So the Indian Grand Prix was last weekend, and as interested
as I am in F1, I only watched the first 5 laps, marking the first time I haven’t
watched a full race in over half of a decade. Why? I have no idea. The Alonso,
Hamilton, Button scrap at the start was incredibly...well, incredible, in the
first few laps, but, for some reason, it just never grabbed my attention.
Nothing that happened, whether it was the three-wide barnstorming early on or
the---well whatever the fuck happened later---seemed to really jump out at me.
But,
that, after all, is the true hallmark of a Hermann Tilke design, and because of
that, I will segue past qualifying by saying that Red Bull once again locked
out the front row. Hamilton and Button did indeed lockout the second row, as
did the Ferrari’s of Alonso and Massa on the third.
With
all due respect, the opening sequences of corners were pretty great. Alonso made
a good move to get past the McLaren’s, at times going three abreast, solidifying
his third position.
From
there, however, it was same story, different track. Sebastian Vettel, on pole,
ran away from the rest of the pack on the first lap like Mo Farrah in the final
400. His unbelievable capability to reduce all contesters to rubble within the
first few miles of a race is nearly incomparable in all of racing’s
history---regardless of the discipline.
Regardless of the car he drives or the
team, or, more specifically the aerodynamicist behind him, he always seems to
have the immediate killer instinct all so lacking in today’s driver.
And
from there, basically the first lap of the Grand Prix, the race was won. When
Mark Webber didn’t beat Vettel into the first corner, it was a foregone conclusion.
That is
the Indian Grand Prix of 2012 in a nutshell. Game over from Saturday, and not
even in the least to disparage the newest Tilke-track, which is quite a circuit. It’s as certain as taxes and death (outside of Monaco) to throw a
Sebastian Vettel victory in the bag once he claims pole position.
But
that is not really the story of the weekend. Instead, let’s focus on the rather
topsy-turvy, ridiculous offseason that lies ahead. Forget about Vettel planting
a German flag on the 2012 championship.
In the
midst of the short week between India and Abu Dhabi, Nico Hulkenberg was ‘confirmed’
as a driver at Sauber next season. Albeit a lateral step in what has become an intriguingly
good drivers’ progress, his work with aero-chief William Toet’s car design
could be an interesting development. Remember, it was only a few years ago in
which we could confidently say Sauber’s name along with the Ferrari’s and
McLaren’s of the world.
That’s
not to say anything spectacular will happen. With Segio Perez’s departure to
McLaren next season, the second driver spot, behind Hulkenberg, seems to be up
in the air. Someone like Heikki Kovaleinen would be great for the team, in my
opinion, although Esteban Gutierrez, a young phenom from Mexico cut from the
same cloth as Perez, IE a Telmex sponsorship, could be an easy choice in the
wings, being the third driver for the for the past two seasons.
Either
way the team goes, whether with Kovaleinen or the young Mexican, the transition
from modern-day Sauber-Ferrari will be interesting. With Monisha Kaltenborn as
the new team principle, and with Peter Sauber, having taken a step back into a more
board-predominant role, there could be a slightly different philosophy amongst the
relatively small Sauber team. A veteran, like Kovaleinen, to go along with a still
relatively young Hulkenberg could go quite far in terms of car development,
building off of what has already been an extraordinary year, especially with
Toet operating behind the scenes.
Then
again, Sauber are nowhere near where they were in their BMW days, with a
brilliant driver like Robert Kubica manning the wheel, competing for poles,
podiums and wins on a regular basis. With the backing of the world’s richest
man, bringing in Gutierrez wouldn’t be a terrible choice, and it could
certainly continue in the development of the undermanned Sauber operation.
And
this brings me to mention Heikki Kovaleinen again, who seems to completely not
be in the picture at Caterham next season. The team is apparently courting
Marussia rookie Charles Pic, who, after a season respectively meddling along ,
challenging his more experienced teammate Timo Glock in the slow Russian car with
primo-sponsorship, to bare the green and yellow next season, with current
third-driver Giedo van der Garde rumored to be in the second seat.
Kovy’s
undeniable intellect and speed are apparently in question. The cash-stricken
Force India are looking for a second driver following Hulkenberg’s departure,
but Heikki is in a position to not have to pay for a race seat. With Toro Rosso
having confirmed their current lineup for next season and GP2 driver Max
Chilton seemingly having Pic’s Marussia ride locked up, there isn’t exactly a
world of change available to the Finn.
Either
way it really is shaping up to be a great battle on and off the track as the
season winds to an end. Next week, we go from daylight to dusk at Abu Dhabi,
and in two weeks, onto the greatest racing circuit in the history of mankind,
The Circuit of the Americas, in Austin, Texas, for the re-re-re-re-re-re inaugural
United States Grand Prix.
Until
then, enjoy this picture, and enjoy this unbelievable pitstop by McLaren. (Link
below because…)
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| Sebastian Vettel, shocked to win a Grand Prix. Fernando Alonso, not impressed. Mark Webber, hankering for kangaroo meat. |
