2011 Silly Season

TomWazzleshaw · Post by **TomWazzleshaw** » 24 Jan 2011, 23:43

patrick wrote:He'll probably be the stronger of the newcomers this year though. Car permitting, obviously

Come to think of it the one thing we've all been neglecting about Force India this off-season is what they've done to stop the backroom brain drain. I mean in 12 months they lost their technical director, chief designer and head of aerodyamics amongst other people.

Peter · Post by **Peter** » 25 Jan 2011, 00:12

Jeroen Krautmeir wrote:Indian Force to Announce Paul soon

Doesn't seem ot confirm anything. IT sounds more like they expect D iResta to join because FI is announcing their lineup soon, so they just say, Di Resta to be announced soon.

patrick · Post by **patrick** » 25 Jan 2011, 00:51

Peter wrote:
Jeroen Krautmeir wrote:Indian Force to Announce Paul soon

Doesn't seem ot confirm anything. IT sounds more like they expect D iResta to join because FI is announcing their lineup soon, so they just say, Di Resta to be announced soon.

You're right, but we have good basis for assumption due to the fact the press conference is being held in Glasgow. But you're right, we'll see on wednesday anyway.

Captain Hammer · Post by **Captain Hammer** » 25 Jan 2011, 22:00

Peter wrote:Doesn't seem ot confirm anything. IT sounds more like they expect D iResta to join because FI is announcing their lineup soon, so they just say, Di Resta to be announced soon.

Yes, that must be it. It's well-known that Liuzzi has dozens of sponsors in Scotland.

Peter · Post by **Peter** » 26 Jan 2011, 01:34

Captain Hammer wrote:
Peter wrote:Doesn't seem ot confirm anything. IT sounds more like they expect D iResta to join because FI is announcing their lineup soon, so they just say, Di Resta to be announced soon.

Yes, that must be it. It's well-known that Liuzzi has dozens of sponsors in Scotland.

Whether it's in Scotland or Italy, or North Korea, or Vietnam, Sealand, it doesn't prove anything. Sure, it's certain it's gonna be Paul because it's in Scotland, but, who knows, maybe it's because Force India is based in the UK, and Scotland is easier to go to than Germany, India or Italy.

See you on Friday

Captain Hammer · Post by **Captain Hammer** » 26 Jan 2011, 06:08

Peter wrote:Whether it's in Scotland or Italy, or North Korea, or Vietnam, Sealand, it doesn't prove anything. Sure, it's certain it's gonna be Paul because it's in Scotland, but, who knows, maybe it's because Force India is based in the UK, and Scotland is easier to go to than Germany, India or Italy.

*facepalm*

Do you genuinely believe that Liuzzi stands a chance? I can point out at least two flaws in your argument: firstly, it's just as easy to access Germany from the UK just as it is easy to access Scotland. Secondly, your argument seems to be based on Force India having their headquarters in the UK. With that in mind, wouldn't it just be easier to make the announcement from their base of operations in Siverstone?

Peter wrote:See you on Friday

It's when you make comments like this that I begin to wonder if I shouldn't have just permabanned you. The next time you screw up, I will.

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 26 Jan 2011, 09:17

Captain Hammer wrote:
Peter wrote:Whether it's in Scotland or Italy, or North Korea, or Vietnam, Sealand, it doesn't prove anything. Sure, it's certain it's gonna be Paul because it's in Scotland, but, who knows, maybe it's because Force India is based in the UK, and Scotland is easier to go to than Germany, India or Italy.

*facepalm*

firstly, it's just as easy to access Germany from the UK just as it is easy to access Scotland.

Captain, are you forgetting that there is over 20 miles of water between England and Germany, yet not between England and Scotland? And Force India is in the Midlands and thus physically closer to Scotland. Ergo, is it easier to go to Scotland or Germany?

TomWazzleshaw · Post by **TomWazzleshaw** » 26 Jan 2011, 09:30

dr-baker wrote:
Captain Hammer wrote:
Peter wrote:Whether it's in Scotland or Italy, or North Korea, or Vietnam, Sealand, it doesn't prove anything. Sure, it's certain it's gonna be Paul because it's in Scotland, but, who knows, maybe it's because Force India is based in the UK, and Scotland is easier to go to than Germany, India or Italy.

*facepalm*

firstly, it's just as easy to access Germany from the UK just as it is easy to access Scotland.

Captain, are you forgetting that there is over 20 miles of water between England and Germany, yet not between England and Scotland? And Force India is in the Midlands and thus physically closer to Scotland. Ergo, is it easier to go to Scotland or Germany?

Germany. You run the risk of getting pummelled by Glaswegian youths with cricket bats in Scotland.

Captain Hammer · Post by **Captain Hammer** » 26 Jan 2011, 11:11

dr-baker wrote:Captain, are you forgetting that there is over 20 miles of water between England and Germany, yet not between England and Scotland? And Force India is in the Midlands and thus physically closer to Scotland. Ergo, is it easier to go to Scotland or Germany?

Damn, if only there was a way that we could travel over water with ease!

Glennerz · Post by **Glennerz** » 26 Jan 2011, 11:27

Wizzie wrote:You run the risk of getting pummelled by Glaswegian youths with cricket bats in Scotland.

We prefer baseball bats.

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 26 Jan 2011, 12:39

Captain Hammer wrote:
dr-baker wrote:Captain, are you forgetting that there is over 20 miles of water between England and Germany, yet not between England and Scotland? And Force India is in the Midlands and thus physically closer to Scotland. Ergo, is it easier to go to Scotland or Germany?

Damn, if only there was a way that we could travel over water with ease!

Sarcasm, lowest form of wit, highest form of intelligence (apparently...).

But it is more hassle - ferries or Eurotunnel, and not as cheap as not having to cross any water at all!

Post by **mario** » 26 Jan 2011, 14:10

Captain Hammer wrote:
Peter wrote:Doesn't seem ot confirm anything. IT sounds more like they expect D iResta to join because FI is announcing their lineup soon, so they just say, Di Resta to be announced soon.

Yes, that must be it. It's well-known that Liuzzi has dozens of sponsors in Scotland.

I thought that the reason that the launch was being held in Scotland (Glasgow to be specific) was because Whyte and MacKay - one of the bigger sponsors of the team (and part of Mallya's consortium) - happens to have its headquarters in Glasgow. So, it seems that the main driving force behind the launch in Scotland is commercial (to promote Mallya's operations), and not necessarily a reference to Di Resta.
Admittedly, as I've said before, I would expect DI Resta to drive for Force India on the strength of his performances during the practise sessions he drove in 2010, and the post season Pirelli test, but it may be the case that the team are unable to buy Liuzzi out of his contract. I guess that we will have to wait until launch day to find out for certain, however.

On another note, you might be pleased to hear that Renault have announced that Petrov will get to drive the R31 first during the Valencia test session. Kubica will then take over for the next two days, with Petrov and Kubica getting two days each at the remaining three tests. http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/89070

[EDIT] As others have noted, the official announcement has come, and finally Force India have finally confirmed that Di Resta will be Sutil's team mate for 2011, with Liuzzi out of the team. It's interesting to see that Hulkenberg is the reserve driver - I reckon that he will probably drive the occasional practise session as a reminder to both drivers that there is a replacement driver in the wings if their performance isn't good enough.
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/89078

madmark1974 · Post by **madmark1974** » 26 Jan 2011, 14:47

BBC are reporting Di Resta as official, now, along with reserve Hulk :

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/9371985.stm

patrick · Post by **patrick** » 26 Jan 2011, 14:51

I like this news, it's what the sport needs - two young drivers with talent getting good drives. Hulk has made the best possible move it seems, hopefully he will be back in 2012.

ADx_Wales · Post by **ADx_Wales** » 26 Jan 2011, 15:25

Hulks best possible move was to just hold up the white flag at the start line in Interlagos. But that ship sailed.

DanielPT · Post by **DanielPT** » 26 Jan 2011, 15:36

Will Liuzzi apply to the only seat available? How Mallya broke Liuzzi contract? Had he good reasons to break it? Who is the bad guy? Di Resta? Will Mallya say he loves Liuzzi and declare that he doesn't want him to risk his life needlessly? Will the Furious Hack finally destroy Mallya and get his revenge only with the power of his blog?

Don't miss the next scenes in another F1 Crappy Soap episode, next week on FIA TV.

ADx_Wales · Post by **ADx_Wales** » 26 Jan 2011, 15:42

The only seat left, HRT, He's had plenty of mileage in some shoddy machinery in the past, It will be a nice return for him, or it could be his defining moment where he shuts everyone up and gets HRT in the points.

Ferrim · Post by **Ferrim** » 26 Jan 2011, 16:16

DanielPT wrote:How Mallya broke Liuzzi contract? Had he good reasons to break it?

Yes.

eagleash · Post by **eagleash** » 26 Jan 2011, 16:52

Ferrim wrote:
DanielPT wrote:How Mallya broke Liuzzi contract? Had he good reasons to break it?

Yes.

The link states that the team are "negotiating a settlement" with Liuzzi, which means it is, presumably, either a question of how much they pay him to go away or possibly whether they pay HRT to take him on. The ideal situation for Liuzzi would be to get more from F India than a concurrently negotiated deal with HRT would cost him.

P_Friesacher · Post by **P_Friesacher** » 26 Jan 2011, 17:58

Although I'm sure he would much rather drive for and get payed for driving for the team he apparently had a valid contract with.
Still, looking forward to seeing what di Resta can do with the FI car.

Peter · Post by **Peter** » 27 Jan 2011, 00:31

Captain Hammer wrote:
Peter wrote:See you on Friday

It's when you make comments like this that I begin to wonder if I shouldn't have just permabanned you. The next time you screw up, I will.

Good job to you taking me joking around seriously. I honestly don't think what I did this time deserved a ban, as it was just me attempting to settle things, which instead added fuel to the fire, the fire, that ended up not doing any harm to our community. The thread was only me trying to let people know that we're being watched and a "flame war" may be on the horizon, and to lol at them, the same way they did at us. I don't remember ever saying "Guys, join this site and troll with me lol lol lol!!!" But GTPrologue_5 thought it meant that, and did so anyway. GTP needs an option to banned users to appeal to their bans. If it gets out of hand, just bar them from appealing further.

You've always held a grudge against me. Is it because of our agreement to disagree? My foolish posts from early on in my GTP days? Or just a plain dislike for me?

Aerospeed · Post by **Aerospeed** » 27 Jan 2011, 02:28

P_Friesacher wrote:Although I'm sure he would much rather drive for and get payed for driving for the team he apparently had a valid contract with.
Still, looking forward to seeing what di Resta can do with the FI car.

I've posted about di Resta on my blog, saying how good di Resta is, now I'm not too sure. It sounds fake. More and more fake drivers with OK stats are getting drives, meanwhile drivers like Hulkenburg and Chandhok are being tagged as also-rans and they get left in the dust!

F1000X · Post by **F1000X** » 27 Jan 2011, 07:51

Peter wrote:
Captain Hammer wrote:
Peter wrote:See you on Friday

It's when you make comments like this that I begin to wonder if I shouldn't have just permabanned you. The next time you screw up, I will.

Good job to you taking me joking around seriously. I honestly don't think what I did this time deserved a ban, as it was just me attempting to settle things, which instead added fuel to the fire, the fire, that ended up not doing any harm to our community. The thread was only me trying to let people know that we're being watched and a "flame war" may be on the horizon, and to lol at them, the same way they did at us. I don't remember ever saying "Guys, join this site and troll with me lol lol lol!!!" But GTPrologue_5 thought it meant that, and did so anyway. GTP needs an option to banned users to appeal to their bans. If it gets out of hand, just bar them from appealing further.

You've always held a grudge against me. Is it because of our agreement to disagree? My foolish posts from early on in my GTP days? Or just a plain dislike for me?

You guys are taking the internet way too seriously.

Myrvold · Post by **Myrvold** » 27 Jan 2011, 07:57

What? Internet is serious stuff, right? :shock:

TomWazzleshaw · Post by **TomWazzleshaw** » 27 Jan 2011, 07:59

Myrvold wrote:What? Internet is serious stuff, right?

Since when was it serious? :lol:

jpm · Post by **jpm** » 27 Jan 2011, 09:45

Time for sweepstakes on the 2nd HRT seat!

My bets are between Klien, Aleshin, Valsecchi and Heidfeld

S951 · Post by **S951** » 27 Jan 2011, 09:59

jpm wrote:Time for sweepstakes on the 2nd HRT seat!

My bets are between Klien, Aleshin, Valsecchi and Heidfeld

since its silly season I am going to add Ralf, Taku and why not monterio, mm maybe di grassi

DanielPT · Post by **DanielPT** » 27 Jan 2011, 10:45

It's between Liuzzi and Valsecchi.

patrick · Post by **patrick** » 27 Jan 2011, 11:10

jpm wrote:Time for sweepstakes on the 2nd HRT seat!

My bets are between Klien, Aleshin, Valsecchi and Heidfeld

I think Heidfeld is done. He'll be in DTM with BMW in 2012 I reckon.

Post by **mario** » 27 Jan 2011, 11:31

jpm wrote:Time for sweepstakes on the 2nd HRT seat!

My bets are between Klien, Aleshin, Valsecchi and Heidfeld

My bet would be that the person who gets the second seat is the one who brings the most sponsorship money, as we have seen how teams have embraced drivers with bags of cash, instead of bags of talent, very readily. It's actually kind of worrying that there are quite a few pay drivers out there, and even a reasonably high up team like Renault has to rely on a pay driver to make ends meet.

Anyway, drivers like Heidfeld and Klien are almost certainly out of the picture - they would have the sort of experience that a small team needs, but on the other hand they have no significant sponsorship. And there are plenty of opportunities coming up to drive for various outfits outside of Formula 1 - there is BMW's GT2 program, and their DTM program in 2012, or various privateer outfits in the LMP1 class (Aston Martin's satellite teams, for example, and the new International Le Mans Series). So, I think that Heidfeld is more likely to be leaving F1 altogether, and racing elsewhere for the foreseeable future, whilst Klien might be kept on at HRT as their reserve driver, but nothing more.
Others have suggested that Liuzzi might be on his way to HRT, either as part of a compensation package from Force India or because of his experience. It's possible that might happen, but it's possible that Liuzzi will fight Force India for unfair dismissal instead.

Asides from HRT, though, the only seats left now are the reserve/test driver roles at Team Lotus, Virgin Racing, HRT and Mercedes (since they have still not announced who will replace Heidfeld). As I've said before, Klien might stay on as HRT's test driver (although frankly, the test driver positions are not really worth that much now that testing is almost non existent).

TomWazzleshaw · Post by **TomWazzleshaw** » 27 Jan 2011, 11:41

I believe Hulkenberg is making a mistake being 3rd driver at Force India rather than 3rd driver at Mercedes. Sure he may get a race seat at the Force in 2012 if things go his way but after all the backroom brain drain and their slump in the final third of last year I don't see Force India moving up the grid in the forseeable future.

madmark1974 · Post by **madmark1974** » 27 Jan 2011, 14:01

Wizzie wrote:I believe Hulkenberg is making a mistake being 3rd driver at Force India rather than 3rd driver at Mercedes. Sure he may get a race seat at the Force in 2012 if things go his way but after all the backroom brain drain and their slump in the final third of last year I don't see Force India moving up the grid in the forseeable future.

Are we to presume that Sutil to Mercedes is a definite for the future, so the Hulk wouldn't have a chance at a race seat there?

DanielPT · Post by **DanielPT** » 27 Jan 2011, 15:24

madmark1974 wrote:
Wizzie wrote:I believe Hulkenberg is making a mistake being 3rd driver at Force India rather than 3rd driver at Mercedes. Sure he may get a race seat at the Force in 2012 if things go his way but after all the backroom brain drain and their slump in the final third of last year I don't see Force India moving up the grid in the forseeable future.

Are we to presume that Sutil to Mercedes is a definite for the future, so the Hulk wouldn't have a chance at a race seat there?

I think this would not be a great move by Mercedes, since it would probably mean that their pair of drivers would be Rosberg and Sutil. It's not that bad, but not that good either and certainly not on par with Vettel-Webber or Alonso-Massa, not to mention the Mclaren pair which is the strongest in the field. Sutil is overrated in my opinion. He came a long way, yes, but while he is pretty fast, he's still crash prone. Also, I cannot forget that he was trounced by Hamilton when they were team mates in F3. Yes, Hamilton is something else, but still... Anyway, it is also said that Sutil doesn't have great engineering skills, so developping a car is not his strongest point. Which also seems to be true in Rosberg case. At least for now. But for Di Resta that could be another thing. My guess is that Di Resta is alligned to fill Schumi shoes when he retires. If it doesn't work out, then it is Hulk that is going to step in before Sutil. But time will tell. Maybe some bright star is in the making ready to be snapped by Mercedes...

Ed24 · Post by **Ed24** » 27 Jan 2011, 15:43

It would be ironic if Liuzzi ends up at HRT with Kolles after he was the one that signed him at Force India in the first place. I suppose they are waiting to see if Mallya coughs up and pays for the drive or not.

As for the Mercedes situation, I think it could be any one of Force India's 3 drivers actually. They obviously badly wanted Di Resta to get a drive (in fact, he is almost a pay driver, as Mercedes are giving Force India free KERS as a result of him being in the car).

My prediction is that Hulkenberg will definitely do some races in 2011 for Force India, probably replacing Sutil.

Post by **mario** » 27 Jan 2011, 15:56

Wizzie wrote:I believe Hulkenberg is making a mistake being 3rd driver at Force India rather than 3rd driver at Mercedes. Sure he may get a race seat at the Force in 2012 if things go his way but after all the backroom brain drain and their slump in the final third of last year I don't see Force India moving up the grid in the forseeable future.

At least going to Force India significantly increases the chances of Hulkenberg getting some seat time. It's worth noting that Heidfeld wasn't allowed to drive the W01, whereas Hulkenberg is at least getting the chance to try the VJM03 as part of Force India's tyre evaluation sessions in Valencia. I would not be entirely surprised if Hulkenberg is allowed to drive the VJM04 occasioanlly, either in the pre-season or during one or two practise sessions, so should Di Resta or Sutil fail to perform as expected, there will be a ready replacement in the wings.

Going to Mercedes for the third driver role, though, might not offer the same opportunities to keep up with developments and occasionally showcase your skills. I'm not surprised Heidfeld left Mercedes last year for the Pirelli job, since at least he would be getting to drive something, and he wasn't going to get to drive anything at Mercedes.

And it wouldn't necessarily be the case that the third driver at Mercedes would be able to step right into Schumacher's seat when he leaves (because, sooner or later, he will retire for good). After all, Mercedes are said to be very keen to sign Vettel once his contract with Red Bull expires, and there are a number of other talented drivers whose contracts expire in a few years times (like Kubica, for example).

So, whilst Di Resta might be in with a chance of a seat at Mercedes, as does Sutil, both of them might be out in the cold if Mercedes sees an upturn in performance in the next few years, and can afford to pick the best drivers they can get their hands on.

[Edit] Oh, and one more thing. Whilst the driver changes have been hitting the headlines, there is another major change at Mclaren, where Paddy Lowe has been promoted to Technical Director. Tim Goss, meanwhile, who was the chief designer of the MP4/25, will become Mclaren's Director of Engineering, and will take on more responsibility for developing the MP4/26. http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/89090

golic_2004 · Post by **golic_2004** » 27 Jan 2011, 21:17

jpm wrote:Time for sweepstakes on the 2nd HRT seat!

My bets are between Klien, Aleshin, Valsecchi and Heidfeld

Aleshin just signed with Carlin for GP2

S951 · Post by **S951** » 27 Jan 2011, 21:32

Exclusive pic of HRTs F111 fresh from Kolles secret santa workshop

http://www.race-cars.com/carsales/other ... 8499la.htm

DanielPT · Post by **DanielPT** » 27 Jan 2011, 21:46

S951 wrote:Exclusive pic of HRTs F111 fresh from Kolles secret santa workshop

http://www.race-cars.com/carsales/other ... 8499la.htm

Humm... Nobody has informed Kolles that the tires will be Pirellis next season not Goodyears?

Aerospeed · Post by **Aerospeed** » 27 Jan 2011, 22:31

S951 wrote:Exclusive pic of HRTs F111 fresh from Kolles secret santa workshop

http://www.race-cars.com/carsales/other ... 8499la.htm

Well, at least they got the car ready in time...

jpm wrote:Time for sweepstakes on the 2nd HRT seat!

My bets are between Klien, Aleshin, Valsecchi and Heidfeld

For me, I really don't care who gets the second HRT seat, because the car's gonna be a bunch of crap anyways. My guess will be Valsecchi, only because he has more money than any of the three combined. Are HRT even considering Heidfeld?

fjackdaw · Post by **fjackdaw** » 28 Jan 2011, 01:03

JeremyMcClean wrote:For me, I really don't care who gets the second HRT seat, because the car's gonna be a bunch of crap anyways. My guess will be Valsecchi, only because he has more money than any of the three combined. Are HRT even considering Heidfeld?

I care, because this is F1 Rejects, so another name and character for the rejects roster of glory. And, if nothing else, someone who gets the opportunity to call themselves a Formula 1 driver who may not otherwise have the chance.

My vote goes to Lopez, purely for the above reason.