The 2012 Formula One season is reaching its halfway stage, and the race for the title is starting to fall neatly into place.
A season that has been consistently inconsistent has brought seven different winners from nine races, making for one of the most open title battles in years.
All the usual suspects look to be in contention, Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes-Benz and Lotus-Renault have all posted strong results in the nine Grand Prix events this season. Judging by their history, it is a race that McLaren should be contending comfortably, but after the British Grand Prix it is fair to say that they are a team in turmoil.
A bright start in the opening three races suggested a year which would be dominated by the British outfit, but when has Formula One ever been straightforward?
Since his victory in Melbourne, Jenson Button’s season has fallen apart with the Brit scoring just one further podium, a second place at the Chinese Grand Prix in April. Since then, the results have plummeted for Button, dropping him to eighth in the Championship, with just 50 points.
The slide in form has been a constant problem for Button since he joined McLaren at the start of 2010, producing lots of promise with little reward. His fluid, efficient driving style has also suffered this season, as the Pirelli tyres have brought no respite for the 32-year-old.
Teammate Lewis Hamilton has had better luck, scoring four podiums, with an unlikely victory at the Canadian Grand Prix being the Brit’s best result so far.
The problem is that the occasional victory is not good enough for a team that has become used to getting results and winning titles. The poor form and the low morale at the team have set the rumour mill in motion early this year.
Lewis Hamilton has been a man in demand, being linked with several teams including Lotus-Renault, Ferrari and Mercedes-Benz. That speculation has lead the team to go on the defensive, stating this week that Hamilton will be staying with the team next season.
However the fact remains that he is out of contract at the end of the year and up for grabs to any of the teams around him. The British connection might be the only factor which makes the 27-year-old stay on with the team in 2013 and beyond.
As for Button his future looks even more uncertain, an abysmal run of form has left him looking frustrated with the car, the team and worst of all with himself. At 32, Button is not exactly old, but in sporting terms he is fighting against a stream of younger drivers, something which is soon to be a menacing flood.
The young upstarts will look more appealing to the top teams next year, as the likes of Romain Grosjean, Sergio Perez, Kamui Kobayashi and dare I suggest Pastor Maldonado have all made their mark in the Championship this year.
If Button is likely to move to pastures new then it will be his experience and his clean, smooth driving style which will tempt the teams to sign him up, but there can be no guarantees.
However, there is a more radical solution to the problems which Hamilton and Button have faced this season, they could cut and run from Formula One.
It is a controversial suggestion, but in the last few years we’ve seen a string of ex F1 drivers make a transition to other formulae and championships, with varying degrees of success.
Kimi Raikkonen and David Coulthard have probably been the highest profile drivers to leave F1 in recent years to take on a new challenge. Coulthard spending his ‘retirement’ with Mercedes-Benz in the German DTM series, while Raikkonen lead a very public exit from Formula One to take on the might of the WRC, with little success.
Now while this alternative option is a little radical for Hamilton and Button, it would give them a new challenge away from the politics of Formula One. However realistically both Hamilton and Button will stay in the sport next year, but the team they will be driving for is anyone’s guess.
What are your thoughts? Will Button and Hamilton be with McLaren? Comment below to have your say
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/KLAEEkeBfCw/has-the-title-become-a-distant-dream
Giulio Cabianca Phil Cade Alex Caffi John CampbellJones Adri·n Campos
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