2012 Formula 1 predictions

With the 2012 Formula 1 season about to begin, there is much speculation regarding what promises to be another exciting season. Will Red Bull continue to dominate the sport as it has in the previous two seasons or will McLaren prove stronger in 2012? Perhaps Ferrari will recover some of its lost form, and what sort of challenge will be staged by Lotus? Let’s take a look at some of the new 2012 formula one cars and their drivers.

Thanks much to Adrian Newey, the chief technical officer Red Bull and the designer of their back to back championship winning cars, the new Red Bull RB8 is likely to be even better than last year’s RB7. Early in 2011 many assumed that the reason for the car’s outstanding performance was the blown diffusers that enhanced downforce, however in-season rule changes that limited their use demonstrated that this was not the case. There was something that was fundamentally superior about the RB7, and it is predicted that this will be repeated in 2012. Their championship winning driver Sebastian Vettel is also someone very special, and he has an excellent back-up in Mark Weber, though there does not seem to be much love lost between them. If Vettel does not win the 2012 championship, then he will be number two or a close number three.

McLaren cars improved during the 2011 season and by the end of it they were almost as good as the Red Bulls. There is every sign that a substantial amount of development work has gone into the new car, the MP4-27, though there has been some controversy regarding the legality of the new exhaust it has now been given the all clear. Additionally McLaren has not taken advantage of the new rules that allow a stepped nose design, whilst all other major teams have done so. McLaren says that their car performs better with a traditional nose. In terms of driver line-up, it does not get much better than the pairing of Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton. With contrasting styles and a healthy rivalry, which includes mutual respect and friendship, either one of them is capable of winning the 2012 formula one championship, assuming that they can beat Vettel.

With a new driver line-up Lotus looks very interesting. Kimi Raikkonen returns to the sport as their number one driver after a two year lay-off following his time with Ferrari. On the first day of testing the new Lotus E20 he was the fastest driver on the track. That means very little though, and despite his genius he is likely to find his first year with Lotus a struggle.

Turning again to Ferrari, with Fernando Alonso they have a really top driver, though the number two driver Felipe Massa does not seem to have regained all of his confidence following his 2009 accident. Alonso has mellowed since his time with McLaren, and Ferrari does seem to be his spiritual home. If the car is up to it, expect him to have a great season.

Mercedes is still an unknown quantity and Michael Schumacher has failed to achieve much of his earlier genius when he was unquestionably the best driver in the sport. His team mate Nico Rosberg has consistently out-performed him and is likely to continue to do so. Despite the unarguable genius of team principal Ros Brawn it is unlikely that Mercedes will set the world alight in 2012, though some podium finishes are likely.

For more information please see McLaren.com.