TYRED AND TESTED.

If you are following me on Twitter first of all thank you and second; you may have seen my tweet yesterday promising an article will be coming up on my blog on one of the biggest issues in F1 at the moment. That issue, my friends, is the issue of tyres! Tyres have dominated the majority of paddock-related talk and management of tyre degradation is proving to be the determining factor in how a race plays out. We have only had 5 races, a quarter of the 2012 calendar, and already the one thing we can be sure of is that tyres will play a big role throughout the season.

BUT... Is this what we want to be seeing in Formula 1? Is it fair that the best cars and drivers may not be able to win races because of their tyre management? Should tyre strategy be the most important thing on race day? These are all contentious and debatable issues and I don't think there is a single F1 fan who doesn't have something to say on this matter. Some people, yes I'm thinking of you Michael Schumacher, are critical of the Pirelli 2012 tyres and don't believe that tyres should play so big a role as it's "not what a Formula 1 event should be". Others think that tyre management is just another thing drivers will have to master and that it's good for there to be more challenges faced by drivers and teams. And others don't really care about drivers but just want to see good racing. There's no doubt that Pirelli's rubber has offered this.

With 5 different winners in 5 races we are witnessing one of the most unpredictable F1 seasons ever. Some would even say that this is a 'golden era' for the sport and, given the Red Bull/Vettel supremacy over the last few years, a bit of variety in the podiums and winners isn't an unreasonable request! When team principals and drivers are interviewed they all say something along the lines of "We have no idea why this season is playing out the way it is". That is a made-up quote but if you've watched the F1 coverage this year you will know what I mean. There can be no denying that, whilst there may be many factors contributing to this crazy season, tyres may be a reason why we have such unpredictability.

How a driver can manage his tyres during his stints is clearly favouring some people more than others. These 'others' will have to learn how to treat their tyres more carefully and they will have to learn fast as it would be a shame to see them losing out on points because they are too hard on their tyres. Lewis Hamilton demonstrated the big pay-off you could get from successful tyre strategy in Spain. He only pitted twice during the race and was the only driver to do so. As a result he finished 8th after starting 24th. I was definitely thinking, towards the end of the race, that his tyres would fall away from him and he would be left with no grip. This can, as we saw with Raikkonen in China, lead to a lot of places being lost because cars overtaking you have fresher tyres and you simply wouldn't be able to compete. Hamilton managed his second set of tyres incredibly well and he was eager to point this fact out when talking to the BBC's Lee McKenzie.

There are just so many areas of debate around this issue and so many points and arguments to look at. The above covers a few of my opinions quite well but this doesn't even scratch the surface. I could talk on this topic at length but I'm sure you don't want to read everything floating around in my brain right now. So I can foresee some more tyre related posts in the future. All things considered, I think I am on the pro-Pirelli side of the fence. The tyre-manufacturers have done all asked of them and provided us with a set of tyres that have provided closer and more exciting racing. Now, who can possible be annoyed with that? Get in touch with me via commenting/tweeting and let me know what YOU think. After all, the tyres were created with you, the fan, in mind!

Aqsa, @aqsasformula

(Iamge 1: yallaf1.com, Image 2: blogs.bettor.com)

BRING ON BARCELONA.

I think my last post gave you an idea of just how excited I am for the Spanish Grand Prix and as promised here is my preview to the race. In just a week's time I'll be getting ready for the race to begin and what a race it promises to be.

The Circuit de Catalunya will play host to the F1 world and, considering how much knowledge and experience the teams have on the track, it will be the first circuit that may give us an indication as to how the teams stand. The opening round of fly-aways is over, as is the in-season test in Mugello, but no-one involved in F1 is any the wiser as to how teams compare in performance. Spain will hopefully answer some of our questions and doubts.

Last time out Sebastian Vettel took his first win of 2012 in Bahrain and I'm certain that acted as a confidence boost to him and his Red Bull team. He won the race in the way he knows best- a pole position on Saturday to race win on Sunday. Any critics of RBR were silenced and the team proved they did have pace in both qualifying and the race. Many have looked to tyres as the reason for Vettel's win but Red Bull had pace throughout the race weekend. Battling with his friend Raikkonen at the end also proved that Vettel can race wheel-to-wheel whilst taking good care of his rubber. This is something all drivers will have to master and gaining a balance between tyre management and pace will be crucial in determining how the season plays out. Should Vettel manage this in Barcelona, the way he did in Bahrain, I think he could be the first man to take two wins this season.

Speaking of tyres, Michael Schumacher criticised Pirelli after the Bahraini Grand Prix. He said that he doesn't think tyre management should be a deciding factor in race classification and this statement has been met with mixed responses. I personally believe that Pirelli have done a great job with their 2012 tyre range and learning how to treat their tyres is another skill drivers will have to learn. In my opinion, it will set the more intelligent drivers apart from the rest and who doesn't want drivers and teams to face more challenges during the race? Well, Schumacher clearly doesn't but sorry Michael; majority rules!

Other drivers who weren't too happy after the Bahrain Grand Prix were McLaren teammates Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton finishing with 0 and 4 points respectively. Pit stop problems were partially to blame for McLaren's woes but it just wasn't their weekend. With both drivers missing from the Mugello test, they will have to adapt to any updates the MP4-27 has undergone and aim for stronger results in Barcelona. The 2012 season is so tight that reliability and pit-stop issues must be eliminated if teams are to maintain a strong title challenge.

Lotus definitely impressed in Bahrain by picking up a double podium with Raikkonen 2nd and Grosjean 3rd.  The team put their troubles in China and in qualifying in Bahrain behind them to gain 33 points in their bid to finish ahead of the rest of the mid-field and become established front-runners. If they carry their strong form over to Spain, they will definitely join the battles at the front of the pack in 2012 and both Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean can enjoy strong comebacks; something I'm sure everyone in Formula 1 would like to see.

So taking all these aspects into account and everything we saw in Mugello, I hope you understand just why Spain and the European leg of the season can't come quickly enough for me. There is so much to look out for and so much to be learnt from the race and with no-one any the wiser as to what will happen during the race weekend, a trend that we're all getting used to, the fifth Grand Prix of the season is set to be as thrilling as the first four.

Will Red Bull stay strong and increase their lead in both championships? Will McLaren sort out their pit-stop problems and return to challenging at the front? Who will successfully manage tyre degradation? All these questions and more will be answered in a week's time during the Spanish Grand Prix.

Aqsa, @aqsasformula

(Image 1: loxlee-loves-engines.com, Image 2: telegraph.co.uk,)