13 марта 2012, 08:11 2 мин.

Тесты позади, следующая остановка - Австралия.

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В пятницу в Австралии стартует новый сезон 2012 г. Формулы 1. Представляем краткое превью, написанное фанатом Ф1 Скоттом Брауном для sportposts.com.

Testing is over, next stop Australia

Written by Scott Brown. Published on March 06, 2012.

The last week of testing has finished and as normal the headline times tell as pretty much nothing. But from average lap times it looks like we could be in for a much closer year than we had in 2011.

Testing times can mean nothing. Last season Williams posted the fastest times and then took over half the season to win a single point. Therefore we have to take these the headline fastest lap times with a pinch of salt. Those times have been dominated by Lotus (last season’s Renault team). In Kimi Raikkonen they have the leader they missed after losing the injured Kubica last year. And if he is as quick as he can be, and he has been World Champion, then maybe they can get closer the the podium this year.

The best average lap times are being set by Red Bull and McLaren, the Red Bull’s just having the edge. The closeness of the two teams is an exciting prospect going into the season, especially with how the McLaren team are famous for how they develop their car throughout the year. Ferrari are having problems with their 2012 car. With Alonso at the wheel the car has been able to set some quick laps but he is driving it to it’s very limit as it’s handling poorly. The team have a lot of work to do if they want to be competing for wins in the early part of the season. The midfield runners will be a minefield. There are 5 or 6 teams almost identically matched where the circuit characteristics may determine who is where. This should lead to some excellent tight racing.

The signs are that Red Bull have the edge but you never know what McLaren might pull out of the bag before Australia or even if Ferrari can turn their car around. Only during qualifying there will we really know the true pace of the teams.