We all know thermal imaging cameras in Formula 1 are pretty cool. And that’s just when they show a tyre heating up under load during a corner. Imagine how totally awesome it would be to see an F1 car doing donuts!
Thanks to FLIR Systems we don’t have to wonder anymore. Instead, we can marvel at the pretty lights of the Red Bull RB8 performing its dance for us at a recent demonstration event.
[Source: WTF1]
We might have seen 12 days of F1 pre-season testing already this year, but today is the eve of the 2012 Formula One season proper. When tomorrow’s free practice sessions go green that will be the first chance we get to see who is fast and who was mucking around during those pre-season tests.
To help prepare you for another mammoth year in F1 we bring you this quick reference guide. We have the full entry list and numbers for all drivers, plus links to our launch articles for all 11 teams. Very useful will be the coloured boxes which indicate which drivers will have a red camera atop their car and who will have yellow.
We’ve also included an introductory video from Pirelli explaining some of the changes they have made to the tyres for the season ahead. And, finally, there’s a handy calendar with the start times for all 20 races converted to Australian Eastern time.
If you still want more information you can learn more about the rule changes introduced this year in the Charlie Whiting Q&A article and The Guardian also has a good team-by-team preview, that is well worth a read.
All that’s left now are questions on what the season will bring: will this be Mark’s year; can Ricciardo edge himself ahead of Jean-Eric Vergne; and, more importantly, can anyone stop Sebastian Vettel?
For easy reference save this link: ausm.tv/f1guide2012