The Rejectful(?) Career of Ayrton Vasser

[MansellsEyebrows]

Announcement:

After offers from Williams, Force India, Hispania and Caterham for drives in 2012, I have decided to turn them all down in favour of another year with the Virgin team. I have done so because I owe it to the team for giving me my debut, and the rate of development this year has been so impressive I am willing to stay with them for another year. We've proved we are a winning team this year and I believe we can do it again in 2012, as Me and Timo try to deliver the kind of results this small but fighting team deserve.

After a fabulous 2011 which included 3 wins for myself seemingly out of nowhere, I am already looking forward to 2012 where I expect we will be even more competitive. I don't think we'll be ready to fight for the championship, but scoring points on an even more regular basis has to be the target, including fighting for occasional wins. Roll on 2012.

[RealRacingRoots]

After a fabulous 2011 which included 3 wins for myself seemingly out of nowhere, I am already looking forward to 2012 where I expect we will be even more competitive. I don't think we'll be ready to fight for the championship, but scoring points on an even more regular basis has to be the target, including fighting for occasional wins. Roll on 2012.

If you chose "Aggressive" for the development path, it won't surprise me if you do fight for the championship. Unless your waiting for F1 2012 to come out. Here's a hint to CM, allow us to transfer our F1 2011 driver into 2012!

[MansellsEyebrows]

2012 Season Preview:

The new season brings a number of driver changes throughout the grid. While Mclaren, Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes have kept their line ups, Lotus have replaced Nick Heidfeld with Kimi Raikkonen. Toro Rosso have surprised the paddock by replacing both Buemi and Alguersuari with Daniel Ricciardo and Jean Eric-Vergne. Virgin have replaced Timo Glock with Takuma Sato, while at the back of the grid Trulli is gone and Bruno Senna returns after a year out. Adrian Sutil is also gone with Karun Chandhok the new driver at Force India. Williams, Sauber and Hispania have also kept the same drivers as 2011.

Mclaren will be looking to have the fastest car this year after overcoming the arguably faster Red Bulls in 2011, with Button the favourite for a third world title. Ofcourse with Vettel, Webber, Hamilton, Massa, Alonso and possibly the Mercedes and Lotuses in the way, the season is set to be even more unpredictable than 2011. Throw in the brilliant Saubers into the mix along with the surprise of 2011 in the form of Ayrton Vasser at Virgin, and 2012 could be the most exciting season ever.

2012 Round 1: Australia

Practice: The sun was out and optimism was high for the first friday practice , and with the 5th fastest time for me and 15th fastest for my new team mate Takuma, things were looking up.

Qualifying: I gave it my all on a lap where I was right on the ragged edge, and I ended up second on the grid just behind Alonso. Takuma was 14th and so the signs of a good midfield car this year were already there, but I had worn my tyres trying to get a perfect lap and this would hurt me in the race.

Race: The 2012 was go and we steamed down to turn one, as I took the lead under braking. Alonso was second and Webber third behind. I held a comfortable one second lead until my tyres started to wear, when Alonso put me under a lot of pressure. My tyres had worn quicker than everyone elses thanks to my extra qualifying efforts, and so I had to pit earlier. After everyone else had made their stops I was down to 6th but directly behind Vettel as he exited the pits, and I tokk the opportunity to dive up the inside and take 5th. However, having stopped earlier my tyres would wear earlier and I would eventually slip to 8th behind Vettel, Hamilton and Schumacher. Webber won from Rosberg while Alonso somehow failed to finish with the Ferrari team leaving Australia pointless, and Sergio Perez shocked everyone with 3rd. Vergne also grabbed a point on his debut.

Australia Results:
1. Webber
2. Rosberg
3. Perez
4. Button
5. Vettel
6. Hamilton
7. Schumacher
8. Vasser
9. Barrichello
10. Vergne

2012 standings after round 1:
Drivers:
1. Webber 25
2. Rosberg 18
3. Perez 15
4. Button 12
5. Vettel 10
6. Hamilton 8
7. Schumacher 6
8. Vasser 4
9. Barrichello 2
10. Vergne 1

Constructors:
1. Red Bull 35
2. Mercedes 24
3. Mclaren 20
4. Sauber 15
5. Virgin 4
6. Williams 2
7. Toro Rosso 1

[MansellsEyebrows]

It's actually been at least 2 weeks since I did this race, so my memory of it probably isn't 100% accurate, but here goes (results are all totally correct though as I write them all down):

2012 Round 2: Malaysia

Practice: Everything was fine. That's all I remember.

Qualifying: Qualifying was average with only 13th on the grid, while Button claimed pole ahead of Rosberg, Vettel, Webber and Hamilton.

Race: A good start from me saw me rocket into 4th-5th. Alonso was right behind, and in the early laps I went for a pass on Webber. As we fought, Alonso got past the both of us. Pretty soon I was clear of Webber after a good pass, and hunting Alonso down, who in turn had caught Vettel. Going into turn one I dived down the inside as Alonso went down the inside of Vettel. Me and the Spaniard banged wheels, but we survived and a three wide move saw me take second. By now I had realized something had gone terribly wrong for Button as Rosberg was leading. Alonso got past Vettel, but pretty soon he was pressurizing me, and in the pit atop phase he got by. I was now under pressure from Vettel as we headed to near the end of the race, but a move on the outside when I mucked up the penultimate turn meant contact was made as I ran wide, with the German going off into the gravel, dropping him out of the points. My tyres really began to wear and so Webber managed to catch me with ease, especially after my battle with Vettel. I defended vigorously until the final lap, with my tyres almost over the edge of 'the cliff'. As I exited the final turn I lost traction a little and had a small slide. I managed to hold it, but sliding wide enabled Webber to get down the inside, and with superior drive and momentum he got by and easily beat me to the line. It was disappointing to miss out on the podium at the final corner, but 4th was a good result. Meanwhile both Mclaren's failed to score, Rosberg won, and Kobayashi continued Sauber's good form with 5th.

Malaysia Results:
1. Rosberg
2. Alonso
3. Webber
4. Vasser
5. Kobayashi
6. Massa
7. Raikkonen
8. Perez
9. Maldonado
10. Petrov

Standings after round 2:
Drivers:
1. Rosberg 43
2. Webber 40
3. Perez 19
4. Alonso 18
5. Vasser 16
6. Button 12
7. Vettel 10
8. Kobayashi 10
9. Hamilton 8
10. Massa 8
11. Schumacher 6
12. Raikkonen 6
13. Barrichello 2
14. Maldonado 2
15. Petrov 1
16. Vergne 1

Constructors:
1. Red Bull 50
2. Mercedes 49
3. Sauber 29
4. Ferrari 26
5. Mclaren 20
6. Virgin 16
7. Lotus 7
8. Williams 4
9. Toro Rosso 1




In other news, Vasser's career may well be on hiatus for a while, as using the good 'ol playstation now has a big drawback; It won't read discs anymore, rendering it useless for any game with a disc. This includes all my games. Lucky me.....