High octane in 2012

This article first appeared in the May/Jun 2012 issue of World Gaming magazine.

The start of the 2012 Formula 1 season has brought with it more excitement than ever before. Fans are praying for close racing and hotly contested battles for both the world championship and the constructors’ championship.

The season’s opening race in Melbourne saw an unprecedented six world champions line up on the starting grid. The big six have held 14 world championship titles between them, which is an amazing statistic in itself. Add to this group Australia’s emerging star Mark Webber and the two famous F1 names of Senna and Rosberg and you can understand why this season carries expectation like no other.

The Red Bull racing team, spearheaded by Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, are chasing a third straight constructors’ championship, while Vettel personally is racing for his third consecutive drivers’ championship. He deserves to be the clear favorite having been the quickest and most consistent driver in recent years. Webber will also be laying claim to the drivers’ championship as he has pushed his teammate on many occasions. Just as with their energy drink, Red Bull has their formula for racing success well and truly worked out, and it will take something special to knock them from their perch as the number one team. After winning the Bahrain Grand Prix and solid showings in Melbourne and Shanghai, Vettel sits on top of the drivers standings with 53 points after the first four races.

McLaren have made good ground in the off-season and have a formidable driving duo in Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton. With the season opening win in Melbourne under his belt, Button seems relaxed and at peace with himself while Hamilton continues to present himself as a consummate professional. Hamilton has demonstrated his abilities by achieving pole at both the Australian and Malaysian Grands Prix, and sits in second place just 4 points shy of Vettel. Could this be the team to challenge Red Bull?

Ferrari is always a wild card. They slope off into the wilderness for a few years before storming back when they get everything right. As if to illustrate their tempestuous Italian nature, Ferrari fared poorly on the Sepang circuit in Malaysia in qualifying, admitting their car was simply not competitive enough to win. Apparently during the night preceding the Sunday race, Alonso thought better of a defeatist attitude, and used all his experience to steer his “scarlet stallion” home for the win in the rain. Never write Ferrari off! They are always capable of producing something special and you have to like their line up. Felipe Massa will be desperate to get on level terms with Alonso and will have to have an impressive year to continue his F1 career with Ferrari in 2013.

Mercedes will be eager to prove they are not simply there to make up the numbers. Indeed they tasted the ultimate success in the third race of the season, the China Grand Prix held in Shanghai. They have won races before but the last time the German automotive powerhouse stood on top of the podium was way back in 1955 at the Italian Grand Prix. Brand names like Ferrari, McLaren and Lotus are synonymous with F1 but Mercedes is arguably F1’s most recognizable motoring brand. To have them winning races is another twist that can only build upon the support the sport is currently enjoying.

The Shanghai GP was the first ever trip to the top of the podium for Mercedes’ new young-gun driver Nico Rosburg, the son of the famous 1980s driver Keke Rosburg. Mercedes’ other driver Michael Schumacher will be out to prove he is still capable of winning races, and being the third-fastest qualifier in Malaysia has certainly put people on notice. The Mercedes team has worked hard to squeeze every ounce of performance from their car. Their innovative “W-duct” rear wing has been the first source of technical controversy this season, and is already proving to be a big success.

Another interesting team will be Lotus. Frenchman Romain Grosjean and Finn Kimi Raikkonen will be closely watched for different reasons. For the Frenchman, it will be a question of how good he really is whereas for the Finn it will be whether he still has what it takes.

Williams have done some great mileage in the off-season and is another team you can never write off. Joining Pastor Maldonado at the team this year is Bruno Senna, who is the nephew of arguably the greatest driver of them all, Ayrton Senna. Brazil will be watching with great interest and will have their fingers crossed as the young Senna tries to create some magic of his own.

“I feel very privileged that Williams selected me as one of their race drivers,” said Senna. “The team has a great heritage and I hope I can help write a good chapter in their history. It will be very interesting to drive for a team that my uncle has driven for, particularly as quite a few of the people here actually worked with Ayrton. Hopefully we can bring back some memories and create some great new ones too.”

Names like Senna and Rosburg are F1 royalty and their re-emergence definitely helps stand the sport in good stead. Fans love the theater of racing dynasties transferring through the generations. The successful return of some classic manufacturers is another factor helping the sport enjoy a golden age of media attention and hype.

So what about the betting? Vettel is going to be tough to beat throughout the 20 race season. He is fast and is riding on the back of an incredible two years. Obviously time will tell us more as the teams sort out their cars and settle into the season. You basically have two choices in every race. You can take the short price about Vettel or you can search for some value. There are plenty of chances on the second line of betting that will be paying well over the odds. There is a big group of drivers that could easily find themselves on top of the podium if something happens to the favorite or conditions even out the playing field as we saw in Malaysia. Anything can happen, and it usually does.

Gentlemen, start your engines!

2012 Formula One season
Rnd	Race	Circuit	City	Date	Local time	Macau time
1	Australian GP	Albert Park	Melbourne	Mar 18	17:00	14:00
2	Malaysian GP	Sepang International Circuit	Kuala Lumpur	Mar 25	16:00	16:00
3	Chinese GP	Shanghai International Circuit	Shanghai	Apr 15	15:00	15:00
4	Bahrain GP	Bahrain International Circuit	Sakhir	Apr 22	15:00	20:00
5	Spanish GP	Circuit de Catalunya	Barcelona	May 13	14:00	20:00
6	Monaco GP	Circuit de Monaco	Monte Carlo	May 27	14:00	20:00
7	Canadian GP	Circuit Gilles Villeneuve	Montreal	Jun 10	14:00	02:00 (Mon Jun 11)
8	European GP	Valencia Street Circuit	Valencia	Jun 24	14:00	20:00
9	British GP	Silverstone Circuit	Silverstone	Jul 08	13:00	20:00
10	German GP	Hockenheimring	Hockenheim	Jul 22	14:00	20:00
11	Hungarian GP	Hungaroring	Budapest	Jul 29	14:00	20:00
12	Belgian GP	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps	Spa	Sep 02	14:00	20:00
13	Italian GP	AutodromoNazionale Monza	Monza	Sep 09	14:00	20:00
14	Singapore GP	Marina Bay Street Circuit	Marina Bay	Sep 23	20:00	20:00
15	Japanese GP	Suzuka Circuit	Suzuka	Oct 07	15:00	14:00
16	Korean GP	Korean International Circuit	Yeongam	Oct 14	15:00	14:00
17	Indian GP	Buddh International Circuit	Greater Noida	Oct 28	15:00	17:30
18	Abu Dhabi GP	Yas Marina Circuit	Abu Dhabi	Nov 04	17:00	21:00
19	United States GP	Circuit of the Americas	Austin	Nov 18	13:00	03:00 (Mon Nov 19)
20	Brazilian GP	Autódromo José Carlos Pace	São Paulo	Nov 25	14:00	00:00 (Mon Nov 26)