The 2012 Formula One season has wound up and what a stonking season it was. Congratulations to Sebastian Vettel in winning the driver's crown becoming the sport's youngest triple world champion. He also joins Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher in the exclusive club of winning three consecutive titles. Kudos also to Red Bull Racing for also winning three consecutive constructor's championships. A marvellous achievement for such a young F1 team, which remember morphed out of the Jaguar ashes in 2005.
    The unpredictable nature of this season made foreseeing a winner event to event nigh on impossible. Strategy was always hard to anticipate. Was this down to the Pirelli tyres and their widely acknowledged narrow operating temperatures? Friday practice sessions from Round 1 at Albert Park to Round 20 at Interlagos saw all teams putting down as many laps as possible in a bid to comprehend their rubber and how it reacted to differing fuel loads, circuit configurations and temperatures. The F1 governing FIA asked Pirelli to come up with even more aggressive compounds for 2012 compared to 2011, and on many occasions we saw various cars' tyres insist on their drivers pitting as grip dramatically decreased in the space of a couple of laps.
    We as fans love the fact that Formula One is rarely processional these days. With KERS and DRS spicing up the racing, were Pirelli the overriding factor in contributing uncertainty to this year's fantastic F1 season which celebrated eight different winners? Let us know what you think. Send formulafrontrow.com an email at: greenflag@formulafrontrow.com or simply leave a comment.
    Roll on 2013.
    

    Who ever said the Abu Dhabi GP is dull? What an edge of the chair race it was, with Kimi Raikkonen nonchalantly winning for Lotus.
    However there was one image that stuck in our mind. That is Nico Rosberg unavoidably vaulting his Mercedes over the abruptly stricken HRT of Narain Karthikeyan. Fortunately neither driver was hurt and replays show what an excellent job the high cockpit side bodywork did in protecting Karthikeyan. Not that long ago it was a similar scenario at Spa with Lotus' Romain Grosjean and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso. A simple yet effective increase to driver protection introduced only a few years ago. Helmet design and construction standards have also increased dramatically since Ferrari's Felipe Massa's near career ending accident at Hungary in 2009. But the work is never done is it? Currently the FIA in conjunction with the F1 Technical Working Group are testing forward roll hoops, canopies and windshields to protect the driver from a frontal impact taking into account the resulting deflected flying debris. Improving driver, marshal and spectator safety is a task with constantly moving goalposts. Let us know what you think. Email us at: greenflag@formulafrontrow.com or simply leave a comment.
    This weekend's penultimate 2012 F1 GP at the newly constructed Circuit Of The Americas in Austin, Texas should be epic. An undulating, purpose built F1 circuit. Bring it on.
    Final thought. At the start of the year formulafrontrow.com was talking about how exciting it is to have an unprecedented six world champions on the 2012 F1 grid. Well, five have now won at least one race, the other is retiring. Ouch! 

    As this year's fascinating Formula One season marches towards it's dramatic conclusion starting with this weekend's Indian Grand Prix, it's interesting to note that the final four races are crammed into a mere four weeks. After India, it's Abu Dhabi in seven days, USA two weeks later and the season finale in Brazil a week later. 
    We as F1 fans love a jam-packed 20 race season with quick turnovers between events, but what a drain on the team personnel and especially the race teams that traipse the world ensuring their drivers have the best possible package with which to contest the championship. Some may argue that they do it by choice and are well rewarded for their efforts, but that doesn't change the fact that it must be extremely exhausting work saddled with massive amounts of travel. 
    Yet the teams are meticulous in their approach. Amidst spotless pit garages, brand and sponsor exposure is paramount. From the cars themselves to the overhead gantries, to the prat perches, to the wheel guns, to the communication devices, down to the team's belts and socks, no stone is left unturned. Everything is immaculate. Whenever the cars return to the pit, the teams busily scurry around with their cooling fans, pressure gauges and tyre warmers. Even during a lull, someone is methodically polishing the car whilst data is being thoroughly analysed. Pit stops are practised without respite. Every team member knows their role and what is expected of them. Impressive.
    Formula One teams have evolved into highly professional entities who provide an excellent business model for companies, and governments for that matter, regarding problem solving and the level of communication needed to achieve success. Despite pushing the limits of exhaustion, these teams should be commended for maintaining their focus. Not to mention we love the entertainment. Leave a comment or send formulafrontrow.com an email at: greenflag@formulafrontrow.com.
    Red Bull Racing look very strong in India locking out the front row in qualifying with a seriously gripped up F1 car. Go Mark Webber.   

   Well, well, well! McLaren Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton has surprised many by saying "Auf Wiedersehen" to McLaren by inking his signature to a three year contract with German F1 team, Mercedes. This effectively leaves seven time champion Michael Schumacher without a confirmed F1 drive for 2013. At this point Schumi has not announced his plans for the future. Should he continue in Formula One? Michael will be 44 before the start of next season, and despite a few great drives this season, there's been more evidence to suggest that he's definitely past his prime. That horrific shunt in Singapore springs to mind. Time will tell.
    Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn recently announced that Lewis Hamilton's people instigated negotiations with Mercedes about Hamilton joining the team. Did this suggest some unrest in the Hamilton- McLaren relationship? Lewis' recent tweet of his and team mate Jenson Button's qualifying telemetry, whilst not overly damaging, would hint towards this. McLaren have often stated that they know how to handle, shall we say, high maintenance drivers and ultra competitive team mates. Perhaps we should ask Alain Prost, Juan Pablo Montoya, Fernando Alonso, or even Kimi Raikkonen for that matter, whether they agree?
    However, McLaren always build race winning cars, whereas Mercedes at this stage, do not. Yes they are towards the front end of the grid, but they don't punch on with McLaren race by race do they? Will Lewis Hamilton's frustrations compound with a Mercedes that may not be able to challenge for race wins event after event? Or is the challenge of helping push Mercedes to the very front of the F1 grid a task he'll relish? Will a fresh start at Mercedes rejuvenate Lewis? It'll be interesting to see how talented team mate Nico Rosberg stacks up against Hamilton. 
    McLaren have quickly signed impressive Sauber driver, Sergio Perez, to a multi- year contract. What a fantastic opportunity for the young Mexican partnering Jenson Button next year. McLaren undoubtedly will be fighting for race wins and the championship. Will Perez rise to the challenge of driving for one of F1's top teams? Leave formulafrontrow.com a comment or send us an email at: greenflag@formulafrontrow.com. 
    Final thought though. Perez is a member of the Ferrari Young Driver Academy. Have Ferrari made a master stroke allowing Perez to race for a frontrunning team with the option of recalling a more accomplished, mature Perez to lead Ferrari post- Alonso? Interesting....
     
       
    

    With the European F1 season wound up and the final flyaway races commencing starting with next weekend's glamorous night race at Singapore, we thought it would be prudent to ask which team has improved the most?
    There's no doubt that KERS, DRS and the Pirelli tyres have spiced up the racing making it extremely difficult to predict a winner race to race, but as all teams push themselves to improve their packages, patterns and form emerge. The cream always rises to the top and the big teams are the big teams. But which other F1 teams have caught your eye with their form?
    Lotus seem to be loitering around that first win under their new guise with Kimi Raikkonen quietly featuring regularly on the podium. Team mate Romain Grosjean whilst still raw, has also scored podiums. His stint in the "sin bin" during the recent Italian GP will only help him to mature. A team to watch.
    Mercedes? Well what can you say? Still a lot of talk of grand things, but whilst Nico Rosberg won in China and scores well, still only have one win; there's speculation of Michael Schumacher's future; speculation whether they've signed Lewis Hamilton; some weekends they're fast; the next they're nowhere. Sigh!
    Force India is an exciting team. Just watch Paul di Resta's race-cam to witness his fluent style with minimal steering input. Nico Hulkenberg is unquestionably quick and is no stranger to top ten qualifying sessions. Both are evenly matched and have a great future in F1.
    Williams have definitely improved, but by how much compared to the other teams? Bruno Senna is racing well, but has conceded that his qualifying needs to improve. Even though Pastor Maldonado won in dominant fashion in Spain, he still seems to be involved in too many contentious issues on track, revealing a still evident impetuous nature.
    The team that seems to have improved more than even they could have imagined is the very efficient Swiss F1 team, Sauber. Having been in F1 for almost 20 years, Sauber have always built tidy cars, but fell behind in the development race. This year they are regular Q3 contenders and have started on the front row of the grid. The car is easier on the tyres enabling them to run longer stints. Sergio Perez could very well have won in Malaysia. To go with that 2nd place, he's also scored podiums at Canada and Monza. Exciting Japanese driver Kamui Kobayashi has featured in Q3 and with a bit more luck would have more points. The car seems competitive in all circuit configurations. Do you think Sauber are F1's quiet achievers? Will Sauber overhaul Mercedes in the constructor's championship for fifth place?
    Let us know which team you think is on the up going into the season ending flyaways. Leave a comment or send formulafrontrow.com an email at: greenflag@formulafrontrow.com. Can't wait for Singapore...
    R.I.P. Professor Sid Watkins. You will be missed. Thank you.