[Tom_ec1]

I’ve asked this same question ahead of both the 2010 and 2011 seasons as someone with an interest in manufacturer involvement in F1: Which engine will score the most points this year?

In 2010 almost everyone correctly predicted Mercedes would come out on top.

Mercedes – 736 points
Renault – 661 points
Ferrari – 453 points
Cosworth – 69 points

In 2011 Renault were ahead for most of the year, but finally the most-popular pick Mercedes eventually won by just 8 more points.

Mercedes – 731 points
Renault – 723 points
Ferrari – 460 points
Cosworth – 5 points

(https://www.racefans.net/groups/f1/forum/topic/which-engine-will-score-most-points-in-2011/).

What do you think will happen this year?

Here are the contenders:

Mercedes – McLaren, Mercedes, Force India
Renault – Red Bull, Lotus, Williams, Caterham
Ferrari – Ferrari, Sauber, Toro Rosso
Cosworth – HRT, Marussia

The big change on this front is Williams switching to Renault. Mercedes engines have generally got ahead of Renault engines thanks to having Force India as a strong third team. If Williams have a good year (like 2010) then Renault could come out on top. Also, Caterham may start to pick up points.

But will Cosworth score any points this year with just HRT and Marussia?

My view is that Red Bull can’t repeat what they did in ’11, and McLaren will probably have a better season in ’12, which should do enough to bring Mercedes out on top.

Tell me what you think!

[matt90]

Think I agree with Mercedes. I expect to see Force India outscore Williams and possibly Lotus and Mercedes to beat Lotus. Then unless Red Bull completely ran away with it again (unlikely) I think they won’t get enough points over McLaren to make up the difference for Renault.

[bananarama]

Mercedes should be the most likely option. McLaren and Mercedes should be among the best teams and ForceIndia should establish itself as one of the best midfield teams. Unless Lotus surprises us immensely that should be enough to fend off Renault.
Or how about a surprise awesome Sauber, fighting for the podium while Ferrari have a 2002/04 season :-D .. I know, won’t happen.

So I say Mercedes too.

[DavidS]

Mercedes

They have two teams that are well and truly in the midfield and will frequently be in the points. I don’t have that same confidence in either Caterham or Williams, and I’m not sure whether Lotus will be as competitive this year with a car that isn’t designed around a trick exhaust system.

Also considering that Mercedes still scored more points in 2011, despite Red Bull having their most dominant season to date. Unless 2012 is dominated to an even greater extent by Red Bull, it’s unlikely that Renault engines will collect more points, in my opinion.

[junior]

I think Mercedes will top the table again but this is very dependent on the year the williams have, i think last year for them was a serious blip which wont be repeated this year.

I dont think red bull will dominate the season so much this year but they are still where i would put my money for the constructors.

Cosworth is a dying manufacturer and to be honest has lost its reputation, i think next year(2013) you wont see them in the sport and unless we get a wet race with a big crash they wont get any points this year however much i want Marussia to score some :)

[Estesark]

If I had to put money on it, I’d go for Mercedes, but as this is just a bit of fun and Mercedes have already been picked a few times, I’ll be the first to say Renault. Red Bull will probably finish above McLaren, Lotus could get very close to the Mercedes team itself, and although neither Williams or Caterham fill me with confidence, between them they could edge Force India, particularly if the “big four” becomes a “big five” with Lotus closing the gap to Mercedes and making it very difficult for other teams to score points regularly.

I’d be extremely surprised if Cosworth picked up any points this year.

[Slr]

I don’t expect Red Bull to be as competitive in comparison to the rest of the field this year, however I think they will be the only team powered by Renault engines to win. I expect McLaren to win races, and I think Mercedes will start winning race this year. On that, I think Mercedes will be the top engine supplier of 2012.

[F1Yankee]

no way is cosworth scoring any points this year. inferior to the competition in every way, as are the only 2 teams using it.

it’s a shame the rules prevent development and variety across the entire car, but especially the drivetrain. what happened to the motor being the heart of a car?

[Estesark]

Half-way (ish) standings:

Renault: 246 + 192 + 53 + 0 = 491
Mercedes: 193 + 106 + 46 = 345
Ferrari: 189 + 80 + 6 = 275
Cosworth: 0 + 0 = 0

Even if Renault’s score was multiplied by 3/4 to make it a fair comparison with Mercedes and Ferrari, they’d still be in the lead. And I was the only one to go for Renault!

[matt90]

Reading my prediction now is quite funny…

[Kingshark]

This is unfair, Renault supply four teams.

Nonetheless, Caterham are a non-factor anyway.

[PieLighter]

Just read bananarama’s prediction:

Unless Lotus surprises us immensely that should be enough to fend off Renault.
Or how about a surprise awesome Sauber, fighting for the podium

He may have thought he was crazy but both of these things happened. Sauber and Lotus are both amazing this year.

[jsw11984]

I suspect Renault will also be the winning engine this year

[—]

Why is everybody saying Mercedes? Renault will clearly win! Think about it. Red Bull will almost certainly beat McLaren, Lotus will definitely beat Merc, and Williams have the edge over Force India.

[matt90]

@brazil2007 All these predictions were made pre-season.

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