Grand Prix Rejects

Captain Hammer wrote:According to Peter Windsor, Ferrari are "pushing very hard" to place Jules Bianchi somewhere. Dimitris Papadopoulos seem to think Kobayashi could go to Williams to make way for Bianchi. He also talked about how "some closed cases might reopen", and is now saying that Kobayashi is the "closed case" was was referring to. He also thinks that Ferrari have recruited Gabriele Tredozi from Toro Rosso to aid Robert Kubica during his rumoured Ferrari test. Others (though I don't really know who they are) have noted that Timo Gans - Nico Hulkenberg's PR guy - was following Bianchi around yesterday, suggesting that Bianchi could go to Force India (probably taking over Hulkenberg's Friday duties).

Humm... Isn't that the guy who also said USF1 would be on 2010 grid?

AdrianSutil wrote:

jpm wrote:

AdrianSutil wrote:Having said all that, Toro Rosso have the worst line-up so far, Ricciardo has done half a season at the back and Vergne has done what, three Friday mornings and a young driver test? I can see them slipping to the back of the midfield a la Williams 2011 n

Couldn't disagree more. Bold statement warning: Force India and Toro Rosso in 2012 will have drivers who will all win WDC in the future (plus Valterri Bottas at Williams.) There, I said it.

Hulkenberg? Vergne?! You must be joking!! True, Ricciardo has a lot of potential, and Di Resta seriously impressed in his debut season. But the other two?



No offence...

Interesting to note James Allen's take on the promotion of Vergne to Toro Rosso - whilst Vergne may have sealed the deal with his performance in the Young Driver tests earlier this year, there seems to be a strong commercial benefit for Red Bull Racing's parent company (Red Bull have been trying to break into the French market because up until 2008 their product had been banned by the French Government - getting a French driver in Toro Rosso, coupled to their aggressive advertising policies, could increase their profile in France considerably). http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2011/12/r ... -clearout/

jakesanson wrote:But still no Robert Kubica. He's either one of two things now: a Ferrari driver in 2013 or Alessandro Nannini II.

Keep him off the coffee. And the fags. And, most importantly, the pies.

i think the most important question for us all at the moment is When will Maria de Villota get a drive in the Bahar-Benetton?

nome66 wrote:i think the most important question for us all at the moment is When will Maria de Villota get a drive in the Bahar-Benetton?

Maria de Villota needs a bit of experience in the Holden Racing Team (a.k.a. HRT) team first..

That's sexist.

How? Alonso and Webber didn't do badly starting off in a backmarker team before progressing to a frontrunning team. And we've all made comments as to what the letters HRT have represented before. Would you have preferred it if I suggested she should have started off in a Virgin's cockpit first?

dr-baker wrote:How? Alonso and Webber didn't do badly starting off in a backmarker team before progressing to a frontrunning team. And we've all made comments as to what the letters HRT have represented before. Would you have preferred it if I suggested she should have started off in a Virgin's cockpit first?

Yes, that is all true, but the way you've called the lady into the sentence, joining her with the alternative representation of HRT was, well, ungentlemanlike...

Wow, talk about blowing it out of the water guys, it's obviously meant to be a joke!

AndreaModa wrote:Wow, talk about blowing it out of the water guys, it's obviously meant to be a joke!

It is not blowing out of the water. We are just teaching dr-baker that these kind of sentences/jokes cannot be said in broad audience. We are only guiding dr-baker in his path to find a suitable lady!

DanielPT wrote:

AndreaModa wrote:Wow, talk about blowing it out of the water guys, it's obviously meant to be a joke!

It is not blowing out of the water. We are just teaching dr-baker that these kind of sentences/jokes cannot be said in broad audience. We are only guiding dr-baker in his path to find a suitable lady!

Hahaha it'll be a long, winding, arduous path then at this rate!

DanielPT wrote:We are just teaching dr-baker that these kind of sentences/jokes cannot be said in broad audience. We are only guiding dr-baker in his path to find a suitable lady!

You are leading him down a path for which he will be sorry to have ever embarked on. You know that, right?

Klon wrote:

DanielPT wrote:We are just teaching dr-baker that these kind of sentences/jokes cannot be said in broad audience. We are only guiding dr-baker in his path to find a suitable lady!

You are leading him down a path for which he will be sorry to have ever embarked on. You know that, right?

He is the one determined to follow it. He will have to find out if the path is his true destiny for himself. I can only show him the way...

So basically Perez-Sala is already making excuses about when the car will be ready, according to the article he hopes it will be ready at least for the shakedown before Melbourne, so I think we can rule them out of being ready for the first test.

Also, they have been in discussion with a number of drivers for a while, prior to Alguersuari getting the boot from Toro Rosso, which means he's effectively ruled out from taking the second seat at HRT.

Interesting...

S951 wrote:http://www.marca.com/2011/12/20/motor/formula1/1324382655.html

I don't know what it says, but seeing as it's been written by Marca, I'm just going to assume it's all lies.

interestingly posted by the hrt fb and twitter

S951 wrote:interestingly posted by the hrt fb and twitter

Fair enough then. But I'm still not buying a word of what their football section says.

this all smacks of some sort of dodgyness in the background at hrt tbh, can see it bringing them down

hypothetically who would be in a position to buy hrts entery if things went tits up? steffan gp? villeneuve racing? verstappen motorsport

S951 wrote:this all smacks of some sort of dodgyness in the background at hrt tbh, can see it bringing them down

hypothetically who would be in a position to buy hrts entery if things went tits up? steffan gp? villeneuve racing? verstappen motorsport

At the moment it's not entirely certain what exactly is going on in the background beyond what Thesan Capital and HRT have revealed already, though Perez-Sala did mention that the restructuring of the team and relocation of their staff has had a detrimental impact on development of the F112 and may put the team in an even weaker position than it already is in. Comments like that, whilst quite honest, may also frighten off some drivers (and, perhaps more crucially, experienced staff and potential sponsors) concerned about joining what may be a sinking ship - so 2012 is expected to be a hard year for the team even if everything does go well.

Moreover, although they may have various reasons for wanting to move to Valencia - including financial incentives from the regional authorities - it does make things more complicated for HRT. Their facilities are going to be a long way away from the traditional clusters of suppliers and, most crucially, technical staff (experienced and recent graduates alike) who tend to be clustered in the UK, Northern Italy and Germany (i.e. where most motor sport teams, both within and outside of F1, are based).
Even when BMW was backing the Sauber team, one problem that a number of engineers did not want to move to Hinwil because it meant uprooting their families and losing touch with their friends - something which would only be exacerbated in the case of HRT.

As for what could happen to HRT's entry, the most likely scenario would be the FIA rescinds it altogether if it believed that the team was incapable of competing for the whole season or could bring the sport into disrepute. The FIA has, following the collapse of USF1 (not to mention incidents like Qadbak), tightened up the entry rules and funding requirements for new entries and prospective bidders, so the odds of Stefan GP or Villeneuve Racing being allowed to take over HRT and keeping the entry are low.

As things stand, the only outfit - at least as far as I am aware - that is still interested and has the technical knowledge to enter the sport is Lola Cars. They were probably one of the better prepared bidders back in 2009 (hell, they had already completed a wind tunnel model before putting in their entry), and have recently expressed an interest in potentially returning to the sport in the next few years. However, their intention seems to be to do things their own way rather than buying an existing team - after all, the FIA does have another entry slot available if anybody wants it.

The fact they can't assure the car will be ready for the first test - when they previously said it would - doesn't bode well. I can see them readying the car as late as in the first race of the season, even more so considering the relocation issues. And, as mario pointed out, moving to Valencia, so far away from the sport's neuralgic points, can be an issue in itself. But hell, I have to say that if HRT wants to be an Spanish effort, that makes them quite an interesting outfit to look after, at least from the spectator's point of view

HRT, HRT, drive through Albert Park,
Trying hard to beat that 1-0-7 mark,
Tonio's time is one thirty-two,
DNQ! DNQ! DNQ!

Here we go again...

(You all know what I'm referring to, right? If not... here's help.)

dr-baker wrote:

nome66 wrote:i think the most important question for us all at the moment is When will Maria de Villota get a drive in the Bahar-Benetton?

Maria de Villota needs a bit of experience in the Holden Racing Team (a.k.a. HRT) team first..

"Joke" edited for clear reasons...

Martin Brundle reckons "the music has stopped" and the last few drivers have fallen into their seats. He's banking on Vitaly Petrov defecting to Caterham:

Suspect Vitaly Petrov may re emerge at Caterham F1 (formerly Team Lotus) in 2012. Music has stopped, there'll be a mad scramble for seats.

Dmitris Papadopoulo backs up Brundle's Petrov-Caterham theory:

@MBrundleF1 Trulli was always supposed to be out for 2012 ... and now with so many drivers having money ...

Although he makes it out to be more of a free-for-all, where the driver with the best bank balance gets the seat.

dr-baker wrote:

dr-baker wrote:

nome66 wrote:i think the most important question for us all at the moment is When will Maria de Villota get a drive in the Bahar-Benetton?

Maria de Villota needs a bit of experience in the Holden Racing Team (a.k.a. HRT) team first..

"Joke" edited for clear reasons...

Well played! Now go out and tell that "joke" to a girl. When she inevitably responds "What?" you change subject by telling how beautiful she is and move into ramblings about the latest Johnny Depp movie. It should work like a treat!

Captain Hammer wrote:Martin Brundle reckons "the music has stopped" and the last few drivers have fallen into their seats. He's banking on Vitaly Petrov defecting to Caterham:

Suspect Vitaly Petrov may re emerge at Caterham F1 (formerly Team Lotus) in 2012. Music has stopped, there'll be a mad scramble for seats.

Dmitris Papadopoulo backs up Brundle's Petrov-Caterham theory:

@MBrundleF1 Trulli was always supposed to be out for 2012 ... and now with so many drivers having money ...

Although he makes it out to be more of a free-for-all, where the driver with the best bank balance gets the seat.

It would be brilliant if Petrov did move to Caterham, seeing him stick two fingers up at Group Bahar. Trulli has had his time in F1, and he should hang up the keys now, to save him ridicule should Kovalainen thrash him again next year.

DanielPT wrote:

dr-baker wrote:

dr-baker wrote:Maria de Villota needs a bit of experience in the Holden Racing Team (a.k.a. HRT) team first..

"Joke" edited for clear reasons...

Well played! Now go out and tell that "joke" to a girl. When she inevitably responds "What?" you change subject by telling how beautiful she is and move into ramblings about the latest Johnny Depp movie. It should work like a treat!

Reminds me of this....

dr-baker wrote:

DanielPT wrote:Well played! Now go out and tell that "joke" to a girl. When she inevitably responds "What?" you change subject by telling how beautiful she is and move into ramblings about the latest Johnny Depp movie. It should work like a treat!

Reminds me of this....

That has nothing to do with this. Mixing Holden Racing Team and Maria de Villota is an original pick-up line. And confusing. You always score some points if you leave your girls somewhat confused (not to much though) because they start to think about it hence they think about you which is the whole point.

My kind of girl is one I can say something obscure to and she gets exactly what I mean, and we spend the evening swapping quotes from A Hard Day's Night.

BTW, yesterday it was announced that Fernando Alonso and his wife have divorced.

It's rumoured that Antonio Lobato (the Spanish bald TV commentator) is quite happy about this news.

Ferrim wrote:BTW, yesterday it was announced that Fernando Alonso and his wife have divorced.

So if Lewis Hamilton's 2011 form is anything to go by, Alonso should be spending a lot of next year crashing into Jenson Button. (the flip side of Hamilton crashing into Massa all the time).

Ferrim wrote:BTW, yesterday it was announced that Fernando Alonso and his wife have divorced.

Much as I'm not a fan of Fernando, I always find divorces sad (even without any personal experience of it). Particularly so close to Christmas.

according to a Brazilian news program, Bruno Senna is close to sign with Williams for 2012 (replacing Rubens Barrichello).

do it do it do it do it do it!!


but as i have learned with all news on this website, Autosport or it didn't happen

Dj_bereta wrote:according to a Brazilian news program, Bruno Senna is close to sign with Williams for 2012 (replacing Rubens Barrichello).

The Brazilians are worse than the Spanish. While the Spanish make up news stories, the Brazilians simply believe anything they're told. They did it about this time last year, too, announcing that Bruno Senna had a drive for 2011.

Captain Hammer wrote:

Dj_bereta wrote:according to a Brazilian news program, Bruno Senna is close to sign with Williams for 2012 (replacing Rubens Barrichello).

The Brazilians are worse than the Spanish. While the Spanish make up news stories, the Brazilians simply believe anything they're told. They did it about this time last year, too, announcing that Bruno Senna had a drive for 2011.

Yes, I remember that and the same occurred in 2005 silly season with Pizzonia.

Exactly. So I'm not willing to trust this story, considering that Williams have said their second driver will be "more experienced" than Maldonado, and that Senna (who has since denied signing anything) apparently said that his family did not want him to drive for Williams.

Captain Hammer wrote:

Dj_bereta wrote:according to a Brazilian news program, Bruno Senna is close to sign with Williams for 2012 (replacing Rubens Barrichello).

The Brazilians are worse than the Spanish. While the Spanish make up news stories, the Brazilians simply believe anything they're told. They did it about this time last year, too, announcing that Bruno Senna had a drive for 2011.

ehem.
"Autosport or it didn't happen"

eh, but who's to say Mclaren won't step up and let him get-PFFFFTTTTHAAAAHAHAHAHA nevermind nevermind

Captain Hammer wrote:

Dj_bereta wrote:according to a Brazilian news program, Bruno Senna is close to sign with Williams for 2012 (replacing Rubens Barrichello).

The Brazilians are worse than the Spanish. While the Spanish make up news stories, the Brazilians simply believe anything they're told. They did it about this time last year, too, announcing that Bruno Senna had a drive for 2011.

Hum... That sentence could convince all Brazilian press to join this forum.

Brazil's second largest media company is basically just a front for one of those religions which take the moronic fools who (literally) buy into it for every penny they are worth.

When this is part of one of the most influential mass media companies in a country, you know almost nothing reported in the news is true. Ever.

So yes, whatever the Brazilian media reports, you can safely assume the opposite will happen.