Formula 1: Sebastian Vettel Gets Third Win After The Amazing Americas
Circuit of the Americas Summary The last two races in this year's season saw a brand new track for everyone and a classic which has been on the Grand Prix calendar for several years. Last week we saw F1 return to the USA at the new Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. With the circuit being freshly laid it made the track very interesting to drive on as it offered little grip to the drivers. Qualifying wise Vettel managed to snatch pole from a very fast Hamilton, and the other title contender Alonso, could only manage 7th. The race as a whole was great. Lots of overtaking, and very large run off areas made it an interesting race with some great moves throughout. Hamilton managed to pass Vettel for the lead to clinch his fourth victory but it wasn't enough to impact on the title standings. Alonso climbed all the way to 3rd place, while the biggest movers were Felipe Massa and Jenson Button who went from 11th and 12th up to 4th & 5th respectfully. Massa having a 'problem' with his gearbox in order to switch Alonso to the cleaner side of the track incurring a 5 place grid drop for the Brazilian. Interesting tactics by Ferrari there. Overall I though the US GP was a great success and I hope to see many races there in the future. Interlagos Qualifying Now to the last race of the season, Interlagos in Brazil. This has been a prominent feature on the GP calendar since 1990 where it was first held on the reduced length circuit. It used to be nearly 8km long but they shortened it to the now all too familiar 4.3km circuit we all know and love. Qualifying was mixed and featured an interesting collision between De La Rosa and Grosjean in Q1 which saw the young Frenchman try to fit his car into a gap which didn't exist. He broke his front wing, then didn't have enough time to complete a flying lap which left him drifting in 18th. As per usual Caterham, Marussia and HRT were evicted along with Grosjean in Q1. Q2 saw the two Toro Rossos and both Saubers knocked out along with Bruno Senna and Paul Di Resta. Schumacher failed to make the top 10 in his last ever race in F1, he ended up 14th. Q3 was all about McLaren. They locked out the front row with Hamilton taking pole and Button second. The two Red Bulls completed row 2 with Webber out qualifying Vettel. Massa achieved an excellent 5th at his home circuit while his teammate Alonso could only manage 8th. Slightly disappointing for a championship contender. Maldonado qualified 6th but was given a 10 place grid drop leaving him in 16th. Hulkenberg proved his excellence yet again by securing 7th while Raikkonen achieved 9th beating Rosberg into 10th. The Race The race for the title was taken down to the final race in Brazil once again. This time it was between Vettel & Alonso, but who would take the driver's championship away? Alonso was trailing by a mere 13 points, and he had to get a podium place to even be considered champion. The weather played a massive part in the race with teams concerned about how it would impact their race strategies. Many went with a normal set up, however some teams and drivers went for a wet set up to try to take advantage in the race. The race started dry which impacted on strategies and how fast the cars were in a straight line. Both Red Bulls started terribly and were caught by the field shockingly quickly. Massa's start was perfect, leaping straight into a fight with Jenson Button for second. Alonso also had a great start leaping Vettel who seemed to go backwards as he was nearly forced into the wall on the inside of the corner. However the biggest drama has to be at turn 4 where Vettel was spun round and hit not once, but twice by Bruno Senna who subsequently retired along with Perez. Vettel then reversed down the hill while the entire pack drove past him, he was so lucky he wasn't hit head on. Senna's Williams hit the rear left of Vettel's car hard and caused some structural damage but nothing major enough for him to exit the race. Alonso had crept up to third and had his teammate Massa following in fourth protecting Alonso from every car on the track. He was the ultimate wingman. Somehow Vettel was able to get going and then proceeded to carve his way through the back markers getting himself almost back to where hehad been, and then the rain started to fall. Most drivers pitted for intermediates except for Button and Hulkenberg who had moved up to 1st and 2nd with a nice 22 second buffer over 3rd. Hulkenberg then pulled a brilliant move on Button as they entered the start finish straight taking the lead. Lap 23 brought out the safety car due to the amount of debris scattered around the track caused by the amount of minor collisions that had happened here, there and everywhere because of the conditions. Hulkenberg & Button used the 40 second cushion they had developed to get a free pit stop as the safety car came out on track. Hulkenberg then lead well from the restart on lap 29 with the two McLarens in 2nd and 3rd. Vettel then lost a place to Kobayashi and Hamilton leapfrogged Button. In the following few laps Massa pulled a great pass on Vettel on his home circuit. Hulkenberg spun on the kerb which gave Hamilton the lead, but a few laps later Nico pulled a daring pass at turn 1 which resulted in him colliding with Lewis's front wheel knocking him out of his final race for the Woking based team. Saddening for Lewis, as he has been doing excellently in the previous few races since his announcement that he was moving to Mercedes. Hulkenberg was given a drive through penalty for causing the collision. The rain kept falling and everyone had to pit for intermediates. Button took the lead as Hulkenberg rejoined the track and gained a comfortable lead over Massa. Alonso then was allowed past his teammate giving him 2nd, while Schumacher let Vettel pass him very easily on track giving him the championship by 3 points if he stayed in 6th. Paul Di Resta had a massive crash on lap 70 and the safety car led the cars around the circuit for the last lap, but of course no overtaking was allowed which gave Vettel his third championship in a row. An excellent achievement. So Formula 1 is over for another year, and I think this has been one of the best years yet. We've had drama, accidents, eight different race winners, a third constructors championship in a row and a title battle that went to the last race. Red Bull had a poor start to the season but progressed quickly and so was the quickest car alongside the McLarens. The Ferrari was one of the slowest high end teams on the grid, but somehow Alonso and Massa managed to be second in the constructors. An astonishing achievement considering what they started with! The season was tense down to the very last lap, and that is how it should always be. The 2012 Season Awards Who was the best this season? Best Overall Driver Fernando Alonso Took a rubbish car and nearly won the championship with it! Fantastic driving throughout the year and if certain things went his way, he would be champion right now. Slick, Sublime and Shockingly good. Best Overall Car Red Bull RB8 - RS27 One name, Adrian Newey. If anyone can make a car fly it is that man. When we returned after the summer break it shone as perhaps the best car on the grid. Overtake of the Year Nico Hulkenberg vs Lewis Hamilton & Romain Grosjean Brilliant manoeuvre by the young German, first taking the Frenchman and then the Brit on the exit of the next corner in South Korea. The Most Consistent Award Sebastian Vettel When he was out front, he was long gone to everyone else. Very consistent driving in the latter half of the season which got him those four wins back to back and won him the championship. Most Improved Throughout the Season Felipe Massa He didn't start the season well finding it tough to get used to the Ferrari, but in the final few races he was back to his old self. Worked with the team when they required it, and out qualified Alonso on occasion too. Let's hope he continues this excellent form next year. Biggest Surprise 1 Hamilton leaves McLaren for Mercedes Didn't see that coming at all. Mercedes did not have a good year at all. Hopefully Lewis can change their fortune... Biggest Surprise 2 Sergio Perez snapped up by McLaren Slight risk maybe for McLaren signing the young Perez. Maybe they think Button will calm him down and act as his mentor Biggest Surprise 3 Nico Hulkenberg Really came into his element this year and proved he is one to look out for next season. I hope he gets a race win with his new team Sauber. BBC Commentary Award For The Most Obvious Statement David Coulthard "Change of steering wheel, there's an issue with his wheel!" Oh David.... Driver Quote of the Season Kimi Raikkonen "Yes, yes, yes, yes. I'm doing it all the time. You don't have to remind me every second." "Just leave me alone, I know what I am doing." Every time he speaks, it is gold. You can buy the latter phrase on a T-Shirt too. and finally.... The One To Watch For Next Year Nico Hulkenberg & Fernando Alonso The reason these drivers are both here is for two reasons. Nico is here because he has shown brilliant skill and determination and will be a seriously good driver in the future. Fernando is here because he will go into next year determined to win every race and finally win his third drivers title. He is the most on form of all the drivers and I can't wait till next year. Formula 1 2012. Done. I'll be back when there is news to report about people moving teams, etc., and a preview to next season in the coming year. Full Brazillian Race ResultsFinal Championship Standings