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F1 2012

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Ivo

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Just a few days to go until the start of the new season.

Who are the ones to watch this year? Will Vettel walk it again? Will Mercedes take the fight to Ferrari for third? Will Raikkonen be the same force he was in years gone by? Will Caterham get on the scoreboard? Will we see a British winner of the British Grand Prix?

All these and more have to be asked - but that's just the on-track stuff! What about Sky's new F1 Channel - will their coverage trump that the BBC have offered over the last three years? Will the delayed coverage offered by the Beeb be satisfactory?

There's more too. What of the FOTA problems? Will the heavyweights at Ferrari leaving cause any problems? Will the cost-cutting measures ever pull through? And what of the calendar? Will Turkey and its legendary Turn 8 be missed? Will the Austin event ever happen?

One thing I will say is this - the world's fastest and most advanced sport is back, and I can't wait for Melbourne next week.
 
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Lampshade

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Just a few days to go until the start of the new season.

Who are the ones to watch this year? Will Vettel walk it again? Will Mercedes take the fight to Ferrari for third? Will Raikkonen be the same force he was in years gone by? Will Caterham get on the scoreboard? Will we see a British winner of the British Grand Prix?

Hopefully there'll be more of a 2010 fight, I'd hate for Vettel to become Schumacher Mk2 and dominate everything for years. Mercedes *should* be a challenger given they've had plenty of time to prepare. Caterham may score the odd point or two, the other two 'new' teams are nothing more than a laughing stock.

All these and more have to be asked - but that's just the on-track stuff! What about Sky's new F1 Channel - will their coverage trump that the BBC have offered over the last three years? Will the delayed coverage offered by the Beeb be satisfactory?

I'm buying a dish tomorrow to watch it on RTL with 5 Live commentary. I wish Jake Humphrey would stop saying they "have all the races". They "have all the races" in the same way the BBC "have all Premier League matches" on MOTD on a Saturday night. Highlights are not good enough, especially not for Montreal - and given the BBC are allowed to screen full re-runs and they're choosing not to. If this means I have to put up with James Allen on 5 Live then so bet it.

There's more too. What of the FOTA problems? Will the heavyweights at Ferrari leaving cause any problems? Will the cost-cutting measures ever pull through? And what of the calendar? Will Turkey and its legendary Turn 8 be missed? Will the Austin event ever happen?

No Tilke-designed circuit will be missed. Also glad that from next year Barcelona and Valencia will be sharing the Spanish GP.
 

David

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Just a few days to go until the start of the new season.

Who are the ones to watch this year? Will Vettel walk it again? Will Mercedes take the fight to Ferrari for third? Will Raikkonen be the same force he was in years gone by? Will Caterham get on the scoreboard? Will we see a British winner of the British Grand Prix?

Will Turkey and its legendary Turn 8 be missed? Will the Austin event ever happen?

One thing I will say is this - the world's fastest and most advanced sport is back, and I can't wait for Melbourne next week.

Vettel will not walk it this year, as Webber has been slightly faster in testing (they have been sharing the same car with all the same updates). The McLarens have looked fairly fiesty as well in testing. While they haven't managed the same times as the Red Bulls, they have been concentrating on longer runs to make sure the car is settled with a heavy fuel load.

Caterham have made huge strides in their first 2 years, and were very close to the Williams at the end of last year. This year they have the added bonus of a KERS system as well, so I expect them to be racing in the midfield, especially with Heikki (1 of the most under rated drivers on the grid) in 1 of the cars.

While I won't miss Turkey as such, Turn 8 will be a loss. It's up there with Eau Rouge as 1 of the most demanding corners on the calender. 1 mistake at either of those and you can have a big accident.

The GP at Austin will not happen now. It barely made a deadline for commitments to be made, and construction has slowed again. Also, there is a legal wrangle concerning the contracts, so the chances of a GP happeing there this year are about 5% (IMO). Because of the legal situation (and the lack on construction), doubts are being aired now as to whether the MotoGP circus will be there in 2013 ....
 

Bungle73

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All the talk is that this is going to be the closest F1 season for years. :D

From the brief preview they had on their season preview programme on Friday it looks like Sky are going to give it the full Sky Sports "treatment", with multiple camera angles and more on the red button, plus an app.
 

S19

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I think we'll be seeing Vettel crowned as champion again in 2012. I personally think he'll win it with a couple of rounds to go
 

20Man

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I certainly think (hope) that the McLarens will be able to challenge for more wins and I think that Mercedes may have moved closer to Ferrari, although this may also be that Ferrari seem to have had a few problems with the new car. I think how the different cars cope with the changes to the tyres could be the decider.

The problem with preseason testing is that teams approach it in different ways, some going for out and out speed while others are going for full race distance pace, and someone may have been sandbagging a bit. I know some teams seem to be making quite a few changes before the season starts, where I work we supply parts to F1 teams and we have had more last minute orders than usual.

One thing that will be interesting will will be how the new rule on blocking works, especially in the early laps. I guess this time next week we will know more, but I do think the combination of Vettel in an Adrian Newey designed car will be tough to beat.

However the season turns out I just hope we have a safe season with good close racing.
 

Heinz57

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Its going to be a good season this year.

Button and Hamilton stand a good chance of going away with it, and I'd like to see one of them take the crown. Webbers one to keep an eye on too. But not Vettel, not this year. Misery guts (Raikkonen) won't be like he was before, his car is nowhere near as good and he's had a few years away from it all too. I'd like ot see Schumi win a race again though, that'll be nice. Ferrari won't be on form for the first few races, they admit themselves that they've gone a bit wrong with the new car.

Not that I'll be watching much of this season though, what with it going over to Sky. 'Oh F1 will never go over to Sky' says Bernie. Then what happends a few weeks later? Personaly I don't think it will last. Viewers will go down. I could see full coverage on the beeb again in 2013. Sky obviously have this contract though, so it'll be full coverage on two channels. I honestly don't think Bernie will stand by and watch his viewing figures dwindle, its less money for him.

I don't know much about the technical stuff for this year. But I'm looking forward to Austin, if it happends. And its a shame Turkeys gone - Singapore should have gone first, what a boring race that is, no over taking. Its just like a Sunday Drive realy!
 

Schnellzug

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Not that I'll be watching much of this season though, what with it going over to Sky. 'Oh F1 will never go over to Sky' says Bernie. Then what happends a few weeks later? Personaly I don't think it will last. Viewers will go down. I could see full coverage on the beeb again in 2013. Sky obviously have this contract though, so it'll be full coverage on two channels. I honestly don't think Bernie will stand by and watch his viewing figures dwindle, its less money for him. !

it'll be just like it was when it was on ITV, I bet. "And now let's go back to that crucial, and probably one and only, change of lead that happened during the break". :oops:
 

bnm

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it'll be just like it was when it was on ITV, I bet. "And now let's go back to that crucial, and probably one and only, change of lead that happened during the break". :oops:

No ad breaks during the race itself on Sky, only pre- and post- race.

I'm not going for Sky TV as I can't have a dish due to the position of my property. But I will be purchasing SkyGo Monthly tickets to watch on my PC.
 

LE Greys

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Well, there goes another sport. Thank heaven for BBC radio! Still, I've been losing interest for quite a long time. Went through my highlights videos from the 90s recently, and it's hard to believe how much better the cars looked then and how much more interesting the races were. The current ones are almost as hideous as the early wing designs ("lobster-claw" and "cake-scoop"). Still, I reckon the biggest difference would be if they removed the restriction on the numbers of engines and gearboxes, plus the rev limiters. The emphasis on reliability would drop, so mid-race failures would be much more common. Anyone remember, "Damon Hill only has to keep going..."? Retirements shake up the order.

No ad breaks during the race itself on Sky, only pre- and post- race.

I'm not going for Sky TV as I can't have a dish due to the position of my property. But I will be purchasing SkyGo Monthly tickets to watch on my PC.

I have the same problem, but Sky's a rip-off anyway.
 

Peter Mugridge

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I think we'll be seeing Vettel crowned as champion again in 2012. I personally think he'll win it with a couple of rounds to go

I'd rather we went into the last race with 7 or 8 drivers all in with a chance of walking away with the title ( as long as one of them is not Schumacher! ).
 

Bungle73

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Well, there goes another sport. Thank heaven for BBC radio! Still, I've been losing interest for quite a long time. Went through my highlights videos from the 90s recently, and it's hard to believe how much better the cars looked then and how much more interesting the races were. The current ones are almost as hideous as the early wing designs ("lobster-claw" and "cake-scoop"). Still, I reckon the biggest difference would be if they removed the restriction on the numbers of engines and gearboxes, plus the rev limiters. The emphasis on reliability would drop, so mid-race failures would be much more common. Anyone remember, "Damon Hill only has to keep going..."? Retirements shake up the order.



I have the same problem, but Sky's a rip-off anyway.
The key word is "highlights". The races in the '90s weren't as great as you think they were.
 

LE Greys

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The key word is "highlights". The races in the '90s weren't as great as you think they were.

These were the BBC highlights, generally 45 minutes long with the entire race compressed to 30-35. Chequered flag to next programme was generally five minutes. There were some that were plain dull (Spain 1991 produced 1 interesting passing move for instance). Possibly the Murray Walker commentary is another factor, amazing the difference that makes even in a fairly dull race.

Amazing how Scotch tapes last as well. Recorded of the telly in the 1990s and watched hundreds of times, quality is still excellent.
 

bnm

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I have the same problem, but Sky's a rip-off anyway.

I think £35 a month for some additional entertainment channels and 6 sports channels is a price worth paying for Formula One coverage.

All my TV is watched online these days either catchup services or live streaming via TVCatchup.com.
 

Mike C

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They are pitot tubes for measuring aero pressure from which they can calculate true speed but also work out downforce, L/D and just about every other aero stat they need to know. They are that size because they need to measure the free stream velocity far enough away from the car so the measurement is not affected by (or as far as practical) the geometry of the car punching a hole in the air. There are usually several of them but that is the most noticable due to size.

They are only allowed in testing so you won't see them at the first race in Oz.
 
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hairyhandedfool

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....Who are the ones to watch this year? Will Vettel walk it again? Will Mercedes take the fight to Ferrari for third? Will Raikkonen be the same force he was in years gone by? Will Caterham get on the scoreboard? Will we see a British winner of the British Grand Prix?....

I think McLaren and Red Bull for a tight title fight and Ferrari will be fighting with Mercedes for third team, but I don't necessarily think that is because Mercedes are better. I'd expect Raikkonen to take a few races to get back into F1. Caterham should be good for some points this season, but realistically only a few.

....All these and more have to be asked - but that's just the on-track stuff! What about Sky's new F1 Channel - will their coverage trump that the BBC have offered over the last three years? Will the delayed coverage offered by the Beeb be satisfactory?....

I stayed up to watch the Sky Sports preview show being re-broadcast on PickTV yesterday and I lasted about 15-20 minutes, so so glad I'm not getting the Sky F1 channel. For Australia, the race programme starts 90 minutes before the parade lap! I guess that is 50 minutes of talking (like we had on BBC) and 40 minutes of ads.

....And what of the calendar? Will Turkey and its legendary Turn 8 be missed?....

I won't miss Turkey greatly, I think there is only one Turkish GP that sticks in my mind and aside from two laps, it wasn't gripping.

.... I know some teams seem to be making quite a few changes before the season starts, where I work we supply parts to F1 teams and we have had more last minute orders than usual....

McLaren made loads of changes before the first race last season so it could be interesting to see how things pan out.

....Not that I'll be watching much of this season though, what with it going over to Sky. 'Oh F1 will never go over to Sky' says Bernie. Then what happends a few weeks later? Personaly I don't think it will last. Viewers will go down. I could see full coverage on the beeb again in 2013. Sky obviously have this contract though, so it'll be full coverage on two channels. I honestly don't think Bernie will stand by and watch his viewing figures dwindle, its less money for him....

Well, Bernie (who lied to FOTA about the deal), the BBC and Sky have all said that having F1 go from all races on 'free to air' TV to half only live on pay TV would increase viewer numbers in their propaganda....sorry, explanations of the deal, but so far all I have seen is people saying they'd rather turn off than watch either company's coverage or still only watch BBC unless they already have Sky TV.

I think the problem with the BBC coverage will be how they fill the 2 hour 'extensive highlights' programme. given many races sit between 90 and 120 minutes I think anything less than 75-90 minutes of action will be disappointing (especially as they will probably have the F1 Forum on the red button afterwards).

....I'm not going for Sky TV as I can't have a dish due to the position of my property. But I will be purchasing SkyGo Monthly tickets to watch on my PC.

It is available on Virgin Media now if you have the Sky Sports package, I still wouldn't bother though.
 
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