2012 Formula One Season Preview

After all the hype around the platypus noses and monotony of winter testing, the 2012 F1 season finally gets underway this weekend in sunny Melbourne.

The big question on everyone's lips is can Sebastian Vettel be caught or are we on course for the sort of domination we saw with Michael Schumacher and Ferrari between 2001 and 2004 which to be honest, wreck the TV ratings of the sport.

Mind you, most of the races in the 2011 season were a lot more watchable than those in 2001 and 2004 - despite Sebastian Vettel's dominance, Red Bull only had 3 1-2 finishes compared to 8 for Ferrari in the 2004 season, 9 in the 2002 season.

It was down to the fact that Red Bull certainly had the better car but by not much from McLaren and Ferrari, and that Vettel was in the form of his life while Webber certainly wasn't.

However, there has been a major rule change which may affect Red Bull's dominance and given how close the teams are nowadays due to the cost restrictions, etc., there is a good chance that the energy drink team's dominance may be finally challenged this season.

While winter testing results should usually be neglected, one consistent factor has been Kimi Raikkonen's pace in the Lotus. Raikkonen, the 2007 world champion with Ferrari, is back in F1 of course after a spell in NASCAR, rallying and cameos with the Dudesons, and is looking hungrier than ever before.

Raikkonen of course, is one of 6 world champions who will be taking the grid this season: the other 5 are Alonso (2005, 06), Hamilton (2008), Button (2009), Vettel (2010/11) and Michael Schumacher (1994,95,2000-04). It is the most number of world champions to feature on the F1 grid this season in history - 1970, 2010 and 2011 had 5, the most in the history of the sport until this year.

So can Raikkonen really challenge for the title like Button, Vettel, Alonso and Hamilton or will he be happy to just take the wheel of the car in the midfield like Schumi has in the last 2 seasons? Could the mercurial and party-loving Finn be the surprise of the season? You know what, he might very well be.

But if you're looking for a safer non Red Bull tip for the title, look no further than the McLaren team. Question is, has Button really got the edge over Hamilton or will Hamilton turn the ship around this season after being the crash queen of 2011? The noises coming from Woking are actually quite positive after a decent winter testing campaign - last season, McLaren had no miles and were pretty much playing catch-up to Red Bull all season.

Meanwhile, Ferrari appear to be struggling to catch up and Alonso's chances of winning his third title appear slim. It looks set to be a season of mediocrity for the Rossoneri with Massa likely to race his last after failing to recover the form which could have seen him win the championship but for Timo Glock at the last corner of the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix. With rookies aplenty in the field - and even a current world champion - Massa badly needs a decent season if he wants a drive next season - but that might not even be enough in his 6th year at the Scuderia.

Mercedes also look to be in the running and perhaps this could be the season Michael Schumacher finally proves the doubters wrong and gets on the podium - I don't think he will, and this could be the last year of what has been quite an average comeback. It's almost as if Michael Schumacher has adopted the same attitude Shane Warne and Matthew Hayden have towards the Indian Premier League - big paycheck and a chance to play cricket even if they're not quite at the peak of their powers.

Other tips from the midfield? Watch for Daniel Riccardo in the Toro Rosso and Niko Hulkenberg in the Force India, both very promising drivers while Paul di Resta might face second season syndrome. Bruno Senna in the Williams could be a wildcard if Williams have a better car than last.

And Caterham could finally take their first ever points this season - they have been impressive in their development and unlike the new Marussia and Virgin teams seem to be going in the right direction.

Of course, besides the teams and drivers, there are the circuits. Sadly, the wonderful Istanbul circuit will not be visited this season but there is a new track to look forward to if the Americans - who can usually get things done - finish it on time.

Yes, the United States Grand Prix is back and this time it's taking on a road course - as they like to call it there - in Austin purpose built for F1. F1 will make its much awaited return in November in the middle of football season but one reckons there should be a big turnout for America's homecoming party.

So my tips? Gonna go for a long shot and say Lewis Hamilton and McLaren for the title. I think after the shocker he had last season, he's due for a statement season to remind everyone of his talent and this could be the titanic battle we've all been waiting for between the former and current world champions. 

F1 teams and drivers for 2012 -

Team	Constructor	Chassis	Engine	Tyre	No.	Race Drivers	Test/Reserve Driver(s)
Red Bull Racing	Red Bull	RB8[8]	Renault RS27-2012	P	1	Sebastian Vettel[9]	Sébastien Buemi[10]
					2	Mark Webber[11]
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes	McLaren	MP4-27[12]	Mercedes FO 108Z	P	3	Jenson Button[13]	Gary Paffett[14] Oliver Turvey[15]
					4	Lewis Hamilton[16]
Scuderia Ferrari[17]	Ferrari	F2012[18]	Ferrari 056	P	5	Fernando Alonso[19]	Giancarlo Fisichella[20] Marc Gené[20] Davide Rigon[21]
					6	Felipe Massa[22]
Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team[23]	Mercedes	F1 W03[24]	Mercedes FO 108Z	P	7	Michael Schumacher[25]	TBA
					8	Nico Rosberg[26]
Lotus F1 Team[6]	Lotus	E20[27]	Renault RS27-2012	P	9	Kimi Räikkönen[28]	Jérôme d'Ambrosio[29]
					10	Romain Grosjean[30]
Sahara Force India F1 Team[31]	Force India	VJM05[32]	Mercedes FO 108Z	P	11	Paul di Resta[33]	Jules Bianchi[34]
					12	Nico Hülkenberg[33]
Sauber F1 Team	Sauber	C31[35]	Ferrari 056	P	14	Kamui Kobayashi[36]	Esteban Gutiérrez[36]
					15	Sergio Pérez[36]
Scuderia Toro Rosso	Toro Rosso	STR7[37]	Ferrari 056	P	16	Daniel Ricciardo[38]	Sébastien Buemi[39]
					17	Jean-Éric Vergne[38]
Williams F1 Team[40][41]	Williams	FW34[42]	Renault RS27-2012[43]	P	18	Pastor Maldonado[44]	Valtteri Bottas[44]
					19	Bruno Senna[45]
Caterham F1 Team[46][47]	Caterham	CT01[48]	Renault RS27-2012	P	20	Heikki Kovalainen[49]	Giedo van der Garde[50] Alexander Rossi[51]
					21	Vitaly Petrov[7]
HRT F1 Team	HRT	F112[52]	Cosworth CA2012[53]	P	22	Pedro de la Rosa[54][55]	Dani Clos[56] Vitantonio Liuzzi[57]
					23	Narain Karthikeyan[58][55]
Marussia F1 Team[6][59]	Marussia	MR01[60]	Cosworth CA2012	P	24	Timo Glock[61]	María de Villota[62]

2012 F1 calendar -

Round	Race Title	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date	Time[94]
					Local	UTC
1	Qantas Australian Grand Prix[95]	Australian GP	Albert Park, Melbourne	18 March	17:00	06:00
2	Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix	Malaysian GP	Sepang International Circuit, Kuala Lumpur	25 March	16:00	08:00
3	UBS Chinese Grand Prix	Chinese GP	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	15 April	15:00	07:00
4	Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix	Bahrain GP	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir	22 April	15:00	12:00
5	Gran Premio de España Santander	Spanish GP	Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona	13 May	14:00	12:00
6	Grand Prix de Monaco	Monaco GP	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	27 May	14:00	12:00
7	Grand Prix du Canada	Canadian GP	Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal	10 June	14:00	18:00
8	Grand Prix of Europe	European GP	Valencia Street Circuit, Valencia	24 June	14:00	12:00
9	Santander British Grand Prix	British GP	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	8 July	13:00	12:00
10	Großer Preis Santander von Deutschland	German GP	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	22 July	14:00	12:00
11	Eni Magyar Nagydíj	Hungarian GP	Hungaroring, Budapest	29 July	14:00	12:00
12	Shell Belgian Grand Prix	Belgian GP	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Spa	2 September	14:00	12:00
13	Gran Premio Santander d'Italia	Italian GP	Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza	9 September	14:00	12:00
14	SingTel Singapore Grand Prix	Singapore GP	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Marina Bay	23 September	20:00	12:00
15	Japanese Grand Prix	Japanese GP	Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka	7 October	15:00	06:00
16	Korean Grand Prix	Korean GP	Korean International Circuit, Yeongam	14 October	15:00	06:00
17	Airtel Indian Grand Prix	Indian GP	Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida	28 October	15:00	09:30
18	Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix	Abu Dhabi GP	Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi	4 November	17:00	13:00
19	United States Grand Prix	United States GP	Circuit of the Americas, Austin	18 November	13:00	19:00
20	Grande Prêmio do Brasil	Brazilian GP	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	25 November	14:00	16:00

(courtesy of Wikipedia)