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Guessing the next winner is new Formula 1 game
Source: Agencies |
June 12, 2012, Tuesday
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WITH just over a third of the distance gone, and an unprecedented seven different winners from the first seven races, the ultimate winner of the 2012 driver's crown is anyone's guess.
Even calling the winner of the next race in Valencia is tough, with two of the six world champions on the grid- Kimi Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher- yet to win in this most unpredictable of seasons.
A mere three points separate the top three in the championship standings with the top five split by less than the 25 for a win and 13 races remaining.
"It's absolutely wide open. It's a dream for the sport," declared America's former champion Mario Andretti after McLaren's Lewis Hamilton won in Canada on Sunday.
Romain Grosjean in a Lotus was second 2.5 seconds behind and Sergio Perez in a Sauber was third, followed by Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel.
"Formula One for so many years has been quite predictable ... that's out of the window now. Somewhere the rules are working, something is working. So don't fix it," he said.
Just when a team believes it has cracked the code, the Pirelli tires make it think again.
"This is what is going to be normal for the season," Hamilton said. "That's just my feeling, but then again my guess is as good as yours ... we're still trying to fully understand these tires.
"Sometimes you're overheating them, sometimes you're not heating them up enough. We don't understand why sometimes a Lotus is quicker than us, or a Mercedes is quicker than us and then we're quicker than them another time.
"But I think it's great for Formula One, it's great for the fans to see," said the 2008 champion, while adding that seven was now quite enough different winners.
After watching double world champion Vettel qualify on pole position for the second year running in Montreal, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner sounded confident enough.
"I feel the Red Bull technical team are doing a great job to try and understand the new regulations," he said. "We are starting to get a better handle on what these tires like."
On Sunday, with Vettel finishing fourth after a late stop forced on him by tire wear, there was less optimism: "Perhaps we were just a little bit too hard on the tires," said the Briton.
Even calling the winner of the next race in Valencia is tough, with two of the six world champions on the grid- Kimi Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher- yet to win in this most unpredictable of seasons.
A mere three points separate the top three in the championship standings with the top five split by less than the 25 for a win and 13 races remaining.
"It's absolutely wide open. It's a dream for the sport," declared America's former champion Mario Andretti after McLaren's Lewis Hamilton won in Canada on Sunday.
Romain Grosjean in a Lotus was second 2.5 seconds behind and Sergio Perez in a Sauber was third, followed by Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel.
"Formula One for so many years has been quite predictable ... that's out of the window now. Somewhere the rules are working, something is working. So don't fix it," he said.
Just when a team believes it has cracked the code, the Pirelli tires make it think again.
"This is what is going to be normal for the season," Hamilton said. "That's just my feeling, but then again my guess is as good as yours ... we're still trying to fully understand these tires.
"Sometimes you're overheating them, sometimes you're not heating them up enough. We don't understand why sometimes a Lotus is quicker than us, or a Mercedes is quicker than us and then we're quicker than them another time.
"But I think it's great for Formula One, it's great for the fans to see," said the 2008 champion, while adding that seven was now quite enough different winners.
After watching double world champion Vettel qualify on pole position for the second year running in Montreal, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner sounded confident enough.
"I feel the Red Bull technical team are doing a great job to try and understand the new regulations," he said. "We are starting to get a better handle on what these tires like."
On Sunday, with Vettel finishing fourth after a late stop forced on him by tire wear, there was less optimism: "Perhaps we were just a little bit too hard on the tires," said the Briton.
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