NASCAR and WRC last weekend, F1 this week!
If last weekend, the World actuality of motorsport has been dominated by NASCAR and WRC (World Rally Championship) series, it is Formula 1 which will be featured this week, then that will fight this Sunday (in the night from Saturday to Sunday to the North American public) the Australian Grand Prix on the circuit of Albert Park in Melbourne.
The season testing did not draw great lessons about the potential of the main teams, each more or less hiding his game sometimes performing tricks with almost empty tanks. Certainly, Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull Racing stables remain the favorites for this season 2012, although the pressure is very strong at Ferrari for one of the two drivers (one thinks of more than Massa Alonso) brings back the World crown Maranello. The McLarens of Button and Hamilton also appear well prepared. As for Mercedes, with Schumacher and Rosberg and Lotus (former Renault team that recruits the "back" Kimi Raikkonen), we do not expect it to play the title but see them on the podium far from utopian.
The actuality of last weekend is between Nevada and Mexico she played in terms of world motorsport anyway. On the oval circuit Las Vegas, the series NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide each had the third leg of their 2012 season.
Saturday Nationwide, the victory went to Ricky Stenhouse Jr 2011 champion (Ford), with a lead of six seconds on veteran Mark Martin (Toyota). Elliott Sadler (Chevrolet) has finished third in this race more than monotonous. Danica Patrick for his part took twelfth place.
The next day, the Sprint Cup race has had more twists and turns. The last two champions of the anime series have the last quarter, Tony Stewart (Chevrolet) before eventually winning Jimmie Johnson (Chevrolet also). The "Top 5" is supplemented by Greg Biffle (Ford), Ryan Newman (Chevrolet) and Carl Edwards (Ford). Championship is henceforth Biffle who is now in command.
In Mexico, the World Rally Championship presented his third round of the season. On a path made of dirt roads around the cities of Leon and Guanajuato (mountainous region in the center of the country), the Citroen DS3 WRC Sebastien Loeb and Mikko Hirvonen have dominated the Ford Fiesta RS WRC Latvala and Solberg. Pure performance, Ford certainly were superior, but mechanical problems have slowed the first day followed Latvala went off course for the arrival. The eight-time world champion Sebastien Loeb won with 42 seconds ahead of Hirvonen and 2 minutes 11 "on Petter Solberg. The next ordeal will be run in Portugal in late April.
