F1 Fanatic

…but increase rumours that he is interested in buying into Sauber!

“PM where did you here that Renault had stopped negotiating with Glock, Sutil and Heidfeld?”

I can’t comment on how PM knows but I’m pretty sure Eric said all other talks with drivers had stopped in his interview with Autosport when he said he was open to speaking with Kimi.

“PM where did you here that Renault had stopped negotiating with Glock, Sutil and Heidfeld?”

I can’t comment on how PM knows but I’m pretty sure Eric said all other talks with drivers had stopped in his interview with Autosport when he said he was open to speaking with Kimi.

So he’s said it’s either Petrov or Räikkönen?

Very interesting.

One thing I hadn’t thought of until just this moment is that with Sauber confirmed for 2011 that should quell any rumors about Massa being shipped off to Sauber and Kubica being poached from Renault. So there will definitely only be one open seat at Renault. I think that if Will Buxton is right about Trulli, then there is a decent chance Petrov could end up at Lotus. If not though, I think Chandhok may have a shot at the vacant Lotus seat with Bernie’s backing and the fact that Air Asia serves India.

I doubt there was much substance to the Massa Sauber rumours anyway. He’s not long signed the contract and even if he was on the way out Ferrari still love him so at the least would see if Renault would take him so he got a competitive drive. Massa has been good for Ferrari anyway. It would obviously be better if he was a title contender but he’s not done much wrong; eight months out and with tyres he hates he still is usually competitive, when Fernando makes mistakes he’s there getting some points, he moves over for Fernando when he’s told to and he’s had bad luck too like Vale, Silv and Canada so he’s not having a great season but it’s not a career shattering one.
Would Fernando want Kubica at Ferrari anyway? Everyone keeps saying Kubica is desperate for a Ferrari drive and I don’t doubt it but would he be willing to go to a team where there is a risk of being number 2 to Fernando?
The tyres change next year too so I think any switch is a gamble; Ferrari could suddenly be uncompetitive next year or Kubica could while Massa has a blinding season. Unlikely, but I think it’s wise for them to wait at least until next season to consider any changes.

I like Ricciardo but I doubt he’ll get a drive next year or at least I hope he doesn’t. With the lack of testing it’s hard enough but Ricciardo would be thrown right into the deep end. There’s criticism of Hulk and Petrov and how they haven’t been as good as expected but it’s taken Jaime almost a year to even be close to Buemi at least in qualifying. Putting Ricciardo in now could harm his career rather than start it. He should try GP2 then F1. He’s got plenty of time.

@Steph: Kubica and Alonso are said to be good friends off the track, so it’s not inconceivable they’d want to race together.

Raikkonen isn’t happy with Renault:

http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=390017&FS=F1

Looks like he won’t be racing, then.

My 100% accurate predictions:

Red Bull Racing-Renault
#1 – Mark WEBBER
#2 – Sebastian VETTEL

Red Bull somehow manage to win the title despite ongoing claims of favouritism. Webber and Vettel enter Abu Dhabi as the only title contenders, and in order to avoid accusation of nepotism, Red Bull take the unpreceented step of having Vettel run out of the Toro Rosso garage, swapping him for Alguersuari, their reason being that it will guarantee impartiality without compromising Vettel’s chances as he already knows the team. It is as popular a decision as it is unorthodox, but the title is claimed by Webber in a dominant display.

Vodafone McLaren Automotive-Mercedes
#3 – Jenson BUTTON
#4 – Lewis HAMILTON

Button and Hamilton experience an inglorious end to their 2010 title campaigns. They are ultimately passed by Ferrari in the constructors’ standings, but Ferrari’s controversial withdrawal leaves McLaren with the numbers 3 and 4 in 2011. Button and Hamilton finish the season equal on points courtesy of a few more Monza-esque race strategies by Button. Unable to separate their drivers, the team assigns numbers by way of a coin toss.

Sberbank Renault F1
#5 – Robert KUBICA
#6 – Vitaly PETROV

Renault have an unprecedented end-season run, picking up more points in the final four races than anyone else and surpassing Mercedes, even after Schumacher wins a race. The secret to their success is in unlocking Petrov’s talent by sending him on endless qualifying runs during practice sessions. The end result is an improved qualifying performance, which translates into better race results and more points. Petrov finishes the season as the best of the rookies, his success attracting new sponsors Sberbank.

Mercedes GP Beyond Petroleum
#7 – Nico ROSBERG
#8 – Felipe MASSA

Michael Schumacher decides to re-retire at the end of 2010, though keeps his reputation intact when he is able to master atrocious conditions in Korea to take the win. Mercedes consider several alternatives, but scoop up Massa the instant he becomes available. Petronas get cold feet after a disappointing season and buy their way out of the sponsor contract, with BP – renamed Beyond Petroleum after the Deep Horizon disaster – joining in a bid to improve their image.

Force India F1-Mercedes
#9 – Adrian SUTIL
#10 – Paul DI RESTA

Despite having a multi-year contract with the team, Vijay Mallya buys Tonio Liuzzi out of his contract to place Paul di Resta in the team. Liuzzi’s failure to secure a drive combined with Jarno Trulli’s enforced retirement means that there are no Italian drivers on the grid. Di Resta’s contract contains a clause that allows Karun Chandhok’s sponsors to buy the seat from him personally (rather than from the team) to give Chandhok a drive at the Indian Grand Prix.

PDVSA WilliamsF1-Cosworth
#11 – Rubens BARRICHELLO
#12 – Pastor MALDONADO

Williams suffer a mass exodus of sponsors, with RBS, Phillips and AT&T leaving at the end of the 2010 season. Unable to find new sponsors and unwilling to let Barrichello go, they are forced to release an under-performing Nico Hulkenberg and replace him with Pastor Maldonado, who brings money from Venezuealan state-backed oil conglomerate PDVSA.

Sauber Team Telmex-Ferrari
#14 – Sergio PEREZ
#15 – Kamui KOBAYASHI

Sauber are quick to confirm their line-up for 2010, featureing Kobayashi and GP2 joint runner-up Perez. Telmex is featured prominently in the team’s new livery, though Carlos Slim is quick to reject claims he has bought into the team. However, with several teams being said to have their eye on Koabayshi for 2012 and Estaban Gutierrez impressing during the Young Driver Tests, he remains open to the prospect of buying in sometime in the future.

Equipe Villeneuve-Ferrari
#16 – Nico HULKENBERG
#17 – Jules BIANCHI

Jacques Villeneuve buys Toro Rosso from Dietrich Mateschitz and despite attempting to race and manage the team at the same time, he finds that he is unable to do so and wisely backs out before the winter testing season is over. Ferrari seize the opportunit to install Jules Bianchi in the team, with Nico Hulkenberg crossing over from Williams.

AirAsia Team Lotus-Renault
#18 – Heikki KOVALAINEN
#19 – Giedo VAN DER GARDE

Fernandes wins his dispute with Lotus Cars, keeping the rights to the Lotus name. The team initially wait to see what Renault do with Vitaly Petrov before announcing their line-up, but when Renault keep the Russian, a seat opens up. Dutch driver van der Garde is offered the seat after he puts together a sponsor package, beating out Renault’s Ho-Pin Tung.

Virgin Racing-Cosworth
#20 – Timo GLOCK
#21 – Jerome D’AMBROSIO

Lucas di Grassi is discreetly dropped and Jerome d’Ambrosio ushered in as his replacement after he puts together a sponsor package. Virgin are hopeful for him, but insiders suggest the team is fishing for a Renault engine deal like Lotus ahead of the 2012 season. Timo Glock briefly flirts with joining the Renault works effort, but is quick to re-sign within hours of Renault confirming Petrov.

Bravo Formula-Cosworth
#22 – Bruno SENNA
#23 – Jaime ALGUERSUARI

The Team Formerly Known As Hispania somehow endure 2010 and even produce a car for 2011. No-one is entirely sure how they managed it, but manage it they have, with rumours of Porsche discreetly funding the team until new engine regulations come into effect for 2013, when they will buy the team outright. Senna is retained, with the new cash inflow allowing them their pick of driver. They settle on Toro Rosso refugee Alguersuari. They are renamed Bravo after a failed attempt to join the grid in 1993 spearheaded by Adrian Campos (which ended when an investor passed away).

Scuderia Ferrari Santander
#24 – Fernando ALONSO
#25 – Sebastien BUEMI

Fernando Alonso “loses” the 2010 World Championship when he is held up by a backmarker in Brazil, allowing another car to pass him and denying him the points he needs to stay in the championship hunt. Luca di Montezemolo is furious and threatens to withdraw Ferrari’s entry for 2011 if the FIA does not ban the new teams. Jean Todt ignores him and di Montezemolo makes good on this threat, only to realise Todt won’t be bullied into sumbission. Ferrari crawl back to the FIA, and Todt deliberately delays approving their entry until after the deadline has passed, shunting them to the back of the grid. When Felipe Massa leaves the team to secure a place on the 2011 grid, Ferrari pick up Buemi, intending to rebuild the team around one driver again.