Shaping up to a great championship end

The 2012 Abu Dhabi GP has got to go down as one of the most exciting I’ve watched recently. There have been plenty of great races over the last few years, and this one definitely ranks up near the top. There was plenty of incident, passing, strategy, outright speed, and down right crazy driving: everything that draws me into the sport.

I’m really happy to see that Kimi has finally cracked it and won his first GP since he left. I think went he left F1, it was because he wasn’t enjoying the environment anymore, and his driving had just become so lacklustre. Even though he shows next to no emotion, you could sense the great deal of determination he carried during the race, not in the least through the remarkable radio contact with his race engineer, telling him to pipe down so he could concentrate on winning the race! Though he might be quite an oddball, it’s clear he’s a tremendous driving, and though I might have detested him when he was at McLaren, his Ferrari years put him in my good books, and I think I might just have to stick my neck out and say that I really hope that Lotus delivers a great package to him next year so he can take it one step further and really push for the championship.

As for Vettel’s race: I don’t even know where to begin. What an action-packed day he had! And I just don’t understand how he managed to work his way so easily through the field; incredible car no doubt! He was of course helped out by the two safety-car situations. I think he would have lost a few more positions if the field hadn’t been bunched up both times. That would actually have made the race a whole lot more interesting though IMHO, because I think it would have been more desperate towards the end (not that the end, with Vettel’s pass on Button and Alonso closing in on Kimi, wasn’t awesome!). I just think that if Vettel was a few places lower, the driving might have been a bit more desperate, to ensure that he didn’t concede more WC points to Alonso.

Alonso I think got the best he could out of the car. It’s clear that he’s got the slower car compared to Vettel, and I think that is what will make this one of the greatest championships ever if Alonso actually manages to pull it off. You never know, but I think it’s unlikely, as I think 10 points is just a bit too much. That might be short-sighted though, as we’re going to a new track in Austin, and Brazil has always had it’s fair share of drama. A bit of rain would be a bad idea during the next two races!

Anyway, as a last note, it’s sad to see how Schumi is bowing out. Clearly, he doesn’t have a lot of pace, but even when he’s in a relatively good position, the car lets him down; in this race, a puncture leaving him with little chance of making some decent points. Oh well, I guess all us Schumi fans will just have to forget that this little post-retirement episode ever happened.

So, couple of weeks to go …. can’t wait! BRING ON AUSTIN!!!

PS: I so wish I was in Austin now!