Caterham F1 2012 Season Review

Oh dear! The Caterham F1 Team is enduring a challenging 2012 season. Last time out, for example – at the Canadian Grand Prix - Heikki Kovalainen and Vitaly Petrov only managed to qualify eighteenth and nineteenth respectively before being promoted one position thanks to an opponent's penalty. And during the race, both Caterham cars fell back one place to finish lapped and over one minute behind the winner. Oh dear, again. Furthermore, Caterham's fastest race lap was a lengthy 1:18.093 whereas Sebastian Vettell managed 1:15.752 in his Red Bull. Even Daniel Ricciardo, in the comparatively sluggish Torro Rosso, charged around the Canadian circuit in 1:16.609. That may not sound too far from the Caterham's race pace but in Formula 1 half a second is like weeks.

Oh dear! These results are typical of the season. Caterham F1 is, in fact, one of only three teams not to have scored points with either car. In contrast, Red Bull-Renault is sitting pretty at the top of the Constructors' Championship with 164 points, and Lewis Hamilton leads the Drivers' Championship with 88 points. What a contrast to Caterham F1. On the plus side, the struggling outfit has talented personnel who are determined to succeed. The Team Principal is Tony Fernandes, for starters, who has a proven long term record running AirAsia. Mike Gascoyne is Chief Technical Officer, and he is highly regarded too. That brings us to the drivers. Heikki Kovalainen is a race winner and former McLaren star, and Vitaly Petrov shows flashes of brilliance. Caterham F1 clearly has the potential to succeed.

More F1 News