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Correct me if I'm wrong. And if i'm wrong, close the thread.

I heard the 2013 regulations are quite similar to 2012s. A big change will happen in 2014.

Wasn't the 2010 and 2011 regulations similar? If so, will Red Bull completely dominate in 2013 like they did in 2011?

Similar Regs:
2010: RBR did great
2011: RBR dominated

Similar Regs
2012: RBR did great
2013: Will RBR dominate?

2014: No clue yet.

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History would suggest not.

I hope not. Sorry but putting fans and driver skills aside, its boring as chocolate fudge cake.

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All things being equal McLaren will have a potentially good car in 2013 but Button will need to find his sweet spot a LOT more often to challenge Vettel/RBR. I have no clue how Perez will do.

I feel Ferrari are going to have to make a significant improvement to the car but it's definitely possible for them to mount another challenge with Alonso.

Overall I don't think it is going to be a foregone conclusion, but both McLaren and Ferrari are going to have to up their games considerably.

I really hope not...

Until Melbourne..it's impossible to know I'd say. Although I'd rather it wasn't a domination. I liked seeing Seb work for his title.

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Drivers I like:
Raikkonen
Grosjean
Perez
Vettel

Teams I like:
Lotus
Merc
RBR
Marussia

The 2010 Red Bull was 0.5-1 faster then the competition most weekends. The championship should have been won long before the last race had it not been for unreliability/driver errors.

The 2012 Red Bull is quick, but the McLaren has been the fastest car for most of the year.

Expecting McLaren/RB/Ferrari to be pretty close next year with Lewis as the joker in the pack.

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Leave me alone.....I know what I'm doing

I think the odds of Vettel not winning it in 2013 are higher than if he did.

Double DRS, at least the Mercedes version, is banned as is using DRS anywhere on the track during free practice and qualifying. A modesty plate is being added to cars with a platypus nose to improve their appearance ahead of a full ban in 2014, but their aerodynamic profile should be the same. Tests on front wings will become more stringent.

There's also a few sporting changes that shouldn't change the cars performances.

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"We can not drive slower, just to make the races more exciting." Alain Prost

I have a feeling they will.

Ferrari dominated 2002.
Had a fight on their hands in 2003.
Even stronger domination in 2004.

I don't have high hopes for next season at all. Hopefully the banning of double DRS, etc. will keep the field close.

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I don't rely entirely on God

I rely on Prost



FA#14

The 2013 cars are going to be much the same as their 2012 counterparts. I have a feeling that Red Bull 2012-13 could be like 2003-2004 with Ferrari, unfortunately.

Mclaren has had the edge lately, Red Bull second and Ferrari third.
But Mclaren is losing Hamilton - and with him, they're losing any serious aspirations to the WDC they could have had. In my opinion, Button will not make it happen unless they'll have a really dominant car.
Ferrari isn't ending on a high, the car is still not up to it. Alonso has been great, but can he pull off another season like this, being in contention up until the last race?
Red Bull has had the unreliability of the Renault alternators. If their current spec is reliable, Vettel will do well. But they'll be losing DDRS, which has helped their qualifying this year. So they'll have work to do to be in front of the grid come race day.
Then there's Lotus with Kimi - I don't see it happening. He has been good, but the car is very inconsistent. Sometimes great, sometimes very mediocre.


My money would be on Vettel again. Maybe Mclaren for WCC, if Perez lives up to it.

I think the Red Bull will come back strong and dominate next year, like in 2011, Sebastian will wrap up the title by late September

I really hope not but it's just a gut feeling

McLaren should be favourites for next year, especially with the new model of tyre which is even softer so will reward the smooth drivers over the aggressive

This is JB's best shot at a title since he has been at Mclaren.
Red Bull I think will be right up there
Ferrari lets see if their wind tunnel upgrade will bring the much needed pace
Lotus - not sure if there development strength is that good throughout a season so I expect them to drop back into the second tier of cars
Mercedes - big question mark there
Sauber - only way is up
FI - another big question mark, not sure which way they will go

and the rest will probably stay where they are maybe with caterham pushing its way up slightly

ROCK ON 2013

As the cars have been more or less evolution for a couple of years, and the Red Bull has been at the top of the tree they have a good start. However, there is only so far they can go with it, and another year gives everyone else chance to make the same tweeks. However, I thought that last year

If they can find an advantage in the new part of the rules, they could dominate again. It is not like it was years ago, when a new part could give a second a lap advantage, it is all going to be tenths and hundredths.

They do seem the most 'together' team so I believe they will start well, even if others catch them.
Despite the fuss about Newey, there is more to Red Bull than the best designer, so even with equal equipment they will still be up there.

If someone 'does a Brawn' and makes a flying start to the season, the others may struggle, but I think all the cars will be quite close next year.

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I have nothing to offer but blood, oil, gears, and sweat.

I belive 2013 will be a cake walk for Red Bull and Vettel, going to be a long boring season next year.

I hope not, but Vettel and Infinity RBR would be my pick for who is most likely to win it, and most likely to romp away with it.

I'd rather see a close battle. Even if it is Vettel that wins, I'd rather see him pushed hard than what happened in 2011 which was him seemingly being in another race half the time.

I'd rather see a close battle than any guy I support winning by a mile every week.

Too early to tell.

Think I'm the only one who wants next year to be like last year

As a Vettel fan, aslong as he wins I don't care how he does it, boring would be good as yesterday was way too stressful for me!

However, this season has been very exciting and I'm really looking forward to next year and hoping Vettel becomes a 4 x WDC

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Sebastian Vettel - Youngest Ever Triple World Champion - 2010, 2011, 2012

Hard to say, but I think they will still win a title. The funny fact is that they are losing speed since 2010. In 2010 they were the fastest, but had awful reliability. In 2011 they dominated because they had bulletproof car, but were only slightly faster than others. If you ignore reliability they are in decline.

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I think they will be at the top yes. They seem have really figured out this year's car in the final quarter and have kicked it up another gear. Ferrari clearly don't have the ability to match their level of development and McLaren have reliability issues. Which should be easier to fix.

That being said. Vettel and Red Bull go into 2013, defending champions. As a result they will be the team to beat.

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Formula Mercedes

Alonso

Probably not. There's no major change in the regulations, teams will continue their current development, and we know that Mclaren is ahead, followed by Red Bull and Ferrari. So I think the favorites are those three, in that order.

I doubt it will be 2011 again. As has been said, Red Bull had a very fast car coming from 2010 and all they needed to do was fix the reliability. Furthermore, I'm convinced that Hamilton who was the only driver that could challenge Vettel that season had an off-year and made Vettel look even more dominant than he really was. Anyway, going on from this year, Red Bull doesn't have a lot going for them. They weren't the fastest car overall as in 2010 and they definitely weren't the most reliable. Looking at the order of the cars, next year should be open for any manufacturer to jump the rest. Red Bull can be pretty good if they fix their reliability but they need to find some pace too; McLaren have a fast package and they appeared to have fixed their pit woes but they also need to work on their reliability. Ferrari had great reliability but they need to find some pace. Lotus had both pace and reliability but they need to up their game a bit. Mercedes I've given up personally but you never know.

All in all, if Hamilton didn't leave McLaren my betting money would be on them for the win but with Hamilton gone I don't have the same confidence on Button and Perez. Somehow it seemed to me that Hamilton pushed Button to do better and if Perez turns a bust compared to Hamilton as I think he will, I'm afraid Button's performance will drop slightly too. Lotus will be interesting to watch with Kimi fully returned now and Grosjean hopefully more mature. Ferrari should be dangerous if their wind tunnel calibration is successful and if Massa keeps his current form. That's a lot of competition for Vettel and Red Bull to have a cakewalk. That said, all it takes is a few setup issues for Button, some unexplained lack of pace for Ferrari and a slow start from Lotus and before you know Vettel has built a great lead. Hopefully it doesn't end up this way as the prospect seems very good right now for a tightly contested championship.

I think McLaren is who you should be afraid of