Brilliant Alonso Wins Bizarre Malaysian Grand Prix

Fernando Alonso has plenty to smile about after his triumph on Sunday

Fernando Alonso claimed a somewhat surprising victory at a rain-soaked Sepang  International Circuit. Sergio Perez took a brilliant second place to earn Sauber’s highest ever finish without BMW support ahead of Lewis Hamilton in third. A mixture of good tactical decisions from his Ferrari team and some solid driving took Alonso to the top spot of the podium and into the lead of the Formula 1 World Championship after two rounds while Perez was extremely impressive throughout the race as he pushed the Spaniard to the very limit.

The threat of rain hung over the racetrack before the start of the race and the majority of the grid started on intermediate tyres. The two McLarens held onto their 1-2 positions into the first corner while Schumacher and Grosjean’s battle for third left Schumacher spinning to the back of the field. Further back, Bruno Senna suffered another first lap crash which cost him his front wing. Eventual second place man Perez pitted at the end of the first lap to change to extreme wet tyres as the rain increased, a decision that would prove to have important consequences for the rest of the race. Grosjean’s bad luck continued as he beached his Lotus in the gravel on lap 3 meaning that the Frenchman has only completed a total of 7 racing laps this season. As the rain got even heavier, everyone darted in to change onto the full wets with the exception of Jean-Eric Vergne. With a thunderstorm in full swing and the track surface resembling a river, there was no option but to deploy the Safety Car and eventually red flag the race.

The race order was disjointed to say the least with the two McLarens ahead of Perez, Webber, Alonso, Vettel, Vergne (still on inters), Massa, Rosberg and the HRT of Narain Karthikeyan in 10th; having started on the extreme wets, he hadn’t needed to pit and was in a points scoring position to the astonishment of his team. The red flag period lasted some 45 minutes but almost immediately after the restart the pitlane was jam packed with drivers switching to intermediate tyres. Hamilton’s chances of victory were blown with a sluggish stop on lap 15 and he was passed by Perez and Alonso. Alonso himself was held up having to queue behind Massa, allowing Perez to take the lead of the race before the 2005 and 2006 World Champion powered past him on lap 16.

Sergio Perez chases down Fernando Alonso and could have easily claimed the 25 points today

The frenetic action continued as Jenson Button, trying to catch up to the leaders, collided with Karthikeyan leaving the McLaren man with a broken front wing and facing another pitstop that left him down in 22nd place. The attention now turned to the front as Alonso built up a lead of seven seconds over Perez before eroded it down to less than three seconds when Alonso pitted for dry rubber on lap 40. Perez continued on intermediates for two more laps which allowed the Ferrari to open up another 5 second lead. Perez set about eroding that margin again but a mistake on lap 51 ruined his chances of victory.

Further back, Kamui Kobayashi retired with brake issues on lap 47 while Karthikeyan again was involved in a collision, this time with World Champion Sebastian Vettel. It must be said that it was a racing incident but Vettel suffered a puncture and had to crawl back to the pits before ending up down in 11th. Pastor Maldonado was again staring a points finish in the face when he was running in 1oth but an engine failure two laps from the end meant that he’d been robbed of a good finish for the second race in a row.

Despite his mistake, Perez closed up on Alonso again but there was not enough time left to overhaul him as Fernando took his 28th career victory and one of his best at that. The Sauber mechanics were delighted with their boy’s efforts while Hamilton just didn’t have the pace to catch up to the front two. Webber took fourth for the second race on the spin ahead of Kimi Raikkonen who impressed again. Bruno Senna worked his way through the field from 22nd to 6th with a quite brilliant drive while Paul di Resta was 7th ahead of teammate Nico Hulkenberg in 9th in a boost to Force India’s morale. Jean-Eric Vergne held onto 8th to score consecutive points finishes for Toro Rosso while Schumacher recovered to score the last championship point but ultimately Mercedes will be disappointed with their weekend. Alonso won’t care about any of that though as he is the unlikely man at the top of the championship standings.

Who would've predicted that podium a few weeks ago?

Provisional Classification:

1. Fernando Alonso (Scuderia Ferrari) 2hr44:51.812
2. Sergio Perez (Sauber F1) + 2.263
3. Lewis Hamilton (Vodafone McLaren Mercedes) + 14.591
4. Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing) + 17.688
5. Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus F1) + 29.456
6. Bruno Senna (Williams F1) + 37.667
7. Paul di Resta (Sahara Force India) + 44.412
8. Jean-Eric Vergne (Scuderia Toro Rosso) + 46.985
9. Nico Hulkenberg (Sahara Force India) + 47.892
10. Michael Schumacher (Mercedes AMG Petronas) + 49.996
11. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing) + 1:15.527
12. Daniel Ricciardo (Scuderia Toro Rosso) + 1:16.826
13. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes AMG Petronas) + 1:18.593
14. Jenson Button (Vodafone McLaren Mercedes) + 1:19.719
15. Felipe Massa (Scuderia Ferrari) + 1:37.319
16. Vitaly Petrov (Caterham F1) + 1 Lap
17. Timo Glock (Marussia F1) + 1 Lap
18. Heikki Kovalainen (Caterham F1) + 1 Lap
19. Charles Pic (Marussia F1) + 2 Laps
20. Narain Karthikeyan (HRT F1) + 2 Laps
21. Pedro de la Rosa (HRT F1) + 2 Laps

Not Classified:

• Pastor Maldonado (Williams F1) – Engine, Lap 55
• Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber F1) – Brakes, Lap 47
• Romain Grosjean (Lotus F1) – Spun off, Lap 4

Driver’s Championship Standings:

1. Fernando Alonso – 35 Points
2. Lewis Hamilton – 30 Points
3. Jenson Button – 25 Points
4. Mark Webber – 24 Points
5. Sergio Perez – 22 Points
6. Sebastian Vettel – 18 Points
7. Kimi Raikkonen – 16 Points
8. Bruno Senna – 8 Points
9. Kamui Kobayashi – 8 Points
10. Paul di Resta – 7 Points
11. Jean-Eric Vergne – 4 Points
12. Daniel Ricciardo – 2 Points
13. Nico Hulkenberg – 2 Points
14. Michael Schumacher – 1 Point

Constructors Championship Standings:

1. Vodafone McLaren Mercedes – 55 Points
2. Red Bull Racing – 42 Points
3. Scuderia Ferrari – 35 Points
4. Sauber F1 – 30 Points
5. Lotus F1 – 16 Points
6. Sahara Force India – 9 Points
7. Williams F1 – 8 Points
8. Scuderia Toro Rosso – 6 Points
9. Mercedes AMG Petronas – 1 Point

Analysis and Comment

This weekend hasn't done anything to help secure Felipe Massa's future

There’s no doubt about it, this race was a great one for Ferrari. Fernando Alonso’s race win is the tonic for a poor winter testing period but they will also be greatly encouraged by Sergio Perez’s performance today too. Perez is part of the Ferrari Young Driver Programme and, if you read my post yesterday, you’ll know he is the favourite to replace Felipe Massa in the number 2 Ferrari should he continue to disappoint. Massa’s 15th place finish was certainly not where he had hoped to end up but it was punctuated even more by the fact that Alonso not only won the race but was lapping very, very strongly. Massa was given a brand new chassis for this race by the team and had promised that it would have turned around his poor run of form but if anything it has made him look weaker. Massa has now gone 23 races without a podium finish while in the same time frame his more accomplished teammate has 12 top three finishes under his belt and two race wins to his name.

Perez’s second place will do himself no end of good not only amongst his Sauber team but also in the eyes of Ferrari chief Luca di Montezemolo. I believe that Perez could have easily beaten Alonso today and in the same car he would have to fancy his chances. The question is are Ferrari ready to gamble on putting him in their car yet? Also, are they really going to turn their backs on Felipe Massa mid-season after the emotional bond he formed with the team after his crash at Hungary in 2009? I think that an end of season switch is more likely with Massa perhaps moving back to the Sauber team where he started his career. Interestingly, a lot of attention is being focused on the radio message Perez received just a lap before he made the mistake that cost him the race. It read “Checo (Perez’s nickname), be careful, we need this position, we need this position.” Was it a veiled team order from a Sauber team powered by Ferrari engines to essentially stand aside to let the bigger boys win? Or was it merely an attempt to get Perez to ease up and avoid a mistake? Perez, Ferrari and Sauber have all maintained that the purpose of the message was the latter but the conspiracy theorists amongst you will have your own views. Whatever the story, Perez put in another blinding performance and that Sauber is looking like a cracking little car.

McLaren simply struggled for pace and will want to move on from this weekend

Another race where McLaren have failed to convert a front row lockout into a 1-2 finish although Lewis Hamilton seemed slightly happier with 3rd place than he did last Sunday. The main issue today was a misjudgement on tyre pressures which cost the team badly under the wet conditions. Even in dry conditions, Hamilton struggled to keep pace with Perez and Alonso and there will be much head scratching down at Woking tonight. Jenson Button had a more than eventful race, going from 2nd to 22nd and ending up in 14th. He suffered high tyre degradation due to the tyre pressure problem and collided with Narain Karthikeyan when he looked on course for a big haul of points. If McLaren are going to make use of their slight advantage in pace in what looks set to be a supremely tight year then they have  to start converting their front row lockouts soon.

A very mixed weekend for Williams. Bruno Senna drove a very controlled race after losing his front wing on the first lap to come home in 6th place but once again Pastor Maldonado saw his chance of points evaporate before him. Last week he caught a ton of oversteer and chucked it into the wall and this week his engine packed up just short of the finish line. I really hope that he gets the success he deserves soon as he has been really impressing me so far this season. Nevertheless, Senna’s 8 points for 6th place are more than the team earned throughout the whole of last season and I think everyone in F1 is happy to see that.

Michael Schumacher appears through the mist on his way to 10th place.

Mercedes really need to up their game on Sunday’s. Their qualifying pace is very strong but they are simply getting swallowed up on race day. You could argue that Schumacher was going strongly before his contact with Grosjean but without Maldonado’s engine failure, he would have finished 11th and he never really looked like troubling those ahead of him too much. Rosberg continues to struggle in the W03 and a 13th place finish is definitely not what the Doctor ordered. The ‘W-Duct’ rear-wing device clearly is producing too much rear downforce for the tyres to handle and coupled with the airflow to the front wing, it is leaving the car particularly tyre hungry.

Red Bull also need to find something. They are still 2nd in the Constructors Championship by the skin of their teeth and while both their cars were on for good points finishes, this really isn’t what we expected of the Milton Keynes team this season. After their dominance over the last two seasons it seems as though they’re going to have to fight a lot harder to bring the two trophies back home with them. With such a long gap between this race and the next race in China, it’ll be interesting to see whether they decide to rush new pieces out onto the car before the traditional start of the development race when the season hits Europe.

Finally, a quick word on Kimi. He proved once again that his time away hasn’t meant that he’s lost his pace. He set the fastest lap of the race today and looked very comfortable in his Lotus. The Finn said himself that he wants to see what him and the car can do in a ‘normal’ race situation so hopefully we’ll see that in three weeks time.

Driver Reaction:

Fernando Alonso – “We were not competitive in Australia or here, our goal was to score as many points as possible and we did the job. It is an unbelievable result, a great job from the team.The team deserve this win. It’s a tough time for us at the moment, but this is a Sunday we will remember.”

Sergio Perez – “I was catching Fernando towards end of the race, I knew I had to get him soon because in all the high-speed corners I was losing my front tyres running behind him. Then I ran wide in the quick left-hander. I touched the kerb and I went onto the dirty side of the track. It was completely wet and I lost the win.”

Lewis Hamilton – “I think we can be satisfied. First of all congratulations to Fernando and Sergio, they both drove fantastically well and it was very difficult to catch them. I can’t really complain, I was on the podium for the second race in a row.”

Felipe Massa – “I’m happy for him and for his team, but [how] disturbing [is it for me]? Zero. I’m looking more for myself, my driving, my work, I’m never looking for the others and whether them doing well is a problem for me or the opposite. I’m not like that. I’m happy for him because he did a great job.”

Sebastian Vettel – “Most crucially we lost radio communication and that makes it very difficult in these conditions to know what’s going on. To then lose the race how I did is very frustrating. Some people need to look more where they are going. Today it was crucial to come in at the right time. Having no radio meant we were delayed getting the messages and I didn’t hear anything from the team at the end.”

Mark Webber – “You’ve got to take your hat off to Fernando and Perez today, there were some good calls made at the front. It was a mixed-up race and it was good to get some points. There were some great strengths to take from this weekend. The team has been working really hard, so thanks to them. We know there will be more opportunities in the future.”

Kimi Raikkonen – “It was a bit difficult today. It was my first time on the wet weather Pirellis and I didn’t know how the intermediate or wet tyres would react – I had only completed one installation lap on them before. Once I found my way I could push much harder. Overall, we seemed to have a pretty strong package again this weekend, so I’m relatively happy. A fifth today was okay, but we’re always looking for better results.”

Bruno Senna – “I am really excited about the result today. I’m so happy that I have scored points for the team after a very tough race. It’s on days like to today that you can show what you can do in difficult conditions. I knew we had to attack after the restart, so it was very satisfying to push hard, not make any mistakes and to make my way up through the field. I’m so happy for everyone in the team.”

Michael Schumacher – “From where I started the race, it’s a real shame to grab just one point at the end today, and of course I would have wished for a better finish for our team after their hard work. It’s clear from today that there is still a lot of work for us to do to take our pace from qualifying into the race, and I am sure the guys are already thinking very hard about finding a solution. But this will not be done from one race to another, it will take some time, and we need to give it that time.”

Jean-Eric Vergne – “To go from eighteenth on the grid to eighth and in the points at the end is great. I stayed out for a long time on the intermediates after the start and then the Red Flag came along to help me so I was able to switch to extreme wets on the grid. After these two opening races, the overall performance has been quite good and I feel we can make progress in China starting from this good base line.”

Fernando Alonso celebrates his victory in Malaysia

Two races down, 18 to go. There’s a bit of a break between now and the next Grand Prix so it gives us all a chance to relax from the mad season we’re having so far. The Malaysian Grand Prix was a bit of a one-off but it still left a number of questions unanswered. Will Ferrari strike lucky again in China? Will Felipe Massa still be in a race seat by then? Can Red Bull get back on the podium? Can the McLarens finally score that belated 1-2? How will Mercedes remedy their tyre problems? And is there a better national anthem than the Italian national anthem? See you in three weeks!

Malaysian Grand Prix Preview

If Hamilton gets a better start this week then he could well be the man to beat

Lewis Hamilton stormed to pole for the second successive race. The McLaren driver clocked a 1:36.219 lap-time to head his teammate Jenson Button by a shade under two tenths. It was also the McLaren team’s second front row lockout of the season, underlining how good the car appears to be. Michael Schumacher’s Mercedes will start 3rd ahead of the two Red Bulls.

Intriguingly, reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel will start the race on the harder compound tyre having set his fastest Q3 time on it. That could be an intriguing strategy aspect in tomorrow’s race as he looks to save a pitstop and challenge the McLaren boys. Here’s how the session panned out:

Qualifying 1

There was no sign of the rain that blighted the start of FP3 and a number of teams went out straightaway to get to grips with the track. Kimi Raikkonen, Hamilton, Button and Schumacher were all closely matched at the head of the field before Mark Webber set a 1:37.172 to top the timesheets at the end of Q1. Of course, the real attention in the session is focused on the rear of the grid. Felipe Massa avoided a surprise elimination by jumping from 18th to 11th fastest towards the end of the session – but at a cost of a set of medium compound tyres. The usual suspects were all facing a premature end to their qualifying session but HRT can at least be happy that they got within the 107% time and WILL start tomorrow’s race and they won’t even be last as Heikki Kovalainen’s grid penalty that he earned in Australia demotes him to 24th. Bruno Senna improved to relegate Jean-Eric Vergne to 18th and knock him out in Q1.

Eliminated:

• 18th Jean-Eric Vergne (Scuderia Toro Rosso) – 1:39.077
• 19th Vitaly Petrov (Caterham F1) – 1:39.567
• 20th Timo Glock (Marussia F1) – 1:40.903
• 21st Charles Pic (Marussia F1) – 1:41.250
• 22nd Pedro de la Rosa (HRT F1) – 1:42.941
• 23rd Narain Karthikeyan (HRT F1) – 1:43.655
• 24th  Heikki Kovalainen – 1:39.306 (5 place penalty)

Qualifying 2

Q2 is shaping up this season to be a thoroughly entertaining session as the closely matched midfield teams go all out to make the Q3 shootout. Sergio Perez and Pastor Maldonado both made early mistakes as they ran wide on fast laps while Raikkonen set the fastest time with a 1:36.715. Maldonado appeared to have damaged his Williams with his off-track excursion while Felipe Massa continued to struggle in his Ferrari despite a new chassis this weekend which team boss Stefano Domenicalli said would remedy his problems. Schumacher and Rosberg were briefly in trouble before they flexed their muscles and moved to safety. Both Williams cars were eliminated as well as the Force Indias while Kamui Kobayashi will be left wondering how he lost so much time to Perez.

Eliminated:

• 11th Pastor Maldonado (Williams F1) – 1:37.589
• 12th Felipe Massa (Scuderia Ferrari) – 1:37.731
• 13th Bruno Senna (Williams F1) – 1:37.841
• 14th Paul di Resta (Sahara Force India) – 1:37.877
• 15th Daniel Ricciardo (Scuderia Toro Rosso) – 1:37.883
• 16th Nico Hulkenberg (Sahara Force India) – 1:37.890
• 17th Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber F1) – 1:38.069

Qualifying 3

All eyes were on McLaren to see just how fast they could go but Kimi Raikkonen,  facing a 5 place grid penalty for a gearbox change in FP2, set the initial pace. Button beat that soon after but through came Lewis Hamilton who eclipsed that Button’s time by a staggering four tenths. Schumacher went P2 while Webber and Raikkonen pushed Button down the standings. In the second Ferrari, Fernando Alonso was once again wrestling his way round to 8th on the grid and Vettel’s decision to qualify on the hard tyres caught the eye of many of the teams down the pitlane. Button came back in the last few seconds of the session to give McLaren the 1-2 that they so desired.

Top 10:

1. Lewis Hamilton (Vodafone McLaren Mercedes) – 1:36.219
2. Jenson Button (Vodafone McLaren Mercedes) – 1:36.368
3. Michael Schumacher (Mercedes AMG Petronas) – 1: 36.391
4. Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing) – 1:36.461
5. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing) – 1:36.634
6. Romain Grosjean (Lotus F1) – 1:36.658
7. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes AMG Petronas) – 1:36.664
8. Fernando Alonso (Scuderia Ferrari) – 1:37.566
9. Sergio Perez (Sauber F1) – 1:37.698
10. Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus F1) – 1:36.461 (5 place penalty)

So two qualifying sessions down in the 2012 season and McLaren have firmly established themselves as the team to beat. It’s interesting though as they’re fast but only a tiny fraction faster than the rest of the field in their leanest trim. The car isn’t as dominant as the RB7 of last season but as long as that tiny fraction of a second remains then the Woking team will be very hard to shift.

Vettel’s tyre choice was the big talking point of Q3 but there doesn’t seem to be a great deal of difference between the hard and medium compound tyres – as Pirelli predicted. So, will the gamble pay off? Well, it depends on the weather. If we have a dry race then he has a chance but a wet race would put him at a disadvantage as he’s going to lose time during the first stint and the wet tyres would level the playing field in the next stint, meaning he has very little opportunity to make up the time that he will have lost. It’s a brave call but I guess that’s what champions are made of.

Will 2012 be the year we see the old Michael Schumacher back in F1?

As for Mercedes, well tyre degradation will again be their problem. If they can manage their tyres well enough then they’ll be McLaren’s biggest challengers but their attempts to save a set of tyres in Q2 nearly left them in the drop zone meaning that had to use the set anyway. Schumacher again impressed and this car is definitely more to his liking while Rosberg just can’t carry the speed through the corners. If this means that we see a revitalised Schumi then I’m all in favour.

A quick word on the fortunes of Ferrari and Lotus. Felipe Massa is a man feeling the heat more than most in Sepang as talk of his imminent replacement grows. Unbelievably recently departed Rubens Barrichello is in line for a shock return to Maranello and other names such as Jarno Trulli and Adrian Sutil are in the frame. The favourite remains Sergio Perez who impressed once again the Sauber today while Massa’s disappointing performance will do nothing to dampen the speculation. Alonso deserves another word of praise for dragging his unpredictable F2012 into Q3. Lotus have to be happy with the performance of their car once again. Raikkonen would have split the Red Bulls without his gearbox change and set an identical time to Mark Webber while Grosjean put in another solid time to earn himself P7. I just hope to see what Kimi can do from a decent grid slot.

My predictions last week were pretty close; I got Button to win but Hamilton and  Schumacher ruined things a bit. I did correctly predict the first three into turn 1 but that’s about as good as it got. So this week I’m going for:

1. Lewis Hamilton (Vodafone McLaren Mercedes)
2. Jenson Button (Vodafone McLaren Mercedes)
3. Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)

I’m backing on Hamilton not making the same mistakes that cost him last weekend and rediscovering some of his 2008 form but the most important thing is that I can’t see beyond a McLaren victory this weekend. If it rains though, anything could happen.

F1 2012: The Contenders

Today saw the return to action for the F1 circus. Testing began in Jerez, Spain and the public got their first view of the 2012 spec cars in action. Kimi Raikkonen capped his return to the top level of motorsport by heading the time sheets at the end of the day with a 1:19.670 in his Lotus E20. Obviously we can’t read too much into that time but it’s nice to see the Iceman back where he belongs. Let’s look at the new cars in full, starting with the Red Bull RB8.

Red Bull RB8

This is the car that Red Bull hope will propel them to a third straight Constructor's Championship

The RB8 boasts the ‘platypus nose’ that is almost a commonplace on this year’s F1 grid. It’s more aesthetically pleasing than other examples on the grid and there is a curious looking vent in the middle of the raised section of the nose, something that designer Adrian Newey puts down as a “cooling device”. There are sure to be a few questions raised over the aerodynamic purposes of that device. Red Bull were the major benefactors of the blown diffuser and with that technology banned for 2012, they have had to find the downforce advantage from elsewhere on the car. Mark Webber’s time today of 1:20.496 was achieved with ease and that suggests that the car is certainly going to be there or there abouts this season. He was also quickest through the most technical section of the circuit and recorded the fastest straight line speed. It is also a very attractive car to look at when it’s placed near some of the other team’s efforts. Finally, the front wing looks more developed than some of the other attempts seen on the grid so far.

McLaren MP4-27

McLaren's car certainly looks the best on the grid but will it prove to be the fastest?

The first thing you’ll notice about the MP4-27 is that it is not tainted with the ‘platypus nose’. McLaren say that they have achieved this by lowering the chassis and you’ve got to admit that it looks brilliant. The U-shaped sidepods of last season have also been changed in line with FIA regulations. McLaren also say that they have a re-packaged rear end of the car and so everything fits more tightly. Button’s times today were extraordinarily consistent, mostly in the 1:22s and 1:23s with a best of 1:21.530 which suggests that the race pace in the MP4-27 is very good indeed but it remains to be seen if they can push on and challenge the Red Bulls in qualifying. McLaren have already stated they have major developments in line for the first race in Melbourne.

Ferrari F2012

Ferrari have certainly been bold but will it pay off?

Throughout the 2011 season, Ferrari said that their 2012 car would be extremely aggressive in terms of innovation and design. They weren’t wrong either as this car has the most defined stepped nose on the grid. It’s also a strong contender for the ugliest F1 car since the ‘walrus’ Williams of 2004. More importantly, in terms of performance, the car features a pull-rod front suspension which they clearly feel will be advantageous this season. Red Bull ran with a pull-rod rear suspension on the RB7 but it’ll be interesting to see how that change works; if it’s successful it is a hard thing to copy. Like McLaren, the F2012 boasts a tight rear-end and a less flexing version of the front wing seen towards the end of the 2011 season. Massa was in the car today and could only muster a 1:22.815, over a second behind Red Bull and McLaren, which suggests that they were running with a heavy fuel load, doing aero tests or that the car is fundamentally flawed. The most likely outcome is a combination between the fuel load and aero tests but if the car is slow then heads will roll at Maranello.

Mercedes

Mercedes have not yet unveiled their 2012 challenger as they want more time to develop it. It should be appearing at the Barcelona test but until then Rosberg and Schumacher are running the 2011 car attached with some 2012 parts. Rosberg again beat his more experienced teammate by finishing 3rd fastest today ahead of fifth placed Schumacher.

Lotus E20

With Kimi Raikkonen back in F1, can Lotus deliver a car that is capable of winning races?

Despite having a name that sounds like it belongs on EastEnders, the Lotus E20 actually topped the time sheets on day 1 of testing. As you’ll know if you read my last F1 blog, Lotus (along with Ferrari) designed a reactive ride-height system that was banned by the FIA last month. The implication is that this hurt Lotus more than Ferrari. The team have tried to regain some of downforce that the ride-height would have given them through a series of subtle aerodynamic improvements although their car still has the stepped nose. I think it’s one of the better looking cars on the grid and in Raikkonen’s hands it seemed planted to the track today. As I already said, Raikkonen was the fastest man out there but with Lotus’ sponsors present, it was probably just an attempt to grab the headlines. They should still be in the top five teams come the end of the season.

Force India VJM05

Can the Force India team make some headway up the grid this season?

The VJM05 immediately strikes you as being somewhat beautiful. The sculptured sidepods, the intricate front wing design and even the stepped nose looks vaguely attractive. Rumour has it that this car could be the surprise package of the season with BBC and Autosport technical guru, Gary Anderson calling it “the best overall package yet”. Today’s times come close to backing that statement up with Paul di Resta putting in a 1:19.772 to finish 2nd behind Raikkonen and the car seems reliable with 101 trouble free laps being completed for the team. With a young and talented line-up of di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg, could this be the year that Force India challenge the big boys of F1. It’d be brilliant if they could but we won’t know until later in the testing window if they have what it takes.

Sauber C31

It's not really a looker is it?

The Sauber, unlike the Force India, is not beautiful in any way, shape or form. The car does feature a pull-rod rear suspension, similar to the Red Bull of 2011 and this has allowed them to improve their rear packaging. Their major issue comes regarding updates throughout the season as their technical director James Key resigned his post last week. This means that the team will struggle to get any major upgrades out for Melbourne so the car will have be fairly quick from the off. Today, it was distinctly average with Kobayashi’s best effort being a 1:21.353 in a 106 lap day’s running for the Swiss outfit which was ended when Kobayashi ran out of fuel at the end of a consumption test.

Toro Rosso STR7

Can Toro Rosso prove that they're much more than Red Bull's feeder team?

The STR7 is quite an innovative little car. It features what the team describe as a “revolutionary evolution” – which is a great bit of PR speak – with improved parts from their 2011 car such as the twin floor, revised sidepods and a longer gearbox. The team’s outspoken technical director, Giorgio Ascanelli, has already called their version of the stepped nose “not aggressive enough” and has promised to upgrade that area significantly. By sacking Buemi and Alguersuari and hiring Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne, the team have been bold and Ricciardo at least repaid some of their faith in his abilities by popping up 5th fastest today with a 1:20.694. Could this be the year that Toro Rosso climbs up through the midfield?

Williams FW34

Williams need to forget about a disastrous 2011 season and hope that the FW34 can be successful in 2012

The FW34 is Williams’ first car since the technical reshuffle following the debacle that was their 2011 season. It also marks a little bit of history repeating itself as the Renault engine makes a comeback in the Williams garage, reigniting hope that the partnership will be as successful as it was during the 1990s. The car was designed by former McLaren man Mike Coughlan (he of the spygate scandal) and is to be driven by Bruno Senna, nephew of the late, great Ayrton Senna who died in Williams at Imola in 1994. What does the FW34 feature? The stepped nose looks very similar to the one on the RB8 while the team have improved on the tight rear-end that everyone admired at the start of last season but ultimately failed to produce the goods. The signs look ominous though as Pastor Maldonado managed only 26 laps today and finished second bottom with a 1:23.371.

Caterham CT01

Can Caterham make the move from the back of the grid to the midfield?

The CT01 was the first car of the new season to be unveiled and was the first glimpse for those outside of the F1 community to see just exactly how ugly the ‘platypus nose’ would be. It also gave a clue as to what the bodywork of an F1 car in 2012 would look like. The Caterham is, as you would expect, fairly rudimentary in terms of aerodynamics but the lack of blown diffusers should help the team push towards the midfield. The team seems to be heading in the right direction with a fairly competitive 1:23.178 from Heikki Kovalainen although their running was cut short thanks to a damaged starter shaft.

HRT

The Spanish outfit haven’t unveiled their new car yet and are at testing with their 2011 model. They have announced Pedro de la Rosa and Narain Karthikeyan as their drivers for 2012 with a combined age of a staggering 75 years! De la Rosa promptly returned the 2011 car to its rightful place in last place at today’s test.

Marussia

The team formerly known as Virgin have not unveiled the car they hope to beat HRT with. The team have announced the experienced Timo Glock and rookie Charles Pic as their driver line-up for 2012.

So there we have it, the line-up for the 2012 Formula 1 season. The cars might not look the best but as long as we get some close racing then I’m sure few people will mind. There are three days left of the Jerez test before two tests in Barcelona before the season gets underway in Australia on March 18th. It promises to be a cracker!