SO IT IS COMING to the end of the 2011 season, and what a season it has been!
Although Sebastian Vettel’s dominance has taken away some of the competitive nature of the sport, there has been no lack of drama. To start with though, we must appreciate the spectacle that the youngest ever double world champion has provided for us this year.
His driving has been nearly faultless thus far, winning 11 races out of a possible 18, and standing on the podium an unbelievable 16 times. Despite all of the changes implemented before the 2011 season, Vettel has shone in mastering any new challenge. Be it learning how to use the new Pirelli tyres to the best effect, or using DRS to help him obtain the best lap times possible in qualifying, Vettel has given every driver a master-class in driving this year.
But most impressive of all has been the mental strength of the man, no matter what stress he has been put under. To have set new records for both the number of pole positions taken in a season, along with beating Nigel Mansell for the most podium wins in a single F1 campaign, Vettel has set a new bar amongst those in the F1 paddock.
But of course, one question that many will ask is whether Vettel’s success was down solely to the car that he is driving. Red Bull has shown a remarkable ability over the past few seasons to design cars which have a greater raw pace than those of the competition, and a lot of this has been due to the brilliance of Adrian Newey, their chief technical officer. The Englishman from Stratford-Upon-Avon has a stunning record in designing race-winning cars, having won three constructors championships with three different teams over his long career. Importantly though, one must remember that there are two drivers in a team, and both are effectively driving the same machine. So why has Mark Webber been so roundly beaten by his Red Bull team mate?
In terms of pure statistics Vettel has dominated Webber this season, accumulating 374 points to Webber’s 233. Yet this is an unfair portrayal of the Australian’s true ability. Last year Webber ran Vettel to the wire and the world championship was snatched away from his grasp in the last race of the season, and in 2011 luck has still not been on the side of the plucky aussie. Mechanical issue after mechanical issue has prevented him from showing his true potential, but the fact of the matter is that he has been unable to out-qualify or out-compete his 24 year old German team-mate.
I am a huge fan of Lewis Hamilton, but I will be the first to admit that his driving this season has lacked consistency and mental strength, both of which are required to even consider winning another world championship. Hamilton has put in some phenomenal performances. The Chinese Grand Prix showcased his incredible ability to find speed that no other driver can match, but Lewis has not been able to get to grips with the tyre-management required for this year, nor have his constant clashes with Felipe Massa helped his reputation.
Hamilton is a fighter, and I firmly believe that given a car which can truly compete with the Red Bull machine next season, he will be a tough man to beat. Yet whilst Lewis has struggled, Jenson Button has proven his true calibre. Despite winning the world championship in 2009, many felt that this was due only to the advantage that Brawn had in car design at the beginning of the season.
However, the aggression that Button has displayed on track in 2011 has quietened many critics, and his ability to maintain and optimise his tyres is the best of any driver currently in Formula 1. To my mind there has not been a Grand Prix in history which has had such drama as in Canada, where Button drove incredibly from last place in the last period of the race in damp conditions to snatch victory from Vettel on the final lap. If that does not show the talent which Button has at his disposal, then I do not know what else does.
So now that the Brazilian Grand Prix is upon us, we must start to consider what the 2012 season will bring. The teams will be in motion until the start of next season, but the big three – Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull – are expected to retain the same drivers as this year, although there are rumours that Massa’s seat is in jeopardy for 2013. The greatest interest will come when Schumacher makes his decision on whether or not he remains in Formula 1after this season, and might provide Mercedes with an interesting choice for his replacement.
Overall though, I cannot wait for the start of the new season. Let us hope that Red Bull’s rivals can hit the ground running at the start of next year, and that we can enjoy a more competitive fight to decide next year’s world champion.