2008 Driver Line Up

  • Thread starter Lee
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Lee

Lee

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Yes, a bit early I know but with (atleast) three teams confirming their driver line up for 2008, I think it's about time GTP has a good ol'silly season of it's own.

So here we go:

Key:
Bold = Confirmed
Italic with ? = Unconfirmed but expected.
Italic = Current driver, unconfirmed.
Italic with * = Rumour

McLaren Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton
Heikki Kovalainen


Scuderia Ferrari

Kimi Räikkönen
Felipe Massa

BMW Sauber

Nick Heidfeld
Robert Kubica

Renault F1

Fernando Alonso
Nelson Piquet jr.

AT&T Williams

Nico Rosberg
Kazuki Nakajima

Red Bull Racing

David Coulthard
Mark Webber

Panasonic Toyota Racing

Jarno Trulli?
Timo Glock

Super Aguri F1

Takuma Sato?
Anthony Davidson?
Rubens Barrichello*

Honda Racing F1

Jenson Button
Rubens Barrichello?

Scuderia Toro Rosso

Sebastian Vettel
Sébastien Bourdais

Force India F1

Adrian Sutil
Giancarlo Fisichella?

If you find out any news to be added please post here. The list is also up for discussion so feel free to make your own! :)
 
Well i don't know if you've heard or not but Etihad Aldar Spyker F1 Team maybe get sold to another team by the end of the season. So maybe they will not appear next year (but not confirmed yet). Oh yeah, i think Gary Paffet and
Pedro De La Rosa are confirmed as the Prodrive team drivers...
 
I think you've got them all for now... Now lets just wait for the confimation that Nico gets the Prodrive ;)


So we've got 4 teams confirmed. To be honest, I'll be surprised if Fisi doesn't get replaced by one of the many fresh drivers. He seems past his peak... And Flavio said he wants to see Piquet in a seat.
 
Bee


Scuderia Toro Rosso

Sebastian Vettel
Sebastian Bourdais
Click to expand...


I've never noticed that before... what are the odds against having two F1 drivers called Sebastian in the same team? :odd:

Anyway I too think that despite the hassle at McLaren, their driver lineup won't change next season... and neither will Ferrari's.
 
Sébastien = French, hence Bourdais.

Sebastian = German, hence Vettel.

I italicized (is that a verb?) the stressed part.
 
Räikkönen and Massa are confirmed to stay at Ferrari
http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2006/9/4933.html
Raikkonen has signed a three-year deal, covering the 2007, 2008 and 2009 seasons. His team mate will be Felipe Massa, the Brazilian’s contract having been extended until the end of 2008
Click to expand...

And as long as we're being picky about names:
"Kimi Räikkönen", not "Kimi Raikkonen"
"Roldán Rodríguez", not "Roldan Rodriguez"
"Gary Paffett", not "Gary Paffet"
"Heikki Kovalainen", not "Hekki Kovalinen"
 
MTC
Räikkönen and Massa are confirmed to stay at Ferrari
Click to expand...

By the same token Alonso is confirmed, seeing as his contract is for 2008 as well.

Plus, highlight of the difference wasn't a special character nobody will use every time they type the name, but rather the 'a' and 'e' difference.
 
Yes, you should state where drivers are contracted, even if there are hot rumours that they are leaving.

Rosberg is heavily contracted to Williams, and will be there in '08 unless he's bought out by a very rich team.

Both Hamilton and Alonso are contracted to McLaren for '08 and '09.

The more I think about it, the more I'm sure that Prodrive will not be on the '08 grid. Spyker is at least a going concern at the minute, and I hear that Michel Mol (of Lost Boys) and Adrian Campos (Campos Racing) are sniffing around the embers of the team. However, whomsover goes there will be the person with the biggest wallet, so who really cares? Rodriguez is hardly going to set the world alight. Additionally, Super Aguri are undergoing a change of ownership, and there's likely to be significant flux there, and probably no drive for Sato.
 
Why no drive for Sato? He scored the team's first points this season. He and Davidson are pretty evenly-matched in terms of performance...

Plus, apparently that's not a complete takeover - and might even be just a new sponsor.
 
Blake
Where have their been rumours about Nakajima getting a race drive?
Click to expand...

I think I heard it on ITV during a broadcast. I'm pretty sure I also saw it on a site somewhere, hmmmm..
 
I would imagine because he's Toyota's little guy so no doubt they will slip him in with the engine deal sometime.

He's half decent aswell in GP2, 4th in the standings right now.
 
Metar
Why no drive for Sato? He scored the team's first points this season. He and Davidson are pretty evenly-matched in terms of performance...

Plus, apparently that's not a complete takeover - and might even be just a new sponsor.
Click to expand...

But key to it is the loss of influence by the Japanese contingent. Davidson is much the better driver for a fledgeling team to have.

Bee
I would imagine because he's Toyota's little guy so no doubt they will slip him in with the engine deal sometime.

He's half decent aswell in GP2, 4th in the standings right now.
Click to expand...

Nakajima is the most likely of the current GP2 lot to be able to make the jump to F1 convincingly. The guy is quick and committed driver. I think he's the most talented of the drivers in the field at the minute.
 
I'll just say that I have also heard other rumours about Toyota seats - some people are saying that Franck Montagny may be in line for the second seat, too, just to add to your list. I don't think that will be the case, but you never know.
 
I think Fisi has past his prime already (just like any old drivers) and i think either he perform well or get the boot. (or probably drive in another team which is less likely) But really, just give Piquet Jr. a chance and who knows how well he could perform along side Kovalainen....
 
I just didn't find him convincing in GP2, and his junior series experience is nothing to write home about. He was a distant third to Rosberg & Kovalainen in GP2 in '05, and was fairly hammered by Hamilton in '06, where he - as a 2nd year driver - should have been more dominant. It took him two years to win British F3, and his F3 performances in the Masters and Macau events have not exactly been stellar. And all the time he's had mega backing.

I just haven't seen the flashes of genius that you expect of stars in lower formulae, and the races where I've seen him driving I'm not convinced that he's anything other than ordinary. He doesn't seem to have a well of talent into which he can delve. Perhaps he could ignite in an F1 car, but I'd be extremely surprised.

Edit: Career history

2007 F1 Tests: Mild Seven Renault F1 Team, ING Renault F1 Team
2006 F1 Tests: Mild Seven Renault F1 Team
• GP2: Piquet Sports, 2nd, 102 points (4 wins, 8 podiums, 6 pole positions, 3 fastest laps)
2005 F1 Tests: Lucky Strike BAR Honda
• A1GP: Brazil (2 wins, 5 podiums, 2 pole positions, 4 fastest laps)
• GP2: Hitech Piquet Sports, 8th, 46 points (1 win, 5 podiums)
2004 F1 Tests: BMW WilliamsF1 Team
• F3 Masters: Piquet Sports, 8th
• F3 Macau: Piquet Sports, 10th
• British F3: Piquet Sports, Champion, 282 points (6 wins, 13 podiums, 5 pole positions, 11 fastest laps)
2003 F3 Masters: Piquet Sports, 2nd, pole position
• F3 Macau: Hitech Racing, 14th
• British F3: Piquet Sports, 3rd, 231 points (6 wins, 11 podiums, 8 pole positions, 6 fastest laps)
2002 F3 Sudamerica: Piquet Sports, Champion, 296 points (13 wins, 15 podiums, 16 pole positions, 10 fastest laps)
2001 F3 Sudamerica: Piquet Sports, 5th, 77 points (1 win, 5 podiums, 1 pole position, 3 fastest laps)
 
mnm_bmx
I think Fisi has past his prime already (just like any old drivers) and i think either he perform well or get the boot. (or probably drive in another team which is less likely) But really, just give Piquet Jr. a chance and who knows how well he could perform along side Kovalainen....
Click to expand...
I don't think he's so much past his prime, but simply failing to impress yet landing decent drives. He's a bit like Jarno Trulli; quick in practice, quick in qualifying, and then seemingly forgetting he's supposed to be racing. He was at Jordan at one stage there and then landed a Renault seat. Sure, he's won a few, but that's only when he's actually been paying attention. Flavio should have ditched Fisi in favour of Kovalainen and kept Alonso; that way the Finn would learn how to race as opposed to what he's doing now, which is simply learning how to drive.
 

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