Your predictions for the driver line-up, 2010

[mipuumal]

Renault needs Pat Symonds and Flavio Briotore back to the team. Without them, Renault would be just the same as this year. I hope that they can make their cars better for next year and serve Kubica a winning car.

Pat & Flav were there when they designed this year's horrible car, how would their presence guarantee any improvement?

 

[Prince.M5]

Pat & Flav were there when they designed this year's horrible car, how would their presence guarantee any improvement?

Really?? But they are the key to the team. Especially Flav. He's very experience in F1 so he's good in strategy etc. But not what happened like last year in Singapore.

I didn't said that I can gurantee their comeback would turnaroud the team but at least, give the team some ideas on how the car should be and some very good strategies... The designer of the R26 was Bob Bell.

Bell was appointed acting team principal for the rest of 2009, on September 23, 2009.

^ Errr...

 

[Ardius]

From what I saw of the radio transcripts, Flav has no input at all on strategies or in fact anything on the pit wall beyond some very amusing comments on other drivers.

Pat will be missed but I'm not really sure what Flav brought to the team beyond his expertise in management and business. Flav hardly made cars brilliant did he, otherwise he wouldn't have hired Ross Brawn and Tom Walkinshaw to help make Benetton what it was in the mid-90s.
Also, I don't know if you've noticed but the Renault strategies this year for Alonso were terrible.

Bob Bell has seemingly done a decent job so far, why not just promote witihn the organisation or poach some Toyota staff?
In fact, if the Kobayashi + Panasonic rumours are true, it might be handy to hire some Japanese/German staff.

Just as long as they don't get Prost, unless they really want to pull out

 

[Ian Poole]

In fact, if the Kobayashi + Panasonic rumours are true, it might be handy to hire some Japanese/German staff.

Interesting theory

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Rumour says F3 Euroseries and Superleague Formula outfit Ultimate Motorsport is looking to buy 50% of Force India.

Don't have a link, sorry.

 

[Ian Poole]

Hmm, never heard of them so cannot possibly comment on it

 

[Peter]

Has VJ Malla payed back Ferrari and Mercedes yet? And wht do you guys think about Schumacher in the first driver seat at Mercedes? Anyone think the 41 year old legend has what it takes?

 

[SUPER NUMBBER]

Nope. He knows it. He's old and injured, if he gets into a car, it'll only bring his legend back to ground.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Reports suggesting US backers may be interested in remains of Sauber team if QADBAK is indeed a scam. The same report claims that "a Serbian man" (Zoran Stefanovic has been seen at Toyota Motorsports GmbH - their base of operations in Cologne, Germany - at odd hours, and may be up for buying the team with a major support package from Toyota (basicaly supplying the chassis and engine and gearbox, and gifting him staff and drivers if needed). If this doesn't happen and Toyota are feelin particualrly dastardly, they could postpose their official withdrawal until March 11th, 2010 (despite having announced it, they aparently haven't lodged the paperwork - or it hasing been accepted - owing to the situation regarding Toyota's legal status), by which time all the cars will have been through scruitineering, and Sauber cannot be accepted.

Unfortunately, you need access to Autosport's premium service - which I don't have - if you want to see the article in full.

 

[waggles]

Reports suggesting US backers may be interested in remains of Sauber team if QADBAK is indeed a scam. The same report claims that "a Serbian man" (Zoran Stefanovic has been seen at Toyota Motorsports GmbH - their base of operations in Cologne, Germany - at odd hours, and may be up for buying the team with a major support package from Toyota (basicaly supplying the chassis and engine and gearbox, and gifting him staff and drivers if needed). If this doesn't happen and Toyota are feelin particualrly dastardly, they could postpose their official withdrawal until March 11th, 2010 (despite having announced it, they aparently haven't lodged the paperwork - or it hasing been accepted - owing to the situation regarding Toyota's legal status), by which time all the cars will have been through scruitineering, and Sauber cannot be accepted.

Unfortunately, you need access to Autosport's premium service - which I don't have - if you want to see the article in full.

http://www.planetf1.com/story/0,18954,3213_5724180,00.html

Sold to Mr. Sauber.

BMW have agreed the sale of their Formula One to Peter Sauber after the deal with Qadbak Investment failed to materialise.

On Friday, BMW confirmed that Sauber, who already owns a stake in the BMW-Sauber F1 team, would take complete control of the outfit, which prior to BMW's involvement had belonged to him.

The deal, though, depends on a decision from the FIA regarding whether or not the team will get a slot on next year's grid.

Having failed to sign the new Concorde Agreement, which was concluded just days before BMW announced that they would withdraw at the end of the season, the BMW-Sauber team is not guaranteed a place on the 2010 grid.

However, the decision by Toyota to leave F1 has opened up a space up on the grid which Sauber is confident he will be given.

"I am very relieved that we have found this solution," he said of the sale. "It means we can keep the Hinwil location and the majority of workplaces.

"I am convinced that the new team has a very good future in Formula One, whose current transformation with new framework conditions will benefit the private teams.

"Our staff here are highly competent and motivated, and I look forward to taking on this new challenge together with them. I would like to thank BMW for four shared years that have in the main been very successful."

Dr Klaus Draeger, a member of BMW's management board added: "We are very happy with this solution. This fulfils the most important requirement for a successful future for the team.

"Our relationship with Peter Sauber has always been excellent and marked by absolute respect. We would like to express our thanks to Peter Sauber and the whole team for the excellent cooperation during the recent four years."

The two parties also confirmed that the sale of the team to Sauber will see personnel cuts from the current level of 388 to around 250 employees, adding that restructuring of the team and compliance with future framework conditions have made this essential.

 

[Ardius]

Why couldn't BMW have made this decision months ago!? Sauber wouldn't be in this mess then!

 

[SUPER NUMBBER]

Force India sticks with its drivers, Sutil and Liuzzi

http://planetf1.com/story/0,18954,3213_5724910,00.html

And Alguersuari channels his inner Raikkonnen and says : "I have a contract"

http://planetf1.com/story/0,18954,3213_5723635,00.html

 

[Prince.M5]

Why couldn't BMW have made this decision months ago!? Sauber wouldn't be in this mess then!

Well BMW wants to sell the team to Peter worth 100 million euro I guess. But Peter couldn't afford it. So BMW won't sign the Concord Agreement because when you signed it, you will have to stick with F1 until the end of 2012. So BMW and Peter decided to wait for some investors to buy the team. But now what happened to the QADBAK, I think BMW decided just to let the team go to Peter Sauber himself...

 

[Ardius]

Which is my point - why did BMW think they could find investors? Honda didn't last year, what makes this year any better?
Surely it would have been better to sell the team to Peter and let him find investors with a confirmed grid place thanks to the Concord Agreement? Thats probably been the sticking point with investors - they don't want to commit to a team who has no confirmation of grid slots next year.

 

[Prince.M5]

Which is my point - why did BMW think they could find investors? Honda didn't last year, what makes this year any better?
Surely it would have been better to sell the team to Peter and let him find investors with a confirmed grid place thanks to the Concord Agreement? Thats probably been the sticking point with investors - they don't want to commit to a team who has no confirmation of grid slots next year.

Well how should I know. Because it's BMW and it's expensive. BMW wants to sell the team to Peter but it's expensive and Peter couldn't afford it instead, they wait for the investors. Like I said, BMW wants to sell the team for 100M but Peter wants to buy the team for 50M which is half the price but BMW didn't agree that time. If they could find an investor, they could have secured 100M!! Furthermore, FIA said that there are possibilities that there could be a slot for the 14th team...

What if they signed the Concorde Agreement and they couldn't find any investors and yet worst to come, Peter is pulling out of F1?? Now that could've been more serious trouble.

 

[Ardius]

Sure, it makes sense from BMW's business perspective, but from the team's perspective its a complete mess and it will be a sad way to end the team if it doesn't make it.
A contrast compared to Honda's handling of their team, though in that case they were already committed to 2009.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Which is my point - why did BMW think they could find investors? Honda didn't last year, what makes this year any better?

Because unlike Honda, BMW had months to find investors. Honda had just a handful of weeks, if not days

 

[Ian Poole]

Because unlike Honda, BMW had months to find investors. Honda had just a handful of weeks, if not days

Could have handled it a little better though

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Could have handled it a little better though

BMW intentionally did nothing, surrendering their grid place. The darker sugestion is that this was because they didn't want a repeat of the Honda-Brawn situation an embarrass themselves.

 

[Ian Poole]

Very true sir, very true

In other news:

Multiple GP2 Series race-winner and Renault test driver Lucas Di Grassi looks to be in pole position to secure the second seat at F1 2010 newcomer Manor Grand Prix alongside Toyota refugee Timo Glock next year, team principal John Booth has hinted.

Manor – which is expected to be officially re-launched as Virgin F1, with title sponsorship from billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson’s Virgin Group – is widely regarded as being the dark horse amongst the new teams set to swell the field next season, having quietly got on with preparations and progress whilst its rivals have been seeking the headlines.

Having already signed up the highly-rated Glock, slotting Di Grassi in alongside the German would give Manor a very solid driver line-up indeed for its maiden campaign at the highest level. What’s more, the 25-year-old already knows the Sheffield-based outfit after having competed for them in the F3 Euroseries four years ago, finishing fourth in the title chase – behind only Lewis Hamilton and Adrian Sutil, and ahead of Sebastian Vettel – and triumphing in the blue riband end-of-season Macau outing.

In three seasons in the GP2 feeder category, Di Grassi has never finished lower than third in the championship –with three different teams – and the man himself rates his chances of F1 graduation in 2010 as ‘good’, whilst Booth contends that the Brazilian’s glory in Macau in 2005 was ‘the highlight of my racing career – a superb win’.

“Hopefully, we should be able to announce the second driver in a couple of weeks,” the Englishman told the South China Morning Post. “There is a possibility he may have won the Macau Grand Prix before...”

Di Grassi aside, the only other drivers Booth could feasibly be referring to are Mike Conway – who triumphed in the Far Eastern Portuguese enclave in 2006, and is due to test for Mercedes Grand Prix at Jerez early in December – and Super Aguri F1 refugee Takuma Sato, who is still seeking a way back onto the grid following the collapse of the Honda satellite operation early last year. On the Virgin rumours, meanwhile, he would give nowhere near as much away.

“I couldn’t possibly comment on that,” Booth stressed. “In the next two weeks there will be an announcement on the commercial tie-up of the company.”

 

[prisonermonkeys]

“I couldn’t possibly comment on that,” Booth stressed. “In the next two weeks there will be an announcement on the commercial tie-up of the company.”

Virgin.

 

[Ardius]

Ironically, Manor have gone from most unknown team to most well known in the space of a few months.
While USF1 has gone the opposite way.

Its almost certain that Manor have signed Di Grassi too now, Booth has been pretty obvious about it.

The only thing left unknown is how good that CFD-only designed car will be.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Final entry list expected to be published at some point today. Sauber are expecting an entry, and will be awarded the 26 and 27 numbering. Jarno Trulli, Nick Heidfeld, Heikki Kovalainen, Kamui Kobayashi, Christian Klien and Pedro de la Rosa are all said to be in the frame for the drives, as is GP2 starlet Vitaly Petrov, who would open up the Russian markets in 2011, something it seems Peter Sauber reckons is worth thinking about. Given his reputation as a finder of new talent, the likes of Petrov and Kobayashi could do worse than Sauber.

 

[Ardius]

He also confirmed a new Ferrari deal. So at least some form of Ferrari has number 27 again. 👍

 

[Prince.M5]

I have a feeling. I reckon that Sauber could have Heidfeld as their first driver and Christian Klien as the seond driver. Hmmm...

 

[prisonermonkeys]

It might be Stefanovic after all.

Is it just me, or does the name "Stefan GP" sound a little - dare I say it - camp? Surely something like Stefanovic Sport or AMCO Serbia would be better-sounding. If he's buying out the Toyota operation (with engines and chassis) and Toyota want no part in Formula One, I could see the team appearing as AMCO Serbia with the Toyota engines rebadged as a "Stefanovic".

 

[maximumattack]

I've been out of the loop for about a week and wow is there alot for me to catch up on, I'll read through all the to-ing & fro-ing and get back to you all shortly 👍

 

[Tetradic]

I have to say that I've lost the tiny shred of respect I had left for BMW as a company (especially Dr. Mario Theissen) and gained quite a bit for Peter Sauber over the past week or so.

Talk about one stand-up guy (i.e. Mr. Sauber)...

 

[Ian Poole]

It might be Stefanovic after all.

Is it just me, or does the name "Stefan GP" sound a little - dare I say it - camp? Surely something like Stefanovic Sport or AMCO Serbia would be better-sounding. If he's buying out the Toyota operation (with engines and chassis) and Toyota want no part in Formula One, I could see the team appearing as AMCO Serbia with the Toyota engines rebadged as a "Stefanovic".

I read that on teletext yesterday, don't let it be so!

But how about this one:

It could be ‘all change’ at Renault dependent upon what the French manufacturer elects to do with its F1 programme between now and the end of the year, reports suggest – with Robert Kubica potentially jumping ship and Flavio Briatore returning to the fold.

With uncertainty continuing to shroud the future of the Enstone-based outfit – Renault President Carlos Ghosn stated last week that he ‘doesn’t think [F1] is going to be very important for anybody, if it doesn’t answer some of the concerns that surround [it] [see separate story – click here] – it has been claimed by Spanish newspaper Diario AS that unless the company commits to 2010 ‘in the coming weeks’, Kubica will be ‘automatically released’ from his contract.

The highly-regarded Pole is understood to be close to the top of the shopping list of Mercedes Grand Prix – formerly double 2009 F1 World Champions Brawn GP – to partner Nico Rosberg at Brackley next season, should only the 24-year-old be able to find a way out of his agreement with Renault.

Meanwhile, it has also been rumoured that should disgraced erstwhile Renault F1 managing director Briatore be successful in his appeal bid to get his effective lifetime ban from all FIA-sanctioned forms of motorsport overturned – with a decision expected on 5 January – he could return to the top flight with immediate effect.

The Italian’s punishment was meted out by the governing body’s World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) in Paris back in September for his prominent role in the ‘Singapore-gate’ race-fixing scandal, but Briatore has persistently protested his innocence and the crux of his appeal is that the verdict was delivered following a kangaroo court session, motivated by former FIA President Max Mosley’s desire for personal revenge.

Should he indeed win his appeal, it has been speculated that the 59-year-old could once again assume the reins at Renault in the event of a manufacturer withdrawal, renaming the team in his own image à la Ross Brawn after Honda, with Renault engines in an effort to circumvent the issues presented by contravention of the commercial rights-governing Concorde Agreement.

 

[Only_in_f1]

I think the 'return' of Flav opens up maybe a Panasonic/Renault link up reportedly worth $48million.

Which In turn could see Koba and Nick and Renault(?) With Sato teaming up with his old Sponsors Virgin at Manor/Virgin F1 with Glock.

Sefan GP have 'denied' wanting to buy the Toyota entry however It would throw a massive spanner in the works.