Mid season review

[frostie]

Thought I'd post my mid-season review here, I did one for each of the teams but here's a couple to get the ball rolling. What does everyone think of the year so far and who's surprised or disappointed you?
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Red Bull

After dominating the sport for two and half seasons, with clearly the fastest car on the grid, Red Bull have lost some of their mojo so far this year following changes to the aerodynamic regulations. The ban on Exhaust Blowing Diffusers was always going to cost Red Bull more than most teams. Last year Sebastian Vettel was able to take advantage of the unique driving style required by the Exhaust Blowing Diffusers to utterly dominate the sport. This year however, the squad have only occasionally shown a blistering turn of speed that has been their trademark. Vettel dominated at Valencia only to be robbed by a mechanical failure of a near certain victory.

Vettel was flawless in Bahrain but it is remarkable to think that this is the only victory of his campaign thus far. Having comprehensively outperformed his teammate, Mark Webber, last year the intra-team battle has been much closer this year.

Webber’s performance in qualifying has been much improved this year but more so than that his race pace has been superb on most occasions. He was dominant in Monaco and calculating at Silverstone and showed the determination needed to be a champion on numerous other occasions. Like Alonso Webber has done a great job of claiming as many points as possible in each race and his run of fourth place finishes at the beginning of the season have been the foundation of his title assault.

The team however clearly need to improve the car if they are to win another title. The challenges facing Red Bull in their bid to return to top form has seen them sail very close to the wind in recent months with their engine software and ride height systems having been at the centre of a couple of scandals.

Red Bull has, rightly, said that while their car has been outside of the “spirit of the regulations” there is no defined spirit of the regulations simply the actual wording of the rulebook. The reigning constructors’ champions have been exceptional in finding legal “loopholes” in the rule book over the course of the last three years and while they have been forced to adjust their car it seems inevitable that Adrian Newey will find another way to extract maximum performance from the car. Given Newey’s history the rest of the grid should be wary that the next time that Red Bull pushes to the limit they will not be as fortunate in having the rule makers force Red Bull to adjust their car.
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Ferrari

Fernando Alonso has been in incredible form throughout the first 11 races. The double world champion has not put a foot wrong and whereas many of the field can point to numerous races where they lost points Alonso can arguably only point to a bad strategic call in the Canadian Grand Prix as a missed opportunity. In Montreal the Pirelli tyres were on a knife-edge but with the Spaniard leading the race Ferrari gambled on their star being able to hold onto the lead. Ultimately the tyres fell “off the cliff” and Alonso was a sitting duck and fell to fifth in the last handful of laps but it was a gamble worth taking for a team that felt that opportunities to win races would be few and far between.

The campaign opened with a car that was over one second off the pace but Alonso used the terrible conditions of Malaysia to claim a surprise victory in the second race of the season. It was a race that only a driver of Alonso’s calibre would have been able to win and was very reminiscent of Michael Schumacher winning in the wet race at Barcelona in 1996 while driving a very uncompetitive Ferrari.

Throughout the season Ferrari have done a great job of developing the car throughout the season and since the Spanish Grand Prix the car has been a much more competitive proposition at each race. This has been perfectly illustrated by the recent improvement in performance by Felipe Massa.

Even though the Brazilian has been outqualified by Alonso at each race so far he has made strides forward in the last four races and now seems like a legitimate points contender at each race. With Massa returning to form the team should be able to contend for second in the constructors’ championship but ultimately there is no way to comment on Massa’s campaign without being disappointed by his early season form.

Ferrari have been very loyal to Massa in the past and have given him more than enough time to recover from his Hungarian accident two years ago but if he wants to stay in the red cars for next year it is imperative that the likeable Brazilian can start taking points off Alonso’s championship challengers.

Ferrari have comfortably surpassed their early season expectations but now that Alonso is holding a commanding championship lead anything less than claiming the drivers’ championship will be deemed as an unsuccessful campaign.
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McLaren

After having clearly the fastest car on the grid in the opening races of the year McLaren lost their way in development and have spent the last four races trying to reclaim their position at the front of the field. In their third season as a pairing Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton have had contrasting seasons. Button has been unable to maximise the car in the same vein as last year whereas Hamilton has curbed his aggression and refound the consistency that marked his rookie season in Formula 1.


Hamilton has won twice so far in 2012 and stood on the rostrum on one other occasion. He has been hamstrung by bad strategic decisions and poor pit-stops but overall an argument can be made the former champion is driving better than ever. Mid-season it seemed that every time Hamilton came into the pits a wheel nut wouldn’t tighten or a jack would fail. These struggles cost Hamilton points but even more importantly it cost McLaren momentum.


The team changed their pit-stop procedures and in the last four races they have been much improved. Setting blistering sub three second pit-stops has become the norm in modern day Formula 1 and McLaren have arguably become the fastest team in the pitlane since they rectified their problems.
This evolution of their pit-stops has given them a crucial edge and now with the car development having seen Button rediscover his form in the last two races McLaren look to be in a much stronger position going forward.


It has been a strange season for McLaren thus far with the team lying second in the Constructors’ championship yet still having underperformed for a large portion of the season. Having failed to take advantage of the undoubted early season speed advantage McLaren Hamilton won in Canada but from that point on it seemed they lost their way.


Their competitors brought numerous upgrades to consecutive races and McLaren seemed to lose their way but a major upgrade at Hockenheim has rejuvenated their season and they now look set to be a genuine threat at most races for the rest of the year with both Hamilton and Button having looked very competitive at the last two races.


Going forward they look ready to challenge for race wins for the rest of the season and with Hamilton driving superbly and having ironed out the mistakes that blighted recent campaigns he will be a very dangerous driver at most of the upcoming races and is still a contender for the championship.

[frostie]

And here's the rest of my reviews....
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Mercedes

After winning in China it seemed that Mercedes had finally made the big step forward that many have been waiting for. Since then however the team has struggled to keep their momentum going.

Mercedes has clearly lost their way with the development of their car. This is hardly a unique situation for this team with each year since 1999, BAR’s debut season, they have struggled to develop the car. Even looking at their 2009 title success the team struggled to develop the car on a par with their rivals. Jenson Button’s early season run of victories was the foundation of his championship success and the majority of the rest of the year saw Red Bull dominate proceedings.


If Mercedes are to challenge for the championship in the future they need to do a much better job of developing the car. The season started with a very competitive car that had numerous unique approaches to the regulations and their double DRS was clearly a crucial advantage in qualifying at the early races.
With the likes of Lotus using the double DRS now the advantage has been lost and Mercedes has fallen down the field. The team have said that they will continue to develop the car in an attempt to regain fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship but it seems like they are swimming against the tide at this point.


On a positive note for Mercedes Michael Schumacher has been much improved this year. While his tally of 27 points does not reflect it the seven times world champion has been more than a match for Nico Rosberg. Schumacher finally claimed a rostrum spot for the first time since returning to F1 with a solid drive in Valencia but his early season form was particularly impressive.


His pole position lap at Monaco showed that he still has more than enough speed to compete at the highest level and while he is clearly not the driver that he was once he is proving more than worthy of his place on the grid. An extension to his contract has been discussed and it is likely to be signed in the coming weeks.


For Rosberg the season has seen him finally claim his long awaited first victory but he still remains a difficult driver to quantify. He has shown consistency and maturity throughout his top flight career and clearly has a lot of speed but there are still question marks hanging over his head. A solid finish to the campaign would go a long way to settling any questions that still remain within the paddock.


For this to happen Mercedes need to find much greater consistency. Their car seems to be one of the most track temperature dependant on the grid with slight changes in temperature bringing about huge swings in performance. This is clearly an inherit problem with the design of the car and finding a solution will be exceptionally difficult in the coming months but it will clearly be the focus of development for the team for next year’s car.
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Lotus

The season opened strongly in Australia with Romain Grosjean qualifying on the second row of the grid and eight podiums in the first half of the year has shown that Lotus are a very competitive proposition at present.


Kimi Raikkonen’s return to the grid has been little short of stunning with the former champion having stood on the podium five times and lying fourth in the Drivers’ Championship. The Iceman has not yet shown the blistering speed that made him a superstar ten years ago but he has shown impressive consistency and a smart, tactical approach to racing that has seen him make few mistakes and generally get as much out of the car as possible.


In Monaco it seemed that Kimi was lapsing back to the lazy driver that characterised his rallying career, where he refused to spend the required time developing pace notes. In the principality Raikkonen was unwilling to practice in the rain because he felt that there was little point given that his steering rack would be changed before the dry running the following day.


He has bounced back since then however to produce a string of solid results and seems ready to be a title contender once again. Winning the championship this year is probably a bridge too far but with Spa-Francorchamps next on the calendar, a circuit that Kimi has dominated at in the past, and Monza likely to be a strong race for Lotus Raikkonen could build some crucial momentum in the next two races.


Grosjean has generally been the faster Lotus driver over a single lap in qualifying and the Frenchman has rebuilt his reputation superbly this year. Following his poor performances in 2009 it seemed that the paddock would be impatient with Grosjean this year but he has consistently impressed so far in 2012 and shown genuine potential as a future race winner.


Having ironed out his early race mistakes that were a hallmark of his career up to this point, the reigning GP2 champion has solidified his place on the grid and a hat-trick of podium finishes has shown his genuine speed.


Lotus opened the season with a fast car over a single lap but through the course of their development they have arguably lost some of their single lap pace to find a better race car. Over the course of the last three or four races Lotus have consistently been able to move through the field and get to the forefront of races.


Their car in race-trim is a match for anyone but it is crucial that in the next couple of races that Lotus can find more speed in qualifying and give them a better chance of winning a race. With Raikkonen showing superb tactical awareness this season, as shown by beating Grosjean in a wheel to wheel battle coming out of the pits in Hungary, it is clear that if the Lotus can qualify faster they will be able to fulfill their potential.
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Force India

The team have had a solid campaign but, unlike Williams and Sauber, they have been unable to take a large haul of points from any races. The battle between the three teams has been close for most of the season but with Williams winning in Barcelona and Sauber claiming podium finishes it is difficult for Force India to make inroads on the Constructors’ table.


Nico Hulkenberg has had a very promising return to the grid with the German edging Paul di Resta in qualifying but losing out in races. The German’s turn of speed is impressive and in the last five races he has been much more consistent. He needed to work off the rustiness of not racing last year in the early season races and now, once again, looks like a very promising racer.


Di Resta has struggled at times this year. Mine is not a popular view amongst most analysts but I feel that the Scot has not been as promising as the British press have made him out to be. I am yet to see the kind of performances that warrant him being touted as a potential Mercedes driver. He has looked promising on numerous occasions and is clearly a very steady pair of hands, his lack of race incidents attest to this, but I am yet to see the blistering speed that is needed to justify a place in one of the top teams on the grid.


I struggle to understand why di Resta would be hired by Mercedes ahead of even his teammate. Both have been solid performers this year but why would Mercedes be more interested in a British racer than a German who seems to be of similar speed? Di Resta’s long established links to Mercedes have clearly played a major role in the rumours linking him to the team but recent reports linking him to Ferrari seem to be very far fetched even for the patriotic British press.


As a team Force India have been at the centre of attention on numerous occasions because of Vijay Mallya’s financial difficulties with his Kingfisher Airline brand. The Indian sold a large amount of his holding in the race team to Sahara last year and while he has said that he remains committed to the team. Even so the bad publicity surrounding him at time has clearly had a negative impact on the teams reputation.


For the rest of the season Force India need to continue progressing and scoring points consistently. If they can do this they will have had a very impressive season and while improving on last year’s sixth in the Constructors’ Championship seems unlikely they will have had a very solid season none the less.
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Sauber

Sauber have done a superb job of maximising their opportunities this year. In both Malaysia and Canada Sergio Perez capitalised on circumstances to claim a podium finish. The wet weather in Sepang and excessive tyre wear in Montreal put Perez in position to impress and the Mexican was stunning in both races.

A small mistake in Malaysia, when Perez slipped off track in one of the fast left-right chicanes, cost him the chance of battling Alonso for the win but for Sauber these podiums are priceless. Having struggled to raise finance following BMW’s withdrawal from racing it was crucial that the team started the season strongly.


Both Perez and Kamui Kobayashi have been closely matched for much of the season, the Mexican holding the slender lead in qualifying by just one race. In race trim both drivers have been able to take advantage of a car that conserves its tyres very well and have scored 80 points so far in the season showing just how much progress the team has made.


Moving forward for the rest of the campaign the team need to start progressing into the final qualifying session if they are to continue progressing. With the team able to generally make one stop less than most teams and run longer on the softer option tyre they are well placed to score points for the rest of the year.


Even with all the positives however there will be a nagging feeling in Switzerland that Sauber could have won the race in Malaysia. A slightly cautious strategy made it difficult for Perez but overall the team has made great progress this year and have solidified their position on the grid.


With Peter Sauber having already started to cement his succession plans for the team their future looks bright and stable. Given their recent history following BMW’s withdrawal that is perhaps the most important thing for Sauber.

[frostie]

Toro Rosso

After dropping Jamie Alguersuari and Sebastian Buemi Toro Rosso signaled their intentions for 2012. This was a year when occasional points scoring would not be enough, the team demanded sustained and consistent success…


Unfortunately what has transpired is that the team has struggled. Last year Williams were hopeless and with Sauber suffering with severe financial restrictions the path was cleared for Toro Rosso to show steady improvement and score 44 points en route to seventh in the Constructors’ Championship. This year however the team has struggled and has had just two points scoring finishes.


Their all new driver lineup of Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne has failed to impress with both drivers struggling. Vergne has looked out of his depth for much of the year with the French rookie generally the fall guy in the opening qualifying session. Even so Vergne has shown a lot of potential at times, in Monaco I was particularly impressed by his commitment and car handling around the streets.


Those moments though have been few and far between and he has been comprehensively outclassed by his Australian teammate. Vergne finds himself, ironically, in the same position as Alguersuari did as a rookie. He lacks experience in single seater racing because of his ago and Toro Rosso will need to see the peaks that he has achieved this year rather than the troughs. He has speed and ability but his inexperience is masking this, just like it did for Jamie until last year.


For Ricciardo this year was always going to be a challenge. Even though he was Red Bull’s tester and raced for HRT last year he has little F1 experience. He has done a solid job yet only been rewarded with two points in Malaysia. His speed is impressive and he has been consistent in races but with a poor car and an struggling teammate it is hard to definitively judge the Australian.


All the Red Bull backed driver can do is race to the best of his ability and hope it is enough for his backer to take notice but with Mark Webber signing a contract extension it is clear that Helmet Marko has not been as impressed as he expected with his young charger.


Red Bull seem to expect that another Vettel will fall into their lap and outperform the constraints of the Toro Rosso and become a bone fide star. It is highly unlikely to happen like that again so instead the team should be trying to nurture their young drivers and give them the chance to perform at a high level otherwise Ricciardo and Vergne will be cast onto the scrap heap of talent that has seemed to litter the workshop of Fazena in recent years.


From the team’s perspective it is paramount that they gain understanding of their standing on the grid and have more realistic goals in the future. At the announcement of Vergne and Ricciardo Toro Rosso said that they wanted to challenge for podiums on a consistent basis. This was an unrealistic ambition for a team that lacks the funding of the majority of the grid and is almost completely reliant on Red Bull for their budget. Scoring points on a regular basis is a much more attainable goal but one that will require everyone pulling together.


With development stopped on the current car and James Key set to start working in September the team should be more competitive next year. For the remainder of this season however the focus of attention should be on allowing their drivers to take the time to get as much of an understanding of how Formula 1 works as possible and try and use this knowledge to prepare for next year when the team can look to progress from what has been a very disappointing season.
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Williams

It has been a season of highs and lows for Williams and their season can be perfectly encapsulated by two hours in May.


After Pastor Maldonado won the team’s first Grand Prix in almost eight years Williams shot back to relevance after a stunningly complete race weekend from their driver. However within hours of the chequered flag dropping the team’s pit garage was engulfed in flames after a fire broke out. Luckily the majority of the team avoided injury but numerous mechanics were taken to hospital with one suffering quite severe burning.


Their fortunes on the track have seen Williams ebb from joy to despair in an instant. Apart from his Barcelona victory Maldonado has shown a stunning turn of speed for much of the year but the former GP2 champion has also been at the centre of numerous accidents that have led to questions about his race-craft, and from some quarters his intelligence.


Maldonado has comfortably been the faster Williams driver with the Venezuelan holding a 9-2 qualifying advantage over his teammate, Bruno Senna. However from the opening race of the season we have seen the two sides of Maldonado. In Melbourne with the race in its closing laps Maldonado was running in a comfortable fifth place but crashed heavily and retired while battling with Alonso.


This has been seen in numerous other races and it has limited Maldonado to just one other points finish apart from his Spanish heroics. If he could iron out these mistakes, such as clashing with Hamilton in Valencia on the final lap while battling for a step on the rostrum, he would be a force to be reckoned with.


I have been critical of Maldonado in the past but I am the first to admit that he has made tremendous strides in the recent years and he has shown this year just how deserving of a place on the grid he is. Now it is crucial that he can eradicate the errors and start scoring points on a consistent basis.


Ironically that is what Senna has been able to do this year. The Brazilian has scored points on six occasions and while he has not had the headline grabbing performances of Maldonado he has blossomed into a consistent racer who has made the most of his opportunities in the majority of races. It is worth remembering that after a rookie campaign with HRT and a handful of races with Lotus last year that this is the first season that Senna has had some stability in Formula 1.


Moving forward Williams will have more opportunities to score points. They have a fast car in qualifying and one that is easy on its tyres in races. In modern day Formula 1 that is one of the most important combinations to have.


After their dismal struggle last year, the worst season in the team’s history, Williams have now shot back to the limelight and look capable of sustaining this success.
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Caterham

Armed with Renault engines and KERS and a Red Bull gearbox Caterham have once again failed to make the jump to competitiveness. The likeable team are the most ambitious of the “newcomers” to the grid but the difficulty that Caterham are having with just gaining respectability shows just how competitive Formula 1 is at present.


Throughout their time in the sport Caterham have done a tremendous job of interacting with fans through the likes of Twitter and the likeable team have built a considerable fan base but it is imperative that the squad starts to close the gap to the likes of Toro Rosso and start challenging for points occasionally.


With Heikki Kovalainen racing at an exceptionally high level the former Hungarian Grand Prix winner has been one of the most consistent performers in Formula 1 over the last couple of years and is being linked with seats at more competitive teams. Speaking to me earlier in the year, in Monaco, however it was clear that Heikki is looking to get results with Caterham and believes in how the team is growing.


His patience however in not eternal and Caterham will need to show some positive signs if they are keep hold of their prized driver. The early season hiring of John Iley hints to improvements in the future and a will increased performance with next year’s car but this season has clearly been one of disappointment for Caterham.


Vitaly Petrov has been somewhat disappointing for most of the year and been outperformed by Kovalainen for most of the season. The Russian brings a considerable budget to the table and he has done enough in the past to show that he is a solid driver and if he can find a little more performance he is probably the perfect driver to partner with Heikki at this time.


At the end of last year it seemed that Caterham was making inroads on the competitive midfield pack in Formula 1 but ultimately they have failed to maintain that momentum and with the resources and technical partnerships at their disposal their inability to be more competitive has to mark the team as one of the bigger disappointments of the year so far.


Even so they can salvage their season if they develop the car for another few races and start closing the gap to their rivals. In two and a half years they have clearly separated themselves from Marussia and HRT but that is not sufficient for their ambitions. Making the next step is crucial and Formula 1 is eagerly awaiting seeing Caterham make that step.
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HRT

As with previous years HRT was unable to test their car before the first race of the season. Going to the opening race of the year without turning a wheel in anger makes it impossible to aim for anything other than getting mileage under their belts.


Failing to qualify in Australia was not unexpected but since then HRT has made progress. They are the slowest car on the grid at each race but they have been comfortably in side 107% of the pole position and therefore, even for all their problems, they are deserving of their place on the grid.


Moving the team to Madrid and finally getting the ownership issues resolved was a major step forward and they are now, for the first time ever, in a position of stability. Whether they can progress remains to be seen but they seem to have greater financial resources available to them now than at any other time in their brief history.


The current car clearly lacks downforce but Pedro de la Rosa has done a solid job and easily outperformed Narain Karthikeyan. The Indian has been consistently the slowest driver on the grid but the budget that he brings to the table is clearly needed by HRT.


As was the case in the past even though HRT have been over one second adrift of Marussia and Caterham but for the first time they have made moves towards relevancy and their future actually looks brighter than anyone would have believed in Australia.
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Marussia

Marussia find themselves languishing in no mans land. They are a second faster than HRT but a similar margin slower than Caterham.


The team has changed names from Virgin to Marussia at the start of the season and this year is their first season not using Nick Wirth to develop the car using CFD. Pat Symonds, formally of Benetton and Renault, developed the car on a shoestring and in a short time so the year was always likely to be a struggle for Marussia as they tried to establish a solid base to move forward from in the future.


After the various disasters in their first two years using CFD to develop the cars, including issues such as not having a large enough fuel tank, this year has to be looked upon as a fresh start by the team. I was impressed by their decision to blow up the team and restart again by terminating their agreement with Wirth.


Timo Glock gives them a solid driver, in a similar mould to Kovallainen at Caterham, and they are lucky to have such a talented and dependable driver with which they can clearly track their progress. The German, a former podium finisher with Toyota, has driven well this year but his teammate, Charles Pic, has been a surprise package.


The Frenchman has outqualified Glock on four occasions and had an impressive season where he has consistently improved. He has shown impressive speed but now just needs to be more consistent in races.


It is impossible to write about Marussia’s fortunes without mentioning Maria de Villota. The Spaniard’s testing crash in June stole the headlines and put a lot of negative attention on Marussia. The team clearly hired de Villota so that they could use having a female driver as a way to increase their profile but the accident, and Maria’s lack of racing pedigree, will clearly cost them in the medium term.


Having failed to get the car through the crash tests in time for the initial pre-season tests it has been a year of hardship for Marussia but the upheaval of their technical department was long overdue and they are at least now in a position to progress going forward and become a more consistent team.

[Marbot]

Excellent stuff, frostie.

IMO, Lotus will be the team to beat in the second half of this quite amazing season. Both drivers are doing well enough to secure the teams first win in Lotus guise, and Raikkonen has a real chance for overall glory.

McLaren don't seem to have made much progress since the beginning of the season. Mercedes seem to be up and down too much with regard to race conditions. McLaren also seem to have a problem when the track is very wet, which is not the thing to be hampered by, given the nature of some of the venues coming up.

Ferrari have been helped out by the best driver of the season, so far. But the car also continues to improve.

Red Bull are the most consistent team out there. Both drivers are able to put in a good show on most occasions. A force to be reckoned with, particularly now that Mr Newey has had time to do a little more thinking.

Further back. Williams have a very good car, but two suspect drivers. Sauber seems to have fallen away a little bit, just of late. Force India have a car and drivers with the potential to do much better. These three could yet spring more surprises.

Careham aren't really where they want to be, unless beating the now seemingly hapless STR machine is their only goal for this season. Maybe they could get a point or two in the second half of it.

Marussia are still fending off HRT........hmmmm.

[Bononi]

Thanks frostie !

[Razzzor]

Good read, very well written!

I think it's hard to say what the rest of the races will involve. I think mostly McLaren, RB and Ferrari will be sharing the wins. McLaren and Red Bull are fastest, but RB in particular aren't so flash on their tyres in some conditions and McLaren have been a bit inconsistent. I suspect they've overcome their issues now though and Hamilton will be gaining points on Alonso. So will Vettel, I think it's just a matter of time before he gets back to 2nd in points and leaves Webber behind.

Ferrari, Lotus, Sauber, Williams are all much better on their tyres in most races, though. The Ferrari is only marginally slower than RB and McLaren I think; he's just had some more consistency in races and tyres. But I can't see pulling further away in points. Going to be a close remainder to the season!!!

Oh and unless Lotus can qualify in the top 2 rows, I don't think they'll end up winning this year. Then again I said Alonso would only win once.

As much as I wanted to see Schumi win again, Mercedes' race pace is useless.

[stripedcat]

Great review Frostie. It is difficult to see which team has the best car. McLaren's supposedly amazing performance(in Australia) hasn't disappeared, it has just been overtaken by the other teams - it seems at least anyway. They do seem to have a small window for setup on their car.

Great that we have had some many different winners - plus, some newbies.

It does look likely that Alonso will take his third WDC. Shame about Massa.

[Marbot]

Spa will give us some indication as to who has been working hardest on getting their car perfected for the remainder of the season. Word is that Lotus have something in the pipe-line that makes its cars two seconds per lap quicker in qualifying. Ouch!

[Razzzor]

Originally Posted by Marbot

Spa will give us some indication as to who has been working hardest on getting their car perfected for the remainder of the season. Word is that Lotus have something in the pipe-line that makes its cars two seconds per lap quicker in qualifying. Ouch!

Lol really? If that's the case and Lotus start 1-2 for the reason of the season, I think Kimi will be WC!

[m355y]

Great read Frostie, enjoyed that and agree with most of it.

Red Bull

8/10
not as much winning as last season, but have coped well in a season where nobody has dominated to keep both drivers in contention. Always do a good job of juggling Webber and Vettel. Car seems basically quick, but not always the quickest but far from getting frustrated they've hung on well.

Vettel 7/10 - may well still win the title, but a slightly up and down season, the team battle with Webber seemingly back to where it was in 2010 with them fairly evenly matched. On the flipside has proven that he can race in traffic with the best of them. Good, but he does seem to lose his edge when he's not in a superior car and defaults to just being one of the frontrunners and not the man. Still, Valencia proved he still has it if the car's good enough.

Webber 7.5/10 - just edges Vettel as the more impressive Red Bull driver so far this season, even if Vettel still just edges him as having had the better season so far - if that makes sense. Much better in qualifying and some good race drives, brilliant in Monaco and GB, back on form and confidence oozing out of him. But that's been mixed with the same old 2011-spec 4ths and 8ths some way behind Vettel in other races. Doubt he'll win the championship but would like to see it - he'll surely need to become a more consistent frontrunner for that to happen. Still, a partial rejuvination this season.

McLaren

7/10
I find McLaren absolutely infuriating. They can always be guaranteed to win races, but never seem to have a car that's consistently well sorted enough or strong across all tracks to put together a title campaign. Either because they mess up at the start of the year and play catchup (2004, 2009), or like this season they start with what looks like the fastest car then fluctuate ridiculously all season. At some races this car looks the business, at some races it's barely faster than a Foce India. At some races one of the drivers is quick and the other (ok, Jenson Button) is rubbish, trundling round a second plus a lap slower without seeming to have any idea why. One day they'll come up with the goods all season. Whether Hamilton's still there at that stage I doubt.

Hamilton 8/10 - has had his year from hell; and even there he still won three races. Now in 2012 he's probably driving more impressively than he has since 2007/2008 and even when the car isn't right, he's banking the points. That's the difference - he's faster than Jenson, that's a given. He just needed not to get frustrated and to just accept a points payout if he wasn't able to contend for the win. That air of desperation that led to clashes with the likes of Massa and Kobayashi last year is gone and in its place his mojo seems to be back. As realistic a title shot as either Red Bull driver. Was superb in Hungary.

Button 6/10 - that brilliance from some of the races last season appeared briefly in Australia and he was back on the same kind of level in China, but somewhere along the line he looks like he's been broken a bit. Does not have the natural speed of Hamilton but his more considered approach put him ahead last season - but now Lewis is consistently finishing races Jenson has seemed to at times default to the slightly negative 'I dunno what's wrong, I've got no grip' driver who was regularly outshone by Barrichello at Honda and Brawn when the car wasn't completely right. Steps in the right direction lately, but his lack of outright speed next to an increasingly mature Hamilton is starting to look like an issue. The one thing that masks it is a great car, and the McLaren isn't that so far.

Ferrari

9/10
unbelievable season for a team that was in real trouble at the start of the season. The car was rubbish, they knew that. In Alonso they had a relentless driver who would squeeze every single tenth out of the car over a race to maximise the points, they knew that too. Early in the season that's what happened, the win in Malaysia gave him a points boost and the team have worked on gradually improving the car to a level where they have a realistic title shot on pace alone and not just the cushion from early in the season. Their support of Massa has also, IMO, been impressive.

Alonso 10/10 - amazing season. This one will be remembered for a long time as a season where he's extracted every bit of potential out of what was a pretty ropy package, and as the car has gradually been developed into a contender, he's grown with it and stepped up to win races where you can guarantee he'd have fought just as hard for 5th place had the developments not made a difference. Ferrari know they only need to provide him with the 3rd or 4th best car for him to have a crack at the title, and that says so much for him. The man on form.

Massa 5/10 - has been unfortunate, and if you look at the stats his fourth place in Silverstone actually betters any finish from 2011, but it's his lack of consistency next to Alonso that's really glaring. He shows flashes of pace and quite regularly has been within a tenth or so of Alonso in both qualifying and the races but where Alonso's pace remains relentless, Massa's fluctuates and with the field so tightly packed there have inevitably been incidents. Points total compared to Alonso is a disgrace, to be honest.

Mercedes

7/10
a car with obvious pace as shown with the odd really strong qualifying lap and the confident race drives in China and Monaco by Nico. Odd really - kind of like the Williams a car which on its day seems to have the pace to really take it to the more established frontrunners and win races, but otherwise can be just off that group. If they're ever to be title contenders they need to improve on that consistency. Reliability was a major problem for Schumacher too, but there have been enough flashes of the pace they're capable of to suggest they could win another race this season - do seem to have fallen backwards a bit lately, though.

Schumacher 7/10 - in his first two comeback seasons it was always said that he was a couple of tenths off Nico everywhere in qualifying, but on the flipside could be the more impressive of the two over a race distance - so 2012 spec Schumacher is a bit of a hard one to judge. Suddenly, the qualifying laps seem to be back, he's started at or near the front far more regularly and has started to shade Rosberg on numerous occasions on Saturdays, which is great for him in terms of answering the critics. But at the same time given that he's starting further up you'd expect him to be making the most of the races, and somehow on that one it's Nico who's done the better job there. Reliability didn't help, but I'm getting quite used to seeing Schumacher starting quite high up the grid then dropping back, and that 92nd win still seems a long way off.

Rosberg 7/10 - a strange season. China was brilliant, and there have been a few occasions where he's set sector times good enough for pole then messed up and dropped back and - unusually in the last three years - behind Schumacher. All the while he's still been delivering points even if after comeback drives from issues and problems, and he was just as good in Monaco as he had been in China. He's a good driver, but still sometimes an unconvincing racer and seems a bit of a soft-touch when defending his position. Have doubts about whether he'll ever be regarded as genuinely one of the top drivers, but it'll be interesting to see if he can develop beyond where he is at the moment because to win a title or even become a regular winner, he has to.

Lotus

9/10
to bounce back from 2011 where they ended the season as lower midfield runners to providing their drivers with a potentially title-winning car is quite an acheivement. The car looks quick just about everywhere, it's reliable and seems regularly to come into its own at the end of a race, hunting down the leader. If you could combine Grosjean's one-lap pace with Raikkonen's maturity and relentlessness in the race I reckon the resultant driver would be leading the championship right now, if the E20 doesn't win a few races this season it will be baffling.

Raikkonen 7.5/10 - in the races themselves I reckon Kimi has been pretty much equal to Alonso. He's driven sensibly in the opening laps, he's put the hammer down when he has a clear track and made up places and time around the pitstops, then he's inched himself closer and closer to the front as the race progresses and at times that's almost been good enough to win. But not quite - his weak qualifying performances have meant he's been constantly chasing, and that's how to win F1 races that hard way. It's probably costing him a title shot and it's something he has to improve in the run-in. Honestly think that if Kimi can start qualifying at the front, he could be the biggest threat to the Alonso/Ferrari fairytale.

Grosjean 7.5/10 - you can't ask for much more from a debut (sort of!) season. He's been very quick, outqualified Raikkonen, run at the front and sensibly banked points and podiums after his incident-filled first few races. Usually behind Kimi over a race distance, but not by that much and his qualifying speed suggests he might have the potential to be the better long-term. Or that the Lotus is a fantastic car that the drivers are maybe not quite getting the best out of. That slight nagging doubt is there.

Sauber

9/10
While Williams got the headlines for their Spain win, it's Sauber who have really impressed me so far. Here we seem to have a midfield team with a fraction of the budget of most of the teams above, who appear for all the world have produced a potentially race-winning F1 car, almost from nowhere. The race pace is brilliant - a couple of fastest laps already, a near-win in Malaysia and countless other slightly 'under the radar' performances where their rather inexperienced and probably just short of top-class drivers are able to race on the lead pace. Qualifying is the issue, a bit like Lotus they don't quite seem to have that same pace on the Saturdays, so have to play catchup.

Kobayashi 7/10 - has shown flashes of his speed still, but a much more mature approach to his racing that actually probably edges him above Perez. Desperately needs a podium finish though - the car is clearly capable of it so in his third season this is his time to get the 'headline result' or F1 might start to pass him by.

Perez 7/10 - the opposite of Kamui in that he's got the 'headline result' already - or more accurately two of them. Has shown speed and the ability to race strongly just as last season, but with the increase in the car's competitiveness relative to the rest of the midfield, a few mistakes seem to have crept in too. Is doing a solid job but I do feel the Sauber has more potential than either driver has quite shown yet.

Force India

6/10
to be honest, seem to have gone slightly backwards this season. The pace is consistent and the two drivers evenly matched, but where Williams and Sauber have managed at himes to step out of that midfield pack and take headline-grabbing results the Force India seems a bit mired in the middle and when they do qualify better like Hulkenberg did at Hockenheim, the car seems to default straight back to its usual position over the race distance. Do think that the one thing they really have in their favour is their driver lineup. Both drivers are delivering good points and seem to be racing well.

Di Resta 7/10 - he's probably not the next Alonso, sure. He's a very polished package, the extent of his rookie-season 'lairiness' was a couple of busted front wings really wasn't it? Since then has settled into a competitive pace which has brought points and finishes without ever really showing anything that makes you think 'woah, this guy's a talent'. Did well against Hulkenberg at the start of the season (again, grabbing his chance to bank points before Nico really found his feet) but is now maybe starting to be edged a bit on pace, much like he was by Sutil in the second half of last season. Will continue to score points, the team know that.

Hulkenberg 7.5/10 - Found his feet, then within four or five races was taking up completely where he left off in 2010. Did well in Spain, finishing ahead of Di Resta, then since then has just started maybe eking that bit more out of his car and edging his team-mate. Qualifying in Germany was excellent. Maybe has slightly more potential than Di Resta.

Williams

7/10
have come up with a good car, no doubt. The initial pace of Maldonado in Melbourne showed that this is a much quicker car that last season, and Senna's race pace in Sepang was equally good. In Spain everything seemed to come together and it was amazing to see them not only win, but win convincingly. Maldonado's lap in Valancia showed that the pace is still there while Senna has been banking points quite reliably, but the gulf in results between Spain and the rest of the season does sort of make you wonder what's going on there. Aside from the odd competitive qualifying lap and race performance, the pace from Spain just doesn't really seem to be there consistently and I don't think Maldonado is remotely helping there.

Maldonado 6/10 - Spain was amazing. On the pace right from the off, 'pole', then a beautifully driven race to a win that was the story of the year so far. Was also very quick and heading for a good result in Valencia, and Melbourne. Aside from that he's been terrible at times. Quick on Saturdays, but the frustration of maybe not being able to replicate that one result has resulted in clash after clash and the fact he's only banked one other points finish is pretty damning. On the occasions where he hasn't taken himself out of contention with an incident his race pace seems to have dropped off alarmingly so he's been well out of the points. Spain showed that the natural talent is there, but I can't really remember another driver so bad at actually channelling it into race results.

Senna 6/10 - consistently a few tenths down on Maldonado in qualifying, but infinitely better at banking race results and points finishes. His Sunday performances in Sepang and Hungary were probably not as impressive as Maldonado's in Spain, but they've been coming more regularly. Seems to finally be getting on top of the car in qualifying but you do feel that the ultimate lap time is always going to be a few teths behind Pastor. May be lucky to stay in this seat for 2013 with Bottas breathing down his neck.

Toro Rosso

5/10
poor season so far. Showed pace at times notably Australia where Ricciardo finished only 40 seconds off the winner and got to Q3, but that was a false dawn and they've been drifting off the pace ever since with the odd highlight like Vergne's pace in the wet in Malaysia and again at Monaco. Car seems basically alright, but the drivers have underperformed and with the midfield so tightly packed points seem to be getting harder and harder to come by with two rookie drivers against lineups like Hulkenberg/Di Resta who seem to have just that little bit more on Sundays. Do feel that with Buemi and Alguarsuari the story of their 2012 season so far would be a bit more positive.

Ricciardo 6/10 - has dominated his team-mate on pace which is never bad for a rookie to have on his CV. Very promising start in Melbourne then has dropped off the radar, consistently doing ok in qualifying but he seems to lack that final bit of I dunno, grit or aggression to force his way into points the way the likes of Di Resta have. Jury very out.

Vergne 5/10 - not being funny, but his lack of outright pace next to Ricciardo has been glaring. By and large Vergne has been terrible in qualifying, well behind his team-mate and struggling to outpace the Caterhams. Seems like a pretty solid bet to go out in Q1 most races, but on Sundays he's been much better - more more forceful and able to pick up the team's best result of the season in Mayalsia. Showed good speed at Monaco too - enough to suggest that the talent is there, if only he wasn't so poor on Saturdays. If Vergne can magically pick up two or three tenths in qualifying we might have quite a promising driver on our hands but if it's just not there, it never will be. Disappointing on the whole.

Caterham 5/10 - haven't really moved forward.
Kovalainen 7.5/10 - still performing at a high level albeit in a comfort zone.
Petrov 6/10 - doing a solid job without ever really impressing.

Marussia 3/10 - big gulf to established teams and no sign that's going to change. Least impressive of the 'new' teams for me.
Glock 7/10 - like Heikki really, doing a solid job in difficult circumstances.
Pic 7/10 - has shown some real eye-catching pace recently and seems to be getting better with every race, if this continues might be woth a better drive.

HRT 4/10 - with their limited resources are doing well to even be here.
DeLaRosa 6/10 - solid, getting the car home.
Karthikeyan 5/10 - ditto Pedro, only getting the car home slightly slower.