016 - A Wild Stab at the 2011 F1 Driver Market

2010 F1 field at Bahrain GP. Just how different will the 2011 grid look?

OK, so about this time of year the inevitable silly season is fast rolling onwards, and predictions from half witted journalistic wanna-bes start appearing online with speculative considerations on the line up for next year that often turn out to be inherently wide of the mark. So with that in mind, here's mine, though it may be benefitting perhaps from the somewhat calm driver market given the frantic nature of recent years.

Red Bull
Unsurprisingly Red Bull racing have already announced an unchanged line up for 2011, in Sebastien Vettel and Mark Webber. Webber is signed on a one year contract until the end of 2011, whilst the team seem eager to hang on to German Vettel, being that he is by far the brightest seed sewn in the Red Bull Driver Development program thus far.

McLaren
Again McLaren are already set and contracted to retain the same driver pairing and all-British theme in 2011 as used this year, in the shape of 2009 world champion Jenson Button, and 2008 title winner Lewis Hamilton. Should the team manage their drivers as well as this year, given the frictions reported in rival camps this could turn out to become a formidable line-up.

Ferrari
The Scuderia are another team with drivers already under contract. Double world champion Fernando Alonso will again partner Felipe Massa, reaffiriming Ferrari's commitment last year despite his injury to hang on to the popular Brazilian. Massa will need to ensure however he can hang on to his illustrious team mate to ensure his seat remains secure.

Mercedes

Whilst both Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher remain under contract for 2011, rumours are still abound about whether or not Schumacher will continue into 2011 after a disappointing return campaign. Possible replacements include Nick Heidfeld who is rumoured to be announced imminently as Pirelli's tyre tester, which would provide the team with invaluable knowledge should the situation arise.

Renault
It comes as no surprise that the partnership with talented Robert Kubica will extend into 2011, though uncertainties remain over Vitaly Petrov's future. An impressive yet somewhat error strewn campaign may be attributed to the learning curve, and Boullier has hinted more Hungary-esque performances would cement his future at the team. A strong finance and sponsorship portfolio may also save his seat, though recent news has linked Adrian Sutil, Timo Glock, Nick Heidfeld, Bruno Senna or perhaps another Genii Investment backed driver to the drive.

Force India
Should a Renault drive either not materialise or seem less attractive, Adrian Sutil is a shoe-in for one of the Force India positions, though team mate Vitantonio Liuzzi has struggled to match pace and is in danger of losing out to test driver Paul di Resta. Karun Chandhok has been linked with the drive, though is less likely given di Resta's foot is already firmly in the door should a vacancy appear.

Williams
The Grove team will almost certainly hang on to 2009 GP2 champion Nico Hülkenberg who has had a progressive if quiet 2010. The relationship between the team and the well loved Rubens Barrichello also looks certain to continue into the Brazilian's 19th year in Formula 1, leaving no room at the inn here.

Sauber
Few would put money on Peter Sauber dropping the ever improving Kamui Kobayashi, though it would seem Pedro de la Rosa's return to F1 will come to a close at the end of the year. The Spaniard has already openly hinted he is available for employment in 2011, and rumours have strongly linked current test driver Esteban Gutierrez, Sergio Perez (who has backing from telecommunications company Telmex) or possibly Pastor Maldonado given the Venezuelan's current GP2 form.

Toro Rosso
The Red Bull 'B team' have already announced that they will continue to field Sebastien Buemi in 2011 with his aim being a Red Bull seat in 2012, alongside Jaime Alguersuari. Whilst this isn't likely to change team boss Franz Tost is known for being somewhat trigger happy with his drivers should he consider them to be underperforming at all, and with rapid Australian Daniel Ricciardo doing well in the lower ranks and 2010 F3 championship winner (claiming the title this afternoon no less) Jean-Eric Vergne waiting in the wings nothing is quite 100% certain here yet.

Lotus
Lotus played a shrewd and clever move hiring experienced head Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen for 2010. Kovalainen is experienced yet young and has settled well into the team, and is sure to stay on. Trulli may stay on next year, though has looked less impressed and motivated by his new surroundings, and should he retire Lotus have Malaysian Fairuz Fauzy waiting on the bench.

Hispania F1
Possibly the most difficult line-up to predict, Hispania F1's driver line up may rest on their ability to balance the books (see previous post). If possible Bruno Senna is likely to stay, considering there are few options available to him elsewhere. Pay drivers such as Sakon Yamamoto may fill the other seat, though an experienced head such as test driver Christian Klien may be what the team needs to advance through its troubles. That said, Karun Chandhok also performed well given the F110's poor quality, and is surely deserving of a vacancy.

Virgin Racing
Despite languishing behind Lotus for much of 2010, fellow newcomers Virgin Racing have made steady improvements over the season, though whether this will be enough to retain lead driver Timo Glock remains to be seen. Lucas di Grassi has the ability, but hasn't fared well against his more experienced team mate, and may fall foul in the driver market for 2011. As far as replacements go, F2 champion Andy Soucek quit Virgin this week, and other test driver Luiz Razia is far from ready for an F1 debut as yet.

As yet un-named 13th team

The line up here will depend largely on which team gets the nod for 2011 entry. Should Epsilon Euskadi get the go-ahead Dani Clos may be attractive given his nationality. The Villenueve / Durango tie up could give Jacques Villenueve a seat. Stefan GP may well field Kazuki Nakajima for F1 experience value and Toyota backing and support if nothing else. Sergio Perez may be in with a shout given his aforementioned Telmex backing, which would be attractive to a new starter. Pastor Maldonado is managed alike Ferrari tester Jules Bianchi by FIA president Jean Todt's son Nicolas, who it is rumoured is eager to get the Venezuelan GP2 championship leader his break in F1. This will as said hang on who gets the entry and their individual requirements.

Images courtesy of WorldCarFans.com copyright to Davenport and Autosport at http://www.autosport.com. All images property of their respective owners.

010 - News Headlines F1

Buemi for Red Bull in 2012?

This story I have to admit took me completely by surprise. On the back of Mark Webber having re-signed to Red Bull to partner Sebastien Vettel for 2011, news or rathe rumour has suggested that Toro Rosso (Red Bull 'B' team) driver Sébastien Buemi is being lined up to partner Vettel in 2012. This story surprised me somewhat, as only recently Buemi was told to up his performances if he was to retain his current drive for next season. This coupled with the in my opinion more consistent and impressive drives by his Spanish stablemate Jaime Alguersuari (pictured) such as challenging Schumacher in Australia and his points finish in Malaysia (especially considering Buemi has driven these tracks before), I would not have considered the Swiss born Buemi as a potential candidate for a seat in what has become a championship challenging team. To give credit where credit is due Buemi's performance in Canada was solid, though my doubts about his consistency and future potential continue to linger. Furthermore Red Bull have recently been linked with attempting to offer 2007 champion Kimi Raïkkönen a return to the sport, despite their inevitable denials. Choosing solely between the two (although it is evident that both require more experience yet) I would rather have highlighted Alguersuari as the potential heir to Webber's Red Bull throne. Then again Red Bull's Helmut Marko has a habit of not making sense sometimes, and perhaps Toro Rosso's current line up should be grateful if nothing else that his usual trigger happy finger hasn't quite reared its ugly head just head, as Tonio Liuzzi, Scott Speed and 4 time ChampCar champion Sébastien Bourdais will attest to. Let's not forget that this story remains largely as rumour for now, but will be an interesting one to watch.

Mercedes against 4th team supply to Red Bull:

This story frankly should come as no surprise at all given that two of Red Bull's chief rivals are currently using Mercedes power in the shape of McLaren and also the works Mercedes team themselves. It's understandable that Norbert Haug wouldn't want to be supplying another team with engines when ultimately they could result in defeating the works crew. Mercedes' works team has had a somewhat troubled start to the 2010 season, potentially suffering as a result of the investment issues under previous incarnation Brawn GP, and Brawn's heavy push for the 2009 championship. Much has also been said about the somewhat inconsistent performance of the returning 7 times champion Michael Schumacher, as although further time will tell if the German can adapt to the new regulations his performances thus far have mostly not been eye catching, with particular reference to what appeared to be an almost desperate drive in Canada last weekend during which he became involved in a multitude of collisions and near-misses. With talk already of Mercedes GP abandoning most of the developmental work on the 2010 car to focus on the 2011 design process, it comes as no surprise that the company will not put themselves under extra potential pressure by supplying frontrunners Red Bull.


Ferrari's Di Montzemolo criticises new teams (again).

Forgive me for a moment if I congratulate myself on almost predicting the latest outburst from Ferrari's head principal, for it was only in my previous post that I mentioned the issues regarding the new teams and the maligned nature of their performance. di Montzemolo has been critical from the outset of the performance of Lotus, Hispania and Virgin Racing suggesting that their current pace should not warrant a grid position in the pinnacle of motor racing, and that instead top teams should be allowed to run 3rd cars. I won't for one moment deny that currently the new teams are lacking in performance somewhat, that they have had some embarassing troubles along the way with Virgin's fuel tank issue and the accident above easily recalled, and are racing in almost a league of their own (though Lotus' Heikki Kovalainen impressed in Canada). It seems though that Ferrari's chief should re-assess his focus, as the Italian team are in danger should their Valencia upgrades be unsuccessful of slipping out of championship contention. It cannot be denied that there were some serious negligances on behalf of the FIA and Max Moseley on awarding entries last year, though again to give credit where it is due Lotus' (and to a point Virgin's) performances continue to improve, and Hispania are making large advances especially given their almost non-start to the season. Whilst di Montezemolo has a point about the new teams' poor performances, a little support in the way of my suggestion in my previous post yesterday may go a long way to resolving both of their issues.