Silly Season 2011/2012

[MIKEY_!]

Personally I think he should stay. After that performance at Australia he deserves more time in a competitive car.

[wesley123]

Petrov is in my opinion a really solid driver, the Renault was simply crap after a few races but he showed really well at the end of '10 as well as the whole '11 he should stay. And also, although I remember reading differently, he brings in 15 million a year, so they have to buy out his contract and make a 15 mill extra loss, I am sure Lotus GP cannot afford this

[ESPImperium]

From rumors circulation, Force India will have Bianchi as T&RD next year taking a FP1 drive for most of the year. That pretty much cements my thinking its Di resta and Hulkenberg in that team next year.

Im now looking at the grid to look like this next year:

01/02: Red Bull-Renault = Vettel/Webber (Confirmed)
03/04: McLaren-Mercedes = Button/Hamilton (Confirmed)
05/06: Scuderia Ferrari = Alonso/Massa (Confirmed)
07/08: Mercedes GP = Schumacher/Rosberg (Confirmed)
09/10: Lotus Renault GP = Petrov/Grosjean
11/12: Force India-Mercedes = Di Resta/Hulkenberg TD: Bianchi
14/15: Sauber-Ferrari = Kobiyashai/Perez TD: Guiteriez (Confirmed)
16/17: STR-Ferrari = Buemi/Alguersauri TD: Vergne
18/19: Williams-Renault = Raikkonenn/Maldanado TD: Bottas
20/21: Caterham-Renault = Kovalinenn/Riccardo **OR** Senna
22/23: Hispania-Cosworth = Clos/Razia
24/25: Marussia-Cosworth = Glock/Pic

A couple are complete guesses, like Hispania, but i reccon that the rest are pretty accurate. Id expect Barichello, Trulli, Sutil and Liuzzi to make an exit from the sport as permant fixtures, but to get a test driver birth somewhere.

[cbbcisace]

http://translate.google.com/translate?s ... le&act=url

Rubens approaches HRT for '12

[raymondu999]

Bianchi? I'd have understood Bianchi to Sauber; but not FIndia...

[Byronrhys]

http://translate.google.com/translate?s ... le&act=url

Rubens approaches HRT for '12

MTV3 have been throwing out wild rumours for a while now, they have now made themselves far from a reliable source.

[ringo]

I think the Sutil goes to Williams and Raikonen sits it out.
Sutil has no weaknesses this year. He's beating di resta and he's getting maximum points.
Un reasonable why he should lose the FI seat, but if they want to give Hulk the seat then that's their loss. Sutil would do well at Williams.

It may not happen, but Sutil to Ferrari would be a good move to me. Watching Massa is just painful. They need a faster hungrier driver.

[raymondu999]

Sutil has always struck me as more of a Heidfeld character. Good, consistent (since 2010), and safe. But he doesn't kind of have that "spark" that kind of separates the goods from the greats. Just IMO. Fisichella out qualified him by 4.5 tenths in Belgium 2009 Q2; and Sutil didn't make Q3 while Fisi made pole. You always see him kind of getting good results in his car since Monza 2009; but you don't kind of see him transcending the car in the way a Hamilton or an Alonso or Vettel does. Or even Raikkonen.

In terms of results, if Raikkonen still can drive to his old standards, I have no doubts that Raikkonen would get better results than Sutil.

[scuderiafan]

Bianchi? I'd have understood Bianchi to Sauber; but not FIndia...

I agree. Why would Bianchi, who has very close ties to Ferrari, be testing with Force India?

[munudeges]

Well, rumours are rumours but this is as close as we're going to get to Frank Williams all but confirming that Raikkonen is in the car next season (twenty seconds in):

http://www.f1revs.com/2011/11/frank-wil ... -kimi.html

He looks as if he's actually enjoying the negotiations.

[ringo]

Sutil has always struck me as more of a Heidfeld character. Good, consistent (since 2010), and safe. But he doesn't kind of have that "spark" that kind of separates the goods from the greats. Just IMO.

It's good that you emphasise that, becuase i think the opposite.
Sutil is one of the most exciting drivers to watch. You have to look how he handles the car, how he overtakes, how he drives in the wet.
Sutil is in fact the 4rth flashiest driver on the grid, only beaten by Hamilton, Alonso, Kobayshi, in that order of flashiness.
He has the spark. He's a top gun, but his car is simply too mild for a glancing fan to realize.

Fisichella out qualified him by 4.5 tenths in Belgium 2009 Q2; and Sutil didn't make Q3 while Fisi made pole. You always see him kind of getting good results in his car since Monza 2009; but you don't kind of see him transcending the car in the way a Hamilton or an Alonso or Vettel does.

You have only one example. I have seen sutil put the force india where it doesn't bellong in the rain. Then some bad luck happens. Fisechella only looked good once that year. Sutil owned him throughout.

Trust me sutil is a star. He is top 10. Check out where he finishes and ask yourself if he can get any more out the car.

Or even Raikkonen.

In terms of results, if Raikkonen still can drive to his old standards, I have no doubts that Raikkonen would get better results than Sutil.

If raikonen comes back, Sutil will eat him alive then fart him into oblivion.

Trust me, people really underestimate how much missing out on driving an F1 car really dulls a driver's talent.

Rosberg is beating the living day lights out of the great Micheal Shumacher. Slamming down 1 second qualifying gaps you'd think Micheal qualifies on the demo tyres.
He's knocking micheal out the frame!!

Don't be naive to think Raikonen is going to be up to speed when he comes back. Last i remember Bulky baby had the iceman sweating bullets in 2008 and 2009. Kimi is not what he used to be. He's fast, but remember his legend is built on a Newey car. He's melted down to little snow cone shavings. He's not an iceberg anymore.

he would have to prove to me he's hungry to push the car. If he will be motivated if the car cannot win, if he is willing to go through the hard times.
Sutil brought FI up to a consistent top 10 car. He's demonstrated patience and commitment. I think he is better driver package than Kimi.
Kimi has the championship and that's about it. After the Massa beatings i doubt he has the old speed.

[MIKEY_!]

If raikonen comes back, Sutil will eat him alive then fart him into oblivion.

After the Massa beatings i doubt he has the old speed.

This was the old Massa of course not the one we see now. I still think he has lost that little bit extra since that spring hit him in the nose.

[munudeges]

If raikonen comes back, Sutil will eat him alive then fart him into oblivion.

There are reasons why Force India are farting Sutil out of the team and why no other team has been the slightest bit interested. If he was that highly rated with a bit of sponsorship then he'd be a shoe-in, but he just isn't.

how he drives in the wet.

Yes. He crashes out when in decent positions.

Put simply, Raikkonen is a World Champion. Sutil isn't and that's a world away.

[scuderiafan]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/96229

Looks like Pic is set to move to Marussia.

[gridwalker]

As much as it scares me to say this, I agree with Ringo