We are three weeks out from the lights going down in Melbourne, and I'm cautiously optimistic for the season ahead.
Clarity is normally elusive this time of year. Winter speculation and general hearsay usually comes tinged with high degrees of skepticism and cynical commentary. The political nature of F1 can astonish, and sometimes outrage, yet I cannot personally escape the promise . . . the potential . . . that each new year brings.
I've great anticipation for the 2012 F1 season. First and foremost, it's fantastic to see Kimi Raikkonen back on the F1 grid. Whether it means anything or not, six World Champions in competition is impressive. Winning the F1 WDC is kind of like winning an Oscar . . . it doesn't necessarily identify the the best performance in that role . . . yet it is an accomplishment that requires an enormous degree of mettle. Kimi maybe regarded in some circles as the weakest of the bunch, but my money says that he will surprise those who question his '07 title.
There are a couple of other returning drivers that I also look forward to seeing this year: Nico Hulkenberg and Romain Grosjean. Hulkenberg is a no brainer. Grosjean? I had the chance to watch him attack Spa's Pouhon corner in GP2 in '08. To say that I was impressed by his aggression would be an understatement.
Grosjean's first foray with Renault in F1 came in the depths of the team's crashgate saga, which could not have been the ideal climate in which to succeed. IMHO, his Lotus seat is a well deserved second chance, but it comes with pressure to prove that he belongs in F1, and he will be counted upon to immediately produce results without the luxury of a grace period.
There are a couple of new faces I'm curious about: Charles Pic and Jean-Eric Vergne. I know very little about both drivers.
There are a couple of returning drivers I'm not convinced belong on the grid: Pedro de la Rosa and Narain Karthikeyan. I really don't have anything against Pedro . . . I doubt he'd be continually invited back without good reason. However, in light of limited vacancies and the prime of his career probably past, I can't help but wonder. IMHO, Karthikeyan simply has not demonstrated unrealized potential.
. . . and while I'm dredging the depths, let's consider F1's modern day pay drivers. Pay drivers have always made up some portion of the F1 grid. Their rather unfortunate presence is hardly new. It is my opinion, however, that under the restrictions of an overbearing governing body, a grid limited to 12 teams which must field 2 cars, and the continued dilution of the sport to business pressures, they are now more destructive to the sporting principle of F1 than ever before.
Finally, I'd be remiss not to mention the drivers who are right now missing from the 2012 grid: Kubica, Trulli, Barrichello, Heidfeld, Alguersuari, Sutil, Buemi, and Liuzzi. Certainly we have not seen the last of Robert Kubica. I wonder who else might find a way back to the grid in the coming months?
I still believe F1 would be a better place with less restricted testing. We're not increasing competition nor improving the show by limiting testing to the budgets of the smaller teams. I'd argue that F1 is instead being diluted by this "democratization."
I also suspect that this restriction further dilutes the sport by tilting open race seats in favor of those with money and connections over those with sheer potential.
With so few opportunities in which the teams now have to evaluate young up and coming drivers, we may not be seeing the best and brightest enter the sport. F1 should remain the toughest proving ground . . . the toughest arena to enter, the toughest in which to succeed, and the greatest reward. Artificial restrictions on testing work against each of these unique distinctions which made Grand Prix the pinnacle of motor racing.
Speaking of restrictions, the role of the race steward has spiraled way out of control. I can only hope that someone within the FIA will wake up and re-inject common sense into the process. It has gotten so silly of late that I have often wondered whether the sheer act of fighting for position was against the rules. Dear FIA: Get a grip. Racing incidents happen. You are truly on the verge of sanitizing the sport completely out of F1.
All griping aside, there's much to look forward to. So many questions . . . have Ferrari given Alonso a chance? What of McLaren? Will Hamilton bounce back or will Button continue to dominate? Has Mercedes produced a car capable of placing Nico on the top step for the first time? Schumi for the 92nd time? Surely one might find a tear in my eye should that occur. Kimi? Webber? Can anyone uncover a weakness in Vettel's armor. Hopefully someone has produced an answer to Adrian Newey.
Can't wait . . .
