Cinco 30 Report post Posted June 29, 2009 Nearly won le mans as well, just a shame about the venture into NASCAR. Pretty poor. I think the problem is many of the drivers have really big egoes and don't want to spend time in second and third tier series when they've done so much in open wheel, and while NASCAR isn't necessarily "harder," those cars are so foreign compared to ANYTHING, no type of racing can prepare you for NASCAR except stock cars themselves, and JV, Montoya, Franchitti, etc weren't willing to swallow their pride and go to the lower series and learn how to do it, and that's why they sucked. It's just like a NASCAR driver going to F1...it's going to be a disaster if they don't do Formula 3, GP2, etc first. Monty was ok, got a couple of wins but the other CART drivers who moved up to F1 have'nt done so good, ask Bourdais! Montoya was a lot more than okay, and JV did win a WDC. The others did have problems. I never really understood why, but I don't really care either, because I would've just rather they all stayed in CART and made it a kick-a## series to watch even if it wasn't the pinnacle of challenging; I mean, it is just entertainment and it did its job. Now we have the stupid old IRL, but fortunately, that is right on the verge of collpase/folding/death so I do look forward to that. Back to the driver market: has anything been said about who might replace Rubens at Brawn if he were to go to STR, US F1, Manor, retirement, etc? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikathegreat2 2 Report post Posted June 29, 2009 I'd say Alex Wurz cos he's Brawns chief test driver & he did'nt do all that bad when he was with Williams! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JHS 1 Report post Posted June 29, 2009 Here's my thoughts. Hopefully Sutil, Piquet Jnr and Bourdais all go. Fisi to stay at Force India, he's getting closer and closer to scoring points for them. Sutil isn't. Luizzi to replace him. Grosjean to replace Piquet at Renault alongside Alonso. Vitaly Petrov at Campos with Bruno Senna. Bourdais to be hopefully replaced by Alguersari. No change at Ferrari, Kimi and Ferrari have both confirmed he has a contract, so.... Rosberg to BMW alongside Heidfeld. Kobayashi to replace him at Williams. Kubica to Brawn alongside Button whilst Barrichello either retires/goes to a lesser team. Of course, all speculation and my guesses, so no sources. JHS. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikathegreat2 2 Report post Posted June 29, 2009 Sutil is 1 of the best wet weather drivers out there, behind Vettel & maybe Lewis but not so good in the wet so he might stay! Fisi is olf & Liuzzi should replace him as he's FI's chief test driver! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HandyNZL 1 Report post Posted June 30, 2009 Romour mill has Alonso being named at Ferrari at Monza......everyone hold ya breath... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JHS 1 Report post Posted June 30, 2009 Sutil is 1 of the best wet weather drivers out there, behind Vettel & maybe Lewis but not so good in the wet so he might stay! Fisi is olf & Liuzzi should replace him as he's FI's chief test driver! For my money he's too accident prone. And if he was that good a wet weather driver he wouldn't have stuffed it at China when he was in a points position. Thinking about it, it's probably more likely that GP2 star Nico Hulkenberg will go to Williams if Nico Rosberg goes. Also maybe Lucas Di Grassi in at Campos alongside Petrov. Alonso to Ferrari? That's almost as old as the "Webber to Renault" rumour. Nothing at all to prove it, but then again, that's the rumour mill. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikathegreat2 2 Report post Posted June 30, 2009 Romour mill has Alonso being named at Ferrari at Monza......everyone hold ya breath... I hope it's true, then he'd be unstoppable (well, if it were 2008 regs)! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JHS 1 Report post Posted June 30, 2009 No, if Felipe baby was anywhere in a 2 mile radius of his car, he'd throw a tantrum and go crying back to Renault. Again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cinco 30 Report post Posted June 30, 2009 But he wouldn't be. You know Ferrari have never been afraid of team orders and never will be. And they've always regarded Felipe as a number two; I can think of a few races where the strategy worked against him intentionally even when he had the faster car, but that's just F1. I just hope that if Alonso's at Ferrari, McLaren put out a good car next year. Alonso vs Hamilton makes me care a lot more than I do now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JHS 1 Report post Posted June 30, 2009 Apart from this year when Felipe is clearly the Number 1 driver......oh and last year as well. For any team to put Felipe as a "Number 2" driver despite outclassing Kimi for the past 2 years is stupid. Personally, i feel that Fernando is over rated. He just doesn't strike me as a team player which is something Ferrari have struggled to find since Schumi retired. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rainmaster 7 Report post Posted June 30, 2009 Alonso is the best all round package, so it makes sense for Ferrari to pursue him. There is also the Santander factor. So I do expect to see Alonso in a Ferrari in either 2010 or 2011. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JHS 1 Report post Posted June 30, 2009 Sure he's good when the car is good, like Hamilton is, but the past 2 years he hasn't really been able to help the team develop the car. Neither really have Felipe or Kimi so i don't know. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cinco 30 Report post Posted June 30, 2009 Sure he's good when the car is good, like Hamilton is, but the past 2 years he hasn't really been able to help the team develop the car. Neither really have Felipe or Kimi so i don't know. I don't think any of the drivers out there today are good when the car isn't good, though. It is motorsport, not driversport, as our old friend DOF likes to say. And it's true. It's just more interesting for the general public to talk about and support humans and automobiles. Most of us can't analyze the cars, but we can say "oh Bourdais had an off, he's so rubbish, blah blah blah," so we talk about that instead. Drivers really don't make a lot of difference, some are better than others, and the occasional legend comes along and can do well in a not-so-good-car but in normal conditions, it's 80% car, 19% strategy, 1% driver. Alonso is a better option than Massa (it doesn't mean he has more talent or anything since you can't measure that), in my opinion simply because we know he can win WDCs, while Massa's had plenty of chances and hasn't (driver errors early in 2007 and 2008 cost him big, which isn't the sole cause of his losses in either season as team errors let him down both years, but he did make driver errors a few too many times, and that isn't to say Lewis didn't either in 2008 because he did, neither were super super impressive) and while driver may not count for much, any advantage that can be exploited should if you want to win. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JayStorm 0 Report post Posted July 1, 2009 If Alonso were to go to Ferrari. I'm betting Massa will be chosen to stay on, unless they are allowed a third car. So do you reckon that if it came to Raikkonen losing his seat at Ferrari that he would retire/move to rallying for instance or would he be prepared to race for another team, as long as they were doing well. Brawn for instance? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rainmaster 7 Report post Posted July 1, 2009 If Alonso were to go to Ferrari. I'm betting Massa will be chosen to stay on, unless they are allowed a third car. So do you reckon that if it came to Raikkonen losing his seat at Ferrari that he would retire/move to rallying for instance or would he be prepared to race for another team, as long as they were doing well. Brawn for instance? Ferrari will be Kimi's last team in Formula One, he has said as much and I don't think there is any doubt that he is looking ready for a change soon enough. I think he will go to the WRC, he is certainly making some overtures about doing that, e.g. competing in the Finnish WRC event this year. The only question is when will Kimi leave F1, at the end of this year or the next? He has a contract, but these things are negotiable. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JHS 1 Report post Posted July 3, 2009 My predictions: Ferrari Massa Raikkonen McLaren Hamilton Rosberg BMW Kubica Heidfeld Renault Alonso Kovalainen Red Bull Vettel Webber Toyota Glock Trulli Williams Nakajima Hulkenberg Brawn GP Button Senna Toro Rosso Buemi Alguersuari Force India Fisichella Liuzzi Campos Meta Pantano Grosjean US F1 Summerton Bourdais Manor Grand Prix Pizzonia Di Resta/Carrol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikathegreat2 2 Report post Posted July 3, 2009 Rumors goin around that Kimi is to retire from F1 & move down to WRC (or up in many peoples cases)! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rainmaster 7 Report post Posted July 3, 2009 More like sideways really. You know, like a crab. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Quiet One 15 Report post Posted July 3, 2009 Kimi got the crabs? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cinco 30 Report post Posted July 3, 2009 Kimi got the crabs? I was about to make a joke about crabs. And then you made one. So now I can't. I hope you feel bad for stealing from a little kid. By the way, Kimi has to stay at Ferrari, because if he leaves, I can't call them Fer-sure-arri and I always entertained myself when I called them that. However, I would like to see him take the JV road and start a music career. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Persevere 0 Report post Posted July 3, 2009 Kimi to call it quits? I would say that's as likely as any other rumor being passed around at the moment. The driver who once showed such amazing speed and car control simply hasn't been himself since the start of the 2008 season. He is somewhat enigmatic so maybe only he knows why. If moving on to some other form of racing - rallying, for example - is what he wants to do then more power to him. From Ferrari's stand point they need to do something dramatic for the future, starting with the 2010 season, if only to put this year behind them. Whether that kicks off with Alonso or Vettel, to name those two, who knows. The successful transformation at Ferrari during the Todt/Brawn/Schumacher era was accomplished with the right mixture of professionalism, efficiency and brilliance. I think they have to start with a driver shake up and re-build from there. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Quiet One 15 Report post Posted July 4, 2009 Kimi to call it quits? I would say that's as likely as any other rumor being passed around at the moment. The driver who once showed such amazing speed and car control simply hasn't been himself since the start of the 2008 season. He is somewhat enigmatic so maybe only he knows why. If moving on to some other form of racing - rallying, for example - is what he wants to do then more power to him. From Ferrari's stand point they need to do something dramatic for the future, starting with the 2010 season, if only to put this year behind them. Whether that kicks off with Alonso or Vettel, to name those two, who knows. The successful transformation at Ferrari during the Todt/Brawn/Schumacher era was accomplished with the right mixture of professionalism, efficiency and brilliance. I think they have to start with a driver shake up and re-build from there. Or...they should let Kimi get the crabs. That would shake him up fer sure... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cristiano84 0 Report post Posted July 12, 2009 Latest insider rumours: 1) Vitantonio Liuzzi appears set to sign a contract to be a Force India race driver in 2010. The 28 years old italian told a journalist friend of mine that he is "very close to sign with them" and that he hopes "an official announcement will come shortly afterwards". He will replace veteran and fellow countryman Giancarlo Fisichella, while Adrian Sutil is set to stay, courtesy of sponsor Medion. The article can be found in the website www.stopandgo.tv 2) Kimi Raikkonen is in talks with Brawn Gp to replace Rubens Barrichello in 2010. With news that his Ferrari contract could be ended one year earlier to make room for Fernando Alonso, the finn's manager Steve Robertson has met with Ross Brawn in the team motorhome on friday. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Smu3l3y 0 Report post Posted July 12, 2009 Brawn GP Engine: Mercedes Drivers: Jenson Button & Rubens Barrichello Red Bull Racing Engine: Renault Drivers: Sebastian Vettel & Mark Webber Toyota Racing Engine: Toyota Drivers: Timo Glock & (get rid of trulli) Scuderia Ferrari Engine: Ferrari Drivers: Felipe Massa* & (Get rid of Kimi Raikonnen*) McLaren Mercedes Engine: Mercedes Drivers: Lewis Hamilton* & not sure ( adrian Sutil would be good choise) Renault F1 Engine: Renault Drivers: Fernando Alonso & Heikki Kovalainen(kovy would be better in a renault but alonso would never accept a team mate who is as good as him) WilliamsF1 Engine: Toyota Drivers: Nico Rosberg & Nico Hulkenberg BMW Sauber Engine: BMW Drivers: Robert Kubica & Nick Heidfeld ( nick has been around to long and never really impressed Scuderia Torro Rosso Engine: Ferrari Drivers: S Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikathegreat2 2 Report post Posted July 12, 2009 I'd say IF, Jaime Alguersari performs well for STR, he'll get a seat for next year! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites