In the round-up: Adrian Sutil-to-Ferrari rumours denied.
Links
Top F1 links from the past 24 hours:
Sutil’s manager denies negotiations with Ferrari (AGI.it)
“Adrian Sutil’s manager has denied reports that the German driver may join Ferrari.”
Hill: Raikkonen can be champion again
“He has won a world championship already, and I had only just got into F1 at his age, so he has definitely got a couple of more world championships in him.”
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Comment of the day
Thoughts on using the safety car in wet races from 91jb12:
Tough call but in Canada if you aquaplane, you’re straight into a concrete wall, whereas at China for example you have 50 metres of tarmac to slow down.
And as for slowing down, I remember Vettel (albeit on intermediates) having the most pathetic looking slow speed spin and retirement at Malaysia 2009 trying to cruise back to the pits for full wets
91jb12
From the forum
F1 Fanatics planning their race trips for next year are sharing tips on how to get to Spa-Francorchamps.
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Lazzar!
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On this day in F1
The 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix was that year’s shortest race. Two years ago today we also learned it had been the dearest race of the year:
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
28th December 2011, 0:18
How, exactly, was anyone meant to take a Sutil-to-Ferrari rumour seriously when Ferrari have had their 2012 line-up confirmed for months and already have more reserve/test/development/[insert term-of-the-week here] than they know what to do with?
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
28th December 2011, 0:24
The rumour said Sutil was looking for a move to Ferrari in 2013, not 2012…
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
28th December 2011, 0:29
Because it’s widely believed that Ferrari are ruthless enough to insist that Massa has a contract with them for 2012 even when the ink on his replacement’s contract is drying.
Mike (@mike)
28th December 2011, 5:35
As Raikkonen’s situation was very different to Massa’s, Including that Raikkonen no longer wanted to be there + Kimi being given a massive payout. I believe the situations are very different.
bad_whippet (@bad_whippet)
28th December 2011, 12:08
More importantly, forget Ferraris contract situation with their current drivers, Sutil is just no where near good enough for a seat at the Scuderia!!! No where near.
That’s why I can’t believe anyone would take the rumour seriously.
Wolfgang (@amadeus)
29th December 2011, 16:36
Why not ? I mean, Montezemolo himself suggested that the Scuderia is somehow interested in Sutil. They want to get rid of Massa but his contract is strong enough to retain the seat for 2012. So why not Sutil ? Robert Kubica is, alt least, not recovered and other top drivers are not available. There is another problem @ Ferarri. After the huge ego clash with Hamilton @ McLaren, Alonso wants a nr. 2 driver, in the “good tradition” of Ferarri. Sutil wants to prove that he cold be a top 3 driver. There are a lot of uncertain things, but one is clear ; Sutil is one of the best drivers from the grid and he deserves a top 3 team.
tobinen (@tobinen)
28th December 2011, 15:33
If anyone hears a rumour about me driving for any F1 team, I can assure them it is untrue
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
28th December 2011, 0:18
Also, happy birthday, Lazzar!
BasCB (@bascb)
29th December 2011, 8:29
Indeed, Happy Birthday, Lazzar!
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
28th December 2011, 0:20
Oh, look. Another story on Raikkonen’s speed and commitment ahead of his return.
You know, I could understand this when he was first signed up, and people like Eric Boullier, Dany Bahar and Romain Grosjean were commenting on it. And it also made sense to ask Sebastian Vettel what he thought of Raikkonen’s return, since he’s the reigning World Champion. But Raikkonen has been signed to Lotus for a month now, and we’re still getting opinion pieces from personalities on why he can be a success. The only difference is that the people who are sharing their thoughts are getting increasingly removed from the sport. First David Coulthard, and now Damon Hill. By this time next month, Kim Jong-un is going to be asked for his opinion. After all, he’s a prominent person in Korea and there is a Grand Prix in Korea, so he must have something to say about Raikkonen’s return. Right?
John H (@john-h)
28th December 2011, 0:28
If you read the article Hill comments on next season in general and doesn’t just talk about Raikkonen.
If you want to blame anyone then direct your frustrations at Jonathan Noble and Pablo Elizalde at Autosport for chosing the headline.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
28th December 2011, 0:31
As long as they get a microphone in front of them, they are going to speak.
They are asked about it, they don’t talk as if the only thing they think about is Kimi’s return.
aka_robyn (@)
28th December 2011, 0:38
Look, I know you loathe Räikkönen, @prisoner-monkeys , and I get that it must be annoying for you to keep hearing about his return even though there’s no actual news to report, but (1) a lot of people are seriously excited about his return — excited like you wouldn’t believe — and we’re almost weirdly happy to be reminded of it ever now and then; (2) there’s a bit of a lull on the F1 news front at the moment, as is usual for this time of year, so stuff like this is going to be reported pretty much everywhere; and (3) now, come on, the next step (or even a few steps down) on the removed-from-F1 continuum after Damon Hill is Kim Jong-un? I know what you were going for with that, but Hill is a former world champion who still stays pretty involved!
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
28th December 2011, 0:45
My response doesn’t have anyhting to do with my like or dislike of Raikkonen. I just think that every man and his dog offering up an opinion – and that opinion being headline news – is a little excessive. Sure, Damon Hill is a former World Champion … from fifteen years ago. And he is no longer president of the British Racing Drivers Club. He might be still involved in the sport, but he’s detached from it, unlike most of the others. He’s not directly connected to the team or to Raikkonen, so I’m failing to see how this is headline news.
If Raikkonen really is as good as the team, Vettel, Coulthard, Hill and Jong-un are making out (or will make out next month), how about we all stop talking about it and let Raikkonen demonstrate how prepared he is?
aka_robyn (@)
28th December 2011, 0:49
If only we could let him start demonstrating it right now! Instead, we have a painfully long time to wait, so people are probably just not going to be able to resist speculating for a couple of months. I look forward to hearing what Jung-un has to say about it. ;-)
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
28th December 2011, 1:05
No doubt Raikkonen would want to test straight away. And he likely could; there are no rules preventing drivers from using older chassis (Maria de Villota tested an R29 in August). However, I think the chassis they use must be at least two years out of date, so as to stop teams from using it for testing new parts. I suspect the team are waiting until January, because then they would be able to use the R30 chassis instead of the R29 – and the R30 has a passive F-duct, which is reasonably close to the DRS to serve as an introduction to it.
aka_robyn (@)
28th December 2011, 1:23
Yep, I think that’s the plan — a two-year-old chassis in January!
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
28th December 2011, 4:20
@aka_robyn – I’m told Kim Jong-un approves of this.
damonsmedley (@damonsmedley)
28th December 2011, 0:59
I don’t understand (and never have) the appeal of Raikkonen, but the best thing to do, @Prisoner-Monkeys, is ignore it. People are, as @aka_robyn said, extremely excited about his return and obviously there’s going to be a lot in the media about him as many people are likely to read stories on him.
Kimi’s return is a waste of a seat and pretty boring in my opinion, but it’s best to just say nothing at all sometimes.
BasCB (@bascb)
29th December 2011, 8:35
Well, personally I think its an interesting paralell when Hill compares his entry into the sport as a rookie with Kimi returning at roughly the same age.
Thats a new point of view, and talking to former world champions, like Hill, in the winter season to ask him about what he thinks about F1 and expectations for next year is quite a normal thing for motorsport journalists.
Just don’t read it if you mind!
sid_prasher (@)
29th December 2011, 19:59
That is exactly what I noticed too..how late Hill had joined.
Girts (@girts)
28th December 2011, 12:20
It’s just slow news time, there is nothing serious to report at the moment so things that otherwise probably even wouldn’t get mentioned make it to the headlines. Besides Autosport often publish a lot of He-said-she-said articles with pretty boring content but I guess that’s just the way motorsport journalism is.
verstappen (@verstappen)
28th December 2011, 14:08
Here’s another one, this time, it’s Berger, maybe @Prisoner-monkeys you agree with him
HewisLamilton
28th December 2011, 15:59
Oh look… more monkey tripe…. yuk.
What does everyone think of Kimi’s return? Do you think he’ll get on very well for Renault? I think he’ll score a podium in 2012, but no race wins.
@HoHum (@hohum)
28th December 2011, 23:48
Right now @prisoner Monkeys, I am reading your opinion, I suspect Damon Hill to be slightly more qualified than your good self.
Rob Carson
28th December 2011, 23:57
PM… Kim Jong Un is from N.Korea.
The GP is held in S.Korea.
Lin1876 (@lin1876)
28th December 2011, 0:34
Sutil at Ferrari? I don’t see it. I think they’ll stick with Massa for 2012, then go with one of the many worthy replacements for 2013. I’ve heard Perez, Bianci and even Kobayashi as possible appointments depending on how they go next season, so Sutil, you’re out I suspect.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
28th December 2011, 0:46
Kobayashi joining Ferrari is little more than fan fantasy, I’m afraid. He’s not a part of the Ferrari development program, and if the team are going to take a young driver, they’ll take someone from that program before anyone else.
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
28th December 2011, 13:09
Perez & Bianchi are just alternatives
Ferrari are keeping an eye on Robert Kubica(if he recover well he’ll be a serious contender) & Nico Roseberg
Rob Wilson (@rob-wilson)
28th December 2011, 3:26
This may sound harsh but isn’t Ferrari a bit out of Sutil’s league..His manager should be flattered that this roumer even exists, not just bat it away like nah they can dream on.
Surely there were a few raised eyebrows when Adrian and his manager found out about this. It’s like the most random thing i have ever heard, dropped from force india, oh never mind i’ll talk to Ferrari..erm, yeah go for it Adrian. You could offer them..no controversy! just drives that go under the radar or erm..A German accent like Schumacher! or erm..Hamilton’s friendship! The list is endless.
So in conclusion i think this roumer is a little bit made up.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
28th December 2011, 4:06
@rob-wilson – One suspects that Sutil’s manager may have made these comments for Williams’ benefit. Even when Kimi Raikkonen was in talks with Williams, Adrian Sutil was known to be sounding them out as an option for 2012. I think Williams were really banking on Raikkonen, but he signed with Lotus instead, and that has left the team in an awkward position where they are in need of a strong driver, but aren’t exactly spoiled for choice. Frank Williams said he wanted to make a decision on his second driver before Christmas, but Christmas came and went with no announcement from the team. This suggests to me one of two things:
1) They haven’t got a second driver yet. Adrian Sutil is well into negotiations with them, but talk that Ferrari is eyeing him off means that Williams may lose interest in him since any offer Ferrari make would instantly be more appealing than whatever Williams has to offer.
2) Williams signed Adrian Sutil before Christmas, and they simply didn’t announce it straight away. In this case, Sutil’s manager would shoot down rumours that Ferrari were/are head-hunting Sutil to help him acclimatise to the team a little better, reinforcing Sutil’s commitment to them.
BasCB (@bascb)
29th December 2011, 8:42
Or maybe he shouts down the rumour, to prove to Ferrari that he did not put it out there in the world in the first place (they would not be amused by the rumour, I guess, and there’s no use in getting a big team upset for nothing).
Noura
28th December 2011, 5:12
Did anyone wantch the F1 2011 review? there’s a small clip of Perez’s power joke here :)
http://www.f1arab.com/news/19505/
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
28th December 2011, 5:27
I can’t imagine anyone would be able to get away with a joke like that. It probably wouldn’t go over on the team wall. But I did like the way the team convinced him that Kobayashi finished fourth (instead of thirteenth) as payback.
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
28th December 2011, 13:14
i watched the official 2011 Chinese Gran Orix
verstappen (@verstappen)
28th December 2011, 13:58
Although it’s not really funny, it’s nice that hè has done it. It shows character and it shows hè has some brainpower left while racing.
Mike (@mike)
29th December 2011, 2:26
Not the greatest joke. But yeah, nice to have some character on the grid.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
28th December 2011, 9:53
Jarno Trulli is feeling the heat:
I smirked when I read this. Jarno Trulli was once regarded as Formula 1’s finest one-lap specialist, which gave him quite a reputation for qualifying well. However, in the eighteen races that they had together this year, Trulli was out-qualified by Heikki Kovalainen something like fifteen times to three. So for him to accuse pay-drivers of being “less committed” seems a bit like the pot calling the kettle black given that Trulli is clearly not very good at the one thing he was highly regarded for, once upon a time.
jonchuckle (@jonchuckle)
28th December 2011, 11:39
@prisoner-monkeys I hate how so many otherwise knowledgable people keep trotting out this tired “Nick almost equalled Vitaly in points” argument. The car was an absolute dog by the end of the season – I mean, look at the R31 in Singapore – so I really don’t see how Nick could have done a much better job than Bruno, and it’s clearly partly down to the former’s lack of leadership abilities and feedback that it ended up that way. (Of course, one suspects that the team ran out of funding too, but that’s merely speculation on my part.)
I mean look at the state of the R31 in Singapore
jonchuckle (@jonchuckle)
28th December 2011, 11:40
And this is why we need an edit function. Ignore that last bit. Silly me…
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
28th December 2011, 12:05
@jonchuckle – That’s the bitter irony of Trulli’s attack. He’s been in the sport long enough to know that sometimes, cars are just rubbish. Like you say, the R31 was a complete dog in Singapore, but Trulli has conveniently ignored that. Which is really double standards on his part, as he was very quick to blame an unfriendly power steering system for his mid-season troubles.
If I didn’t know better, I’d say this was a Parthian shot from Trulli. He knows he’s out of a seat for 2012, and so he’s decided to criticise the team for it by focusing on the softest target he can find: whoever will replace him (probably Petrov, as Trulli seems to have the most contempt for him – Martin Brundle Tweeted about this a few days ago, and he very rarely talks about rumoured driver changes unless he has a good reason to believe what he is saying).
Mike (@mike)
29th December 2011, 2:31
I know you love Petrov PM, But even you have to admit, a lot more could have come out of last season. And both drivers couldn’t manage it.
The R31 wasn’t as good as it could have been, but the drivers didn’t help either.
Trulli is right, whatever you think of him.
Also, in Trulli’s defense, he is in the Twilight of his career, in a lowly team… I don’t think that much is to be expected. And taking shots at him doesn’t make him wrong.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
28th December 2011, 14:35
@prisoner-monkeys That’s exactly what I thought. Last season in particular he was extremely miserable.
Fixy (@)
28th December 2011, 9:57
Not surprised. I never bought into these rumours.
q85
28th December 2011, 10:29
id like to also publicly dismiss any rumour of me going to ferrari in 2013….
thatscienceguy
28th December 2011, 10:51
I, on the otherhand, can neither confirm nor deny.
celeste (@celeste)
28th December 2011, 18:34
LOL
ed24f1 (@ed24f1)
28th December 2011, 11:03
Quite an amazing statistic that I discovered is that Alonso, Vettel and Hamilton have never been on the podium together!
Considering they’re often considered the best three drivers on the grid, it’s certainly surprising that they haven’t done this.
Girts (@girts)
28th December 2011, 11:45
@ed24f1 It really is a strange coincidence but now and then you can spot similar statistics in F1. In 1997, Villeneuve and Schumacher also never stood on the podium together even though they both were the main championship contenders that season.
celeste (@celeste)
28th December 2011, 14:00
@Girts and @ed24f1 they seriously dislike each other ;)
Girts (@girts)
28th December 2011, 12:07
I think Ferrari have some strong driver in mind and that they might be waiting for that driver to become available in 2013 or even 2014. That might explain why they haven’t replaced Massa yet, despite his poor results for the second year in a row. I’ve read rumours that Massa has some powerful support from the team’s sponsors but I don’t really believe those. Of course, Ferrari might be afraid to hire a driver who ain’t much slower than Alonso thus creating tension and unstability in “Fernando’s land”. But, apart from the image issues, a weak 2nd Ferrari driver also cost the team points and potentially a place in the constructors’ championship, which again means loss of some prize money. So I believe Ferrari cannot be happy with a 2nd driver who is unable to score even one third of the team’s points.
If my theory is correct then it’s only a matter of who that future Ferrari driver is. James Allen says it might be Vettel (in 2014), now there are some rumours about Sutil but I guess it might rather be Mark Webber.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
28th December 2011, 12:37
If Ferrari are going to replace Massa in 2013, then odds are that they will take either Sergio Perez or Jules Bianchi. They are believed to be pushing very hard to get Bianchi into Sauber alongside Perez so that they can compare the two against one another. If this is true, then I would say that whoever is stronger at Sauber in 2012 will be the odds-on favourite to join Ferrari in 2013.
But I can’t see them ushering Massa out and getting someone from outside their own driver program to replace him. Not unless Fernando Alonso is considering retirement; the reason being that Ferrari have spent a lot of time, effort and money on getting Bianchi and Perez to where they are now. If they were to take Alonso and, say, Vettel for 2013, I can’t see Perez and Bianchi sticking around in the driver program for much longer. There is no way they would commit to trundling around in a Sauber for a few more years, waiting for a vacancy at Ferrari – if an opening at a team like McLaren came up, they’d be all over it like a cheap suit and Ferrari will have effectively spent a whole lot of money developing their rivals’ drivers for them.
Mike (@mike)
29th December 2011, 2:34
I don’t always understand why they push Bianchi so much. He’s good no doubt, but not that good, I mean, his results haven’t shown us that much really.
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
28th December 2011, 14:10
i can’t see Vettel alongside Fernando in Ferrari
Luca di Montezemolo was talking about balance in the team that should not be disturbed & last year before the extension of Vettel’s contract until 2014 with the Bulls Helmet Marko said that one day Vettel will drive for Ferrari but not with alonso in the team
the 2 contenders of the Ferrari’s seat in 2013 are Robert Kubica &Nico Roseberg
celeste (@celeste)
28th December 2011, 19:16
Didn´t Rosberg signed with Mercedes until 2016?
I don´t Kubica is in the picture either. But Perez and Bianchi are too far away…
This Spanish news blog is saying that Alguersuari will be Ferrari third driver next year:
celeste (@celeste)
28th December 2011, 20:28
Why I always skipt the “think”????
BasCB (@bascb)
29th December 2011, 8:48
Ha, a new rumour @celeste! I think its just Alguersuari’s management getting their driver into the press honestly. Although you never know.
celeste (@celeste)
29th December 2011, 14:59
@BasCB I didn´t believe it either. Alonso higly dislike Alguersuari, he will never allow it…
@HoHum (@hohum)
29th December 2011, 0:07
I hope your guess is right, I think Mark would perform better than Massa but a year is a long time in F1.
Steph (@)
28th December 2011, 13:08
Sutil’s manager didn’t have to deny it; everyone knew it would never happen.
Adrian J (@adrian-j)
28th December 2011, 13:44
Am I missing something? The Malaysian GP wasn’t in December????
Girts (@girts)
28th December 2011, 14:22
For sure, it wasn’t but the news that the 2009 Malaysian GP organisers had to pay the highest fee of the year appeared on December 28, 2009. It’s just a historical recap of F1 news on December 28.
I can add that there was also an F1 race on December 28, 1963. Jim Clark won the South African Grand Prix then. By the way, if one believes that today’s F1 races lack action, he should take a look at the classification of that race – the average gap between each two drivers who had finished the race was close to 1 full lap!
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
28th December 2011, 14:55
News just in! Pope confirms he’s Catholic, Sutil isn’t going to Ferrari and bears do indeed defecate in woods.
celeste (@celeste)
28th December 2011, 19:48
Bears don´t have toilets????? Man, thats sad :(
topdowntoedown (@topdowntoedown)
28th December 2011, 15:11
You know something: one day, Vettel will drive a Ferrari. Guaranteed. All the greatest drivers change teams, because after you’ve won a couple of titles, the only thing left is to prove that it’s you and not just the car. Schumacher moved from Benetton to Ferrari when the red cars were terrible; Prost and then Senna moved from McLaren to Ferrari; Alonso moved from Renault to McLaren and now Ferrari looking for another title; and of course Valentino Rossi changed bikes a few times.
However, Vettel has so much time left in his career – barring terrible misfortune – that he can afford to wait until Alonso has ‘finished’ with Ferrari – a couple more titles from 2013-2015 (I can’t see anyone but Vettel winning next year), and Nando will have had his fill. Even in 2016 Vettel will still only be what, 29?
I can definitely see Perez getting the Ferrari no.2 seat long term. He’s fast, but not fast enough to annoy Alonso, and brings money.
topdowntoedown (@topdowntoedown)
28th December 2011, 15:12
Ahem, of course Prost and Senna moved to Williams. Doh.
thatscienceguy
28th December 2011, 23:28
Well Prost of course did drive for Ferrari, and I’ve seen it mentioned that Senna had talked with Ferrari about driving for them after his Williams stint. Obviously it didn’t come to be. (I thought it may have been in Richard William’s book ‘Enzo’, just checked it and can’t find it in there so not sure where I saw it now).
Plus Stewart was about to join Ferrari when he found out his seat had also been offered to Jacky Ickx so he told Ickx to take it.
Tiago Carvalho (@tiagocomodoro)
29th December 2011, 4:23
Guys, I will let you know what a friend of B.Senna told us on his blog:
27/12/2011
Waiting…
Christmas came, Christmas gone, and still no official announcement from Williams.
What I know: Bruno is extremely close to running there, but not yet signed. The team wants to fight for every penny they can. And there are Sutil also trying to get more money.
“This waiting is a ****” said the nephew of triple world champion to me.
The chances are minimal for Barrichello. (As they were in 2009, but this time, there is no turnaround on the horizon.)
“from: fabioseixas.folha.blog.uol.com.br”
Fixy (@)
29th December 2011, 11:23
Not surprised. I never bought into this rumours.
Fixy (@)
29th December 2011, 11:26
Not surprised. I never bought into these rumours.