Formula 1 - 2012 season

I agree that Eddie Jordan has probably helped Lewis in his negotiations to extract a better deal out of Maclaren, but with new engines coming in 2014 it may well pay to be with aligned with a manufacturer based team by then.
I don’t agree that some of the young guns need to stay where they are for another season, after all Schumacher only had one race for Jordan before he was in a Benetton. If Schumi leaves Mercedes at the end of the year there will be a decent seat there and Ferrari need to dump Massa and give someone else a chance.
Perez has blown his team mate away and seems to have a better understanding of the tyres and an ability to make them last which appears to be better than Button’s, and considering that Button is supposed to be the smoothest driver in F1 is saying something. Drivers who stay still stagnate, move them up whilst they’ve got momentum.

Young guns go for it.

Thanks. I'll give it a try through one of our company's German VPN SSLs next time it's one of BBC's 'extended highlights'. (Singapore is live so that one's ok.)

Who are you agreeing with and in what sense has EJ helped?

SpiceWeasel's first paragraph and EJ has helped by stirring it and saying he has already signed for the Mercs has perhaps give Lewis extra leverage with Maclaren. They could well have been thinking he has nowhere else to go. We all think he'd be crackers to leave so why shouldn't they.

And since the Spa 'Twitter-gate', Button and Hamilton are, allegedly, "not talking", which is mighty significant considering they've been friends since the mid-90s.

If Hamilton is going to Merc, IMHO Rosberg will want to leave. In 2000-'01 they were kart-racing teammates, during which time Hamilton won several major titles and tournaments, and Rosberg did not. Ever since, Rosberg's management (aka dad Keke) has steerd him well clear of any direct comparison with Hamilton...

So, Rosberg heads to McLaren and Hulkenberg joins Hamilton at Merc - or 'Brucie' actually stays at Merc to partner Hamilton? 

Thanks LA, it seems that EJ has to resort to poo stirring now that so many 'insiders' won't give him the time of day because he's been rather indescreet.

But let's not forget that EJ and 'Eccle-greed' are close friends, and the latter always knows what's going down, up - and sideways... 

Has Schumi stifled Rosberg?

No more than Webber did while at Williams?

No more than Webber did while at Williams?

Can't help but wonder if they've tried to sort things for Schumi and gone the wrong way at times.

Doubt the team or the car's design is too focused on Brucie, because surely the team must realise that he's neutered by the current regs? His driving-style is very hard on the front tyres, which was fine back in the days of re-fuelling pitstops - and bespoke mixed-compound Bridgestones.  

Suspect Rosberg's lost his mojo because the Merc's 'double DRS' has been a weiß elefant? 

There was some surprise (and praise) given when Maldonado won his race, but I don't remember people going ape and saying he was the next best thing. For one, he's been far too inconsistent the rest of the time and seems very prone to making very costly errors. If he didn't have massive amounts of money backing him up, he wouldn't be racing this season.

Perez on the other hand has completely outperformed the car on at least a couple of occasions and has performed pretty consistently most of the other times (yes he's made mistakes, but he is still a rookie) - this is shown by his 65 point tally this season, ahead of Massa and Schumacher.

Yes, the strategy definitely helped him get his podium on Sunday, but you don't get that high without a good strategy. That doesn't take away from the fact that he definitely outperformed in that car on Sunday. I would say he definitely has the potential to be one of the best drivers if he gets in a race winning car.

There's no way I'd be that confident yet - one thing we know is this season is unpredictable. We saw three of the potential title winners fall out of the race because of car issues. It only takes a couple of these or an accident for Alonso / Hamilton and the whole thing is completely wide open again. Also, Raikonnen is only one point and Vettel only two points behind Hamilton!

I'll stick with my Alonso prediction, but I'm certainly not anywhere near 100% confident in that!

This seems to be the best place to mark the passing of Professor Sid Watkins, not only the major force behind better safety in F1 but also one of the most level-headed and interesting commentators on the sport, as he proved in his autobiography, Beyond the Limit.

Indeed - RIP Sid. Some lovely tributes to him from drivers past and present. Martin Brundle credits Sid with saving his left foot from being amputated, but also said:" Sid W would often prescribe 'a stiff whisky and aspirin' unless your leg was hanging off. His way of saying 'just put up and get on with it' "

RIP Sid.