F1

Heidfeld's chances on returning in 2011

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  • #127812
    Tom L.
    Participant

    I was wondering what people thought about Heidfeld’s chances of finding a cockpit for next year. Obviously it seems to be pretty much status quo at the top teams; as far as I can see, his main options would be:

    – Mercedes: should Schumacher decide/be forced to call it a day, it seems logical that the team might turn to Nick as the test and reserve driver. However they might also try to sign Kubica. (Whether Kubica would want to go there is a discussion for another day…)

    – Renault: should Kubica move, or Petrov be dropped, this would be another good option.

    – Sauber: if De la Rosa retires at the end of the year as he has suggested he might, there would be a possibility here, but I think it’s unlikely, considering that Sauber had the chance to resign him this year and chose not to. Also, with the team lacking performance and sponsorship (= money for development), this would arguably be less preferable to waiting another year for an opportunity at Mercedes.

    – HRT: Senna and Chandhok haven’t exactly set the world alight and it’s plausible that the team might decide that having an experienced driver such as Heidfeld in one of the cars could ultimately be preferable to the sponsorship brought by the current pair. However, he’d presumably be ‘in the queue’ as it were behind current testers Klien and Yamamoto.

    – The new team? Whoever this might be, they seem likely to get their entry quite late on and not have long to prepare for the new season, rather like Lotus last year. In that scenario they might well go for an experienced hand to speed up development and show the ultimate potential (or lack thereof!) of the car, without having to wait for rookies to get up to speed.

    However due to the lack of rumours regarding Heidfeld I can only presume he’s going to wait around for Schumacher to finally hang up his helmet…

    What are people’s thoughts?

    #142150
    Steph90
    Member

    Slim to none.

    He won’t go to a new team (incluidng Lotus, HRT and Virgin although they won’t be ‘new’ by then) unless he’s desperate. He proved that in the first place by not signing for them.

    Renault will more than likely sign Kubica. They seem happy with Vitaly and he should have some cash so that seems solid.

    Sauber. Kobayashi is unlikely to go. Pdlr has had three years out he teams time to find his feet. I haven’t heard that he may consider retiring? Do you know when/where he said that?

    Merc- Schu was never going to be good enough for a title this year I think. Three years out with new tyres, it was too big for him. He’s doing alright especially for a 41 year old. Whether he wants to stay is another thing but I don’t think he’ll be forced to go.

    One thing I noticed though is when he commentated on 5live at Canada he said he was confident for a drive for next year and that he’d be racing. maybe he has something in line but he did say exactly the same thing after A. Dhabi last year…

    #142151
    Scribe
    Participant

    Don’t know about Renault Steph, don’t think they’ll sign Heidfeld but at the same time I think the chances of them keeping Vitaly next year are getting smaller every time he fails to score. 6 points is simply not good enough, Kobayashi and Buemi both have 7 an their driving vastly inferior cars. I think Renault have run out of patience and are starting to walk around Sutil and Glock. Next year or soon after that they could be in Championship contention and Vitaly just isn’t getting the job done, granted Kubica is know to his stearing wheel as Mr Fantastic Job but a 77 point gap to your teamate is astronomical even for a rookie.

    An they don’t even need the money any more, the points Glock or Sutil could have gained for them would bring in far more FOM money than whatever amount Vitaly provides through sponsership, as well as the fact they’re up to the ears in sponsers.

    I’m not entiley convinced De La Rosa will get to stay either, never good when your Rookie teamate outscores you. Sure he’s spent three years out but the chances of him restarting his test driver role, especially considering testing may be returning are high.

    #142152

    I think he will probably just sit it out at mercedes, especially with the inevetable in-season testing return next year.

    #142153
    Steph90
    Member

    I think Petrov will stay with Renault. Sutil or Glock would be a good number two but Vitaly is just the product from the testing ban. He’s got into a few scrapes just thre inexperience which all the field has. In Turkey, Alonso rudely gave him a puncture for his fine drive (which without then Kobayashi wouldn’t have scored that point) and at China in the wet he really shone esp overtaking Webber I think it was, sure he had a spin but it showed his racecraft.

    I do think the Renault is the best car to start out in and there is definite room for improvement but Buemi has much more experience of F1 than Petrov and Kobayashi is great when he isn’t crashing.

    If Renault choose to ditch Vitaly I think it’s more because they can’t be bothered to wait around for points rather than a reflection on Vitaly. I genuinely believe the testing ban has pretty much ruined the majority of the first season for F1 rookies which is a shame as F1 isn’t patient.

    Sorry for the off-topic ramble but to get to the point Heidfeld will only have a shot at Renault if (and I;m not sure it will happen) they boot out Vitaly and go back on their promise to build the team around Kubica because Nick was far too close to Robert at their time in BMW to just be instantly made a number 2

    #142154
    Ads21
    Participant

    I think Schumacher will retire for good at the end of the season after realising he’s no longer the driver he was and staying around would only damage his reputation. This would then give Heidfeld a possible opening at Mercedes, and tbh i think its his only way back into F1 atm.

    #142155
    Ned Flanders
    Participant

    Why has no one mentioned Force India? Liuzzi isn’t doing enough to deserve a 2011 contract. I’ve heard Joe Saward mention that Liuzzi will continue to drive for them next season, but then as the founder of the Tonio Liuzzi fan club he would say that…

    Adrian Sutil is perhaps going to be a target of one of the top teams, maybe Renault or even Mercedes if they decide to cut their losses with Schumacher, so I think he could possibly move on too. In which case, I think a Force India line up of Paul di Resta and Nick Heidfeld could work very nicely indeed

    #142156
    James_mc
    Participant

    You’ve mentioned it a few times Ned, I’m not that aware of the Saward-Liuzzi love-in? (I’m not doubting you, just not seen it myself!)

    Good point though, I kinda forgot about FI. I think that Liuzzi needs more “Montreals” in the near future. Di Resta’s pace has been decent in practice from what I’ve seen, but never really outshining either of the other FI drivers, which is a bit of a shame (for me on a personal level at least!). I think that Di Resta has “the Mercedes touch”, but then again, so did Nick once!

    Unless Heidfeld is sure that he’ll get a seat in a good team (I’m thinking as a stop-gap between Schumi and then another German), he really needs to lower his sights. I’d say that Lotus to replace Fisi would be a good shout personally

    #142157
    Steph90
    Member

    I forgot about FI too. Liuzzi if fired I think will be replaced by Paul. Sutil well i don’t see him going anywhere but if he does maybe Renault as Kubica should outpace him. Maybe Heidfeld could then if he wanted to

    #142158
    Ned Flanders
    Participant

    Trust me James, Joe Saward is really in awe of Liuzzi for some reason, I’ve noticed it a lot of times. It’s something to do with rating him when he was in karting, and presumably the only he hasn’t reassessed him after his mediocre F1 showings is because he’s a stubborn chump.

    Oh, and I think you meant Heidfeld could go to Lotus to replace Trulli, not Fisi!

    #142159
    James_mc
    Participant

    Yes, I probably do! Hahaha!

    #142160
    Prisoner Monkeys
    Participant

    Heidfeld’s had his day. It’s time to move on.

    #142161
    Hare
    Participant

    I don’t think Schumacher is going to retire at the end of this year. Everything about Schumacher is about giving his best. I think he’ll push on, slowly but surely, gain experience with these cars, work with the technology, try and improve. Schumacher has never been one for giving up, with out knowing he’s tried his best. (Adelaide ring any bells? :) )

    I don’t think his reputation has anything to do with it in my mind. He’s always going to be a 7 time world champ ( annoyingly at the time!! But pleased that this Nemesis exists today as it raises the value of the championship).

    So Heidfeld made a bad decision to go to Merc. He would have been better of at Virgin with Glock. Maybe he’ll find a seat next year at the end of the grid.

    #142162
    sato113
    Participant

    de la rosa will leave sauber and heidfeld will replace him.

    #142163
    wasiF1
    Participant

    Nick’s only chance is if Schumacher said that he wants to quit at the end of 2010.I don’t see there is any chance for him in any other team but Force India if anyone of Sutil & Luizzi leaves the team. I don’t want him to go in any of the Newbie team as this will make him go backfoot.

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