectedly made a massive step forward so far in 2012, and the recent shock departure of CEO Adam Parr (who looked the part and talked the talk but rarely appeared to do anything positive) shouldn’t be too much of an issue in the long term. In Melbourne the FW34 showed great pace but ultimately disappointed, thanks on both counts to Maldonado. His drive up to 6th in the race was at times breathtaking, but so was the loss of concentration that led him to hit the wall on the last lap and spectacularly retire. Senna meanwhile had a difficult weekend, but redeemed himself entirely by performing exceptionally in the wet in Sepang, eventually finishing a magnificent and poetically-just 6th. For his part Maldonado lost another points finish with a late-race engine failure, but remains the faster driver in dry conditions at present. Senna’s result should increase his confidence though and the initiative may well swing between the two drivers for the rest of the year – hopefully the early race collision between them in Malaysia isn’t a portent of things to come...

Caterham

Heikki Kovalainen – AUS 6, MAL 4

Vitaly Petrov – AUS 7, MAL 7

Of all the teams on the grid, perhaps the most disappointed at the moment (Ferrari’s woes notwithstanding) will be the Caterham outfit. While the first two races have been unusual there’s been no real sign that the team have caught up with the midfield, something which they have themselves acknowledged. Indeed, given the relative strength of teams like Toro Rosso and Williams the task for Caterham appears even harder than in 2011. Things haven’t been helped so far by an indifferent couple of races from Kovalainen. In Australia the Finn struggled and later retired with suspension difficulties, while in Sepang he was beaten home by his team mate. Petrov’s solid performances have actually been the team’s highlight so far, and the Russian seems to have settled in well and is already performing at least as capably as Jarno Trulli managed (with some obvious benefits…). The first priority will be to get ahead of Marussia and back to their habitual 10th place in the constructors’ standings; sadly, doing so will likely rely on attrition among the midfielders rather than outright pace.

HRT

Pedro de la Rosa – AUS 7, MAL 6

Narain Karthikeyan – AUS 6, MAL 8

HRT have unsurprisingly had a difficult start to the season. After no testing Melbourne was always going to be a struggle, but while the similarly unprepared Marussias made the grid comfortably, the HRTs missed out by a significant margin. De la Rosa actually deserves some praise for getting within 1.3 seconds of qualification despite hardly any practice laps. Sepang was an improvement in that both cars made the grid, and Karthikeyan amazingly restarted 10th after starting the race on wets. It is to the team’s credit that both cars made it home, despite the team’s novel cooling system which apparently requires it to be raining for the car to continue running. This should be sorted for China, but HRT’s professionalism (or lack thereof) was summed up by the restart in Malaysia – while the other teams sheltered under purpose-built awnings (or a large plastic sheet in Marussia’s case), the Spaniards could only muster a single umbrella to protect each car. And despite the removal of said umbrellas presumably not being a particularly time-consuming job, they still managed to get a penalty for personnel being left on the grid too late…

Marussia

Timo Glock – AUS 9, MAL 7

Charles Pic – AUS 8, MAL 6

Given their lack of pre-season testing, it seemed fanciful to expect Marussia to even finish the opening races. But they have done so with both cars, and despite remaining off the pace of the midfield runners aren’t actually that far away from the Caterhams (and are ahead of them in the championship on countback). Early fears in Melbourne that the cars would struggle to qualify proved unfounded, and Glock drove an excellent race to finish 14th, just one lap down. In Malaysia the German found the wet conditions to his liking, as he often has in the past, and again did extremely well to beat Heikki Kovalainen home. In fact in this early stage of the season Glock is doing a good job of emulating Kovalainen’s 2011 form by regularly outperforming his car. Team mate Pic was also classified in both races and has made a very sensible start to his F1 career. Both men are currently ahead of Felipe Massa in the championship (which says more about Massa’s wretched performances than it does about Marussia) and will hope to continue their relatively good form.

F1 2012 Season Preview

As Steve McQueen asserts in the classic racing film Le Mans, “Life is racing, everything else is just waiting”. Well, the waiting is about to stop, as the 2012 Formula 1 season kicks off this weekend in Albert Park. While I wouldn’t go quite as far as “The King of Cool”, it will be nice to be able to indulge my passion for Formula 1 away from my winter pastimes of playing F1 2011 on the Xbox and staring wistfully for hours on end at a signed postcard of Romain Grosjean (don’t ask…).

So, what has 2012 got in store? Well, it’s shaping up rather nicely indeed with many observers expecting a close championship, in part due to rule changes which have made most of the cars on the grid resemble a large-billed bird of some description. Blown diffusers have also been banned, meaning less downforce on the cars and potentially more exciting racing. And with the return of Kimi Raikkonen, there are six Formula 1 World Champions on the grid. Sadly, the twin gimmicks of KERS and DRS remain, but at least they guarantee some overtaking (although of the rather straightforward ‘blast-past-on-the-straight’ kind).

Of course for British viewers, one of the stories of the year is the split in coverage between the BBC and Sky. I have spent many words on this subject in the past, and do not intend to do so again here (well, not too much). Judging by Sky’s season preview (repeated on Pick TV for those of us, like me, who don’t have Sky) the BBC viewers won’t be missing much, bar Martin Brundle and ten live races of course. But suffice to say that the casual viewer and ultimately the sport is the loser.

Nevertheless, whether you are seeing the whole season live or not, it promises to be a cracker, and is certainly one of the most eagerly anticipated of recent years. Although it’s hard to see past Red Bull and McLaren when assessing potential champions, the quality and depth of the midfield runners should allow for a surprise or two. Mr McQueen would no doubt have been delighted at the prospect…

Red Bull Racing

When Red Bull bought Jaguar in late 2004, no-one imagined the team enjoying the kind of success of recent seasons, particular given the level of domination that Ferrari had at that time. Now it’s Red Bull’s turn to dominate, and despite the cyclical nature of the sport nobody would bet against another triumph this year. Frighteningly, Sebastian Vettel was only 17 when the Jaguar takeover happened – now he’s a double World Champion and on a potential hat trick, something only Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher have ever managed. Mark Webber has the dubious pleasure of lining up alongside the mercurial German again, with the Australian considered very much the number two driver in the team. He looked like it as well for most of 2011, and has to improve this year (while not treading on Vettel’s toes too much…) if he wants to hold off Toro Rosso’s young guns and retain his seat beyond the end of the season. Adrian Newey seems to have designed another effective car, and it features an intriguing slot in the front nose which the designer attributes to ‘driver cooling’ – its real purpose remains a mystery. The fact that the usual accusations of foul play are being banded about suggests that other teams still see Red Bull as the biggest threat, and the only chink in their armour could be reliability, as the car suffered numerous stoppages in recent testing at Barcelona. McLaren may look stronger than last year, but Red Bull remain the clear favourites to ‘three-peat’.

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

In the battle for the aesthetic world championship McLaren are already winners, with their car exhibiting the same smooth curves as last year’s challenger and avoiding the wart-like lump in the front nose that most other teams have adopted. Initial worries that they had therefore missed a trick seem to have frittered away, and the car has shown good form in pre-season testing. With technical continuity, including the powerful Mercedes engine, McLaren look in good shape, and the team’s biggest problem could be on the driving front. That sounds like a bizarre assertion given that McLaren are the only team on the grid to have two former World Champions driving for them, but I have some lingering concerns about Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton despite their undoubted talents. Button was superb for most of 2011, but there are still question marks around his one-lap pace compared to his team mate. And while Hamilton undeniably has the speed, he was woefully inconsistent last year and was involved in numerous incidents. He claims to have sorted his head out in the off-season, but only time will tell. Nonetheless the two British drivers certainly form an amiable and effective pairing, and the team could well claim the constructor’s crown if the car is up to it. The question is, can Button beat Vettel on pace enough times over the course of a season to mount a serious championship challenge, and can Hamilton hold it together often enough on days where things aren’t going his way to pick up the 3rd, 4th and 5th places which can make the difference between becoming champion and not?

Scuderia Ferrari

Ferrari promised revolution rather than evolution for 2012, and their new car is certainly aggressively designed. Sadly it also looks like it’s made out of Lego, especially with the ridiculous stepped nose which somehow looks more severe on the red machine that on any of its competitors. But so far, the opposition aren’t exactly bricking it (sorry) as the F2012 has not shone in pre-season testing. One lap pace seems okay, but the car is reportedly difficult to drive over a longer distance. This is hardly likely to inspire confidence in the much-maligned Felipe Massa, who really needs a strong season in order to justify being retained by the Italian giants, especially with no shortage of decent drivers on the sidelines at present. A hopefully-recovering Robert Kubica has been linked with his seat, and the likes of Adrian Sutil, Sergio Perez or Jules Bianchi would likely be more than happy as Fernando Alonso’s number two. Alonso himself has no such concerns over redundancy after an exemplary performance in 2011, but will be worried at the prospect of another year unable to compete at the very front – not what he would have expected when he first joined Ferrari. The Spaniard remains arguably the most complete driver in the field, but is in danger of losing the best years of his career unless the team are able to get on terms with Red Bull and McLaren. Here’s hoping the red cars can make it a six-way (or at least five-way…) battle for the driver’s title.

Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team

The former Brawn team haven’t managed a win since becoming Mercedes at the end of 2009, and they will be desperate to change that this year. Half the grid’s designers seem to work for Ross Brawn’s squad these days, so it’s hardly surprising that the new car seems an improvement over the 2011 machine despite worries of a ‘too many cooks’ scenario unfolding. The relatively late launch of their new car seems like an astute move, as drivers Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg were immediately on the pace in Barcelona. Seven-time champion Schumacher needs no introduction, but what he does need is an improvement in qualifying form which was often woeful last season. Whether he is still able to coax a really quick lap out of his 43 year old brain will be interesting to see. Still only 26, Rosberg has no such issues, but despite generally having the edge on his team mate last season he did struggle to match Schumacher for race pace on occasion. He will also be as keen as the team to end their victory drought, given that his tally currently stands at 108 Grand Prix not won. But can Mercedes make it a ‘big four’ teams at the front of F1? Well the signs are good, and they will certainly be confident of at least getting the better of the Ferraris in the early running given the Italian squad’s problems. Sneaking a win or two may be beyond them, but getting on the podium (which the team didn’t manage in the whole of 2011) looks more than achievable.

Lotus F1 Team

Lotus (nee Renault) enter 2012 full of confidence despite a poor end to 2011 and a significant setback in testing where the car was unable to run for four days in Barcelona due to a mysterious chassis fault. Having disposed of Nick Heidfeld, Bruno Senna and Vitaly Petrov in the last year, the team field two F1 returnees. Of these, Kimi Raikkonen is by far the most illustrious. The 2007 Formula 1 World Champion has agreed to come back after two years rallying (with limited success), and insists that he is fully motivated despite accusations of disinterest in the past. Kimi’s stone-faced demeanour when facing the media is as legendary as his pace, and pre-season testing indicates that both are still intact. Romain Grosjean drives the second Lotus after impressing in a couple of Friday outings at the end of last season. The reigning GP2 champion will want to put any lingering memories of his disastrous stint with the same team in 2009 to bed, and stands a good chance of doing so. He will also benefit from Raikkonen’s experience, assuming he can succeed where many others have failed by getting more than a couple of words out of the Finn. All the ingredients are in place for a successful year – an impressive-looking new car, former World Champion driver and the current World Championship-winning engine. It’s a reflection of the strength of the opposition, however, that repeating the podiums of early 2011 would constitute a major achievement.

Sahara Force India F1 Team

For the first time since Eddie Jordan sold up, the Silverstone-based squad were genuine contenders for points in almost every race in 2011, in part due to the efforts of long-time driver Adrian Sutil. With the German departed (even before his recent conviction for assault) it’s down to two near-rookies to carry the team forward in 2012. Paul di Resta had an outstanding first year at the top level of motorsport, but now has the pressure on his shoulders of leading car development as well as the weight of expectation from the British media (I noted with interest his description as the “Rookie of the Year” on the Sky Sports F1 Season Preview show in the same way they described Vettel as World Champion – I never realised this was an official title!). Nico Hulkenberg fills the second seat, having shown flashes of promise in his 2010 debut with Williams including a fabulous pole in Brazil. But the youngster was frustratingly inconsistent and will need to match di Resta from the get-go to inspire confidence in those around him. The new Force India machine looks competitive in a tightly-packed midfield, but with Lotus and Mercedes also having improved it will be very difficult for the team to better last year’s sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship (though they may well match it). In particular, having the least experienced driver line-up on the grid may hinder car development, and I can’t help feel that dropping Sutil may be a decision that Vijay Mallya lives to regret come season’s end.

Sauber F1 Team

Sauber’s history and form in Formula 1, and seemingly their whole outlook, is summed up by their black and while colour scheme. Never likely to set the world on fire, the team blends in to the paddock more than any other and consistently puts in solid performances with occasional flashes of brilliance. Very professional, very dependable, and very, er, Swiss. Things are unlikely to be any different this season, in part because nothing significant at the team has changed. While designer James Key recently departed, his work on the 2012 car was seemingly complete, and on the driver front there is no revolution either. This is at least an area which guarantees some thrills, with Japan’s Kamui Kobayashi and Mexico’s Sergio Perez both keen to enhance their reputations as exciting, fast drivers. Perez in particular needs to prove that last year’s promise was not a false dawn, especially with a 2013 Ferrari drive potentially in the offing. For his part, Kobayashi was one of the stars early in 2011 before tailing off in the second half of the season, and will be keen to remind the paddock of his overtaking ability and racecraft while also improving his qualifying form against Perez. The car has looked decent in testing, despite a particularly ungainly front end even by this year’s standards. However, team personnel will be hoping to cast another perennial Sauber trait to one side - their inability to develop a car during the season. With Key gone, this may well become even more of an issue than normal.

Scuderia Toro Rosso

Toro Rosso begin the year with two drivers who have just 11 Grand Prix starts between them, having harshly fired both Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari in the off-season. Given their role as an ‘early learning centre’ for the Red Bull team it makes sense for the squad to take on two youngsters, but it may harm their form coming into a year where they actually look to have produced a decent car. The Ferrari-engined STR7 is an attractive chassis and has showed well in testing. Daniel Ricciardo is the veteran of the team after driving part of 2011 with HRT, where he was generally reckoned to have done a good job. He needs to impress again this season though – as the more experienced driver he will be expected to lead the team, and interestingly team boss Giorgio Ascanelli felt the Australian drove within himself in Friday outings with Toro Rosso last year. Jean-Eric Vergne is one of three Frenchmen in F1 this year, after several seasons without any, and is highly rated within Red Bull circles. The carrot for both men is the prospect of a seat in the main Red Bull team should Mark Webber move on (or be forcibly moved on) in the next couple of years. Balanced against that is the very real possibility that, should they not perform outstandingly, the same fate as befell Buemi and Alguersuari awaits them. It will be a fascinating intra-team battle and in many ways which driver comes out on top is far more significant than where Toro Rosso eventually end up in the standings.

Williams F1 Team

2011 was a true annus horribilis for the once-great Williams team, and changes in the off-season were inevitable. In fact, wholesale alterations were made midway through last year with Sam Michael leaving and disgraced former McLaren designer Mike Coughlan joining the team, and the significance of these changes will be measured by the pace of the team’s 2012 design. A supply of Renault engines has also been secured, meaning the iconic Williams-Renault name returns to the sport for the first time since 1997. The all-South American driver line-up features another iconic name, with Bruno Senna joining Pastor Maldonado to form a well-heeled but somewhat uninspiring partnership. Senna showed some promise during his partial season at Renault last year, and needs to build on that by regularly outperforming Maldonado. For his part, the Venezuelan certainly improved during 2011 and proved himself worthy of a place in F1 by seasons end, although whether he (or indeed Senna) would be at the team without their significant financial backing is the elephant in the room. Nevertheless, internal competition between the two may drive Williams forward, as both are similarly inexperienced and will be keen to beat each other; one hopes this rivalry won’t manifest itself in the form of numerous accidents and offs. Given the inexperienced men behind the wheel it will be difficult to assess Williams’ performance as a team this year, but improving on last season’s ninth place finish in the constructor’s championship would constitute some progress at least.

Caterham F1 Team

The team formally known as Lotus approach 2012 with optimism after an excellent end to last season, having (just about) clawed their way up to the back of the midfield pack, at least on certain circuits. Caterham were the first outfit to reveal their 2012 design and testing has generally gone well, with the car seeming at least as fast relative to the opposition as at the end of last year and setting times comparable to the likes of Williams and Sauber (albeit with the usual “testing is impossible to judge” note of caution attached). The team will benefit from the continued presence of Heikki Kovalainen, who remains despite some late-2011 speculation linking him with (the ‘new’) Lotus. Jarno Trulli, despite completing a day of testing in the car in Jerez and having a contract for 2012, has been dropped at the eleventh hour in favour of Vitaly Petrov. Frankly, taking on Petrov was by far the more lucrative option due to the Russian’s native backers, even if the team are still paying Trulli’s wages for the season (which they may well be). Petrov has shown flashes of promise in his two years in the sport, and should keep Kovalainen on his toes. The aim will be to beat one of the established teams over the course of the season, and to do that the team will have to score a decent number of points. The fact that they have so far failed to pick up even one shows just how hard a nut F1 is to crack and how hard, therefore, their task remains.

HRT F1 Team

The Spanish squad enter the 2012 season with more pre-season testing under their belt than at any point in their history, after the F112 managed a whole ten (very leisurely) laps during a filming day in Barcelona. The fact they just missed the final day of the last pre-season test pretty much sums the team up – they are a disorganised but hard-trying bunch, and deserve credit for persevering in Formula 1 in the face of adversity. At least they seem to have a long-term plan to progress, branding themselves as a kind of Spanish national team. Unfortunately, this is a bit like the opposite situation that Italian drivers face – just as they will never be able to compete with Ferrari for support, so HRT will forever remain in the shadow of Fernando Alonso. And to illustrate the point, witness just how many Italian drivers are left in F1. The new HRT, while at least seeming to be a mostly-new design, is worryingly bereft of sponsorship logos and the re-signing of Narain Karthikeyan (despite the Indian being dropped last year in favour of Red Bull money and Daniel Ricciardo) smacks of desperation. Lead driver Pedro de la Rosa is highly rated as a test driver, but whether HRT have the required resources and funds to actually develop their car is another matter. Getting the new car up to speed after such limited testing and with mostly new personnel (after Colin Kolles left the team and took his German mechanics with him) will be the first of many challenges this year.

Marussia F1 Team

The former Virgin team are renamed Marussia for this season, after Richard Branson decided he’d much rather own a bank than sponsor and part-own a Formula 1 team. Ownership has therefore transferred to the eponymous (and embryonic) Russian sports car manufacturer. The history of small sports car companies in Formula 1 is not an illustrious one: Venturi scored one whole point in a tie up with Larousse in 1992, while more recently Spyker managed the same tally in 2007 after taking over the former Midland and Jordan (now Force India) team. The prospect of Marussia managing to match this achievement and score a point themselves seems just as distant as in the Virgin days, especially as they haven’t actually managed to test their car properly before the start of the season. This has been a source of much frustration to the talented Timo Glock, who remains the team’s greatest asset despite occasionally complaining about his lot. But the person who really suffers from the lack of running is rookie Charles Pic. Given the fate of Glock’s other team mates after only one season (Lucas di Grassi and Jerome d’Ambrosio were both shown the door), one hopes that the team give the young Frenchman time to find his feet. With an attractive but basic looking design and the Cosworth engine that no-one else wants, it’s unlikely that the team will make much progress this year, although a technical tie-up with McLaren does give some hope for the future of the team and could be enough to see them finish the year ahead of the similarly unprepared HRT outfit.

Who will fill vacancies at Williams and HRT?

In the good old days, the F1 “silly season” started much earlier, traditionally around the time of the British Grand Prix of the previous year. Speculation around which drivers would end up where, and even concerning which teams would be on the grid for the following season, would often last almost until the day of first practice for the opening race.

This was in part due to the hand-to-mouth existence of many teams, who kept seats open to the highest bidders for as long as possible and often had to change their drivers mid-season to ensure they stayed on the grid. There were frequently some juicy, if often bizarre rumours surrounding more successful drivers and teams as well – Alain Prost was linked to a Ligier drive in 1992 and there were rumours (not without foundation) of a McLaren drive in 1994. Nigel Mansell was even rumoured to be making a comeback as recently as 2001 at the age of 47 with Minardi!

While the recent economic downturn has signalled a new emphasis on finding drivers with backing and a partial return to the ‘good old days’ of the pay driver, most race seats are still sorted pretty early nowadays, particularly among the top (read 'better funded') teams who usually have their drivers tied to multi-year deals. This means that much of the pre-season fun of speculating who will end up in which car no longer takes place, but thanks to Williams and HRT there are still a couple of spaces on the 2011 grid for current and prospective Grand Prix drivers (huge wad of cash an advantage but not essential).

The most sought-after drive for the 2012 Formula 1 season is undoubtedly the second Williams seat alongside Pastor Maldonado. Although Williams do sadly appear to be a team terminally in decline, not helped by the recently-announced departure of Patrick Head, a seat with a former world championship-winning team powered by the current world championship-winning engine is still an attractive proposition.

The 2011 incumbent, the veteran Rubens Barrichello, could well end up being surplus to requirements after an indifferent season, hence the battle for the position alongside Maldonado who has been announced for 2012 after some solid performances in his rookie season (as well as a great dollop of funding from Venezuelan oil giant PDVSA).

The main contenders, aside from Barrichello, are the other drivers who raced in F1 for the majority of 2011 but don’t yet have a seat sorted for 2012 - Adrian Sutil, Vitaly Petrov, Jaime Alguersuari, Bruno Senna, Nick Heidfeld and Vitantonio Liuzzi (not yet confirmed to be staying with, or indeed leaving, HRT). Sebastien Buemi would also have been on this list, but has now secured a role as third driver across both Red Bull-backed teams for 2012 (a logical move due to the Swiss driver’s long-held ties to Red Bull but which somehow managed to take the BBC by “surprise”).

Of the remaining candidates, Adrian Sutil looks a good fit for Williams. The German had a great 2011 and has proved over the last two seasons that he is capable of leading a team despite stiff recent competition from Paul di Resta. One would assume that he is now experienced enough to develop a car effectively as well, especially given Force India’s improved form throughout 2011 (although they did slip off the ultimate pace during 2010).

But a move to Williams would in some ways be a retrograde step, and I have a sneaking suspicion that Sutil may consider himself a possible successor to Michael Schumacher at Mercedes. A year on the sidelines, or better still as Mercedes’ test driver, would be a risky but potentially astute move. Provided he does want the Williams drive though, the German’s relative lack of success may count against him – he’s never been on the podium in 90 starts (admittedly unsurprising given the car he’s been driving for most of those races).

Petrov has been on the podium of course, in Australia in 2011. But the Russian’s form has been patchy since, and it would surprise me if Williams went for a driver with relatively little experience alongside the still-raw Maldonado. That could also count against young Alguersuari – if Williams were looking for a driver to race alongside Barrichello he would surely be near the top of their list after a series of impressive drives in the second half of 2011, but still lacks experience and (presumably) the ability to develop a car.

In addition, having been backed by Red Bull for most of his career, the Spaniard does not have that crucial portfolio of sponsors to fall back on, unlike Sutil (with his Medion backing), Petrov (with numerous potential Russian investors) and Bruno Senna. The Brazilian would be a left-field but emotive choice, given his uncle’s death at the wheel of one of Sir Frank’s cars – Williams still carry the Senna corporate logo on the front wing of all their Formula 1 cars as a mark of respect to the fallen three-time champion. But, again, a lack of experience counts against him, as well as a general lack of star quality despite some decent drives for Renault last year and despite (or maybe because of) the gravitas of the Senna name. 

As for the rest, Heidfeld has been linked to a drive with BMW in DTM and appears not to be a contender to return to F1 (although judging by this section on his official website, a second career as a fashion buyer or model surely beckons!). And Liuzzi, despite having tested for Williams in the distant past, is highly unlikely to jump back into a midfield car despite a decent season in the HRT, although he could stay on with the Spanish outfit.

Speaking of which, some of the above-named drivers could well be eying Liuzzi’s seat at HRT, with Pedro de la Rosa already confirmed at the Spanish minnows. A driver with backing is unsurprisingly needed, with Alguersuari (who appears a logical choice given his nationality if nothing else) apparently ruled out by both the team and the Spaniard himself.

Senna is possible but improbable, given his past association with the team which neither side have been particularly complementary about, and it seems unlikely that the other drivers mentioned above would be interested in dropping to the very back of the grid just to remain on it (important though that is). Don’t be surprised therefore if a young driver (with, you’ve guessed it, money) ends up as de la Rosa’s team-mate – Spaniard Dani Clos, who took part in the young driver test at Abu Dhabi with the team, has been tipped.

So on balance, who should get the drives? Well, I would plump for Sutil if I were Sir Frank Williams, but failing that Rubens Barrichello is probably as good a choice as any, given his experience and winning record. Indeed despite a lacklustre 2011, recent conjecture has suggested Barrichello’s chances of retaining his drive have increased in recent weeks.

And as for HRT, since it appears Alguersuari can’t be tempted (or afforded) the team could do worse than keep Liuzzi on for another year, provided he and/or the team can find the necessary backing. So despite all the talk and potential candidates (and my wittering), both teams could well end up sticking with the devil they know rather than one that they don’t. And that, after all, is the beauty of all this speculation – it remains only rumour. 

Failing any of the above options, Sakon Yamamoto is available…

British GP Driver Ratings

Vettel – 7

Outqualified by Webber, but beat his team mate off the line and looked set for yet another win. Botched pit stop cost him the lead however, and had to fight hard to fend off Webber in final laps. Probably his least competitive showing of the season, but still ended up 2nd!

Webber – 6

At a track the Australian enjoys, he took his second pole position of the season. Slow start relegated him to 2nd, and another Red Bull pit stop error lost him further time. Harried Vettel at end, contrary to orders of team - an action which smacked of petulance and frustration.

Hamilton – 7

10th on grid after bizarre decision to run on used tyres in Q3. Drove fabulous opening stint in tricky conditions and moved into contention for the podium with ballsy pass on Alonso, but pace dropped away due to dwindling fuel supplies. Did well to fend off Massa with a slightly rude manoeuvre to maintain 4th at last corner.

Button – 6

Qualified 5th, well ahead of Hamilton, but once again (like Canada) struggled in wettest part of race, supposedly his strength. Recovered after first pit stops and made good overtake on Massa, but out with loose wheel after second pit stop. Had looked unlikely to better his grid position in any event.

Alonso – 10

Another superb performance from the two-time champion. 3rd on the grid was good, and the Spaniard showed Red Bull-beating race pace even before Vettel and Webber’s botched pit stops. The one-off diffuser rule changes were almost certainly a factor, but that doesn’t detract from the quality of Alonso’s driving as he took his first win of the year.

Massa – 6

Once again failed to match Alonso, whose driving was on a different level. Nevertheless 4th in qualifying, but forced to play second fiddle in the race, where the team almost appeared to intentionally compromise the Brazilian by pitting him too late. Unable to pass fuel-saving Hamilton at end.

Rosberg – 7

Qualified only 9th and dropped back further after a poor start. Nevertheless managed to recover and complete the race in 6th place - probably the best result he could have achieved anyway. Surprising (and worrying for Mercedes) that he wasn’t able to pull away from Perez’s Sauber though.

Schumacher – 7

Only 13th on grid in wet-dry conditions which were previously his forte. Clumsily ran into Kobayashi in early wet part of race and given stop-go penalty. Mounted a great recovery to salvage 9th, and bizarrely stated that 4th would have been a realistic goal if his race had been trouble free…

Heidfeld – 6

Terrible 16th on grid, but drove a mistake-free race as usual to climb to 8th by the flag. Nevertheless did not escape criticism post-race - rumours that Romain Grosjean may replace Robert Kubica long-term (should the Pole not recover from his injuries) are perhaps the ultimate insult.

Petrov – 4

14th on the grid was bad enough, but it got even worse in the race. The Russian was unable to pick up points due to struggling with traction, most probably a result of the blown diffuser restrictions. Afterwards, nevertheless claimed the race was “not difficult” – one wonders, therefore, why he couldn’t do better…

Barrichello – 6

Another difficult weekend. Like Schumacher, struggled in wet-dry conditions in qualifying to post only the 15th best time. The race was better, but again the Williams looks slower than the like of Force India and Toro Rosso as Barrichello struggled to 13th.

Maldonado – 6

Qualified a brilliant 7th. Sadly anonymous in the race once again, and ended up behind Barrichello in 14th, although he was at least able to battle with the midfield for a while and didn’t end up last of the established runners (albeit only due to Di Resta’s problems).

Sutil – 6

Again outqualified by Di Resta, but by less than a tenth in Q2. Raced well in changeable conditions, as he often does, and was perhaps unlucky to miss out on points, finishing where he started in 11th. Three stop strategy arguably not the correct way to go.

Di Resta – 7

6th in qualifying was a fabulous effort. Impressively shadowed Button early on, but tyre mix up in pits cost him dearly, and he then ran into Buemi when trying too hard to recover. Needs to start converting promise into points on a more regular basis in the second half of the season.

Kobayashi – 7

Excellent 8th on the grid. Ran well early on before being savaged by optimistic Schumacher move. Then joined distinguished company (the Red Bulls and Button) by suffering pit stop problems – an unsafe release earned him a drive-through. Eventually posted his first retirement of the season with an oil leak.

Perez – 9

An exceptional performance from the young Mexican, who feared losing career momentum after his Monaco crash. From 12th on grid, rose to tremendous 7th at end of race, pushing Rosberg in the Mercedes hard for most of the race. His reward is a Ferrari test drive later in the year.

Buemi – 5

Adopted his team-mate’s recent ‘tactics’ by dropping out in Q1. It didn’t gain him the points scoring form which Alguersuari has enjoyed though. From 19th on the grid, he ran well for a time, but was then blamelessly hit by over-ambitious Di Resta and dropped out of the race with a shredded rear tyre.

Alguersuari – 7

Out in Q1 again in 18th, although Buemi was at least behind him. Showed great race pace again to move up to 10th in the race, and finished right on Schumacher’s tail. Seems to have rediscovered form and reasserted himself over Buemi after a tough start to the season.

Kovalainen – 7

Excellent 17th on the grid in changeable qualifying session. The race was a nightmare though, with the Finn retiring after just 2 laps with gearbox problems. A shame because, as he pointed out after the race, the mixed conditions may have allowed him to fight the midfield runners for a while.

Trulli – 4

Qualified 1.5 seconds off Kovalainen and behind Glock’s Virgin in 21st. Retired after just 10 laps with an oil leak to round off a terrible weekend for the team. He has, not undeservedly, been dropped for the German GP, which should provide a much needed wake-up call.

Glock – 7

Hard to assess, given his car disadvantage. Did well to outqualify Trulli, but in the race the best he could realistically do was beat his team-mate and the HRTs home, which he did with little difficulty. Seems to have recovered his motivation despite continued lack of car performance.

D’Ambrosio – 5

Qualified 22nd, but seven-tenths behind his admittedly much more experienced team-mate. Solid 17th place finish in the race, getting the better of Liuzzi’s HRT, but his early season sparkle seems to have disappeared for the time being.

Liuzzi - 7

A decent weekend for Liuzzi which was largely overlooked in context of his new team mate’s debut. Qualified just behind D’Ambrosio and six-tenths clear of Ricciardo. Race pace not quite enough to beat the Virgins, but finished just two laps down in 18th.

Ricciardo – 6

A difficult debut for the Australian. Last on grid was no surprise, but did well to beat 107% limit. Unable to match Liuzzi’s pace in the race, and lost a lot of time in latter stages to end up a full lap behind his team mate. Brought the car home at least, but needs to up his pace in future races.

European GP Driver Ratings

Vettel – 10

Back to his brilliant best after late Montreal error. Simply dominated the entire weekend, qualifying on pole by two-tenths and leading home Alonso in the race by over ten seconds. Looks odds on for the driver’s title.

Webber – 6

Qualified on the front row, but was again unable to get on terms with Vettel. Race long battle with Alonso ended in the Spaniard’s favour and Webber finished 3rd. Considering what Vettel was able to do in the same car, to finish behind a Ferrari has to rank as a disappointment.

Hamilton – 7

Tried hard as usual in both qualifying and the race, but unable to get on terms with the Red Bulls and even the Ferraris in qualifying. The race was compromised by poor start and the Briton’s seemingly inability to look after his tyres, and he finished a frustrated 4th.

Button – 4

Came crashing back down to earth after Montreal with an abject weekend. Qualified only 6th, and made a poor start. Passed Rosberg but then hindered by KERS problems mid-race, having made no impression on the other leading drivers even before then. Finished where he started.

Alonso – 10

A stunning performance. Took excellent 4th on grid but made average start. Outmanoeuvred Massa at first corner and eventually got the better of Webber after great pass on the Australian mid race. Definitely outperforming the car at the moment.

Massa – 7

Qualified very well, only a tenth behind Alonso in 5th. Unlucky at start – very quick off the line but in trying to pass Webber got overtaken by Alonso. Then lost significant time at his second pit stop, but still took 5th ahead of Button.

Rosberg – 7

Good weekend on a track where the order is very much dictated by car performance. Narrowly outqualified hitherto resurgent Schumacher in 7th, and finished race in the same position after brief battle with Button in early stages.

Schumacher – 5

Another driver, like Button, to suffer a poor weekend after Montreal heroics. 8th on grid was decent enough, but clumsily ran into Petrov on exiting the pits on lap 15 which necessitated a nose change. Made little progress thereafter and finished 17th.

Heidfeld – 7

Qualified 9th after not setting a Q3 time. Sluggish start put him behind Sutil, who he re-passed in some style. Sutil took the place back using DRS, and thereafter the Renault driver had to settle for single point for 10th.

Petrov – 5

Seemingly suffered same post-Montreal hangover as Button and Schumacher. 11th in qualifying was reasonable, but in tight midfield pack couldn’t make a three stop strategy work. 15th a bad result even considering that Renault appear to be dropping off the development pace.

Barrichello – 7

13th on grid, but felt he could have made Q3 in updated Williams. Drove a good race considering the still-underperforming car to take 12th place, in top half of field. Will be pleased by post-race news of Williams-Renault engine deal for 2012.

Maldonado – 5

15th on grid was acceptable, but a terrible start put him among the tailenders, and later ventured off track at the first turn. 18th at the finish after failing to get prime tyres working and consequently making three pit stops.

Sutil – 8

Probably the German’s best all-round weekend of the season. Had the measure of Di Resta in qualifying and lined up tremendous 10th. Raced well to beat Heidfeld to 9th in race, albeit behind Alguersuari’s two-stopping Toro Rosso.

Di Resta – 6

12th in qualifying was a reasonable effort. Dropped to 14th in the race after admitting he left it too late to pit on a couple of occasions. Has his home race at Silverstone to look forward to at least.

Kobayashi – 5

14th on the grid but nowhere near making Q3. Struggled to 16th in race despite pre-race confidence and usual aggressive approach. The first race where he hasn’t finished in the top 10 so far this season – an impressive stat in itself, but adds to the disappointment around this outing.

Perez – 7

Qualified 16th. His one stop strategy didn’t seem to be working, as it lost him huge chunks of time in the middle of the race, but he recovered well to finish 11th. A good effort after disappointment of missing Canada due to after-effects of Monaco crash.

Buemi – 6

17th on grid in updated Toro Rosso. I struggled to remember what he actually did in the race, which isn’t a good sign of either the race’s excitement levels or Buemi’s own performance. Finished 13th, appearently suffering more than most from tyre wear.

Alguersuari – 9

Knocked out in Q1 again so lined up 18th. Drove a great, aggressive race though, using a two-stop strategy to good effect to claim 8th place. Arguably his best ever F1 performance, which seems to have saved his seat for the rest of this season at least (with main threat Daniel Ricciardo being farmed out to HRT).

Kovalainen – 6

Led the Lotuses once again by qualifying 19th, but two seconds off making Q2. Matched qualifying result in the race and was two laps down, but was pleased with own performance and fitness levels in long, hot race.

Trulli – 5

Nondescript weekend after his return to form in Canada. Six-tenths off Kovalainen in qualifying, and finished 20th in the race, complaining again of steering issues. His Lotus seat must surely be in doubt for next season, if indeed the Italian wishes to carry on.

Glock – 6

Qualified and finished 21st - exactly where you’d expect him to be in race of no attrition. Did run ahead of the Lotuses for a while in the race, and will be heartened by news that Virgin is entering into a technical partnership with McLaren.

D’Ambrosio – 5

1.2 seconds behind Glock in qualifying, and behind the HRT of Liuzzi. Recovered somewhat in the race and at least beat the Italian home to finish not too far behind Glock. Need to work on his single-lap pace.

Liuzzi – 6

Did well to outqualify underperforming D’Ambrosio, but unable to beat the Belgian in the race due to high rear tyre wear. New team mate from Silverstone onwards (Ricciardo) may put him under pressure.

Karthikeyan – 5

Unsurprisingly last on grid. In a race notable only for the outstanding reliability of the whole field, became the first man to ever finish 24th in a Grand Prix. Not quite the way he would have hoped to go out - he is replaced by Daniel Ricciardo for the rest of the season bar India.

Canadian Grand Prix Driver Ratings

Vettel – 8

Crash on Friday didn’t stop him claming yet another pole position. Drove an almost faultless race despite tricky conditions and the pressure of seeing his lead eaten into by red flags and safety cars. Last lap error of own making cost him the win.

Webber – 7

Qualified 4th. Good recovery in race after being punted into a spin at first corner by optimistic Hamilton, and took final podium spot after an energetic battle with Schumacher. Still looking like the number two driver at Red Bull though.

Hamilton – 4

Another error-strewn performance. Qualified 5th with partial wet set-up, but then ran into Webber at first corner and went wide at the hairpin trying to pass defensive Schumacher. Later squeezed into pit wall by Button, causing retirement (but was partly to blame himself for putting car in no man’s land on outside of team mate).

Button – 8

Only 7th on grid after gambling on wet set-up. Not actually that quick in wet part of race and was responsible for clumsy collisions with Hamilton and Alonso. Benefited enormously from late race safety car, however, and was quick when it mattered to pass Vettel for fortuitous win after the German’s last-lap mistake.

Alonso – 6

Brilliant recent form continued in qualifying, the Spaniard just pipping team mate Massa to a front row spot. Didn’t look as quick as Massa in the race, but was just coming into contention when eliminated by a somewhat rash move from Button.

Massa – 8

Back on song after recent struggles. Qualified 3rd, fractionally behind Alonso, and had the measure of his exalted team mate for much of the race. Nosed wall after hitting wet patch trying to lap Karthikeyan, but recovered well and used combination of KERS and DRS to just beat Kobayashi to 6th place on the line.

Schumacher – 9

Qualified reasonably well in 8th. Put in easily the best performance since his comeback in the race by consistently running at the front. Poor straight line speed cost him in fight with Webber and Button and was unlucky to finish off the podium in 4th.

Rosberg – 6

Impressive in qualifying, pipping Button’s McLaren to 6th on grid. Didn’t seem to be able to push the car to its limits in the wet race, unlike Schumacher, and dropped to 11th on last lap after tagging back of Kobayashi’s Sauber and damaging front wing.

Heidfeld – 7

Reasonable qualifying effort saw him 9th. His usual capable wet weather driving saw him in reach of a top five finish, but contact with Kobayashi sent front wing under the car and, soon after, car into barriers. At least David Coulthard can now pronounce his name correctly…

Petrov – 8

Quaified just behind Heidfeld in 10th. Ran 4th before red flag and only lost one place thereafter to finish in an excellent, mistake-free 5th. Also did well to miss errant marshall in an incident which looked comical but could have been fatal.

Barrichello – 6

Another fairly anonymous weekend for Barrichello and Williams. Qualified 16th, and didn’t really demonstrate the delicate touch in wet conditions which he has so often in the past. Nevertheless brought the car home to double his and team’s tally for the season with 9th place finish.

Maldonado – 6

Put in excellent lap in qualifying to line up 12th, three-tenths ahead of Barrichello. Looked good for points after red flag, running with Rosberg and Kobayashi, but damaged front wing after colliding with the Mercedes. Later spun out all on his own.

Sutil – 5

14th on grid, but behind Di Resta again. One of a number of drivers that could have picked up points in the race, and also one of a number to collide with Rosberg. Earned a drive-through penalty for this incident, and later hit wall and retired.

Di Resta – 7

Excellent 11th in qualifying, half a second up on Sutil. Showed stunning pace early in the race, despite a couple of trips off the track, but then made silly move on Heidfeld and damaged front wing. Like team mate, was given drive-through, and then clipped wall and retired with a puncture.

Kobayashi – 9

Another great drive after qualifying 12th despite looking ragged in practice. Stunning in wet first part of race, keeping his head to rise to 2nd. Sadly dropped back in dry conditions and had to settle for 7th after being pipped by Massa on run to flag.

De la Rosa – 7

Replaced Perez at short notice at Sauber – so short he had to drive on Friday with McLaren overalls! Qualified a solid 17th and impressively ran in the points in wet part of race. Like Kobayashi, dropped back in dry conditions but brought car home safely in 12th.

Buemi – 6

15th on grid was a good effort. Changed to slicks early after red flag stoppage, which may have cost him time. Nevertheless managed to pick up another point thanks to attrition, but was outperformed in race by Alguersuari for first time in a while.

Alguersuari – 7

Knocked out in Q1 for second race in a row. Good recovery in the race though – the Spaniard kept the car on track in tricky conditions and took first points of the season (and his best ever result) with 8th.

Kovalainen – 5

Bumped down to 20th on the grid by Trulli, nearly 2 seconds ahead of the HRTs and Virgins. Unfortunate to retire behind safety car with driveshaft failure in race of high attrition – however, he never really looked like scoring a point.

Trulli – 6

Finally outqualified Kovalainen and only half a second off Alguersuari in 19th. Race didn’t go so well – the veteran Italian was hampered by rake issues and ended up behind the other new teams on the road. Finished an underwhelming 16th.

Liuzzi – 9

A brilliant performance (given the car) on a track where he has often gone well. Qualified ahead of both Virgins in 21st. Drove a clean and fast race in tricky car and conditions to take crucial 13th place (moving HRT ahead of Virgin in constructors’ championship).

Karthikeyan – 7

His best weekend of the season, but couldn’t quite match Liuzzi. Still, did beat D’Ambrosio in qualifying and was only one and a half tenths off team mate. Finished 14th on the road in the race, but bumped back to 17th by penalty for cutting chicane passing Glock.

Glock – 6

Outqualified by Liuzzi, which no doubt pleased him not a lot. The German usually shows well in the wet, and did so at times here, but locked up near end of race, causing a flat spot on tyre. Resultant vibration destroyed tyre and left him 15th.

D’Ambrosio – 6

Outside of 107% in Q1, and was fortunate to be allowed to start. Raced well though, despite penalty for changing to intermediate tyres prematurely after red flag, to beat Glock home to 14th (albeit behind both HRTs on the road).

Monaco GP Review and Driver Ratings

The 2011 Monaco Grand Prix was one of the best in recent years, and without the late-race red flag stoppage the three-way battle for the lead which developed may have gone all the way to the last lap. The spectacle was thankfully unaffected one bit by DRS, instead becoming a pure racing contest between three drivers on differing strategies who survived the chaos going on around them to fill the podium.

Qualifying gave some indication of the action that was to come, but was overshadowed by the serious accident involving Sergio Perez which was disturbingly similar to that suffered by Sauber driver Karl Wendlinger in 1994 that left the promising Austrian in a coma and effectively ended his F1 career. Thankfully Perez escaped almost unharmed, although it ended his Monaco participation and, it appears, rules him out of the Canadian Grand Prix as well.

The red flag also had an adverse effect on Lewis Hamilton’s weekend– the Englishman looked good for pole but gambled on one Q3 run, made an error, and was consigned to 9th for cutting a chicane. At the front Sebastian Vettel regained his grip on pole position, while at the back neither HRT ventured out of the pits.

The Spanish cars were fortunate to be allowed to start having (just barely) set suitable times in the morning session. Their no-show reminded this observer of similar incidents involving Forti in 1996 and Arrows in 2002, when both failed to make serious attempts to qualify at mid-season races due to a dire lack of funds. Hopefully HRT aren’t in the same position now.

At the start, Vettel scampered away, and an intriguing battle developed between the slow-starting Michael Schumacher and Hamilton which the Englishman eventually won with a good move at St Devote. Jenson Button was first of the leaders to pit, and Vettel reacted to this on the following lap.

But the Red Bull team, apparently taken aback by the not-unusual sight of their driver in the pit box, did not have any tyres ready! They eventually bolted on what they could find (which turned out to be a set of option tyres that, while less than optimal for pace, actually won him the race). Behind him Webber also pitted and lost heaps of time while the pit crew ran around the garage trying to find his tyres, a moment which means the Red Bull team deservedly win the ‘Taki Inoue Comedy Moment of the Race’© award.

They weren’t the only ones though - Hamilton’s afternoon went from bad to worse with a similarly shambolic tyre change. It then got even worse when the Englishman, clearly frustrated by his race unravelling around him, decided to unravel it some more by ramming Massa in an ill-judged move at the hairpin. The resultant damage put Massa wide and in the wall in the tunnel, bringing out the safety car, and Hamilton received a warranted drive-through penalty.

Button pitted under the safety car but Vettel and Alonso, having already used both types of tyre, stayed out on what were already very worn-looking options. With 40 laps still to go Button looked a good bet for victory on his fresh tyres, but despite catching Vettel and Alonso quickly he never really looked like overtaking them.

Instead it was Alonso who put Vettel under pressure, having a couple of half-looks up the inside of the Red Bull. It was a brilliant three car duel reminiscent of Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell battling it out in the closing stages of the 1992 race. Vettel didn’t put a wheel wrong under pressure though, and looked set to hang on to the lead so long as his ancient tyres lasted the distance.

As it transpired, they didn’t quite need to – as the leaders caught a mammoth scrap for 6th place led by Adrian Sutil, the Force India driver ran wide into the barriers, sustained a puncture, and caused a chain reaction behind. Hamilton was in the wars again, assaulted by the lapped Alguersuari, and Vitaly Petrov hit the wall fairly heavily.

Complaining of pains in his legs, the Russian was extricated slowly and the race was sensibly red-flagged. Strangely, it was then restarted despite having run for over 75% of its distance, but with all the front-runners able to change their tyres any prospect of a three-way lead battle to the finish was sadly lost as Vettel made a decent restart and controlled the race to the chequered flag.

But behind the excitement was not quite over, Hamilton making a foolish lunge up the inside of the Williams of Pastor Maldonado, removing the hapless Venezuelan from what would have been a fine 6th place and rounding off a very unimpressive performance from the Englishman.

At the front, all three men standing on the podium richly deserved their champagne moment after a fabulous race. Prospects look good for more of the same in Canada – Montreal is always spectacular even without this season’s variables of fast-wearing tyres, DRS, KERS and diverse strategies.

Finally, any report of the 2011 Monaco Grand Prix is sadly not complete without a brief observation of Hamilton’s post-race comments and general attitude. Judging by the sense of self-importance he displayed after the race, he’d probably expect that this entire blog would be about him, but I won’t dignify him with that.

What I will say is that his arrogance post-race was staggering. Hamilton never showed any remorse for either his clash with Massa, or his ill-judged move on Maldonado, never mind accept any blame for the incidents. It unfortunately reinforces the stereotype that exists branding Hamilton (rightly or wrongly) as having had an easy ride to Formula 1 with McLaren’s help, and therefore being incapable of showing the same dignity in defeat as he does jubilation in victory.

It was also disappointing to say the least that Hamilton chose to bring the issue of his race into his post-event tirade against the stewards. To question the judgement of the officials is one thing, but to question their personal integrity is quite another.

It’s particularly sad given that the driving advisor among the stewards, Allan McNish, is a well-respected professional who, while arguably not having the raw talent of Hamilton, has won numerous major races in his career and may have done so in Formula 1 had he had his opportunity earlier than the single season he spent with Toyota in 2002. McNish has always come across as a man of honesty who speaks passionately and eloquently about his sport; Hamilton could learn a lot from his approach.

While Hamilton later apologised to the stewards for his comments, and it was clear that they were somewhat in jest, it nevertheless left a bitter taste after what had been a brilliantly entertaining race, particularly as no apology was forthcoming to Massa or Maldonado (until long after the race via Twitter) after the Briton described his rivals as “frickin’ ridiculous”.

Rather than moaning, Hamilton should be glad he escaped with a retrospective time penalty, which didn’t cost him any positions anyway as he was the last car on the lead lap. Oh, and if Lewis wants to spend less time in front of the stewards, he should probably stop driving into people…

Driver Ratings

Vettel – 9

Supreme in qualifying to take pole once more. Great start, but race nearly undone by disastrous first pit stop. Somewhat fortuitous that race was red flagged allowing him to change worn-out option tyres, but this cancelled out bad luck of having slow stop in the first place.

Webber – 6

Qualified 3rd, but half a second off Vettel - simply not good enough considering his front-running car. Race adversely affected by slow first pit stop. Thereafter, was mired in traffic but recovered well to pass Kobayashi in closing stages for 4th.

Hamilton – 2

It was all going so well until Q3, where red flag and chicane-cutting error resulted in 9th on grid. Passed by Schumacher early in race, before ramming Massa at the hairpin and then taking out innocent Maldonado at end. A shambles.

Button – 8

Great qualifying lap put him on front row. Fortuitously took lead in wake of Vettel’s slow pit stop, but was then outmanoeuvred on strategy. Never looked like passing Alonso or Vettel even before late race red flag negated his fresh tyre advantage, and then completely messed up restart.

Alonso – 10

Qualified 4th in a Ferrari still not up to the Red Bull or McLaren. After making customary great start he was simply stunning in the race, considering his car disadvantage, harrying Vettel before the red flag and keeping him honest after to take a fine 2nd place.

Massa – 7

Four-tenths off Alonso in Q3 for respectable 6th on grid. Drove a clean race, and could have achieved a good result but for being rammed by Hamilton at the hairpin. Resultant damage put him in the wall in the tunnel.

Rosberg – 5

Recovered well after his scary Saturday morning crash to qualify 7th. Got around slow-starting team mate at the start, but never really able to show much race pace thereafter. 11th a poor result given attrition.

Schumacher – 6

Excellent qualifying effort saw him 5th on grid. Terrible start left him 10th, but made great move on Hamilton at hairpin having touched him in first corner. Race ended behind safety car with airbox fire.

Heidfeld – 6

Abysmal qualifying session left him 15th. Made progress in race thanks to moderate attrition rate, and was second runner home of those a lap down, which was enough for 8th. Needs to up his one-lap pace.

Petrov – 7

Missed Q3 to line up 11th on a track where Renault was predicted to go well. Drove a clean race and looked set for a decent points finish, but blamelessly involved in multi-car pileup after being left with nowhere to go behind slowing Sutil. Thankfully escaped unharmed.

Barrichello – 6

Solid rather than spectacular, and had no answer for Maldonado’s pace. Nevertheless lined up 12th on grid and had clean race, including a battle with nemesis Schumacher. Picked up the pieces after Maldonado’s late race exit to salvage 9th.

Maldonado – 10

Arguably the star of the weekend and showed genuine top-ten pace from Thursday onwards. Ran with the leading group in the race and brilliantly passed Sutil, before being cruelly robbed of 6th place by idiotic Hamilton move.

Sutil – 7

Outqualified by Di Resta again, but showed his usual Monaco pace in the race. Looked like avenging 2008 disappointment by running 4th until tagged by Kobayashi. Then hit wall being passed by Maldonado and punctured, but nevertheless recovered to 7th after red flag.

Di Resta – 5

A messy race after encouragingly outqualifying Sutil, who’s no slouch at Monaco. Ran into both Alguersuari and D’Ambrosio at the hairpin and was lucky to escape with only one penalty. Still came home 12th.

Kobayashi – 8

Outalified by non-starting Perez but drove usual storming race. Somewhat fortunate to escape contact with Sutil unscathed and to end up running 4th after second safety car, but hung on well for career best 5th place finish despite Webber’s late overtake.

Perez – no rating

His participation was ended in qualifying by violent crash at swimming pool chicane. After a worrying delay, was extricated almost unharmed but took no part in the race due to concussion. Pace had been good up to then though.

Buemi – 7

Couldn’t better 17th on the grid in a Toro Rosso which appears to lack development. Nevertheless drove a good race, in a car again not really quick enough for points, to take 10th in race of attrition.

Alguersuari - 4

Not a good weekend at all. Ran into Kobayashi at low speed in Q1 and was 20th on grid. Made little progress in race and lost time after being tagged by Di Resta at the hairpin. Ran into Hamilton and retired during multi-car accident which brought out red flag.

Kovalainen – 6

Outqualified Monaco expert Trulli, which was no mean feat. Lost out to the Italian at the start though, and thereafter followed him home. No able to run with midfielders though and lost time letting leaders through.

Trulli – 6

Fractions behind Kovalainen in qualifying. Drove a good race though after making a better start. Safety cars compromised his race and out him a full lap behind the next cars on the road. Pleased to finished 13th in the end.

Glock – 7

Brilliant qualifying lap put him just a tenth off troubled Alguersuari and six-tenths away from Lotuses. Not quite able to keep pace with them in the race though, and retired with broken rear suspension (worryingly not the result of any contact apparently).

D’Ambrosio – 6

Eight-tenths off inspired Glock in qualifying. Drove a decent race though, surviving a collision with Di Resta (in which he was blameless) and pressure from Liuzzi after he closed due to the red flag. 15th place a good result.

Liuzzi – 5

Crashes on Thursday and Saturday put him on the back foot, and was fortunate to be allowed to start after not setting Q1 time. Solid race in a HRT which looked even slower than normal at Monaco.

Karthikeyan – 6

Failed to set a Q1 time, like his team mate, due to an apparent suspension problem. Started ahead of Liuzzi but lost a lap just before safety car period and therefore ended up last. Nevertheless did well to keep difficult car out of the barriers.