F1 Fanatic

This is gonna be hard to choose from:

- Sauber’s revival. Any circumstance that makes Peter Sauber shed tears of joy has to be a “best moment”. Sauber showing potential for the first time since the BMW era and emerging from the midfield (even though not entirely) is great for the sport. It’s great to watch. It has helped Perez get a seat with a top team and has created a climate of anticipation and excitement around the paddock. Well done, Sauber!

- Alonso’s win in Malaysia. That’s how you prove you’re the best driver on the grid.

- Rosberg’s win. Probably the most overdue and expected performance this season both for Rosberg and Mercedes, in a brilliant race. Too bad it came to nothing afterall.

- The podium in Valencia. Ok, it was a hectic race, but those podium pictures will be looked at as being golden in 5-10 years from now. Seeing Schumacher return to the podium in the same context as seeing Alonso taking such an emotional win and Raikkonen doubling up his best performance of the year. That’s priceless.

- Perez’s drive in Monza. Remember how everyone was talking about Perez not being allowed to take Fernando on? Well, I do and I’m always a sucker for a speculation-killer. And Perez’s drive in Italy did just that. Great to watch, had an after-effect.

Notable mentions: Maldonado’s win, Schumacher’s pole lap in Monaco.

As some have already mentioned, the seven different winners in the first seven races was of course a highlight.

The Valencia race, without a doubt – it had everything. And the podium at the end of it, the emotion, the fact that the top three drivers were the oldest of the six champions on the grid. It was a beautiful race.

Kobayashi’s podium. Enough said.

Similarly, Massa’s podium was another highlight for me personally.

The Monza duel between Vettel and Alonso. Gotta say, those two don’t really fight each other on the track much but when they do, it’s always exhilarating.

Canadian GP – a straight up, edge of your seat battle with the top three drivers in the sport. Couldn’t ask for much more.

There are plenty of others but off the top of my head, that’s what came to me.

Kobayashi’s podium in Suzuka. The ceremony and the crowd chanting was amazing.

Maldonado’s performances in Spain. Winning Barcelona and taking out Hamilton on the last lap at Valencia.

One was awesome, the other completely hilarious, both were memorable.

The best, most heart-warming moments for me so far have been Alex Zanardi winning his gold medals and, within F1, Williams winning again.

I hope the best is yet to come, like it was in 2008, and we get a clean and memorable deciding round. It would be a bonus to end up with two fitting champions: Alonso the champion driver and Red Bull as champion constructor.

For me it was Hamilton in Hungary and Austin.

We could go on & on about this season – but to name a few personally:

-Schumacher’s pole in Monaco sent me hysterical to the point where I was laughing on my way to the bathroom because simply it was unexpected. I was really elated for him & great for the nature of the season at that point.

-Button’s serene & sublime drive in Australia was one that thought he built on his 2011 form & taken himself up another level, little did we know ultimately that would not come to fruition sufficiently, with his form vanishing in mid-season & from that point, even with the upgrades at Hockenheim coupled with the fact that he revealed that the MP4-27 was the hardest McLaren chassis he’s driven, culminated in inconsistency.

-Rosberg isolating himself in China from the overwhelming field that consisted of different tyre strategies, to claim his maiden win that quite frankly originated from his near-perfect pole lap.

-Alonso carrying the Spanish flag with pure humanity on the team radio, after his emphatic & valiant win at Valencia coming through the field & being in the right position to make the most of Vettel & Grosjean’s misfortunes with their alternators.

-Hamilton deservedly earning his elusive win in regards to one for departing McLaren, via fighting through wheel to wheel combat with both Red Bulls, particularly with Vettel in the latter stages of the race, really loved seeing the two fighting in almost equal machinery as well as being on the same type of strategy.

-For overtakes, Alonso on Grosjean at Valencia & Massa on Senna at Singapore were one of calculation & audacity respectively. Other laudable mentions are Vettel on Rosberg at Australia, Hamilton on Alonso at Silverstone & Hamilton on the two Toro Rossos at Spain whilst making his way from the back of the grid after the exclusion from qualifying.

-Mayhem & Hysteria? I’d go for the first corner massacre at Spa & the Williams’ fire at Spain after the race, I don’t think any others will be superior to those although on the other hand, Safety was one of extreme importance in both, in which called for Motorsport to seek for potential increments to improve safety further.

-One that is the most peculiar: I constantly watch Hamilton’s pole lap in Australia and wonder that, that was the point where I think in hindsight ‘little did I know the season that was in store’ & actually think of it, as a McLaren fan, as well as the front-row lockout as a distant memory given the absurd season McLaren went on to have and that the front-row lockout in Interlagos today was just a full circle.

Have to add this:

Brazilian Grand Prix – unbelievable. A very close championship fight, mixed conditions, collisions, spins, battles, fight for victory, Hulkenberg’s drive, everything. The best race I’ve ever witnessed.