F1 Fanatic

Let’s say you had the chance to be an F1 driver for 1 whole season. In this season, you will win 3 races, and be teammate to a world champion (out of the 5 currently on the grid – Alonso; Button; Hamilton; Vettel; Schumacher)

If you could choose, which 3 races would you win? In what conditions? Also, who would you pick as teammate?

I would love to pick Vettel, and I would win in Spa, Suzuka and Monaco

Interesting. Why Nurburgring?

I’d probably pick Jenson Button as my team-mate. I think he’s very under-rated, and he’s always got something interesting to say.

For my three wins, I would probably pick Brazil as my first one. It would be in variable conditions; a scrambled qualifying session would see me start last, and then a mid-race downpour would change everything completely. I would completely screw up the strategy and have to make an extra stop, but then I would rise up with a brilliant drive that would go down in history as one of the all-time greats (hey, it’s my fantasy!).

For my second win, I would have to say Spain. It would be hot and dry in Barcelona, and Fernando Alonso would dominate the entire weekend – but a cunning strategy puts me in contention, and I steal the win away from Alonso in the dying moments of the race. Indeed, most of Spain believe that he has won it. However, I need armed bodyguards when we visit Valencia later in the season.

Finally, I would win the first race at the Circuit of the Americas. 2012 is the earliest that I could join the championship. It would be an unusual race, cool and dry, but the challenge would come in near gale-force winds that present a headwind down the main straight (and thus hit the cars laterally across the high-speed bends).

I’d have Schumacher as my team mate because…why not?

My first win would be in Sepang. I’d qualify only 5th but a decent start and blistering early pace would see me in the lead by lap 12. I’d cruise away and easily take the win by a dozen or so seconds.

My second would be in Valencia. I qualify third and manage to take the lead off the start. However, my race pace is mediocre and Alonso is all over the back of me. At half distance however, his car develops a minor fault which costs him a few tenths a lap and releases the pressure on me. I just hold on to take the win by a 2 seconds.

My third win would be at a wet but drying Monza. I lead from pole, but Hamilton passes me on lap 4 and streaks off into the distance on a wet but drying track. On lap 24 Button pits for slicks from 4th place and immediately begins setting purple sectors. This causes a flurry of activity in the pits and most of the field, except for myself, Jarno Trulli and Felipe Massa pit for slicks. Out in the lead, Hamilton is pushing hard to minimize the time loss to the rest of the field and spins on the entry to Ascari, breaking his suspension on the inside barrier and ending up beached on the kerb. The incident is controversially covered under double waved yellows, during which period it begins to lightly rain again. Every other driver has to re pit for inters and myself, Trulli and Massa rise up to 1st, 2nd and 3rd, having not pitted at all. With 6 laps to go my tyres, now well past their best are beginning to become difficult in the lightly damp conditions and Trulli, who had looked after his tyres well, was reeling me in. I just make it to the line 1.4 seconds in the lead ahead of Trulli, and Massa ended up 5th after a late tyre change gamble failed to work.

I’d choose Schumacher, because it seems easy to beat him in the same machinery at the moment, making me look epicly good.

And I’d choose to win Silverstone, as it’s my home track. Monaco, because it’s Monaco, and Suzuka, because it’s such a hard track to get right.

I’d take on Alonso… and win. 8)

Win Brazil, Suzuka and Silverstone.

Alonso as my team mate.

Monaco in the wet. Ideally it would be absolutely chucking it down and full wet conditions throughout the race and I’d come through the back after having to start at the back thanks to an engine failure in Q1. Hopefully I’d nick the win from Hamilton as I’m still annoyed that it rained at Monaco in 08 when Massa was on pole and it all went wrong :P

Monza in the dry from pole and complete domination.

Brazil on a drying track but only after qualifying 5th. Button would switch to slicks far too early and end up spinning and going right to the back. A combination of great speed, aggressive passing and switching tyres at the right moment means that I take the lead two thirds of the way through and never look back.

I would take Schuamcher as my teammate or Button as a second preference as they both seem pretty beatable ;)

I’d love to win at Monaco, Spa and India