F1 2012

[Nick Algar - Competition Secretary]

It's been a great year to watch and as Matt says actually exciting :d

As to next year, I agree with a lot of David's comments, but can't see Ferrari standing still on car development, so reckon Alonso might have more of a chance.

2014 will be the year for Mercedes and Lewis, if they get the engine right. Ross is famous for playing the long game.

[Vinny's Westie]

I remember having a chat with friends early in 2010 and saying Vettel was my choice of winner, only came through on the last race then. I thought he was very good then and last year was a walk in the park. Everyone I was with thought Webber was the man to beat, never rated him then and even less in 2012.

This year I thought Vettel would do it again but at the final race I really wanted Alonso to win as he has that ability to make an inferior car consistently get good points, that's the difference, could Vettel do the same result as Alonso in a Ferrari.

For me the Man of the Year has to be Alonso and the most disappointing team has to be Mclaren, biggest budget and only third in the constructors, when did they win it last?

[Fat Albert]

The decline of MotoGp as a spectacle is sad, the current lot don't have the nouse of Rossi who would always make races exciting, at least until the last couple of laps when he'd show his true pace...

F1 has been a revelation this season, the relative stability of the rules has narrowed the performance gap, some grids have seen less than a second in lap times between half the field at the front while even HRT have only been 3-4s off the pace, consider in the Turbo era some cars were 10s a lap slower.

There have been races where Williams, Sauber and Force India, all solid mid-field teams, have been right on the pace, even leading at times. I don't agree that KERS has added anything, DRS at least allows a faster car to overtake a slower one, KERS simply allows a slower car to defend against a faster one.

The big winner for me has been the tyres, Pirelli, for most of the season, have done a fabulous job matching compounds and construction to tracks and constantly upsetting the apple cart making the top teams look silly until the last few races. Free practice one in Brazil saw the drivers test a set of next years tyres, not only were they faster but they met the design criteria of having a wider operating window and less durability.

As a result next season could be both closer and more unpredictable, what more could anyone ask?

[Captain Colonial]

When you get right down to it, F1 is a global motoring soap opera. Goodies, baddies, plot twists, major and minor characters, cliff hangers, the odd shock... face it lads, it's no better than your missus watching DeadEnders or Corporation Street.

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

:o :o

You, you, you heathen American, just 'cause they're not going round and round in circles!

:p

:d

[fatbaldbloke]

I worked with one of the Nascar teams a few years back and was chatting to one of the drivers who said that Watkins Glen was a street circuit. I said, don't be daft, it's a race track. He said, no, a street circuit is anywhere you have to turn right!

[Darrell O'Neill]

Yep, agree with the majority, one of the best seasons for a long time..

[echoz]

Cant wait for next year, this year has been brilliant, gutted alonso didnt win it, but talk about close, only 3 points in it! must be proper gutting! shame lewis didnt make it to the end, reckon he woulda won had he kept it on the black stuff! really hope mercedes bring a top car to the plate next year, its looking to be a good one seb is a great driver, deserved his win, but do agree alonso has been the far better driver this year, by a country mile! would be interesting to see if seb could challenge alonso in the same car, but i guess we'll never no! interesting that there is video footage of seb overtaking under yellows and nothing was done about it?!

roll on 2013