The 2012 Driver transfer discussion/speculation thread

[Brend]

I want Sutil to get a seat but I also wanna see Hulk race. He was a very nice guy when I was chatting to him in Brazil.

 

[fps_christian]

Kingfisher, an airliner? Have we drank the same beer?

 

[GOTMAXPOWER]

I posted this on another forum but I'll put it here too: (Just my opinions on some, I've missed a few)

I've had a think about 2012 and their are a few key players left in the drivers market:
Adrian Sutil:
-Williams: need sponsor money but Sutil's sponsor is owned by an ex-Williams sponsor who have just gone to McLaren, whether they'd pay Williams again is unkown.
-Lotus: Have an empty seat but Sutil had a fight with one of their top men (forgot who) in a Chinese nightclub (will they kiss and make up or not?)
-Force India: Great experience with the team, taking them from a backmarker to a constant points finisher, place under threat though

Vitaly Petrov:
-Lotus: Under contract, brings in sponsor money and has been impressive in the last season, can score podiums in a decent car, however he publicly criticised the team, could be on his way out?
-Williams: Would love the sponsor money in Petrov but Maldonado brings that too, it would also leave Williams without an established number 1

Nico Hulkenberg:
-Force India: Groomed for a racing seat last year in practice and has clear talent, sponsor money isn't there but neither is their with Di Resta, Hulk arguably has more potential
-Williams: Have a free seat and they know him well but this was the team who fired him, also their car isn't likely to be on a par with the Force India if past seasons are anything to go by.

Paul di Resta:
-Force India: Scored points in his rookie year but so did Hulkenberg, its an head to head between these 2 for the second Force India seat
-Williams: If the Force India deal falls through Williams is his only other hope, His manager was having a chat with Alan Parr (seen on BBC F1 forum) which is probably nothing but it is a second option.

Rubens Barrichello:
-Williams: Kimi has gone to Lotus, PDVSA money looks like its there to stay so why should Rubens be sent packing? He might need to cut his wage demands but his on-track performances are more of a concern now. Williams' running Bottas for 15 practice sessions next year shows they want him in 2013, Rubens for 1 last year makes more sense than a multi-year contract with Sutil.
-Lotus: Unlikely but he'll try, if he can raise some funds from Brazil Lotus may be interested to replace Petrov's Lada money, he brings experience too
-Force India: He's been at Jordan before but a return looks highly unlikely, Rubens will try though.
-Hispania: He's desperate to stay in F1 and his presence in HRT alongside DLR would speed up the development and gain a few years of knowledge for Hispania.

Sebastien Buemi:
-Toro Rosso: He has been at STR for a few years now and has made very little progression, Vergne and Ricciardo are snapping at his heals, he's had his time to shine and hasn't.
-Williams: Had his time at STR and is good enough and young enough to stay in F1, Williams have over options though

Jaime Alguersuari:
-Toro Rosso: Has shown that he is the next Red Bull driver, should stay at STR until the Red Bull seat becomes available.

Romain Grosjean:
-Lotus: Has been with the team for a long time and deserves a F1 seat for how he drove in GP2 this year, not many available though and Petrov is a proven in F1.
-Hispania: Lotus would be ideal but that option doesn't seem available, Hispania is the only drive left, would be F1 experience non the less.
-DTM: Testing a BMW DTM car he may be trying out other options if Lotus have no spot, DTM may be up his street whilst also racing in F1 practice sessions since they won't clash.

Daniel Ricciardo:
-Toro Rosso: Buemi looks like he is on his way out, Ricciardo was meant to be the next big thing but Vergne is rivaling him now
-Caterham: Trulli is contracted but may still be replaced, Ricciardo is the one most likely to take his place.

 

[RTSolvalou]

Petrov says he's keen to stay at Renault. Here is the main line excerpt from the link:
"I don't want to change to another team, so I cross my fingers and wait for the answer."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/96623

The pressure will be on for him in 2012 there, he'll have to get himself as high as he can in the driver standings come Kubica's recovery (purported to be the middle of the season), to make the decision to put Kubica in his car as hard as possible, I don't think they would sub a driver out if he's 4th or better in the standings (and if the top teams are close in performance and points) and has a chance of the title.

 

[Endless-Wilso]

Any news on where Bruno Senna is going ? just got back on GTP since i was gone and im gonna be reading back 20+ pages.

 

[GOTMAXPOWER]

Any news on where Bruno Senna is going ?

I don't see any spots he could fill in F1, its most likely he'll end up in sportscars or DTM imo

 

[prisonermonkeys]

If he's talking with Renault, he'll want some assurance that he will see out the full 2012 season and will not simply be replaced the moment Robert Kubica is ready.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Any news on where Bruno Senna is going?

Nope. He is believed to be bidding for the second Renault seat, but he would be competing with Vitaly Petrov and Romain Grosjean. He hasn't been connected to any other drive.

 

[toyotsupra]

Nope. He is believed to be bidding for the second Renault seat, but he would be competing with Vitaly Petrov and Romain Grosjean. He hasn't been connected to any other drive.

Romain they will pick i hope i would like to see him race gain see if he has improved in race pace.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

I doubt they will.

The value in running Grosjean next year is that he is French. The French want their Grand Prix back, and the Prime Minister assembled a think-tank dedicated to getting the race back. They decided that the best way to get the French Grand Prix on the calendar is to get a French driver, someone that the French public could support. Although Eric Boullier was a member of that think-tank, and although he manages Grosjean, their approach never mandated that Romain Grosjean had to be that French driver who entered the sport - only that the best way to get the French Grand Prix back was to get a French driver, and with Marussia signing Charles Pic, that condition has now been satisfied. Romain Grosjean was only the favourite because he won the GP2 title. Now that Pic is confirmed to be in the sport, Grosjean's stocks would have gone down.

Besides, based on recent comments, it would appear that Renault want to retain Vitaly Petrov, and at the very least, they want to come to a decision about his future first.

 

[MagpieRacer]

http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/272387/williams-set-to-announce-experienced-driver/

Seems to rule Barrichello out, surely they would just say "retaining Barrichello" if they were keeping him.

 

[astrosdude91]

Sutil perhaps?

 

[Peter.]

Come on, Sebastian Buemi has been horribly unlucky this year. He's a great driver, fast and consistent, and probably a better option than Jaime. Unfortunately, Torro Rosso's driver management and fairness is horrible, and Jaime not only beat Buemi in the points, but brings sponsorship to the team.

Sutil, also, I think has been the most impressive driver of the year not in one of the top teams. He has been consistently ahead of the so called future champion di Resta, and has kept the car out of trouble all year. Fast, and consistent, and pulled that team from the back of the grid to just knocking on the frontrunners' doors. He deserves to keep that seat, it would be incredibly unfair, no matter how good Nico probably is, for him to be dropped by the team.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Seems to rule Barrichello out, surely they would just say "retaining Barrichello" if they were keeping him.

Unless Williams are still negotiating a new contract with barrichello after his old one expired.

Sutil perhaps?

Like I said last night - Sutil's sponsors are owned by Lenovo, and Lenovo just left Williams for McLaren. It's going to be a hard sell to convince them to join Williams when the parent company just left.

Unfortunately, Torro Rosso's driver management and fairness is horrible, and Jaime not only beat Buemi in the points, but brings sponsorship to the team.

*gasp!*

He ... he beat his more-experienced team-mate in the points!? I can't believe it - what on earth could Toro Rosso be thinking by favouring him?

[/sarcasm]

Hoenstly, do you actually put any thought into what you post? Because I'm seeing a lot of evidence that suggests you don't.

 

[RTSolvalou]

The Williams article is vague at best. They will announce a "more experienced" driver for 2012, but they don't say if they mean more experienced than Barrichello or Maldonado. Now that Petrov looks set to stay where he is, I hope they don't dog Barrichello as it will take away his chance to drive with the better engine next year, if he'd only been at Williams for one year then I'd feel different but two years is a fair enough anchor.

 

[F1 fan]

No one is more experienced than Barrichello.

 

[Bigbazz]

Barrichello is the most experienced F1 driver in the history of the sport, so good luck with them finding someone with more experience. It could be Sutil, though personally I hope to see Rubens back next year. To be honest, there just aren't enough cars for me to see the drivers I want next year. Sutil should absolutely get a drive, it would be madness if he didn't.

I'd love to see Bruno Senna given a proper chance, he's only really had half assed chances and I'd love to see what he's capable of doing with a decent car and a full season, but that is probably unlikely. He's definitely got the speed, but he's inconsistant and doesn't always get the most out of races, but that comes with experience and having a solid starting point in a team would make a big difference there.


My guess is that Sutil won't be at Force India, so will either be alongside Raikkonen or Maldonado for next season, where Sutil goes will decide the fate of a few other drivers.

 

[Seismica]

I doubt they will.

The value in running Grosjean next year is that he is French. The French want their Grand Prix back, and the Prime Minister assembled a think-tank dedicated to getting the race back. They decided that the best way to get the French Grand Prix on the calendar is to get a French driver, someone that the French public could support. Although Eric Boullier was a member of that think-tank, and although he manages Grosjean, their approach never mandated that Romain Grosjean had to be that French driver who entered the sport - only that the best way to get the French Grand Prix back was to get a French driver, and with Marussia signing Charles Pic, that condition has now been satisfied. Romain Grosjean was only the favourite because he won the GP2 title. Now that Pic is confirmed to be in the sport, Grosjean's stocks would have gone down.

Well, there is a good chance that the Marussia will be at the back of the grid next season. No Frenchman is going to gain interest in F1 if the only French driver can't qualify above 20th.

What they need is a competitive driver, someone who can challenge for point and perhaps podiums. Wins really aren't on the table for Renault at the moment, but if they want a competitive French driver Renault is the last option.

The fact that Grosjean is testing for DTM shows he will be in F1 at least as a Friday test driver, as GP2 drivers aren't allowed to do that, I don't think.

You know what would be funny? If it all turned on it's head. Barrichello to Force India, Hulkenberg to Renault, Sutil to Ferrari! Massa to Williams... Oh and Senna to Caterham and D'ambrosio to HRT.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Well, there is a good chance that the Marussia will be at the back of the grid next season. No Frenchman is going to gain interest in F1 if the only French driver can't qualify above 20th.

If the alternative is a Frenchman in 20th or no Frenchmen at all, a Frenchman in 20th is always the better choice. Even if the French wanted a French driver in a competitive car, Grosjean will still be competing with Vitaly Petrov and Adrian Sutil for the seat, and both of them have a lot more to offer Renault. Besides, Grosjean is going to test BMW's M3 DTM car, suggesting he might leave open-wheel racing altogether.

 

[daan]

The Williams article is vague at best. They will announce a "more experienced" driver for 2012, but they don't say if they mean more experienced than Barrichello or Maldonado. Now that Petrov looks set to stay where he is, I hope they don't dog Barrichello as it will take away his chance to drive with the better engine next year, if he'd only been at Williams for one year then I'd feel different but two years is a fair enough anchor.

To give it Frank's full quote...

With my bold

"As the team’s reserve driver, we anticipate that Valtteri will participate in a Friday practice session at 15 Grands Prix next year, most likely with a more experienced driver taking over for the remainder of the race weekend. We will announce the identity of that driver in due course."

Means that the other driver will be more experienced than Bottas. Which wouldn't be difficult.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

I hope they don't dog Barrichello as it will take away his chance to drive with the better engine next year

Williams will take whichever driver they feel is best for them.

 

[MagpieRacer]

My hunch is certainly Sutil "if" his Force India deal falls through. Something niggling my mind saying Trulli may end up at Williams with Senna at Caterham if Sutil stays with FI, unlikely but who knows.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

I doubt Trulli will go to Williams. I think the only thing connecting him to the team is people seeing Williams comment about a "more experienced driver", assuming that they are not talking about Barrichello, and so putting two and two together to come up with four hundred and eighty-three.

 

[GOTMAXPOWER]

As I said before it looks like they're grooming Bottas for a 2013 seat, Whoever joins Maldonado will be on a one-year contract, That would be ideal for Barrichello I think, Sutil would want multiple years.

 

[Centura]

My hunch is certainly Sutil "if" his Force India deal falls through. Something niggling my mind saying Trulli may end up at Williams with Senna at Caterham if Sutil stays with FI, unlikely but who knows.

Caterham Renault
20 Heikki Kovalainen (FIN)
21 Jarno Trulli (ITA)

 

[Peter.]

*gasp!*

He ... he beat his more-experienced team-mate in the points!? I can't believe it - what on earth could Toro Rosso be thinking by favouring him?

[/sarcasm]

Hoenstly, do you actually put any thought into what you post? Because I'm seeing a lot of evidence that suggests you don't.

Sebastian Buemi's bad luck is arguably why Jaime is ahead in the points, or why he is ahead by so much, at least. Buemi has proven often that he is the more consistent driver, and is a safer bet for bringing hone the results. But Torro Rosso will read things off of a piece of paper, and look past Buemi's bad luck and boot him.

 

[Ardius]

I can't see how anyone can really make any decision between Alguesuari and Buemi. Both have highs and lows and neither have stood out from each other. It seems to me people just choose Alguesuari because:
1. He's slightly younger and "inexperienced".
2. He's Spanish instead of Swiss.
3. He's a DJ.

Because other than that I really can't see how anyone has come to conclusions that one is better than the other.
I also agree (yet again) with Martin Brundle's view that replacing both with Ricciardo and Vergne would result in similar conclusions.
Toro Rosso/Red Bull/Franz Tost/Helmut Marko find themselves in a position where they have 4 relatively equal (it seems) racing drivers and only a couple of seats to use.

Personally I feel Buemi is ever so slightly faster and more consistent than Alguesuari, but not by any margin which would cause me to ditch Alguesuari. Thats entirely based on what I think of them when watching races, not by facts. Alguesuari can and has beaten Buemi regularly too.
Both are good drivers, there is no need to get rid of either. A shame Ricciardo and Vergne can't get a look in but thats how it goes.

 

[The Outlaw]

Sebastian Buemi's bad luck is arguably why Jaime is ahead in the points, or why he is ahead by so much, at least. Buemi has proven often that he is the more consistent driver, and is a safer bet for bringing hone the results. But Torro Rosso will read things off of a piece of paper, and look past Buemi's bad luck and boot him.

Buemi did seem to be struck with a bit of bad luck at the worst of times, but more importantly, I think Jaime has shown that he has great potential especially for such a young driver, and has matured immensely in just his 2 1/2 years in Formula 1. Not to mention that he did outscore Buemi by a considerable amount....although when your floating around in the midpack like Toro Rosso was this year, snagging that 8th place here and there can make all the difference in the world at the end of the season (in terms of your points tallly).

Unfortunately, things in the Red Bull driver program are incredibly cutthroat and atm with Red Bull's long list of drivers on the waiting list, someone has to make way for the new the guys (especially Vergne, who seems to be a pretty strong prospect for them).

 

[MagpieRacer]

Jaime is the quicker driver by far, it isn't difficult to see.

 

[Ardius]

Jaime is the quicker driver by far, it isn't difficult to see.

Looks pretty equal here:
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/statisti...f1-statistics-qualifying/#teammatecomparisons
Seems to be a small advantage in speed for Buemi, in fact.

There were several races where Alguesuari was given a much better strategy than Buemi due to not making it out of Q1 and having numerous sets of fresh tyres. As we saw with other drivers (such as Kobayashi), starting in this position was sometimes a major advantage. So I'm not convinced we can judge it all based on the points table.