Your favourite drivers and teams at the start of the 2012 F1 season

117 comments on “Your favourite drivers and teams at the start of the 2012 F1 season”

1. 

   off@turn1
   24th February 2012, 9:05

   Surprised to see Vettel so low down. Winning a Championship and then dominating seems to have seen him lose the ‘Honorary Brit’ status maybe. Think he’s one of the most genuine and funny guys on the grid still. A bit surprised some of the smaller teams who have put a lot into image low too (esp. Marrusia and Caterham). Maybe the goodwill and interaction they get doesn’t directly translate into people seeing them as ‘their’ team?
   1. 

      Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
      24th February 2012, 9:12

      Just goes to show there’s no substitute for heritage.

      It reminds me of the poll we had a couple of week ago on which teams will still be in F1 in ten years’ time. The results of that poll reflect the popularity statistics quite closely, and that makes sense: if you don’t think a team has a future, why bother supporting them?
      1. 

         MEmo
         24th February 2012, 13:19

         I would include not only teams that don´t have a future, but also teams who completelly change their identity from one season to the next. People won´t back up teams that only exist for a season! Think of BrawnGP (then Mercedes), Lotus Racing (then Team Lotus then Caterham), Virgin (then Marussia), Renault (then Lotus)…
         1. 

            cjpdk (@cjpdk)
            24th February 2012, 16:42

            I think Brawn GP is very memorable – a 100% sucess rate
            1. 

               MEmo
               25th February 2012, 14:58

               True! True! but it´s a shame the team “dissapeared” after taking the titles! I still love to see the pictures of those white cars!!!!
      2. 

         libertywho (@libertywho)
         24th February 2012, 23:42

         True, true, but that doesn’t make sense in Paul di Resta case.
   2. 

      Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
      24th February 2012, 9:17

      I’d say the infamous finger has won him no fans.
      1. 

         Olivier
         24th February 2012, 9:27

         Yeah, I can see sore losers objecting to the finger…
         1. 

            Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
            24th February 2012, 9:40

            I don’t think it’s people being sore losers. It’s people who are sick of seeing it, the way Vettel almost expects to be in a position to point his finger.
            1. 

               Nixon (@nixon)
               24th February 2012, 10:13

               Yes, and that its sooooo annoying.
            2. 

               electrolite (@electrolite)
               24th February 2012, 10:13

               I agree, it’s hardly a graceful celebration is it…
            3. 

               ivz (@ivz)
               24th February 2012, 10:19

               Its arrogant the way he does it, even kind of childish. If he did it only once in a while, maybe when he wins the WDC, it would not be so bad.
            4. 

               Bigbadderboom (@bigbadderboom)
               24th February 2012, 10:25

               My pereception of Vettel has changed, I see him as almost arrogant now. But for me I like to see drivers suffer setbacks and overcome adversity, I think Jensons popularity demonstrates this fora lot of fans. Vettel has been kind of gifted his success, not saying its undeserved just not worked for it quite as hard.
            5. 

               Mike (@mike)
               24th February 2012, 10:41

               You guys are joking right?

               He was winning races, and Celebrating because he was number one by sticking his finger up.

               It’s not like he runs around the office doing it.

               There’s a thought…
            6. 

               Hola
               24th February 2012, 11:35

               funny to watch at first but so annoying for now.
            7. 

               aka_robyn (@)
               24th February 2012, 11:39

               I don’t think they are joking, @mike — but I do find it hilarious that people are still complaining about Vettel’s means of celebrating victories. Every time I think people have moved on with their lives, a thread like this comes up!
            8. 

               BasCB (@bascb)
               24th February 2012, 12:39

               I agree there PM, not the best way to gain supporters between the fans.
            9. 

               BasCB (@bascb)
               24th February 2012, 12:42

               What @bigbadderboom writes is true for quite a lot of people, I count myself in as well.

               Seemingly just turning everything you touch into gold is not the thing to win you fans. But overcoming some difficulties and grow into an impressive contender does. Just look at Mansell, for example, still one of the all time favourites.

               That does not mean Vettel is not a great driver, just he is not the one getting most fan support currently.
            10. 

                Optimaximal
                24th February 2012, 12:43

                I lost a lot of respect for Vettel after Hungary 2010.

                His behaviour during the race when given the drive through and public ‘performance’ in the press conference where he stropped like a belligerent child (despite still finishing 3rd) coloured him in my eyes, something he hasn’t graciously been able to recover because his 2011 was largely flawless.
            11. 

                Mike (@mike)
                24th February 2012, 13:05

                @Optimaximal

                Name one decent driver who you haven’t seen have a sook.

                @Bigbadderboom

                What about Alonso?

                It took Vettel 4 season to win the championship, including some very difficult races early on in his F1 career, along with some very impressive performances. He won it twice in a row.

                Alonso took 5 seasons to win his championship, starting his career with impressive performances in an under performing car. He also won it twice in a row.

                Both drivers were in the right car, at the right time, at a young age.

                All I’m saying is, There is nothing to say that Vettel had it any easier than Alonso. And there is nothing to say he deserve any less credit for his two championships.
            12. 

                Optimaximal (@optimaximal)
                24th February 2012, 13:16

                @Mike

                Obviously Vettel is allowed to be frustrated/have a sulk, but the way he conducted the interview, slouched in his seat, sunken shoulders, angry as he seemingly thought it was everyone’s fault but his own hat he had received the drive through.

                It was different to the Turkey debacle, where the team did everything in its power to insulate him from blame or culpability, but he just seemed to be left to his own devices in Hungary and he didn’t deal with it well at all.

                Maybe he’s massively matured now – it’s more than likely the case – but every situation since has either been a genuine case of bad luck or a car failure.

                How did he conduct himself in Germany 2011? Did he fess up to dropping the ball at his home GP? I can’t remember.
            13. 

                AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
                24th February 2012, 13:34

                @prisoner-monkeys I think pole position was pretty much Vettel’s last year by default, unless proven otherwise. Can’t blame the guy!

                At least he kept it up.
            14. 

                Mustalainen (@mustalainen)
                24th February 2012, 14:35

                I’m just sick of neither Ferrari nor McLaren winning very much :( /s
            15. 

                F1fanNL (@)
                25th February 2012, 12:09

                @Prisoner Monkeys

                I think it is. You won’t hear people complain when someone else does it. And you can see by raymonu999’s post that other drivers do it too.

                It’s like in 2010 when Witmarsh labeled Vettel as a crash kid for 2 incidents that year and every McLaren fan happily picked up on that. Then came 2011 and Hamilton took out drivers almost every race. What was Witmarsh’s response? “It’s not his fault, he’s just having a bit of a rough season.” and every McLaren fan happily picked up on that as well.

                I don’t give 2 cents about someones preferences but I do believe one should apply the same set of rules and criteria when viewing something. Something you clearly lack.
      2. 

         raymondu999 (@raymondu999)
         24th February 2012, 14:43

         @prisoner-monkeys

         While I don’t deny most people point to his finger as the reason for their… “dislike,” of him, *drumroll please:

         Click
         Click
         Click
         Click
         Click
         Click
         Click
         Click
         Click
         Click
         Click
         Click
         Click
         Click
         Click[/quote]

         I guess what I’m trying to say is… he should really be more humble :P
         1. 

            Mike (@mike)
            24th February 2012, 15:28

            Greatest, Post, Ever!
            1. 

               raymondu999 (@raymondu999)
               24th February 2012, 15:34

               @mike why thank you :P
         2. 

            Le Jimster (@lejimster82)
            24th February 2012, 15:40

            It’s not the finger, it’s how he emphasis it and his expression. He shakes it at the camera as if to say I’m the best, there is no better.. losers!!

            When other drivers do it, they do it quick in celebration and it’s gone. He knows it irritates people as well, That’s why I think he’s continued to do it ;-).
            1. 

               David-A (@david-a)
               24th February 2012, 15:50

               He knows it irritates people as well

               And that’s why it makes a great avatar ;)
            2. 

               aka_robyn (@)
               24th February 2012, 15:55

               I always enjoy it when our avatars are right next to each other in the “Active F1 Fanatics,” @david-a . It’s like a finger double team. ;-)
         3. 

            aka_robyn (@)
            24th February 2012, 15:47

            Hahahaha! @raymondu999 , thank you for doing what I’ve been wanting to do for ages — and more comprehensively than I would have done! :-)
         4. 

            BasCB (@bascb)
            24th February 2012, 20:41

            Thank you for clearing that point(-ed finger) @raymondu999
         5. 

            GameR_K (@gamer_k)
            25th February 2012, 7:09

            A slap in the face of biased people showing weak reasoning for hatred. +1 raymond
         6. 

            F1fanNL (@)
            25th February 2012, 12:11

            And no response from Prisoner Monkeys…

            I wonder why. ;)
   3. 

      Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
      24th February 2012, 11:43

      To be honest, I didn’t like him at all until he appeared on Top Gear.

      He’s a top bloke, really, very funny and very talented of course. So he’d have my vote… if only he didn’t win so much!

      I don’t like supporting the driver that always wins. I guess it’s like boring, or easy…
   4. 

      JCost (@jcost)
      24th February 2012, 14:04

      Webber being more popular than Vettel shows that it’s not all about driving skills (e.g. Button more popular than Alonso) but then, like you put it, being funny is not enough either.. So it’s about being British or from a Commonwealth nation, oh no, Schumacher is German just like Vettel! What’s wrong with Seb? However, I don’t think is resembles a drivers rank by perception of skills.
      1. 

         Dom (@3dom)
         24th February 2012, 15:06

         I’m primarily a Hamilton fan but I like webber coz of his openness & honesty in front of the camera. He’s straight-talking.

         Interviewer: if you had to be ruthless to make sure you won the championship, would you.

         Webber: I’d have to say… *blows through cheeks* … Yeah.

         No BS.

         Lewis is my fave driver coz he’s so exciting. Even fans that don’t like him would miss him out on the attack. He may have not had as good a year in 2011. But could overtake well before DRS came along. He’s pure skill!
      2. 

         Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
         24th February 2012, 15:44

         “Button more popular than Alonso”
         how did you figured out this
         that’s only true in the UK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
         1. 

            Aussie Fan
            25th February 2012, 3:44

            Fail, Alonso is not popular because he sffers from “Little Man” syndrome, he needs to know he is the big dawg or else! FAIL for self confidence.
            1. 

               David-A (@david-a)
               25th February 2012, 14:00

               What are you on about?
2. 

   TommyB (@tommyb89)
   24th February 2012, 9:15

   As ever I’ll be supporting Vettel/Hamilton for the championship.

   I’ll also be supporting 2 rookies Ricciardo because he’s awesome and drives for Toro Rosso and Grosjean. I really thought he deserved another chance and his GP2 season was incredible. I’d love to see him challenge Kimi.
3. 

   BluNt (@blunt)
   24th February 2012, 9:15

   seems a tad many di Resta supporters dont you think. hope hulkenberg can change that this season
   1. 

      Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
      24th February 2012, 9:19

      What’s wrong with having a lot of supporters?
      1. 

         Mike (@mike)
         24th February 2012, 10:59

         In that a rookie, who only did so well against his only so good team mate, is more popular than say, All of the other drivers?

         It doesn’t quite add up, I mean, I’ve seen him in an interview, his expression, (and he only has one I should add), makes him seem like he has spotted and is entranced by a large mole on the reporters face…. So that can’t be it. :D
         1. 

            Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
            24th February 2012, 11:55

            When the Sky-BBC deal was first announced, a lot of people talked about how important the British market was to the sport, and the way the arrangement would only push people away. If the British audiences are as important as these people say they are – and, as Keith points out, 35% of posters on the blog identify themselves as British, thereby suggesting this importance is not exaggerated – then, as a British driver, Paul di Resta would have a natural advantage when it comes to popularity.
            1. 

               Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
               24th February 2012, 12:02

               @prisoner-monkeys

               35% of posters on the blog identify themselves as British

               Just to be clear, 35% of visits to the site have been from computers in the UK. I haven’t been asking people what nationality they consider themselves to be!
            2. 

               Le Jimster (@lejimster82)
               24th February 2012, 13:58

               I personally am not a fan of Di Resta and I’m British. I prefer Kobayashi over most of the drivers with the exception of Jenson, I’ll never forget 2009 and his awesome wet races in 2006,2010,2011 especially.

               All I seem to remember about Di Resta is him crashing into other cars last season. Probably being unfair to him their, I’m sure he had some good races.. But nothing special springs to mind.
            3. 

               JCost (@jcost)
               24th February 2012, 14:17

               Not everybody in the world speaks English. One should not take this site as benchmark to determine British fans importance to F1.
            4. 

               Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
               24th February 2012, 22:05

               One should not take this site as benchmark to determine British fans importance to F1.

               But, with 35% of people posting from British computers, surely you can see why di Resta would have so much support on the blog.
   2. 

      Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
      24th February 2012, 11:48

      He’s british, what did you expect?
      1. 

         McLarenFanJamm (@mclarenfanjamm)
         24th February 2012, 12:01

         Didn’t take long…
         1. 

            Mike (@mike)
            24th February 2012, 13:13

            For an obvious conclusion?

            I don’t think that nationality can really alter how people think about issues and debates. I trust people to consider things more than that.

            But favorite drivers is affected, a lot, very visibly.
            1. 

               Mike (@mike)
               24th February 2012, 13:14

               Also, I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, it’s just how it is. And it includes me as well.
4. 

   Girts (@girts)
   24th February 2012, 9:16

   I think I selected Lotus (the team now known as Caterham) as my favourite team last year and, after reading this article, I noticed that I’m still a Lotus (the team formerly know as Renault) fan. I’ve changed that to Caterham but I guess there are maybe more Lotus fans who ain’t Lotus fans anymore.

   Yes, I also find the Lotus naming dispute very very annoying. It must be the weirdest and most confusing thing I’ve experienced in my 15-year long F1 fan career.
   1. 

      disjunto (@disjunto)
      24th February 2012, 10:08

      Same issue here, my old Team Lotus fan vote seems to have transferred over to Lotus instead of Caterham, so can’t really trust the values for the teams much.
      1. 

         Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
         24th February 2012, 10:48

         @disjunto I’m afraid it’s a consequence of the way the FIA has handled the naming row.

         If you’re no longer supporting Lotus because the name Lotus has passed from one team to another (a switch which is extraordinary and, I think, unprecedented in F1) then you can change your stated preference accordingly. I did mention this in the round-up a while ago for exactly this reason.
         1. 

            Girts (@girts)
            24th February 2012, 11:02

            @KeithCollantine I must have missed that round-up, sorry for that. Anyway, this is just another proof for how absurd and childish this whole We’re-the-real-Lotus saga was.
            1. 

               Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
               24th February 2012, 11:19

               @Girts Agreed…
5. 

   Todfod (@todfod)
   24th February 2012, 9:32

   Jesnson, Lewis and Paul at 1,2 & 3 . LMAO
   1. 

      ivz (@ivz)
      24th February 2012, 10:22

      Of course! Its only natural to want to support your own countrymen. If there were more visitors to this site from say Spain, or Australia, the numbers would be different.
6. 

   Brolloks (@brolloks)
   24th February 2012, 9:41

   Satan clearly on McLaren’s side.
7. 

   Jack_Burton (@jack_burton)
   24th February 2012, 9:46

   The self-congratulatory Jensen Button

   The self-aggrandising Lewis Hamilton

   The self-deprecating Seb Vettel.

   I guess the poll question should be, “Which of these drivers are from Britain?”
   1. 

      Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
      24th February 2012, 10:32

      Perhaps followed by a second poll, “Which group of fans are the most bitter at the outcome of this survey?”
      1. 

         LexBlair (@lexblair)
         24th February 2012, 10:40

         +…:)
      2. 

         McLarenFanJamm (@mclarenfanjamm)
         24th February 2012, 12:03

         That’s my COTD :D
      3. 

         Dobin1000 (@dobin1000)
         24th February 2012, 16:40

         As this poll is about people’s favourite drivers, maybe everyone moaning about it should reflect on the fact that it doesn’t actually matter…
8. 

   Cyclops_PL (@cyclops_pl)
   24th February 2012, 9:50

   Kubica, the guy who’s not even on the grid for over a year and most probably won’t be this year is STILL more popular than Vettel.