CAN LOTUS WIN?

Lotus' sudden increase in form from the beginning of the 2012 season is definitely one of the big talking points of this season as they became the team to successfully make the jump from the midfield to join the frontrunners. Lotus have been consistently fast and that has shown in their results. They have now had both drivers on the podium with a string of 2nd and 3rd-placed results and Kimi Raikkonen is definitely considered to be one of the drivers that can give the main title favourites a run for their money. However, the Enstone-based team are yet to get that extremely covetable win and, despite coming close to it, head into part 2 of the 2012 season desperate to make their stamp on the list of 2012 winners.

So we know that Lotus have come close to winning; Bahrain is the classic example of this when Raikkonen had the chance to overtake Vettel for the lead but just didn't seem to grab it with both hands. That crucial 2-second window could have won Lotus that race, and left Red Bull without one after four races, but once it was gone so was the win as Kimi was to have no more chances to pass Vettel. But coming close to winning is very different to winning! Any of the drivers will be able to tell you that they race to win so I'm sure that coming so close to doing it is still quite painful and I'm sure the champagne doesn't taste as sweet as when you're on the top step of the podium.

Lotus' rivals are Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren; the traditional top teams in modern F1 and they have all, naturally, taken more than one win this season. Of course Mercedes have also taken a win; Nico Rosberg's maiden win in Shanghai, but they have begun to slip away from the leaders as the season has progressed and they don't seem to be posing much of a challenge in either championships, to put it slightly harshly! Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren are all looking strong going into part II of F1 2012 and they are heading to tracks they have experience of winning at; Spa and Monza! As the season goes on and consistency seems to have taken a hold of F1 at long last it will just get ever harder for Lotus to win. Perhaps their best chance was at the start of this unpredictable season; F1 saw 7 different winners in the first 7 races and that volatility in the race results could have given Lotus a chance to make that 8. There is no doubt that this will be harder now.

If Lotus are capable of winning a race this year we then get the question of which of their drivers will take their and the team's first win of 2012. Will it be the man they call 'the Iceman'? The 2007 world champion is definitely used to that winning feeling and his experience in F1 is showing as his comeback is proving to be a great decision for him and the Lotus team for giving him a drive. Or can the ever-smiling Frenchman Romain Grosjean do it for the team and himself? He is without a win in F1 and for him this Lotus drive is also a comeback of sorts. A rather disappointing rookie season in 2010 led to him losing his seat in this terribly competitive sport but after becoming GP2 champion he proved he does have what it takes. He has had his fair share of accidents and collisions, particularly at the starts of races, but he is a tremendous young driver with plenty of skill and that desire to win. At the moment Kimi is looking like the more consistent driver and his position in the championship standings illustrate this perfectly. However, Romain is capable of a surprise and I don't think he should be written off just yet!

The team have shown that they have a fast car that is capable of podiums and challenging the leaders. They are only marginally away from McLaren in the Constructors' showing their consistent and strong results are paying off. A part of me does think that their best chance of winning a race would have come at the beginning of the season and they didn't capitalise on that as well as they should have. Their main target must now be to improve Qualifying results; if the team can start at the front of the grid they do have the pace needed to take home that win and they have drivers that won't crumble under the pressure. Team principle Eric Boullier has said that the team wishes to keep both Raikkonen and Grosjean on which will give the drivers some confidence that the team is happy with their performances and allow them to focus solely on their driving.

The title of this post is 'Can Lotus Win?' and if I had to answer in one word I would say yes! The team can win a race this season as long as they improve their performances on Saturdays and a bit of luck going their way wouldn't hurt either. All we can do as fans is sit back and enjoy the performance of this Lotus team; a team we can now class as one of the frontrunners, and enjoy what they add to F1 this season by mixing up the faces we see on the podium.

Now I want to hear from you! Do you think Lotus are capable of winning a race when F1 resumes this season or do you think their best chance has been and gone? And which driver, Kimi or Romain, do you think is looking more likely to take that win? You know how to get in touch; comment or tweet me!

Aqsa, @aqsasformula 

RACE OF THE SEASON SO FAR...

F1 is now in its summer break and I know it's a trying time for all of us fans. The next race that awaits us is the irreplaceable, exciting (and every other superlative you can think of) Spa! However, there is still a long wait before we reach Spa with the race weekend beginning on the 31st August. I don't know why the FIA/ FOM/ Bernie Ecclestone do this to us!

We have enjoyed a grand total of eleven Grands Prix so far and, as you know, 2012 has not failed in providing thrill after thrill and surprise after surprise. The last time I did this feature I only had a few races to pick from meaning my decision was a fairly easy one to make. F1 then went on to deliver 7 different winners from the first 7 races and plenty of other amazing moments. The season has not been free of controversy and gossip but then what season has? One of the things that sets F1 apart from other sports is how important the non-sporting environment is to the fans, the drivers, the media and the public. And now we're in the summer break that doesn't mean the gossip will stop! As drivers begin contract negotiations and so on I'm sure the rumour mill will still be as active as ever. 

So now the moment you have all been waiting for; just what is my personal race of the season so far? I'm going to have to go with, rather shockingly I admit, the European Grand Prix in Valencia. It was a race so exciting and full of action and things to talk about that I actually had a second part to my race review! It is quite hard to describe why a race excites you so much but you all probably watched it, and if not read my review, so you'll know why Valencia this year was a far cry from Valencia's past. I was even struggling to put my excitement into words in the review and this was my opening sentence; "The race finished a couple of hours ago now but I'm still in a state of shock as to how incredible it was!" 

Fernando Alonso won the Grand Prix after a shock retirement for Sebastian Vettel. This means Vettel lost a total of 32 points in the Championship; the figure is 32 because Vettel would have an extra 25 and Alonso would have a further seven less! It is clear that this Grand Prix will be one with lasting effects for the championship. Had Vettel's engine not failed on him he would be very much right on Alonso's tails in the standings and life would not be quite as relaxed as it currently is for the Spaniard. 

This race was also the one with probably the most controversial Pastor Maldonado-related incident of the season so far; his infamous clash with Lewis Hamilton towards the closing stages of the race. This of course attracted many strong opinions but if you look at it from a neutral view, which can be hard I know, you'll be thinking "my God, that upped the excitement and shock factor by about 10" or something along those lines...

I just don't think that Valencia has yet been topped by the other races we've had! Some have come close like Silverstone, of course, and Canada but it definitely had to be my pick! So tell me, do you agree? Is Valencia also your race of the season so far? Or do you think I'm completely mad for picking a race that many think should be taken off the calendar? I want to know your opinions so please do comment or tweet!

We have many treats in store for us when F1 resumes for the second part of the season. I am obviously looking forward to all the races but the stand-out ones would have to be; Spa, Monza, Singapore, Japan, THE USA (can not wait!), India and Brazil! Oh wait, that was nearly all of them... 

Aqsa, @aqsasformula

AQSA'S PODIUM

Pick my top 3 drivers of the Grand Prix? Easy! This one requires little to no thought for me so read through my choices and comment/ tweet me with whether or not you agree with who I've picked or the order I've put them in.

3. Bruno Senna

The Williams driver has been under some pressure lately but I can't really understand why. He may not have a race win or podium like his teammate Maldonado but he is able to drive clean races and his less aggressive driving style means he has now finished in the points more times than Pastor and has even outscored him on more occasions.

2. Lewis Hamilton

I told you in my 'Setting the Scene' post why this weekend was all about Lewis. That's why I've put him in at number 2. And now for the real winner in Hungary...

1. Kimi Raikkonen

Kimi didn't have a great Qualifying meaning he started the race from 5th on the grid compared to his teammate's front row start. He had to look after his tyres much better than others during the race if he was to improve on his Qualifying performance and with a car that we've become used to being kind to its tyres Kimi did just that. He was able to stay out longer than others during the second stint and built up a lead big enough to beat Grosjean and Vettel who were running in second and third at that time. This race was a really impressive one on Kimi's part and further underlines the fact that he can win a race this season. It's just a matter of when...

So Kimi is my driver of the day for the Hungarian Grand Prix and if that doesn't give him something to smile about, I don't know what will!

Aqsa, @aqsasformula

(Image 1, 3)

F1 MOMENTS #4

I won't lie to you, the Grand Prix in Hungary could have been a lot more exciting and certainly needed to be to live up to the level we've become used to in 2012. Even Valencia provided a thrilling race when many had written it off and called for its removal from the calendar. Therefore, it's a bit difficult for me to think of just one moment that really stood out for me.

However, I gave it some thought and there was one stand-out moment. When Kimi Raikkonen came out of the pit lane after his second pit stop he emerged only slightly ahead of his Lotus teammate Romain Grosjean. It became apparent later on that Grosjean's engineer told him to really push on that lap when they knew Kimi would be coming out of the pit lane. Teams have lots of data to work on when planning their strategy to give them a rough idea of where their driver will emerge when they pit. How Lotus overlooked this is beyond me...

The two then came very, very close and race-ending contact between the pair could easily have occurred. That battle for second place was particularly tense but it was the 2007 world champion that won it and therefore took that podium place. All wasn't lost for Grosjean, except for what may have been a nice boost to his ego, as he took third to give Lotus another double podium; the first came in Bahrain.

Aqsa, @aqsasformula

SETTING THE SCENE.

The weekend in Hungary was all about one man; the man who won pole on the Saturday and then took the victory on Sunday. At a track where overtaking is very difficult anyway Lewis didn't have much of a challenge on race day. However, he had to manage his tyres and stay calm whilst under pressure from the two Lotus boys. Don't forget either that, not including last weekend's race, the pole sitter has only won once out of the last seven races so Lewis does deserve a bit more credit for a rather plain-sailing victory. 

So that's why this picture is my pick: 

Lewis seems to be back to winning ways, obviously considering he won, but the fact that he has his family and support system around him suggests that this new, calmer, more relaxed Lewis we've become accustomed to seeing could be here to stay.

Aqsa, @aqsasformula

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LEW TAKES TWO IN HUNGARY

I'll begin by telling you that the race in Hungary today did not really live up to the high level of excitement we have come to expect in 2012. There were no overtakes during the race, even with the use of DRS, and the only way places were going to be gained were through pit lane action and strategy. In my opinion, it wasn't the best way for Formula 1 to go into the summer break and it was a shame to see fast cars and drivers unable to capitalise on their pace and strategies because passing was seemingly impossible. We saw Vettel stuck behind Button, Button behind Senna, Webber behind several people, Kimi and Grosjean behind Lewis and the list goes on... We can, however, discuss what did happen during the race and what this means going into the summer break.

Lewis used his stunning domination of yesterday's Qualifying session to convert pole into a race win. He may not have been faster than the Lotus pair but a great start and the difficult overtaking conditions meant that, no matter how close other drivers got, Hamilton was able to retain his lead. This means Lewis took his second win of the season; a feat only accomplished by Alonso and Webber so far and puts him firmly back in the hunt for the title. There was some overtaking this weekend as Lewis was able to leapfrog Raikkonen in the championship standings. The problem now is that Alonso is gaining consistent points finishes, he's not far off Schumacher's record of consecutive races finished in the points and I believe he needs two more to break it, whilst other drivers are taking points and wins away from each other. All he needs to do is focus on gaining points at every race and as long as no driver keeps winning, which is unlikely this season, it may be the case that no one gains the points needed to close the gap.

Lewis' teammate Jenson had a great start as he gained a place on Sebastian Vettel. The German had tried to move past Romain Grosjean but was squeezed off the track and Jenson just accelerated past him. What followed was endless laps of Sebastian trailing Jenson and it seemed that the podium would go on to be Hamilton, Grosjean, Button. Then McLaren, after much deliberation over team radio, switched to 'Plan B' and it was clear that Jenson would most likely be pitting three times, not two! Sebastian clearly had more pace than Button so when McLaren tried to perform an undercut at the end of the second stint it did not work for them. Vettel emerged ahead of him and the position was lost. their 3-stop strategy didn't work and they had hoped that it would benefit them towards the end of the race when others' tyres began to fall away. That wasn't to be and Jenson eventually finished sixth. He will probably be very disappointed to go into the break after a race like that and after his great performance in Germany but some time away after a fairly difficulty 2012 so far could also be exactly what Jenson needs.

Red Bull were fast today; Sebastian was much faster than Jenson and at the end of the race he consistently set fastest lap after fastest lap following his third pit stop. It was clear that he was getting extremely frustrated throughout the race because he knew his car had the pace to challenge at the front and win but the nature of the track meant that he couldn't even climb to third. He was heard telling his team to try something different with strategy but there was little the team could do with limited data and tight margins. Their strategy did eventually pay off in overtaking Jenson but there was nothing they could do about Romain Grosjean at the end. Grosjean was on a two-stopper and so Vettel had a lot of time to make up if he were to pass him. He cut a lot of that time down and amazingly finished just over a second behind Grosjean. Fourth is definitely not the position they would have expected coming into this weekend at a track where Red Bull were meant to be particularly strong but they can be confident that they have a strong car and package and a bit of development can deliver them more race wins.

There was a lot of talk that the weather will benefit Lotus and that could mean they take their first win of the 2012 season. With Romain Grosjean starting on the front row it all started to become a very real possibility. However, the benefit the track gave them weather and traction wise was negated by the fact that overtaking was fairly impossible. Both of their drivers were fast, both got close to Lewis Hamilton, both were stuck behind him. Nevertheless, a double podium for the Enstone boys, Kimi 2nd and Grosjean 3rd, isn't to be sniffed at. It is their second of the season and it is remarkable to think Red Bull only have one. The team are also now ahead of Ferrari in the Constructors' and so they are doing a great job of officially breaking into the top 3 teams and getting in on the fun at the front. Their aims over the summer break are clear; improve Qualifying performances!

I have already mentioned that Alonso doesn't necessarily need race wins to wrap up this championship. He had a fairly poor race but, crucially, a better one than his nearest rival Mark Webber. That means he extends his lead at the top of the standings and heads into the summer with the knowledge that it will take some doing to beat him now. Alonso finished in 5th and his teammate Massa finished 9th meaning Ferrari have taken a beating in the Constructors' and are now fourth; this just underlines how much things can still change as Ferrari were trying to chase down Red Bull just last week.

Pastor Maldonado had another incident with another driver today and this time it was a case of forcing someone else off the track when completing an overtake; Paul Di Resta was the Venezuelan's victim this time round. The stewards chose to give Maldonado a drive-through penalty; I do think this penalty was a bit too harsh and I believed, at the time, that the incident could just be classed as a 'racing incident'. However, it is no secret that Maldonado had form for getting involved in racing incidents and I'm sure there would have been pressure on the stewards to show that Maldonado won't be able to get away with his aggressive driving. Had they given him a reprimand it would have resulted in a 10-place grid penalty because he has two reprimands already and that grid-drop would definitely have been too harsh. He eventually finished 13th meaning that's another race out of the points. His teammate Bruno Senna has had a great weekend from FP2 onwards. A top 10 qualifying was followed up with a seventh-place finish; ahead of Mark Webber's Red Bull.

The Hungaroring may have slightly disappointed but it certainly livened things up in the championship. We can now say that Alonso, Webber, Vettel, Hamilton and Raikkonen (the top 5) are now all in the hunt and we also see the Constructors' getting exciting and we realise that Red Bull aren't yet invincible. The first half of this season has been truly amazing and so great for fans and spectators. I will be doing a post on which of the races has been my favourite so far and I have other posts and opinion pieces planned for the summer break. I know 35 (approximately) days away from our favourite sport will be tough but stick with me and keep coming back regularly to see what's up on the blog.

I wish all the drivers, mechanics and team personnel a good break away from the F1 circus and hope that they can relax and refresh themselves to deliver us even better racing at the amazing tracks that await us! I hope you enjoy time away from F1 as well, if you are going away etc.


Now to find something else to do with my weekends...


Aqsa, @aqsasformula

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ANYONE HUNGARY FOR A GRAND PRIX?

Sorry but a hungry/ Hungary play on words had to be done but now it's out of the way we can focus on what we come here to do! Talk about F1 of course...

It feels a bit strange to be doing a preview to a race just as I've finished all my coverage and features on the German Grand Prix but that's exactly what I find myself doing because we have back-to-back Grands Prix before F1 goes on its summer break. (I don't even want to think about what a painful 4 weeks await us.)

Last time out, Fernando Alonso took another win; his third of the season and this weekend he will be looking to take his 31st career win on his 31st birthday. It would, of course, be a special milestone for the Spaniard and I can't think of a better time to reach it... It all seems a little too perfect, doesn't it? Lately the odds have seemed to be in Fernando's favour and I am yet to see him get any bad luck this season. The only real moment he would regret is losing the lead of the British Grand Prix to Mark Webber so close towards the end but that was due to Ferrari strategy as opposed to bad luck. I can think of a few people on the grid who will be hoping things don't go Alonso's way but if they do he puts himself in an extremely covetable position at the top of the standings. Ferrari have said that they will not relax yet as they don't have the fastest car on the grid but they don't have the distractions Red Bull currently have, I'll come to that in a while, and so they can remain focused on their goal and on reaching their targets. With back-to-back races it is difficult to make significant advancements from the last race but I'm sure a more confident and stress-free environment won't harm Ferrari's chances.

Sebastian Vettel probably feels that no luck went his way last weekend at his home Grand Prix; the weekend ended with him being awarded a 20-second time penalty meaning he lost his 2nd place finish and was demoted to 5th. He knows what he needs from this weekend and I'm sure he won't be happy with anything short of a win. With the pressure of possibly losing or at least making it very hard to win his third championship, the young German knows what is expected of him. He had a weekend to forget last week but it must be a case of onwards and upwards if he is to keep the pressure on Ferrari's Fernando Alonso. Of course, he still needs to catch up to teammate Mark Webber in the standings. Both of the Red Bull boys need strong finishes and, if they achieve this, Red Bull will be very comfortable with, and quietly confident about, their Constructors' title hopes. Sebastian Vettel is also the only world champion, out of the six on the grid, to have never won at Hungary; if things weren't already difficult enough!

Red Bull's engine mapping was a major talking point last Sunday. The RB8 had been deemed legal to race by the stewards but they conceded that their own rules weren't very clear on the subject and will need tightening. They therefore made clarifications to the rule and Red Bull have had to change/ revert back to an older engine mapping for this weekend. The team has downplayed the effects this will have and don't seem to think having to change the mapping will affect their performance significantly. When Red Bull had to change their floor, it was speculated that it would hurt their performance but it did no such thing. I am therefore confident that Red Bull will still come out fighting in Hungary.

McLaren are probably feeling the pressure more than the other top teams. They showed a promising return to form in Germany with Jenson Button finishing 2nd but they also had a DNF for Lewis Hamilton. For the Constructors' title to be secured a team needs both drivers to consistently gain strong points finishes; something McLaren have not been capable of on a regular basis this season. Both drivers really like the Hungaroring circuit and, safe with the knowledge that their car has been significantly developed, will be feeling confident going into this weekend.

It is thought that Lotus will be strong this weekend because the hot weather conditions tend to favour their E20. However, there is no guarantee of clear skies and warm weather; particularly for the race itself. So, from that, I can conclude that Lotus may or may not be competitive this weekend... We all know that both of the Lotus drivers are looking strong, despite Grosjean's lacklustre race in Germany, and we've all said that a race win is imminent, well I have! I still stand by that belief but I am doubtful of whether they can achieve that this weekend. The team know that Qualifying is what they need to focus on so with the summer break looming they can start working on that and I'm sure we will see stronger performances from them when we return.

I can't believe that we have already reached that horrible period when the thought of the summer break is very nearly a reality. However, we do have a Grand Prix to enjoy before that and, as always, it promises to be a great one! There'll be important repercussions for both titles, I'm sure, and many drivers will be looking to prove a point or two. And the best thing about this weekend? We get to enjoy all this action just one week after the German Grand Prix; God, how I love back-to-backs!

Aqsa, @aqsasformula

AQSA'S PODIUM

Ladies and gents, the moment you have all been waiting for has finally arrived; I am about to announce my top 3 drivers for the German Grand Prix.

3. Fernando Alonso

Hold the front page, I've put the race winner third! Alonso did have a great race after starting from pole; wet conditions seem to favour the Ferrari in Qualifying. He also had to defend during the race against Vettel and Button (and even Hamilton) as they tried to take his lead with no avail.

2. Jenson Button

I don't want to jinx him but... JENSON'S BACK (for now). Let's all hope that the McLaren driver's worries are over because Germany proved how enjoyable it can be to see him challenging at the front.

1. Sergio Perez

Perez had a poor Qualifying that was worsened by a 5-place grid penalty. But he wasn't going to let that stop him... He eventually finished in sixth from seventeenth on the grid and enjoyed some great overtakes to get there. He may have finished behind his teammate Kamui Kobayashi but the young Mexican was still my driver of the day.

Do you agree with my choices? Comment below or tweet me with who your top 3 drivers were...

Aqsa, @aqsasformula

(Image 3)

F1 MOMENTS #3

My chosen image for Setting the Scene; Germany could easily double as my pick for the best moment of the Grand Prix as well but it isn't. My choice does, however, involve both Vettel and Button.

In my opinion, that tense moment of the race when you near the edge of your seat, clench your fists and wait anxiously to find out what the outcome of a particular move will be had to be after Sebastian Vettel went into the pit lane for his second stop of the day. Jenson Button had already been closing in on him, Lewis had held him up whilst trying unlap himself and McLaren delivered a lightning-fast pit stop. Vettel came out of the pit lane and he and Jenson were neck and neck but Button had the momentum and he had gotten his tyres working so he was able to pass Vettel before they went into the next corner. That moment was crucial in the outcome of the race. These two would certainly have a battle for second and Alonso was able to pull away and go on to win the race. 

Depending on who you support your reaction to this moment would have been either jumping for joy and punching the air or squealing with anxiety at what may be lost. 

This has just been a short and sweet post as the moment of the race, for me, lasted almost a split second! Do you agree with my choice? What would yours be? You know what to do...

Aqsa, @aqsasformula

SETTING THE SCENE.

This is the feature where I choose one picture to sum up the weekend's race so when I go about choosing I try to think about what stands out to me/ what immediately comes to mind when I think about the Grand Prix. Well there is one word that jumps out when I think of Germany; penalties! There were several after Qualifying and then one rather prominent one during the race.

Sebastian's overtake on Jenson and the subsequent penalty given to him were the biggest talking points after the race and I'm sure we'll still be talking about it when we get to Hungary.

Aqsa, @aqsasformula