Mark Webber to remain at Red Bull in 2013

2013 F1 season

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Mark Webber will continue to drive for Red Bull in 2013, the team has confirmed.

Team principal Christian Horner confirmed Webber’s contract had been extended for another year. He said: “Mark has driven very well in the first nine races of this season and his performance has been impressive.

“Much of his Formula One success has been during his time with Red Bull Racing and together we have achieved 10 poles, nine wins and 31 podiums.

“As there was a strong desire from both sides to continue the partnership, it was a logical decision to extend our relationship and it is with great pleasure that we confirm Mark will drive for us in 2013.”

Webber added: “I’ve been with Red Bull Racing since 2007 and have achieved nine Grand Prix wins during that time. I’m high on confidence at the moment and firing on all cylinders. I know the team well and I’m very comfortable here; we have grown together over the years and it feels like absolutely the right thing to stay with Red Bull for another season.

“The team is constantly working hard to improve in all areas and we’ve shown that together we can win races. It’s great to be able to make this announcement off the back of the win in Silverstone at the weekend and I’m looking forward to competing on the edge and pushing myself in every race again next season.”

Webber admitted he had talked to other teams about 2013: “There were discussions with Ferrari, but my decision was to stay here.”

He described his working relationship with Sebastian Vettel as “very good”:

“Obviously with Seb, we’ve worked very, very close together for a long period of time now. I think no-one would really have envisaged how long we have worked together, so that’s probably been a bit of a surprise.

“There are not many team-mates staying together for that long in Formula One, but it’s proved to be a successful partnership with both of us working very hard with the key technical members of the team. It’s been a potent operation.

“We’re still competitive when we hit the track, no question about it, especially in 2010 and this year. Last year there wasn’t much racing between Sebastian and I, but in 2009, 2010 and this year, there have been some great battles.

“That’s been enjoyable for the team, sometimes stressful too as it’s not easy for both of us to be at the front and I can understand that, as both of us are thinking about ourselves sometimes, but ultimately we know that we need to get the cars home and get the best results for us and the team.”

Webber refused to be drawn on whether he would call time on his career in the sport after next year: “I’ve been asked this question for the past four years and my answer remains the same.

“It’s a results-based sport at the front of the grid so the future lies in my own hands. It’s down to me to deliver the on-track results.”

He added that having his contract for next year finalised would make it easier to focus on delivering results this year: “That’s another reason to just get it to bed.

“I’ve been hearing different rumours and reasons for a long time now. At the end of the day I know everything that has been going on. You want to make sure your focus is clearly on driving the car and the guys that you’re working with. It’s important the team knows you’re 100% with them, which, of course, I am.”

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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168 comments on “Mark Webber to remain at Red Bull in 2013”

  1. matthewf1 (@)
    10th July 2012, 10:18

    Hamilton to Ferrari it is then

    1. Mercedes makes more sense even though I think he will stick with Mclaren.

      1. i think Massa will stay with Ferrari.

      2. Daily Mail is saying Hamilton is ready to discuss move to Lotus… I don’t buy that.

        1. Uuu..Raikkonen and Hamilton at Lotus…it will be nice battles there..

          1. @sorin don’t you mean Grosjean and Hamilton ?

    2. I’m not really sure that Alonso would allow that move.

        1. Personally, I’m still not sure about that. Obviously he will always stay polite and talk about possibilities in an open way, but after the 2007 battle, in which he was promised being McLaren’s leader, and he found out that Ron Dennis forgot all those promises in order to favor his pupil… That’s quite a stab in the heart. And Alonso forgives but never forgets.

          IMHO, he’d even ask for Vettel first instead of Lewis, even though Vettel might be a higher challenge for him. But that’s just my personal feeling ;)

          1. Well said :)

          2. ‘Forgives but never forgets’ – You make Alonso sound the victim! Completely the opposite: none of Alonso’s behaviour in the early part of the 2007 season was justified, though I admire his battling on the track after he’d turned the whoie team against him, that took some doing. I agree though that the Alonso’s comments on Hamilton etc. are probably a polite cover for actually blocking any such move. Seems more likely. I doubt Vettel is more of a challenge in Alonso’s mind than Hamilton. In fact I wonder whether he wasn’t also worried about Webber. Everyone seems to have automatically written off Webber’s chances this season, but he’s outperforming Vettel half the time and has just a good a chance of being champion this year, in my view. And if that’s the case, would Webber accept going to Ferrari as number two after being crowned champion or at least beating Vettel this year? Unlikely. Maybe that’s why the move fell down in fact. Along with Massa’s improvement the last couple of races.

    3. I think it’s pretty certain that Hamilton will stay at McLaren. Looking at Felipe Massa’s good shape at Silverstone, I wouldn’t bet against Ferrari keeping him for another year. According to Ferrari, Perez is not good enough for them yet and Webber now has a new agreement with the RBR so it’s totally unclear who else they could be looking at. I believe the chance that we won’t see any changes in the driver line-ups of the top 5 teams is quite high.

    4. I wouldn’t be surprised if Massa stays and it’s no change in the top teams.

    5. Neither Mark nor Hamilton will ever move to Ferrari. They are too comfortable being in a UK based team close to home where everyone speaks english. The only place Hamilton may go is Red Bull. Vettel on the other hand could go Ferrari? Who knows. Schumacher could go back to Ferrari?

      1. Alonso and Schumacher in the same team…Not. I think Hamilton will go to Lotus or Mercedes, if Mclaren pace will remain the same.

      2. I think Lewis lives in Switzerland now, plus Ferrari have quite a lot of British engineers these days.

    6. xeroxpt (@)
      10th July 2012, 22:07

      Yeah!!!!!!!! someone british at Ferrari again! and it will mean the end of this Mclaren era, back again to the poor days of the ford and peugeot engines and hopefully a resurgence of Wiliams unless, oh wait I know! Vettel to Mclaren, Mercedes drops F1 and Rosberg fills Vettels spot at RedBull or more likely Raikkonen moves to RedBull.

  2. I’m a little disappointed. I expected some mixing up from top teams.
    Now it seems like it will be almost same line-up next year.

    1. I also slightly feel that way. I sort of now believe that the only change at the top will be with Felipe Massa’a seat at Ferrari.

      1. .. I agree, the focus now is on Massa, as I can’t see Hamilton heading to Ferrari along side Alonso next season. More likely, Massa is dropped and mid grid drivers may get a shot at Ferrari. Paul Di Resta could be a key move in the 2013 shuffle also … interesting!

      2. as Webber’s future decided, I believe Massa’s future is almost secured. I think Hamilton and Schumacher are only remaining ones.

        1. davidnotcoulthard
          10th July 2012, 11:52

          If Mercedes quits as team and as supplier and Hamilton somehow moves to Mercedes, whatever it’s going to be named by then, imagine “Michael Schumacher- McLaren Cosworth”. I can’t see McLaren using a Ferrari engine, and Renault has a partnership with RBR, so…

          1. xeroxpt (@)
            10th July 2012, 22:16

            Mercedes will never drop out as an engine provider despite the economical diffculties. Since their entry they have been really successful and the Mclaren team became to the Germans their selected team, with Vettel and Button, an British-German alliance could be the future for Mercedes and Mclaren, since the departure of Hamilton would leave Mclaren sponsorless.

    2. Yeah I was looking forward to some change ups as well. It’s really disappointing to see Button stay another year at Mclaren.. as I think they can do better with a younger, more exciting driver – (Di Resta, Perez, Kobayashi)

      Same goes for Felipe. While I’m pleased with his improvement over the last few races, Ferrari deserve a stronger #2 driver who can take points off the Red Bulls and Mclarens on a regular basis.

      1. Ummm…where have you been? Button signed a 3 year deal with McLaren last year.

        And just for the record, I think you’re wrong – Button is the best man for the seat.

        And here’s something else you might all laugh at – I reckon Button is going to do Hamilton again this season…

        1. @nick101
          I hope that was a joke…

        2. And here’s something else you might all laugh at – I reckon Button is going to do Hamilton again this season

          @nick101 . I think Felipe Massa will finish the season with more points than Jenson Button. Beat Hamilton?!?! Jenson got lucky once, but do not expect lightning to strike in the same place twice.

          1. As I’ve said a hundred times before – Button must be the luckiest guy in the world.

            Like I’ve also said before – Hamilton wasn’t the only one Button beat last year was he? Remind me, what place did Alonso come last year?

    3. @eggry

      I agree. These drivers are boring! ;)

      Frankly, I think Hamilton should move on. The best place for him would be with Adrian Newey (Red Bull). That would be insane. But Vettel at Ferrari, frankly I don’t see it. Every top driver knows that siding against Alonso right now in a Ferrari would be a shot in the foot. So in my opinion, Vettel moving to Ferrari would be a massive downgrade for his chances at another WDC. Staying where he is with (inconsistent) Webber, is the best bet. Especially given that Horner loves Vettel so much.

      1. In what way is Webber inconsistent? I think he has shown that when he gets good support from the team he can match anyone! As you say Horner has a little crush on Vettel ,so for Webber to be there or thereabouts every season says a lot about him and his talent I think.

        But I would agree Vettel should and will stay at Red Bull.

  3. That was quick… Didn´t expect it to happen that fast.

    1. @wallbreaker yeah, specially after they said the whole weekend that they’d not rush things up…

      Guess it was too obvious.

    2. Nick.UK (@)
      10th July 2012, 13:50

      Yeah I’m pretty dissapointed to hear this. I was quite excited to see him at Ferrari.

      I think Massa will be at Williams next year, maybe with Maldonado, maybe with Bottas. I think the advances the team has made this year will lead to new sponsorship that removes the need for pay drivers. Hopefully.

      I think there is a possibility that it could be Di Resta and Hamilton at Mercedes, with Rosberg moving to McLaren. I know Rosberg has a contract but I think they would release him of it if it meant obtaining Hamilton. It seems like a fair trade.

      I can’t wait to see the 2013 line ups just to see how wrong I am haha.

      1. Now that Webber is not moving to Ferrari it’s time to build up the “Hamilton to Mercedes” rumor, what’s next?

        1. Raikkonen back at Mclaren. That was always a favourite

  4. That’s weird. Just yesterday Christian Horner was quoted as saying the team wasn’t going to bring contract negotiations with Webber forward. And then, twenty-five hours later, the team announces Webber will stay with them.

    1. @prisoner-monkeys As the saying goes, everybody lies ;)

      1. Tom Haxley (@)
        10th July 2012, 17:30

        And Christian Horner is the worst, anything that guy says is a waste of energy on my ear drums.

    2. @prisoner-monkeys, nothing weird at all it’s called “negotiating”.
      Imaginary conversation;
      …..”. that’s a lot of money Mark, of course we’d love to have you back but Dieters not made of money and there is a lot of talent out there, let’s talk about it later”
      “Problem is Christian, Ferrari have sent this contract over for me to sign, for a bit more money and they want an answer by Wednesday, if we can’t make a deal now I will have to accept their offer.”

  5. This is not too surprising but it’s a pity that some younger driver again won’t get the chance to prove what he’s capable of in a top car. In my view, this also once again proves the ineffectiveness of the Red Bull’s young driver scheme, namely, they have managed to ‘bring up’ only one top driver in more than 10 years since it was founded.

    1. Drop Valencia!
      10th July 2012, 10:43

      I think it is more the testing ban, experience is so important now, as recently as when Vettel and Hamilton started, they could have hunderds of hours under their belts, now it’s more like 3 hours or less!!!!

      1. Agreed, the testing ban definitely has had a serious negative impact on the newcomers’chances. But I think it’s noticeable that the most promising young drivers (di Resta, Perez, Grosjean, even Maldonado) do not come from the RB ‘family’.

        By the way, haven’t you considered changing your nickname after the last European GP? ;)

        1. I think all the drivers that you have name are a little overrated:
          Di Resa hasn`t acomplish anything.
          Perez has have a good couple of races but I believe this is more due to the car being one of the best of the field:

          Veteran correspondent Roger Benoit has called on Sauber to rethink its driver lineup as he believes they are hampering the team’s progress.

          The Swiss team went into the British grand prix as the dark horse for victory, and afterwards even McLaren’s Jenson Button admitted that the C31 was “perhaps the best car in the field.”
          “I’ve written it in (the newspaper) Blick several times,” Benoit insisted. “With this driving duo, Sauber has no future.”

          Grosjean is hardly a rookie and he always crash on the first lap.

          And lets leave Pastor “the menace” Maldonado out of this one.

          I believe Daniel Riccardo is doing a good job, Vergne is trouble.

          1. Grosjean is hardly a rookie and he always crash on the first lap.

            Love it.

          2. @celeste Well, di Resta had excellent results in lower series and, given that he had very limited testing opportunities, I think he’s been performing very well in F1, too. He fought well against a much more experienced team mate in his debut season and has been outperforming Hulkenberg this year. In my opinion, he’s ready for a top team.

            As for the Sauber duo, I don’t think that Blick is the best source (it’s Swiss yellow press and the quote comes from the British GP live ticker where Benoit indirectly blames Perez for fighting with Maldonado, too) but I agree that Kobayashi should go and that Perez still needs more experience. Checo’s British GP was wrecked by bad strategy in Q2 and Maldonado but one could argue that Perez has not been consistent enough anyway. Still, I see more potential in him than I do in Vergne and Ricciardo (in the races both STR drivers have been pretty equal).

            Grosjean is a rookie in F1 terms, he has raced in less GPs than Ricciardo. It’s hard to tell how much Grosjean himself is to blame for his 1st lap clashes and how much of them are simply bad luck. But the speed is certainly there, he’s often left Raikkonen in the shadow. Maldonado is very quick, too. If he only got his temper under control…

            But, as always, only time will tell, who was right :)

    2. The difference with putting a Vergne or a Ricciardo in the senior team in 2013 and Vettel’s move in 2008, is that in 2008 RBR was not a top team. Now RBR are 2 time WCC and can’t afford the potential of losing points while a youngster settles in. That and the testing ban makes life a lot harder for the RBR Young Drivers.

      1. The young RBR drivers are yet to find their feet. In the future, I see Ricciardo having a better chance than Vergne. Maybe it was too early to throw Jean Eric in Formula 1. Also, I find him a bit too proud of himself when he commented this,

        Ultimately though, I do see RBR signing Lewis when Seb departs but that will take time and till then, I see Lewis at McLaren.

        1. Except Vergne didn’t say those comments about doing “no worse than Webber”… he and his manager said they were misquoted.
          But for me he’s more like a younger Vettel than Ricciardo… I’m sure he’ll make the grade, with luck.

    3. davidnotcoulthard
      10th July 2012, 11:56

      @girts
      Then again, try naming an effective driver scheme other than the “Van Sauber” or the “Forza Minardi” scheme!

    4. @girts well, they’ve not done much at STR, can’t see why they’d be better at Red Bull.

      It’s a sensible decision to extend Mark’s contract. That’s a world champion team chosing the best guy for the situation.

      I don’t think having a sister team in F1 helps a lot. The pressure is enormous. Maybe it’d be better to have a Red Bull team in GP2 and GP3 and try to get them a ride in one of the teams in F1 once they are matured enough. Afterall, none of the drivers that raced in Red Bull (except Vettel) were that brilliant before their arrival in F1, and their continuity is dependant of what the main team does in terms of drivers.

      1. @fer-no65 I agree, Red Bull have made the best possible decision by keeping Mark for one more year but their junior team obviously needs to be managed better. The problem is that Seb might leave the team as soon as in 2014 and they are clearly not going to build the team around Mark in the future. If RBR are planning to go shopping, that is, hire Hamilton or someone else of his calibre, then maintaining such an advanced young driver scheme doesn’t make sense.

        1. @girts it doesn’t make sense at all, really, specially now they are a world champion team. If they want to continue that in the future, they will have to sign the best available driver in the market, not just one guy that raced at Toro Rosso the year before.

          The Red Bull’s young driver scheme should end the day their drivers arrive to F1, it should not be extended to Red Bull’s main team. Unless they find a gem like Vettel.

          Having a look at the RB Junior Team drivers, it’s impressive how few of them really shined in their categories. The best one at the moment seems to be Carlos Sainz Jr, and he’s still a long way from F1.

    5. @girts, as an old fart myself I have to ask why a winning experienced driver should make way for a younger less experienced driver, it’s not like F1 is the only race series for a young driver to drive in.
      Webber spent years living hand to mouth,driving in lesser classes before he got into F1 and then more years in uncompetitive cars before he had an opportunity to drive a winning car, now he proving to be equally as good as his team-mate , the youngest ever double world champion. Webber has put in the hard work, why should he now give it all up to make life easy for someone younger?
      This comment uses Webber as an example but the principal is the same for other drivers and other careers.

      1. +100

        1. Exactly. Webber has earned his place in F1. I would question the point of Schumacher personally… why did he come back again???

  6. Drop Valencia!
    10th July 2012, 10:39

    Red Bull just offered Mark a very very healthy deal I’m sure, great news and well done Mark! but I was kind of hoping the fez would make him a deal he couldn’t refuse, i’ve always wanted to be a Ferrari fan……

  7. A shame for us fans who like the speculation, but I’m happy for Webber after so long in middling parts of the grid to be commanding the driver market in his last few seasons! Also, good news for Felipe. His upturn in form has coincided perfectly with the withdrawal of another candidate for his job. Might even give him another wee confidence boost! Wonder what the odds of him staying are?

  8. In other words the Red Bull Young Driver Programme has’nt produced another capable driver yet…

    1. Vettel is also half-BMW product. so an half driver Red Bull delivered so far…

      1. davidnotcoulthard
        10th July 2012, 12:00

        You beat me into even thinking and/or remembering about it, let alone posting it. Spot on!

    2. It depends on what you mean by capable.
      All the f1 drivers on the grid are highly capable (with the exception of maldonado, but I just found out about his 2005 antics and like him even less), and there have been, to my mind, 6 Red Bull young drivers that have reached F1.
      2 of them were kicked out due to inconsistecy, Klien was chucked out for not being that good, and the other 2 aren’t experienced, and arguably mature enough to be a good enough proposition in a top team, so it makes sense to sign Mark Webber for 2013, and I think that depending on Ricciardo and vergnes results next year, you could witness one of ythem in a Red Bull in 2014.

      1. Klien, Liuzzi, Speed, Vettel, Buemi, Alguersuari, Ricciardo and Vergne. That’s 8.

        1. Liuzzi and Speed were not good enough and they have troubles with the team…

          1. and klien and jamie did ok but were pushed as they were about to flourish….

          2. @q85 – Klien did okay in 2005, but actually went backwards in 2006. He scored 2 freaking points against Coulthard’s 14. How was he going to flourish.

            Alguersuari improved only in the races, he was actually worse in qualifying in 2011 than he was in 2010 (losing to Buemi 11-8 then 13-6). And even then, over half of his points finishes were from 18th on the grid, and the tyre advantage over his teammate, who outscored him in the other 2 years they spent together.

          3. @david-a I thought Klien was a good example of a driver who got his F1 break too soon. Red Bull paid a huge sum to put him in the Jaguar in 2004.

            I remember in 2006 he was running in front of Coulthard in Monaco until his gearbox died towards the end of the race. Coulthard went on to score Red Bull’s first podium.

          4. In Klein’s one off race at HRT he out-qualified Bruno by over a second which was impressive having not driven an F1 car in years and also the fact of Bruno being their regular driver.

      2. It might be to early to write them off, they may improve with age and experience. The Vettels and Hamiltons of this world are a rare breed indeed.

  9. So Webber indeed had talks with Ferrari. So it indicates, that Ferrari are searching for a driver, and probably, they aren’t looking for a young driver, which is strange when you look to other teams, which develops young drivers, but on the other hand, Ferrari never preffered young drivers.

    As for Webber contract with Red Bull, I think it was the best option for Webber, because in other teams he could hardly fight for WDC, because of car cometetivness or being number 2 driver. And I hope Webber will finally claim WDC this year, because he’s driving very well this year.

    1. FlyingLobster27
      10th July 2012, 11:17

      Alonso is at Ferrari until 2016 at least, so they want someone “mature” enough to just rack up serious points for the team. No over-ambitious or unstable drivers wanted then.

    2. @osvaldas31, it was pretty clear from the start, that Ferrari would be looking at a proven race winner to back Alonso. Webber would have been perfect for them, but he’s not available. I would think that Massa has good chances of staying on, now that he seems to be a bit better on these tyres lately.
      I do think they might have been talking to a guy like Kovalainen (race winner, knows Alonso) and maybe even Glock

      1. Yeah I was also thinking that Kovalainen would be a good option, his racing for Lotus/Caterham has been great so he might do well at Ferrari

        1. Agreed. I think Massa is looking good right now, but if Ferrari really want to replace him I think that Kovalinen would be a fantastic choice!

  10. Expected Decision! Massa must be a relieved man :) For some time atleast

  11. Just goes to show how untrustworthy info from teams/sources are: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/101100

    1. @spawinte

      “over the next few weeks we will be talking about 2013”

      They must have talked very quickly…

      1. F1 teams must have lost themselves in some version of Bermuda Triangle where time has a different shape / structure. Brawn has said the Mercedes drivers decision should be taken during the next six weeks, Schumacher himself is going to think until October and Haug, when interviewed by German TV on Sunday, saw nothing strange about it.

      2. James Allen suggest the deal was done before the British GP.

      3. Webber sounded sure he knew where he was going next year in his interview with Lee McKenzie (the one where she talked to him while he’s driving from home to Silverstone, it’s somewhere in the BBC build-up over the weekend)

        I got the impression he’d signed (but whether for Ferrari or Red Bull, I was less certain). I think he still said he was going to talk about 2013 in the coming weeks…

        1. I’m also now wondering too about Hamilton’s remarks indicating that he’s decided (that he’s going to stay at McLaren, presumably). Maybe all connected.

        2. I’d say he had the offer from Ferrari ” I’l definitely be driving next year, but who with” and just needed RBR to match the deal and sign a contract. Outdriving his team-mate didn’t hurt either.

  12. This is an interesting (if rather unsurprising) announcement, which tells you something about Formula One in the modern era. Namely, that Ferrari don’t have the kind of ‘brand power’ they once did. When I started watching F1, even though it was in the heyday of Williams and McLaren, there was always a sense that the Scuderia had a certain romantic allure which meant they had the pick of drivers on the grid. When young karters dreamt of racing in F1, that dream would almost invariably include a set of red overalls and a beautiful scarlet car.

    These days I get a sense that the stock of Ferrari is a little diminished. Its privileged place in the makeup of the sport has certainly been eroded in the past decade, with Ferrari receiving a less preferential cut of the money, and having less political influence than it once had. Drivers are also a little more canny than in days of old, with managers seeking out the most competitive seat on the grid they can. A seat which hasn’t been in the red car of late.

    The fact that Alonso has pledged his future to the team, and seems happy to honour that agreement regardless the performance of the team, tells us that there is still a certain special something about the prancing horse. But few can argue that the days where drivers would step over their own mothers to drive for the oldest team on the grid seem to be numbered. Webber has made a logical decision to stay in a competitive car rather than risk spending the rest of his career in the doldrums. Time will tell whether that was the right decision.

    1. I couldn’t agree more.

    2. I agree and that’s a good thing. I actually believe that Alonso went to Ferrari simply because he had no place else to go if he wanted to fight for the world championship again as McLaren’s door was closed forever and RBR had their own plans. I believe it’s the way most top drivers see it: Ferrari is just one of the few teams that constantly produce winning cars, which is why it’s good to be there.

      I was actually sorry for Fisico when he leaved the raising Force India to join Ferrari as they were just waiting for the dismal 2009 season to be over and Alonso to arrive. At least he won Le Mans with Ferrari this year but, for me as his fan, the end of Fisichella’s F1 career was almost as hugely disappointing as the last two laps of Suzuka 2005.

      1. I actually believe that Alonso went to Ferrari simply because he had no place else to go

        I think you’re wrong in 2009 Red Bull were pushing flat out to get Alonso’s services Fernando himself admitted that & said that he wanted to join Ferrari to be part of their History rather than being a WDC with another team
        it’s always dramatic when it comes to Ferrari

        1. I don’t remember that news.. where did hear you that? I would have thought Alonso would have taken a RB drive for 2010, and then joined in 2011 when Raikkonens contract ended

      2. Santanders millions may also have played a part in Alonsos decision to go to Ferrari.

    3. A brand power also saying – whatever you have now, we will double it up – but I agree with what you say about Ferrari not being that big a brand compared to others currently.

      1. “Ferrari not being that big a brand compared to others currently”
        What others ??? there’s only Red Bull in the last 2 years

        1. Exactly!
          And Mercedes is big as well

    4. This just screams CotD to me. 100% agreed.

    5. @mazdachris Interesting points. Reminds me of something from yesterday’s Stats and Facts: Alonso’s pole was only Ferrari’s third in the last three-and-a-half seasons. Not a great reflection of their competitiveness in recent seasons.

      1. @keithcollantine well, Mclaren surely isn’t doing MUCH better… they just scored 7 poles since 2009, 4 only since 2010. For a team like McLaren, that’s seriously rubbish.

        Red Bull almost got them all. Plus, they are the only team with both drivers capable of scoring poles consistently.

      2. @keithcollantine, Ferrari have always had their ups and downs but I think a case could be made for their decline being a natural consequence of the more restrictive, homogenised rules.

    6. davidnotcoulthard
      10th July 2012, 12:08

      @mazdachris
      Well, the Beautiful scarlet car is gone now, replace by ugly automobiles. Maybe even the Tyrrell P34 (Or optionally the Brabham + Fan car) is more beautiful than the F2012.

    7. I think that’s because teams like Red Bull have quite frankly trampled over them, and have to a certain extent ruined their reputation; a fizzy drinks company has in 6 years or so, beaten the most historic names in the business.

      1. It’s not that different to when they were all beaten by a T-shirt manufacturer in the mid-nineties.

        1. davidnotcoulthard
          10th July 2012, 14:55

          With a germn driver winning the title twice?

          1. davidnotcoulthard
            10th July 2012, 15:00

            GermAn, sorry.

          2. If that German had of resisted the lure of Ferrari with his boys Bryne, Brawn and Todt he would have probably been 11 time world champ with the shirt company!!

        2. So in that respect, were they a bit like Lotus, when people were lining up to jij them despite them being awful?

    8. I don’t think this one incident means that Ferrari’s allure has reduced. Less smart drivers will still fall for Ferrari’s history and romantic allure. (eg: Fisichella, Barrichello).

      I think he simply chose the faster car to sit in. That is it. There is no diminishing of Ferrari’s aura for the drivers.

    9. If you consider the fact that PM is still paying Ferrari much more than the best sponsor of any other team, although they dont have a single sign of their famous brand on the car, this may hold a candle about the brand power of prancing horse.

      Also it is not a new thing that drivers may have concerns to come Ferrari. Did you remember Schumacher day, there were not much driver willing to race against him in the same team.

      Webber did the right thing as he may cope with Vettel time to time but imo he has very little chance against Alonso, and Ferrari is not the best team to be if you can not perform close to your team mate.

  13. As a few people have noted, there’s some interesting knock-on effects from this announcement:

    1. Perhaps the most likely candidate for the seat Massa is expected to vacate at Ferrari is gone.
    2. If Hamilton is going to Red Bull, he’ll need a deal somewhere else for 2013 first.
    3. Ricciardo and Vergne aren’t being promoted so expect them to stay put at Toro Rosso

    1. STR might still drop both at the end of the year though!

      1. @bascb I’m tired of all these ‘decent’ STR drivers. If they can’t find potential ‘race winners’ anyway, then let’s have some fun at least. Yamamoto and Maldonado to STR!

        1. davidnotcoulthard
          10th July 2012, 12:12

          Maldonado + BADoer or Trulli (ah…what will the train look like?) + Badoer? Whatever it will be Badoer has to be in there. A ’09 version of Romain would be nice, too. Don’t forget Narain K!

      2. TRS, has said that they will give their drivers at least 2 years to develop.

        Both Alguersuari and Buemi where there for two years. Vettle was in there a year and a half and so did Burdois.

        So I don`t think they will drop them, but they both can certanly do more. I`m not sure that their car is at good as last year.

    2. As I said yesterday, Webber wouldn´t throw away his chance of fighting for this year´s championship by moving to Ferrari. The only top seat vacant for next year will be Schumacher´s Mercedes and my guess is Di Resta gonna take it but I would like it to be given to Kubica, though it seems pretty unlik

      1. What is the news on Kubica (if any?) Such a shame, I would love to see him back

      2. Schumi is doing the job for Mercedes but is Mercedes doing the job for Schumi ? If Schumi is not driving next year I think it will be his decision to leave, not Mercedes position to dump him.
        Further thought, a Schumi/Vettel RBR team would be a great marketing line-up and probably still capable of winning both championships, at least without the threat of an Alonso/Webber team at Ferrari.

        1. + 1 ..completely agree with you @Hohum. Schumi/ Vettel RBR line up would be great but it will be next to impossible to have this line up. :(

    3. Webber’s decision to stay is entirely logical – a move to Ferrari would have been fatal for his title chances. Considering their recent reluctance to back Webber when he has committed to drive for RBR, do you think they would let him go to Ferrari with the #1 when they could just back Vettel?

      Webber is just the red herring (pun?) that Button was last season. The “2012” driver market has just been put off another year until 2014 and these mad manic moves we’ve been expecting for years seem to be entirely dependent on Webber calling it a day. I would argue that the most likely candidate for the 2013 Ferrari drive would be Massa – with his recent upturn in form, it’s his to lose.

    4. Perhaps the most likely candidate for the seat Massa is expected to vacate at Ferrari is gone.

      I think Massa will stay at Ferrari, though the move makes no sense to my mind. He should have been released at the start of this year, but now it’s looking like Ferrari will struggle with an underperforming driver for two seasons longer than they otherwise should be. Fernando Alonso is good, but he’s not good enough to single-handedly win the World Constructors’ Championship. Sure, Sergio Perez constantly gets named as a potential replacement for Massa, but I think people under-estimate the pull that Luca di Montezemolo has within the team. Ferrari will probably keep Massa for 2013, and then look at someone new in 2014. Which is probably the worst thing they can do, but at the same time, it’s probably the only thing they can do.

      If Hamilton is going to Red Bull, he’ll need a deal somewhere else for 2013 first.

      I don’t think Hamilton was ever on Red Bull’s radar. Sure, they would have known that he might be free, but the speed at which they signed Webber suggests that if they were considering Hamilton, he was only a back-up in the event Webber let the team. I think it’s far more likely that Hamilton will wind up at Mercedes, if he doesn’t stay at McLaren.

      Ricciardo and Vergne aren’t being promoted so expect them to stay put at Toro Rosso

      If they keep going the way they have been this year, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Red Bull drop one or both of them for 2013. The car isn’t particularly good (it isn’t particularly anything), but I believe that any idiot can win in a good car – the best drivers can make the most of a bad car, and neither Vergne nor Ricciardo is doing that right now. If both drivers are released at the end of the year, then I think Toro Rosso might take Antonio Felix da Costa and Mitch Evans, or one of them with Sebastien Buemi as a yardstick to be measured against.

      1. I think it’s far more likely that Hamilton will wind up at Mercedes, if he doesn’t stay at McLaren.

        So by that logic… Hamilton to Mercedes, Rosberg to Ferrari (through a mutually-agreed separation)?

        1. Hamilton to Mercedes? Why on earth would he do that!?

          Hamilton will only move to a better team. Not the other way around.

      2. @prisoner-monkeys performance-wise Mercedes is not better than McLaren, so what do they have to attract Lewis? Fatter pay? I don’t think so. I think this Hamilton-Mercedes thing is a long shot.

      3. @maksutov, @jcost

        Hamilton to Mercedes? Why on earth would he do that!?

        Hamilton will only move to a better team. Not the other way around.

        performance-wise Mercedes is not better than McLaren, so what do they have to attract Lewis? Fatter pay? I don’t think so. I think this Hamilton-Mercedes thing is a long shot.

        If Hamilton genuinely doesn’t want to remain at McLaren, he may not have a choice but to go to Mercedes. They would be the next-best alternative.

        Similarly, if McLaren feel Hamilton is taking too long re-signing with them, and they lose confidence that he will re-commit to them, they may pre-emptively drop him and go for someone else because they could be afraid that Hamilton will leave the team and they will be left with no viable alternative as his replacement, which will ruin their 2013 season before it even begins. It happened in 2008 with Heikki Kovalainen – sure, he’s good now, but he wasn’t ready for McLaren – and they’ll be eager to prevent it from happening.

        Like I said, I think the most-likely outcome is that Hamilton will stay at McLaren. But if he leaves, then I think he will probably go to Mercedes. The only other remotely-possible choice is Williams, but I think that’s incredibly unlikely.

  14. So Ferrari are now more than likely looking for a driver for just one year. It’s said by many that Vettel has a contract in place for 2014 at Ferrari, for as long as both sides deliver results between now and the end of 2013. One would also assume that it depends on how Red Bull perform as well, Vettel may feel that staying put will be more beneficial to himself.

    Put’s Ferrari in a tricky situation really. They potentially may only need a driver for one season, but possibly more than that. They need to look at who is going to deliver the goods over a season, but could be easy to ship off should they need to.

    Button – is widely understood to have been linked with Ferrari, but he’s only his first year of a “multi-year” deal at Mclaren. Contracts arent worth the paper they’re written on nowadays, but I think he’s unlikely to be going anywhere.

    Perez – apparantly too aggressive and too inconsistent to drive for Ferrari. I find it hard to believe, he’s a quick driver and has kept a level head during his career. He’s in the Ferrari development program, the team know him and should settle in quicker. Problem is, he is going to want a one year deal. He’s young and hungry for success. His problem has been that has been caught in midfield incidents throughout his career, many of which cant be said to be his fault. I think this blemish’s his fairly impressive record so far.

    Di Resta – Has been linked with Mercedes and Ferrari, but is he good enough? Much like Perez he’s fairly quick and gets on with the job, but hasnt been able to deliver as yet. He’s split with his manager, Anthony Hamilton, following a disagreement on where they believe Di Resta’s career is heading. Was Hamilton Snr unhappy with the Ferrari links?

    Hamilton – If Vettel is heading to Ferrari in 2014, this would be very unlikely to happen. Although I would discount it. He’s out of contract with Mclaren at the end of the year, the car and the team hasnt been great in the last couple of years (pit stop errors, underfuelling, lying to the stewards). Hamilton has been linked with Mercedes, so maybe he would fancy joining Ferrari for one year before replacing Michael Schumacher, if he extends his contract.

    Michael Schumacher – Out of contract with Mercedes and shows no signs of wanting to call it quits yet. If he doesnt extend with Mercedes, doesnt retire and wants one more year, could this previously unstoppable marriage come forth once more?

    After these guys, who else is there? Kovalainen is out of contract with Caterham after this season. He’s impressed many in the paddock with his performances in a substandard car. Both Toro Rosso guys arent really impressing at all, and both would probably be tied to Red Bull anyway.

    Beyond that, do they keep Massa for one more year? Is that something Ferrari can afford to do? He’s been a shadow of his former self since coming back from his accident and racing against Alonso. I would find it hard to keep him on for another personally. The team need’s a change. Massa has been with them for a while now.

    1. Button’s ‘multi-year’ deal is 3 years I think, so that means it expires at the end of next season

    2. Jules bianchi?
      Unlikely, I know, but he is part of the ferrari development programme

    3. It’s interesting that, in one of his latest columns for the BBC, Jaime Alguersuari sounded pretty confident about his return to F1 in 2013. Another option would be Adrian Sutil. There have been some rumours relating both to Ferrari but I have seen no serious reports so far.

      1. I think they are options unless Massa gets momentum. I think Massa is improving now and if so, there will be no change in Ferrari next year.

    4. Well, Checo is said to be inconsistent and too aggressive to drive for Ferrari… but is Massa any better (in terms of consistency at least)? If he keeps his improved form then I think his chances of staying one year longer are good. Otherwise, while it is not Ferrari’s way to pick young drivers… maybe they sign Perez for a change?

      1. That’s what I thought. But Perez would want at least a two year deal. He’s young and you’d like to think he has a long future in the sport, where would he go after one season at Ferrari? Hard to imagine him going back to Sauber, I dont think they’d want a driver coming and go as Ferrari please. Sauber have their own future and place in the championship to consider too.

        1. Well… I see your point, but if he was offered a Ferrari seat to prove himself for a year… I think he would take it. If he did well Ferrari would maybe extend the deal. Otherwise… he would have difficult times.

          1. But the point of finding a driver for a year is to keep the seat warm for the arrival of Vettel.

    5. “Di Resta – Has been linked with Mercedes and Ferrari, but is he good enough? Much like Perez he’s fairly quick and gets on with the job, but hasnt been able to deliver as yet”

      I have to disagree with this observation. As touched on above, Di Resta out qualified Sutil on numerous occassions and 9 times out of 10, appears to be doing the same with Hulk (and I don’t see Hulk as a slow driver by any means), so outlines what Di Resta is capable of in a slower car/team.

      Di Resta needs to land in a top team soon, or I feel he could become another “nearly man” without a top drive opportunity.

  15. sid_prasher (@)
    10th July 2012, 11:03

    This is a smart decision from Webber.RBR is likely to remain the top team for some time and it makes sense to stay there.
    Perhaps Massa will get a 1 year extension now; Alonso clearly prefers to have him. I guess it helps his driving when he doesn’t feel threatened inside the team. Though almost completely impossible I would love to see Kimi join Ferrari :)

    1. It would be awesome, but I dont think Kimi will go back to Ferrari after they shafted him in 2009. He was driving better than Massa, delivering the results in a dog of a car but they got rid of him. I think Ferrari felt morally obliged to keep Felipe after his accident, support him through it.

      Also, Kimi has a deal with Lotus anyhow =)

      1. A deal which gave him some ownership of the team, if you believe the scuttlebutt. So doubt he’s going anywhere.

  16. Very logical decision for both Mark and the Redbull team. He already has a good relation with then, seem to get on well with the people he works with, and lives in the same country where the factory is. Besides, he and Vettel may not be best friends, but certainly are very good professional partners at Redbull. The team on the other hand will have a solid lineup of drivers for yet another year. In Webber, they got a very stable and consistent driver both performance-wise and mentally. The only other option would have been Hamilton, but why risk the uncertainty if you already got a great team. This is a great win-win situation for all involved at Redbull.

    1. davidnotcoulthard
      10th July 2012, 12:19

      Webber’s been at RBR (Sort of) before Chris Horner (Or even Red Bull themselves) came. When Horner came, Mark left for Williams, before he ended up going back there.

  17. I would imagine that you’ll not see many drivers committing themselves beyond 2013 at the moment. The rules are changing (if they ever sort out that horrendous mess, but let’s assume they will) significantly for 2014, which will almost certainly result in a bit of a reshuffle in the pecking order. I’d expect most teams to want a bit of stability at least until then, when drivers are more likely to want to take a bit of a gamble on which teams they think will be fastest out of the box come 2014. Especially considering how beneficial the rules reshuffle was for a certain Mr Button in 2009.

    I’d be keeping my powder dry for the moment, and just see where things go with regards to 2014 and the Concorde agreement.

    1. davidnotcoulthard
      10th July 2012, 12:22

      And the current RB drivers.

  18. matthewf1 (@)
    10th July 2012, 11:38

    It is undoubtedly the right move for both parties, but I am rather disappointed as it reduces the amount of driver movement we will see before 2013.

    Webber said he has spoken to Ferrari. This means that Ferrari are seriously considering replacing Massa. They also seem to want a bit of experience, a cool head.

    To me, this leaves three men available who could fill that role: Glock, Kovalainen and Di Resta.

    I do wonder how the frst two would adapt back to proper racing, after three years of moving out of the way (good experience for Alonso though). Di Resta seems to have a cool head. The split with Hamilton Snr at such a point in the season means Di Resta wants a big move, and the Lewis/Dad factor was in the way.

    I think Alonso would go for Kova, as Hamilton beat him easily, and Alonso and Hamilton are similar in ability.

    1. Drop Valencia!
      10th July 2012, 11:51

      Heidfeld, will score very good points/podiums and have no trouble pulling over for Alonso.

    2. Hamilton was faster than Kovalainen, but you do need to give that a little bit of context. This was Hamilton in a car which he had been driving since the previous year, and had the benefit of thousands of miles of testing under his belt. Not to mention the full support of a team he’d known since he was a kid. Heikki was new to the team, and it’s hard to see how he was ever likely to make a serious challenge under the circumstances. He also suffered a fair bit of misfortune while driving for McLaren, robbing him of some decent finishes. Yes, he failed to impress in any meaningful way, which is why McLaren opted to drop him, but I don’t think he did anything which suggested he didn’t have what it took to be driving at the sharp end. Or that he lacked the potential to do so in the future.

      Some drivers come into F1 and are immediately fast, while others take a few years to really settle and get into the groove. Heikki has done a great job since he’s been able to drive anonymously at the back, and of all the drivers at the back of the midfield, he’s the one who impresses the most with his cool approach and his lack of mistakes.

      We have no way to know just what his potential is now he’s matured and got some more experience, but I think he’s done everything he possibly could have done to earn himself another shot at the ‘big time’.

      The real question is what exactly would a driver stand to gain by going to Ferrari next year. We know that at the moment you’d need to look at that as being a one year contract which is almost certainly not going to be extended, regardless of personal performance. We also know that anyone going there is going to have to adapt to the Ferrari way of doing things very quickly, which may be a very different culture from what they’re used to. They’ll also be going up against one of the most formidable drivers to sit in an F1 car in the past 20 years, in a car which is designed around his personal requirements. Under those circumstances, what would be to gain for anyone from the top end of the grid? It’s only a good seat for someone who feels that their performance is not being highlighted by the car they’re in at the moment. it’s not a long term career prospect so the likes of Di Resta are unlikely to be interested, especially while they’re already being mentioned in relation to other good seats in F1.

      No, the Ferrari seat is only attractive to someone who wants to use it as a springboard into a top team. For me, Kovalainen, and maybe Glock, are the two most likely candidates.

      1. @mazdachris As a hardcore Kovalainen fan, I couldn’t put it better myself. Thank you!

        The only thing I’m afraid of is that Heikki, if Ferrari really offered a seat to him and if he accepted the proposal, might step on the same rake as in 2008 by joining a team that already has its own king.

    3. after three years of moving out of the way (good experience for Alonso though)

      I laughed!

  19. Another year of Webber means another year of WCC. Brilliant move by Red Bull. Ferrari didn’t do enough to poach great #2 driver, and we won’t be seeing them win WCC for a long time.

  20. Happy for Mark, but the 2013 silly season just got disappointingly sensible.

  21. Good! I’m glad he’s staying. Let’s hope he can continue fighting for the championship this year! One of the best wheel to wheel racers out there (if not the best) and still one of my favourite sportsmen, let alone driver.

  22. GREAT decision by Webber to stay, gives him 2 seasons at a shot at the title. if he went to ferrari, who knows how the rest of this year would play out, if he had the motivation to win for redbull again, or if the team chose to support Vettel more. and next year redbull will surely be up there again, going to ferrari is risky because of ferraris form last few years, and because of the Alonso factor. Im also happy for him, as he was very fast in his first years in f1, remember the brilliant qualifying performances and speed at drivers circuits like monaco, and it took him many years to have a race winning car, and it is good to see he has bounced back from the drubbing he got from Vettel last year, if he wins the title this year, it would be an amazing turnaround in one season.

  23. I seriously don’t know why do you people keep talking that bad about Massa and his staying at Ferrari. Ferrari don’t have the car and when they finally got the car working Massa is up there. Massa had the worst luck of all since 2010, sure he mad some mistakes and is not as good as Alonso, but is a great driver. And given that Ferrari finally made their rubish red pick up into a F1 car Massa will surely do well.

    Not all of the driver can get from P11 on P2, especially when they have Hazard on the road named Maldonado, Kobayashi……..

  24. I was disappointed to hear this. I had hoped for Webber to go Ferrari, though I never thought it would happen. Would’ve given us a barometer against which to compare Vettel and Alonso.

  25. Mercedes with Hamilton and Rosberg, best combination :-D

  26. I hate it when people talk about Schumacher’s Merc seat going to someone else in 2013 as if they know exactly whats going on in the driver market.

  27. Well since this new deal has fired up speculation on the 2013 driver line up I can see what happens from now on: Nothing.
    Webber is staying at Red Bull, Massa (provided he gets on the podium at least once and has a string of 4th or 5th places) will stay, Hamilton will stay as he’s got nowhere better to go, Schumacher will stay after his best season since returning and Lotus will keep both their drivers.

    See y’all this time next year!

  28. Good news. I don’t think any driver should really be looking elsewhere at the top flight right now, they’re all pretty competitive within a few tenths of each other every other weekend. He may as well stay put.

  29. I am hardly sure of what it going to happen, but I do have some hopes and expectations.

    Hopes: Schumacher continues, (highly) preferably at a good team (Mercedes or higher, preferably higher).

    Expectations: Ferrari won’t keep Massa. I have never seen a top-team consistently retain such an underachiever.
    It was somewhat expect-able that he would stay for 2012, because none of the ‘big guys’ were available for this year. Yet many contracts are ending after this season. Personally I would like to see a driver like Perez make the move to Ferrari. To some degree I would not even be surprised if Massa isn’t even in F1 next year, although one of the ‘little guys’ might pick him up. Regardless, it’s clear he is no longer the driver he was.

    I wouldn’t have minded if Mark had gone to Ferrari, i’d be curious to see how much a challenge he can give Fernando with equal material. Any way, I do hope he outperforms Seb this year.

    All in all, I don’t see Hamilton moving, and if he would, I’d aspect it to be a move to Mercedes.

  30. Much as I enjoy all this speculation it is just that. None of us have any real idea what will happen and much of what is written here is is I’ll informed and badly written guesswork.

    1. As against mis-informed and well written press releases.?

  31. As a huge mark webber fan I’m undecided about this! Webber in a ferrari would have been exciting for the sport – as a benchmark of vettel, alonso, hamilton and webber!! And I would have been a ferrari fan!
    I see the logic to his decision in that he should get 2 chances at the wdc now, where if he had signed with ferrari he would have been shafted by rb for the rest of the season!
    Let’s pray that the contract doesn’t mention #2 in it anywhere! And that they will treat their drivers equally – both physically – emotionally and mentally!!

    1. @brooksy007, I agree with you (and not just because you have a licence to kill) . I’m pretty sure that with Ferrari on-side and a couple of wins this year that Mark would have insisted on equal treatment in the contract. Of course there is equal treatment and there is supposed equal treatment.

  32. Here are some crazy ideas:

    If Webber was to win the WDC this year, I am certain Vettel would not be happy about this. It is possible that Vettel would then feel he has lost control (Horner) he once had. I think Vettel would then be open to consider moving to another team. At the same time, if Hamilton was to ever move teams within the next few years, I can only see him going to Red Bull. Possible outcomes:

    1. Hamilton to Red Bull; Vettel to McLaren.
    2. Hamilton to Red Bull; Schumacher or Rosberg to McLaren (!?), Vettel to Mercedes.

    Other posibilities:

    – Rosberg to Lotus; Riakkonen gets the boot; di resta, Perez or Ricciardo to Mercedes .
    – Rosberg to Ferrari ; Massa gets the boot (probably the best Ferrari should do); di resta, Perez or Ricciardo to Mercedes.
    – Perez to Ferrari would be the best! Unfortunately, Ferrari isn’t smart enough to see that.

    Schumacher is obviously going to think about staying in F1 for another year (unfinished business!). Moving to another team is unlikely for him as it is a big task and his personality is that he doesn’t like to abandon the team or leave the job unfinished. Retiring while not achieving at least a “small percentage” of what he set out to do – unlikely. On the other hand, he might be feeling that another year at Mercedes could be a waste for his comeback chances. If MSC was to seek another team, he would do so only from top teams (Red Bull!). Hence, MSC to Red Bull could be a possibility, as im sure Red Bull would consider it. I am sure other teams (eg. McLaren) would consider MSC (they did once!). But the most likely outcome is that MSC remains in Mercedes for 2013.

    1. To add to that (as I might have said before), all the drivers in current top teams should know that siding against Alonso right now, in a Ferrari, would be like shooting themselves in the foot (unless the move was a significant upgrade from their current team, I dont see it happening). Meaning that, I don’t see Hamilton moving to Ferrari and I don’t see Vettel moving to Ferrari (unless they really want to for pride or money).

    2. Good analysis, if Webber had gone to Ferrari I think we may well have seen Schui filling his seat next year, as you say nobody wants to move to a slower car.

  33. Bad news for all those expecting/wanting Webber to retire at the end of this year (just like every year since 2008). But good news for Webber fans.

  34. I feel happy for Mark Webber that he has another top drive with Red Bull but I do wish we had a mix up at the front of the grid. We’ve had the same drivers in Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull, and Mercedes for the last 3 years. I want someone else to have that opportunity.

  35. I dont see Hamiton leaving McLaren.

    If Massa leaves Ferrari i’d like to see Schumacher make the switch.

    1. I’d wouldn’t mind seeing Schumacher returning to Ferrari either,
      but what about his loyalty towards Ross Brawn? I don’t thinks its
      likely that he will leave Mercedes while building on its future with Brawn.
      Regardless of where he goes, i’d LOVE to see him win again before he retires once more.

  36. On top of all the current driver/team speculation, I feel it’s certain that Schumy will stay with Merc/Ross Brawn until his final retirement .. and that the decision to drop Massa has already been made, prior to his encouraging 4th place at the British GP.

    Clearly, any spare seat at Ferrari and a potential change in driver line up at Lotus could start the juggling throughout the top teams, but who truly knows?

  37. George Nikolaou (@)
    11th July 2012, 22:50

    Well done Mark ! A top class pilot that deserves to be a champion. As for Ferrari , i think that Massa will have his absolutely last chance to prove that he still can wear the reds.

  38. This is excellent news. Now I don’t have to buy new “fan” gear. Those caps are really expensive.

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