Silly Season 2011/2012

[ESPImperium]

Mr. Nick is going back to Mercedes :roll:

http://www.f1zone.net/news/third-driver ... ort/10511/

That would be the best move for him. Driving in the DTM he could drive to the end of his career, do some TD/3rd driver stuff for Merc, and race in some endurance races.

Not to mention be they key driver for the Mercedes SLS AMG GT2/GT3 project that will merge into the FIA World Endurance Title. Would put him up against his former team mate in the Ferrari 458 GT programme Giancarlo Fisichella.

That probably rules out a safe haven for Adrian Sutil as well as it was tipped th would be Mercedes 3rd driver for 2012. Im now thinking if Sutil gets ousted from Force India he will combine with Garry Paffet and Oliver Turvey at McLaren, but take over from De la Rosa in the TD/RD role.

The grid for 2012 is tightening up, with this being my new probable grid:

01/02] Red Bull-Renault = Vettel/Webber TD: Any of the Red Bull young drivers
03/04] McLaren-Mercedes = Button/Hamilton TD: Sutil/Paffet/Turvey
05/06] Scuderia Ferrari = Alonso/Massa TD: Fisichella/Gene
07/08] Mercedes GP = Schumacher/Rosberg TD: Heidfeld/Bird
09/10] Lotus-Renault GP = Petrov/Grosjean TD: Senna/Charuz/Kubica
11/12] Force India-Mercedes = Di Resta/Hulkenberg TD: Bianchi
14/15] Sauber-Ferrari = Kobiyashi/Perez TD: Guiteriez
16/17] STR-Ferrari = Alguersauri/Vergne TD: Any of the Red Bull young drivers
18/19] Williams-Renault = Raikkonenn/Maldanado TD: Bottas
20/21] Caterham-Renault = Kovalinenn/Riccardo TD: Rossi/Razia
22/23] Hispania-Cosworth = Liuzzi/De La Rosa TD: Clos
24/25] Glock/Pic TD: Wickens/Quaife-Hobbs

[Mr Alcatraz]

Mr. Nick is going back to Mercedes

http://www.f1zone.net/news/third-driver ... ort/10511/

That would be the best move for him. Driving in the DTM he could drive to the end of his career, do some TD/3rd driver stuff for Merc, and race in some endurance races.

Not to mention be they key driver for the Mercedes SLS AMG GT2/GT3 project that will merge into the FIA World Endurance Title. Would put him up against his former team mate in the Ferrari 458 GT programme Giancarlo Fisichella.

That probably rules out a safe haven for Adrian Sutil as well as it was tipped th would be Mercedes 3rd driver for 2012. Im now thinking if Sutil gets ousted from Force India he will combine with Garry Paffet and Oliver Turvey at McLaren, but take over from De la Rosa in the TD/RD role.

The grid for 2012 is tightening up, with this being my new probable grid:

01/02] Red Bull-Renault = Vettel/Webber TD: Any of the Red Bull young drivers
03/04] McLaren-Mercedes = Button/Hamilton TD: Sutil/Paffet/Turvey
05/06] Scuderia Ferrari = Alonso/Massa TD: Fisichella/Gene
07/08] Mercedes GP = Schumacher/Rosberg TD: Heidfeld/Bird
09/10] Lotus-Renault GP = Petrov/Grosjean TD: Senna/Charuz/Kubica
11/12] Force India-Mercedes = Di Resta/Hulkenberg TD: Bianchi
14/15] Sauber-Ferrari = Kobiyashi/Perez TD: Guiteriez
16/17] STR-Ferrari = Alguersauri/Vergne TD: Any of the Red Bull young drivers
18/19] Williams-Renault = Raikkonenn/Maldanado TD: Bottas
20/21] Caterham-Renault = Kovalinenn/Riccardo TD: Rossi/Razia
22/23] Hispania-Cosworth = Liuzzi/De La Rosa TD: Clos
24/25] Glock/Pic TD: Wickens/Quaife-Hobbs

The thing that stands out to me on this list is the quality of drivers at the bottom. Depending on De La Rosa's impact. To me of all the teams, and without a change, Lotus Renault may have the weakest drivers depending on who teams with Glock.

[ESPImperium]

I am thinking that Petrov will probably get ditched mid season, Lotus Renault are probably using him as a cash cow to get enough cash from him. I see a 3 way switch arround next season;

Webber for Massa, Riccardo for Webber, Senna for Riccardo and then Kubica to take over from Petrov.

[Mr Alcatraz]

I really don't see Ferrari ditching Felipe midseason, especially if the Ferrari is competitive, unless Massa has completely lost his mind. He is only lacking to Webber in attitude, because I think he has more raw pace. If Ferrari's challenger is on equal footing with McLaren, and RB, Massa can be fast. He simply is not as consistent as Alonso, not by a long shot!

[MIKEY_!]

Where did this talk of Riccardo to Lotus come from?

[raymondu999]

Apparently Red Bull haven't been 100% pleased with Ricciardo, leading to talk of Vergne jumping Ricciardo in the Red Bull ladder. There was something about Trulli actually having a 2013 drive with Lotus but not for 2012; which has lead to speculation of a possible sale of seat for Kovalainen's teammate. Autosport IIRC is reporting Vergne-Alguersuari for STR and Ricciardo-Kovalainen for Caterham in 2012

AUTOSPORT understands that
Red Bull has approached Team Lotus about the possibility of placing a driver there, with Jarno Trulli’s drive at the team still not completely certain despite a deal being announced for 2012.
Potentially, this could lead to Ricciardo continuing in a race seat outside of STR. Vergne, whose nationality would suit Red Bull given that it is keen to continue to push sales in France, could then take an STR drive if he is considered ready for F1.

[Giblet]

I really don't like the STR / Red Bull driver situation. The fact that Red Bull openly uses STR as little more than a holding pen to find the best drivers they can for Red Bull proper. Their ethos is not to win, its to keep and evalute drivers.

I feel this devaluates the sport, and the two grid spots they have. Now you have a guy like Buemi who has shown is no slouch, and he has not been beaten handily by his teammates. He deserves a drive no less than his teammate IMO, but to float in STR waiting for Webber to retire while in constant fear of being dropped and now drivers being installed at other teams.... its all starting to get a little too silly for this guy while guys like Hulkenberg sit on the sidelines.

[scuderiafan]

I'm amazed at all of the politics that goes into race seats. That being said, I agree with Giblet on the whole STR/Red Bull driver system. I could understand it a couple years ago when both teams were running the same chassis (sort of) because they were more or less the same team. Now they are different teams, and they still have this driver system. Although, unless STR wants to keep the RB money, they will probably continue with this system.

[Richard]

It's not politics, it's about how much cash & sponsors are associated with a driver.

[FW17]

Williams F1 2012

Kimi Raikkonen & Robert Kubica

[raymondu999]

Lol. Fat chance. On that front actually I hear talks have broken down between Kimi and Williams. Valtteri is now the frontrunner

[scuderiafan]

I'm thinking that Jan Charouz could get the other race seat for HRT. I know they said they wanted two Latin drivers, but Charouz has the money which they need more. That being said...

HRT: de la Rosa/Charouz/Ricciardo
Force India: di Resta/Hulkenberg
STR: Alguersuari/Vergne
Williams: Maldonado/Bottas (They should boot both drivers, but Maldonado has PDVSA money)
Lotus GP(Renault): Petrov/Grosjean
Marussia: Glock/Pic
Caterham: Kovalainen/Senna

[ringo]

I really don't like the STR / Red Bull driver situation. The fact that Red Bull openly uses STR as little more than a holding pen to find the best drivers they can for Red Bull proper. Their ethos is not to win, its to keep and evalute drivers.

I feel this devaluates the sport, and the two grid spots they have. Now you have a guy like Buemi who has shown is no slouch, and he has not been beaten handily by his teammates. He deserves a drive no less than his teammate IMO, but to float in STR waiting for Webber to retire while in constant fear of being dropped and now drivers being installed at other teams.... its all starting to get a little too silly for this guy while guys like Hulkenberg sit on the sidelines.

There needs to be 2 formula 1s, a kind of parallel universe if you will. Each having 24 cars on the grid. So that would make it 48 cars. Everyweek there would be an F1 race. As each formula would alternate.
When the season is up. There will be 1 final race where the top 5 from each F1 division would combine for a 20 car race.
How's that sound?

Cause really there will always going to be a lot of quality drivers that cant get a seat. Every year a GP driver will espect to join F1. But the way it is nowadays you can't expect drivers to be displaced every year for new guys.

[ringo]

Williams F1 2012

Kimi Raikkonen & Robert Kubica

Raikonen has little to offer really. I don't see him returning if he doesn't bring sponsors with him.
Kubica has a better chance playing piano than joining williams.

[ESPImperium]

Ringo, if i were to offer 3 car teams and each car was out on track till the end of Q1, whitch is a 45 minuite session. The top 2 drivers from each team go thru to a 10 min Q2 session where each driver has to pick and choose when he goes out for his only run that session.

This means drivers have to qualify against their team mates, avoid traffic and then qualify their car.

However there may be a need for a 20 min Q1 and Q2 session for Odd numbered drivers and Even numbered drivers to go out in 18 car groups where each race is alternated who goes first in Q1. Like what WSBR does to a point, then a Q3 session for your starting posistion.

Then Qualifying is qualifying and you then have the fastest guys out there from each team. Also puts pressure on drivers to perform from the off.

For this id raise the ammount of staff each team can carry to each race to 80 ideally so there was 25 dudes on each car with 5 spares that go where they are needed, whitch would bring a RRA/Concorde aggreement thing int it as well.