Grand Prix Rejects

Wizzie wrote:Breaking News: Barrichello to Williams.
http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=874894

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyophYBP_w4

Actually no, that wasn't that unexpected. Rosberg to Brawn then.

It's all becoming clear now.

But whose going to Stefan GP? I suppose Miloš Pavlovi?.

Pretty sparse otherwise http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Serbian_racecar_drivers

Wizzie wrote:Breaking News: Barrichello to Williams.
http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=874894

Damn, you beat me to it. Though, I already reported on it before that article was released. So I win ^^

kostas22 wrote:

Wizzie wrote:Breaking News: Barrichello to Williams.
http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=874894

Damn, you beat me to it. Though, I already reported on it before that article was released. So I win ^^

Both Autosport and Williams itself aren't reporting this yet, so I suggest we wait for the punchline.

shinji wrote:But whose going to Stefan GP? I suppose Miloš Pavlovi?.

No-one. No driver in their right mind would sign on for a team that doesn't have a racing licence. Nelson Piquet might do it, but he's just desperate.

Captain Hammer wrote:

shinji wrote:But whose going to Stefan GP? I suppose Miloš Pavlovi?.

No-one. No driver in their right mind would sign on for a team that doesn't have a racing licence. Nelson Piquet might do it, but he's just desperate.

Tarso Marques and Gaston Mazzacane beg to differ.

thehemogoblin wrote:

Captain Hammer wrote:

shinji wrote:But whose going to Stefan GP? I suppose Miloš Pavlovi?.

No-one. No driver in their right mind would sign on for a team that doesn't have a racing licence. Nelson Piquet might do it, but he's just desperate.

Tarso Marques and Gaston Mazzacane beg to differ.

That was different. Phoenix Finance thought they actually had a racing licence until it was ruled differently; here, Stefan GP openly admit that they don't have one. They're going to arrive in Bahrain in the hopes that the FIA will make special provisions for them, just as they did for BMW, or that not all of the current teams will make it and Stefan will be allowed onto the grid. However, they'll need the permission of the teams to do that, and if the teams blocked QADBAK, odds are that they'll block Stefan.

There is hope for Taku fans, but is it a light at the end of the tunnel or a train?

http://www.motorsport.com/news/article. ... 9054&FS=F1

Best read while listening to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDY2I5pni90

LionZoo wrote:There is hope for Taku fans, but is it a light at the end of the tunnel or a train?

http://www.motorsport.com/news/article. ... 9054&FS=F1

Best read while listening to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDY2I5pni90

Journey... *shudder*

Sato deserves a drive again. It will be shame if both him and Klien don't get a drive and I think Scott Speed will be great to have back.

Klein is the only one of those who might deserve an extra shot. While Sato's pass on Alonso in Canada and Super Aguri's deft masterstroke intaking advantage of the safety car so that they only had to do one lap on th bad tyres was the highlight of 2007, he was inconsistent and often dangerous. Jenson Button led the charge of all the non-Ferrari cars in 2004; Takuma Sato led the charge into all of the non-Ferrari cars in 2004.

As for Scott Speed, he was useless. He was underperforming, even by Toro Rosso's standards, and when he was repalced by Vettel, he looked even stupider. One has to wonder what Toro Rosso ever saw in him. He was a whinger and had the undesirable attitude that his mistakes were always somebody else's fault. I'd sooner see Nelson Piquet back in a cockpit.

But as for Klein, I think he just got shafted by poor team decisions; when he began with Red Bull, he didn't even have a regular seat. He might have done more events than Liuzzi, but that arrangement couldn't have done wonders for his confidence when every other driver on the grid was at least guaranteed a regular drive.

Winterspring wrote:Sato deserves a drive again. It will be shame if both him and Klien don't get a drive and I think Scott Speed will be great to have back.

Why don't you just feck off back to 2006 then?

Don't mean that in a mean way, just couldn't express my sentiment in a non-aggressive way

Captain Hammer wrote:Klein is the only one of those who might deserve an extra shot. While Sato's pass on Alonso in Canada and Super Aguri's deft masterstroke intaking advantage of the safety car so that they only had to do one lap on th bad tyres was the highlight of 2007, he was inconsistent and often dangerous. Jenson Button led the charge of all the non-Ferrari cars in 2004; Takuma Sato led the charge into all of the non-Ferrari cars in 2004.

As for Scott Speed, he was useless. He was underperforming, even by Toro Rosso's standards, and when he was repalced by Vettel, he looked even stupider. One has to wonder what Toro Rosso ever saw in him. He was a whinger and had the undesirable attitude that his mistakes were always somebody else's fault. I'd sooner see Nelson Piquet back in a cockpit.

But as for Klein, I think he just got shafted by poor team decisions; when he began with Red Bull, he didn't even have a regular seat. He might have done more events than Liuzzi, but that arrangement couldn't have done wonders for his confidence when every other driver on the grid was at least guaranteed a regular drive.

Sato drove extremely well at Super Aguri. While he was inconsistent while at BAR, he seemed to find a level of maturity that was lacking in his earlier drives when he got the support and became team leader at SA. The Canada 2007 result was not because they only did one lap on the option tires; in fact I agree with Jamie and Enoch in that if he had stayed out and not changed his tires, he could've had a shout at a podium.

LionZoo wrote: Sato drove extremely well at Super Aguri. While he was inconsistent while at BAR, he seemed to find a level of maturity that was lacking in his earlier drives when he got the support and became team leader at SA. The Canada 2007 result was not because they only did one lap on the option tires; in fact I agree with Jamie and Enoch in that if he had stayed out and not changed his tires, he could've had a shout at a podium.

+1, Super Aguri were good are through that season, especially Honda, and generally had the better of Honda and Toro Rosso.

Captain Hammer wrote:I'd sooner see Nelson Piquet back in a cockpit (than Scott Speed).

, but true.

Captain Hammer wrote: Jenson Button led the charge of all the non-Ferrari cars in 2004; Takuma Sato led the charge into all of the non-Ferrari cars in 2004.

But you must consider that 2004 was only his second full season. And let's compare Sato and Button in their respective second seasons: hmmm, here we have Sato, inconsistent, lots of engine failures but still a finish in the Top 10 of the championship. Button's second season ... ah, that was 2001, let's see... more than once outqualified by the Minardis, low race finishes, lucked his way into two points and therefore 17th place in the championship. Oh, he was Reject Of The Year as well, hmmm, interesting...

http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2009/10/19/toyota-admits-raikkonen-negotiations/

WHAT IS THIS???

Henrique wrote:http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2009/10/19/toyota-admits-raikkonen-negotiations/

WHAT IS THIS???

The most sensible news I've heard for years. Have asked why not, over a week ago, in the Rantbox. Makes all sense.

CarlosFerreira wrote:

Henrique wrote:http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2009/10/19/toyota-admits-raikkonen-negotiations/

WHAT IS THIS???

The most sensible news I've heard for years. Have asked why not, over a week ago, in the Rantbox. Makes all sense.

Start the mantra - Raikkonen Kobayashi Raikkonen Kobayashi Raikkonen Kobayashi Raikkonen Kobayashi Raikkonen Kobayashi Raikkonen Kobayashi Raikkonen Kobayashi Raikkonen Kobayashi Raikkonen Kobayashi Raikkonen Kobayashi Raikkonen Kobayashi Raikkonen Kobayashi Raikkonen Kobayashi!

Re-doing my predictions - now with 100% more predictions for next year!

Brawn - Mercedes
1. Jenson Button
2. Nico Rosberg
A solid and somewhat quiet performance all year from Button and Rosberg, with neither edging out the other. Each take one win apiece. 7th and 9th in the drivers title, and 4th in the constructors.

Red Bull - Ferrari
3. Sebastian Vettel
4. Mark Webber
Red Bull's main goal for the year is to beat Brawn, and do succeed, thanks to some tightening up on errors. Vettel takes 3 wins, is extremely consistent and somehow wins the championship, while Webber wins 1, but is struck by his trademark bad luck before he can get any more, winding up 11th overall. 3rd in the constructors.

Ferrari
5. Fernando Alonso
6. Felipe Massa
Ends horribly, with quite a lot of people laughing at Ferrari for having the idiocy to partner Alonso and Massa. Takes the Constructor's title, with each taking three wins but they lose the war to Hamilton, and then Vettel, as Hamilton falls off the track from laughing too hard. Alonso and Massa are in a dead tie that can't be broken on countback for 3rd, forcing a post-season duel between the two. Ferrari do a straight swap with Renault, trading Alonso for Kubica after the season.

McLaren - Mercedes
7. Lewis Hamilton
8. Timo Glock
Hamilton, after a great finish to 2009, is the favourite for the title, and constantly keeps himself in the frame, never too far behind Massa or Alonso. Wins 3 races, and after Alonso and Massa take each other out in dramatic fashion in Brazil, Hamilton proceeds to fall off the road and retire himself, allowing Vettel to tie him on points, and win the championship on countback. Glock becomes a much more impressive number two than Kovalainen, winning his 1st race and taking 5th in the championship, edging out Kubica, though they were never going to beat Ferrari for the constructors, finishing a distant 2nd.

Toyota
9. Kimi Raikkonen
10. Kamui Kobayashi
With a world champion on board in Raikkonen and a feisty young rookie in Kobayashi, things finally look about perfect for Toyota on the driver front. Hilariously, they still haven't figured out why they are fast at certain tracks and not others, though cruicially, they are fast at Spa, where Kimi delivers Toyota's maiden win, and at Suzuka, where Kobayashi leads heroically in the wet, to everyone's approval. The car is actually about sorted by season's end, with them pushing Brawn for 4th by the end. Raikkonen 8th overall, Kobayashi 13th.

Williams - Cosworth
11. Rubens Barrichello
12. Nico Hulkenberg
Rubens, despite being miffed at being forced out of Brawn, is still quite good and has the clear upper hand over Hulkenberg throughout what will be his final season. Hulkenberg clearly has quite a bit to learn, but does show some incredible speed on occasions. 7th in constructors, with Barichello 10th and Hulkenburg 12th.

Renault
13. Robert Kubica
14. Heikki Kovalainen
While debate goes on throughout the season about how good the Renault actually is, Kubica finds the car to his liking and puts on a solid season that reminds people why he was touted as a future champ. A second win in Canada is the centerpiece of a year spent largely within the points, as Kovy largely struggled, his star now clearly on the wane. Kubica wound up 6th overall, with Heikki 15th, seeing Renault 6th in the constructors.

Force India - Mercedes
15. Adrian Sutil
16. Viantonio Liuzzi
Sutil is quite frustrated that he is again denied a higher place on the grid, and puts on a pretty decent season, showing that he has dealt with his crash gremlins. This in turn sees speculation that he might be considered at Renault or Williams, to replace the underperforming Kovalainen or the retiring Barrichello. Liuzzi is a good match and the two work well, with Liuzzi keen to stay on. Sutil 14th, Liuzzi 16th, Force India 8th overall.

Toro Rosso - Renault
17. Sebastien Buemi
18. Brendon Hartley
Buemi trounces new boy Hartley, showing some more of that fantastic speed we saw on show throughout 2009. He is also considered for promotions, perhaps to Red Bull or Williams. Hartley is kept on, having a similar debut season to Buemi's. 15th for Buemi, 18th for Hartley, 9th for Toro Rosso.

USF1 - Cosworth
19. Anthony Davidson
20. Robert Wickens
Davidson still seems pretty motivated, and has the upper hand at the team, over the very green but very fast Robert Wickens. Davidson is more consistent, but Wickens lucks into a good finish in Canada, allowing him to steal Davidson's 19th place in points. Both are expected to stay. 11th in the constructors.

Campos Meta - Cosworth
19. Pedro de la Rosa
20. Jaime Alguersuari
Adrian Campos convinces Toro Rosso to lend him Alguersuari, who partners the returning for one-season-only de la Rosa. While de la Rosa helps makes the team the best of the newcomers, it is Alguersuari who puts the points on the board, finishing 16th overall, taking Campos to 10th in the constructors. They are very keen to keep the lineup, though it remains to be seen whether de la Rosa wishes to stay.

Manor - Cosworth
21. Nick Heidfeld
22. Vitaly Petrov
Heidfeld was one of the hotter properties sought by the newer teams, while Petrov was hired for hopes on his talent as opposed to his money. Petrov matches Heidfeld on occasions, but makes a few rookie errors as well. No points, but if Branson is still interested, then that might change in the coming years.

Lotus - Cosworth
23. Jarno Trulli
24. Bruno Senna
Easily the slowest team on the grid, new Lotus was a joke, though Bruno Senna managed to fight the car to the front heroically on occasions, desperately trying to prove himself. Trulli spent the season dejected and is expected to retire. Again, no points, but if the team hangs on to Senna for dear life, there may be hope yet for them.

Toyota have already given up on Raikkonen, apparently. Some reports suggest they're now going for Buemi. Which makes sense in its own insane way, I guess: instead of hiring a star driver, take a relatively raw and unpolished talent and develop him from the ground up.

shinji wrote:

CarlosFerreira wrote:

Henrique wrote:http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2009/10/19/toyota-admits-raikkonen-negotiations/

WHAT IS THIS???

The most sensible news I've heard for years. Have asked why not, over a week ago, in the Rantbox. Makes all sense.

Start the mantra - Raikkonen Kobayashi Raikkonen Kobayashi Raikkonen Kobayashi Raikkonen Kobayashi Raikkonen Kobayashi Raikkonen Kobayashi Raikkonen Kobayashi Raikkonen Kobayashi Raikkonen Kobayashi Raikkonen Kobayashi Raikkonen Kobayashi Raikkonen Kobayashi Raikkonen Kobayashi!

It would be interesting to see how much of a fervor the Japanese announcers would get into saying either of their names...

BlindCaveSalamander wrote:Red Bull's main goal for the year is to beat Brawn, and do succeed, thanks to some tightening up on errors. Vettel takes 2 wins, is extremely consistent and somehow wins the championship, while Webber wins 1, but is struck by his trademark bad luck before he can get any more, winding up 11th overall. 3rd in the constructors...

...Hamilton, after a great finish to 2009, is the favourite for the title, and constantly keeps himself in the frame, never too far behind Massa or Alonso. Wins 3 races, and after Alonso and Massa take each other out in dramatic fashion in Brazil, Hamilton proceeds to fall off the road and retire himself, allowing Vettel to tie him on points, and win the championship on countback. Glock becomes a much more impressive number two than Kovalainen, winning his 1st race and taking 5th in the championship, edging out Kubica, though they were never going to beat Ferrari for the constructors, finishing a distant 2nd.

Why do I get the impression that these 2 statements conflict each other in terms of who wins the championship? If that were to happen wouldn't Waaamilton win the championship by the virtue of the extra win?

Wizzie wrote:

BlindCaveSalamander wrote:Red Bull's main goal for the year is to beat Brawn, and do succeed, thanks to some tightening up on errors. Vettel takes 2 wins, is extremely consistent and somehow wins the championship, while Webber wins 1, but is struck by his trademark bad luck before he can get any more, winding up 11th overall. 3rd in the constructors...

...Hamilton, after a great finish to 2009, is the favourite for the title, and constantly keeps himself in the frame, never too far behind Massa or Alonso. Wins 3 races, and after Alonso and Massa take each other out in dramatic fashion in Brazil, Hamilton proceeds to fall off the road and retire himself, allowing Vettel to tie him on points, and win the championship on countback. Glock becomes a much more impressive number two than Kovalainen, winning his 1st race and taking 5th in the championship, edging out Kubica, though they were never going to beat Ferrari for the constructors, finishing a distant 2nd.

Why do I get the impression that these 2 statements conflict each other in terms of who wins the championship? If that were to happen wouldn't Waaamilton win the championship by the virtue of the extra win?

Right. Meant to give Vettle 3 wins.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/79631
Stupidity and Genius in equal measures:
Toyota have given both Raikkonen and Trulli offers for next season

BlindCaveSalamander wrote:Renault
13. Robert Kubica
14. Heikki Kovalainen
While debate goes on throughout the season about how good the Renault actually is, Kubica finds the car to his liking and puts on a solid season that reminds people why he was touted as a future champ. A second win in Canada is the centerpiece of a year spent largely within the points, as Kovy largely struggled, his star now clearly on the wane. Kubica wound up 6th overall, with Heikki 15th, seeing Renault 6th in the constructors.

I really liked the predictions, but somehow I think Kubica's career is on the tightrope.

rffp wrote:

BlindCaveSalamander wrote:Renault
13. Robert Kubica
14. Heikki Kovalainen
While debate goes on throughout the season about how good the Renault actually is, Kubica finds the car to his liking and puts on a solid season that reminds people why he was touted as a future champ. A second win in Canada is the centerpiece of a year spent largely within the points, as Kovy largely struggled, his star now clearly on the wane. Kubica wound up 6th overall, with Heikki 15th, seeing Renault 6th in the constructors.

I really liked the predictions, but somehow I think Kubica's career is on the tightrope.

Yes, well, maybe I was a little hopeful there.

Button wants to stay at Brawn. From the sounds of things, the so called dispute over pay was either a storm in a teacup, or just plain made up.

BlindCaveSalamander wrote:Campos Meta - Cosworth
19. Pedro de la Rosa
20. Jaime Alguersuari
Adrian Campos convinces Toro Rosso to lend him Alguersuari, who partners the returning for one-season-only de la Rosa. While de la Rosa helps makes the team the best of the newcomers, it is Alguersuari who puts the points on the board, finishing 16th overall, taking Campos to 10th in the constructors. They are very keen to keep the lineup, though it remains to be seen whether de la Rosa wishes to stay.

According to Iltalehti, Adrian Campos doesn't want Pedro de la Rosa anymore and is aiming for pay drivers instead. And as Senna is rumoured to have around 8-10 million dollars of backing, he's a good shot for Campos.

Nuppiz wrote:

BlindCaveSalamander wrote:Campos Meta - Cosworth
19. Pedro de la Rosa
20. Jaime Alguersuari
Adrian Campos convinces Toro Rosso to lend him Alguersuari, who partners the returning for one-season-only de la Rosa. While de la Rosa helps makes the team the best of the newcomers, it is Alguersuari who puts the points on the board, finishing 16th overall, taking Campos to 10th in the constructors. They are very keen to keep the lineup, though it remains to be seen whether de la Rosa wishes to stay.

According to Iltalehti, Adrian Campos doesn't want Pedro de la Rosa anymore and is aiming for pay drivers instead. And as Senna is rumoured to have around 8-10 million dollars of backing, he's a good shot for Campos.

I wonder if Adrian has met one Vitaly Petrov...he would be a shoe in at Campos if this were the case.
And the last pay driver in F1 was Monteiro I think.

kostas22 wrote:And the last pay driver in F1 was Monteiro I think.

Yeah, I used the term "pay driver" here pretty widely, as a driver who brings a lot of sponsorship with him but isn't necessarily a pay driver himself. Come to think of it, even Alonso would fit that category...

Nuppiz wrote:

kostas22 wrote:And the last pay driver in F1 was Monteiro I think.

Yeah, I used the term "pay driver" here pretty widely, as a driver who brings a lot of sponsorship with him but isn't necessarily a pay driver himself. Come to think of it, even Alonso would fit that category...

Eh, I happen to hold Monteiro in pretty high esteem. I'd say that Albers was... or Yamamoto.

Edit: KAZUKI NAKAJIMA

He gave Williams free Toyota engines.

Monteiro wasn't the last. Spyker's drivers were the last pay drivers.

Henrique wrote:Monteiro wasn't the last. Spyker's drivers were the last pay drivers.

You're wrong.
From what I remember of the 2008 Monaco GP broadcast was that Sutil was the only pay driver in the 2008 field

This silly season is heating up nicely now. Better than for many years essentially with one vacant seat at McLaren, Brawn, possibly Red Bull, two at Toyota, Williams, Toro Rosso and Force India, probably one at Renault, and two at each of the new teams.

My money is on:

Brawn seat 2 - Nico Rosberg
Red Bull seat 2 - Mark Webber
McLaren seat 2 - Nick Heidfeld
Toyota seat 1 - Kimi Raikkonen
Toyota seat 2 - Kamui Kobayashi
Renault seat 2 - Timo Glock
Williams seat 1 - Rubens Barrichello
Williams seat 2 - Nico Hulkenberg
Toro Rosso seat 1 - Sebastien Buemi
Toro Rosso seat 2 - Bruno Senna
Force India seat 1 - Adrian Sutil
Force India seat 2 - Vitantonio Luizzi
USF1 seat 1 - Pedro de la Rosa
USF1 seat 2 - Jonathan Summerton
Campos seat 1 - Nelson Piquet jr.
Campos seat 2 - Jaime Alguesuari
Manor seat 1 - Anthony Davidson
Manor seat 2 - Heikki Kovalainen
Lotus seat 1 - Jarno Trulli
Lotus seat 2 - Fairuz Fauzi

Any thoughts?

bigslydoc wrote:Campos seat 1 - Nelson Piquet jr.

What have you been taking?

Wizzie wrote:

bigslydoc wrote:Campos seat 1 - Nelson Piquet jr.

What have you been taking?

Kids, please don't abuse drugs. You don't want these hallucinations to happen to you.

My updated thoughts Include

Brawn - Mercedes
1: Jenson Button
2: Nico Rosberg

Red Bull - Renault
3: Sebastian Vettel
4. Mark Webber

McLaren - Mercedes
5. Lewis Hamilton
6. Timo Glock

Ferrari
7. Felipe Massa
8. Fernando Alonso

Toyota
9. Kimi Raikkonen
10. Kamui Kobayashi

Williams - Cosworth
11. Rubens Barrichello
12. Nico Hulkenberg

Renault
14. Robert Kubica
15. Heikki Kovalainen

Force India - Mercedes
16. Adrian Sutil
17. Vitantonio Luizzi

Toro Rosso - Ferrari
18. Sebastien Buemi
19. Jaime Alguesuari

USF1 - Cosworth
20. Nick Heidfeld (If Sauber doesn't return) or Christian Klien
21. Jonathan Summerton

Campos - Cosworth
22. Bruno Senna
23. Vitaly Petrov

Manor - Cosworth
24. Anthony Davidson
25. Kazuki Nakajima

Lotus - Cosworth
26. Jarno Trulli
27. Takuma Sato

Winterspring wrote:McLaren - Mercedes
6. Timo Glock

Wait, what?

Winterspring wrote:McLaren - Mercedes
6. Timo Glock

Can I call you God?

Come on Mercedes German driver.

Winterspring wrote:McLaren - Mercedes
6. Timo Glock

Please, please, pretty please?