Who F1 Fanatic readers supported in 2012

2012 F1 season review

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As 2012 draws to a close, here’s a final look at who F1 Fanatic readers were supporting this year.

Drivers

When we last looked at who F1 Fanatic readers were supporting Jenson Button had just become first to pass 1,000 supporters.

Now Lewis Hamilton has passed that milestone too. And Kimi Raikkonen is not far off, having moved up into third place.

Fernando Alonso’s efforts won him a lot of praise this year and he’s moved ahead of Mark Webber in fourth place.

But success doesn’t always lead to popularity. Sebastian Vettel only ranks ninth on the list despite his three world championships.

And despite scoring the first win for Williams in eight years, Pastor Maldonado’s fans here number less than 100.

Jenson Button
1291
Lewis Hamilton
1041
Kimi Raikkonen
916
Fernando Alonso
749
Mark Webber
657
Michael Schumacher
647
Kamui Kobayashi
548
Paul di Resta
527
Sebastian Vettel
525
Heikki Kovalainen
390
Sergio Perez
356
Nico Rosberg
354
Bruno Senna
323
Felipe Massa
267
Daniel Ricciardo
210
Nico Hulkenberg
205
Romain Grosjean
187
Vitaly Petrov
113
Timo Glock
112
Pastor Maldonado
81
Jean-Eric Vergne
57
Narain Karthikeyan
42
Pedro de la Rosa
41
Jerome D’Ambrosio
32
Charles Pic
29

Teams

McLaren and Ferrari remain the top two teams but Mercedes fell behind Red Bull to fifth overall. Will Hamilton’s move boost their popularity next year?

McLaren
1442
Ferrari
711
Lotus
644
Red Bull
534
Mercedes
499
Williams
437
Sauber
419
Force India
338
Caterham
299
Toro Rosso
124
HRT
65
Marussia
64

Over to you

Did you start supporting any new drivers or teams in 2012? Will you change who you’re supporting next year? Have your say in the comments.

Show your support

Want to make sure your driver and team preferences are reflected in these charts? Here’s how to do it:

  • Log in with your F1 Fanatic account (if you don’t have one you can sign up here)
  • Select Edit My Profile from the top-right menu, then select F1 Teams and Drivers
  • Make your selection then click Save Changes

You can now show your support for new 2013 drivers Esteban Gutierrez, Valtteri Bottas and Max Chilton.

2012 F1 season review


Browse all 2012 F1 season review articles

Image © McLaren/Hoch Zwei

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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75 comments on “Who F1 Fanatic readers supported in 2012”

  1. I might have to add Hulkenberg to my drivers if I haven’t already, as well as Lotus! Both impressed me a lot this season and they were great to watch, can we add drivers who will take part next season already Keith? i.e. Bottas?

  2. It’s a .co.uk website so I ain’t surprised ’bout the outcome

    1. Being from the UK (presumably) you will be missing the knowledge that in a lot of other countries which does not have an Alonso or Vettel the majority of support is for Hamilton (And hence McLaren), like here in Latvia, the America and so on. Like it or not he did change the face of F1 when he arrived in 2007. And a lot of people discovered or re-discovered the wonders of F1. Even I was one those who fell for F1 in that “Hamilton arrival” period (2008 to be exact).

      I vividly remember a lot of Hamilton moments. For example the 2008 Spa battle, and the super-enthusiastic conversation about it with my mates, the following day.

      Or in 2009, I remember the noise of the revs bouncing while accelerating on the curbs of the second chicane on the last lap after the purple sector time of 18.6 had popped up… before stuffing it in first Lesmo.

      Even moments like Practice sessions, like the hot lap in Barcelona in 2010 on Friday, or the rare 2011 instance of “Hamilton magic” in the German GP.

      Sure, we don’t see that magic all the time, but while watching the races a lot of people are hoping for crushes, the same way a lot of people are hoping for “Hamilton magic”.

      Yes, all of the top drivers, whom I don’t need to name, have something more and I certainly will appreciate all of them, when they perform, but the excitement Hamilton brings is simply more appealing to people.

      Hamilton is more exciting! That is all it comes down to.

      1. William Brierty
        26th December 2012, 12:18

        Beautifully summarised, but Alonso is more reliable which is why I converted in the later stages of 2011.

        1. No doubt you’ll repent when Ferrari gives him a decent car and he starts winning non stop, and we see the real Alonso again (the one who showed himself in 2007….)

          1. You mean the one we saw in 2005 and 2006? :)

          2. @infy I didn’t really see those years.

          3. What you “saw” in 2007 was what British journalists commented about Alonso, or Ron Dennis said.

            Unfortunately Alonso had to sign a non disclosure agreement to leave McLaren, so he has not been able to tell his side of the story.

            But is significant Ron forced him to sign that to give him his “freedom letter”. I’m still wondering why…

          4. Why is it when we see the worst of a driver’s personality, some people assume that it is “the real them”. You don’t know Alonso personally, so there is no way you can know what “the real Alonso” is like.

      2. mateuss,

        Like it or not [Hamilton]

        I was one those who fell for F1 [in 2008]
        I’m a McLaren fan for almost 20 years mate, plus every of them drivers (First time I’ve been heard – in a magazine – of Hamilton he was 13), so I can easily talk with hindsight.

        I’m just not surprised that Button and Hamilton are 1st and 2nd as a .co.uk website, even Di Resta is ahead of triple world-champ Vettel! So nothing weird there

        1. ‘Di Resta is more popular on a .co.uk website, so no suprise there’
          So is a Finn, a Japanese guy, a German, an Italian and an Australian. Maybe it’s because Vettel is both;
          a) useless at wheel to wheel racing and boring to watch (accounting for Kobyashi’s and Raikkonen’s popularity particularly) and
          b) thoroughly arrogant and unlikable

          1. @sgt-pepper

            a) useless at wheel to wheel racing and boring to watch (accounting for Kobyashi’s and Raikkonen’s popularity particularly)

            He isn’t. Try watching the races next time. In 2009 and 2010 he has made blunders. So did Hamilton in 2011. In fact I’d add that Hamilton made more mistakes in 2011 alone than Vettel did in 2009 and 2010 combined. Does that make Hamilton useless at wheel to wheel racing? Obviously not. Boring to watch is also nonsense. Sure he has had his share of lights to flag, out in front with no contention wins but he has also had numerous races where he has had to fight for wins and good points. This year alone Australia, China, Bahrein, Spain, Belgium, Abu Dhabi and Brazil are fine examples of Vettel’s race craft.

            b) thoroughly arrogant and unlikable

            How is he thoroughly arrogant and unlikable? Does he constantly blame the team when he hasn’t done what he’s supposed to? Does he constantly wave at drivers (or immediately come on the team radio to complain about them) one mile down the road hoping they get a penalty? Does he constantly shout how good he is but his car/team is limiting his fighting capabilities? Does he already claim to be one of the greatest drivers in history? Does he treat his teammates like absolute dogs and demand to be treated as the undisputed #1?
            He doesn’t, does he? You know who does? Yeah, that guy who has now got more supporters than Webber now.

            So no, even if Vettel was thoroughly arrogant and unlikable, that’s not the reason for the little support he gets on this site.

          2. @f1fann
            a) Yes Hamilton make a suprising amount of mistakes in 2011 that’s true, but if you even take two of those races, Abu Dhabi and Brazil it can highlight the point perfectly. In Abu Dhabi every overtake was a clumsy one done with DRS, and he managed to collide with TWO separate cars in traffic, and was simply lucky with safety cars. Then his cohort Christian Horner brough Webber in unnecessarily early to clear him out the way, ruining his race as he was then brought out in traffic. In Brazil he cut straight accross Senna, as he does in all corners – with a sense of arrogant entitlement, which brings us to;

            b) the finger goes without saying, his behaviour at the autosport awards was pretty appalling. He hints at his own ‘greatness,’ though like Schumacher in the Ferrari days he attempts to just ‘hint’ at it, without actually saying it. And he doesn’t have to demand Webber is treated poorly, he’s already in cahoots with the hateful, smug Horner (silverstone 2010 etc etc).
            And no I’m not saying Alonso is hugely likeable (he actually used to be pretty loathesome but he seems to have developed some maturity.)
            “Does he constantly wave at drivers (or immediately come on the team radio to complain about them) one mile down the road hoping they get a penalty?” . Yes!

            And how would you describe his lack of popularity then?

          3. @sgt-pepper

            Christian Horner brough Webber in unnecessarily early to clear him out the way

            As pointed out here before, Webber’s strategy at that point was clearly intended to get him in front of Maldonado, a driver he had already tried and failed to overtake. By pitting him when they did the team were able to get him out in front of Maldonado.

            It is depressingly predictable that some people desperate to discredit Vettel would accuse Red Bull of damaging Webber’s race to help him without bothering to consider the facts. Given Webber had already gone off and lost time trying to pass Maldonado on the track, pitting him when they did was obviously worthwhile, so don’t pretend Red Bull screwed over Webber to help Vettel.

          4. Even if this is true, (and it’s not, Webber still re-emerged behind 3 other drivers, although I can’t remember who, I just remember being livid), how do you explain;
            a) Vettel’s unpopularity in the polls (just interested to know your interpretation)
            b) Silverstone 2010 wing debacle
            c) Blaming Webber for Turkey crash despite it clearly being yet more clumsy and presumptuous driving from Vettel (can’t remember if this was ’10 or ’11.)
            d) Silverstone 2011 team orders.

            And the list goes on…

          5. @sgt-pepper

            I can’t remember who, I just remember being livid

            As you can’t recall the details perhaps you should not be so hasty to judge.

          6. @keithcollantine)
            Fine – Perez, Grosjean and Di Resta. Sometimes my memory is slightly poor, I confess, but you utterly failed to acknowledge a single point I made.

          7. @sgt-pepper Webber was in position to retake the places back from Grosjean and Di Resta because they were running different strategies having made pit stops on the first lap. He had already lost track position to Perez by spinning while trying to pass Maldonado and it is doubtful Red Bull’s strategy could have won him that place back.

            I don’t know what makes you think I have enough free time that every commenter can demand I respond to every new point they raise. When do you suppose I might get everything else done? At any rate I’ve responded to your point on Abu Dhabi in detail and I’m not being dragged into yet another discussion about other topics I’ve addressed many times already in the past.

      3. @mateuss
        I must disagree with that view. In Finland Räikkönen is obviously the most supported driver, but during 2010-2011 most of the Finns were rooting for Vettel (and those who weren’t, supported Button or Alonso).

        This is a .co.uk site, so it’s not surprising that Button and Hamilton are the most supported drivers. But if Hamilton was as popular as you say, it’s hard to see why Button (whose results often aren’t that rousing) is more supported than him.

        1. @idr, I don’t know about it, but if I were team boss, everybody leaving should sign non-disclosure agreements.

          And if this wasn’t standard procedure, I would start it with Alonso, who already ratted my team out…

          Let’s just say that there are several other good reasons than the Hamilton rivalry to make sure Alonso keeps his mouth shut.

          1. They could specify the NDA to everything (technical, operational data etc.) but the spy-scandal so that Alonso could have the chance to give his side of the story and potentially clear his name. After all Spygate is a closed-case, why hide it with an NDA?

      4. I’m from a country with no driver (USA), and I am not a fan of Hamilton or Button.

    2. This might be true for some, but I for one am British and don’t like Hamilton…never have.

    3. Or maybe the British drivers are popular because they’re actually popular, rather than because they’re British and this is a British site. For instance, I’m Australian, but I don’t support either of the Australian drivers. In fact, Jenson Button is my favourite driver.

    4. @jayfreese I am consistently surprised some people think a domain suffix has any bearing on the identity of the visitors to a site.

      1. I have noticed that questioning the identity of the site is a favourite tactic of people who disagree with the results of a poll like this. They don’t like the British drivers, and don’t feel that the British drivers deserve so much support, but upon seeing their popularity among the fans, they try to marginalise the following of those drivers by claiming that because the site is British, the British drivers are naturally going to be favoured, and so the results can be ignored.

        1. @keithcollantine it ioften is, just because of SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

          @prisoner-monkeys “tactic of people who disagree[…]they don’t like british drivers”, I’m from France and I love McLaren and Hamilton, I did adored Button when he started and then joined McLaren, so I ain’t disliking anybody in this field.

          Pic has less supporters than d’Ambrosio.

        2. @prisoner-monkeys

          Well this isn’t a poll so it’s impossible to diagree with. It’s a stat chart.
          It’s the other polls who have lost their appeal. Expecially the DotW poll. When Button or Hamilton win a race they are guaranteed to win the poll no matter how they won the race or what they did. Case in point, Button Canada 2011. Rams his teammate and a world championship contender of the road. Makes other mistakes. Is helped massively by half a dozen Safety Cars and a Red Flag. Has so much of an advantage with DRS that his passes couldn’t even be called that. Then wins on the last lap and walks away with almost 2/3rds of the votes.
          Now, say what you like but do you really think Vettel or Massa or anyone from the lower half of the chart would have gotten anything close to the amount of votes Button got if they had done what Button did? I seriously doubt that.

          I’m not saying every Button or Hamilton supporter will blindly vote for them but there are a lot of them who will vote for them even if they weren’t best of the weekend.

        3. @prisoner-monkeys – As an analytical person you must surely acknowledge the fact that most of the fans support drivers from their own country, especially if they’re competitive.

          I would estimate that 20-40% of F1Fanatic users are British. Is this correct @keithcollantine ? I would also say that German users are a marginal group, which is why Vettel is so low and that there aren’t any big national groups apart from Brits.

          It’s not really that much a domain thing, but those whose mother language is English are more likely to use an English site than those that speak German, French or Spanish.

          I don’t think anyone is saying that in this article as a tactic of any sort, Prisoner Monkeys. This isn’t a poll about who’s the best driver, it’s only a statistic about which drivers are the most supported on this site. It’s only natural to support drivers from one’s own country, I’m Finnish and most of the time I support Räikkönen.

          1. :) thanks for the support, i am ranskalainen

  3. Little love for Marussia….Which i find quite surprising because I quite like them.

  4. OmarR-Pepper (@)
    26th December 2012, 14:31

    I’m a Vettel fan, and I’ve read other blogs (not German just in case) where Vettel is treated a little better than here (I would say at the same level of Alonso or Hamilton);I’m not talking about Keith, because his fairness when talking about every driver should be an example for everyone (me included when I felt kind of a sore loser sometimes Vettel didn’t do well).
    But what really surprises me is that most of the time, when Hamilton is compared to Button, Button is demolished by 90% of bloggers. Yet we see he has more supporters than Lewis.
    Many times I have read when Keith defends the neutral opinions we read on this blog, he has even prepared a couple of charts showing the members by nationality to support the “NOT-SO-UK” theory.
    But to see McLaren doubling Ferrari fans (and you can check anywhere how Ferrari is slightly more supported than McLaren worldwide, even when I dislike the Cavalino team) makes you wonder where the results of this support get distorted.

    1. Button may not have as many on-track achievements as Hamilton. But he is a much more likable personality.

      I am not from UK, but I like Button thanks to his off-track demeanor. He never blasts his team, whether on the radio or to the press. His interviews are always fun to read and listen to. I remember one moment in 2010 or 2011 when during a grid walk at Singapore just moments before the race was about to start, DC came up to JB and asked about how humid it was. And JB made fun of him saying, “It must be so tough for you to sit in an A/C box and do commentary, isn’t it David?”.

      I find Vettel likable for the same reason. Both Vettel and Button seem to be easy-going individuals. Vettel probably wasn’t like this in 2010 but he has certainly calmed down since then.

      1. Button is more mature than Hamilton in terms of personality and class. I am/was a Button fan, but I accept Hamilton is generally faster and doesn’t need things to be near perfect to win. Although there are times when Button gets everything right in terms of setup etc and he is next to unbeatable.

        I guess the reason why Vettel is perceived negatively over here is because we aren’t really sure where he truly rates in performance. For the most part he iisn’t amazing when the car isn’t the fastest. But when it is he’s unbeatable. He’s a good driver, but his titles exagerrate his skill level. In all honesty, I believe Hamilton, Kimi and Alonso are better than Vettel.. Thats down to style of driving, aggressiveness, ability in traffic and ability to get the best out of inferior machinery.

  5. I’m one of those who “number less then a hundred” as Kieth so eloquently put it :)

    My list for next year will be as follows,
    Teams:
    – Williams, because I love history, underdogs and comeback stories
    – Lotus, for their lineup, underdog position and (asumed) heritage
    – McLaren, for Perez’ and button

    Drivers:
    – Raikonnen, who can’t love a man who “knows wat he’s doing
    – Grosjean, seriously fast
    – Maldonado, he’s got cahones
    – Hulkenberg, he deserves a win

    1. I too am in the group of 81 Pastor Maldonado supporters.

      Just remember, in 2000 Jenson Button was the next big thing. Then he didn’t win every race so interest disappeared… A victory, a championship, giving Hamilton a good run for his money over three years and a heavy dose of charm, and he’s the most popular man in the sport.

      I backed him from day one and stuck by him. I’ll do the same with Maldonado.

      F1 fans are a fickle bunch at times. I just hope Pastor stops crashing soon and rewards my patience like JB did =P

      1. Maldo has calmed down when it comes to crashing, the problems he has been due to all the penalties he gets himself into during qualifying putting him at the wrong end of the grid. If I was him I’d be worried in 2013, he needs to put everything together because Bottas looks seriously quick.

        1. I was just brought back to this thread, because someone commented on it and it popped up in my email inbox.

          Bottas has been added to my supported driver list, so it’s win/win for me.

          …As long as they don’t hit each other!

          (I personally feel quite excited by the Williams lineup. Hopefully Bottas will be fast from day one and capable of pushing Maldonado to great things).

    2. very funny very well put. Agree regarding Grosjean, given the opportunity he will be world champion one day and a better one than Vettel IMO

  6. I was supporting MGP last three seasons, especially because of MSC. I believed that “silver arrow” would become better every year, but that did not happen. So, as MSC has retired and Rosberg did not impress me, I will start supporting Sauber (because of rising star Hulkenberg) and McLaren (because of Perez).

  7. looks like the driver i support get in trouble : ( since 1997 i supported Giancarlo Fisichella. he did not make a rational decision by signing to Ferrari, and finally got out of the sport. in the meantime i began to like the style of Nick Heidfeld, and was absolutley delighted with his return to the sport at the end of 2010, then he was simply elbowed out of Renault because of financial reasons. from the very first time Kamui Kkobayashi appeared in F1, i cannot not admiring his skills and talent, so without the above 2, i certainly supported him, but looks like he did not caught the attention of those two teams remaining with vacant seats.

    maybe i need to start supporting Sebastian Vettel, and sooner or later the Red Bull hegemony could be over :P

    1. @andrewt

      laughs! (for all parts)

    2. Andrew I am the same, but I am a Webber fan hence him not winning the WDC in the fastest car, and a Shuie fan, but only since his comeback!

    3. As a Heidfeld, and Kobayashi (Alguersuari too!) fan, I’ll be happy to join you in “supporting” Vettel next year!

      At least Pastor still has his ride!

  8. As an ardent football fan also, I do love how in F1 my support is far more transient. Been a big fan of Kovalainen this season and as a result Caterham as a team. Not as interested in McLaren as I was in the first season Button signed, although he’s still my favourite driver. Looking forward to seeing how Marussia crack on next year, how Pic does as Caterham and always want to see Williams do well.

    In football my team could never change, but I like in F1 who I support can change race by race. Of course that’s often because it’s anyone but Vettel.

  9. I’ve been supporting Schumacher since 1997 when I first started and still did until he retired again this year.

    Add to that:
    – I became a full-time Vettel fan
    – I always liked Hulkenberg but now I’m also full-time supporting him.
    – Admire Red Bull Racing much more considering what they’ve achieved to date.
    – I like the Lotus team more now…especially with their drivers (I know Grosjean needs work, and of course Raiko is tops)
    – The Biggest One: I became deconverted from being a Ferrari fan…at least temporarily. I’ll be back one day. (Not sure why, this would’ve been a great year as a fan)

    1. @serv You’ll be back when Vettel moves to Ferrari (just like a lot of other Schumi-Ferrari fans, really, including me). ;)

      As for me, while I do have a preference for Vettel (for he is, IMHO, the ultimate sign of Schumacher’s legacy), I’ll be more of a neutral for now. That was my plan the first time Schumi retired, but ended up supporting people linked to Schumacher (especially Massa in 2008 and Brawn GP in 2009, the latter segueing very nicely to Mercedes GP and Schumacher in 2010). I’m not sure if I can support 2013-spec Lewis (whereas I loved the 2007-spec Lewis) even if he is with Ross at Mercedes.

  10. Hamilton and Mclaren fan. I was disgusted by Mclaren’s this year and I will be supporting Mercedes next year. I hope it won’t be as painful!

    1. Same here mate. Next year will be interesting us fans have nothing to lose haha.

    2. Mercedes need to get off to a good start and be able to keep there development pace up. Maybe the new engineers etc will help them do this. I have to agree McLaren have been terrible in terms of reliability for Hamilton this season, and some of Whitmarsh’s comments really ticked me off.

  11. Always fun of Jenson Button.(l am not from U.K.) I don’t care if he is first or not,as long as he is “coming home” safe and as long as he loves the smell of the oil of his childhoods kart!!! I want to see a surprising good pace from Caterham,but I am very old to express the reasons… For those who understand “I’m not a number hey…I’m a free man”…!

    1. no prisoners here

  12. I don’t really support (or oppose) any drivers or teams. The fun of F1 is in the process and in the contest – I can’t imagine being especially happy or upset regardless of who wins in 2013. Looking forward to another exciting season.

  13. Being from India, i don’t have any special connection to Jenson button , but still support him because of the fairy-tale nature in which he won in 2009 and renewed my interest in the sport. Lewis Hamilton is a great racer who hasn’t got his share of championships. So i support him too. But after this season i have very little doubt who my #1 driver is. Sebastian Vettel has the intensity and professionalism that i don’t see in other drivers. he has showcased a number of great drives too. He a great driver who has no other interest in life than driving( it seems so to me ).

  14. Having been reminded by this article, I just updated my profile. As a Hamilton fan, I transferred my support from McLaren to Mercedes; not that I suddenly have anything against McLaren, but Lewis’s move to Mercedes will be painful if McLaren suddenly start to conquer all (imagine if Button wins three titles on the trot in a dominant McLaren – ouch!).

    Also, I’ve added Romain Grosjean and Nico Hulkenberg as drivers I support. The latter is an obvious choice – likeable and very talented, but I like Grosjean also, and even though he made a couple of stupid moves last year, on the whole I thought the criticism he received was exaggerated, and I think he’s a nice bloke too – certainly none of his incidents were of the car-as-a-weapon variety.

    1. Mclaren winning three titles in a row? LOL

  15. I think there are a few reasons why F1Fanatic has more McLaren fans than Ferrari.

    For starters they are perceived to be the fairer team, McLaren have a fairly open view that they have 2 number 1 drivers and they will support them both and although DC won’t be too happy about this comment, for the most part they’ve kept to it.

    Ferrari on the other hand are the beautifully elite brand who keep on aiming a gun at their feet and somehow only ever get grazed! Don’t get me wrong, they are a great team that have achieved amazing things, but in the last few races of this year alone, they gave Massa the undeserved Gearbox penalty and controversially supported the Italian Navy in India. Not to mention depriving Massa of one of the most perfectly timed comeback wins in the history of the sport (something he still hasn’t got over).

    They are both amazing teams, but the F1Fanatic sees more than the casual fan and I think this is borne out by these results.

    1. Thanks for pointing this out @kennyg, for me this is exactly why I like McLaren better than Ferrari (although its quite annoying how they keep failing to grab their chances/fail by their own mistakes so often).

    2. controversially supported the Italian Navy in India

      I actually admired that gesture from Ferrari. Yes, it violated certain rules but to make a statement sometimes one has to ignore the regulations. I haven’t really read into what the details of the “crime” the navy persons committed but I found it nice that the symbol of Italian motorsport was supporting their navy.

      Apart form that I agree in all respects.

  16. Drivers:
    Sebastian Vettel
    Kimi Raikkonen
    Heikki Kovalainen
    Nico Hulkenberg

    Teams:
    Red Bull
    Lotus
    Caterham

  17. 2012 was the first year of me supporting Renault…er, Lotus…er, Team Enstone.

  18. I’ve just updated my profile:

    Drivers:
    +Hulkenberg
    Schumi
    Vettel
    Webber

    Teams:
    +RBR
    -Mercedes

    I’m a BMW fan (in general) and jumped to Mercedes when BMW left the sport. My support was consolidated with Schumi’s signing and my general admiration for him. I also respected Nobert Haug, back in the Mika/DC days at McLaren Mercedes (in his role at Merc) and Ross Brawn from the Schumi days at Benetton/Ferrari.

    Since Schumi has retired (again), and the mutual departure of Nobert Haug, I feel as though I can’t support Merc next year, I’m not much of a Ham fan, and Rosberg isn’t a #1 driver in my view. Although Ross Brawn is still there and I think, given any technical improvements in the car, he can certainly push the team forward like he did at Benetton/Ferrari, but it isn’t enough for me to remain a Merc fan. I’ll jump onto the RBR bandwagon for now, as I support both drivers, and think Adrian Newey is a genius, also Christian Horner is certainly building up his career as team principal quite nicely, I think he has learned a lot and is becoming a force to be reckoned with, although I do think Newey does propel that team forward.

    1. I forgot to mention that the Hulk is starting to find his feet in F1, I followed him when he dominated the A1GP series, it has taken him a bit, to get into the right team and the right direction in F1, but Brazil 2012 certainly showed his prowess, I am genuinely excited about the prospects of what this young individual could bring to the paddock :)

  19. Whenever this post comes on each year (though is this only the 2nd year? Either way) it always reminds me who I should have added to my list at the beginning of the season. So technically my picks are a season out each time, because I only add them to the list after the season’s over! Haha

  20. Senna has more fans than Massa? Now that’s sad. What did Felipe do wrong?

  21. Chris (@tophercheese21)
    27th December 2012, 4:22

    Even though Hamilton is far and away my favourite driver, I started to really like and support Alonso in the last quarter of the year, because of how well he drove. Made almost no mistakes and drove the Ferrari harder than possible, and his ability to rally his team around him when things were tough, constantly motivating and pushing them.

    Also I don’t understand why people keep saying Alonso has been a sore loser, when he has given praise to Vettel several times congratulating him on winning the title. He was composed and smiling on the podium in brazil. What’s he done wrong?

  22. I began watching Formula 1 in 1997, supporting Mika Hakkinen as I found his personality to be the most endearing of that crop of drivers. Upon realising that Mika’s career was coming to a close I searched for a new driver to follow. I chose Fernando Alonso in 2001 due to a series of very professional performances and was extremely happy when he signed with Benetton. At the French GP in 2002, I remember that news broke that Jenson Button was to be dropped by Renault, to be replaced by Alonso. I had a great sense of satisfaction that day, as I believed that Alonso had great potential to rival Raikkonen as the coming man in the sport. The 2003 season was exceptional and when Fisichella was announced as Alonso’s team-mate for 2005 I thought we would have a great marker of which to judge his talent. I remain extremely impressed with his 2004 season for Sauber. From there, we have had many up-and-downs but the wait for the win and being proven correct about a childhood judgement has kept alive my belief in supporting a driver from day one and never stopping. I watched Fernando evolve from a shy boy into a great champion into the best driver of his generation. This is why I support him so thoroughly, and I intend to follow the career of Antonio Felix Da Costa equally closely.

  23. It’s interesting that Kobayashi, who has been unable to find a seat for 2013, has more fans here than the three-time world champion Vettel and that Kovalainen, another driver whose future is uncertain, has more supporters than the new McLaren driver Perez.

  24. People like who they like, for various reasons, not always because of the nationality so why does it matter if ‘your’ driver isn’t the most popular? I’m English and I don’t support either of my country men, although I do think Button seems a thoroughly decent chap.
    And why do some Vettel fans continue to be disgruntled at any criticism he gets? If I were a fan I’d just smile and ignore it. Plus just because he’s not that popular here doesn’t mean fans hate him, they simply prefer other drivers.

    1. @katederby

      And why do some Vettel fans continue to be disgruntled at any criticism he gets? If I were a fan I’d just smile and ignore it.

      Very well said. I think it’s clear that the overwhelming majority of F1 Fanatics respect Vettel’s achievements and acknowledge that he is a great driver, even if they’re not his fans. For sure, there will always be some that choose to ignore the facts but it’s just inevitable. Constant complaints about how ‘people don’t like Vettel’ are as annoying as claims that Vettel is a mediocre driver, who doesn’t deserve to be world champion.

    2. Plus just because he’s not that popular here doesn’t mean fans hate him, they simply prefer other drivers.

      Personally I loathe him, and was sickened to see him win a third, undeserved title. Also on a side-note, I really like Button’s personality, but would actually like to see Webber win a WDC most, followed by a couple from Hamilton. The former because he’s just a straight-up, nice guy who’s been repeatedly screwed over by the insipid Horner, and Hamilton because his ability isn’t matched by his amount of championships.

      Sadly 2013 doesn’t look hugely promising to an anti-Vettel, and I’ve made a pact with myself to boycott the 2013 season if the new RB dominates the first three qualifyings.

  25. My vote will go to Bernd Mayländer as he is the driver who often leads the field when rain wreck havoc.

  26. How come theres no love for Marussia? They by far have the best car livery with the crimson red and black looking brilliant. Hopefully with Pat onboard for next year Timo can finally be given some half decent machinery. Max Chilton also seems an exciting prospect. Furthermore how come 124 people like Toro Rosso? They are practically a Red Bull breeding ground and there livery is revolting and a rip off compared to that of Red Bull.

  27. Button ahead of Hamilton? And di Resta ahead of Vettel? Wow. Very interesting results there.

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