2010 Formula 1 Season - Official Discussion Thread

[megasyxx]

poor heikki.......believe me, mclaren screwed double world champ alonso before. now they're screwing up heikki! probably because he's a bit reluctant to be a #2 to lewis...(now where's that driver equality thingie for mclaren?)

[swca92]

Driver equality vanishes when one driver is better than the other.

[JoostLamers]

Driver equality vanishes when one driver is better than the other.

Yep

[JoostLamers]

Renault to announce 2010 drivers soon!

Spoiler:

Renault will announce its drivers for the 2010 season "soon", but team boss Flavio Briatore answered ambiguously when asked about Fernando Alonso's rumoured switch to Ferrari.

It is almost certain that Romain Grosjean, who amazingly still works part-time at a Geneva bank, will be retained by the French team for his first full F1 season next year.

27-year-old former double world champion Alonso, however, is now the subject of intensifying speculation that his Ferrari deal will be confirmed sooner or later.

"For two years people have kept asking me what is going to happen tomorrow," team boss Briatore said in an interview with the German news agency DPA.

"When we have a concrete decision, soon, we will announce it.

"We work very well with Ferrari, we have a very good relationship and we hope it will stay like that. It is an important team that you have to respect, they have done a lot. But I try to beat them," Briatore added.

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http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=342398

[phil1993]

"who amazingly still works part-time at a Geneva bank" WOW

Um, soon might meen this weekend or like 2 months

[Tom Vandenhove]

Thanks for posting joost Kovalainen please

[phil1993]

Kubica: Team choice based on potential

The pole is closing in on a Renault drive in 2010

Robert Kubica says he is unconcerned by the prospect of joining a team for 2010 that has not won a race this year, as he closes on a move to Renault.

Kubica is a free agent next year, following BMW's decision to withdraw from Formula 1 at the end of the season. He insists that it is difficult to know which teams will be the strongest and claims the potential of the team he joins is more important.

"Even if you are not on the pace straight away, if you are working with a good group you can move forward in winter testing," said Kubica when asked by AUTOSPORT about whether he is concerned at the prospect of racing for a team that is not currently winning races.

"Nobody can guarantee a quick car, but you can have a guarantee of maximum effort and motivation."

"It's difficult to judge which team will win races next year.

"You can have some idea because the teams that finish this year well would most probably have a good start to next season because the cars stay the same aerodynamically."

Kubica is confident that despite several of the top seats already being locked out when he became free for 2010, there is still a good chance of him being in a winning car.

"I hope that I will be in a competitive car next year," said Kubica.

"Most of the teams have already contracted drivers so there are not a lot of places to go. But there are a few opportunities that look promising for the future."

The 2008 Canadian Grand Prix winner added that he was in no hurry to commit himself to a deal, and that the development progress teams make in the coming races could play a key role.

"I'm in the early stages of talking because it wasn't long ago that we got the news of BMW stopping," he said. "I'm not in a hurry."

[Tom Vandenhove]

Romain Grosjean, Robert Kubica = Renault F1 drivers 2010. Trust me

[phil1993]

Yup. Its all slotting in:

Nando and Massa at Ferrari, Bank worker and Kubi at Renault, Kova to a new team or Williams.

[Tom Vandenhove]

Bank worker

[shailf1]

http://www.motorsport.com/news/artic...D=342402&FS=F1

Santander says Alonso-Ferrari deal is 'dream'
Racing series F1
Date 2009-08-26

By Motorsport.com/GMM

The only missing element to the Santander/Ferrari sponsorship deal beginning in 2010 is an official press announcement.

It is an open secret in the F1 paddock that the Spanish bank will switch from McLaren at the end of the year, presumably to team up with Fernando Alonso at Ferrari.

Asked about the rumours, Santander's executive vice president for communications and corporate marketing Juan Manuel Cendoya told AS newspaper: "The world's best bank, the world's best team, the world's best driver -- without doubt that is a dream combination for any sponsor."

However, it has been whispered in recent days that McLaren is trying everything to retain Santander; including - according to El Mundo newspaper - by asking the bank if wooing Alonso back to the Mercedes powered team would change its mind.

The German newspaper TZ said contact has been made by officials of the Woking based team to Alonso's manager Luis Garcia Abad.

"At no time have I spoken with Fernando Alonso about contracts," Mercedes' Norbert Haug said in a teleconference for German media this week.

"We talk from time to time and I send him a SMS if he drives a good race. But never (do we talk) about contracts," he insisted.

[phil1993]

About F1, all negotiations are going OK! There's a lot of work to be done, but let's hope that all works out and a good deal comes soon!!

[JoostLamers]

About F1, all negotiations are going OK! There's a lot of work to be done, but let's hope that all works out and a good deal comes soon!!

[swca92]

Manor I'd guess are trying to sign him, possibly Williams if Nakajima leaves and they want Hulkenburg and Senna in the same team.

[JoostLamers]

Senna: My chances of F1 graduation are much better in 2010
"Talking with 4 teams"

Spoiler:

F1 hopeful Bruno Senna contends that the chances of him successfully graduating to the top flight are ‘much better’ for 2010 than they were for 2009 – when he came desperately close to making his debut for current world championship leaders Brawn GP.

Following a series of tests for the ex-Honda F1 outfit, and off the back of a strong season in the feeder GP2 Series that had seen him finish as runner-up to champion Giorgio Pantano in the title standings, Senna looked to be in pole position for the second Brawn GP seat alongside Jenson Button – only to be passed over at the eleventh hour in favour of more experienced compatriot Rubens Barrichello.

That left the young Brazilian to ply his trade in sportscars with Oreca in the Le Mans Series and Le Mans 24 Hours, but despite that switch and a flirtation with racing with a roof over his head following a couple of tests with Mercedes-Benz in the DTM, Senna’s focus remains firmly focussed on F1. And this time around, he insists, he is far better prepared than he was twelve months ago.

“This year things seem much more exciting for me,” affirmed the 25-year-old in an interview with the Gulf News. “It didn’t happen this season, but next year the chances are much better. Last year it was tough due to Honda not really being prepared to take a risk with a new driver – or maybe I could not prove that I was good enough for them.

“The odds are much better this year, and the scenario too is different. So far I have been speaking to at least four F1 teams. I am currently in the middle of some very positive discussions with a handful of teams regarding an F1 seat next season. Talks are of course at an early stage, but I’m certainly hoping for some good news as things progress.”

The nephew of the late, great three-time F1 World Champion Ayrton Senna has been linked with one of the two available berths at Spanish outfit Campos, one of the three new arrivals on the grand prix grid in 2010. The São Paulista also now has a special honour to his name as the first international driver to complete a lap at the spectacular new Yas Marina Circuit, scene of the season-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in late October.

“Every driver from every class is really excited about the new Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi,” he revealed. “It seems that the state-of-the-art facilities, together with a demanding track layout, will be a new and tough challenge to drivers and teams.

"I would say the layout is quite selective. It is not exactly the same as Bahrain, where you can find at least four overtaking points, but you can earn position in one place or another. The 1.2km-long straight will ease that, for sure. Some corners are crazy as the cars will pass very close to the wall, like in the IndyCar Series. This mix of characteristics is cool.

“The garages are huge and, like the VIP areas and Media Centre for 600 journalists, have two floors and a terrace. The owners want to use it as a multi-use arena. There is one grandstand that can host music shows, as it features a very good acoustics.”

The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix support programme will include the GP2 Asia Series Porsche, Mobil1 Supercup and Chevrolet Supercars Middle East Challenge, a world-class line-up which organisers believe will be the ideal opportunity to trial the track’s operating systems before the main event gets underway.

The Porsche Supercup series has supported Formula 1 events since 1993, and ADMM have signed a deal to host races until 2011. The Chevrolet Supercars Middle East Challenge, meanwhile, is a touring car series and offers action-packed racing in readily recognisable versions of the popular GM Lumina sedan.

“The support races add to the spectacle for racing fans and makes the ‘ladder’ of motor racing much easier to understand,” remarked Senna, “and it is a perfect opportunity to see the up-and-coming talent that will feature in F1 in the future.”


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http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/27082009/23/senna-chances-f1-graduation-better-2010.html