2011 Silly Season

Captain Hammer · Post by **Captain Hammer** » 02 Nov 2010, 05:12

JeremyMcClean wrote:Drivers in Green are confirmed.
Drivers in no color whatsoever are predictions as of the date of this post.

Renault
Robert Kubica, Jérôme d'Ambrosio

Jerome d'Ambrosio is talking with Virgin, not Renault. I believe that after the Singapore incident and the way Briatore was Piquet's manager, there are rules preventing a driver from being managed by his team principal.

Nessafox · Post by **Nessafox** » 02 Nov 2010, 06:02

Captain Hammer wrote:
JeremyMcClean wrote:Drivers in Green are confirmed.
Drivers in no color whatsoever are predictions as of the date of this post.

Renault
Robert Kubica, Jérôme d'Ambrosio

Jerome d'Ambrosio is talking with Virgin, not Renault. I believe that after the Singapore incident and the way Briatore was Piquet's manager, there are rules preventing a driver from being managed by his team principal.

also because qua talent renault could do lots better (heidfeld, glock, sutil) and qua cash they certainly could do better (russian money for petrov or... aleshin + maldonado)
so they'll put him at virgin, for them it's a good enough driver who brings enough money. They just can't keep him in GP2, he's been there to long, it'll be make or brake for jerommeke
and meanwhile, they can watch him racing at virgin, and evaluating how good he actually is. .

jpm · Post by **jpm** » 02 Nov 2010, 21:21

This wrote:
Captain Hammer wrote:
JeremyMcClean wrote:Drivers in Green are confirmed.
Drivers in no color whatsoever are predictions as of the date of this post.

Renault
Robert Kubica, Jérôme d'Ambrosio

Jerome d'Ambrosio is talking with Virgin, not Renault. I believe that after the Singapore incident and the way Briatore was Piquet's manager, there are rules preventing a driver from being managed by his team principal.

also because qua talent renault could do lots better (heidfeld, glock, sutil) and qua cash they certainly could do better (russian money for petrov or... aleshin + maldonado)
so they'll put him at virgin, for them it's a good enough driver who brings enough money. They just can't keep him in GP2, he's been there to long, it'll be make or brake for jerommeke
and meanwhile, they can watch him racing at virgin, and evaluating how good he actually is. .

Well, d'Ambrosio is managed by Eric Boullier, who is managing director at Renault F1. Also, Boullier said this week on GP Update that he is 95% sure of securing him a seat.
http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/2460 ... rcent-sure

/

thehemogoblin wrote:
jpm wrote:
JeremyMcClean wrote:Drivers in Green are confirmed.
Drivers in no color whatsoever are predictions as of the date of this post.

Ferrari
Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa

Force India
Vitantonio Liuzzi, Adrian Sutil

HRT
I really doubt this team will return next year.

McLaren
Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes
Michael Schumacher, Nico Rosberg

Red Bull
Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber

Renault
Robert Kubica, Jérôme d'Ambrosio

Sauber
Kamui Kobayashi, Sergio Pérez

Toro Rosso
Jaime Alguersuari, Sébastien Buemi

Team Lotus
Heikki Kovalainen, Nick Heidfeld

Virgin
I doubt this team will return either..

Williams
Rubens Barrichello, Nico Hülkenberg

So what happens to the other drivers that have yet to go anywhere?
Karun Chandhok = Returns to GP2
Christian Klien = retires
Sakon Yamamoto = Defects to GP3
Bruno Senna = Sauber test drive
Vitaly Petrov = Either Renault or Lotus test drive
Timo Glock = Eventually replaces Alguersuari at Toro Rosso mid-season
Lucas di Grassi = Force India test drive, will eventually have a one-off
Jarno Trulli = retires
Pedro de la Rosa = retires

If I forget anyone, let me know.

I can see the logic in d'ambrosio at renaul, as his manager is erixc boullier, same as renault...
Senna probs wouldn't go to sauber as they already have gutierrez as test driver.
Paul di resta anyone???
Virgin WILL return, as re-affirmed by Branson. golck has a contract for 2011, but it contains a performance clasue...
I reckon di grassi, if he doesnt get in at virgin will be a third driver, whilst petrov will race next year for a team requiring funding.
As for Klien retiring, I don't think so. He outclassed Senna, and claerly has a lot more to give; Klien for Williams?

Meanwhile. http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/2462 ... s-indycar/
Bertrand Baguette, who Bruce Jones said would be this year's renault no2. and who tested for sauber and renault turned down the chance to return to the rookie tests

Please take the time to make your posts coherent. Capitalize things correctly, and at least make an effort at spelling.

Ouch. It was late.

Captain Hammer · Post by **Captain Hammer** » 02 Nov 2010, 23:57

jpm wrote:Well, d'Ambrosio is managed by Eric Boullier, who is managing director at Renault F1. Also, Boullier said this week on GP Update that he is 95% sure of securing him a seat.
http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/2460 ... rcent-sure

Doesn't mean he'll be at Renault. Like I said, I'm pretty sure there are rules in place to prevent team principals managing their own drivers. That's what led to Piquet's crash in Singapore - Briatore was able to use both his positions to pressure Piquet into it.

bighaydo · Post by **bighaydo** » 03 Nov 2010, 01:40

I've noticed that Williams have been making some positive noises about Hulkenburg of late, but the rumours persist on the pay driver front. Maybe Williams are trying some reverse-marketing to see if there are any takers, and maybe get some more money if someone is interested in buying him out of his contract?

If one of the Team Willy drivers does get replaced next year, I hope it isn't Rubens. He has been doing a fantastic job this year, and it's a shame that the car doesn't quite have the legs at the moment (even if he has been a Q3 regular). Even as a devout Rubinho fan, I was wondering how he would front up to the new team and Nico, and he has done well on both counts. I perpetually hope he is able to leave F1 on his own terms, although if that were the case, Red Bull might be making him a zimmer frame too... :lol:

Vassago · Post by **Vassago** » 03 Nov 2010, 19:15

Pedro de la Rosa has apparently signed to drive HRT next year already. Possible confirmation next week.

Nessafox · Post by **Nessafox** » 03 Nov 2010, 21:13

Captain Hammer wrote:
jpm wrote:Well, d'Ambrosio is managed by Eric Boullier, who is managing director at Renault F1. Also, Boullier said this week on GP Update that he is 95% sure of securing him a seat.
http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/2460 ... rcent-sure

Doesn't mean he'll be at Renault. Like I said, I'm pretty sure there are rules in place to prevent team principals managing their own drivers. That's what led to Piquet's crash in Singapore - Briatore was able to use both his positions to pressure Piquet into it.

he won't be at renault, if they wanted him in renault, they wouldn't want to try to replace him with grosjean in GP2, only for tung to get injured and having to take jerome back, who then suddenly starts to perform again, but that's why they want him to drive somewhere else, to see if he's good or not, because no-one is out how good or bad he is, he performed average in GP2, but equal to teammate kobayashi.

+ chandhok says to be in talk with 3 teams

Benetton · Post by **Benetton** » 03 Nov 2010, 23:22

This wrote:chandhok says to be in talk with 3 teams

I can see him getting a drive at Toro Rosso or Force India. If I were Sutil I would jump ship now to Lotus, rather gamble and come of maybe with a few career podiums in the future, than staying with Force India the rest of your life. And well, Chandhok and Force are a match. So Force can line Liuzzi-Chandhok for the next season and when Liuzzi's contract ends they can have Chandhok-di Resta going forward.

Think Buemi and Alguersuari will stay with Toro Rosso. They have IMO proved that they are worthy of their seats. But Toro Rosso really needs something, I mean, they have been completely bland since 2008. Didn't never quite figure it out why Red Bull want 4 cars on the grid anyway.. yes, more exposure but their main team are getting really much of that anyway. And, if they'd want a feeder team than GP2 would be cheaper to invest in.

Post by **mario** » 03 Nov 2010, 23:38

This wrote:
Captain Hammer wrote:
jpm wrote:Well, d'Ambrosio is managed by Eric Boullier, who is managing director at Renault F1. Also, Boullier said this week on GP Update that he is 95% sure of securing him a seat.
http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/2460 ... rcent-sure

Doesn't mean he'll be at Renault. Like I said, I'm pretty sure there are rules in place to prevent team principals managing their own drivers. That's what led to Piquet's crash in Singapore - Briatore was able to use both his positions to pressure Piquet into it.

he won't be at renault, if they wanted him in renault, they wouldn't want to try to replace him with grosjean in GP2, only for tung to get injured and having to take jerome back, who then suddenly starts to perform again, but that's why they want him to drive somewhere else, to see if he's good or not, because no-one is out how good or bad he is, he performed average in GP2, but equal to teammate kobayashi.

+ chandhok says to be in talk with 3 teams

I agree that it is unlikely that D'Ambrosio will go to Renault - asides from the fact that Petrov is likely to stay there courtesy of his sponsors, and having shown flashes of potential, there are also quite a few experienced and solid drivers on the market and interested in a possible Renault deal. If D'Ambrosio does end up in Formula 1, it is far more likely that he'll be at Virgin Racing, where he is an official reserve driver, and has already taken part in a few practise sessions for them.

As for Chandhok, I really hope that he does make it back onto the grid next year, since, from what little we've seen of him on track, he has performed solidly enough. On top of that, compared to some drivers at the front, his character is a real breath of fresh air because he realises how lucky he is to be in Formula 1 - moreover, he's always up for a laugh (as anybody who has heard him tease Crofty and Davidson during the practise sessions will know). The only catch is where he will get a seat - because most of the grid has already settled down for 2011.

Benetton wrote:Think Buemi and Alguersuari will stay with Toro Rosso. They have IMO proved that they are worthy of their seats. But Toro Rosso really needs something, I mean, they have been completely bland since 2008. Didn't never quite figure it out why Red Bull want 4 cars on the grid anyway.. yes, more exposure but their main team are getting really much of that anyway. And, if they'd want a feeder team than GP2 would be cheaper to invest in.

Asides from the increased publicity when the team was initially formed, bear in mind that the Toro Rosso's car, until this year, used a lot of components from the main teams car. OK, they had to adjust some parts, mainly around the engine bay (because of the different packaging and cooling requirements of the Ferrari and Renault engines), but typically the Toro Rosso car was essentially the Red Bull, albeit four races back (because, after the tail end of 2008, the main team did not want to risk being overshadowed by the junior team too often).
That meant that Red Bull could share research and development projects between the two outfits through jointly funding Red Bull Technology (they split Newey and their designers into a separate outfit, so they could get around the "no customer cars" regulations - because officially their design team was independent from the racing team, with work sub-contracted to them). On top of that, they could share revenue, because both teams were eligible for money from FOM.

However, the FIA has been tightening up the design regulations, and preventing the sort of technology sharing that went on before, which reduces the advantage of technology sharing. Additionally, the main team has been expanding very aggressively recently - a recent estimate by Auto Motor Und Sport reckoned that, at 550 personnel, Red Bull were the second biggest team in Formula 1 (Ferrari were first on 900, but Red Bull still beat Mclaren, at 520, Mercedes at 450 and Renault, with 480). That sort of expansion requires capital, and selling the junior team would raise a fair bit of cash in the process.

Jeroen Krautmeir · Post by **Jeroen Krautmeir** » 03 Nov 2010, 23:47

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/87891

Nicolas Todt says pay-drivers are too relevant now. He's obviously forgetting the go-go 90s.

Nessafox · Post by **Nessafox** » 04 Nov 2010, 00:07

mario wrote:As for Chandhok, I really hope that he does make it back onto the grid next year, since, from what little we've seen of him on track, he has performed solidly enough. On top of that, compared to some drivers at the front, his character is a real breath of fresh air because he realises how lucky he is to be in Formula 1 - moreover, he's always up for a laugh (as anybody who has heard him tease Crofty and Davidson during the practise sessions will know). The only catch is where he will get a seat - because most of the grid has already settled down for 2011.

only thing i know is that he says 'people will be surprised which teams i'm talking to'
i hope he's got a real chance

Captain Hammer · Post by **Captain Hammer** » 04 Nov 2010, 04:22

This wrote:he won't be at renault, if they wanted him in renault, they wouldn't want to try to replace him with grosjean in GP2, only for tung to get injured and having to take jerome back, who then suddenly starts to perform again, but that's why they want him to drive somewhere else, to see if he's good or not, because no-one is out how good or bad he is, he performed average in GP2, but equal to teammate kobayashi.

And even if they want to replace Petrov at Renault, it makes no sense to put d'Ambrosio in his seat. It would be better for Renault to get d'Ambrosio into a Lotus or a Virgin for a year and look at promoting him for 2012, and keep Petrov in the Renault because he at least knows the team. However, there are also reports that Michael Schumacher is getting a new engineer next season as Andrew Shovlin is getting promoted to a more-senior role at Mercedes, and his repalcement in the garage will be Mark Slade, who is currently Petrov's engineer. Which seems like an odd choice, because Slade apparently works very well with rookie drivers.

Myrvold · Post by **Myrvold** » 05 Nov 2010, 21:11

So, with the newest, Genii, Renault, Lotus, 1Malaysian F1 rumours, there are escaping some rumours that the Lotus seat Bruno Senna is talking about is the seat that Petrov have today. Just when you thought the silly season was at the most silly!

P_Friesacher · Post by **P_Friesacher** » 05 Nov 2010, 21:48

...which could open the seat alonside Kovalainen at Team 1Malaysia for Chandhok. Something to be thankful for in the end!

Myrvold · Post by **Myrvold** » 05 Nov 2010, 23:29

Or they can continue with Trulli... I find this more interesting than the title fight... Am I a real backmarker-fan? :shock:

CarlosFerreira · Post by **CarlosFerreira** » 07 Nov 2010, 13:08

Myrvold wrote:Or they can continue with Trulli... I find this more interesting than the title fight... Am I a real backmarker-fan?

Yes you are, and I'm with you all the way!

Benetton · Post by **Benetton** » 07 Nov 2010, 13:21

This whole name switcheroo is very confusing to the normal viewer and thus rejectful. Although I wouldn't mind 1Team Malaysia have a Malaysia livery and race a certain Alex Yoong in the second car.

Captain Hammer · Post by **Captain Hammer** » 07 Nov 2010, 13:28

Benetton wrote:I wouldn't mind 1Team Malaysia have a Malaysia livery and race a certain Alex Yoong in the second car.

And Fairuz Fauzy in the other car?

Foot, meet bullet.

Debaser · Post by **Debaser** » 07 Nov 2010, 14:03

That would be brain meeting bullet, never mind the foot.

TomWazzleshaw · Post by **TomWazzleshaw** » 07 Nov 2010, 23:20

I predict a riot.

P_Friesacher · Post by **P_Friesacher** » 08 Nov 2010, 00:05

Sutil continues his tradition of making one Italian friend per year at Interlagos.

Cynon · Post by **Cynon** » 08 Nov 2010, 00:43

Sutil and Liuzzi both need to get out of F1 as well, because they're both driving like toolbags. Granted, the Force is not bringing applicable powers to each race, but FFS...

Shizuka · Post by **Shizuka** » 08 Nov 2010, 07:42

Cynon wrote:Sutil and Liuzzi both need to get out of F1 as well, because they're both driving like toolbags.

How can Sutil be a toolbag if he managed to hold Hamilton behind him in Malaysia?

thehemogoblin · Post by **thehemogoblin** » 08 Nov 2010, 07:56

Shizuka wrote:
Cynon wrote:Sutil and Liuzzi both need to get out of F1 as well, because they're both driving like toolbags.

How can Sutil be a toolbag if he managed to hold Hamilton behind him in Malaysia?

The Force India is garbage now.

Shizuka · Post by **Shizuka** » 08 Nov 2010, 08:58

Now sadly, yes.

madcat · Post by **madcat** » 08 Nov 2010, 10:04

This wrote:
mario wrote:As for Chandhok, I really hope that he does make it back onto the grid next year, since, from what little we've seen of him on track, he has performed solidly enough. On top of that, compared to some drivers at the front, his character is a real breath of fresh air because he realises how lucky he is to be in Formula 1 - moreover, he's always up for a laugh (as anybody who has heard him tease Crofty and Davidson during the practise sessions will know). The only catch is where he will get a seat - because most of the grid has already settled down for 2011.

only thing i know is that he says 'people will be surprised which teams i'm talking to'

Yeah, Stefan GP. That would be a big surprise...

Benetton · Post by **Benetton** » 08 Nov 2010, 14:17

As I speculated earlier in this thread; I see Sutil moving teams in the off-season. He has already spent five years with the current team. 2006 he tested for Midland on most GP weekends, in 2007 drove for Spyker and 2008 onwards for Force India. So he is risking staying in the same surrounding for too long and becoming anonymous to most team managers. And even though Force was a good car from Germany '09 to the mid-season '10, I don't see them repeating successes such as Sutil's 4th and 5th in bone dry conditions in Italy and Malaysia respectively, let alone a podium and a pole like they did at Spa '09. Why?? Well, as most of us know, key personnel, like Mr. Key (no pun intended), has left the team for Lotus and Sauber etc.

With the top teams having their drivers pretty much locked up for next season, with the only exception being Petrov (who I believe will get an extension), Sutil has few choices. I think two of them are most likely.

Option 1) Stay at Force India. - Sutil knows the team. He hasn't had problems with them and is clearly Vijay Mallya's driver. But can Force India come back and become a top-6 team again?? The odds aren't very good. When I hear Force India being mentioned, I think of a team in decline. So if Sutil pens a contract with the Force, he risks staying there for the rest of his career. He isn't exactly young, he's turning 28 next year; and with Hülkenberg scoring a pole and a new wave of younger drivers entering the market (like Bottas etc.) Sutil can't be seen as a young gun for much longer.

Option 2) Sign with 1Team Malaysia (current Lotus). - The Malaysian team is on a up. They are serious about making it and have good personnel and resources to do so. They have an able chief designer in Gascoyne, a man who penned the Renault of 2003 after all. So they have a upside more bigger than Force India IMO. And the best part, Kovalainen is beatable. So driving good results for Lotus and beating Kovalainen in the process could really raise his stocks for a top team drive in 2013/14?? Kovalainen-Sutil would make an interesting pairing IMO.

Option 3) Sign with Renault if Petrov doesn't get an extension. - Kubica is a damn tough team mate. That's all. But rahter risk and rise to a challenge and impress then be safe at Force.

Option 4) Sign with Red Bull if Webber retires. - Would be a good deal for Sutil. He get's a good car in which he can occassionally shine. Would be interesting to see a Vettel-Sutil pairing. But I think Webber will continue anyway so.

In brief: Red Bull > Renault > Lotus > Force India for Sutil.

And I know Sutil's last two GP's haven't really been good. But I think he is just trying so hard in that crapbox that he is bound to make mistakes. He did have a good race day in Brazil tough, were I believed he would have trouble even clearing the backmarkers, but he did that with relative ease.

Ed24 · Post by **Ed24** » 08 Nov 2010, 14:41

But you are assuming that any other teams would actually offer Sutil a drive.

Even if Schumacher suddenly retired next week (one possible option for Sutil mooted a few months ago), I think they would now take Hulkenberg rather than Sutil.

I doubt Red Bull would hire anyone outside the family (including Raikkonen) to replace Webber. I wouldn't be surprised to see a clear Number 2 driver there next year if Webber leaves.

If I were the boss of Lotus, it would be hard to justify sacking Trulli when he has outqualified Kovalainen throughout the year. He deserves another year.

Renault's probably his best chance, but we again don't know if they would choose Sutil over Glock or others.

Post by **Nuppiz** » 08 Nov 2010, 14:55

Ed24 wrote:If I were the boss of Lotus, it would be hard to justify sacking Trulli when he has outqualified Kovalainen throughout the year.

10-8 is hardly dominant, especially when Kovy has made it to Q2 a couple of times, and has usually finished ahead of Trulli. But I'm not saying that Trulli wouldn't deserve another year, I give you that.

jpm · Post by **jpm** » 08 Nov 2010, 16:39

About about the following who are unconfirmed for next year?

Romain Grosjean
Paul di Resta
Christian Klien
Nick Heidfeld
Timo Glock
Karun Chandhok
Bruno Senna
Tonio Liuzzi
Adrian Sutil
Lucas di Grassi
Jerome d'ambrosio
Pastor Maldonado
Pedro de la Rosa
Mikhail Aleshin
Esteban Guerrieri
Giedo van der Gaarde
Andy Soucek

Peter · Post by **Peter** » 08 Nov 2010, 20:43

jpm wrote:About about the following who are unconfirmed for next year?

Romain Grosjean - Maybe he could try for a seat in one of the new teams, as those are the only seats I think he could get. If not, test driver somewhere.
Paul di Resta - Maybe he will get the seat at Force India, if Sutil leaves, then absolutely, if not, he may replace Liuzzi.
Christian Klien - I can see Klien sticking with HRT for next year.
Nick Heidfeld - If Trulli retires, then he could go to Lotus. I think Senna is more likely though.
Timo Glock - Staying at virgin
Karun Chandhok - Possibly Force India, he could pair with Di Resta if Sutil leaves and the team just doesn't want Liuzzi anymore.
Bruno Senna - HRT is looking good for next year ,but I think that Bruno may just go to Lotus if he can, otherwise, he'll be paired with De la Rosa.
Tonio Liuzzi - Reject of the season? He'll be lucky in Force India keep him for next year.
Adrian Sutil - If he decides to leave Force India, he may replace Petrov at Renault, or if Schumi retires, which is unlikely already, he may go to Mercedes.
Lucas di Grassi - I think he's going to stay at Vrigin also.
Jerome d'ambrosio - Don't know.
Pastor Maldonado - Williams test driver. After Hulkenberg's showing, I think Williams may want to keep him. Money talks though, and 15 million dollars is shouting.
Pedro de la Rosa - Almost certain to be going to HRT next year.
Mikhail Aleshin - Don't know.
Esteban Guerrieri - Don't know
Giedo van der Gaarde - Don't know
Andy Soucek - Don't know either

TomWazzleshaw · Post by **TomWazzleshaw** » 08 Nov 2010, 22:18

From memory Liuzzi already has a Force India contract for next season in his back pocket and Esteban Guerrieri was signed on as Sauber test driver for next season.

Nessafox · Post by **Nessafox** » 08 Nov 2010, 23:37

Wizzie wrote:From memory Liuzzi already has a Force India contract for next season in his back pocket

i prefer not to consider liuzzi as being confirmed until the first race of the season

Peter · Post by **Peter** » 08 Nov 2010, 23:45

Wizzie wrote:From memory Liuzzi already has a Force India contract for next season in his back pocket and Esteban Guerrieri was signed on as Sauber test driver for next season.

They can always buy him out of his contract. Raikkonen was contracted for this year, where is he now? Crashing WRC cars and bathing in 40 million dollars he was paid to not race.

Captain Hammer · Post by **Captain Hammer** » 09 Nov 2010, 00:37

Wizzie wrote:From memory Liuzzi already has a Force India contract for next season in his back pocket and Esteban Guerrieri was signed on as Sauber test driver for next season.

Gutierrez, not Guerrieri.

P_Friesacher · Post by **P_Friesacher** » 09 Nov 2010, 01:38

Captain Hammer wrote:
Wizzie wrote:From memory Liuzzi already has a Force India contract for next season in his back pocket and Esteban Guerrieri was signed on as Sauber test driver for next season.

Gutierrez, not Guerrieri.

Guerrieri being the obviously extremely talented but underfunded 25 year old Argentinian who came in third in this year's Renault 3.5 season despite not being able to compete in one of two races in Spa (he won the other one), in the one race held in Monaco (for a lack of funds), in both races in Hungary (mechanical problems) and being disqualified on a formality after winning race 1 in Silverstone. Sad to say, I don't think he'll make it to F1 anyway - despite showing such extreme reject potential (in the sense of being a great driver but somehow not quite making it) in the lower classes.

While Gutierrez is the extremely well funded (by Telmex) Mexican who won this seasons GP3 series, gaining more then double the championship points of everyone else in the series bar Wickens and Müller. Probably *will* make his way to F1 in the near future. The only problem he might have would be an extremely successful run for his compatriot Sergio Perez at Sauber - because that might mean no further need for a Mexican driver, and no further incentive for Telmex to bring him to F1.

As for the others jpm has listed:

Romain Grosjean - as I have said in another post, I don't think any F1 team would really consider signing him at the moment. Which is a shame, because in the right environment he can be blazingly fast
Paul di Resta - if the Force fire Liuzzi, he's probably in. Not sure they will, though. In which case I can't see any other team in F1 for him
Christian Klien - mediocre in most of his time in F1 I don't really know why anyone except Kolles might give him a second chance. Has demonstrated decent pace in the HRT so far, though.
Nick Heidfeld - will, probably, retire
Timo Glock - will stay with the Virgin and hope for her to start blossoming
Karun Chandhok - seems like a really great guy and serious F1 nut. Sadly I'm not so sure about his driving abilities - and the team principals don't really seem convinced yet, either
Bruno Senna - see Chandhok. Except for his name which could help him to a place at Lotus. Possibly has HRT to fall back to, although I'm not really sure the cemistry between him and the team is still all that good.
Tonio Liuzzi - 50% chance of staying at FI. If not, I don't see him with another car, so that's the end, litte girl
Adrian Sutil - The Force
Lucas di Grassi - might manage to stay and continue sharing the Virgin with Glock. If not, I don't think he will find a full time driver role anywhere else in F1
Jerome d'ambrosio - might pay his way into the Virgin. Don't really think anyone else is that interested in him - except maybe HRT if he come around waving with a big enough cheque
Pastor Maldonado - Williams, HRT, who really knows. Might be a better driver than his pay driver image woulf have you believe
Pedro de la Rosa - retirement. Or sportscars. Or maybe a testing role somewhere. Can't really imagine he would actually like to drive an HRT. But if he does - and can find enough sponsorship - he might.
Mikhail Aleshin - Could be an interesting alternative to Petrov as the Russian driver to race in the first Russian GP in 2012. Very able in the rain, less quick in the dry. Probably not in F1 next season
Esteban Guerrieri - see above
Giedo van der Gaarde - there are certainly better drivers around, but he might find someone to pay for a few races (or even a whole season) next year. In which case he would probably end up with the Virgin or HRT
Andy Soucek - also seems like a nice guy, but the time in which he really had a chance to get into F1 might have gone by. Maybe not all that quick anyway.

Captain Hammer · Post by **Captain Hammer** » 09 Nov 2010, 04:29

P_Friesacher wrote:Andy Soucek - also seems like a nice guy, but the time in which he really had a chance to get into F1 might have gone by. Maybe not all that quick anyway.

Soucek, a nice guy?

No. He's as arrogant as they come. He seems to expect that he'll be given a competitive car from the outset simply because Fernando Alonso is Spanish and so is he.

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 09 Nov 2010, 17:18

P_Friesacher wrote:Bruno Senna - see Chandhok. Except for his name which could help him to a place at Lotus. Possibly has HRT to fall back to, although I'm not really sure the cemistry between him and the team is still all that good.

Which Lotus-Renault for 2011 are we talking about? The black-and-gold one alongside Kubica or the green-and-yellow one next to either Trulli or Kovalainen?

jpm · Post by **jpm** » 09 Nov 2010, 19:45

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/88093

Trulli rubbishes Lotus exit claims

Could this be it then for Bruno Senna?

Shizuka · Post by **Shizuka** » 09 Nov 2010, 20:50

Benetton wrote:Option 1) Stay at Force India. - Sutil knows the team. He hasn't had problems with them and is clearly Vijay Mallya's driver. But can Force India come back and become a top-6 team again?? The odds aren't very good. When I hear Force India being mentioned, I think of a team in decline. So if Sutil pens a contract with the Force, he risks staying there for the rest of his career. He isn't exactly young, he's turning 28 next year; and with Hülkenberg scoring a pole and a new wave of younger drivers entering the market (like Bottas etc.) Sutil can't be seen as a young gun for much longer.

Yeah, staying with the known team could be a good idea. Not good if they are on a way back to the back of the grid.
Sutil reminds me of Martini for some reason...

Benetton wrote:Option 2) Sign with 1Team Malaysia (current Lotus). - The Malaysian team is on a up. They are serious about making it and have good personnel and resources to do so. They have an able chief designer in Gascoyne, a man who penned the Renault of 2003 after all. So they have a upside more bigger than Force India IMO. And the best part, Kovalainen is beatable. So driving good results for Lotus and beating Kovalainen in the process could really raise his stocks for a top team drive in 2013/14?? Kovalainen-Sutil would make an interesting pairing IMO.

This right now seems a sideways step - for NOW. But might be a good one if this is possible.

Benetton wrote:Option 3) Sign with Renault if Petrov doesn't get an extension. - Kubica is a damn tough team mate. That's all. But rahter risk and rise to a challenge and impress then be safe at Force.

Only if Petrov is kicked.

Benetton wrote:Option 4) Sign with Red Bull if Webber retires. - Would be a good deal for Sutil. He get's a good car in which he can occassionally shine. Would be interesting to see a Vettel-Sutil pairing. But I think Webber will continue anyway so.

Rather put Sutil in a McLaren.