Formula One 2012

[LUKIE]

SERGIO. FAST MAN!

[LUKIE]

SAFETY CAR!

[Lineker]

Hooray, Hamilton lost out there!

Massa won't be at Ferrari next year.

[Katsuya]

I fucking love Sauber. Screw you Kimi, if Kamui wants a flapping rear wing he will have one!

I am loving how it's pretty much a jumble behind McLaren and Red Bull, nobody seems to be able to pull away from anyone else.

And I never thought I'd be cheering on Maldonado against Alonso, but yet here I am...

[Lineker]

Yeah, he definitely won't be at Ferrari next year. Poor Senna. The two Brazilians are to be investigated by Johnny Herbert and his team of stewards after the race.

[Lineker]

Let's post some non-race news:

Ross Brawn hopes that the Australian Grand Prix does not get overshadowed by a protest over his Mercedes team's rear wing - as he remains adamant there is nothing illegal about it.

Rivals Lotus and Red Bull Racing both believe that the DRS-activated F-duct on the Mercedes is a breach of the regulations - because they claim it is an aerodynamic device that is activated by the actions of a driver.

However, the FIA does not agree with that view – which means that if ongoing talks about the matter do not reach a satisfactory conclusion on Sunday morning then there remains the possibility that one of the two unhappy teams could lodge a protest at the end of the race.

Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn is keeping his fingers crossed that such a situation does not pan out – especially because his team has had approval from the FIA to run the device that is believed to help blow air over the lower area of the rear wing to help stall it for a straight-line speed boost.

"There were some stories earlier that there were going to be some protests, but I think that would be very unfortunate and it is not really the way to resolve these issues," said Brawn, when asked by AUTOSPORT about the rear wing situation.

"We have never really done that and a protest after qualifying or after a race is not very pleasant because it can be done on a Thursday or it can be done on a Friday when it is less critical, and the system can be turned off.

"To protest someone after they have been running is a bit unpleasant and not something that we would intentionally do. I hope it doesn't deteriorate to that, but it is a new and novel system and we have to see, as always."

Brawn knows that in Formula 1 there is always the chance of a clarification from the FIA outlawing technical innovations that have previously been approved – and said that if that happened then his team would likely just have to accept it and change its car.

"Obviously we kept the FIA informed of what we were doing," he said. "They physically checked the system on Wednesday and they were completely happy with it – some of you interview Charlie [Whiting, head of FIA technical department] and he confirmed that they were happy with the system. Some other teams are not quite so happy and are seeking clarification.

"Obviously if there is clarification to the point that the FIA are not happy with it, then we will change our position. If the FIA continue to be happy with it then we will continue to use it. We are happy with it."

If the FIA sticks to its guns on the matter, and rivals either opt not to protest it or their complaints are rejected, then other teams will have to copy the technology.

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh thinks such a move would not be too complicated – although reckoned it might be tricky to ensure that car performance was not actually weakened.

"What you have to make sure is that in trying to achieve the F-duct you don't compromise the fundamental underlying performance of those aerodynamic parts," he said.

"But I think it is not too challenging a job to introduce all the various ducting if indeed you can find a solution that will give you a better solution – both deployed and not deployed."

Mercedes drivers Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg have praised the team's new F1 W03's handling in comparison to its predecessor.

Both drivers were in the hunt for pole position in Australia on Saturday, with Rosberg leading the way in Q2 before making a mistake on his hotlap in Q3. That left him seventh on the grid, while Schumacher will start fourth.

"Since day one in this car, it was very obvious that it is much more to my liking [than the 2011 car]," said Schumacher. "If you look at the steering movements you have to do to get into the corners, they are probably half of what I had to do last year.

"It's definitely much more a racing car, that I can just feel and drive and do what I want to do [with it]. That was clear since the beginning of the winter tests, and all weekend here."

Rosberg added that the 2012 machine had the feel of a frontrunning car.

"You can definitely feel that this car is faster or more competitive," he said. "Even though it's difficult to compare to other cars and things like that, it's just more together. You can attack more. It feels faster, definitely.

"We are moving forward, much closer to the front. That's great news. It's so important that we progress towards the front, and we're doing that. And I also feel there is more to come."

Schumacher added some caution, pointing out that Mercedes had come from a long way adrift with its 2011 car.

"We look particularly good because we looked not so good last year," he said. "So in that respect, we moved up a big step, and this is what we are all very happy with - to have a stable base, a car without any particular problems that we can from here on focus forward on the development.

"But don't forget Australia is not always a straightforward hint for the season. It's a bit particular, so although we are happy, we want to see reality in the future at different tracks and see what it all means."

Sebastian Vettel insists there is no need for panic about Red Bull Racing's situation, despite its disappointing qualifying performance at the Australian Grand Prix.

The world champion had headed into the weekend as favourite to carry over his dominant form from last season - but in the end found himself down in sixth on the grid.

But although the situation is far from ideal, Vettel thinks that it is far too early to feel that his Red Bull Racing team needs to do anything different from what it has in the past.

"Maybe for here it is a different situation but for the rest it is still to come," he said in Australia. "I think it is still early days and it would be wrong to start panicking and reviewing every aspect of the car and every area because I think because the way we have worked has not been bad the last couple of years. Nevertheless we learned that we are not quick enough and that is what we want to change."

Vettel did not appear too comfortable with his car throughout practice and qualifying, but he does not think that there is anything fundamentally wrong with the RB8.

"I don't think we have a global problem in the car, I don't think that is the weakness," he explained. "I think it is more getting to it rather than changing the whole car, so there is no reason to panic.

"On Friday we had very little running and I wasn't happy with the balance, this morning it looked a bit better. Obviously it doesn't help that I went off, but equally it isn't as if you can test a million things in one hour so you try and prepare for qualifying.

"In qualifying you can't really do much apart from play with the front wing and diff, so, as I said, going into this weekend we would have loved to have more track time but we need to make sure we learn a lot in the race and that will help us a lot for the next races."

Vettel says that he is actually not too shocked by what has happened – with the pace of the cars over the Australian weekend fitting in with what had been seen in winter testing.

"It has turned out as we expected, Ferrari really seems to be in trouble and Mercedes has definitely caught up, they look very competitive and McLaren we always said look strong. They look very consistent, they did not take the fuel out in testing just to do a lap time for show.

"Lotus had the potential to surprise which they did, so no surprises in that regard. We would love to be higher up ourselves and maybe that is a little bit of a surprise but I feel it in the car and we understand that we are not yet at our limit."

Lotus team principal Eric Boullier has admitted he was surprised to see Romain Grosjean grab third on the grid for the Australian Grand Prix.

On the back of a promising pre-season testing programme Lotus had been expected to be fighting near the front of the field in Melbourne - but third overall was certainly better than Boullier had expected.

"Of course if I said I was expecting this then I would be lying," Boullier told AUTOSPORT. "I am surprised but happily surprised, and relieved.

"The result is a massive reward for Enstone, and definitely everybody at Enstone can be proud as we had a difficult 2011 year. This is the best reward we can get.

"Plus, on a personal note, I am happy because I endorsed Romain. He came back to F1 after two years and I am happy to see him delivering for the team, so both scenarios, both results, are great."

Despite the delight about the performance in qualifying, Boullier is keeping his ambitions in check for Sunday.

"We know the pace of McLaren is very good in the race," he said. "We expect Mercedes and Red Bull to be strong as well – so it will be a challenge. Historically it can be a very animated race with a lot of safety cars and action, so we will see."

Boullier also says there are no concerns about Raikkonen's form – despite the Finn missing out on making it through Q1.

"The pace is there – he just needs good fortune," he explained.

Jenson Button thinks there is still everything to play for between the top teams in the Australian Grand Prix, despite his McLaren team locking out the front row of the grid.

The Briton will start alongside pole position man Lewis Hamilton in Melbourne, with Lotus, Mercedes and Red Bull Racing's fastest men right behind him.

But despite McLaren holding the edge, Button says his outfit is heading into the first race of the campaign with an open mind about the outcome.

"Over a long run I don't think anyone knows who is going to be quick," he explained. "We hope that we are, but I am sure we are going to have some competition over the race distance.

"The Red Bulls obviously were not so quick in qualifying compared to us, but you can never discount them. They will be quick in the race. The same as the Lotus. Their long runs seem pretty good as well, plus there is Mercedes.

"It's those four teams that we have seen over the winter and here this weekend that have been competitive. The gap between those teams, I don't know what it is yet, but I think it will be those four teams fighting at the front."

The mixed weather conditions that have greeted teams this weekend means that there has not been enough time to properly evaluate long-run degradation figures.

And that means teams are heading into the race slightly unsure about how best to choose their tactics.

Button added: "I think most people have done eight laps on a set of tyres, not because they last longer but because of the conditions, and winter testing.

"I think if you look at winter testing too much you can get lost. I think coming here we are very open minded on the race - and we really don't know what is going to happen yet."

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh echoed Button's thoughts that getting through the afternoon with the right approach was important.

"We have had very limited long running here," he said. "It is the first race of the new year with these tyres, and we have to be agile. We need to look at the data and listen to the drivers and between us make sure that while we want tyres to last as long as possible, that we don't hang out there too long.

"Once we get into serious degradation, we will be there with a plan a, a plan b, a plan c and a plan d. We will have a lot more information by lap 10, 12 or 14 tomorrow than we have right in front of us at the moment."

[Lineker]

Pastor!

Button wins, leading home Vettel and Hamilton.

[Katsuya]

Jesus that was a crazy final lap!

[Lineker]

What an awesome opening race to the season!

What happened to Schumi?

[LUKIE]

He had a gearbox problem.

AWESOME Finish. Awesome. The 5-12 cars are so damn close, it's going to be an amazing mid-pack season.

Who cares about the front runners anyway.

[Katsuya]

What an awesome opening race to the season!

What happened to Schumi?

To memory it just looked like it broke down...

[Katsuya]

I need a screenshot of Sauber being in 3rd ahead of Ferrari

Sky were very good today, the only noticeable thing was Croft seemingly getting Maldonado and Kobayashi mixed up with each other...

[Lineker]

Probably caught up in the excitement!

[Katsuya]

Yeah but he did it about two or three times throughout the race, not just at the end...

[Lineker]

Oh. Well Crofty was always brilliant doing the practice sessions with Davidson for the BBC - he is new to being lead comms and I am sure that he'll get even better as the year goes on. Here are the classified results:

Jenson Button opened the 2012 Formula 1 world championship with a commanding victory for McLaren in the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

World champion Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) managed to get up to second from sixth on the grid, fending off pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton's McLaren and the second Red Bull of Mark Webber.

Fernando Alonso salvaged fifth place from Ferrari's difficult weekend, having proved much more competitive in the race.

Button claimed the lead at the start with a better getaway than his pole-sitting team-mate, and then quickly established a lead of three seconds, which stayed stable through the opening stint.

The two Mercedes occupied third and fourth initially, but Vettel overtook Nico Rosberg on the second lap, and Michael Schumacher's run in third lasted only until lap 10, when he retired with a gearbox problem. That elevated Vettel into third, but the champion was 12 seconds down on the McLarens by then and could make little impression.

Third-place qualifier Romain Grosjean (Lotus) dropped to sixth off the line, and was another early retirement when he clashed with Williams's Pastor Maldonado on lap two. Maldonado would lose ground with a trip through the Turn 6 gravel three laps later, but rejoined in ninth.

The gap between the McLarens grew to 10s at the first stops when Hamilton emerged behind Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus) and Sergio Perez (Sauber), who were running extremely long first stints.

That allowed a train of cars to develop for second, as Vettel gained and brought Alonso - who made a great start then jumped Rosberg in the first pitstops - with him, and Rosberg, Webber and the recovering Maldonado closed in too. Webber had initially fallen back with a poor start and a first corner clash with Force India's Nico Hulkenberg, who had to retire.

The lead order remained static until Vitaly Petrov's Caterham brought out a safety car by stopping on the pits straight with a steering problem in the middle of the final pitstop sequence.

The McLarens had both just stopped, whereas Vettel had not, and the Red Bull was able to get in for its tyre change under the safety car and get back out between Button and Hamilton.

Vettel was still no threat to Button, though, as the 2009 champion confidently pulled away from his successor at the restart and left the Red Bull to fend off Hamilton through the final stint.

Webber also benefited from pitting under the safety car to get in front of Alonso at the last stops. The Ferrari could not keep up with the Red Bull thereafter, and as Webber chased Vettel and Hamilton home, Alonso had to focus on successfully defending fifth from Maldonado - who made the task easier when he crashed heavily on the very last lap.

Behind, a huge battle between the Saubers of one-stopper Perez and Kamui Kobayashi, Rosberg's Mercedes - which fell back with tyre wear and early pitstops - and Raikkonen also ended in last-lap drama, as Kobayashi emerged with sixth ahead of Raikkonen and Perez, while Rosberg's Mercedes jammed in second gear and tumbled to 12th.

The final-lap chaos ahead allowed Toro Rosso's Daniel Ricciardo to pick up his first F1 points at home with ninth place, despite having lost ground in a first-corner clash with Bruno Senna (Williams), which also sent Jean-Eric Vergne off the road in the sister Toro Rosso. Paul di Resta completed the top 10 for Force India.

Felipe Massa briefly made it into the top 10 in the second Ferrari, but struggled with poor pace and high tyre wear, making three stops and falling back to 13th before retiring with damage following a collision with Senna.

PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS


The Australian Grand Prix

Albert Park, Australia;

58 laps; 307.574km;

Weather: Sunny.


Classified:


Pos  Driver        Team                       Time

 1.  Button        McLaren-Mercedes           1h34:09.565

 2.  Vettel        Red Bull-Renault           +     2.100

 3.  Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes           +     4.000

 4.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault           +     4.500

 5.  Alonso        Ferrari                    +    21.500

 6.  Kobayashi     Sauber-Ferrari             +    36.700

 7.  Raikkonen     Lotus-Renault              +    38.000

 8.  Perez         Sauber-Ferrari             +    39.400

 9.  Ricciardo     Toro Rosso-Ferrari         +    39.500

10.  Di Resta      Force India-Mercedes       +    39.700

11.  Vergne        Toro Rosso-Ferrari         +    39.800

12.  Rosberg       Mercedes                   +    57.600

13.  Maldonado     Williams-Renault           +     1 lap

14.  Glock         Marussia-Cosworth          +     1 lap

15.  Pic           Marussia-Cosworth          +    2 laps

16.  Senna         Williams-Renault           +    4 laps


Fastest lap: Button, 1:29.187


Not classified/retirements:


Driver        Team                         On lap

Massa         Ferrari                      47

Kovalainen    Caterham-Renault             42

Petrov        Caterham-Renault             37

Schumacher    Mercedes                     11

Grosjean      Lotus-Renault                2

Hulkenberg    Force India-Mercedes         1

Karthikeyan   HRT-Cosworth                 DNS

De la Rosa    HRT-Cosworth                 DNS



World Championship standings, round 1:                


Drivers:                    Constructors:             

 1.  Button        25        1.  McLaren-Mercedes           40

 2.  Vettel        18        2.  Red Bull-Renault           30

 3.  Hamilton      15        3.  Sauber-Ferrari             12

 4.  Webber        12        4.  Ferrari                    10

 5.  Alonso        10        5.  Lotus-Renault               6

 6.  Kobayashi      8        6.  Toro Rosso-Ferrari          2

 7.  Raikkonen      6        7.  Force India-Mercedes        1

 8.  Perez          4       

 9.  Ricciardo      2       

10.  Di Resta       1       


All timing unofficial[/code]

[Katsuya]

Perez has apparently suggested there was overtaking under yellow flags, which I can only imagine is...well, it'd be Kobayashi and Raikkonen who got ahead of him, unless he means the guys behind him. Unless Rosberg was having a go at him already around where Maldonado went off? Surely they hadn't yellow flagged the entire circuit for that one accident...

[LUKIE]

The commentators said something about incorrect usage of the yellow flags. Maybe they did yellow flag the entire circuit when they shouldn't have?

[MJB]

I need a screenshot of Sauber being in 3rd ahead of Ferrari

Sky were very good today, the only noticeable thing was Croft seemingly getting Maldonado and Kobayashi mixed up with each other...

Yeah apparently the Sauber and Williams look the same

[DJ Ice]

Fell asleep on the 53rd lap....Woke up, TV was turned over and deleted from the Recorded menu

Sauber's always been my favourite team, but I think I'm probably going to be rooting for Lotus-Renault as much as Sauber this year, also, I hate Pastor Maldonado, espically since the incident with Hamilton at Spa last year.

Great first race though, sad Schumacher went out, but glad HRT wasn't allowed to race

Also, Croft seemed to just call everyone Maldonado during the race Although Sky's coverage is great

Edited March 18, 2012 by DJ Ice

[Lineker]

BBC highlight are on twice today while Sky Sports F1 are looping the build-up+race throughout the day.