"Firework of highlights" by Heikki Kulta

Firework of highlights 

F1, 27.11.2012 11:19, heikki.kulta 

It's a long way from Brazil to Finland. So long that one would even have time to write a book about this spectacular F1-season. However I settled for dotting down the season's highlights that I collected from people on the paddock. That alone became a long story. 

Now a slightly different line of profession is represented. I asked about the year's highlight from three different drivers' – Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Räikkönen and Jean-Eric Vergne – trainers. 

Valtteri Bottas will represent the driver's different POV. Here are the highlights of F1-season 2012: 

* Heikki Huovinen, World Champion Sebastian Vettel's trainer: 

– The highlights are the victory in Singapore and then of course this final race. Singapore was the turning point, this finale again was something incomprehensible. When it started so that Sebastian was on the track with his nose facing the other direction, then all the mess-ups resulting in the championship. If someone dares to claim that F1 is boring then they should watch this race and I'm sure they would change their opinions. 

* Mark Arnall, Kimi Räikkönen's trainer: 

– Highlight? Well, coming back to F1. Of course Abu Dhabi is above all the other races. It was a completely special case, because Kimi won a GP after being away for two years. The whole season has been good, one big highlight in itself, but Abu Dhabi was a fantastic thing for the team, it was important that they got a victory with Kimi during this season. 

– I myself am not surprised at all over Kimi's performances. I thought all the time that he is competitive if he comes back. Kimi is probably the most committed driver the team can get. He owns the car so quickly. The first test in Valencia in January proved that to everybody. Three laps and Kimi was as if he would had never been away. 

– The season has been totally unique. Kimi is confidence itself with his consistency and the car has been fantastically reliable. 

* Antti Kontsas, Jean-Eric Vergne's trainer in Toro Rosso: 

– We had a sticky season, not very good results. Malaysia was great, we got quickly the 8th position, it was a great achievement for a new driver. 

– It has been a bit different to work with Jean-Eric after Sebastien Buemi. Each driver is a different person and you can't work the same way you have worked with someone else. This has been a nice surprise to me. I have learned many new things. The team has made a lot of work so that we would have a better car next season and get better positions. 

* Valtteri Bottas, soon to be the latest Finnish F1-driver: 

– I would say that for me the highlight of the season was the first Grand Prix -practice in Malaysia when I got to drive among the rest for the first time. I got to drive with a F1-car and I was faster than Maldonado. That was the toughest thing for me. 

– From a bystander's POV the race that impressed me most was Japan. The fans are so enthusiastic, the track was really cool, it's a great place to race. 

* Michael Schmidt, Auto, Motor und Sport: 

– The last race, absolutely. I still can't believe my eyes. We have had many great races during the season but this one is unbeatable. It characterized the whole season. There were ups and downs, people in the lead you would never had believed would be there. Nico Hülkenberg could have well become the 9th winner of the season with a different car. That says it all. 

– The finale in 2008 was also unforgettable but there the surprising events took place only during the last few laps. In this race there were surprising events from lap 1 to lap 71. 

 – This season could only be compared to season 1982 with 11 different winners in 16 races. 

– Vettel's reputation will be bigger than ever after this season, but I would lift Alonso up to the same level. Nobody else could have gotten so much out of that Ferrari. 

* Oskari Saari, MTV3: 

– I guess the Finnish highlight is quite easy to put in October-November. First there was the news about Kimi Räikkönen making a continuance contract and right after that the victory in Abu Dhabi. That's highlight enough for me at least. 

* David Coulthard, Mika Häkkinen's and Kimi Räikkönen's former teammate: 

– There are so many highlights that it's difficult to say which one of them startled me the most: Ferrari's comeback, Alonso's driving performances, a few of Lewis Hamilton's stunning race performances, Kimi's "Yes, yes, yes, I know what I'm doing". Kimi is still completely his own self, the same one he was when we drove at McLaren. His comeback was a huge favor to F1. 

* Will Buxton, Speed-tv: 

– Personally my real highlight was Austin. Seeing how popular that race was to American fans. I have worked for Speed-tv three years and I have never really understood how much the American fans really love F1. It was a really successful comeback for USA GP. The race was good, the track was fantastic, it fired up everyone's feelings for F1 and it was very valuable for the whole sport. 

– When it comes to driving the highlights are probably Vettel's spectacular rises in both Abu Dhabi as well as here in Brazil. Very masterful performances, both of them, when taking into consideration under which pressure they were performed. Many got their fingers whipped after claiming that Sebastian can't overtake and that he got his success too easily. Also one can't but highlight the value of Kimi's victory in Abu Dhabi. It was a reward to Lotus-team for their hard work and following Kimi has given a lot to everybody. 

* For once opinions from one extreme to the other. What about the readers of this blog - what was the season's highlight for you and which incident will you remember best from this season?

Fonte: Turun Sanomat / Tradução para o Inglês: Nicole

Vocês repararam em como Mark Arnall e David Coulthard falaram sobre Kimi? Com respeito, conhecimento de causa, de quem sabe do que Kimi é capaz. Em especial Mark, que está ao lado do Iceman como seu preparador físico há 10 anos.

Como sempre, Heikki Kulta trazendo informações bacanas que ninguém mais traz. Falar com os preparadores físicos de alguns pilotos sobre o desempenho deles na temporada foi bacana.

Para acrescentar quero falar sobre algumas palavras de DC porque elas soam como música para os meus ouvidos, na verdade, soam como o reconhecimento tardio, a justiça que só o tempo é capaz de trazer: "Kimi ainda é completamente ele mesmo, o mesmo que era quando pilotamos na McLaren. O retorno dele foi um grande favor à F1." 

DC, de todas as pessoas que me deixaram tristes com as críticas feitas ao Iceman, tem sido uma daquelas que me deixam contente quando agora fala sobre o finlandês. Ler as palavras dele durante toda a temporada realmente me deixaram feliz. O reconhecimento é honesto, diferente de muitos por aí que falam bem agora, mas falarão mal em breve.

Beijinhos, Ludy