Your favourite drivers and teams at the start of the 2012 F1 season

2012 F1 season preview

24th February 2012, 8:5524th February 2012, 10:37 | Written by Keith Collantine

Jenson Button, McLaren, Barcelona, 2012 — Jenson Button and McLaren are your favourites at the start of 2012

With the new season almost upon us it’s time to take a fresh look at who F1 Fanatics are supporting in 2012.

We last tallied your support in November last year. Since then F1 Fanatic has amassed over 5,000 active registered users.

Drivers

Jenson Button remains the most popular driver with almost twice as many supporters as when we last looked at these figures in November last year.
The three most popular drivers are all British – perhaps unsurprising as 35% of site visits come from the UK. Our second-largest group of users – the 10% from the USA – don’t have a corresponding American driver to cheers on.
Michael Schumacher has moved up two places to fourth, while Kamui Kobayashi has slipped three places in the list.
He may have two world championships to his name but Sebastian Vettel ranks only ninth in your affections.
Kimi Raikkonen wasn’t on the list last year, but now he’s been added he’s instantly received support from almost 200 F1 Fanatics.
Rookies Jean-Eric Vergne and Charles Pic are yet to gain much in the way of support.

Jenson Button: 638
Lewis Hamilton: 463
Paul di Resta: 332
Michael Schumacher: 327
Mark Webber: 323
Kamui Kobayashi: 320
Fernando Alonso: 296
Robert Kubica: 279
Sebastian Vettel: 256
Heikki Kovalainen: 236
Nico Rosberg: 206
Kimi Raikkonen: 198
Bruno Senna: 196
Sergio Perez: 132
Felipe Massa: 131
Daniel Ricciardo: 113
Timo Glock: 76
Vitaly Petrov: 73
Nico Hulkenberg: 68
Pedro de la Rosa: 27
Pastor Maldonado: 26
Jean-Eric Vergne: 24
Narain Karthikeyan: 23
Romain Grosjean: 20
Charles Pic: 8

Here’s which of the current drivers have moved up and down since we last looked at who you’re supporting:

	Rank	Change	Supporters	Change
Jenson Button	1	=	638	+304
Lewis Hamilton	2	=	463	+225
Paul di Resta	3	=	332	+134
Michael Schumacher	4	+2	327	+160
Mark Webber	5	=	323	+148
Kamui Kobayashi	6	-3	320	+122
Fernando Alonso	7	+1	296	+154
Robert Kubica	8	-1	279	+118
Sebastian Vettel	9	=	256	+136
Heikki Kovalainen	10	-1	236	+116
Nico Rosberg	11	=	206	+90
Kimi Raikkonen	12	New	198	New
Bruno Senna	13	-1	196	+83
Sergio Perez	14	-1	132	+50
Felipe Massa	15	-1	131	+58
Daniel Ricciardo	16	+2	113	+62
Timo Glock	17	+3	76	+41
Vitaly Petrov	18	+1	73	+30
Nico Hulkenberg	19	New	68	New
Pedro de la Rosa	20	+6	27	+17
Pastor Maldonado	21	+3	26	+12
Jean-Eric Vergne	22	New	24	New
Narain Karthikeyan	23	+5	23	+15
Romain Grosjean	24	New	20	New
Charles Pic	25	New	8	New

Teams

McLaren remain far and away the most popular team with almost twice as many supporters as any other.
Support is split pretty evenly among the rest of the teams, though Toro Rosso have surprisingly few fans – perhaps a reaction against their cut-throat driver hiring practices?

McLaren: 666
Ferrari: 314
Mercedes: 243
Red Bull: 242
Lotus: 237
Sauber: 201
Williams: 200
Force India: 188
Caterham: 96
Toro Rosso: 69
HRT: 48
Marussia: 13

When you started watching F1

This final graph shows when F1 Fanatics first started following F1.

Unsurprisingly, most have discovered F1 in the last 20 years but there’s a considerable dip in the early 2000s.

https://www.racefans.net/charts/2011drivercolours.csv

Year	1950	1951	1952	1953	1954	1955	1956	1957	1958	1959	1960	1961	1962	1963	1964	1965	1966	1967	1968	1969	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012
Number of F1 Fanatics who started watching in this year	9	0	0	3	2	1	6	2	4	3	6	4	4	3	7	11	13	11	9	6	21	10	14	5	12	19	32	19	24	20	48	17	26	20	47	76	58	34	64	63	138	114	82	73	92	73	140	87	125	104	136	55	59	59	67	79	74	147	90	102	78	47	0

Show your support

Want to make sure your driver and team preferences are reflected in these charts? Here’s how to do it:

1. Log in with your F1 Fanatic account. If you’ve not got one, sign up for one here.
2. Go to My Account > Profile > Edit and select F1 teams and drivers.
3. Make your choices and click Save Changes.

Who are you supporting in 2012 – and why? Have your say in the comments.

2012 F1 season preview

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Author information

Keith Collantine

Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...
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117 comments on “Your favourite drivers and teams at the start of the 2012 F1 season”

off@turn1
24th February 2012, 9:05
Surprised to see Vettel so low down. Winning a Championship and then dominating seems to have seen him lose the ‘Honorary Brit’ status maybe. Think he’s one of the most genuine and funny guys on the grid still. A bit surprised some of the smaller teams who have put a lot into image low too (esp. Marrusia and Caterham). Maybe the goodwill and interaction they get doesn’t directly translate into people seeing them as ‘their’ team?
1. Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
  24th February 2012, 9:12
  Just goes to show there’s no substitute for heritage.
  It reminds me of the poll we had a couple of week ago on which teams will still be in F1 in ten years’ time. The results of that poll reflect the popularity statistics quite closely, and that makes sense: if you don’t think a team has a future, why bother supporting them?
  1. MEmo
    24th February 2012, 13:19
    I would include not only teams that don´t have a future, but also teams who completelly change their identity from one season to the next. People won´t back up teams that only exist for a season! Think of BrawnGP (then Mercedes), Lotus Racing (then Team Lotus then Caterham), Virgin (then Marussia), Renault (then Lotus)…
    1. cjpdk (@cjpdk)
      24th February 2012, 16:42
      I think Brawn GP is very memorable – a 100% sucess rate
      1. MEmo
        25th February 2012, 14:58
        True! True! but it´s a shame the team “dissapeared” after taking the titles! I still love to see the pictures of those white cars!!!!
  2. libertywho (@libertywho)
    24th February 2012, 23:42
    True, true, but that doesn’t make sense in Paul di Resta case.
2. Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
  24th February 2012, 9:17
  I’d say the infamous finger has won him no fans.
  1. Olivier
    24th February 2012, 9:27
    Yeah, I can see sore losers objecting to the finger…
    1. Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
      24th February 2012, 9:40
      I don’t think it’s people being sore losers. It’s people who are sick of seeing it, the way Vettel almost expects to be in a position to point his finger.
      1. Nixon (@nixon)
        24th February 2012, 10:13
        Yes, and that its sooooo annoying.
      2. electrolite (@electrolite)
        24th February 2012, 10:13
        I agree, it’s hardly a graceful celebration is it…
      3. ivz (@ivz)
        24th February 2012, 10:19
        Its arrogant the way he does it, even kind of childish. If he did it only once in a while, maybe when he wins the WDC, it would not be so bad.
      4. Bigbadderboom (@bigbadderboom)
        24th February 2012, 10:25
        My pereception of Vettel has changed, I see him as almost arrogant now. But for me I like to see drivers suffer setbacks and overcome adversity, I think Jensons popularity demonstrates this fora lot of fans. Vettel has been kind of gifted his success, not saying its undeserved just not worked for it quite as hard.
      5. Mike (@mike)
        24th February 2012, 10:41
        You guys are joking right?
        He was winning races, and Celebrating because he was number one by sticking his finger up.
        It’s not like he runs around the office doing it.
        There’s a thought…
      6. Hola
        24th February 2012, 11:35
        funny to watch at first but so annoying for now.
      7. aka_robyn (@)
        24th February 2012, 11:39
        I don’t think they are joking, @mike — but I do find it hilarious that people are still complaining about Vettel’s means of celebrating victories. Every time I think people have moved on with their lives, a thread like this comes up!
      8. BasCB (@bascb)
        24th February 2012, 12:39
        I agree there PM, not the best way to gain supporters between the fans.
      9. BasCB (@bascb)
        24th February 2012, 12:42
        What @bigbadderboom writes is true for quite a lot of people, I count myself in as well.
        Seemingly just turning everything you touch into gold is not the thing to win you fans. But overcoming some difficulties and grow into an impressive contender does. Just look at Mansell, for example, still one of the all time favourites.
        That does not mean Vettel is not a great driver, just he is not the one getting most fan support currently.
      10. Optimaximal
        24th February 2012, 12:43
        I lost a lot of respect for Vettel after Hungary 2010.
        His behaviour during the race when given the drive through and public ‘performance’ in the press conference where he stropped like a belligerent child (despite still finishing 3rd) coloured him in my eyes, something he hasn’t graciously been able to recover because his 2011 was largely flawless.
      11. Mike (@mike)
        24th February 2012, 13:05
        @Optimaximal
        Name one decent driver who you haven’t seen have a sook.
        @Bigbadderboom
        What about Alonso?
        It took Vettel 4 season to win the championship, including some very difficult races early on in his F1 career, along with some very impressive performances. He won it twice in a row.
        Alonso took 5 seasons to win his championship, starting his career with impressive performances in an under performing car. He also won it twice in a row.
        Both drivers were in the right car, at the right time, at a young age.
        All I’m saying is, There is nothing to say that Vettel had it any easier than Alonso. And there is nothing to say he deserve any less credit for his two championships.
      12. Optimaximal (@optimaximal)
        24th February 2012, 13:16
        @Mike
        Obviously Vettel is allowed to be frustrated/have a sulk, but the way he conducted the interview, slouched in his seat, sunken shoulders, angry as he seemingly thought it was everyone’s fault but his own hat he had received the drive through.
        It was different to the Turkey debacle, where the team did everything in its power to insulate him from blame or culpability, but he just seemed to be left to his own devices in Hungary and he didn’t deal with it well at all.
        Maybe he’s massively matured now – it’s more than likely the case – but every situation since has either been a genuine case of bad luck or a car failure.
        How did he conduct himself in Germany 2011? Did he fess up to dropping the ball at his home GP? I can’t remember.
      13. AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
        24th February 2012, 13:34
        @prisoner-monkeys I think pole position was pretty much Vettel’s last year by default, unless proven otherwise. Can’t blame the guy!
        At least he kept it up.
      14. Mustalainen (@mustalainen)
        24th February 2012, 14:35
        I’m just sick of neither Ferrari nor McLaren winning very much :( /s
      15. F1fanNL (@)
        25th February 2012, 12:09
        @Prisoner Monkeys
        I think it is. You won’t hear people complain when someone else does it. And you can see by raymonu999’s post that other drivers do it too.
        It’s like in 2010 when Witmarsh labeled Vettel as a crash kid for 2 incidents that year and every McLaren fan happily picked up on that. Then came 2011 and Hamilton took out drivers almost every race. What was Witmarsh’s response? “It’s not his fault, he’s just having a bit of a rough season.” and every McLaren fan happily picked up on that as well.
        I don’t give 2 cents about someones preferences but I do believe one should apply the same set of rules and criteria when viewing something. Something you clearly lack.
  2. raymondu999 (@raymondu999)
    24th February 2012, 14:43
    @prisoner-monkeys
    While I don’t deny most people point to his finger as the reason for their… “dislike,” of him, *drumroll please:
    Click
    Click
    Click
    Click
    Click
    Click
    Click
    Click
    Click
    Click
    Click
    Click
    Click
    Click
    Click[/quote]
    I guess what I’m trying to say is… he should really be more humble :P
    1. Mike (@mike)
      24th February 2012, 15:28
      Greatest, Post, Ever!
      1. raymondu999 (@raymondu999)
        24th February 2012, 15:34
        @mike why thank you :P
    2. Le Jimster (@lejimster82)
      24th February 2012, 15:40
      It’s not the finger, it’s how he emphasis it and his expression. He shakes it at the camera as if to say I’m the best, there is no better.. losers!!
      When other drivers do it, they do it quick in celebration and it’s gone. He knows it irritates people as well, That’s why I think he’s continued to do it ;-).
      1. David-A (@david-a)
        24th February 2012, 15:50
        He knows it irritates people as well
        And that’s why it makes a great avatar ;)
      2. aka_robyn (@)
        24th February 2012, 15:55
        I always enjoy it when our avatars are right next to each other in the “Active F1 Fanatics,” @david-a . It’s like a finger double team. ;-)
    3. aka_robyn (@)
      24th February 2012, 15:47
      Hahahaha! @raymondu999 , thank you for doing what I’ve been wanting to do for ages — and more comprehensively than I would have done! :-)
    4. BasCB (@bascb)
      24th February 2012, 20:41
      Thank you for clearing that point(-ed finger) @raymondu999
    5. GameR_K (@gamer_k)
      25th February 2012, 7:09
      A slap in the face of biased people showing weak reasoning for hatred. +1 raymond
    6. F1fanNL (@)
      25th February 2012, 12:11
      And no response from Prisoner Monkeys…
      I wonder why. ;)
3. Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
  24th February 2012, 11:43
  To be honest, I didn’t like him at all until he appeared on Top Gear.
  He’s a top bloke, really, very funny and very talented of course. So he’d have my vote… if only he didn’t win so much!
  I don’t like supporting the driver that always wins. I guess it’s like boring, or easy…
4. JCost (@jcost)
  24th February 2012, 14:04
  Webber being more popular than Vettel shows that it’s not all about driving skills (e.g. Button more popular than Alonso) but then, like you put it, being funny is not enough either.. So it’s about being British or from a Commonwealth nation, oh no, Schumacher is German just like Vettel! What’s wrong with Seb? However, I don’t think is resembles a drivers rank by perception of skills.
  1. Dom (@3dom)
    24th February 2012, 15:06
    I’m primarily a Hamilton fan but I like webber coz of his openness & honesty in front of the camera. He’s straight-talking.
    Interviewer: if you had to be ruthless to make sure you won the championship, would you.
    Webber: I’d have to say… *blows through cheeks* … Yeah.
    No BS.
    Lewis is my fave driver coz he’s so exciting. Even fans that don’t like him would miss him out on the attack. He may have not had as good a year in 2011. But could overtake well before DRS came along. He’s pure skill!
  2. Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
    24th February 2012, 15:44
    “Button more popular than Alonso”
    how did you figured out this
    that’s only true in the UK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    1. Aussie Fan
      25th February 2012, 3:44
      Fail, Alonso is not popular because he sffers from “Little Man” syndrome, he needs to know he is the big dawg or else! FAIL for self confidence.
      1. David-A (@david-a)
        25th February 2012, 14:00
        What are you on about?
TommyB (@tommyb89)
24th February 2012, 9:15
As ever I’ll be supporting Vettel/Hamilton for the championship.
I’ll also be supporting 2 rookies Ricciardo because he’s awesome and drives for Toro Rosso and Grosjean. I really thought he deserved another chance and his GP2 season was incredible. I’d love to see him challenge Kimi.
BluNt (@blunt)
24th February 2012, 9:15
seems a tad many di Resta supporters dont you think. hope hulkenberg can change that this season
1. Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
  24th February 2012, 9:19
  What’s wrong with having a lot of supporters?
  1. Mike (@mike)
    24th February 2012, 10:59
    In that a rookie, who only did so well against his only so good team mate, is more popular than say, All of the other drivers?
    It doesn’t quite add up, I mean, I’ve seen him in an interview, his expression, (and he only has one I should add), makes him seem like he has spotted and is entranced by a large mole on the reporters face…. So that can’t be it. :D
    1. Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
      24th February 2012, 11:55
      When the Sky-BBC deal was first announced, a lot of people talked about how important the British market was to the sport, and the way the arrangement would only push people away. If the British audiences are as important as these people say they are – and, as Keith points out, 35% of posters on the blog identify themselves as British, thereby suggesting this importance is not exaggerated – then, as a British driver, Paul di Resta would have a natural advantage when it comes to popularity.
      1. Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
        24th February 2012, 12:02
        @prisoner-monkeys
        35% of posters on the blog identify themselves as British
        Just to be clear, 35% of visits to the site have been from computers in the UK. I haven’t been asking people what nationality they consider themselves to be!
      2. Le Jimster (@lejimster82)
        24th February 2012, 13:58
        I personally am not a fan of Di Resta and I’m British. I prefer Kobayashi over most of the drivers with the exception of Jenson, I’ll never forget 2009 and his awesome wet races in 2006,2010,2011 especially.
        All I seem to remember about Di Resta is him crashing into other cars last season. Probably being unfair to him their, I’m sure he had some good races.. But nothing special springs to mind.
      3. JCost (@jcost)
        24th February 2012, 14:17
        Not everybody in the world speaks English. One should not take this site as benchmark to determine British fans importance to F1.
      4. Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
        24th February 2012, 22:05
        One should not take this site as benchmark to determine British fans importance to F1.
        But, with 35% of people posting from British computers, surely you can see why di Resta would have so much support on the blog.
2. Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
  24th February 2012, 11:48
  He’s british, what did you expect?
  1. McLarenFanJamm (@mclarenfanjamm)
    24th February 2012, 12:01
    Didn’t take long…
    1. Mike (@mike)
      24th February 2012, 13:13
      For an obvious conclusion?
      I don’t think that nationality can really alter how people think about issues and debates. I trust people to consider things more than that.
      But favorite drivers is affected, a lot, very visibly.
      1. Mike (@mike)
        24th February 2012, 13:14
        Also, I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, it’s just how it is. And it includes me as well.
Girts (@girts)
24th February 2012, 9:16
I think I selected Lotus (the team now known as Caterham) as my favourite team last year and, after reading this article, I noticed that I’m still a Lotus (the team formerly know as Renault) fan. I’ve changed that to Caterham but I guess there are maybe more Lotus fans who ain’t Lotus fans anymore.
Yes, I also find the Lotus naming dispute very very annoying. It must be the weirdest and most confusing thing I’ve experienced in my 15-year long F1 fan career.
1. disjunto (@disjunto)
  24th February 2012, 10:08
  Same issue here, my old Team Lotus fan vote seems to have transferred over to Lotus instead of Caterham, so can’t really trust the values for the teams much.
  1. Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
    24th February 2012, 10:48
    @disjunto I’m afraid it’s a consequence of the way the FIA has handled the naming row.
    If you’re no longer supporting Lotus because the name Lotus has passed from one team to another (a switch which is extraordinary and, I think, unprecedented in F1) then you can change your stated preference accordingly. I did mention this in the round-up a while ago for exactly this reason.
    1. Girts (@girts)
      24th February 2012, 11:02
      @KeithCollantine I must have missed that round-up, sorry for that. Anyway, this is just another proof for how absurd and childish this whole We’re-the-real-Lotus saga was.
      1. Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
        24th February 2012, 11:19
        @Girts Agreed…
Todfod (@todfod)
24th February 2012, 9:32
Jesnson, Lewis and Paul at 1,2 & 3 . LMAO
1. ivz (@ivz)
  24th February 2012, 10:22
  Of course! Its only natural to want to support your own countrymen. If there were more visitors to this site from say Spain, or Australia, the numbers would be different.
Brolloks (@brolloks)
24th February 2012, 9:41
Satan clearly on McLaren’s side.
Jack_Burton (@jack_burton)
24th February 2012, 9:46
The self-congratulatory Jensen Button
The self-aggrandising Lewis Hamilton
The self-deprecating Seb Vettel.
I guess the poll question should be, “Which of these drivers are from Britain?”
1. Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
  24th February 2012, 10:32
  Perhaps followed by a second poll, “Which group of fans are the most bitter at the outcome of this survey?”
  1. LexBlair (@lexblair)
    24th February 2012, 10:40
    +…:)
  2. McLarenFanJamm (@mclarenfanjamm)
    24th February 2012, 12:03
    That’s my COTD :D
  3. Dobin1000 (@dobin1000)
    24th February 2012, 16:40
    As this poll is about people’s favourite drivers, maybe everyone moaning about it should reflect on the fact that it doesn’t actually matter…
Cyclops_PL (@cyclops_pl)
24th February 2012, 9:50
Kubica, the guy who’s not even on the grid for over a year and most probably won’t be this year is STILL more popular than Vettel.
1. Adrian (@adrian_debian)
  24th February 2012, 10:11
  Robert had (let’s hope he still has) huge potential and there are a lot of people out there including me that would love to see him back in 2013.
  1. Cyclops_PL (@cyclops_pl)
    24th February 2012, 15:06
    Obviously Robert is my number one driver and regardless of circumstances always will be, but it only shows how much Vettell is disregarded or even disliked. For a double world champion to have less fans than a currently not active driver with only one win on his tally is pretty unexpected situation. I wonder what’s the reason behind this. Any ideas?
    1. caci99 (@)
      24th February 2012, 16:46
      I guess it’s the controversial preceding his world champion win. It is the same for all drivers of that category, they will never get full support from people because, we do not want to accept that we were wrong.
      Myself, I wasn’t supporting him that much when he won the first championship, but the 2011 has proved he is a very mature and skilled driver. But still, somehow, inside me, I want him to be beaten :).
      Whatever the feelings, he deserves props anyway.
    2. F1fanNL (@)
      25th February 2012, 12:15
      I think it’s because right now he’s the main rival of the McLaren boys.
      I can’t say for sure but I doubt Schumacher was very popular amongst British fans in the mid/late 90’s.
2. verstappen (@verstappen)
  24th February 2012, 11:53
  @keith-collantine I wonder why Kubica is still on the list?
  Since his team has moved on to hire new drivers, it’s not like he’s on sick leave anymore.
  Sutil, Buemi and Alguersuauri are not on it, while Buemi even will step in the World Championship car if needed.
  * Maybe ‘sympathy reasons’ are sufficient in the case of Robert. I’m sure everyone wishes him well *
  1. Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
    24th February 2012, 11:55
    @verstappen It’s a bit of a special circumstance with Kubica. Yes, he has effectively been replaced at Lotus now but I doubt if he were able to drive he wouldn’t have a place at some other team. So, partly on sympathetic grounds, I’ve left him in.
electrolite (@electrolite)
24th February 2012, 10:17
For me it’s not that Jenson’s British, but he’s been around for a long time now and he’s the good guy that’s had to deal with some real dogs. He stayed loyal to the Honda team for so long (the Williams contract buy-out aside) and even through 07-08. I remember being about 13-14 and cheering on his BAR, I’d be so glad if he got a podium! Through the Brawn year was very moving for me to watch him take all them wins and also how hard he fought later on in the season.
He’s British, yeah, but I’m really not that patriotic, and I think many of his 638 fans will share the same sentiments I do.
1. LexBlair (@lexblair)
  24th February 2012, 10:33
  LIKE+!! :D
2. Bigbadderboom (@bigbadderboom)
  24th February 2012, 10:48
  Well said, Jenson has worked very hard for his oportunities and made the most of them when they have appeared, his also one of F1’s good guys, pretty genuine and open, ok he maybe “safe” but he’s also solid.
3. Derek
  24th February 2012, 12:49
  I agree Jenson is an alround good guy and a very good driver. But I’m a Lewis fan and would you believe an Alonso fan!!
  It’s all down to their driving style, balls-out!!
  I was the same when ‘our’ Nige and Senna drove their style was the same as above. I did not go for Prost or Piquet who went for the averages.
  1. Mike (@mike)
    24th February 2012, 13:16
    I always viewed Alonso as quite a calm driver, at least nowadays.
    1. JCost (@jcost)
      24th February 2012, 14:12
      Alonso was used to be a crying baby, he’s different now.
      1. Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
        24th February 2012, 14:22
        @JCost We were all crying babies once.
      2. David-A (@david-a)
        24th February 2012, 18:50
        @keithcollantine – Touché!
      3. Aussie Fan
        25th February 2012, 3:47
        only because he’s got his Number 1 aka god status within the team thanks to Massa rolling over & playing fetch for him.
4. matt90 (@matt90)
  24th February 2012, 17:06
  He was a great underdog in 05 when I started watching full-time (and he’d had a very successful 04 which I ‘d seen bits of). As somebody who naturally follows drivers mainly for nationality, the only other British driver was Coulthard. I don’t think I was put off by Coulthard being Scottish, as I identify myself as both English and British, but I just found him dull and past it.
  Watching his 1st win was special, and his end to 06 was pretty good. Seeing him in a poor car for the next 2 years made me even more excited to see him get back in at least a half-decent car.
  And when Hamilton came along in 07 and Button was doing badly, I took a while to actually support Hamilton (partly because before the season I hadn’t heard of him and wanted Pafet to get the drive) because I didn’t want to jump on the bandwagon as everybody seemed to forget Button, who I knew still had potential.
  Eventually (mid 07 I guess), Hamilton won me over because of his driving, although his personality still puts me off while Button’s is another part of the reason I support him.
Le Jimster (@lejimster82)
24th February 2012, 10:34
My fav drivers are Jenson & Kamui. Infact I’d love to see Hamilton move to Ferrari and Kamui take his spot at Mclaren. Well actually I would love to see Sauber be good enough to win the WDC, but unless their is a miracle I don’t see that happening any time soon.
LexBlair (@lexblair)
24th February 2012, 10:38
JB has been a fan favourite, for a long time…not just on this site….and he is just as popular among the fans as he is well-liked in the f1 community….
smifaye (@)
24th February 2012, 10:59
Interesting statistics from this:
McLaren 666 fans, spooky!
Marussia 1 fan. Poor person who supports them.
Disappointed to see Williams so far down the list. Although there’s not exactly much to cheer about with them at the moment :(
1. xxiinophobia (@xxiinophobia)
  24th February 2012, 11:09
  @smifaye Marussia actually have 13 fans. It’s just the colouring of the graph hides the 3 at the end.
  1. Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
    24th February 2012, 11:45
    Yes, will have to tweak that…
  2. smifaye (@)
    24th February 2012, 11:52
    Ha. Oh dear. Well that’s a little better I guess!
2. BasCB (@bascb)
  24th February 2012, 13:04
  I think they had quite a few supporters when they started, and the event they organised at their first Silverstone was great as well.
  But ultimately fans are hardly impressed with the team never really making good on their potential. I guess the fuel tank could be forgiven, as it was right at the start of their efforts. But failing to improve much at all with the car in their second year as well was hardly impressive.
  Not to mention that getting beaten 2 years in a row by a sorry episode like HRT is pretty far from Sir Richards words of what Virgin would achieve before the start of the 2010 season.
3. Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
  24th February 2012, 14:29
  @smifaye As I write this, Button’s supporter count has just hit 666.
  1. smifaye (@)
    24th February 2012, 14:42
    Holy cow! That’s surely a bad omen, or is it a good omen. Well either way it is definitely an Omen ;) get it?!
  2. LexBlair (@lexblair)
    24th February 2012, 15:48
    Actually it´s already at 671… followed by
    HAM-491…
    SCH-347…
    DiResta-343…
    WEB-336…
    KOB-334…
    ALO-309…
    VET-267…
    1. Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
      24th February 2012, 16:17
      @lexblair Great to see the numbers going up so quickly! And Schumacher’s third now…
Derek
24th February 2012, 12:34
I seemed to have missed the voting this time.
I am from Scotland but my vote is
1. Lewis Hamilton
2. Jenson Button
3. Paul di Resta
4. Kimi
5. Alonso
Team is McLaren
Started watching in the 60’s with my dad, cause we had to quite good Scottish drivers in F1 at the time.
The dip in the early 2000’s would be down to the Michael Schumacher factor when it got quite boring. I hope Red Bull and Vettel don’t get us into that again.
1. electrolite (@electrolite)
  24th February 2012, 12:36
  @Derek
  You haven’t missed anything! It wasn’t a poll as such, if you go onto your profile you can edit all your favourite drivers/teams there :)
  1. Derek (@derek)
    24th February 2012, 13:20
    Thanks ‘Electrolite’ I have now completed my selection in my profile.
    Looking forward to a competitive season. I’d like to see three or four teams fighting it out for race wins, and see how Vettel copes with trying to win a race from 3rd on the grid.
    1. Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
      24th February 2012, 14:30
      Welcome aboard @derek!
dangerouspartridge (@dangerouspartridge)
24th February 2012, 12:51
I’m really surprised that Jenson is always so highly regarded! The only reason he ever won a world championship was because his car was the only one with the double diffuser which none of the teams had. Once the other teams adapted this technology he quickly stopped winning races. He’s also so smug and self-appreciative – Lewis always thanks the team whereas Jenson thinks he’s a little wonder kid and it’s all done to his driving. Never again will he win a world championship.
And to top it off he appeared in that god awlful shampoo advert.
1. bearforce1 (@bearforce1)
  24th February 2012, 13:01
  I think you have Lewis and JB mixed up.
2. LexBlair (@lexblair)
  24th February 2012, 13:40
  Ahhh I am sorry but do you even follow F1….or are you just Lewis´ cousin or something….. i seriously believe that one of the reasons that Lewis is less supported, are his fans…. believe me you can grow to despise one bc of his childishly ignorant fan-girls… its happens all over again in the celebrity world…..
3. McLarenFanJamm (@mclarenfanjamm)
  24th February 2012, 13:47
  The only reason he ever won a world championship was because his car was the only one with the double diffuser which none of the teams had
  Categorically incorrect. Toyota and Williams also had the double diffuser at Australia. Brawn had an extra 6 months development time over everyone else, that’s what made the real difference. Ross also pointed out the loophole in the diffuser rules but almost all the other teams weren’t interested and were left behind.
  Also, I get that you don’t support Jenson, but there is absolutely no need to troll. There’s no need for others to bite either.
4. smifaye (@)
  24th February 2012, 14:46
  Wowzers! Can’t believe you are questioning Button’s talent as a driver. He is obviously well liked and well liked for a reason so your judgement appears to be well off the norm.
James Brickles (@brickles)
24th February 2012, 13:08
Interesting to see Felipe Massa so high on that list ;)
My choices
1. Kimi Raikkonen – Always been my favourite and certainly glad he’s returned.
2. Jenson Button – He impressed me last season, I think his race wins in particular were very good.
3. Michael Schumacher – I began cheering him on last season because (Like Bernie) I want to see him win again.
4. Robert Kubica – I know he probably won’t race this season but he is very fiery and spectacular and I deeply hope he makes a full recovery and return to racing.
sumedh
24th February 2012, 13:19
I can understand why Jenson is so well-liked. He is very smart, very warm towards the media and fans and drives pretty well.
Can’t understand what Lewis and Di Resta are doing so high up. Both talk a lot to the press, mostly immature stuff. One’s driving is seriously bad right now, the other is just starting.
Webber and Perez, these are two drivers I would like to see up there with Jenson. Again, likable characters, smart as well. I hope people have seen the FIA review where Checo pulls a prank on his team during the Japenese Grand Prix
GeorgeTuk (@georgetuk)
24th February 2012, 13:23
I must say I like Lewis more than Jenson because I identify with him more especially his recent troubles.
But Jenson has come on leaps and bounds and the more exposure he gets the more friendly he seems.
Paul di Resta is a good driver but just seems so dull. Nice enough but so dull.
Hamilton (@hamiltonjp)
24th February 2012, 13:25
Unfortunately, F1 nowadays is full of pay drivers. We’re still waiting for some talented young drivers like Felipe Nasr to create a new impact on the main series of motorsports.
I hope Nasr could join McLaren soon.
1. AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
  24th February 2012, 13:37
  @hamiltonjp We have 6 world champions on the grid this year. You don’t get much more exciting than that!
  It seems that half your talent as a rookie is being able to drum up sponsorship.
2. Mads (@mads)
  24th February 2012, 13:43
  @Hamilton
  Who do you classify as a pay driver? I don’t see that many.
  Petrov, well maybe, but he has a podium finish. He can’t be all bad.
  Maldonardo is GP2 champion. Should be enough to get a seat on merit alone. He brings money as well, but I can’t see him totally unqualified to get a seat.
  Senna, despite the fact that I like him, he is probably mostly in F1 for $$$$$ and has yet to prove that he deserves it, if he can.
  And then there is Karthikeyan who is a pay driver..
  But I don’t think it is nearly as bad as it could be.
  I will argue that the first two drivers listed above deserves a seat in F1 of some sort, not great and money surely meant something in their search for a seat, but M. Schumacher paid to get into F1 for the first time as well, so you have to start somewhere.
  A pay driver isn’t a new phenomena and in the past we have seen pay drivers so bad that even the worst of the current drivers would seem like Ayrton Senna in comparison.
  1. Hamilton (@hamiltonjp)
    24th February 2012, 20:33
    There are many “species” of pay drivers in F1. Senna is a pay driver, certainly. Maldonado, for sure, is a GP2 champion, but he remains on F1 only because of his $$$ background from Venezuela oil company. In some point, Williams was loooking for Kimi due to atract more sponsors. Petrov is a pay driver.
    I know that in some aspects everybody has to pay to enter in F1, but remaining there only because you have money isn’t a good thing for the series.
    And yes, i think having six champions on the track is really exciting.
nackavich (@nackavich)
24th February 2012, 14:56
I was never really a fan of Vettel after he ran into the back of Webber in the rain in Fuji and Turkey. I appreciate his ability and liked him on Top Gear, but he’s not in my top 5 drivers. Even though Webber & Button are 2 of my favourite drivers (the others being Ricciardo and Kubica), I don’t support Red Bull or McLaren as teams.
I support Lotus and Mercedes, basically because I see them as underdogs in the battle for the constructors title, and I want to see a 5-way battle for the constructors world championship.
Seeing Red Bull, Mercedes, McLaren, Ferrari and Lotus within 30 points of each other by the end of the year would be amazing,
I think it’d be fitting for a season with 6 world champions, not to mention Webber and Rosberg.
SimS
24th February 2012, 18:30
Lewis and Vettel.
Ed Marques (@edmarques)
24th February 2012, 18:48
I really hope Lewis wins this year. If not him then Vettel or Kimi.
72defender (@72defender)
24th February 2012, 19:30
Switching gears here, drivers aside, I feel Mercedes will take the Constructors Title followed by McLaren, RedBull, Force India, Lotus, Ferrari, Sauber, Toro Roso, Williams, Caterham, Marussia and HRT.
1. McFillin (@kcampos12)
  25th February 2012, 3:02
  I cant see Ferrari being that low. But i do agree with Mercedes being 1 or 2
McFillin (@kcampos12)
24th February 2012, 22:37
As always i am supporting my favorite team Williams and my favorite out of the 2 drivers, Bruno Senna.
James (@goodyear92)
25th February 2012, 17:27
My driver has to be Lewis. I just love the way he drives always on the edge and always extracting the maximum out of the car. Korea last year is one of my all-time favourite qualifying laps. Sure some of the things he says are abit out of line, I happen to love that outspoken nature though, and I can understand why it might put people off, but I watch for the driving. I could have guessed Button would be number 1, but I’m not a fan. Brundle said it himself, when you watch Jenson’s fast laps, it’s hard to tell them apart from his outlaps. I know it’s just his driving style and it gets him results, but it’s just underwhelming to watch.