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the driver merry-go round
Topic Started: Aug 8 2008, 12:32 PM (680 Views)
SaveOurSilverstone
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Even though we're only half way in to the season most of the Formula One teams have already signed up their drivers for 2009. The main question for next season will be where we will see Fernando Alonso race. According to the latest rumours the Spaniard could sign at Honda or stay at Renault for another season.

Scuderia Ferrari

Kimi Raikkonen (contract untill 2009)
Felipe Massa (contract untill 2010)

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton (contract untill 2012)
Heikki Kovalainen (multiple-year contract)

BMW Sauber F1

Nick Heidfeld (possibility)
Robert Kubica (possibility)
Christian Klien (possibility)

Panasonic Toyota Racing

Jarno Trulli (contract untill 2009)
Timo Glock (multiple-year contract)

ING Renault F1

Fernando Alonso (possibility)
Nelson Piquet Jr. (possibility)
Lucas di Grassi (possibility)
Romain Grosjean (possibility)

Red Bull Racing

Mark Webber (new contract)
Sebastian Vettel (new contract)

AT&T Williams F1

Nico Rosberg (contract untill the end of 2009)
Kazuki Nakajima (possibility)
Nico Hülkenberg (possibility)

Honda Racing Team

Jenson Button (possibility)
Rubens Barrichello (possibility)
Fernando Alonso (possibility)

Scuderia Toro Rosso

Sebastien Bourdais (possibility)
Bruno Senna (possibility)
Sebastien Buemi (possibility)
Karun Chandhok (possibility)

Force India

Adrian Sutil (possibility)
Giancarlo Fisichella (possibility)
Vitantonio Liuzzi (possibility)
Karun Chandhok (possibility)




link to GPupdate.net

many teams are yet to confirm line-ups.

who do you think will go where, is it all once again resting on where Alonso will go?
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AndyW76
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I remember the good old days when all the rumours of movements (the fabled "silly season") tended to kick off around silverstone.
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SaveOurSilverstone
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AndyW76,Aug 8 2008
01:36 PM
I remember the good old days when all the rumours of movements (the fabled "silly season") tended to kick off around silverstone.

someone in our office started a rumour at the silverstone GP that Coulthard was retiring at the end of the season............ :s office jokers eh?!!
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Brave_Lee_Flea
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SaveOurSilverstone,Aug 8 2008
12:32 PM

who do you think will go where, is it all once again resting on where Alonso will go?

Yes ... and that in turn depends on when Kimi retires ...
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SaveOurSilverstone
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fully expect alonso to be with renault next year.
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Rams
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Heidfeld has a contract for next year with BMW as does Fisichella with Force India.
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vikki
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SaveOurSilverstone,Aug 8 2008
12:32 PM

BMW Sauber F1
Christian Klien (possibility)





i'm not nicks biggest admirer but if this is mario's best option surely his job is safe?

as rams says both nick and fisi have contracts for next year.

and i suspect they will both be in their respective seats next year - assuming nick can show any improvement in the qualy aspect in the next few races.
both drivers are valuable assets for their teams imo.

as for the rest it depends on the cheery spaniard. <grrr>

but if he does sod off you have to say that the options listed for renault look very weak. di grassi has all the signs of a journeyman imho, grosjean isn't ready for f1 (if he ever will be) and junior is er junior. :P
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Rasputin was a C...
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I seem to remember in 1997 ITV did a feature on the driver merry go round. They photoshopped the drivers into their potential new racing overalls.

When it came to Heinz-Harald Frentzen, who wasn't having the best of seasons in the Williams, they'd put him in some quick fit gear. Not surprisingly Jim and the team almost wet themselves with laughter.

To be fair he wasn't a particularly well liked driver at the time having taken the seat of Hill who was the special one at the time.
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Alien_SAP_Fiend
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Alonso's best option is to stay with Renault... but why is he writing them off for 2009?

Maybe he will go to Honda. Do both Button's and Rubens' contracts come up for renewal this year???

But he also said that no team can go from the back of the grid to the front in one season, so he's writing off Honda as well.

Why are there 'possibilities' next to the BMW drivers names? Are their contracts up for renewal as well?

Intriguing.
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RJHSaints
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I think Kubica's deal runs out this year. Heidfeld signed a new deal at the start of the year, but I'm sure that has some performance-related clauses that may allow BMW to ship him out if he isn't performing.

Klien had some decent races for Red Bull, but as vikki said, I doubt he's going to be seriously threatening to break into the race team anytime soon.

Williams and Renault are the only places likely to see any changes. Piquet Jr is probably still a few races away from earning another year despite his decent performances of late. Nakajima has compared fairly well to Rosberg in his rookie year, but I wouldn't say his seat is safe for 2009 yet either.

I don't think the Alonso to Honda rumours are likely to come to anything, I think it is a case of the media trying to create stories out of nothing.

As for who will get the vacant seat at STR, I assume it will be Senna. He probably isn't significantly better as a driver than the other options, but it likely to bring much more sponsorship/publicity to the team, which should swing it for him.
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Rams
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RJHSaints,Aug 12 2008
11:12 AM
I think Kubica's deal runs out this year. Heidfeld signed a new deal at the start of the year, but I'm sure that has some performance-related clauses that may allow BMW to ship him out if he isn't performing.

Heidfeld signed the new deal last year (2 year contract), he could well have a performance related clause but being only 8 points behind Kubica he'll be well within that.
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ELUSIVEJIM
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SaveOurSilverstone,Aug 8 2008
12:32 PM
Quote:
 
Even though we're only half way in to the season most of the Formula One teams have already signed up their drivers for 2009. The main question for next season will be where we will see Fernando Alonso race. According to the latest rumours the Spaniard could sign at Honda or stay at Renault for another season.

Scuderia Ferrari

Kimi Raikkonen (contract untill 2009)
Felipe Massa (contract untill 2010)

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton (contract untill 2012)
Heikki Kovalainen (multiple-year contract)

BMW Sauber F1

Nick Heidfeld (possibility)
Robert Kubica (possibility)
Christian Klien (possibility)

Panasonic Toyota Racing

Jarno Trulli (contract untill 2009)
Timo Glock (multiple-year contract)

ING Renault F1

Fernando Alonso (possibility)
Nelson Piquet Jr. (possibility)
Lucas di Grassi (possibility)
Romain Grosjean (possibility)

Red Bull Racing

Mark Webber (new contract)
Sebastian Vettel (new contract)

AT&T Williams F1

Nico Rosberg (contract untill the end of 2009)
Kazuki Nakajima (possibility)
Nico Hülkenberg (possibility)

Honda Racing Team

Jenson Button (possibility)
Rubens Barrichello (possibility)
Fernando Alonso (possibility)

Scuderia Toro Rosso

Sebastien Bourdais (possibility)
Bruno Senna (possibility)
Sebastien Buemi (possibility)
Karun Chandhok (possibility)

Force India

Adrian Sutil (possibility)
Giancarlo Fisichella (possibility)
Vitantonio Liuzzi (possibility)
Karun Chandhok (possibility)




link to GPupdate.net

many teams are yet to confirm line-ups.

who do you think will go where, is it all once again resting on where Alonso will go?

Personally i would like Kimi to retire and give the Ferrari seat to someone who deserves it.

Alonso or Kubica in my mind alongside Massa.

BMW would be mad not to renew Kubica's contract as personally i feel he has been the best driver of 2008 so far.

If they do not sign Kubica could Alonso then take over the BMW seat????

Honda need a young driver to take over from either Button or RB to look to the future but which driver would you replace as both do not stand out.

Toro Rosso i feel will let Bourdais go and replace him with defo Senna and another driver but in the other hand he might just get another year in F1 if he improves in the next few races.

Williams have shown interest in Senna so maybe Nakajima will move on to maybe Honda???

Ok wild suggestions but hey <roflmao>



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Craze_b0i
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Next year's driver line up looks very static.

As we know Vettel will move to Red Bull, and ofc someone new will replace Vettel at STR. Otherwise I predict everything to stay the same.
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Alien_SAP_Fiend
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ELUSIVEJIM,Aug 12 2008
10:55 AM
Personally i would like Kimi to retire and give the Ferrari seat to someone who deserves it.

<fu>
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Red Andy
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Nakajima won't go to Honda, he is a Toyota protege. Tied up in the Williams/Toyota engine deal is a clause giving Williams access not only to Nakajima, but to any Japanese Toyota young driver, which means that seeing Kamui Kobayashi in next year's Williams is a distinct possibility.

For Alonso, of course he is keeping everything up in the air for the moment, but I have a feeling he will stay at Renault for 2009, replacing Kimi at Ferrari for 2010. That would leave Barrichello safe at Honda, although if Alonso does go there Rubens will undoubtedly be out despite the fact that he has been outperforming Button quite a bit this season, due to Jenson's massive commercial value to the Honda corporation.
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