2011 Silly Season

[AndreaModa]

The BBC have suggested that Massa could leave Ferrari and take Smedders with him, if anything he should have done so straight after Hockenhiem.

Interesting... makes an Alonso/Perez paring at Ferrari in a few years time all the more likely.

However if Massa does leave at the end of the year would Ferrari want to push Fisichella into the seat, sign on the consistant but unspectacular free agent Heidfeld or take a gamble with a rookie?

Isn't it obvious? LUCA!!

[watka]

There is a Force India seat without any driver.

I think you'll find no one is taking that away from Di Resta.

[mario]

There is a Force India seat without any driver.

I think you'll find no one is taking that away from Di Resta.

Liuzzi says that he has a contract with Force India (see http://www.motorsport.com/news/article. ... 4320&FS=F1 ), and Sutil seems to be content to stay at Force India (there are only a few vacancies elsewhere, and probably none further up the grid). Unless both Sutil and Liuzzi are leaving the team, the only vacant seat at Force India might be the reserve driver role, depending on what Di Resta does, which I doubt Massa would be interested in.
On top of that, Force India have faded recently, in part due to a loss of technical staff to Sauber and Lotus (although they have restructured the team, that was still quite a major change to adapt to), and probably due to the recent legal wrangles (which would not only distract the team, but soak up their financial resources).

I agree with Captain Hammer and CarlosFerreira - at the moment, Massa is in a reasonably competitive car, so stepping out into the unknown of another team would be a big gamble, especially when it is likely that such a move would drag him down the grid, not up it. Realistically, his best bet for 2011 would be to see what effect the rule changes have, and the new tyres - the levelling of the field at the start of 2011 will give Massa a chance to compete with Alonso, and the other leading drivers.
Being in a familiar team will also help him with the changes for next year - when you are very familiar with a core group of engineers, mechanics and analysts, adjusting to such big changes won't be as difficult, because they will know what Massa is looking for in terms of set up, strategy and so on.

[Phoenix]

If Liuzzi still retains his seat, it would be a big injustice to di Resta. Liuzzi has been underperforming from the 3rd race onwards.

[AndreaModa]

Eddie Jordan mentioned on the original qualifying programme that he was aware that Liuzzi had a contract for next year, but that Sutil didn't and that Adrian's manager had been around other teams, most notably Mercedes, to see what was available. If that's true, The Force's lineup next year could well be Liuzzi/Di Resta as I have a theory that Sutil will go to Mercedes to become offical third/reserve driver and when Schumi inevitably decides to pack it in sometime next year, Adrian will step up into the Mercedes no.2 drive. After all they have no-one behind Rosberg and Michael at the mo and with Heidfeld now at Sauber and seemingly unlikely to go back to Mercedes, and with their preference for German drivers (or so it seems) maybe Sutil would be the ideal choice?

You heard it here first

[Phoenix]

Sutil will stay with Force India. Leaving Force India to take a 3rd driver role at Mercedes is simply not wise, since Schumacher's retirement is uncertain.

[Cynon]

Even if van der Garde, whom I so want, does not seem right for F1, then why not Pastor Maldonado? He has money, from that P-something company, and he has credentials. Give him a try maybe? Wilder still, Dario Franchitti? If he doesn't have a contract with Chip (Clarify Cynon?). Of course, the chances of him succeeding are either Zanardi-standard or Montoya-standard.

I'm not sure if Dario has another year on his contract with Ganassi. He might.

[Captain Hammer]

Given the track record of Indycar drivers in Formula 1 and his level of success within Indycar, why would Franchitti give up on a good thing for the sake of the unknown?

[dr-baker]

Given the track record of Indycar drivers in Formula 1 and his level of success within Indycar, why would Franchitti give up on a good thing for the sake of the unknown?

2008 NASCAR attempt?

[Cynon]

Given the track record of Indycar drivers in Formula 1 and his level of success within Indycar, why would Franchitti give up on a good thing for the sake of the unknown?

2008 NASCAR attempt?

2008 NASCAR attempt that basically killed Chip Ganassi's #40 team...

[P_Friesacher]

I'm not sure if Dario has another year on his contract with Ganassi. He might.

I read somewhere that he only ever signs one year contracts with Ganassi. But I can't imagine him leaving team or series.

[Klon]

http://en.espnf1.com/hrtf1/motorsport/story/28451.html

Well, this really don't need a comment, does it?

[Myrvold]

as team-mate for Bruno Senna

Poor Senna. And now they can regret that they used 4 drivers this season. No PDlR in 2010.

[Faustus]

http://en.espnf1.com/hrtf1/motorsport/story/28451.html

Well, this really don't need a comment, does it?

'The newspaper also linked 22-year-old Spaniard Javier Villa with the team. '

Why, why, why? He's crap!

[thehemogoblin]

http://en.espnf1.com/hrtf1/motorsport/story/28451.html

Well, this really don't need a comment, does it?

'The newspaper also linked 22-year-old Spaniard Javier Villa with the team. '

Why, why, why? He's crap!

Real, real, real.

[Popi_Larrauri]

http://en.espnf1.com/hrtf1/motorsport/story/28451.html

Well, this really don't need a comment, does it?

'The newspaper also linked 22-year-old Spaniard Javier Villa with the team. '

Why, why, why? He's crap!

Real, real, real.

It justs a professional deviation but, I couldn't stop thinking how to explain the correlation between economies under severe stress (Spain, USA) with their support of F1 teams/drivers at the same time. I mean, the paddock opened in 2010, but teams from other countries should have emerged as better founded or stable in financial terms. Even more interesting the fact that those countries didn't have teams before (don't know USA, but at least not in the last 25 years).

Spain entered an F1 team that applied to do it in 2009, well into the economic roll down, USF1 did it at the same time. They both gave a capital as a warrant to start and must have had loans approved to start their development. Also they had, or felt they might have had caught, several significant sponsors.

I mean, Petrov comes from a BRIC country, so Senna, and Chandook, but not in Brazil nor even in Russia a privateer have attempted to mount on this national frenzy to have a team of their own, or more than (3-5 drivers pushing to enter into the wagon).

I would not count Serbia's national (with their weapon factories-then car factories-then toys factories-then candies factories (or the other way around?)) effort, because Stefan is beyond any kind of rational and belongs to the sphere of mere speculation, fantasy and lateral thinking, but, all in all, it was also a country which it's supposed to be affected by the crisis, far more than the BRIC ones. I pass on giving an opionion about Malasya, simply because I don't know their situation right now.

Have you ever wandered about it?

PS: it's all yours phoenix, do your worst

[AndreaModa]

I should just point out, as a human geographer, that BRIC countries stands for Brazil, Russia, India and China (essentially emerging economies on the global market).

...though if you ask me I dispute the inclusion of Russia but there we go that one's for another time!

[CarlosFerreira]

I should just point out, as a human geographer, that BRIC countries stands for Brazil, Russia, India and China (essentially emerging economies on the global market).

...though if you ask me I dispute the inclusion of Russia but there we go that one's for another time!

... and we could argue there's another I, for Indonesia.

[Nessafox]

all we need is a team from the glorious nation of north-korea
the dear leader is better than bernie, for sure

(yes i've been brainwashed)

[TomWazzleshaw]

all we need is a team from the glorious nation of north-korea
the dear leader is better than bernie, for sure

(yes i've been brainwashed)

Hans Blix is here to see you now

[thehemogoblin]

Popi, the difference between Spain and the United States for nationalistic Formula One teams is the level of F1 interest in the two countries.

One country has produced a double world champion who, on talent alone, is the best driver currently on the grid.

The other country has not had a world champion since 1960, a win since 1967 (Mario Andretti does not count), and a podium since 1993.

There's your difference.

[Captain Hammer]

One country has produced a double world champion who, on talent alone, is the best driver currently on the grid.

Yes, he's so talented that he was able to pass Felipe Massa all on his own in Germany.

No. Wait. I think I got that wrong.

[Myrvold]

Popi, the difference between Spain and the United States for nationalistic Formula One teams is the level of F1 interest in the two countries.

One country has produced a double world champion who, on talent alone, is the best driver currently on the grid.

The other country has not had a world champion since 1960, a win since 1967 (Mario Andretti does not count), and a podium since 1993.

There's your difference.

The difference, might be the interest, but if you are going to remove the most recent US-WDC, I will remove Fernando Alonso! Then Spain are winless! AFAIK.

[DonTirri]

The other country has not had a world champion since 1960, a win since 1967 (Mario Andretti does not count), and a podium since 1993.

There's your difference.

Why doesn't mario count? Because he was born in Italy? As if that matters.

[coops]

http://en.espnf1.com/hrtf1/motorsport/story/28451.html
Well, this really don't need a comment, does it?

'The newspaper also linked 22-year-old Spaniard Javier Villa with the team. '
Why, why, why? He's crap!

Real, real, real.

Jesus Jones 1991. Good shout.

Anyway, F1 being as blinkered as ever means Spanish Driver=Good Decision. Just like German Driver=Good Decision not so long ago.

[jpm]

i just cant help but feel sorry for Christian Klien. Forget Bruno Senna, sorry! Klien for a seat at Williams?

And as much as I'd love to see Dario destroy everyone in F1 Jacques villenuerve style, he said in an interview with AUTOSPORT that he would never consider F1 again, and his only interest is helping his cousin di resta with advice. Shame, I think he'd be ace!

Agreed on the topic of Javier villa, if HRT desperately want a Spanish driver, there's Adrian Valles, Andy Soucek, Dani clos etc who have both achieved more than villa, who has been in gp2 for ever!!!

Anyway, what about Dean Stoneman, who won the F2 title and is testing for Williams at Abu Dhabi and Mikhail aleshin, Russia's Petrov II, testing for Renault after winning the WSBR series?

For me, it'll be Chandhok and di resta for Forced India, and Sutil for Renault, freezing Petrov into Lotus. Sorry to say it, but sayanara Sakon Y!

[Phoenix]

Have you ever wandered about it?

PS: it's all yours phoenix, do your worst

Wander about is completely correct, it has a meaning.

[Popi_Larrauri]

Popi, the difference between Spain and the United States for nationalistic Formula One teams is the level of F1 interest in the two countries.

One country has produced a double world champion who, on talent alone, is the best driver currently on the grid.

The other country has not had a world champion since 1960, a win since 1967 (Mario Andretti does not count), and a podium since 1993.

There's your difference.

Still doesn't make a difference. If you have a national economy going into a strong recession, or even worse, the gates of a depression (at least, that was the prospect for mid-2008 to mid-2009) everything would have pointed to a lack of credit from banks, a lack of support from sponsors (aside from national efforts the way Argentina backed Lopez or Malasya on Lotus), or a lack of investing in such a market so sensible to economical crisis.

Nerd semi-offtopic paragraph: At least on paper, luxuries markets, in recessions, tend to suffer more drastically than the rest of the economy. The arguments stands on that the average consumer tends to cut off cost wherever he can, and inmediatly after, companies, doing exactly the same begins to watch investors taking away their capital.

End of Nerd semi-offtopic paragraph.

Therefore, why two countries, which have been suffering seriously an economical crisis, had massive support (at least on paper, later we saw that deinflating as days went by) that included, and investmen capital (Youtube guy, Anderson, Windsor, Campos, Carabante et al) deals with contractors (Dallara, Bridgestone, Cosworth, Xtrac) and sponsoring for whoever that backed Soucek, Alonso (he got major backing these days, and yeah, I know, he's a big fish, but even them should be receiving less backing), Hispania, USF1, Andrés Valle, etc.

And even more, they were approved because there were the best options available. It's like if now, for 2011, a greeek bussinessman would have been granted a license. At every angle, a doubtful moment for doing a bussiness there, on the wrong market.

If the trajectory or the tradition of the country would have counted, then France, Italy, Germany (!) would have had their own investors or drivers having a serious push. Instead, stronger economies like Germany and Japan were withdrawning their investment (BMW, Honda, Toyota, Renault), not that thery were having the best time of their lives, but were farin better. And they left the leftovers of the grid to BRIC countries that could have a chance of getting a couple of companies backing those guys, Chandook and Petrov case.

Look at early 1990, a strong recession at Japan meant a lot of teams failing badly (ok, that was another F1 then).

[Popi_Larrauri]

Have you ever wandered about it?

PS: it's all yours phoenix, do your worst

Wander about is completely correct, it has a meaning.

... muy cortamambo...

[thehemogoblin]

The other country has not had a world champion since 1960, a win since 1967 (Mario Andretti does not count), and a podium since 1993.

There's your difference.

Why doesn't mario count? Because he was born in Italy? As if that matters.

Because nobody identified with him being American until he raced stateside.

[Cynon]

The other country has not had a world champion since 1960, a win since 1967 (Mario Andretti does not count), and a podium since 1993.

There's your difference.

Why doesn't mario count? Because he was born in Italy? As if that matters.

Because nobody identified with him being American until he raced stateside.

...which he did before going over to F1. Won Daytona and Indy before going over to F1, along with three IndyCar championships.

[Ferrim]

The difference, might be the interest, but if you are going to remove the most recent US-WDC, I will remove Fernando Alonso! Then Spain are winless! AFAIK.

We have a shared second place, courtesy of Alfonso Antonio Vicente Eduardo Angel Blas Francisco de Borja Cabeza de Vaca and Leighton, Marquis of Portago at the 1956 British Grand Prix, and of course a full second place by Pedro Martínez de la Rosa (can't compete with the former, but it's still a fairly long name) at the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix. So yes, without Alonso we are winless.

Nerd semi-offtopic paragraph: At least on paper, luxuries markets, in recessions, tend to suffer more drastically than the rest of the economy. The arguments stands on that the average consumer tends to cut off cost wherever he can, and inmediatly after, companies, doing exactly the same begins to watch investors taking away their capital.

End of Nerd semi-offtopic paragraph.

You'll find out that something similar happened with Argentina in the late 90s-early 00s. The country was going from bad to worse, yet they had big sponsors and drivers in F1 in 98-01 (Tuero, Mazzacane, the PSN sponsorship at Minardi and Prost). You could say that they still weren't in the worst part of the crisis, which was late 2001 and 2002, but then you can't really say that particularly Spain have already gone through it. The future does not hold nice things for Spain, as much as our government wants us to believe something else.

[CarlosFerreira]

You'll find out that something similar happened with Argentina in the late 90s-early 00s. The country was going from bad to worse, yet they had big sponsors and drivers in F1 in 98-01 (Tuero, Mazzacane, the PSN sponsorship at Minardi and Prost). You could say that they still weren't in the worst part of the crisis, which was late 2001 and 2002, but then you can't really say that particularly Spain have already gone through it. The future does not hold nice things for Spain, as much as our government wants us to believe something else.

Note: Popi Larraruri is Argentinian.

[ADx_Wales]

Hulkenberg has probably been confirmed but It hasn't stopped the BBC's pit reporters, around the Buliding Site GP, suggesting that Sutil has better backing from German companies Medion and Capri-Sonne (Sun), and their Money at williams would be better than Hulkenberg and his "ability".

Not to say that Sutil doesn't have ability.

[coops]

Not to say that Sutil doesn't have ability.

If I were Sutil I wouldnt sign for Williams. Williams arent so far in front of Force India for it to be worth him risking his reputation against a still quick and committed Barrichello.

[TomWazzleshaw]

Hulkenberg has probably been confirmed but It hasn't stopped the BBC's pit reporters, around the Buliding Site GP, suggesting that Sutil has better backing from German companies Medion and Capri-Sonne (Sun), and their Money at williams would be better than Hulkenberg and his "ability".

Not to say that Sutil doesn't have ability.

Sutil's a better driver than Hulkenberg.

There. I said it.

[coops]

Sutil's a better driver than Hulkenberg.
There. I said it.

Sutils a better driver than Heidfeld.

There. I said that.

[TomWazzleshaw]

Sutil's a better driver than Hulkenberg.
There. I said it.

Sutils a better driver than Heidfeld.

There. I said that.

I thought we already established the latter as fact several weeks ago...

[coops]

I thought we already established the latter as fact several weeks ago...

Well maybe I was away boiling an egg at that point.

Grumpy.

[CarlosFerreira]

Sutil's a better driver than Hulkenberg.
There. I said it.

Sutils a better driver than Heidfeld.

There. I said that.

Both of them are better than Hulkenberg at this point.

There. I said it.