F1 Driver of the Year vote: Full results

You've seen the top ten in detail, but where did the rest figure in your assessment of the 2012 F1 season?Having counted down the top ten drivers from our F1 poll between Christmas and the start of the new year, it is time to reveal the complete list covering all 25 pilots to have appeared in a grand prix this season.

In all, over 70,000 votes were cast by Crash.net readers, recognising the efforts put in on the track by including the majority of the biggest names in the top ten. Emphasising heart and determination over everything, you selected Ferrari's Fernando Alonso as your number one for 2012, while world champion – three-time world champion – Sebastian Vettel didn't even make the top three as both Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton were voted in above him.

Last year's winner, Jenson Button, was this year's fifth ranked choice, putting him ahead of surprise package Nico Hulkenberg and RBR's Mark Webber, who again finished seventh, for the second time in succession after winning out in 2010. Both Sauber drivers made the top ten, which makes the fact that Kamui Kobayashi – who appeared in the leading group in 2011 as well – is missing out on a drive for next year all the more perplexing.

Just as Hamilton finished outside the top ten last year, there were a few notable omissions this time around, including Nico Rosberg and Pastor Maldonado – the Chinese and Spanish GP winners, let's not forget – as well as last year's number four Paul di Resta, and seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher.

Heikki Kovalainen was the best rated of the 'division three' drivers, ending up above Toro Rosso's Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne, Williams' Bruno Senna and Lotus' Romain Grosjean, the Frenchman no doubt paying for his sometimes erratic displays. Such were HRT's lamentable results, meanwhile, Jerome d'Ambrosio came in ahead of both Pedro de la Rosa and Narain Karthikeyan despite make a lone appearance as replacement for the suspended Grosjean at Monza…..

So, for the record, here is the complete result for the 2012 poll…..

1. Fernando Alonso (Scuderia Ferrari) - rated 8.736
2. Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus F1) - rated 8.527
3. Lewis Hamilton (Vodafone McLaren Mercedes) - rated 7.608
4. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing) - rated 7.467
5. Jenson Button (Vodafone McLaren Mercedes) - rated 6.609
6. Nico Hulkenberg (Sahara Force India F1) - rated 6.254
7. Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing) - rated 6.021
8. Sergio Perez (Sauber F1) - rated 5.875
9. Felipe Massa (Scuderia Ferrari) - rated 5.597
10. Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber F1) - rated 5.552

11. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes AMG Petronas F1) - rated 5.238
12. Paul di Resta (Sahara Force India F1) - rated 5.099
13. Pastor Maldonado (Williams F1) - rated 5.027
14. Michael Schumacher (Mercedes AMG Petronas F1) - rated 4.893
15. Heikki Kovalainen (Caterham F1) - rated 4.873
16. Daniel Ricciardo (Scuderia Toro Rosso) - rated 4.425
17. Bruno Senna (Williams F1) - rated 4.327
18. Romain Grosjean (Lotus F1) - rated 4.327
19. Jean-Eric Vergne (Scuderia Toro Rosso) - rated 4.132
20. Timo Glock (Marussia F1) - rated 4.055
21. Vitaly Petrov (Caterham F1) - rated 3.984
22. Charles Pic (Marussia F1) - rated 3.948
23. Jerome d'Ambrosio (Sahara Force India F1) - rated 3.627
24. Pedro de la Rosa (HRT F1) - rated 3.489
25. Narain Karthikeyan (HRT F1) - rated 2.685

Crash.net F1 Driver of the Year - previous winners:

2011 Jenson Button
2010 Mark Webber
2009 Sebastian Vettel
2008 Sebastian Vettel

Do you agree with the poll results? If not, why not? Leave your comments below...

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F1 Driver of the Year vote: 1st

Top 10 F1 Drivers of the Year 2012:
1: Fernando Alonso

Birthplace: Oviedo, Spain
Birthdate: July 29, 1981
Team: Scuderia Ferrari
Car: Ferrari F2012
2012 starts: 20
Wins: 3
Poles: 2
Podiums: 13
Fastest laps: 0
Championship points: 278
Championship position: 2nd
Crash.net F1 Driver of 2011 position: 3rd

That Fernando Alonso even found himself in with a shot of taking the 2012 F1 world championship title at the final round of the season was something of a miracle, but helped confirm the Spaniard's status as one of the best on the grid.

Ferrari's F2012 was difficult from the start of testing and, save for a couple of races mid-season, always appeared to be trailing McLaren and Red Bull. An unexpected triumph in the wet at Sepang, however, established Alonso's 'samurai' persona as he refused to be cowed either by a poor qualifying position, the conditions or a terrier-like Sergio Perez, who dogged his wheeltracks to the very end.

That victory was joined by others in Valencia, when he again came from deep in the field to head fellow champions Kimi Raikkonen and Michael Schumcher on the podium, and Germany, but it was Alonso's remarkable knack for grabbing podiums and scoring points that kept him out front of the title race until Suzuka.

A start-line error there, however, allowed Sebastian Vettel to shave 25 points off his 29-point advantage – the gap having been as much as 40 during the summer break - and the writing was on the wall as Red Bull proved the team to beat as F1 traversed Asia for the second time.

Featuring in the top three in seven races around his Japanese DNF underlined Alonso's fighting qualities and it was only the smallest of margins that eventually denied him a third title. Ferrari tactics, roundly condemned by rivals at the time, saw the Spaniard handed a more beneficial grid slot, at the expense of team-mate Felipe Massa, for the USGP in Austin, and a subsequent podium finish ensured the double world champion headed to the Brazilian finale in with a shot of crown number three.

Again, Alonso did all he could, eventually finishing as runner-up to Jenson Button in changeable conditions, but Vettel did what he needed to ensure that the crown remained in his possession by just three points. Given his determination to bring glory back to Maranello, Alonso cannot be discounted next year, but is already urging Ferrari to do all it can, on track and off, to make his job a little easier….

The complete top 10 F1 Driver of the Year 2012 results:
2. Kimi Raikkonen
3. Lewis Hamilton
4. Sebastian Vettel
5. Jenson Button
6. Nico Hulkenberg
7. Mark Webber
8. Sergio Perez
9. Felipe Massa
10. Kamui Kobayashi

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Mansell to open used-car dealership with son Leo

Former F1 champion Nigel Mansell is to open a used-car dealership in Jersey.

It will be situated in the historic Art Deco building in St Helier and will be run in partnership with his son, Leo, catering for people with budgets of £4000 and upwards.

“We want to throw our net and have the opportunity of anyone in Jersey coming and seeing if we can be of any assistance,” Mansell, who previously owned a Ferrari dealership and several franchises of Westover Motors on the South Coast, told British newspaper, The Daily Telegraph this week. “Whatever the budget the customer has, that's an important budget to them, and to us. We are going to develop a more personal way of doing business.

“We are not looking at quantity, we are looking at quality and that makes a big difference in how you trade.

“With the experience we have and with the enthusiasm that the Mansell team have, and our history in motorsport and the car industry, we are looking at doing things a little bit differently.”

The dealership will also be used to provide a home for the Mansell Collection, which be situated on the second floor. The Mansell Collection comprises all the trophies from his hugely successful career as well as four race winning cars, including the Adrian Newey-designed Williams-Renault FW14B, which took the Englishman to the title in 1992.

“In truth we've been looking for a home for the memorabilia for probably 20-plus years,” Mansell admitted.

“There are all the trophies throughout my karting career, trophies in F3, F2, IndyCar, GP Masters – the cross-section of interest in there is extraordinary. Everyone can have an opinion but as the stats stand at this time, the collection is second-to-none in the world. There's much more memorabilia in there to do with motorsport which will create great interest for people who visit and will be an incredible tourist attraction.”

“The biggest exciting thing [however] is the opportunity to bring all of our future [business] interests and current interests together so that the power base comes from here. So although we'll be trading downstairs and have the museum upstairs, there will be many other strings to the bow which people won't see.

“People come and go on this planet and very few people leave legacies behind; I'm hoping this unique building and what Leo is achieving will leave a great legacy,” he concluded.

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Ecclestone admits case could end F1 reign

Bernie Ecclestone has admitted that the bribery case still hanging over his head could ultimately see him lose his role at the head of F1.

Ecclestone is still waiting to discover if he will face any charges related to alleged payments made to German banker Gerhard Gribkowsky during the sale of F1 to current owners CVC back in 2006.

While Gribkowsky has already been jailed, Ecclestone has always denied that any payments made were in the form of a bribe but he has now admitted that any charges from Germany could end his time in the sport.

“[It] will probably be forced to get rid of me if the Germans come after me,” he told the Telegraph. “It's pretty obvious, if I'm locked up.”

Rumours have been ongoing for some time about who could ultimately replace Ecclestone in his position, although the 82-year-old said he didn't feel it was a case of the company being out to find his successor.

“They said they had hired a head-hunter to find somebody in the event that I was not going to be there – if I was going to die or something,” he said. “It is the normal thing they do to keep people happy.”

Ecclestone comments come after Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo said the case could lead to changes at the head of F1.

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Dates for your diary: F1 2013 calendar

2013 F1 calendar:

March 17 Australia Melbourne
March 24 Malaysia Sepang
April 14 China Shanghai
April 21 Bahrain Sakhir
May 12 Spain Catalunya
May 26 Monaco Monte Carlo
June 9 Canada Montreal
June 30 Britain Silverstone
July 7 Germany Nurburgring/Hockenheim*
July 21 Additional European race*
July 28 Hungary Budapest
August 25 Belgium Spa-Francorchamps
September 8 Italy Monza
September 22 Singapore Marina Bay
October 6 Korea Yeongam
October 13 Japan Suzuka
October 27 India New Delhi
November 3 Abu Dhabi Yas Marina
November 17 United States Austin
November 24 Brazil Sao Paulo

*TBC

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‘Unfaithful' de la Rosa not expecting favours

Pedro de la Rosa remains optimistic that he can find a new home in time for the 2013 F1 season, following the closure of the HRT team.Pedro de la Rosa hopes that his F1 career won't have ended with the closure of the HRT team at the end of the 2012 season.

The experienced Spaniard threw his lot in with the Madrid-based minnow in a bid to help raise the squad's Spanish profile, but it was unable to attract the backing it needed to survive beyond the Brazilian Grand Prix in November and, unable to find a buyer, owner Thesan Capital decided to cut its losses and shut the team down.

Although he has now started over 100 grands prix, de la Rosa is better known as one of the premier test and development drivers in F1, having been a key player in McLaren's recent success, but he does not expect to simply waltz back into a similar role now that he is back on the market.

“One must know how to move on and look forward, but it is true that I am a realist and everything that has happened has been very unpleasant for everyone who works at HRT,” he told Spain's Marca newspaper, “There are very few years in my career that I've eaten grapes knowing what I was going to do next year. So it's hard, but it's normal.

“I took a road and I live with my decision, so I'm not going to expect McLaren to throw its doors open wide, especially because I've left them twice. I've been unfaithful and so I must start from scratch. It is normal.

“However, I am confident that I will continue in F1 as a test driver or reserve. I think I will continue with a steering wheel in my hands, but there is no guarantee of anything.”

de la Rosa admits that, while he always knew that HRT was struggling financially, it was particularly sad to see the project go under. Trying to establish a Spanish team at a time of economic strife and widespread unemployment in the country, however, was not the best timing.

“I don't know [exactly what is happening],” he said of the final throes at HRT, “I'm just the driver, and there ahs been no official notification, but we all have the feeling that the project isn't going to continue.

“It was an ambitious project, and we all tried hard. I have given everything - if had doubts that I had not given 100 percent, I would not sleep well, but is not the case. However, in the end, we are all a little responsible for what has happened.”

Of particular disappointment to the veteran was that HRT could not capitalise on the popularity of F1 in Spain given the success of Fernando Alonso.

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FIA crash test passes for Mercedes and Ferrari?

Mercedes and Ferrari have both passed the mandatory FIA crash tests with their new F1 2013 cars, it has been reported.

According to German newspaper Auto Motor und Sport, the Mercedes F1 W04 will benefit from an 'ultra small' gearbox and heavily revised sidepods, adopting similar elements seen on the championship winning, Red Bull RB8.

The rear suspension has also been tweaked so that the geometry can be altered quickly to suit the ever fickle Pirelli tyres.

Meanwhile, Ferrari's new challenger has also been given the all-clear, with Spanish daily sports, Mundo Deportivo revealing that it is 2 kilos heavier than the F2012 a result of the new minimum weight.

Thus far, only Sauber has confirmed officially that its new chassis has passed the required crash tests, with a message posted on Twitter before Christmas. The first winter tests start on February 5.

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