JeremyMcClean wrote:Oh dear, I'm in a "unpopular opinion" mode...
Williams is going down FAST. Raikkonen would commit career suicide by going there.
I agree with you fully there - whilst a couple of years ago, when they were still modestly successful, it could be argued that a partnership with a major manufacturer could have helped drag them up the grid (as in the BMW-Williams era before things turned sour), the team really does need overhauling pretty thoroughly, as does their technical base. Still, the comparisons that come to mind all to easily - the original Team Lotus, or Tyrrell - are hardly flattering, since those teams ultimately were fated to go one way only...
Kimi could be a double edged sword for the team, since a good driver alone does not transform a team - we've seen how few comebacks have worked out - though to be honest Kimi is at least in a position where it doesn't really matter what he does now (he's already won the title he was after, and most of the things he has tried his hand at, like rallying and oval racing, probably won't be effected by a return to F1).
JeremyMcClean wrote:Senna is probably being hampered by his own mechanics. I think Renault is banking on Kubica returning, so they're trying to get rid of Senna as much fast as they can.
I don't think GGGGGRRRRRRRSSSSSSSSJJJJJJJJJNNNNNNN will get a F1 seat.
Yes, Renault probably are hoping that Kubica will be fully fit and show the form he had of old, but it is still unclear whether that'll ever happen (Renault will not wait forever for him). As I've said before in other threads, I think that Bruno might be retained for the team sine his sponsorship is potentially more valuable than what Grosjean can bring to the team, but if Bruno doesn't ramp up his performance overall in 2012 then Grosjean might get the nod mid season.
JeremyMcClean wrote:Mercedes will be like Toyota - Big Budget, Big Dreams, Small Delivery
I'd disagree about that so far because, as things stand, Mercedes is not going down the same route as Toyota - Toyota tried to do everything from scratch (even down to forging their own pistons when even outfits like Mercedes and Ferrari turn to specialists, mostly Mahle, for parts like that), whereas at least Mercedes are trying to build on an existing team.
Also, by contrast Mercedes are not throwing money at the team to fix their problems as they have made it clear that they do not want to make the mistakes that Toyota did. If anything, it is quite the contrary given that Mercedes has the smallest budget and lowest head count of the top four teams (said to be around $130 million for the budget and around 430 technical staff - the reason why they've been able to recruit more aggressively recently is because they are currently operating under the limits in the Resource Restriction Agreement, where the headcount is limited to 450).
JeremyMcClean wrote:Sergio Perez is a bloody fantastic driver. He's better than Kobayashi!
Perez is certainly putting Kobayashi under pressure this year, and that form does seem to have driven some rumours that Ferrari are now showing signs of interest in Perez (especially given that Bianchi's career in junior series has stuttered recently).
His overall performance has improved noticeably in the latter half of this season, especially in part because Kobayashi, by his own admission, struggles in qualifying and therefore spends much of the race, and his strategy, on trying to rectify that deficit.
Mind you, points are scarcer now thanks to Force India, Renault and Toro Rosso in particular coming on strong (though James Allen has indicated that the reason for Toro Rosso coming on song seems to be thanks to the transfer of information from Red Bull to Toro Rosso over the design of blown diffusers...).