2012 Wishlist

Michael Wise takes a look ahead and picks out four F1 wishes he wants to see realised in 2012.

That the world championship is snatched from Sebastian Vettel's grasp For lots of us, New Year is a time of optimism. It's the time when we try and turn over a new leaf. Perhaps, after a hectic festive period, we wish to adopt a healthier lifestyle, or maybe our ambitions are more general still: simply to be kinder and more understanding to our fellow man - a rather less painful hangover from the season of goodwill. Positive sentiments the lot of them but invariably, be it a matter of hours, days or weeks later, the wheels start to fall off. Alcohol re-enters the bloodstream; the gym sessions start to dry up; a man wearing earphones on a packed train turns round and whacks you in the face with his daysack. Perhaps that tipping point, that reversion to type, has been reached already with the utterance of the following statement: Sebastian Vettel must not win the world championship this year. Much like the annoyance directed at the oblivious, uncoordinated commuter, the feeling isn't personal. Vettel is clearly a brilliant driver and appears a great guy to boot: intelligent, articulate, dedicated, modest and seemingly never without a smile. But then he's had a lot to smile about these past couple of years, hasn't he? Even then, one suspects the kind of success that brought 11 victories in 19 races hasn't gone to his head the way it might to some. And yet, do those of us who have no affiliation with Vettel or Red Bull really want more of the same in 2012? There's every reason to suspect that the partnership will be right there once more this year, so if Vettel is going to lose then it could well happen late in the season and perhaps even at the last race - circumstances much the same as those in which he won it the first time. Snatched from his grasp at the very last race, in other words. Wishing someone to fail in such a manner sounds harsh, and does rather set oneself up in the karmic sense, but it's time someone else got the biggest slice of the pie. The chances are that Vettel would handle such a setback with much the same aplomb as he has everything else in his career to date and come back stronger. Now there's a thought. That the gloves come off between Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button An irony is that this outcome is one that Vettel would probably relish. McLaren's dream team of British world champions enters its third season, but the relationship between Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button has yet to be properly tested. Yes, the pair have kept very close company on several occasions but their on-track battles have appeared the sort - controlled, precise and professional-looking - you would imagine might go down well on the McLaren pit wall, even if the face of team boss Martin Whitmarsh might suggest otherwise. The notable exception came during last year's Canadian Grand Prix but the fact that Button went on to win the race in sensational fashion did rather dig Whitmarsh out of a hole in terms of any fallout that might have stemmed from his drivers' collision. Hamilton even made an appearance during the closing laps to cheer on his team-mate and the happy camp McLaren have sought to emphasise was retained. But while both drivers have been multiple race winners during the past two seasons, with Hamilton even an outside title contender in 2010, they have not been given cars able to match the might of Red Bull. Hopefully this will change this coming season and McLaren will become a genuine threat once more. The downside of such success, though, is managing the demands of two title-chasing superstars. The general consensus is that Hamilton had a woeful 2011: collisions on the track, personal problems away from it and bested for the first time in his career by a team-mate who appeared sublime at times. It's worth remembering that Hamilton still won three races - the same number as Button. Assuming he can smooth out the rough edges, the delivery of a winning car would pit him against a driver who now seems as at home at McLaren as Hamilton himself has been for years. Hamilton is the quicker driver; Button uses his brain more. Loose parallels can be drawn with Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, although the feeling is that the personalities of the main players would mitigate a falling out as dramatic as theirs. Yet such situations do tend to generate friction. It's a dilemma McLaren know all too well - indeed it's one they seek to promote. How might they cope if the stakes are ratcheted up this year? That the returning Kimi Raikkonen serves as F1's wild card In terms of a title fight, the 2010 season was a high-water mark for F1, with four drivers all in with a shout heading into the final race. But the fact they all drive for the three leading teams underlines the difficulty rivals face in challenging the supremacy of (right now) Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari during a period of relative technical stability. One man who seemed on a mission to peck away at the pecking order, however, was Robert Kubica, with his yellow and black Renault often a welcome interloper in amongst the usual suspects. The chance to see whether Kubica could do the same last season was cruelly denied us and with no-one else stepping up to the plate, the grip of the top three teams was tightened. The idea of Raikkonen, now back in F1 after two years spent rallying, being the joker in the pack is an alluring one: a former world champion, fans' favourite and in possession of a sort of mumbling anti-charisma all his own when plonked in front of the world's media, the Finn has shown in the past that he can light up the track like few others when the mood takes him. Alas, his rallying hiatus aside, it appears that the 32-year-old hasn't really appeared in the mood since his 2007 title success and it's therefore fair to say the gamble taken by Renault/Lotus - desperately in need of a big name in Kubica's continued absence - is a large one. Can they produce a car good enough to rouse the somnambulant one from his slumber? He's young enough to do it all again, but only if he really wants to. That the returning Nico Hulkenberg might actually stay put this time The notion of the 'pay driver' is not a new one. There was a time when so-called gentleman drivers lurked on the grid, well off the pace but in possession of wealth that was much-needed in what was then still a minority sport. Much about F1 has changed in the last 40-plus years, but one constant is that it remains ruinously expensive. Money still talks loudest of all but professionalism has also deepened the talent pool. When was the last time you remember an F1 driver who appeared hopelessly out of their depth? Television revenue and sponsorship are now the primary sources of income but some teams, particularly those a little further down the grid, are still not averse to selecting a driver who brings money with him, even if he is not their first choice. Such a scenario explains Williams' decision to drop Nico Hulkenberg at the end of 2010 and replace him with Pastor Maldonado - a good driver to be sure but not as good as Hulkenberg. Maldonado succeeded Hulkenberg as GP2 champion and, as such, deserves his F1 shot. Yet it took the Venezuelan four years to win that title. He was trounced by Hulkenberg in 2009 when the pair were team-mates and the German won F1's feeder category at the first attempt. Having been dealt an injustice and sidelined as Force India's reserve driver last year, Hulkenberg has been promoted for 2012, when he will come up against a driver of similar age and experience in Paul di Resta. That was certainly not the case in Hulkenberg's debut season, when he finished well down on Rubens Barrichello in the standings - a result which formed a perception that the rookie's performance had been a tad underwhelming. Barrichello might be Methusela in F1 terms but 18 years of experience (as it was then) does count for rather a lot and he was also a title contender the year before. That Hulkenberg joined a team on a downward spiral might not have helped him either. That doesn't seem to be the case with Force India, who had their best season yet in 2011. Hulkenberg is one month younger than Vettel and in possession of a better junior record than the world champion. He's more than deserving of another shot. As wishes go, those listed above are pretty obvious. Feel free to add your own using the comments box below.