Season So Far

[gourami]

OK, we're a third of the way through. We have no idea who'll take the WDC for the year except to say it's likely to be Alonso, Vettel or Hamilton and possibly Webber, with an outside chance for the Renault pair and Rosberg. Throw Button in also, although it look unlikely at this stage.

35% of the races gone and 29% of the drivers and 41% of the teams have had their turn on the top step of the podium. Of the drivers who've won, 57% have been World Champions. World Champions make up 25% of the field.

The only negative I see this year is DRS. But honestly I think no DRS would increase the weighting in favour of team strategy and driver by a margin, but not a big margin.

The team and driver who earn 2012 Championships will certainly deserve them. And I thought 2010 was close.
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Watching F1 since 1998... trackside at Silverstone, Shanghai and Melbourne.

[Anfield5]

Unpredictable would sum up the season.

On the plus side 7 races 7 winners, the performances of Grosjean, Perez, Alonso, Hamilton and to a lesser extent Raikkonen, Rosberg and the RBR pair have been outstanding from a driving perspective.
Similarly from a team standpoint The Black Team and Williams have performed well and Sauber has been outstanding.

Button has lost his steering wheel and needs to find some way to get the car performing for him again, Massa is seemingly sliding into oblivion.

Ferrari started poorly but have done a wonderful job of turning their car around, McLaren are quite hit or miss, but the team I am most dissapointed in is Caterham. In testing they looked ok, and I expected them to be challenging the likes of STR and FI for the mid-field positions, and I also expected them to have scraped together a couple of points by now.
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Movable body panels - welcome to the Wacky Races

[Ash]

Perhaps DRS hurts the best of the lower lower teams (lke Caterham) by removing possible shunts ahead of them which might otherwise have put them in the points. So instead of going for a banzai move somewhere which might end in tears for those directly involved (but not for those behind), midfield teams are passing easily under DRS rather than taking risks for extra points.

[gourami]

Is it really so unpredictable considering how close the teams are in outright qually and race pace?

Were we expecting one or two teams to dominate this year after the last two years (and excluding Vettel's outstanding 2011 season)?
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Watching F1 since 1998... trackside at Silverstone, Shanghai and Melbourne.

[The Rumble Strip]

I was, a fight between Red Bull and McLaren only.

I think there a lot of it can be put down to stable regulations, which allow other teams to close gaps and the teams out in front with very little scope to find further room for gains.

[porscheman]

Vettel, Hamilton and Alonso. Pick 'em at his point. IMO, Red Bull gets the manufacturer's.

[moonrover]

good season so far,
it is true that before each race we can't figure out the winner...however:

to me it is not random, but is ' not predictable' !!!
there's a delicate difference between two!

as far as we saw races this year, at the end the better paced car, and better thinkin' team has won. only that criteria has changed 7 times!

this shows more or less they are pretty close. and minus side will resolve in 2 - 3 races on, which will determine the reigning car soon.

right now those are 88 tyres with 22 cars attached to them...but this will change hopefully.

[SkidMarks]

I'm not really enjoying this season. It feels a bit like pick 'n mix at the cinema. There is a lot of instant gratification, but by the end of the main event, I have forgotten the thrill and want something substantial.

I don't know if it is the contrived rules (tyres not fit for purpose, DRS, no chance to fight for position), the poorer coverage, or what, but somehow, I feel that Turk Thrust is back in full control. At some point we will have sprinklers to "improve the show".

I did however, end up watching over 8 of the 24 hours of Le Mans and, Mrs. SkidMarks permitting, am far more likely to go to that and the two Goodwood events next year.
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Yes, I Know that I'm a BOF. Someone please tell me why I still watch.

[solarflare]

I'm not super anti-DRS but with the tyres as they are I think we could get away with switching the DRS off and still getting a show - indeed, it would be better, because all the "I've cruised up to the back of you on your shoddy tyres" would then be followed with an actual fight and not just waiting till the pit/back straight and the DRS to just, erm, move past.
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Life is.....the gap between Formula 1 Grands Prix

[Anfield5]

Tyres seem to be the main issue, but they needn't be (with a minor regulation change).

I for one am more than happy to see the softer, faster tyres melt after 1/4 of a race, the thing that (I think) needs changing is the reg that says you must use both dry compounds in a dry race - WHY?

Surely it would add to racing by allowing the teams to choose for themselves i.e a driver might want to use only the softest tyres and stop 3 times in a race, similarly another team/driver may decide to use the slower more durable boots and only stop once, or use a combination.

By insisting that both tyre compounds are to be used takes away rather than adds to the event by forcing drivers to adopt similar strategies to each other (with some note-worthy exceptions)
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[TokyoAussie]

I pretty much agree with Mike Lawrence's latest piece about this year.

I too have been uncomfortable with the use of the word "lottery," with respect to the tyres. All teams have the same options available to them when it comes to tyres, so nobody has an advantage.

The same can never be said about DRS. That a driver behind is able to use DRS while the driver in front cannot means there is not a level playing field. For me, that is the gimmick that goes too far. I would rather see a "Boost" button than DRS, not that I want to see a Boost button. At least a driver defending position would also have the option of using it.

By year's end, teams will know how to use the tyres better, so the current unpredictability will diminish.

[SkidMarks]

[gourami]

I too would be happy to lose DRS - the tyres and the tight regulations are the key to allowing many drivers to win a race. But I also didn't think the late 1990s or early to mid 2000s were boring, either.
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Watching F1 since 1998... trackside at Silverstone, Shanghai and Melbourne.

[Podge 90]

Yeah, in the current situation, I think DRS is the most conspicuous "gimmick". These tyres, with KERS, would probably do the job just as effectively without making overtaking seem a formality. Perhaps the FIA is starting to recognise this by removing one of the DRS zones from Valencia?

To be clear though, unless there is a radical (and I mean change-the-face-of-the-sport 'radical') change in aero, then I am completely content with the current tyres and KERS as they are.