The 2012 Driver transfer discussion/speculation thread

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

I think it's only coincedence that a lot of divers have went to the DTM recently. Hakkinen and Coulthard both had strong links to Mercedes, and the other 2 are German, so it's an obvious choice for them.

Barrichello always struck me as a driver who would be an excellent endurance sports car driver.

Never looked at it that way, I agree I too think he'd be a good endurance racer especially in the GTE class. Though I also agree with others, I see him more going home to Brazil and doing the big racing there.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Raikkonen testing the Renault R30 in Valencia, complete with spy shot:

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/97140

And his new helmet design:

 

[Alex.]

That new helmet looks really cool. He's always had good ones.

 

[Bram Turismo]

Moving on....

I'm still struggling to see where Barrichello will go. DTM?

Receiving news that Barrichello signed for a seat at Toyota's Le Mans program would instantly make my day!

 

[Hun200kmh]

^^^Mine too 👍

 

[Tom]

Raikkonen testing the Renault R30 in Valencia, complete with spy shot:

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/97140

And his new helmet design:

That looks simply stunning.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

There's a whole gallery of shots from his test here:

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2012/01/23/kimi-raikkonen-f1-return-lotus/

 

[joetruckv8]

Speaking on enduro races, it looks like Sebastian Buemi will be doing the 24hr Le Mans race this year since he has extra time on his hands.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

 

[PeterJB]

Why can't the season start now?! I'm too excited!

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Why can't the season start now?!

Because the cars aren't ready.

 

[The Outlaw]

I don't know if this belongs in this thread or not...but who cares really


"From the first run he was pretty much there," Permane told BBC Sport. "It's very difficult to know where he should be but he was pretty much on the pace on the first run. He didn't find a whole lot of pace during the day.

"I don't see any reason why he won't be on the pace - you can tell he's a very, very experienced driver.

"It was very clear we were working with a former world champion. It was a good day."

Permane added that he could not understand why Raikkonen had a reputation for being uncommunicative, as he had got on well with the Lotus team so far.

"He must have two faces - one for [the media]," Permane said. "He's perfectly normal. "He was very happy to sit and talk about the car for as long as it takes. He's very open."


http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/97155


Eric Boullier, Team Principal and Managing Director: “I must say today was very positive. You can see that the whole team is pleased with Kimi’s feedback, and Kimi himself seemed very happy to be back behind the wheel. He got the feel of the car very quickly and it’s good to see him building a strong relationship with the team. Obviously, the R30 is different to the new car, but he is clearly excited to get started at the first test in Jerez. Our team is made up of true racing people, and Kimi fits into that very well.”

Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Engineer: “The day went pretty much as we planned, which is great. Kimi was on the pace we expected straight away. He completed around 300km, going through three sets of tyres. It leaves us with four sets for tomorrow, meaning we can run a bit longer. We worked on getting him comfortable in the car, giving him a feel for the setup changes, and helping him get to know his engineers. It’s always great to work with a top driver who is not just quick, but professional, and Kimi has all of those characteristics. His feedback is excellent, his requests are concise and to the point. We’re looking forward to a good season with him.”


http://motorsport.nextgen-auto.com/Raikkon...-day,35852.html


Some pretty good footage collected from the test: http://www.motorsport-magazin.com/f...rview-kimi-raeikkoenen-ein-gutes-zeichen.html

 

[peter_vod69]

I don't know if this belongs in this thread or not...but who cares really

Of course it does! Nice oversteer moment on the demo tyres too...

 

[lukecfc]

Because the cars aren't ready.

Buzz Killington as your avatar would probably be more fitting.

 

[hawkeye122]

As a side note, I don't see why we got rid of the shark fins. They look awesome.

Kimi looks to be on decent-ish form. Even though there was noone else on the track... I'm excited to see the first race, and even his results in testing.

Lotus will probably move into being my #3 Favorite team, depending on how they stack up against Force India.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

I don't see why we got rid of the shark fins.

Because shark fins were best when they were anchored to the rear wing. But when the FIA introduced DRS, they didn't want anybody doing anything too tricky with the rear wing, what with all the safety concerns surrounding DRS. So they banned any bodywork from being in the space between the engine cowling and the rear wing. Hispania had one, but that was the maximum allowable shape.

They look awesome.

They were horrible. I mean, just look at the Red Bull RB6:

It looks like a semi-trailer truck.

 

[jcm]

They look awesome.

They were horrible. It looks like a semi-trailer truck.

I thought they looked okay. Not good, but they weren't bad.

 

[hawkeye122]

Look at the one on the Lotus in the video above. I like it. But hey, I'm weird.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Oh, God, who made this crap? Jerry Bruckheimer? I mean, the dramatic music, the lens flares, the soft focus that sharpens ... it's like someone had more money than sense. And I'd hardly classify Raikkonen as a "legend", either. Senna, Prost, Fangio, Schumacher - they're all legends. Kimi Raikkonen is the guy who won the title because Hamilton and Alonso were too busy squabbling amongst themselves to fight back.

 

[Seismica]

Oh, God, who made this crap? Jerry Bruckheimer? I mean, the dramatic music, the lens flares, the soft focus that sharpens ... it's like someone had more money than sense. And I'd hardly classify Raikkonen as a "legend", either. Senna, Prost, Fangio, Schumacher - they're all legends. Kimi Raikkonen is the guy who won the title because Hamilton and Alonso were too busy squabbling amongst themselves to fight back.

It is a little over the top I rate Kimi highly, but he's not a legend...

It looks like Kimi is taking part in the test that was promised to Kubica had he recovered fully ahead of the 2012 season. I bet they made a provision for it in their books and just couldn't waste it I bet had the situation been different, and they hadn't planned that for Kubica, Raikkonen would have had to wait until the first test.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

It is a little over the top I rate Kimi highly, but he's not a legend...

Just to be clear, I would have said that about any driver had the video been about them. It's simply wildly over-produced with dramatic camera angles, dramatic music, dramatic editing techniques and so on.

It looks like Kimi is taking part in the test that was promised to Kubica had he recovered fully ahead of the 2012 season. I bet they made a provision for it in their books and just couldn't waste it I bet had the situation been different, and they hadn't planned that for Kubica, Raikkonen would have had to wait until the first test.

It questionable as to whether Raikkonen would be in the team if Kubica could race. But assuming for the moment that they both would be, then I think both of them could get a test session. This isn't "Kubica's test" - it's a test designed to get Raikkonen re-acquainted with a Formula 1 car. If Kubica were racing, he'd be getting his own test, too.

 

[Peter.]

Oh, God, who made this crap? Jerry Bruckheimer? I mean, the dramatic music, the lens flares, the soft focus that sharpens ... it's like someone had more money than sense. And I'd hardly classify Raikkonen as a "legend", either. Senna, Prost, Fangio, Schumacher - they're all legends. Kimi Raikkonen is the guy who won the title because Hamilton and Alonso were too busy squabbling amongst themselves to fight back.

You're telling me that Raikkonen's 2007 wasn't a championship drive from him? Of course it was helped by the fact that McLaren failed to choose a number 1 driver, but how many championships weren't lucked into a bit? Schumacher's 2003 title, Alonso's 2006 title, Hamilton's title. Senna probably wouldn't have won a title in 1991 had the Williams been more reliable.

 

[Ardius]

I think Kimi achieved legend status thanks to 2005 and the odd vodka-induced boating incident and coke & ice cream event.
You could say his interviews are "legendary"

 

[Liquid]

That video has got more cheese than a Stilton factory.

Vile.

 

[MagpieRacer]

Must say, this suprised me a little bit:
http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/273733/d-ambrosio-becomes-lotus-reserve-driver/

D'Ambrosio to be 3rd driver at Lotus alongside Raikkonen and Grosjean.

 

[Liquid]

All the best to him.

He was a consistant, if unspectacular driver in an average car at best. He's a young driver, at least he's still in the sport somehow. Alonso did a year's testing after his own, unspectacular debut season.

Not that I'm suggesting that D'Ambrosio is a future champ, but it's good that reasonably young, raw talent is being kept in the sport somehow.

 

[MagpieRacer]

Yeah, IT's good, I already forgot the name of the other Virgin driver from 2010....

 

[Liquid]

Lucas Di Grassi

 

[MagpieRacer]

That's the one. He kinda faded out to nowhere in F1. I am glad Jerome has survived for the time being at least.

 

[Seismica]

I like to think of the second Virgin seat as a season long fight against Timo Glock. Only Timo Glock is actually David Haye, and it's in a caged boxing ring instead of on a race track.