Rainmaster 7 Report post Posted March 17, 2011 The season is bearing down upon us. Thought it would be a good time to guess which of the new drivers might impress us most. For those like me who couldn't remember, the new boys in F1 2011 are as follows: Sergio Pérez (Sauber) Pastor 'money bags' Maldonado (Williams) The returning Narain Karthikeyan (HRT) Jérôme d'Ambrosio (Virgin) Paul di Resta (Force India) Hope I didn't miss anyone. To me, Paul di Resta is the most qualified to shine at Force India. The pressure will be on him to keep up with Sutil, and some people probably even expect him to be beating him by the end of the year. His experience and confidence from winning a title, and leading a team in the DTM series, should prove invaluable. Narain and Jerome will probably struggle to make any real impression due to their cars, and their place one the grid with poorer teams seems to reflect the fact they haven't achieved all that much in other categories. Nevertheless, they might still put in some solid performances. Pastor Maldonado is criticised all too often for buying his place on the F1 grid and replacing a talent like Hulkenberg, but he does at least have some decent racing credentials in that he won the GP2 crown last year (even if it took him a very long time). If Williams have really produced a decent challenger this year then he'll get his chance to shine; I see him perhaps developing into a solid driver if given time (á la Massa), but I don't think he'll ever be anything spectacular. Finally, Sergio Pérez is an intriguing prospect. I remember well watching him in British F3 a number of years ago (when I still made the time to watch F3). Two drivers impressed me that year, one was Marko Asmer who won the main championship, and the other was the young Pérez who I believe finished top of the lower class. I remember wondering if I would see either of them in F1 at some point. Sadly, for whatever reason Asmer never made it to F1 except for a testing opportunity (one of the many strong drivers who never does), so it's good to see Pérez did and I think he'll be one to watch out for. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Argento Reloaded 1 Report post Posted March 17, 2011 both latinamericans are backed by huge amounts of money! PVDSA and TELMEX Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rainmaster 7 Report post Posted March 17, 2011 Ah yes, I'd forgotten about Pérez's contribution. I don't think money is a big issue in either case, though. Both of them are good enough to at least get a shot at it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Quiet One 15 Report post Posted March 17, 2011 Let's not confuse the economic power of the sponsor with the actual money brought. Virgin Team should be invincible, as they have the money from Virgin Group (oh no! a "pay team"! they are around just because of Branson's money!). So, stop moaning about the money and watch the guys' skills, then you may moan all you want. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rainmaster 7 Report post Posted March 17, 2011 If anybody does actually moan in this thread, I will have them killed, or if I'm in a bad mood, sent to the cucumber fart thread. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Quiet One 15 Report post Posted March 17, 2011 If anybody does actually moan in this thread, I will have them killed, or if I'm in a bad mood, sent to the cucumber fart thread. Oh no! Not the cucumber thread! Anything but the cucumber thread! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grabthaw the Hammerslayer 4 Report post Posted March 17, 2011 Oh no! Not the cucumber thread! Anything but the cucumber thread! Ah cucumbers - I know a story about that.... Ha ha! Ze cucumber virus ees spreading mwah, ha ha! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikathegreat2 2 Report post Posted March 18, 2011 Di Resta & Pastor are the ones to watch! Also Perez too cos he's Mexican & they're awesome ! Not too keen on d'Ambrosio, Belgian racers only seem to have a decent career in sports car racing i.e. Jacky Ickx, not many F1 drivers I can think of that have been put on he map Jacky Ickx again the only one I can think of! Karthikeyan?? Meh. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Adnam 0 Report post Posted March 18, 2011 Newbies are always great value with lots of off-track excursions and making a mess of letting front runners through. The mark of their success is always measured against their teammate, yet I am not sure any of them will get the upperhand. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dribbler 6 Report post Posted March 18, 2011 Sergio Pérez (Sauber) Pastor 'money bags' Maldonado (Williams) The returning Narain Karthikeyan (HRT) Jérôme d'Ambrosio (Virgin) Paul di Resta (Force India) If the Ambrosia cream rice dude is any good we won't really see it anyway, driving a sh!tbox Virgin. Kartikeyan was average before and will be worse now. Di Resta looks promising but might be rubbish in F1. If the Sauber and the Williams are as good as some think, expect regular points from Sergio and Pastor (which sounds like a dodgy South American solicitors). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kopite Girl 0 Report post Posted March 18, 2011 To be honest, I doubt any of them will make an impact. But it's not about impressing little ol' me, its who has the staying power and the most money to bring to the table. If I was forced to give a name, I'd say Perez. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
