2012-13 Silly Season

[phil1993]

Now that we have 24 drivers confirmed for 2012 (excluding the potential for something at Caterham), it's time to start the 2012-13 thread.

It looks as if it could be a relatively static year, as the only major move looks likely to come at Ferrari, thus ensuring some shifting at Sauber. There's also a chance Webber may retire too.

Here are the drivers confirmed for 2013:

Red Bull Racing
Sebastian Vettel


Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
Jenson Button

Scuderia Ferrari
Fernando Alonso

AMG Mercedes Petronas
Nico Rosberg

Lotus F1 Team
Kimi Raikkonen

Sahara Force India

Sauber F1 Team

Scuderia Toro Rosso

Williams F1 Team

Caterham F1 Team

HRT F1 Team
Pedro de La Rosa

Marussia F1 Team
Timo Glock

[frubbs]

i cant see Lewis in other any team...
Even if he do not perform well this season, McLaren would not let him go. Who would they preferer ? Felipe??

[donald29]

With Ferrari I don't think Kubica or Bianchi are in the running for a 2013 seat. Kubica because of the uncertainty over his recovery and Bianchi because Ferrari won't take a rookie. Should Massa be replaced Perez is the favourite for me.

[frubbs]

With Ferrari I don't think Kubica or Bianchi are in the running for a 2013 seat. Kubica because of the uncertainty over his recovery and Bianchi because Ferrari won't take a rookie. Should Massa be replaced Perez is the favourite for me.

i would say Perez is the only real candidate to this seat.
Massa is past.
Lewis would not work with Fernando and vice versa.
The best drivers (kimi, nico, Jenson) have contracts.
Others are too young/old/bad to move to maranello.

[reppo]

With Ferrari I don't think Kubica or Bianchi are in the running for a 2013 seat. Kubica because of the uncertainty over his recovery and Bianchi because Ferrari won't take a rookie. Should Massa be replaced Perez is the favourite for me.

i would say Perez is the only real candidate to this seat.
Massa is past.
Lewis would not work with Fernando and vice versa.
The best drivers (kimi, nico, Jenson) have contracts.
Others are too young/old/bad to move to maranello.

Kimi has said his contract is in principle two years and anything can happen in F1 very quickly, but hard to believe he would go back to Ferrari or to McLaren for that matter - although Ron has left McLaren and I don't know what Kimi thinks about Whitmarsh. Yet I believe Hamilton will make a long deal with McLaren.

[reppo]

Rory Byrne is upset for Fry cutting wings away from Ferrari and Brawn gets him to Mercedes saying: "Here you can have as many wings you want".
Kimi is upset for Lotus not being fast enough: "I can't get the kick out of the car when I push the pedal to the floor".
Hamilton is upset for Button to beat him again on the track.
Webber is upset for Vettel to beat him again on the track. "I'd rather wrestle with a crocodiles than get again beaten by Seb", he says and
moves to outback of Australia starting a secret cult wrestling with crocodiles.
David Coulthard is upset for not winning WDC and collects enourmous sum of money £100 to buy HRT saying: "This will be my year".
Dietrich Mateschitz is upset for F1 broadcasting to go pay-TV only and sells Red Bull to Great Wall. Great Wall's representatives says: "Limiting freedom fits well into our policy".
Robertsons are upset for Kimi wanting to go drive rocket cars on Bonneville Salt Flats.
Boullier is upset for Kimi wanting to go drive rocket cars on Bonneville Salt Flats but cheerfully says: "Kimi is Kimi".
Witmarsh is double upset for Hamilton to go Great Wall (former Red Bull) and Kimi going to rocket cars and hires Rami Räikkönen saying: "One way or an other Räikkönen is driving for us". Rami is not upset. He just smiles as he always does saying: "What?".
Michael Schumacher is upset for something he can't remember anymore and he asks Corinna what it is. Corinna says: "You are upset for not spending enough time with me and kids". "Really" says Michael "Did I win my last... Hmm... What it was?".
Alonso is upset for finishing 10th in WDC with crappy car but says: "This have been my best year", and signs a deal with Ferrari lasting until 2075.
Massa is upset for having to suffer yet an other year of a crappy car and thinks: "Maybe I should follow Webber's lead. Is there any crocodiles in Brasil?".
Haug is upset for Michael not to remember anything and Hamilton to go Great Wall and Kimi to go rocket cars and Rami to go McLaren and thinks: "Maybe di Resta would change his name".
Vettel is upset for winning every every pole, every fastest lap and race from pole to finish and thinks: "This is getting boring. Wonder what Kimi is doing".

[reppo]

Nice. Thanks Phil
http://www.f1zone.net/news/who-are-the- ... ers/11942/
Some thoughts came to my mind.
Fisichella will never get a race seat in F1. Afterwards it is of course easy to say, it was a stupid move to go to Ferrari after second place in Spa in cockpit of Force India, but it obviously was. Not to say his career was spectacular in Force India but his reputation was ruined in Ferrari as well as was Badoer's reputation.

Now what comes to Esteban Gutierrez is interesting. I would like to see him behind F1 steering wheel to see how he manages. Maybe he is still a little bit too young for F1 (oh please don't go to Toro Rosso) but he could be a future star

[ferrari man 009]

For 2013, I could see

RBR - Unchanged. Ricciardo will go there for 2014.
McLaren - Unchanged
Mercedes - Unchanged
Ferrari - Will sack Massa for 2013 (After Alonso wins the WDC comfortably, but RBR and McLaren beat Ferrari in the WCC) , and take a chance on Kubica.
Force India will have a good season and remain unchanged.
Renault will keep Kimi, but sack Grosejean for a GP2 star.
Toro Rosso will remain unchanged.
Caterham will race Kovalainen and Petrov. Trulli will retire.

With the other teams, it will be whoever pays the most money for the drive!!!

[reppo]

It just hit me Montezemolo has not been talking about anybody's brother for ages and he hasn't been commenting anything last weeks. So in 2013 Italia Futura will become a political party and Montezemolo will run for the PM's office. Biggest change in the history of Ferrari.

[reppo]

Good for Alguersuari he got the Pirelli deal, but what are his chances to get a race seat in 2013. He is only 22 and talented by my opinion. I think Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes and of course Red Bull and Toro Rosso are out. HRT, Marussia and Caterham are maybe too bad for his liking. That leaves only Williams, Force India and Sauber. Lotus if Kimi or Romain would leave. Maybe he needs a bag full of sponsor money too.

[The Immortal Dragon]

Should Massa be replaced Perez is the favourite for me.

hey hey now... Should?!
He's got to be replaced!
Possibly before the end of the season!

Joking (?) aside, I think Perez would be the obvious candidate. But I also think Ferrari are monitoring the Kubica situation as it is very tempting.

[reppo]

So, http://www.f1zone.net/news/hamilton-hin ... ren/13560/. Usually when drivers or teams hint something, it means opposite. I would not be surprised to see Lewis somewhere else than McLaren in 2013. Who replaces Massa? Will Webber retire? Will Schumacher retire? Who pays most?

[KevC]

There's a lot more long standing rumour to suggest the answer to the first 3 questions are Perez, Ricciardo and Di Resta.

[phil1993]

Hamilton to stay at McLaren
Webber to remain at Red Bull, giving Vergne/Ricciardo another season. Whichever one 'wins' joins Vettel for 2014. Carlos Sainz Jr joins STR (maybe, maybe someone else).
Perez replaces Massa. Sauber recruits either Jules Bianchi or Esteban Gutierrez.
If Schumacher retires, Paul di Resta gets promoted. However, gut instinct tells me he'll do another year.
Bottas to join Williams.

[Mar]

Now that I think about it, I don't remember the German TV talking about di Resta and his connections to Mercedes since quite a long time already, nor do I remember Haug naming him in a long, long time. I don't have the feeling any longer that di Resta would be Mercedes' first choice in case of the team needing a new driver.