So this part will look at my 'zeroes' of the season; the drivers who have failed to impress me in the first part of the season and they will now be called up on it. (Refresh your memory of the 'heroes'!)
ZEROES
- Jenson Button- I've had a little (it's not that little) say on Jenson's season so far which underlines the ups and downs of his 2012 season. It's been a strange one, I think it's fair to say, as it started with a win and has since slumped so much that his hopes of taking a second championship are over once again. I'm sure his season will improve when F1 returns after the summer break as he and his team make developments to the car but Jenson will probably be glad to see the back of 2012 after Brazil and hope for a much better 2013 season.
- Michael Schumacher- yes, it is a bit strange to be including a seven time world champion on this list but it's no secret that Schumi hasn't had the best of comebacks and Kimi Raikkonen's comeback season is only highlighting this even more. Sure they both had different experiences when they were away from F1 and Schumacher is older than Kimi but not only do I believe that Schumacher's age shouldn't be a factor, after all he knows his body and fitness the best and he wouldn't still be in F1 if he didn't think he felt up to it, he's also the greatest F1 driver in history if we look at it in terms of number of titles won. Therefore, he has experience, knowledge and expertise in abundance and a truly lacklustre 2012 has naturally left people questioning whether he should even have a seat next year.
- Felipe Massa- I really didn't want to include Massa in this list because I'm a quite a fan of the Brazilian and I do think that some of the criticism aimed at him has been unfair. However, it cannot be denied that his performance in contrast to his teammate and current leader Alonso's performance has been poor. Of course his position in the Ferrari team is now under threat (that sounds overly dramatic, doesn't it?) but we don't know what will happen for Massa contract-wise and what Ferrari's long term plans are. If they want Vettel when his Red Bull contract is over it wouldn't make much sense to replace Massa for 2013 so we will just have to wait and see...
- The Force India pair- I really didn't want to include Paul and Nico on this list because I think they are both having decent seasons for a midfield team but with their main rivals, mainly Perez and Maldonado, stepping up their games and taking wins and podiums in other midfield cars you can't help but think they and Force India have a lot of work to do! They have certainly slipped behind as a team and I think the drivers need to have more confidence and deliver better results in the second part of the season.
- Jean-Eric Vergne- Jean-Eric is not having a great season but the fact that he is driving for the ruthless Toro Rosso team probably doesn't help. Last season I thought both Buemi and Alguersuari had seasons worthy of retaining their seats so it was a bit of a surprise to see them both dropped for 2012. Toro Rosso are basically training talented, young drivers and giving them a chance to drive in F1 with the intention of one day promoting them to Red Bull to, presumably, partner Sebastian Vettel. However, this Young Driver Programme has had limited success because of the ruthless nature of it. I wouldn't be surprised to see Vergne dropped once this season is over even though I don't think he should be.
So that's my list, I hope it was worth the wait! It was fairly hard to compile because 2012 has been a topsy-turvy season and I haven't actually been all that disappointed with many drivers, with the exception of Jenson! However, the ones I have listed are the drivers that I think have the most work to do when F1 heads to Spa; which is now fast approaching!
Aqsa, @aqsasformula
I agree with you on Button,Massa and Vergne.
ReplyDeleteI think Schumacher has been driving pretty well,just had a lot of bad luck which has cost him plenty of points,he definitely is closer to Rosberg this year,so would respectfully disagree.
Also respectfully disagree with the Force India drivers.I think Hulkenberg has done a good job considering he didn't race in 2011 when Pirelli tyres came in,Di Resta has been solid.
Now I would add Maldonado and Glock to my list.
Pastor has made far too many mistakes this season and has cost his team many points with stupid,rash mistakes.
Timo,I've been very disappointed with.He seems to have lost motivation,Marussia have not moved forward at all in 2 and a half seasons but if he wants a better seat,he needs to up his performances and beat his teammate.Fair play though young Charles Pic for doing a great job so far.
So my list is
Button
Massa
Vergne
Maldonado
Glock
Very good post Aqsa and one that certainly will cause good debates. :)
Thanks for the comment James :) and good debates are always encouraged!
DeleteI completely understand your point on Schumacher, I just think with his seat under speculation he needs to be doing much better in a car we know is capable of winning! I would personally love to see him continue in F1 next year!
Re Force India it is more the team I am disappointed with than the drivers! They have not developed at a good enough rate but I also had high hopes for Paul and Nico at the beginning of the year and I don't think their current results reflect what they are capable of. That may be down to the car though, I admit! They are just falling behind compared to the likes of Perez/ Sauber.
Yes, Maldonado very nearly made the list but I do think many of the incidents he has been involved in are just racing incidents and if it were any other driver people wouldn't have nearly as much of a problem! He did take a great win in Barcelona which was his only saving grace when I was making the list!
But at least we agree on 3/5 (:
Thanks for sharing!