Button to BAR

[vat_man]

Well, the pieces certainly are falling into place in the driver market.

Alonso to Renault, Button to BAR.

Anyone (particularly Giles) got anything interesting rumourwise.

I've heard the following:
- Panis to Toyota
- Massa might be on the way out at Sauber after his last couple of races
- there's some talk of Sato staying at Jordan in 2003, and moving to Toyota in 2004, in return for Toyota paying for Jordan's Cosworths next year, and Jordan getting a supply of Toyota engines for 2004

The rumour mill seems to have gone quiet on the Jaguar front, now that the big tip for that seat is out of the picture.

 

[TALONclaw]

Im sorry but i cant believe why renault would get rid of him, and second to a team like BAR??? My word!!!

 

[vat_man]

Originally posted by TALONclaw
Im sorry but i cant believe why renault would get rid of him, and second to a team like BAR??? My word!!!

Ah - but you need to understand the relationship between Renault and Flavio Briatore, my friend. That is why Alonso is going in there.

I do agree though, Jenson has made Trulli look fairly ordinary on quite a few occasions this year.

I wouldn't be too down on BAR - you've got Prodrive's David Richards there now, and his effect on the team won't be fully evident until next year when the first car under his stewardship comes through, you've got factory Honda backing, and secure funding until 2006, plus a former world champion. I think it's a great opportunity for Jenson.

 

[GilesGuthrie]

I must admit to having been taken by surprise on this one. I had thought that he'd be on his way to Sauber. And the length of the deal! Two years with an option on BAR's side for another two! Wow. I agree with the Vat_man on BAR's prospects. I've got a lot of respect for Dave Richards, and I think the team will, now that they've got a decent chief designer and are no longer riven with political divides, begin to pick up. Finally.

I thought Briatore had come up with a good excuse, when he said that Jenson's other (i.e. Williams) commitments prevented Renault fom building him into their long-term plans. Of course, it's nothing at all to do with the fact that Trulli and Alonso are personally contracted to the head of RenaultSport F1!

Onto other rumours...

Jordan, so I hear, are still wanting rid of Sato. Their Cosworth bill is set to be covered by Honda exiting early from the contract. Perhaps he could be picked up as BAR test driver...

Ford are looking to dump Lauda (yay!!! FINALLY!!). No info on their choice of drivers, but they must be looking to Webber and de la Rosa. I know DLR has hardly set the world alight, but he's a good pedaller and gets on with his work in exactly the way the team needs. And he was quick in the Arrows.

I had heard that Peter Sauber is looking to dump Massa. He's beginning to think that some experience would be useful. Also, Massa's style is completely different to Heidfeld's, and I would have to say I would rather Heidfeld was driving my car! Massa's hairy in the extreme.

An interesting development I came across recently is that Allan McNish is rumoured to have a fairly strong exit payment in his Toyota contract. This is likely to be true, since the source is very close to Allan. In this instance, and with the driver market beginning to shape up, perhaps Toyota would be wise to retain McNish for at least another year. It's fairly obvious that there are no headline, talented, experienced, value-for-money drivers available.

Panis? Hmmm. Tricky one that. If Sauber dump Massa, then they could do nicely if they picked Panis up.

 

[vat_man]

Originally posted by GilesGuthrie
An interesting development I came across recently is that Allan McNish is rumoured to have a fairly strong exit payment in his Toyota contract. This is likely to be true, since the source is very close to Allan. In this instance, and with the driver market beginning to shape up, perhaps Toyota would be wise to retain McNish for at least another year. It's fairly obvious that there are no headline, talented, experienced, value-for-money drivers available.

Panis? Hmmm. Tricky one that. If Sauber dump Massa, then they could do nicely if they picked Panis up.

I must admit I thought exactly your last sentence as I read the first paragraph above. From what little I can make from the dreadful Channel 9 coverage it would seem Panis and Heidfeld seem to have complementary styles, and a good tester would certainly not hurt Sauber.

I'd like to see McNish in there for another year, he's had all the marks of a good driver without luck this year, and although Salo's made him look a bit silly in qualifying it should be remembered it's the first time Alan's seen a lot of tracks and his race performances have closed the difference.

So - it begs the question of where Massa goes - he's clearly some talent, but in need of two or three years under his belt. A year testing perhaps?

 

[Talentless]

this is where I meant to post, and could have sworn I did.

Again, there went Button's career.

 

[TALONclaw]

I doubt Mclaren will dump Kimi but i think it would be interesting to see what Heidfeld could do in the Mclaren.

 

[vat_man]

Originally posted by TALONclaw
I doubt Mclaren will dump Kimi but i think it would be interesting to see what Heidfeld could do in the Mclaren.

Won't happen - the rumour was that Button was going to McLaren to replace Coulthard who was going to Jaguar, to replace Irvine - so if anyone's going from there it'd be Coulthard. I think McLaren have been very clever picking up Raikkonen so young, he's only going to get better and better, and he'll probably stay there for as long as McLaren can put a half decent car under him.

 

[sn00pie]

Nice move Flavio!! Without Button his team is so gonna suck!

 

[alex_gt]

:renault:'s Loss not Buttons

 

[GilesGuthrie]

Originally posted by vat_man
I must admit I thought exactly your last sentence as I read the first paragraph above. From what little I can make from the dreadful Channel 9 coverage it would seem Panis and Heidfeld seem to have complementary styles, and a good tester would certainly not hurt Sauber.

Well, having now been to 5 GPs, I've kind of got to know how drivers drive, and you're absolutely right. Both Heidfeld and Panis get their braking done early, then drive through the corner with a smooth application of power that allows them to be on full throttle with the car pointing where they want it to at the exit.

One wonders if Peter Sauber knows what we know!