The Official 2013 F1 Thread. Spoilers possible!

[g®eg]

the countdown has begun!

COUNTDOWN CLOCK WIDGETS

and from the kick-off last season:

Will Bernie be a spoiler?
didn't seem to

Will the Texan's beat him at his game?
Texas GP was a big success!

Will the IceMan returneth?
he did 3rd in the WDC.. and a win. not too shabby!

Will Hamilton rock or roll?
who saw the switch to Mercedes coming???

Will Vettel win every pole and every race?
happily no.. but still WDC

Will the Pole have feeling and drive?
doing really well at rally!

Will Michael stay or should he go?
gone.. finally

If he goes, can we have our favorite Canadian back?
hahaha.. no chance

Will we get a political education with our racing?
been quiet on that front

Will we care?
never did before....

Will Ferrari be back in the hunt?
with a vengeance!

Now that India has a race, will Jaguar return to the grid?


Can Sir Frank have just one more stellar season?
maybe 2013....

Should we be making plans for an Austin pilgrimage?
we should have.. .maybe this season?

Is the economy really having an impact on F1?
didn't seem to

Will there be more overtaking, by gimmick or talent?
bit of both & loads of good racing

These and many more issues will be discussed, debated and rehashed.


and now..

will the changes to DRS in quali change the way the race unfolds?

will Ferrari build on the success of this year?

will Lotus continue to be nipping at the heels of the big three?

will Hamilton win a race in the Merc?

what about Hardly Racing Team..... will they be back?

did Hulkenberg make the right move?

will McLaren regret Perez?

['Flagger]

Can't wait!!

[g®eg]

Originally Posted by 'Flagger

Can't wait!!

interesting enough that sentiment is more common than it was last year at this time I think....
it's gonna be a long winter

[RedRocket]

It's Viva Mexico! Around here with two of them on the grid.

[Yossarian™]

Personally, if HRT stayed away, I'd be quite fine with it.

The were a non-factor in 2012, other than occasionally getting in the way of a race leader.

No points.

Q'd last on the grid in many of the races.

Were in risk of the 107% rule in multiple instances.

[g®eg]

some interesting stats compiled by F1 fan Jordan Irvine on McLaren:

• So in 3 years as teammates at McLaren Button scored 672 World Championship points whilst Hamilton only scored 657
• Over the three years, Hamilton won a total of 10 races whilst Button only won 8
• Button placed on the podium 25 times; Hamilton 22 times. HAM also had 13 DNF's (Button just 8)
• Hamilton totaled 9 Pole Positions in 3 years though - teammate Button could only manage 1
• Highest championship placing: Hamilton 4th (2010, 2012) / Button 2nd (2011)
• So with those stats in mind, I'll let you guys decide for yourselves who the better McLaren driver was over the past 3 years..!

[g®eg]

another from Jordan Irvine:

Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg were also teammates for the last 3 years at Mercedes AMG F1- how did they match up?

• Over 3 years, Rosberg amassed 342 World Championship points in total - Schumacher, just 197
• In 3 years, Nico Rosberg only retired from 7 races - Michael Schumacher retired from double the amount; 14 races in total.
• Between 2010 - 2012, Rosberg placed on the podium 4 times, including a win (China '12). Schumacher only once (P3 Valencia '12)
• Nico Rosberg finished in the Top 10 39 times in 3 seasons - teammate Michael Schumacher only had 29 Top 10 finishes.
• For the 2012 Season - Rosberg placed 9th in the final World Championship Standings. Schumacher finished 13th overall.
• As with McLaren; the comparison is merely statistical-it is not to prove that one driver is better than the other, just for interest!

[GSAragazzi]

I know many criticize the Speed ch commentators but after so many yrs of listening to their coverage I'm gonna miss them. I'm a bit worried too about the quality of NBCs broadcast. Speed finally arrived to a descent level.
Anyone out there has an alternative way of watching that can be recommended?
Is Sky a good option via web?

[g®eg]

Originally Posted by GSAragazzi

I know many criticize the Speed ch commentators but after so many yrs of listening to their coverage I'm gonna miss them. I'm a bit worried too about the quality of NBCs broadcast. Speed finally arrived to a descent level.
Anyone out there has an alternative way of watching that can be recommended?
Is Sky a good option via web?

well right now the only one you'll miss is Bob Varsha...
Hobbs, Matchett and Will Buxton are all going to NBC to cover the races.

[slaterbj]

I wonder if Peter Windsor will be back in the announcing game some how next year. I asked him about it on Twitter, and his reply was "stay tuned".

['Flagger]

Originally Posted by g®eg

well right now the only one you'll miss is Bob Varsha...
Hobbs, Matchett and Will Buxton are all going to NBC to cover the races.

I thought I read that Will wasn't going.

[slaterbj]

On the last F1 broadcast they said he was.

[Codewheeney]

I'll go:

will the changes to DRS in quali change the way the race unfolds?
Nope. Mercedes was fastest early last year, and still didn't do much on race day. It might even favor Redbull, if they continue to have such good race pace.

will Ferrari build on the success of this year?
Yep, I expect to see Massa on the podium more, too. I think to the detriment of McLaren and continued struggles of Mercedes and Lotus

will Lotus continue to be nipping at the heels of the big three?
Like a spoiled puppy ...

will Hamilton win a race in the Merc?
Yes, weather will be a factor. It'll happen early on and everyone will get wood over the prospect of Hamilton being a challenger for the WDC, only to be disappointed.

what about Hardly Racing Team..... will they be back?
Probably not, but if they get bought, I hope its by a really committed and deep pocketed party

did Hulkenberg make the right move?
Sauber did better than Force India in the constructors championship, while suffering alot more DNFs. I think they're the better team.

will McLaren regret Perez?
Hulk would have been a better choice, IMHO, but Perez will continue to learn. Permission to Revise and Extend after 2013.

[wxwax]

Originally Posted by slaterbj

On the last F1 broadcast they said he was.

They did? I missed that. The only info I can find online is that the pit reporter job has yet to be decided. It was sweet the way Buxton choked-up when thanking Speed for his big break. He's a wee bit too Pollyannaish for my taste but he's miles more palatable than the hyper-political Peter Windsor, who by the end was putting his own interests ahead of his audience's.

One more bullet point for next season:

When will Bernie die? This much-reviled 82 year-old man will be badly missed once he's gone. For all his faults, he's been excellent for Formula 1.

[GSAragazzi]

Originally Posted by g®eg

well right now the only one you'll miss is Bob Varsha...
Hobbs, Matchett and Will Buxton are all going to NBC to cover the races.

That is good to hear, I'll catch Varsha on Barett Jackson, but I would rather have them all back. They have good chemistry, maybe bring back Peter Winsor too.