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The '13 driver transfer discussion/speculation thread op updated 16/10
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- Peasantslayer
A fanbase sells merchandise, looks like he's given up on finding a seat anyway
http://totalf1.com/full_story/view/438658/Kamui_Kobayashi_confirms_F1_exit/
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- mr_geez
Well Kamui has pretty much given up 2013 hope.
http://www.kamui-kobayashi.com/wpcontents/?p=7716
Shame really.
Unfortunately he started that donation campaign way too late. Like I wrote earlier, he really should consider changing his management. I think they squandered his "money bringing" potential.
Interesting quote:
"I have no interests to race any other categories."
I'm not sure if it is a good move either. I don't think getting one year contract (or multi-year with release clause for F1) for Le Mans Race or GP2 trying to win the championship would be bad for his career.
I'm happy for Grosjean. He showed that he can be very competitive. If he stays more often on the black stuff, good things can happen to him.
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- astrosdude91
I don't know how conducive going to GP2 would be to Kamui's career. It would seem like a major step back, even if he won the championship.
I'm somewhat glad to see Romain is keeping his Lotus drive. He is a very fast driver, and with proper racecraft, he could very well be a championship contender year in year out. Though, this year should be make it or break it for RoGro. If he doesn't improve his racecraft, I don't think he'll be around for 2014.
I'm somewhat glad to see Romain is keeping his Lotus drive. He is a very fast driver, and with proper racecraft, he could very well be a championship contender year in year out. Though, this year should be make it or break it for RoGro. If he doesn't improve his racecraft, I don't think he'll be around for 2014.
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He has already said he doesn't want to contest another category in 2013.
I'd say he'll either take a break, become a test driver, or work for Pirelli.
I'd say he'll either take a break, become a test driver, or work for Pirelli.
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Scott Speed went to NASCAR.
I think Kamui would do well in Indycar and the 8 million is about what he would need as well.
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After all, that second seat isn't going to be Massa's forever...
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He attempted to qualify for the 2011 500 and was replaced during qualifying, would hardly call that actually being in the series.
RTSolvalou
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Re-signing Grosjean was downright irresponsible.
I'm sorry but I'm going to have to go with this again:
I hope he pulls himself together in 2013.
I'm sorry but I'm going to have to go with this again:
I hope he pulls himself together in 2013.
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- astrosdude91
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Will be interesting to see how Grosjean does, hope for his sake he can keep his car in one piece.
There were serious talks for him to run that Las Vegas promotion they had in 2011, that may be what you are thinking of.
There were serious talks for him to run that Las Vegas promotion they had in 2011, that may be what you are thinking of.
Seismica
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Grosjean is really, really fast. But if he doesn't sort his racecraft out next year, like Maldonado has managed to do (Though he still has some way to go) then I feel they should replace him mid-season. He's failed to capitalise on what was a very competitive car, and that's mainly because of mistakes he's made on track.
I think Kobayashi will return to F1 next season (EDIT: As in 2014), I doubt he will be out of a seat for long. Whether he will get a lucky break with a top team remains to be seen though. Perez got the lucky break, and he had better do good with it.
I think Kobayashi will return to F1 next season (EDIT: As in 2014), I doubt he will be out of a seat for long. Whether he will get a lucky break with a top team remains to be seen though. Perez got the lucky break, and he had better do good with it.
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Perez to McLaren in many ways seems reminiscent of Massa to Ferrari, also from Sauber. Massa was pretty quick in the Sauber and had some good results but like Perez he was inexperienced and erratic at times. Again like Perez people wondered if Ferrari had taken him too soon. Ferrari then of course matured him into a championship contender. I've a feeling Perez could turn out the same.
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- astrosdude91
So now all eyes turn to Force India. It's the only seat of merit left on the grid. Any bets?
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- tombrookscomms
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I'd like to see Kobayashi in there personally. But Bianchi is the most likely candidate for the seat according to recent press.
Also, what's happening with Hekki? Van der Garde will most likely get the second seat at Caterham, which leaves him without a drive. IndyCar, Test/Reserve Driver or Pirelli perhaps?
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No idea what is happening with Kovalainen. As far as I know, he's pretty much out of it, because all of the teams with sets vailable are shopping around for paying drivers and Kovalainen has sid he doesn't want to pay.
As for the second Caterham seat, I wouldn't be so quick to give it to van der Garde - Vitaly Petrov's sponsors visited the factory last week, and his performance in Brazil cannot be overlooked.
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He's made it pretty clear that he doesn't want to. His problem is that he's already eyeing off other teams for 2014, and if I were calling the shots at Force India, I wouldn't be happy about that. If one of my drivers got picked up by another team, that's fine - Force India have already said that they won't block any offer from a larger team for their drivers - but if di Resta is already making plans to leave before the 2013 seson has begun, it would not sit well with me. He's already said that McLaren took Perez over him because Perez is "more marketable", thereby implying that di Resta thinks he is the better driver.
Brend
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I agree with what you are saying, he shouldn't really be saying the stuff he is and I don't think the Perez deal concerns him either. He should focus on having a less 'average' season, he didn't do anything of note last year and that's coming from a fan. 4th at Singapore was okay I suppose.
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I've noticed that a lot of what Paul di Resta says explains away a lot of his problems whilst paying himself massive compliments. For example, insinuating that he is the better driver than Perez, which is why he didn't get the McLaren seat. And when he struggled in qualifying in Austin, he said he could not get heat into the tyres because his driving style was "too smooth". If you read (or listen to) any of his comments - particularly after qualifying - he will always claim that he didn't perform as well as he could have (particularly when beaten by his team-mate) because of a sudden mechanical fault or being blocked by another car, or changes in the conditions that meant the tyres no longer worked as well as they had, and so on and so forth, and the problems always seem to strike as the most inopportune moment - usually just before he has a chance to set a representative lap time.
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"Racing driver excuses" - quite common really and not exclusive to Paul di Resta.
Personally I think di Resta is just average and isn't very exciting. He isn't terrible and will bring the car home to decent results, but he doesn't do anything special.
If Force India bring Sutil back, it will officially be the most un-inspiring driver line-up on the grid. Both drivers are average.
I think Kobayashi and Bianchi would be the most interesting and entertaining line-up, but unfortunately I doubt silly season is going to be that silly.
Personally I think di Resta is just average and isn't very exciting. He isn't terrible and will bring the car home to decent results, but he doesn't do anything special.
If Force India bring Sutil back, it will officially be the most un-inspiring driver line-up on the grid. Both drivers are average.
I think Kobayashi and Bianchi would be the most interesting and entertaining line-up, but unfortunately I doubt silly season is going to be that silly.
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Yeah, but there are excuses and then there are excuses. Sometimes, I get the feeling that Paul di Resta makes more excuses than everyone else combined. And unlike most of the grid, his excuses usually pay him back-handed compliments, like saying that his driving style is "too smooth" to get the tyres working. He's evidently trying to emulate Jenson Button, insinuating that a similar driving style would have helped McLaren's development of their future cars becaue they would be going in the one direction.
I find his attitude to be rankling, because he comes across as a social climber.
I agree entirely. I also find him very over-rated, mostly because David Coulthard is always singing his praises. I think Force India is as good as it is going to get for di Resta; he's not going to join a bigger team unless Force India build a giant-killer of a car, like Brawn GP did.
I have heard that both Kobayashi and Bianchi are in contention for the second seat. So too are Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastien Buemi. Of the four, Bianchi and Buemi seem to be the favourites.
It also seems that Paul di Resta was on a one-year deal with an option in 2012 - and if that option has been taken up, then it hasn't been announced. It's conceivable that di Resta may not be racing for them in 2013 at all. He was placed in the team at Mercedes' behest, in exchange for a subsidy on their engines. Di Resta seemed to be under the impression that he would one day get promoted to the Mercedes factory team, which could have resulted in a further subsidy for the team (I'm speculating on that last point). But with Mercedes taking Hamilton, that door has closed to di Resta for the time being, and with predictions of escalating engine costs in 2014, the team mightlook to cut a better deal with another supplier. Enter Jules Bianchi.
I could see Force India taking Sutil back in 2013, partnering him with Bianchi (and dropping di Resta) and using Sutil's experience to get Bianchi accustomed to Formula 1. This would maximise Bianchi's chances at success, and look favourably upon the team when it came time to negotiate an engine deal with Ferrari. Sutil might be uninspiring, but I think a Sutil-Bianchi line-up would work nicely for the team.
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Oh that was so embarrassing. He wasn't fooling anybody.
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I can only imagine what di Resta would have been like if he was racing for McLaren at the start of the year. Something needed to be said about all their pit stop mistakes - it's events like that which call for the drivers to speak up and to try and rally the team. However, di Resta comes across as unwilling to say anything that might result in a team principal looking poorly on him, and that would come back to haunt him when he shops around for a new team. So if he was driving for McLaren, he'd probably be denying that there was any problem within the team at all, and that all their mistakes were just bad luck and coincidence because he wouldn't want to upset Martin Whitmarsh or Ron Dennis - even when the other McLaren driver would have been calling for the team to improve.
Not just Coulthard, but all of BBC. Funnily enough, by the end of the year, they completely forgot about him... I think we all know why.
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