Robert Kubica will make a decision on his F1 return next month.
Renault face a difficult decision on their 2012 drivers with Vitaly Petrov, Bruno Senna and Romain Grosjean also in contention.
And Kimi Raikkonen’s visit to Williams suggests he may be entertaining thoughts of a comeback. Here’s how the 2012 driver market is looking.
Red Bull
Mark Webber has signed another one-year extension but his place could go to someone else in 2013.
McLaren
Jenson Button was previously thought to have a contract for 2012 but it emerged a few months ago that it is contingent on an option being taken up by the team.
It would be a surprise if McLaren did not retain Button. He has out-scored Lewis Hamilton this year, there’s no obvious top-drawer candidate to replace him, nor a likely alternative destination for him in 2012.
Ferrari
Both drivers are under contract for next year.
Mirroring the situation at Red Bull, Fernando Alonso has a long-term deal, whereas Felipe Massa’s contract expires at the end of 2012.
Mercedes
Michael Schumacher reaches the last year of his three-year deal in 2012. However Nico Rosberg’s status for 2012 is unclear.
Renault
Renault previously said Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov have contracts for next year – but the situation is rather more complicated than that.
Kubica, who has been out of action all year following his pre-season rally crash, is expected to advise the team next month whether he will be able to race for them in 2012. Even if he is able to return, it remains to be seen whether he will still be as quick as he was.
Then there’s the question of whether Eric Boullier will try to make room for either of the team’s up-and-coming drivers.
Bruno Senna has made a good start to his time with the team. They’ve made positive noises about his performance and attitude, and the sponsors he’s helped bring to the team won’t hurt his chances either.
GP2 champion Romain Grosjean, who made a handful of starts for the team in 2009, is part of Boullier’s Gravity Sports Management programme and could make a full-time return next year.
Clearly, four into two won’t go. Renault may have the option of placing a driver at one of the teams they supply engines too. But either way Boullier has a tough call to make on his 2012 line-up.
Williams
Kimi Raikkonen’s recent visit to Grove raised much speculation but it’s far from clear whether his prospects of a 2012 return are realistic.
Raikkonen’s World Rally Championship campaign is clearly not going to plan.
He has already been excluded from the points standings for refusing to compete in the Australian round because he didn’t want to travel. He crashed out of last weekend’s French round on his way to the third stage in a collision with a competitor.
The 2007 F1 champion had clearly lost enthusiasm for the sport in his last season and was dropped by Ferrari with a year left on his contract. It’s hard to imagine he might recapture his passion for racing by trying to drag an FW34 into the lower reaches of the points.
But a return would undoubtedly be welcomed by his legions of fans, and F1 would have a record six world champions on the grid..
Pastor Maldonado has fared well in his first year of F1. He also brings vital funds from PDVSA to a team which has a lot of empty space on its livery. Rubens Barrichello is eager to continue into what would be his 20th season.
But Williams are making significant changes to their technical team and switching engine supplier, which could have a bearing on who they choose for 2012.
Adrian Sutil is another driver who’s been mentioned in connection with the team. And, according to Autosport, GP2 driver Giedo van der Garde is favoured by team sponsor MacGregor.
Force India
The team say they will confirm their driver line-up for 2012 in December.
Reserve driver Nico Hulkenberg clearly deserves a race seat somewhere.
But Force India’s combination of the increasingly experienced Sutil and impressive rookie Paul di Resta is working well for them. So Hulkenberg may have to look elsewhere.
Sauber
Sauber announced in July that Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Perez will be retained for 2012.
Perez tested for Ferrari last month and may be under consideration for Massa’s seat in 2013.
Reserve driver Esteban Gutierrez had an impressive first year in GP2 and will remain with ART next year for a crack at the title.
Toro Rosso
Toro Rosso have surprised many by retaining both drivers throughout the season so far. Daniel Ricciardo’s appointment at HRT has temporarily relieved the pressure on Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari.
But with Red Bull potentially needing a new driver in 2013, Toro Rosso may have to make room for a new face in 2012. It’s difficult to separate Buemi and Alguersuari on performance, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see one of them ushered aside to make room for Ricciardo.
Lotus
Jarno Trulli was recently confirmed with the team for 2012 and Heikki Kovalainen is expected to remain alongside him.
HRT
This team have been the last to confirm their driver line-up in the past two seasons, and financial considerations are likely to play a significant role in deciding who gets a seat.
Virgin
Securing the continued services of Timo Glock, despite their difficult first two seasons, was a coup.
Jerome D’Ambrosio has fared better than his predecessor alongside Glock but his place for next year has not yet been confirmed.
New drivers
Grosjean, Hulkenberg and Karun Chandhok are among the drivers with F1 experience looking for race seats next year. What of the up-and-coming talent?
Luca Filippi was this year’s GP2 runner-up but his considerable experience at that level may count again him – he has not had a rapid rise through the lower categories. He made his GP2 debut the same year as Lewis Hamilton and had some F3000 experience prior to that as well.
Ferrari development driver Jules Bianchi finished third in a patchy second season. Rumours have linked him to Force India’s third driver role if Hulkenberg goes elsewhere next year.
Robert Wickens, who leads the World Series by Renault points standings, had his first taste of F1 machinery in a straight-line aero test for Virgin last month. It’s between him and Red Bull development driver Jean-Eric Vergne for the championship.
Several of these names are likely to appear in the young drivers’ test at the end of the season. But will any of them land drives for 2012?
And who else will trade places in time for next season? Will we see Kubica or Raikkonen back on the grid? Have your say in the comments.
See the updated list of 2012 F1 drivers and teams
2012 F1 season
- Which was F1’s best down-to-the-wire title fight?
- Hulkenberg’s missed win should have been “high point” for Force India
- Kubica reveals he almost withdrew from fateful 2011 rally – and had 2012 Ferrari F1 deal
- 2012 F1 season Blu-Ray “Victorious Vettel” reviewed
- 2012 F1 season DVD “Victorious Vettel” reviewed
- New team radio reveals Vettel’s penalty protests
- The complete F1 Fanatic 2012 season review
- What F1 Fanatics thought of 2012: The year in polls
- The drivers and cars of 2012
- F1 Fanatic’s 50 article highlights of 2012
Browse all 2012 F1 season articles
Images © Renault/LAT, McLaren, Renault/LAT, Ferrari spa, Red Bull/Getty images, Virgin Racing
burgy (@burgy)
3rd October 2011, 12:02
my god kimi needs a haircut
NFS
3rd October 2011, 12:09
He probably would said ‘i couldn’t care less’ ;)
raymondu999 (@raymondu999)
3rd October 2011, 12:12
He spoke!?
Scary Terry (@hatebreeder)
3rd October 2011, 13:19
:D
Mike the bike Schumacher (@mike-the-bike-schumacher)
3rd October 2011, 13:46
How’s he going to commit to F1 if he can’t bother travelling?
F1 Sight
3rd October 2011, 20:11
Then why would Williams take a chance a Kimi. He has shown a lack of interest in his last years of F1 and he can’t commit to anything since. This is the last thing Williams needs. Williams would be better of with any of the other drivers on the list. Why take a chance on someone who might burn out again.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
3rd October 2011, 13:53
Ostberg couldn’t make it ‘cos he didn’t have the cash. I don’t know what Kimi’s actual reason was. Didn’t want to travel sounds a bit weak.
BasCB (@bascb)
3rd October 2011, 15:13
I read that as meaning he did not want to fork out the money to travel there without hope of a good result.
Girts (@girts)
3rd October 2011, 12:52
Agreed. I think Jean Todt should pay more attention to the drivers’ hairstyles. Growing of facial hair should be strictly regulated as well; for instance, Vettel looks terrible when he has that beard.
unoccprost
3rd October 2011, 13:47
Vettel can grow a beard?
celeste (@celeste)
3rd October 2011, 17:29
lol
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
3rd October 2011, 13:53
Remember Alonso’s pre-season face fuzz? That was magnificent. His mum told him off though.
Girts (@girts)
3rd October 2011, 15:08
Yes, I remember how James Allen described it (just found the exact quote):
I think it was Domenicali who kindly explained to Alonso that this was not exactly what he had in mind when saying that Ferrari don’t regulate the looks of their drivers :) But most likely it was always meant to be only pre-season.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
3rd October 2011, 18:26
I never understand why teams feel the need to fashion a drivers look a particular way.
“Well done, you just won the championship! By the way, you’re fired for having a ‘tash.”
Not gonna happen, is it?
I doubt the sponsors really care that much.
Klaas (@klaas)
3rd October 2011, 14:11
Are you serious man? Regulations for hairstyles and facial hair? Geez…
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
3rd October 2011, 14:13
He’s joking.
bananarama (@bananarama)
3rd October 2011, 15:51
Actually if I’m not mistaken, Ron Dennis made sure Alonso looked ‘neat’ for advertising purposes. But not only Alonso, I think Coulthard once mentioned that a beard was forbidden.
Scary Terry (@hatebreeder)
3rd October 2011, 20:15
didn’t jeremy call coulthards beard, “face fungus?”
and asked jenson that, “why, when f1 teams try their best to shed weight of the car, are f1 drivers allowed to have beards?” :D
Girts (@girts)
3rd October 2011, 14:58
Of course, I’m joking. I would never want to see F1 turning into a beauty contest. That said, I really think that some drivers who sometimes or permanently have facial hair look better without them.
Sorry for the interruption, my intention isn’t to turn F1 Fanatic into Cosmopolitan :D
GeeMac (@geemac)
3rd October 2011, 15:48
Well McLaren insist on their drivers being clean shaven apparently. Some sort of compromise was made for JB.
xxiinophobia (@xxiinophobia)
4th October 2011, 1:38
I think I remember reading that this was one of the house rules that was relaxed when Martin Whitmarsh took over. Both Button and Hamilton have had facial hair during their time at McLaren.
Shimks (@shimks)
4th October 2011, 16:07
Jacques Villeneuve at least had the grace to compromise and lose the hair on his head before growing a beard.
JCost (@jcost)
4th October 2011, 9:14
Really?
Next: “Lewis, those earings…”
Craig Woollard (@craig-o)
3rd October 2011, 14:10
He looks as if he’s aged a bit as well…
Fixy (@)
3rd October 2011, 14:24
I’d say more than a bit! I almost couldn’t recognize him ;)
If he doesn’t come back next year he’ll have no chances left. He deserved a drive for 2010, now it’s tougher to say, and with all the young drivers emerging we’re running out of space and missing two years of the sport may count against you.
There are too many young drivers and too little teams that choose them as drivers for each season – most become test drivers, a few get promoted each year and many remain waiting.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
3rd October 2011, 12:05
I think the smarter option for Renault would be to keep Senna and Petrov to keep the cash flowing in and pay off the debt to Vladimir Antonov and SNORAS. Meanwhile, Robert Kubica could return to the World Series by Renault to try and get that competitive edge back. A return to Formula 1 is the obvious objective, but there is nothing to say it has to happen in 2012. The last thing anyone wants is for Kubica to return to Renault and discover that he doesn’t have the X-factor required to be a Formula 1 driver anymore. So, he could take a year off and get back up to speed while Renault de-kink their internal woes; when both are ready, they can come back together in 2013 and hopefully be a force to be reckoned with.
raymondu999 (@raymondu999)
3rd October 2011, 12:12
WSR? Who would they stick him into? Team I mean. And why WSR? I thought you were always the GP2 proponent. Over WSR anyways
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
3rd October 2011, 12:18
I am, but the WSR is the World Series by Renault.
raymondu999 (@raymondu999)
3rd October 2011, 12:20
As I understand it Renault has no more involvement in Lotus Renault GP other than sharing the same name and being an engine supplier though.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
3rd October 2011, 12:32
But Kubica is a Renault driver. And the WSR is not as prominent as GP2. Kubica is currently out of contract with the team; if he drove in GP2, all the other teams would be watching him very closely and maybe make a play for him for 2013.
raymondu999 (@raymondu999)
3rd October 2011, 12:34
Fair point on him getting stolen for 2013
MaroonJack (@maroonjack)
4th October 2011, 7:16
If Kubica won’t race in F1 next year and if he knows what’s good for him, then he should go to GP2. Of course it would be better for Renault if he went to WSR, but I don’t think it would be better for Robert.
bosyber (@bosyber)
3rd October 2011, 12:12
Sadly, that sounds so sensible that it is unlikely to happen!
I do think it would be good to give Kubica time to get into a racing rhythm again, and as you say, racing in a class like WSbRenault might allow him plenty of opportunity to show his speed and overtaking abilities. He undoubtedly hasn’t forgotten how to tune an F1 car, so maybe it could be combined with Friday morning runs during GP weekends.
BasCB (@bascb)
3rd October 2011, 15:16
But would Kubica want to do so?
His manager has already said that if/when he will be able to race he would be doing so in a F1 car, nothing less won’t do even for testing, or something very similar.
He continued saying that the physical bit of it is not even that hard in F1 where they have power steering etc. compared to lower categories.
celeste (@celeste)
3rd October 2011, 17:53
Well for the point of view that the work of his manager is to keep him motivated is his job to tell that he will only drive on F1, but at this moment thats a little unrealistic (the poor guy almost lost his arm!)…
Maybe going to GP2 is a good path for his reabilitation…
Adam Tate (@adam-tate)
4th October 2011, 0:24
Schumi did some brief testing of a GP2 car with F1 tires to help prepare for his comeback, I see no reason why Kubica can not do the same.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
4th October 2011, 2:30
But GP2 is very visible. It races as a support category for Formula 1, so all the teams will be able to follow Kubica’s progress. What’s more, they’ll be able to assess him relative to other drivers in the category, drivers that they may be considering for themselves. With Kubica out of contract at the moment, another team could sweep in and steal him away. But by running him in the World Series by Renault, it will be much harder for teams to judge him, meaning the team currently known as Renault – who are backing his comeback – will have the edge to re-signing him because they will have the most information about his recovery.
Patrickl (@patrickl)
4th October 2011, 20:44
You can keep jammering on about the visibiloity of GP2, but think it thorugh a little.
Kubica will need a contract with Renault for them to put him in GP2. In that contract they could put an exclusive option.
Alternatively, if Kubica organizes a drive in GP2 himself then GP2 is the better choice.
Either way there is no reason for him not to run in GP2.
Although I assume he just wants to get back into F1 and wouldn’t bother with anything less.
raymondu999 (@raymondu999)
3rd October 2011, 12:11
Kubi’s been through quite a big accident before so I don’t think it will affect his speed too much; not directly anyways. By that I mean his commitment to corner entry/apex speed etc. Having said that I’m not sure if he is physically there.
Also, I know it probably won’t happen but two people I would really really love to see as teammates to each other would be JB and SV.
celeste (@celeste)
3rd October 2011, 17:56
The Sebson pair lives on… lol… you and a lot of fangirls will like those two together…
I reaad somewhere that the efects of both accident will be diferent. In the first one it wasn´t Kubica driving, this time he was. Don´t know if that fact mades the diferent…
javlinsharp (@javlinsharp)
3rd October 2011, 18:58
Raymondu999: I have to agree here. Unlike Kimi, I think RK has the head for a return, it is the body that is the question. He practically had his arm severed at the elbow, that cant be good for wheel control. That said, I can think of nothing more triumphant than seeing RK return to the podium.
Best Wishes Robert, Your zeal for the sport has been lacking since your departure.
Rob Wilson (@rob-wilson)
3rd October 2011, 12:23
Yeah i agree, but i can’t help thinking Grosjean deserves another chance in F1, it’s a shame there are limited opportunities for a 2012 drive for him.
Also i would love to see Kimi return, it would be good for the sport since he had so many fans and was obviously very good (at least around spa) Rubens needs to give it up now, great career, now settle down with your family.
raymondu999 (@raymondu999)
3rd October 2011, 12:24
I don’t think there’s a soul in F1 who wouldn’t like a Kimi comeback. Preferrably in competitive machinery though
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
3rd October 2011, 12:34
Well, he won’t get it. Raikkonen has been out of the sport for two years, and since then, the sport has changed rapidly: refuelling has been abandoned, the DRS has been introduced, and the Pirelli tyres work very differently to the Bridgestones. Plus, the KERS systems will be been improved since 2009, so there’ another change. No competitive team in their right mind would take an untried and untested Raikkonen.
raymondu999 (@raymondu999)
3rd October 2011, 12:39
I don’t think refueling being abandoned would affect him too much; he was there in 2005 in a similar endurance formula when tyres weren’t allowed to be changed; and while KERS units have changed the way you use them remains the same so I don’t agree that would change much in terms of driving.
I do, however agree on your DRS and Pirelli points.
But I wouldn’t cut him out so soon.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
3rd October 2011, 12:46
A fuel-heavy car would handle very differently to a car on super-sturdy tyres.
raymondu999 (@raymondu999)
3rd October 2011, 12:48
You’re not quite right there I’m afraid. A car heavy on fuel would be slow; yes. But if the car has it’s fundamentals right; and a TD/designer worth their salt; then the balance and handling actually won’t change.
raymondu999 (@raymondu999)
3rd October 2011, 12:49
When I say that I mean on the same state of tyres of course. The tyres going off is a different issue in terms of how they affect the handling; but in terms of pure fuel load; it won’t affect the handling and balance.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
3rd October 2011, 13:05
Fuel load has a massive effect on balance. As the car gets lighter, it also gets faster. No doubt it subtly affects the tyres, since there is less weight for them to move around. It would be particularly noticeable if a driver went onto fresh options late in the race.
raymondu999 (@raymondu999)
3rd October 2011, 13:08
No; it doesn’t. Read my 2 comments. It would go faster as the fuel goes down; both in the corners and in the straights (better acceleration; less mass to accelerate) but it will NOT affect balance. Balance being the level of over/understeer that a car experiences going through the various phases of a corner.
raymondu999 (@raymondu999)
3rd October 2011, 13:10
Balance is not to be confused with a car’s speed; if a given car weighs 640kg vs 800kg; it will have a lower limit in terms of how much speed you can carry through corners; how late you can brake etc; but it will NOT affect the balance of grip between front and rear.
Mopatop (@mopatop)
3rd October 2011, 14:51
Wouldn’t the fuel load change the weight distribution of the car? I think the weight distribution is approximately 54/46 and it doesn’t look like fuel bladder is mounted along the centre of mass.
vho (@)
3rd October 2011, 15:08
That also depends on where your fuel cell is and the suspension rates you have at the front and the back. Typically the fuel cell is behind the driver but in front of the engine and it is kept as low as possible to keep the centre of gravity low. Hence you could argue that the majority of the weight is biased to the rear. Depending on the track, the rear suspension may be raised and springs run harder in order to prevent bottoming out, but as the fuel becomes less the suspension no longer has to carry the weight. With a lighter rear end and no compensation for spring adjustments there is a likelihood that the balance would change. But nevertheless, Kimi has experienced running a car with low fuel and worn tyres back int the days of refuelling, what is unknown is his ability to drive a heavier car (in full fuel) than he’d previously experienced – perhaps he has done it before when he had to run a long stint, like Suzuka 2005.
@HoHum (@hohum)
3rd October 2011, 15:18
Then how do you explain DiResta successfully coming from touring cars to F1 ?
matt90 (@matt90)
3rd October 2011, 16:13
If balance isn’t altered by loosing fuel how do you explain the relative drop-off in performance of Ferrari in races? Clearly it excels with high-fuel but not low-fuel. Also, braking and inertia are massively affected by weight of fuel.
raymondu999 (@raymondu999)
3rd October 2011, 16:19
@Mopatop – most fuel bladders are actually placed in the CofG.
@matt90; I didn’t say it wouldn’t affect performance. Braking; turning; acceleration would all go slower due to more mass. Also I did say that we must factor tyres out of this; as we’re solely talking about heavy vs light fuel – i.e. the performance of a banzai low fuel fresh option tyre run; vs a heavy fuel fresh option tyre run.
I don’t remember seeing a Ferrari struggle as the fuel load went down; except simply for their traction and temperature issues with the harder tyre compounds; which races are you talking of?
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
3rd October 2011, 21:37
Because di Resta was able to adapt his driving style to fit a Formula 1 car.
I’m not saying that the changes to the sport since his retirement will make it impossible for Raikkonen to return. Like di Resta, he can adapt. However, the changes are very significant, and so they are barriers to (re-)entry, and wil no doubt slow Raikkonen down while he gets a feel for them. A lot of people seem to think that Raikkonen will simply be able to step into the car and instantly become competitive; I’ve seen dozens of people who seem to think that Red Bull in particular will be falling all over themselves to get Raikkonen into one of their cars, when it’s simply an unrealistic proposition.
themagicofspeed (@)
3rd October 2011, 22:34
in my experience (i am studying for a Diploma in Motorsports Engineering), a fuel heavy car –
-Has a changed Centre of Gravity (due to the weight of the car being changed in a dynamically unstable way
-The nature of fuel as a liquid makes it an unpredictable mass as concerns the movement of weight distribution, this is why we see some cars (particularly backmarkers) nervous, side to side under braking and then understeer, becuase the movement of the weight of the fuel is not controllable.
-The amount of weight affects the tyres adversely, particularly when the weight is unevenly spread. In an F1 car the fuel cell sits on the floor of the chassis, directly behind the safety cell, beneath the airbox (this is it’s mandated position) and when it is full to the top it is above the top of the side pods, meaning the car is closer to exceeding the coefficient of friction (resulting in a rolling effect) which could be dialled out by stiffening the ARBs and suspension.
In short, an F1 car filled with fuel is a dog to drive and much different to the refuelling era. Raikkonen would struggle.
Journeyer (@journeyer)
3rd October 2011, 12:45
If they took Schumacher back after 3 years out, why not Raikkonen? The rule changes won’t be the main sticking point here. It will be elsewhere.
First, is he motivated to come back? Schumacher had that motivation in spades, no question. Kimi left F1 seemingly of his own choice, and his current motivation in the WRC isn’t such a glowing recommendation of him either.
Second, how much will he ask for? He got paid a lot in F1 – first to drive for them, then to leave F1. I’m not sure Williams can pay him all that much.
Third, how willing is he to do sponsor commitments? He hasn’t shown any love for this in his F1 career, but any motivation Williams has to get him would be related to getting new sponsors. And with Williams faring poorly right now, they’ll need to keep the sponsors happy while they’re still not winning.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
3rd October 2011, 12:48
Why would they? Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari are clearly all very happy with their driver line-ups for 2012. Why would they see the need to change established drivers with rapport for the sake of Kimi Raikkonen?
The sport has changed a lot more since Raikkonen’s departure than it did between Schumacher’s retirement and comeback. And when Schumacher did come back, he’d already had experience racing fuel-heavy cars, so the major change for 2010 was negated.
javlinsharp (@javlinsharp)
3rd October 2011, 19:10
PM,
The new things youve mentioned are not unlearnable. Even Old Man Schuy has been able to come to grips. This should not be a problem for Kimi who is still young(ish)
Overall, it is important to remember, that Kimi is THE MASTER of traction control. For all his faults (poor racecraft, unable to manage a sick car, unmotivated/uncaring, non-communicative) it is this one skill that has enabled his success. Somehow, the tires speak to him, and he can negotiate just a little more traction when others cant.
I would love to see him return to F1 in a Williams. I predict that Williams will INSTANTLY jump 1 level of competitiveness, as no current driver would be able to do.
I also know it will never happen because Kimi doesnt care a rat’s a$$ about racing anymore, Williams cant afford him, and quite frankly, its too good to be true.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
4th October 2011, 6:25
I didn’t say they’re unlearnable. I said they’d slow Raikkonen down. He can’t do any development work until he gets a feel for the new rules. After all, how could he give feedback on how the car responds to changes is he doesn’t know how the car is supposed to behave in the first place?
Girts (@girts)
3rd October 2011, 12:59
I wouldn’t mind against seeing 6 popular world champions on 2012 grid but I’m afraid that Kimi’s comeback would make the 1999 version of Damon Hill (in Jordan) look like an example of extreme motivation. Hopefully I’m wrong.
BasCB (@bascb)
3rd October 2011, 15:18
But when going french, don’t forget Charles Pic might come into play as well.
His family has serious money and their transport company agreeing to stick with Renault trucks would be a deal along the lines of Fernandes signing Airbuses with GE engines.
AdrianMorse (@adrianmorse)
3rd October 2011, 12:28
Bit of a slow silly season this year. Next year should be more interesting with Massa, Webber, Hamilton, and Button (assuming McLaren take up the option for 2012) coming out of contract.
The most interesting this year is the Renault team. Is Bouillier’s involvement in Grosjean’s management not a conflict of interest, though?
raymondu999 (@raymondu999)
3rd October 2011, 12:30
As was Briatore-Alonso
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
3rd October 2011, 12:57
But Boullier hasn’t shown himself to be crooked.
When Briatore was in charge at Renault, becoming the team’s second driver was the closest thing to career suicide that a driver could do. I often got the sense that the only reason why Renault ran a second car was because they were obligated to. The entire team was built around Alonso – he got upgrades first, he got more testing time, he got priority pit calls and so on simply because he was Fernando Alonso. Even if he was behind on-track, his team-mate was expected to make way for him. And if a driver ever fell behind, Briatore would simply cut him loose until he found something on his own. Rather than assigning resources to the driver to help him find the missing speed, Briatore would instead devote them to Alonso.
Looking back, I think Briatore’s problem was that he thought being a team principal or driver manager should be as important as being a driver. For all the attention that a driver got, the team principal should get an equal share. He was, in his mind, just as big a star as Alonso was – and in some ways, a bigger star – because he was the one making the decisions in the team that allowed Alonso to enjoy the level of success that he did. We saw it every time Briatore was critical of the direction the sport was taking; as soon as Renault stopped winning, he was the first man in front of the media, taking about how Formula 1 needed to find some direction. I think was really in love with the idea of being the reason why Formula 1 (and Alonso) was so successful and so popular. It is what led him to ignore his second drivers, and make questionable decisions like at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.
The sport is better off without him. In fact, Renault probably should have gotten rid of him sooner.
raymondu999 (@raymondu999)
3rd October 2011, 12:59
I know Briatore hasn’t. I’m not saying he is; either. But I’m saying that, in any case, it’s a conflict of interest; with him being a potential team boss, and the manager, of Grosjean
aka_robyn (@)
3rd October 2011, 14:29
Has a potential conflict of interest ever stopped anyone involved in any way with F1 from doing anything whatsoever? (That’s a half serious question, by the way.)
Duchess (@duchess)
6th October 2011, 0:26
Ugh, Briatore is a vile individual and it’s a crime that he was involved in F1 for so long. The man makes me feel physically ill.
Patrickl (@patrickl)
4th October 2011, 20:48
All drivers at Renault had to be under Briatore’s management. That sort of takes care of the conflict of interest.
Craig Woollard (@craig-o)
3rd October 2011, 14:15
I’ve been waiting for silly season to get underway…
Next year’s silly season is where it’s gonna be at!
It’s such a shame though a lot of top drivers won’t be able to race next year…
Adam Tate (@adam-tate)
4th October 2011, 0:28
Agreed, people have given so much hype to this being the most competitive F1 grid ever, but it would be so much better if Kimi and Kubica returned. Even more so if other good drivers like Coulthard and Montoya hadn’t left.
Rahim.RG (@rahim-rg)
3rd October 2011, 12:29
6 champions!
wish they all could have a competitive car to challenge each other…
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
3rd October 2011, 12:32
Button and Hamilton at McLaren, Vettel and Raikkonen at Red Bull, Alonso and Schumacher at Ferrari. We can dream…
raymondu999 (@raymondu999)
3rd October 2011, 12:36
I would NOT want to work at Scuderia Ferrari if and when that happens. Alonso and Schumacher together… I shudder
icemangrins (@icemangrins)
3rd October 2011, 13:30
Keith, we heard from DC that Schumi (even at this age) was working hard and spent late nights with the engineer. He cited Singapore GP as an example. Do we have know how Alonso is brining the team forward?
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
3rd October 2011, 21:22
Everyone was working late nights in Singapore…
Looked like Schumacher may have been asleep when he hit Perez.
matt90 (@matt90)
3rd October 2011, 16:18
If Mercedes finally make that leap forward…
Schumacher still there and Rosberg showing himself to be champion material.
javlinsharp (@javlinsharp)
3rd October 2011, 19:15
Rosberg = Championship material? Dont think I can agree, but then, who would have thought that of Button would do it back in the Honda days.
matt90 (@matt90)
4th October 2011, 14:39
I’m not saying he will, just that it’s possible. If Mercedes become competitive then he is capable of being champion at least. I’d be amazed if he wasn’t at least equal to Webber last year.
Patrickl (@patrickl)
4th October 2011, 20:50
Rosberg is better than 3 or 4 drivers in the top 3 teams. If he had a competitive car there is no reason why he couldn’t win the WDC.
celeste (@celeste)
3rd October 2011, 18:19
+1
themagicofspeed (@)
3rd October 2011, 22:25
Keith, that is the same ideal line up as i would like too. Wowser, 6 World Champions all in the top 3 teams. Schumacher and Alonso would be amazing, get Ferrari back to the top, maybe with enough euro’s Rory Byrne, Ross Brawn, Paolo Martinelli, Luca Baldiserri and Domenicali could be persuaded to re-form the dream team…. dont think there’s much chance of Todt returning, for obvious reasons, and Brawn is a long shot. But i can dream…
Felipe Bomeny (@portugoose)
3rd October 2011, 12:29
Red Bull Junior Team’s Jean-Eric Vergne is inching closer to a Friday test drive; if he is to win the World Series by Renault, he wll become Toro Rosso’s test and reserve (like Ricciardo this year) and he will probably combine this with a season of GP2.
Girts (@girts)
3rd October 2011, 12:44
I believe Renault is in the most difficult situation. The team’s current driver line-up clearly conflicts with their high ambitions. If they can get Kubica for next year and if the Pole hasn’t lost it, then it will be alright but if not then they need to look for another strong team leader. There isn’t great choice at the moment but I think that Kovalainen and Sutil would be more suited to this role than Senna, Petrov and Grosjean.
Craig Woollard (@craig-o)
3rd October 2011, 14:16
They have about 12 drivers to choose from…
matt90 (@matt90)
3rd October 2011, 16:20
I will gladly see Petrov go regardless. He’s not bad, but I prefer Kubica (definite choice if he can still be competitive), Senna and Grosjean.
Slr (@slr)
3rd October 2011, 18:02
Petrov is OK, but I can’t see him taking Renault to the top. It’s hard to rate Senna on three races, he’s been alright, I wouldn’t say he’s been any better than Petrov.
Presuming that Kubica is as good in his return as he was before, then Renault should definitely keep him. I guess Renault should just stick with Petrov for 2012 as he has a contract with them.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
3rd October 2011, 12:44
I can’t help but question Raikkonen’s commitment after his accident in the Rallye de France-Alsace. His collision was Henning Solberg was bizarre to say the least, but the car was mostly undamaged. He could have easily restarted, but he simply decided to go home. I think that would have poured cold water on any team looking at signing him – they’d have to question Raikkonen’s commitment, especially if things go badly. Lately, Raikkonen seems to be giving up on things when he doesn’t experience immediate success. Williams in particular certainly have their work cut out for them. I also think Williams would be a poor choice because I don’t think Raikkonen would get along too well with them personality-wise.
If Raikkonen wants to get back into Formula 1, then I think a better choice of team would be Force India. I could see Williams getting Adrian Sutil as a driver willing to make a long-term commitment, while Raikkonen would get a reasonably-competitive car at Force India, especially if he is treating 2012 as an audition for a better drive in 2013. I know a lot of people think Nico Hulkenberg should get a race seat with Force India, but I think Vijay Mallya would know the value of having Raikkonen – a former World Champion making his highly-publicised return to the sprot – in the team.
Heading out into the even more out-there territory, I could even see Mallya making a play for Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton is constantly in the headlines, supposedly because he “will not wait forever” for McLaren. With all the other top teams locking out their driver line-ups (and Renault trying to fit four drivers into two cars), Force India would be the most-competitive team with a potential vacancy. With Sutil going to Williams and Raikkonen filling his seat, Hamilton and di Resta could do a straight swap. You heard it here first.
raymondu999 (@raymondu999)
3rd October 2011, 12:50
I would think his commitment was already brought into the spotlight before this. Wasn’t he ousted from the championship when he just couldn’t be bothered to show up for the Australian round or some such event?
Journeyer (@journeyer)
3rd October 2011, 12:55
Hmmm. I see Hamilton and di Resta being involved in a seat swap, but I think Mercedes are too interested in di Resta to let him go that easily – unless they get a more proven name with good ties to Mercedes. Enter Lewis Hamilton – probably to team up with his former karting teammate.
Who will be dropped from the Mercedes lineup isn’t that important. If it’s Schumacher (more likely), he’s off to retirement. If it’s Rosberg (less likely), he may find employment elsewhere – if not FIF1 itself, maybe Ferrari if they find Perez isn’t ready yet. Either way, FIF1 can promote Hulk to a race seat – they would already have a proven veteran in either Sutil or Rosberg.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
3rd October 2011, 13:03
The FIA’s Contract Review Board will prevent any driver from signing a contract that stops them from joining one team at the behest of another. It’s anti-competitive. The most Mercedes will have in place is a clause in di Resta’s contract that gives them the right to make him the first offer. Di Resta would have to consider any contract offered by Mercedes before another team could enter negotiations. However, if di Resta’s Force India contract came up for renewal, and Mercedes did not want to enter into negotiations with him (because they were happy with the Rosberg/Schumacher line-up), then that is effectively giving up the right to make di Resta an offer, and making him a free agent.
I don’t think Schumacher will be going anywhere. Not after his recent run of results.
But, given the opportunity to run one former World Champion alongside one of their current racing drivers, would Force India pass for the sake of giving Hulkenberg a race seat? Would you pass up on a Raikkonen or a Hamilton for a Hulkenberg?
Journeyer (@journeyer)
3rd October 2011, 13:14
The scenario I proposed is actually flexible – it can work for 2012 OR for 2013.
I would be surprised if Mercedes don’t already have a plan for di Resta joining Mercedes. The way the contracts are structured allow it – di Resta can join for 2012 (replacing Rosberg) or 2013 (replacing Schumacher). He has no contract with FIF1 for 2012, but even if he had a contract with FIF1 going beyond next year, contracts can easily be bought out at the right price.
Agreed. But again, the scenario I proposed can also easily play out this time next year.
Honestly, I don’t think they can afford either driver. Neither will come cheap, and the Kingfisher businesses aren’t exactly in the best shape right now. If either Lewis or Kimi will come into the team, someone else will have to pay for their salary, and I don’t see why a potential sponsor would pay millions to see them drive for a midfield team. It doesn’t help that neither driver is known for building a team around him, either (unlike Schumacher, Alonso, or eventually Vettel). Hulk probably won’t be quite as quick, but at the price tag he’ll have, I see him to be a better bargain for where FIF1 is now.
unoccprost
3rd October 2011, 14:00
Vettel? He walked into a team that already had Newey in it. It was made complete with facilities and hundreds of people and then he entered in 2009.
Kimi could go anywhere.
In my opinion.
2009 – Bored, didn’t like the nature of F1, thought WRC would be the greener pasture waiting for him. Lost his Ferrari drive and got anoyed and left.
2010 – WRC hard… and not as green a pasture as one might have thought
2011 – ok.. bored and hard, and improving but still would require both Fords and both Citroens and Petter Solberg to fall over to win and not to crash… and MINIs are coming and their fast.
Time to try NASCAR, maybe America invented something good…. meh… I’ll try the actual one this time not trucks… oh dear.. *insert the radio of kimi saying ‘we are really **** at this’*. Nup not good. No more planned.
What else is there… Racing on a track.. Le Mans!!! Does a test with Peugeot… ok.. wished I was racing a bit more…
2012 – what to do what to do….
NASCAR – nup.. bad
WRC – meh.. not as fun as would have thought
Le Mans – we’ll see
F1 – better than originally thought….
I think that’s where he is at. Didn’t like F1 thinking others were better, tried and didn’t like, and now is thinking of F1 or Le Mans for on track racing.
Martin Brundle thinks similiar.
@HoHum (@hohum)
3rd October 2011, 15:31
Like unocprost I see Kimi in Nascar, ideally in a team sponsored by Haagen Daz or Ben & Jerry.
Journeyer (@journeyer)
3rd October 2011, 16:09
@unoccprost: Michael Schumacher also walked into a team that already had Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne in it. I wouldn’t be surprised if he can entice people to follow him out of Red Bull into another team – unless he moves to Ferrari (who already has Pat Fry in it).
As for Kimi, I’m still not totally sold he has what it takes mentally to come back. If he ended up being unhappy at Ferrari (where he won a title), how would he be happy at Williams, trying to make them anything like as competitive as Ferrari?
raymondu999 (@raymondu999)
3rd October 2011, 16:10
Actually Journeyer; I think you’re wrong there. Schumi walked into a rubbish Ferrari; and then he recruited Byrne and Brawn from Benetton. Though my history is a bit rusty. Could be wrong.
Journeyer (@journeyer)
3rd October 2011, 16:15
My point exactly, raymond. He walked into Benetton where Ross and Rory were already there to help him win titles. And then he later recruited those people to follow him to Ferrari. Vettel could (and probably would) do exactly the same thing if he ever changed teams.
TheBrav3
4th October 2011, 4:16
@Journeyer In which universe is it exactly that you think hamilton would ever agree to drive around with “the monkeys at the back of the grid”?
His words not mine.
Secondly schumacher is contracted for next year nico isn’t if anyones being dropped it’s nico lol
icemangrins (@icemangrins)
3rd October 2011, 13:27
Interesting theory except the Lewis Hamilton part… based on what I hear and read, he will only make a laterral move to either RBR or SF. Force India will be a bad move for his talent and he will be better off at McLaren.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
3rd October 2011, 14:01
Red Bull and Ferrari are locked out.
A year at Force India would do Hamilton some good. He needs to remember that breathing out is just as important as breathing in, and Force India would allow him to do just that and let his tension go. There would be less pressure, so he could find his proper mindset. Get back to basics, almost retrain himself to race. Hamilton is one of those rare drivers who can extend a car beyond its limits, so driving the Force India would also present a challenge, hopefully one that can help him overcome his current rut.
paolo (@paolo)
3rd October 2011, 14:22
As a driver that is clearly only interested in winning I can’t see Hamilton going to FI in a million years. Why would he? McLaren are quicker and he has a seat at McLaren for as long as he wants it.
The only move I can see him making is to RBR or SF. As you quite rightly say they are both locked out at the moment so I can only see him staying with McLaren in the short term.
He couldn’t work with Alonso again and as he’s on a long term contract that rules SF in the medium term so I reckon he will stay with McLaren until Webber leaves RBR and assuming they are still the class of the field at that point then he will pitch to drive along side Vettel.
Patrickl (@patrickl)
4th October 2011, 20:54
Indeed. Hamilton to Force India. What utter nonsense.
Seriously.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
4th October 2011, 2:33
And what if he doesn’t want it any more? Red Bull and Ferrari won’t drop one of their current drivers for him. Force India is the team the furthest up the grid with the potential for a vacancy, since both Sutil and di Resta are out of contract at the end of this year.
Like I said, Hamilton going to Force India is an out-there suggestion, but not one that is entirely without merit. If he gets sick of McLaren – and if he thinks his management is part of his problem – then he could go to Force India to be around his father’s influence without actually having Anthony manage him.
JCost (@jcost)
4th October 2011, 9:26
Mr Monkeys, just stop it. Jesus will come back before Lewis goes to Force India.
ididnt
3rd October 2011, 15:02
i’ve been saying that for a while, but of course, i do not have your gravitas.
Felipe Bomeny (@portugoose)
3rd October 2011, 22:03
I doubt that Hamilton would move to Force India; the commercial blockheads that run Simon Fuller’s agency are only interested in the money. McLaren iis very merchandisable compared to Force India; they have a racing pedigree and a more competitive car. Hamilton is a sort of spoiled brat as of late, visible through his “tantrums” on and off the track, leading me to believe he’d scoff at the notion of a Force India move, much like Raikkonen at Toyota’s offer to give him a seat in 2010.
Adam Tate (@adam-tate)
4th October 2011, 0:32
I could never see Hamilton and di Resta swap seats, but Sutil in a Williams and Kimi in a Force India would be very interesting to see.
unoccprost
4th October 2011, 7:55
Hamilton is staying at McLaren they would be stupid to lose him and Hamilton will want to be in a top team.
He is just making mistakes, he’s not slow. If he doesn’t make a mistake then he is faster than Button 99 times out of 100.
So he isn’t like Massa, just out of sorts.
Steph (@)
3rd October 2011, 13:06
I liked Kimi when he was in F1 but I don’t miss him. It doesn’t matter to me at all he’s a former F1 champ who might come back because the grid is stunning as it is. Plus, he’s had two years out of the sport where the cars and tyres are completely different. When Schumacher came back it didn’t mean much as he wasn’t that competitive and this may end up just the same and that was with Michael Schumacher (although I’m happy to defend Schumacher’s driving this year).
If Kimi wants to come back then good for him but at the minute it just feels like it’s because he’s bored and not getting the results he wants in rallying.
I hope Kubica returns back to his best but I’m really cynical about that as he’s been through a lot. I’m just taking the wait and see approach with him. Renault have too many drivers and not enough seats at the minute.
I’m most interested to see Force India, Renault and Toro Rosso’s decisions. I’d love Hulkenberg get the call for a race seat as I don’t feel Sutil offers anything when it comes to racing. I wish Paul would move up the grid but that’s unlikely to happen as the Merc seats look taken and he’s still just a newbie. Renault I have no idea what will happen. I like Petrov but Senna seems to already be a match for him, Grosjean isn’t new but he’s very shiny and then there’s Kubica. I’m intrigued by STR; I feel like Buemi is better but I have no idea which way the team will swing. I hope Daniel gets the seat though because he looks like he could be good.
unoccprost
4th October 2011, 8:17
***? Schumacher come back everything is different, Raikkonen eerything is the same almost.
Schumacher – Launch Control, Traction control, cars growing wings everywhere, low rear wings, no small winglets on front wings, nose cone height change, KERS, DRS, Pirellis, Full tanks of fuel, + NO CAR RACING in 3 years out, tyres designed for a certain team to contorl tyre
Raikkonen – DRS, Pirellis, full tanks of fuel
That is the differences. Raikkonen had KERS in his 2009 Ferrari. Not much difference.
Steph (@)
4th October 2011, 10:29
I think that’s a big difference actually. The tyres are a huge part of the car and Kimi won’t get any real testing time on them. The Pirelli’s are massively different to the Bridgestone’s. The cars are different beasts too running at full fuel. Everyone else will have experience at managing the cars and tyres but Kimi won’t. Remember Bruno at Spa? He caused carnage just because he wasn’t used to the full tanks. Optimising DRS may take some getting used to as well. True, things haven’t changed as much as they did for Michael but there have been some pretty fundamental changes nonetheless.
Kers has changed since 2009 too. Whatever car he ends up in may have a different kers package/set up to what the Ferrari had a couple of years a go.
W-K (@w-k)
3rd October 2011, 13:29
As the spec for the cars, engines change in 2013, I think 2012 is the season to make bold changes. Trying to decide whether a car is good or bad with a new driver will be made more difficult. Therefore
RBR – Vettel, Senna
McLaren – Hamilton, Button
Ferrari – Alonso, Perez
Mercedes – Rosberg, Di Resta
Renault – Kubica*, Petrov, Grosjean
Williams – Barrichello, Maldanado**
Force India – Sutil, Hulkenberg
Sauber – Kobayashi, Bianchi
Toro Rosso – Alguersuari, Ricciardo
Lotus – Kovalainen, Chandhok
HRT – Liuzzi, Wickens or Vergne
Virgin – Glock, d’Ambrosio
*Assuming, hopefully, he is fit
**So many changes at Williams, for them with new engine as well, it will need experience, therefore keep Rubbi. Kimi for all his race day skills is not the man for Williams.
unoccprost
3rd October 2011, 14:38
RBR – Webber and Vettel (Vergne)
Ferrari – Alonso and Massa (Bianchi)
McLaren – Hamilton and Button (Paffet and DLR)
Renault – Senna and Kubica or Grojean (Kubica if not fit)
Mercedes – Rosberg and Schumacher (to be replaced for 2013) (Hulkenberg if not FI)
Williams – Raikkonen and Maldo (can’t change unfortunately)
Sauber – Kobayashi and Perez (guiterrez)
Toro Rosso – Alguersuari and Ricciardo (Vergne)
Force India – Sutil and Di Resta (Hulkenberg)
Lotus – Kova and Trulli (can’t change unfortunately)
Virgin – Glock D’Ambrosio
HRT – Grojean and Wickens
I don’t think enough drivers are leaving. The following should be out
Schumacher – out.. again
Barichello – sympathy case
Trulli – and his steering back to his vineyards
Liuzzi – away away to something else. Didn’t do badly in other formula, maybe Le Mans might suit his style more
Maldo – and his dirty money
Petrov – bad bad bad… smashed by Kubica is not good… beaten within 2 races by Senna who hasn’t raced for 8 months and only driven the car twice before….
The following deserve a seat
Heidfeld – most underrated and beaten all teammates over course of their time together. Includin Raikkonen (WDC), Webber (nearly WDC) and Kubica (depends who you believe, some would say Senna reborn, many say race winner and Ferrari future drivers)
Hulkenberg
Senna
Kubica
Grojean
Wickens
Vergne
Craig Woollard (@craig-o)
3rd October 2011, 16:32
But if Petrov beat Heidfeld in most races, and Senna is beating Heidfeld, why does he deserve a seat???
Slr (@slr)
3rd October 2011, 17:49
Actually Heidfeld beat Petrov more often than not. The story between then two was Petrov was faster on Saturday, whilst Heidfeld was ahead on Sunday where it mattered.
Slr (@slr)
3rd October 2011, 17:52
Oh and I think you mean “Senna is beating Petrov”. Even though in my opinion, Petrov has been better over his three race with Senna.
unoccprost
4th October 2011, 8:09
Remembering than Senna hasn’t got the expierence of Petrov I’d say Senna has shown more in the 3 races than Petrov has.
Belgium – Senna outqualified and was matching lap times throughout. Only 1 mistake otherwise would be more points form the race, AND that was his team debut! SENNA BETTER 1-0
Monza – Similiar quali again. Petrov out so can’t compare race. Petrov better in quali but can’t really give it to either as comparing only 1 lap is stupid. either way 1-0.5 if we’re being generous to Petrov
Singapore – Senna outqualified Petrov again and finished higher. Senna 2-0.5
I think Senna given he hasn’t raced in 8 months is clearly the better driver showing over the 3 races.
Quali alone 2-1 Senna winning (Senna better at Spa and Singapore, while he didn’t set a time in Italy, but was slower in Q2).
Races it is 2-1 Senna winning (Spa for Petrov, Monza and Singapore for Senna.)
Even if you don’t count the Monza race result for Petrov but do pounce on Sennas spa mistake, it still is even in the races and Senna’s advantage in the qualis and with less experience
celeste (@celeste)
5th October 2011, 1:53
Senna? Why? I said this because I really want to know, not being sarcastic…
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
3rd October 2011, 13:46
I find it hard to belive Raikkonen would return to F1 on a Williams. 2 years ago he simply lost motivation and teams couldn’t afford him (including McLaren). And he only wanted a winning team…
Why would he return to a team with a very difficult present, and a not-so-clear future?
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
3rd October 2011, 13:59
Exactly my thoughts. I can’t see it happening to be honest. I don’t think it would do Kimi much good and Williams could do with as much consistency as possible going into 2012.
montreal95 (@montreal95)
3rd October 2011, 14:15
Because he can use the 2012 Williams to prove to top teams that he’s motivated and still has it? Then he can hope to be on the shortlist when there are possible shuffles in the top team seats for 2013.
Also, it seemed that in the latter part of 2009 Kimi’s motivation suddenly gone up again, just after Massa’s accident. Strange coincidence don’t you think?
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
3rd October 2011, 15:30
Uhm, I doubt it. He could’ve grabbed a seat at Renault last year if he wanted to prove anything. But Williams? a team that has been dropping out of the points consistently since 2004?
I don’t know, all this sounds very strange if I’m honest. He had plans for racing in NASCAR, Rallying and all, he continuing said F1 was over for him and suddenly he wants to drive for Williams?
montreal95 (@montreal95)
3rd October 2011, 16:02
Last year the Renault team just gained publicity on his behalf. There was nothing in it, just a baseless rumour, as he was 100% percent concentrated on rally. This has changed now, for reasons I’ve described below in my post addressed to Keith.
Williams may be slipping steadily since 2004 but next year this could change as they have a new technical team led by Coughlan who Kimi knows from his Mclaren days so he knows what he’s capable of. I’m sure it’s part of what mafe Raikkonen interested in Williams in the first place. And they have new engines too(though that in itself means nothing if you do 1+1 you see that the package has some potential). And even if he’s fighting for P8 or whatever the top teams in the paddock will notice his performances if they’re good.
And to correct you: KImi never spoke and said: I won’t ever come back to F1. Other people said that but not him.
gool
3rd October 2011, 18:05
you dont know what youv got till its gone^^
Adam Tate (@adam-tate)
4th October 2011, 0:38
Perhaps Kimi feels that the only type of racing he can succeed at is F1. Clearly the WRC and NASCAR have not lived up to his hopes. Maybe he wants to genuinely return to F1 and make a true second go of it.
Everyone is so quick to dismiss Kimi here, but let’s just sit back and see what happens. He has as much natural talent as anyone on the grid, and if he can adapt to a rally car or nascar stocker he can clearly adjust to the changes F1 has made during his relatively short absence.
AdrianMorse (@adrianmorse)
3rd October 2011, 13:47
As for Kimi… I think the changed regulations and his time out of the sport are not that important, especially since he has all of winter testing to familiarise himself with the controls and the tyres.
The main question is: does he still have the speed? He is a young man still, so I believe he will. The second question is whether he can be bothered enough to really go for it. In my opinion that is less obvious. Will the years away from F1 have reminded him of the driving that he really loves, or have his disappointments in rallying only left him more impatient for success?
montreal95 (@montreal95)
3rd October 2011, 15:13
Keith, I can’t help but be very disappointed that you’ve followed up the lead of other F1 journalists who know nothing about rally, when making statements about Raikkonen’s performances.
Raikkonen has not been excluded from the standings. His team has. As you could have seen for yourself if you’d bothered to go to the WRC page. It’s roughly the same situation as with the 2007 Mclaren exclusion from team standings in F1.
Raikkonen has scored points in every rally he competed in this year until France. Also most experts think the crash, stupid in itself on a public road between stages was either 50/50 or Solberg’s fault except from Solberg himself(but that’s to be expected).
His decision not to restart under super-rally was critisized mainly by those who know nothing about rally. In reality he had nothing to gain by restarting as his accident happened early in the day so he had super slim chance to get back in the top 20 and zero chance of getting points. As he’s paying for the car himself there’s no point risking the car for no reward at all.
And that’s where the words of Citroen team boss Quesnel get their true meaning: “If I were Kimi I would be disappointed with WRC”. Not with himself in WRC. Kimi has nothing to be sorry about regarding his results in WRC. In fact, for someone coming from a different branch of autosport let alone different discipline his results are very very good. But, if no top team will take him, he’ll have to continue funding his own team for the remainder of his WRC career and I’m not sure he’s prepared to do that anymore. The situation is not unique: P.Solberg(not the unsuccessful brother Kimi crashed with) also has to field his own team and Solberg is a former WRC champion don’t forget. That’s a symptom of the sorry state WRC is in at the moment.It’s entirely understandable if Raikkonen is disappointed with WRC IMO.
And regarding possible motivation: Isn’t the chance to prove to the top teams that you still have it in you, motivation enough?
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
3rd October 2011, 15:33
I agree with Kimi’s results. Rallying is a very difficult sport to be succesful, yeah. Drivers usually don’t win rallies before their 3rd or 4th season.
Kimi’s results are not too bad after all.
Journeyer (@journeyer)
3rd October 2011, 16:11
Coupled with sponsor days, it might not be.
montreal95 (@montreal95)
3rd October 2011, 16:20
But he has no choice has he? Williams will rely on him doing sponsorship days. So if he wants it enough, he’ll do it. If not, he just won’t come back at all. We’ll see in a few months.
Journeyer (@journeyer)
3rd October 2011, 16:48
Which is why I think… he won’t.
Patrickl (@patrickl)
4th October 2011, 21:08
I also frown upon the “The 2007 F1 champion had clearly lost enthusiasm for the sport in his last season” remarks.
Raikkonen started 2008 incredibly strong. He was leading the champion ship until Ferrari botched his start in Monaco and then Lewis rammed him in Canada. France he would have won again.
From Silverstone onwards the car changed and Raikkonen struggled with the new setup. After they reverted back to the old car for Spa he was back on form again. By then he was too far down already and he felt he had to win every race. Actually taking too much risk which in the end only hurt his cause more. If anything he was too eager in those races.
2009 was a dramatic year for Ferrari. Raikkonenen’s KERS was breaking down all the time. The first few races he didn’t not even finish the race. When his car was finally working the team sent him out on rain tyres on a dry track.
It was just a mess. Mostly the car and the team though.
When things finally got going a little, Raikkonen showed that he was still able to go for it. Raikkonen score more points even than Vettel in the last 8 races (who was driving the fastest car and was going for a WDC). Only one point less than Hamilton
That’s hardly the finale you’d expect from someone who’s unmotivated.
vho (@)
3rd October 2011, 15:22
Whomever picks up Kimi needs to make sure they don’t have ice creams and soft drinks freely available in the team fridge.
Heidfeld deserves a drive? Really? Almost 10 years in F1 and not a win?!? Kubica managed to get a win while they were both at Williams-BMW, and Kubica was the least experienced. The only F1 Heidfeld deserves is Codemaster’s F1 2011.
AdrianMorse (@adrianmorse)
3rd October 2011, 15:28
Not saying Kubica isn’t better, but that day he had Heidfeld to thank for the win as Heidfeld moved out of the when on a different strategy.
montreal95 (@montreal95)
3rd October 2011, 16:07
Correct, plus that wasn’t a Williams BMW they were in ;)
Steph (@)
3rd October 2011, 16:05
Heidfeld’s been pretty rubbish this year but he’d never really had a race winning car bar the BMW which only won one race and that was also because Nick moved over to help out his team mate as Adrian says. Heifeld actually outscored Kubica during their time together and you can’t just dismiss Heidfeld for not winning when he never had a car up for the task-just look how long it took Webber to get a win and Rosberg still hasn’t had one.
Journeyer (@journeyer)
3rd October 2011, 16:13
All well and good, but I think he should’ve crushed Petrov at Renault – Nick barely beat him.
Craig Woollard (@craig-o)
3rd October 2011, 16:35
Heidfeld was experienced though, Kubica was in his first full season at BMW in 2007. He pulled out some really good points scorings in that season
Steph (@)
3rd October 2011, 18:14
He did but it was always close between them. Heidfeld struggled in 08 with getting heat into the tyres in qualifying irrc but often put in good drives during the race. In 09 I really thought Kubica was pretty poor for most of the year except Brazil.
You’re right Journeyer he should have.
Adam Tate (@adam-tate)
4th October 2011, 5:18
Very true, he could have kept Kubica behind, he sure managed to keep Alonso behind him and stay in 2nd after letting Kubica past.
Not to mention neither he or Kubica would have likely been in contention to win had it not been for Hamilton taking himself and Kimi out of the race in that pitlane snafu.
Patrickl (@patrickl)
4th October 2011, 21:10
They only need to stock up on ice cream in the team fridge if the car (KERS) keeps breaking down. Otherwise Raikkonen would be on track in the car …
electrolite (@electrolite)
3rd October 2011, 15:56
I can’t think of a more appealing combo than Raikkonen and Williams. That would be terrific.
I really hope we have Kubica back in 2012. If not then it’ll only be for an even better comeback in 2013!
Robbie (@robbie)
3rd October 2011, 15:59
I think a return by KR would be great to see. I won’t pretend to know the real reasons he left, but I suspect politics had as much to do with it as anything. He strikes me as the type that just wants to go racing without such distractions…I think he would do no worse than MS and nobody will really know how he would do, including him, until he is actually in the situation, so it will be up to Williams to determine as best as they can whether they should take him on. That said, a visit to Grove could mean absolutely nothing other than that KR requested it to feels things out and open up talks and offer himself up. Doesn’t mean he was invited by Williams because they feel they want/need him. Or it could mean just that. We don’t know. I just think he would acclimatize and do well if he returned, and I will presume that if in fact he wants to return, motivation will not be an issue. Otherwise he wouldn’t return.
Him not wanting to travel to Australia seems odd, unless as has been pointed out it was on his dime to take himself and the equipment/team there and was due to lack of return on investment of said expenses, in which case it is more understandable than to think he just didn’t feel like packing a bag and making the flight, which would fly in the face of the concept of a return to the more international series that is F1.
Didn’t really absorb that NR is still a question mark for Merc for 2012. Hard to fathom them letting him go. I think another year of MS/NR would be best for the continuity of the team.
As to RK, Martin Brundle and DC a handful of races ago eluded to the fact that it is not an issue for him of steering, it is an issue of finger dexterity to deal with all the buttons and knobs on today’s steering wheels which are more complicated than ever. I doubt his pace will be in question on it’s own, but if he can’t deal well with the controls, different story…that will affect his pace. He also has to be able to get out of the car within a certain number of seconds in case of a fire/crash if I’m not mistaken.
montreal95 (@montreal95)
3rd October 2011, 16:16
It’s very expensive to transport the team to Australia and Raikkonen pays for his team by himself. That’s why he’s only doing the European rallies(+Jordan). It was much cheaper to pay the 20k fine. But the rules stipulate that a team must participate in at least 2 overseas rallies or be excluded from the standings. Since Ice1 only did Jordan, they were excluded from the teams championship.
Rob Wilson (@rob-wilson)
3rd October 2011, 16:54
Who will replace Webber at RedBull in 2013? I dont think Ricciardo will, even if he gets a STR drive next year. They need champion material, an already established driver..
Rosberg?
Hamilton?
raymondu999 (@raymondu999)
3rd October 2011, 17:06
Why would they? Cynically, I would much prefer the balance they have now; a consistent number 2 and a dominant number 1
RagingInferno (@raginginferno)
3rd October 2011, 21:13
It’s working for Red Bull at the moment, but when the other teams close the performance gap between the cars they may need a faster 2nd driver. Just look at Ferrari they are really missing out on points because of Massa.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
3rd October 2011, 18:47
That’s a bit unfair on Ricciardo, who knows, he could be championship material.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
4th October 2011, 2:36
They’ll take the best driver available, wherever he comes from. For some reason, people seem to think they are limited to taking a driver from the Red Bull Young Driver Program. They’re not.
Rob Wilson (@rob-wilson)
3rd October 2011, 17:19
I think they would want 2 drivers capable of challenging for the title. When one doesn’t win, the other does.
They don’t need the hassle of a rookie crashing about and making mistakes, they are double world champions now. Christian Horner must be thinking about Webbers retirement by now, maybe he’s got one eye on Ricciaro’s performances but i think he would really have to shine next year if they were to put him along side Seb in 2013.
Another question i’m intrested in the answer in – is, what happens to Felipe if he gets dropped by Ferrari after 2012?? He goes to a mid-fielder like Force India or Sauber? or just retires at around 32 year old? I would love to see how he compares against a Sutil or a Kobayashi, would he be beaten?
raymondu999 (@raymondu999)
3rd October 2011, 17:23
I don’t think they’d put a rookie but I don’t think they’d put a race winner either; someone who can probably go 2nd and 3rd in all races while Seb takes 19 victories. Felipe to RBR? :P
Adam Tate (@adam-tate)
4th October 2011, 6:34
I’d love to see Massa go to RedBull in 2013 and in a car superior to the Ferrari outscore Alonso.
Say what you will about his decline in performance, but it is a shame how little respect he seems to be given from his own team.
@HoHum (@hohum)
3rd October 2011, 22:31
Brazilian Ex F1 drivers become stars in Indycar or Nascar.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
4th October 2011, 6:27
I’m guessing Ferrari would “encourage” him to try his hand at another form of motorsport. Le Mans, perhaps, or maybe GT racing.
Adam Tate (@adam-tate)
4th October 2011, 6:35
That same sort of “encouragement” sure seems to be working well for Fisichella.
I’m not sure if Massa would go for it though.
F1Yankee (@f1yankee)
3rd October 2011, 20:54
i can’t remember another time with more quality drivers than quality cars.
kimi – not going to happen. his “visit” to williams is just public relations, and the last thing frank needs is a driver that’s impossible to please and doesn’t give a damn. still love ya, kimi :)
alguersuari/buemi – i sorta like the “1 of you 2 will not be here next year” situation. i’ll go with alg, since having a hit record in addition to a racing career is a very red bull thing to do.
renault – they’ll prob cut kubica loose (for him to land where ???) and keep the petrov/senna combo that is serviceable and profitable.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
3rd October 2011, 20:56
Is Kubica going to be that guy we never see the true potential of? :(
RagingInferno (@raginginferno)
3rd October 2011, 21:27
I’m starting to worry that this may be the case. Hopefully he is still competetive when he returns.
Patrickl (@patrickl)
4th October 2011, 21:15
We saw Kubica compete with Heidfeld for 3 seasons. Those two were pretty much on the same level.
Although Kubica is more an “ups and downs” driver like Sutil and Heidfeld is more a “make sure to finish” driver like Button.
Kubica’s forte was in qualifying (and then defending incredibly hard). These days the qualification isn’t so important anymore.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
3rd October 2011, 20:58
I thought Boullier had given Kubica until the middle of this month to give him an answer. Did I hear that wrong or has he been given an extension?
electrolite (@electrolite)
3rd October 2011, 21:57
You’re right I believe. I think it’s getting announced a bit afterwards though.
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
3rd October 2011, 21:30
If Renault decide they don’t want Kubica, what’s to stop him signing up early for 2013 for a top team? That may be a better deal long-term than racing a “Lotus”. It may just take longer than a year for him to regain full strength and mobility. I’d love to see him in the second Ferrari, but Red Bull or McLaren would be interesting too.
RagingInferno (@raginginferno)
3rd October 2011, 21:38
It would be interesting, but I think the top teams would consider this quite a large risk as they won’t know if he’s as fast as he used to be. Here’s to hoping though ;)
@HoHum (@hohum)
3rd October 2011, 22:38
A real problem for Kubica may be the multiple buttons and knobs on the steering wheel if his hand is not fully operational, his speed may still be there and his arm and grip may be strong enough but without normal dexterity he may have to leave F1 for a simpler formula.
James (@jamesf1)
3rd October 2011, 22:26
I would love to see Kimi back, but I dont think Williams is the right answer for him. We know that Kimi is blisteringly quick, he will put the car in places it doesnt deserve to be, but even then, I dont think it’ll do anything to even make the “top 5” teams to flinch in the slightest.
If Kimi was to return, I would suggest he has a walk around the Mercedes factory if Rosberg’s contract position is still unclear. The team are laying foundations for the future and have a formidable technical team lined up for next year. Alongside with Ross Brawn’s excellent management, this should be considered a more viable option by Kimi. Otherwise perhaps Renault? I know he got a little short with them when his name was linked last year, but it cant be any lower than Williams.
Have a long, hard think Kimi before signing up to something you’ll only lose interest in.
Pink Peril (@pink-peril)
5th October 2011, 8:22
I agree, I think Mercedes is the most logical place for Kimi to look for a spare seat. But personally, I’d love to see Kimi back at McLaren teamed with Lewis. Would that be a combo to watch or what? I’ve always felt that McLaren is Kimi’s ‘real’ home in F1.
t3x (@t3x)
3rd October 2011, 22:59
I would love to see Kimi back in any team ! I know a lot of people dislike his attitude, but what a driver he was !
Carlito's way
3rd October 2011, 23:02
Hamilton at force India is the most preposterous idea trying to be passed off as a reasonable argument I have read in the past few months in this website. Whoever suggests such a thing has no absolute no clue about the mindset of a motor sport driver. Once you have won and experimented success with a team and you know you have what it takes to win races and a championship you dont ever want to come to the track at a race meeting where your best hope of a good weekend would be fighting for points in the midfield, unless you are in the twilight of your career and has no other options.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
4th October 2011, 6:37
Except that this is exactly what Raikkonen is said to be doing – coming back to Williams, a team at the back end of the grid.
Raikkonen was clearly bored in 2009, and part of the appeal in cmoing back to the sport may be in helping Williams get back to the front. After all, what do you do when you have won a World Championship? Sure, a second title is nice, but what if winning doesn’t feel the same anymore?
The answer is simple: you look for the next big challenge. Of course Hamilton can continue to win races at McLaren – but he might find it more satisfying to win in a car that he really has to put through the wringer to get a good result. It’s the same reason why Timo Glock went to Virgin and Heikki Kovalainen went to Team Fernandes: they wanted to help take smaller, newer teams from the back of the grid and climb up. But unlike them, Hamilton is one of those drivers who could extract the more from the car than from anyone else. Right now, the Force India is capable of getting fifth and sixth places in the race. In the hands of Lewis Hamilton, it could get on the podium.
I never said there was any credible connection between Hamilton and Force India; only that if he left McLaren for whatever reason, Force India would be the most competitive team with a seat open. Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes are all perfectly happy with their driver line-ups and won’t make way for Hamilton (especially given his performances of late), and Renault already have four drivers trying to fit into two seats, so if Hamilton decided that he absolutely could not drive at McLaren anymore, where else would he go?
PMccarthy_is_a_legend (@pmccarthy_is_a_legend)
6th October 2011, 11:52
These drivers you mentioned are in a very different situation to Hamilton. Glock and Kovalainen did not go to Virgin and Lotus for “the challenge”. That’s PR speak. They went there because it was the only option, they were both clinging on to F1 by their finger nails, in the hope a good job at the back of the grid would grab the attention of a larger team, which is a better situation than sitting on the sidelines, as hulkenberg will tell you. Raikkonen was utterly bored in his last season, went away to other series and realised that the grass isn’t greener after all. All the top teams seats are taken now and no one in their right mind would put him in a top car, not with the level of competition F1 is at the moment. Hamilton on the other hand is already on a potential winner car with a winning team and he will get better as a driver too. He’s frustrated now, but knocking back in midfield, I will tell you, it’s worse. You qualify in the middle of the pack, starts and first corners are an absolute nightmare, and there is nothing to suggest that FI will turn into a winning outfit in the next couple of years, although it has to be said, the have done a good job this season. But like you said Hamilton at FI is really an out there suggestion, I just don’t see it happening.
DVC (@dvc)
4th October 2011, 0:10
There’s no rule that says Kubica has to drive the whole season, nor that he has to start it. Renault could be looking for 3 drivers next season. A call on which driver Kubica replaces could be made part way through.
JamesC1991 (@)
4th October 2011, 0:39
I’m a big Kimi fan but he is actually unemployable right now
He could have easily gone to Australia but didn’t want to go,pure and utter laziness and lost his manufacturer points and then last week in France he wouldn’t super rally after his incident with Henning which was stupid.
Since his World Championship win,he has changed and turned extremely lazy and lacking any sort of motivation apart from the second half of 2009.
WRC has been a total and utter disaster.constantly making mistakes and way off the pace of the top guys
I’d love to see Kimi return to Formula 1 but only if he was fully motivated and up for the challenge out of outperforming the Williams,which most likely will be a midfield running car at best.
Time to pull the socks up Kimi
Klaas (@klaas)
4th October 2011, 4:38
How come you’re so sure about Kimi’s lack of motivation? I think he’s still motivated, it’s just the media who invented this story about being lazy, lost interest etc. I remember that immediately after he won the title the media started making speculations on this subject (even before the 2008 season started). At the start of 2008 he was defending his crown pretty well, he was leading the championship for half-season. Then he started having problems with his car (I think Ferrari made the car suit Massa better so Felipe-baby could be champion too). For the second half of 2008 Kimi was driving like Hamilton nowadays (to the limit) and made a lot of mistakes – so does that mean that Lewis isn’t motivated and must be ditched? In 2009 he had decent results given the car he was driving, he even gave Ferrari a victory which I doubt Massa would have done. He tried rallying because he knew Ferrari would replace him with Alonso, not for lack of interest but for lack of a big sponsor like Santander (he even hinted at this in an interview). Ferrari wanted another Schumacher-Barrichello combination and they knew it would be impossible to turn Kimi into a Rubens (plus huge salaries for both drivers) while Massa would do anything to stick with Ferrari.
Kimi will not return to F1 simply because there’s no place for him in it. As it wouldn’t be a place for Alonso if he was gone for 2 seasons. The competition for seats is fierce. Almost half grid is occupied by pay-drivers and there is young talent sprouting from lower series.
As for him not showing up in Australia, the true reasons are stated in some comments above.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
4th October 2011, 6:40
Then how else do you explain his actions in France? He crashed into Henning Solberg. His car was undamaged. He could have restarted the rally, and while he would have taken a time penalty, everyone experienced trouble at some point over the weekend – Loeb, Meeke and Novikov all retired from points positions, Hirvonen and Latvala went off, Petter Solberg was excluded, Block was never competitive, and so on. If Raikkonen had continued, he could have secured a good result. Instead, he decided to go home within an hour of the crash. What else would that be if not a lack of motivation?
Klaas (@klaas)
4th October 2011, 8:35
Here’s what Autosport writes about Kimi’s decision to quit Rally France: “The team says the damage could have been repaired, but it was felt there was no point when the penalties would have ruled out any chance of a top result.”
Had Raikkonen lost interest in racing he would not be doing motorsports.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
4th October 2011, 8:40
In my experience racing drivers don’t just pack it in because they’ve lost a realistic chance of a result. They keep going either because they love racing or further to hone their skills, or both.
I’m no expert on rallying but to use an F1 analogy, would we expect Fernando Alonso or Lewis Hamilton to retire if they had to stop for repairs and fell a couple of laps behind? I wouldn’t. Look at Daniel Ricciardo at Monza, he didn’t.
So I think it is indicative of Raikkonen’s attitude. Particularly in the light of him refusing to compete in Australia.
Klaas (@klaas)
4th October 2011, 9:00
Keith, if Kimi wouldn’t want to contest Rally France he wouldn’t have even bother going to there, right? Just like he wouldn’t attend the next 2 rallies. It doesn’t make any sense to pay for something you’re not interested doing. I’m pretty sure he had his reasons not to continue and they are not related to motivation.
About the F1 analogy – I don’t think any top team would send their drivers back to the track if they knew that they only have the chance to finish in the last 2-3 positions.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
4th October 2011, 9:10
I don’t agree, for the reasons I’ve explained. The Ferraris finished 14th and 15th at Silverstone last year.
I’m trying to think of a recent counter-example but nothing springs to mind.
Klaas (@klaas)
5th October 2011, 6:43
You’re comapring two different situations Keith. One thing is to be a WRC privateer like Kimi and another to drive under strict contracts like Alonso and Lewis. Last year Raikkonen had a contract with Citroen Junior Team and attended all races (except New Zealand – but that was a team decision). This year he pays for everything. If Hamilton or Alonso had the right to chose whether to finish a race or not, nobody can say for sure that they would chose to do so (especially in 2009). In his F1 years I didn’t see any thing speak about Kimi’s losing motivation except for the media.
Adam Tate (@adam-tate)
4th October 2011, 6:40
It’s a shame we will likely never see Kimi and Alonso go up against each other in the same car. There would have been fireworks.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
4th October 2011, 7:47
That’s one of the reasons why Raikkonen left Ferrari – the fireworks if he was racing alongside Alonso.
wasiF1 (@wasif1)
4th October 2011, 3:19
If Kimi don’t want to travel from Europe to Australia how will he manage the traveling that F1 will do next year? Williams help to design Le Mans cars,Kimi want to have a drive in Le Mans,that guy won’t comeback in F1 even if he does not in Williams as I doubt they have the car & the money to satisfies him.
wasiF1 (@wasif1)
4th October 2011, 3:26
As far as Kubica is concerned if he is fit to drive F1 car then I don’t think he will miss Renault.For me He & Senna the sit holder with Romain for the 3rd one.Mclaren will be the most dumbest team in F1 if they leave out Button he showed a lot of improvement,next to Vettel this year proved that he deserved his WC.
Adam Tate (@adam-tate)
4th October 2011, 6:41
McLaren won’t let Button go.
davidwhite (@davidwhite)
4th October 2011, 7:45
Can’t see Massa continuing past this season with Ferrari. They are very serious about winning the WC and that includes the constructor’s championship. If Ferrari DO have the best car next year and Alonso takes the title, Massa will be too far behind to bring the constructor’s championship.
Klaas (@klaas)
4th October 2011, 8:43
Agreed, I think Massa’s there until Alonso takes his third title, only then they’ll give him a decent team-mate.
Ramrod
7th October 2011, 9:19
Kimi and Williams could be a true underdog story that everybody loves to see. Kimi a pure race-driver only intrested to race flat out. Williams a traditional “pure” racing team in strugle.
I can see the moist around the track already freezing… Iceman’s back! :)