2012 GP3 Series Season Review: Part 2

After the first two rounds of the 2012 GP3 Series season, it was almost a month until the teams and drivers reconvened for the third round of the Championship at the Valencia Street Circuit in support of the European Grand Prix. Aaro Vainio was in the lead of the Championship with 54 points, with Mitch Evans a close 2nd with 43 points.

As ever the weekend began with a practice session on the Friday, which Championship leader Aaro Vainio topped with a 02:00.094 for Lotus. The Finn was followed by team-mate Conor Daly, with the Marussia Manor Racing of Tio Ellinas a close 3rd. However, Mitch Evans was able to storm to a superlative pole the following morning, as the Kiwi asserted his authority over the proceedings. He was joined on the front-row of the grid by team-mate David Fumanelli, with the second row consisting of Championship contender Aaro Vainio and Ocean Racing Technology driver Kevin Ceccon.

Mitch Evans stormed to a dominant victory during race one at Valencia.

The opening race of the weekend later in the afternoon saw Mitch Evans carry out a extremely mature and dominant drive at the front, as the Kiwi stormed to a lights-to-flag victory from the Lotus of Aaro Vainio and the MW Arden of David Fumanelli. As usual there was utter confusion further back during the opening laps, as Marlon Stockinger lost his rear-wing whilst Robert Visoiu, Fabiano Machado and Antonio Spavone were forced into retirement.

Despite loosing his rear-wing on the opening lap, Marlon Stockinger was able to return to the pits to allow his mechanics to fit a rear-wing to his car. This saw the Pilipino driver drop a lap behind the leaders, however he was able to continue racing albeit at the back of the pack. Lap 2 saw another big incident between the Carlin of Antonio Felix da Costa and the Marussia Manor Racing of Dmitry Suranovich, as the former slammed into the side of the Russian driver. This incident ended both of their races, but amazingly did not force the safety car to be deployed.

This victory for Mitch Evans saw the Kiwi retake the lead in the Drivers’ Championship, with only a two point advantage over Aaro Vainio who remained a close 2nd for Lotus. Marlon Stockinger remained in a distant 3rd position in the Championship, with fellow MW Arden driver David Fumanelli 4th with 35 points scored.

An ecstatic Patric Niederhauser celebrates after taking his maiden GP3 victory at Valencia!

After finishing the opening race of the weekend in 8th, Patric Niederhauser would start the second race from the reverse grid pole alongside the Ocean Racing Technology of Kevin Ceccon. The Swiss driver capitalized greatly on his starting position, and took his maiden GP3 victory during the 14-lap race the following morning.

The 21-year-old was followed home by the Lotus of Daniel Abt, who initially started the race from 3rd. Matias Laine eventually finished the race in 3rd, after starting from 4th on the grid. Tio Ellinas initially finished 3rd, however the Cypriot was issued with a penalty after forcing Kevin Ceccon off the track throughout the closing stages of the race.

Just like race one, several collisions ensued further back throughout the opening lap of the race. This included an incident between the Lotus of Conor Daly and the Atech CRS GP of John Wartique, as both were forced into retirement. Alice Powell also retired on the opening lap, as she endured yet another tough weekend in the series.

Ethan Ringel retired several laps into the race, after a collision with fellow series rookie Fabiano Machado, who was issued with a penalty for causing the incident. Carmen Jorda also retired in the latter stages of the race, leaving Trident’s Vicky Piria as the only female driver to finish the race.

Although Mitch Evans could only managed 6th position after starting the race from 8th, the Kiwi still retained the lead in the Drivers’ Championship from Aaro Vainio as the GP3 fraternity prepared for the fourth round of the season at the legendary Silverstone circuit in support of the British Grand Prix.

Facu Regalia was one of two new drivers competing in the GP3 Series at Silverstone.

Ahead of the British Grand Prix weekend, there were several driver changes throughout the paddock as Fabio Gamberini replaced John Wartique at Atech CRS Grand Prix and Facu Regalia replaced Jakub Klasterka at Jenzer Motorsport. The British Grand Prix weekend was one plagued with extremely inclement weather conditions, as heavy rain struck the circuit on numerous occasions throughout the weekend.

Antonio Felix da Costa was fastest during a wet practice on the Friday, as the GP3 teams and drivers carried out their preparations for the weekend ahead. Hungarian driver Tamas Pal Kiss was 2nd, with Championship leader Mitch Evans 3rd. However, once the practice session had come to a conclusion, both Tamas Pal Kiss and Ethan Ringel were struck with grid penalties for race one after various yellow flag infringements.

Despite the wet practice session on the Friday, the GP3 fraternity was met with surprisingly dry but overcast weather conditions for the all-important qualifying session early Saturday morning. However, the track was not 100% dry, with several notoriously damp patches remaining on the track, which caught out several drivers throughout the session. Mitch Evans stormed to his second pole of the season for race one, and would start the race alongside fellow Championship contender Aaro Vainio.

Antonio Felix da Costa celebrates victory at Silverstone with Mitch Evans.

The opening race of the weekend was also run in dry conditions, despite the treacherous weather conditions witnessed the previous day. Despite qualifying on pole, Mitch Evans was unable to translate his superlative qualifying performance into a race victory, as the Carlin of Antonio Felix da Costa stormed to a commanding victory ahead of the Kiwi. Aaro Vainio was able to finish a distant 3rd, however the Finn still remained behind Evans in the Drivers’ Championship.

In stark contrast to the usual incident-filled races witnessed throughout the opening three rounds of the year, the first race of the British Grand Prix weekend featured only two retirements as William Buller retired on the opening lap after a collision. Ethan Ringel followed the Briton into retirement several laps later, with the American’s car almost catching fire in the process. After retiring on the opening lap of race one, local driver William Buller would therefore start the second race on Sunday morning from last on the grid.

William Buller pulled off an unforgettable drive to win after starting last at Silverstone!

However, this minor fact did not deter William Buller from storming to an absolutely unforgettable victory during the second race, despite starting from plum last during a wet/dry 14-lap race. Only moments before the start of the race, rain began to fall upon the Silverstone circuit, presenting the drivers with a conundrum as to which tyre they should start the race on. Several drivers opted for the safer option of starting on the wet tyres, whereas others decided to stick with the slick tyres.

As the lights went out it quickly became clear that the drivers who started the race on the wet tyres were visibly faster, as Tio Ellinas and Antonio Felix da Costa rose to 1st and 2nd position in the opening laps. However, as the race wore on, the rain began to subside thus allowing the drivers on the dry tyres to rise back through the order. As the race entered the halfway mark, Patric Niederhauser began to challenge Tio Ellinas for the lead after overtaking Antonio Felix da Costa for 2nd. William Buller was already in 6th position, and was clearly the fastest driver on the track.

By Lap 10, William Buller had scythed through the order like a hot knife through butter into lead ahead of Patric Niederhauser and Robert Visoiu. Whilst one local driver wowed the Silverstone faithful at the front of the pack, another in Alice Powell endured yet another frustrating race as she beached her Status Grand Prix machine into the gravel and into retirement.

In the closing stages of the race, Aaro Vainio, Marlon Stockinger and Daniel Abt joined Alice Powell in retirement. Daniel Abt spun out of the race, whereas his team-mate Aaro Vainio collided with fellow countryman Matias Laine. Although Laine was able to make it to the end of the race, albeit a lap down, Aaro Vainio was forced into a disastrous retirement.

Whilst the race drew to an incident-filled conclusion, William Buller stormed across the line to take an absolutely mesmerizing victory after starting last. The Briton was followed home by the Lotus of Conor Daly, with Patric Niederhauser a very competitive 3rd. After an entertaining race weekend, Mitch Evans retained his lead in the Drivers’ Championship with 100 points scored, ahead of Aaro Vainio (89 points) and Antonio Felix da Costa (58 points).

Part 3 to follow…

Picture(s) Copyright © Daniel Kalisz/Andrew Ferraro/GP3 Series Media Service

Further Plans For A Greek Grand Prix Unveiled

Further plans for a Formula 1 race to be held in Greece have once again emerged, with a proposed venue around a marina-based street circuit in the tourist region of Piraeus. This venue would be roughly 10 miles from the Greek capital of Athens, and would feature a circuit reminiscent of the Valencia Street Circuit.

With Greece embroiled in financial difficulty, funding for such a sporting event would appear to be exceedingly questionable in these economically difficult times. Although the Greek government backs such an idea, they too are unsure as to where the financial backing would stem from to construct a Formula 1 circuit. Greece have never before held a major motor sport event, and therefore have no alternative circuits to fall back on.

“The main priority of this government is to create instruments of development,” explained minister Costas Tzavaras in an interview with Autoweek. “In this critical time for our country, every effort that promotes Greece and attracts international interest is welcome and deserves our support. The prospect of holding Formula 1 races in Drapetsona raises expectations for upgrading our tourism product through the promotion of the historic port of Piraeus.”

A similar project was initially launched last year, by a Greek consortium. However, the rumors of a Greek Grand Prix then died down, before these plans for a semi-street circuit race emerged. It is believed that a formal proposal was submitted in November last year to FIA president Jean Todt and F1 Supremo Bernie Ecclestone, however it is still hard to imagine a Formula 1 race in such a cash-strapped nation in the foreseeable future.

Picture Copyright © Pirelli

Fernando Alonso Believes Silverstone Should Suit Ferrari

Fernando Alonso believes the Silverstone circuit should suit Ferrari this weekend, as the Spaniard tries to defend his 20 point lead in the Drivers’ Championship. The Ferrari driver took his one and only victory of last season at the British Grand Prix, and will undoubtedly be striving to win again this time around.

However, with the weather forecast to be inclement throughout the weekend, Fernando Alonso has acknowledged the fact that the weather could be a deciding factor over the results. Last years race started in damp conditions, however the track quickly dried as the Spaniard stormed to victory by roughly 16 seconds to eventual World Champion Sebastian Vettel.

“Looking at the characteristics of the circuit, Silverstone should be a little bit better for us and suit our car characteristics a little bit better.” Explained the Spaniard earlier today, “As we saw at the beginning of the year in the high-speed corners and also as we saw in Mugello, that the car was performing quite well. Hopefully we see a good Ferrari here this weekend, with me and Felipe [Massa]. And we see, I think, that it also all depends on the weather. We know that here anything can happen, or more rain than dry at times we will have, looking at the forecast, so we need to be ready for all: we need to be prepared for any track conditions at any time and try to have a smooth qualifying – and that will not be easy when the weather is changing.”

Fernando Alonso stole victory away from Sebastian Vettel last time out at the European Grand Prix, in an emotional win around the Valencia Street Circuit. With the unpredictable nature of the 2012 season, Alonso will definitely need a competitive result this weekend if he has any desire on retaining his lead in the Drivers’ Championship.

Picture Copyright © AP Photo

Sam Michael On Red Bull And McLaren’s Pit Stop Blunders

Last time out at the European Grand Prix, the Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel showed immense pace in relation to the rest of the field. Until the safety car period on lap 27, the reigning World Champion was in a world of his own in the lead of the race. If the German hadn’t have retired shortly afterwards, he would most likely have stormed to his second win of the season.

As it transpired, Fernando Alonso stole victory away from Red Bull in an emotional victory for the Spaniard. McLaren, however, suffered a dismal end to the race as Lewis Hamilton crashed out after a collision with Pastor Maldonado. Along with another pit stop blunder, this was a weekend to forget for the Woking-based outfit. However, the team’s Sporting Director Sam Michael believes Red Bull’s pace at Valencia was most likely circuit-specific and expects the gap between McLaren and Red Bull to close up once again this weekend.

“It [Red Bull’s pace] probably has got some circuit-specific nature to it.” Explained Sam Michael, “If you look forward to Silverstone it’s definitely more in line with where the McLaren’s strengths are. However, it’s clear Red Bull have taken a step forward, although I don’t think it’s as big as the pace that Sebastian Vettel showed in that first stint and we are hoping to correct that at Silverstone. We have upgrades going to Silverstone as well, as we do at every race. So we are hoping they can bring at least a tenth. So regardless of where Red Bull were in Valencia – and they were very strong – our target is to be on the front row and challenging for a win.”

When asked why he thinks Sebastian Vettel’s first stint at the European Grand Prix wasn’t reflective of the pace of the RB8, he explains that it most likely has a lot to do with the Pirelli tyres.

“I’d be pretty surprised if they maintained a second-a-lap gap to the rest of the field.” Continued Sam Michael, “It was impressive pace but ultimately, as we’ve seen throughout this year, if you get the tyres working properly and you fall into that window then you can generate enormous amounts of grip. We’ve seen that probably four or five times this year. So Sebastian [Vettel] was certainly better on the tyres in that first stint. I think it was reflective of that rather than the car.”

Throughout the 2012 season, it’s fair to say that a lot of points for McLaren have been lost due to pits stop blunders. Jenson Button suffered one during the Chinese Grand Prix, which ruined his chance of victory. Lewis Hamilton has endured the majority of these blunders, with the latest episode occurring at the European Grand Prix. However, Sam Michael has explained how McLaren are not trying to be the quickest in the pits, but instead the most consistent team with the quickest average pit stop time.

“Our target is consistency.” Said Sam Michael, “Our target is not the fastest stationary time but the fastest average time. Our internal target is to achieve three-second pit stops consistently. Consistency always has been our goal and all of the technology that we have added has actually been to add consistency, rather than speed.

“Everyone has similar pains. Look at Red Bull in Montreal, they had a problem with a front-right tyre. Look at Ferrari in Valencia last week – the front-left tyre wasn’t even changed when they changed the front wing on Massa’s car. Mercedes are still having problems retaining wheel nuts. So we’re not unique in having issues with equipment or technical process. We do take it very seriously internally.”

However, with McLaren aiming for victory at this weekends British Grand Prix, another pit stop error during the race could be detrimental to any chances of victory for either Button or Hamilton. Sam Michael is confident these errors have been identified and rectified, and with 800 practice pit stops completed earlier in the week, there is no denying the McLaren mechanics are trying their best.

“We identified the problem in Valencia and why that failed and the design has been modified for Silverstone.” Continued Sam Michael, “On Monday this week, we completed 800 pit stops on the jacking systems, with no faults at all. So during a race weekend, we would probably do about 50 pit stops, including all of the practices. So effectively we did 16 Grand Prix weekends on Monday. So we believe that we have solved it, but at least we have done good due diligence on the new design we have got for Silverstone.”

With McLaren confident their pit stops will not suffer the same embarrassing blunders during this weekends British Grand Prix, they will undeniably be hoping that they can bring the fight to Red Bull as they try and take victory in front of their adoring home fans.

Picture Copyright © Getty Images

Caterham Aiming To Take Another Step Forward At Silverstone

After a very competitive European Grand Prix around the Valencia Street Circuit, where Vitaly Petrov nearly scored the teams first ever World Championship point, Caterham are aiming to take yet another step forward at this weekends British Grand Prix. With the team introducing several new parts to their car, the drivers are optimistic on enjoying another competitive weekend.

Throughout the European Grand Prix, the Caterham duo of Heikki Kovalainen and Vitaly Petrov were both extremely close the Toro Rossos. This weekend at the legendary Silverstone circuit, Vitaly Petrov is hopeful that Caterham can once again reel in the Toro Rosso duo and possibly even progress through to Q2 during qualifying once again.

“As we’ll be bringing more new parts to the British Grand Prix I think it’s another race where we’ll be able to take a step forwards.” Explained Vitaly Petrov, “I’m sure everyone else will be bringing upgrades so we need to make sure that we don’t just make gains, but we improve more than our nearest rivals. That’s a big challenge but after seeing the gap to Toro Rosso shrink in Valencia we have a clear target just ahead and that gave the whole team a real boost. The team made great progress in Valencia and I really hope that we will continue in the same manner at the next race.”

With other teams also set to introduce new parts to their cars, the British Grand Prix could well be another highly exciting addition to the 2012 season. The new parts for Caterham this weekend will consist of new rear bodywork and a revised exhaust layout, amongst other upgrades. With Caterham visibly more competitive in Valencia, the team are hopeful this weekends British Grand Prix will continue the positiveness that currently exists within the team.

“We left Valencia after a very positive weekend for the whole team.” Said Caterham’s Technical Director, Mark Smith. “One of the most pleasing aspects for me was seeing that the numbers we had predicted for the upgrades we brought there matched what we did on track, and that gives us a lot of confidence that future upgrade packages should continue the trend we are seeing of the gap to the teams ahead shrinking. For Silverstone we will be bringing a number of new parts, including new rear bodywork, a revised exhaust layout and a number of smaller updates in other bodywork areas around the car.”

This weekends British Grand Prix is one of two homes race for the Caterham F1 team, as they are based at Hingham in Norfolk. This will undoubtedly be more incentive for the team to continue improving, as they edge ever closer to that elusive first World Championship point.

Picture Copyright © Caterham F1 Team

Vijay Mallya: “I Want To Finish Fifth In The Constructors’ Championship”

After a very successful and competitive European Grand Prix, Force India team principal and co-owner Vijay Mallya is now confident that his team can finish fifth in this years Constructors’ Championship. With a highly competitive midfield this season, it will be a hard season-long battle to finish ahead of the likes of Williams and Sauber.

Although the European Grand Prix was by far Force India’s most competitive all-round race weekend of the year, Vijay Mallya wasn’t entirely satisfied with qualifying. Nico Hulkenberg and Paul di Resta started 8th and 10th respectively, however the team boss was hoping for a top five result.

“In fact I was hoping for a better qualifying result, but in Q3 maybe both overdrove the car, locked up the wheels etc.” Explained Vijay Mallya, “So we started eighth and tenth while I was actually hoping to start in the top five. We are only one point shy of Williams right now and 16 points away from Sauber, who have had podium finishes. So we are getting there. We are definitely on target. I want to finish fifth in the constructors’ championship this year and – fingers crossed – it looks like we’re getting there.”

When asked whether it was a surprise that both his cars enjoyed a highly competitive race, Vijay Mallya stated that he actually expected a similar result in Canada. However, with this race greatly effected by tyre wear towards the end of he race, the Force India duo could only manage 11th and 12th, only just outside the points paying positions.

“Speaking frankly, we should have had the same or a similar result in Canada. But there we completely miscalculated the tyre behavior.” Continued Vijay Mallya, “We ran the tyres too hot and subsequent analysis confirmed that this was a mistake on our part. We now have our sights set on Silverstone and we go there with a great deal of confidence, knowing that our car is competitive.”

During the European Grand Prix weekend, the team principals up and down the grid came together to discuss the Resource Restrictions Agreement (RRA), something which Vijay Mallya backs greatly. The Force India boss believes it is imperative that the RRA provides a level playing field, which in turn would then provide races similar to what we have seen this season. With top teams falling amongst the midfield and midfield teams rising to the top, Vijay Mallya believes this is the sort of Formula 1 he (and many fans) wishes to see more off.

“I think that the RRA is something that everybody agrees to, in principal.” Said Vijay Mallya, “Even when FOTA was together – and active – all the teams agreed with the concept of resource restriction. The concept of the RRA is a must-have if Formula One is to survive in the long term. It also must provide a level playing field. Look at the amount of excitement this season. We have had seven winners and only one repeat victor, which is fantastic. So resource restriction is important and the FIA has now taken it upon itself to create regulations aimed at restricting resources. At the last World Council meeting it was agreed that we will have a fax vote at the end of June. We at Force India are completely committed to the concept.”

With Force India striving for possibly a podium finish at the first of their two homes races in 2012, the team will be hoping their upgrades work well with the car. The team haven’t stepped on the podium since the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix, when Giancarlo Fisichella finished 2nd. In this highly unpredictable season, anything is possible if the team can get those all-important Pirelli tyres to work.

Timo Glock Will Be Fit For Silverstone

Timo Glock will definitely be fit for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, after the German driver was forced to withdraw from the European Grand Prix following an illness which prevented him from taking part. The Marussia driver returned home to recuperate, and is now aiming to return to training later in the week for the British Grand Prix.

After taking part in the three practice sessions for the European Grand Prix, Timo Glock had a relapse in his illness which had plagued him throughout the weekend. After initially skipping qualifying to try and recover from his intestinal infection, the German driver eventually missed the race as well. This meant only 23 drivers started the European Grand Prix, with rookie Charles Pic the sole Marussia driver.

“Generally I am feeling well again,” explained Timo Glock. “I still feel a bit weak at the knees, but otherwise I am okay. It was obviously a pity that I was forced to miss the race in Valencia, but that is the way it goes sometimes. You cannot just ignore such physical signs. I am on my way to a full recovery, and although it will be a few more days before I am allowed to train again.”

The 30-year-old is also looking forward to his home race at the Hockenheimring, which will take place two weeks after the next race at Silverstone. After this illness, Timo Glock aims to be fully fit once again as Formula 1 arrives in Germany. This will be his fifth home race of his career, as the German made his full-time F1 debut back in 2008 after a brief spell with Jordan in 2004.

Picture Copyright © Marussia F1 Team

Williams Confident After Frustrating European Grand Prix

Although the European Grand Prix proved to be a frustrating race for the Williams F1 team, they remain confident as the team now prepares for its home race weekend at the British Grand Prix. Pastor Maldonado qualified an impressive 3rd at last weekend’s European Grand Prix, however he unfortunately suffered a scrappy end to what could’ve been a decent race for the Venezuelan.

After the Spanish Grand Prix winner was issued a 20 second penalty which was subsequently added to his race time, Pastor Maldonado eventually finished a lowly 12th, whereas his team-mate Bruno Senna finished 10th and only scored one World Championship point. With Williams lately suffering with their qualifying pace in regards to their race pace, Mark Gillan believes Maldonado’s qualifying effort at Valencia was testament to the fact that Williams are improving with their qualifying pace.

“Our qualifying pace has improved and Pastor’s pole position in Spain and subsequent third position in qualifying in Valencia is testament to that fact.” Explained Williams’ Chief Operations Engineer, Mark Gillan. “We have a good base package and with the excellent feedback that our drivers are giving us we are able to selectively develop the car to improve any deficiencies whilst also working on our strengths.”

The Formula 1 fraternity is now gearing up for one of the most iconic races of the season, at the legendary Silverstone circuit and the British Grand Prix. Williams have won at the track on numerous occasions, with their last victory at the track being in 1997 with Jacques Villeneuve. With the 2012 F1 season exceedingly unpredictable, Williams will be eyeing a competitive result in both qualifying and the race in front of their adoring home fans.

Picture Copyright © Williams F1 Team

Rio Haryanto Receives Grid Drop For Silverstone

Indonesian driver Rio Haryanto has been issued a five place grid drop for the feature race at Silverstone, after causing a collision with race leader James Calado during the sprint race at Valencia last weekend. The two were fighting for the lead, when Haryanto lunged up the inside of Calado resulting in the Carlin driver retiring from the race.

The GP3 graduate has yet to win a race in 2012, and finished a career best 5th during the feature race at Valencia. After the race, the stewards decided that Haryanto had caused the collision with Calado, and thus handed the Indonesian star a five place grid drop for the feature race at Silverstone.

James Calado suffered a frustrating weekend at Valencia, as the Briton was robbed of victory in both the feature and sprint races throughout the weekend. The Lotus driver will be hoping for a more successful weekend at Silverstone, as he attempts to take his second victory of the season.

Picture Copyright © Alastair Staley/GP2 Series Media Service

Sebastian Vettel: “We Could Easily Have Cruised To The Checkered Flag”

Sebastian Vettel is adamant that he could have cruised to the checkered flag if he had not suffered a rare mechanical issue during the European Grand Prix, even though a safety car period reduced his lead at the front to zero. The reigning World Champion retired due to an overheating alternator on lap 34, which gifted the lead to local hero Fernando Alonso.

However, the German driver is confident that the pace shown in the early stages of the race would have enabled him to still take victory around the Valencia Street Circuit. As it transpired, the reigning Champion heads to the British Grand Prix in two weeks time 4th in the Drivers’ Championship, 26 points behind Championship leader Alonso.

“We were really fast up until then and could easily have cruised to the checkered flag I believe.” Explained Sebastian Vettel, “We have also improved step-by-step over the weekend so I take confidence back home from this weekend rather than anger. Okay, the result is not what we expected but it was only the eighth race, so things can change every fortnight. That is probably the only constant that we’ve seen so far.”

This was the first retirement for Sebastian Vettel since the 2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, in which the Red Bull driver suffered a puncture on his left-rear tyre and spun at turn 2. That incident was the one and only time Sebastian Vettel failed to finish a race in 2011, as he stormed to a dominant second consecutive World Championship title. In 2012, things have not been plain sailing for the 24-year-old, who has so far only won one race at Bahrain.

With team-mate Mark Webber now above him in the Championship standings, along with Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel will undeniably have a tough season-long battle to remain top in Formula 1. With the likes of Lotus, Sauber, Williams and even Force India posing a threat to the big teams this season, the likes of Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari will have to remain vigilant as the 2012 F1 season enters its midway point.

Picture Copyright © Getty Images