Sutil and Ferrari (and many others)

Just my opinion on the issue. It’s for granted that the seat of Felipe Massa for 2013 is under consideration and most logically Ferrari has to make up their minds until end of July on if they are going to keep Felipe or take another option.

There are many drivers out there waiting for a dream call starting with 0039 that is coming from Italy and Maranello. Forget for a minute the fact that Marketing Issues will come in the agenda and the game will be played having in mind purely drivers performance.

Adrian Sutil is a very good driver who brings solid results, always performs well, made some stunning appearances and would be an interesting option for Ferrari. But he’s not the only one. Many would have get-out options from their contracts if they have offer from a “bigger team” and Ferrari is a bigger team no matter what. I don’t hold too much on 1y deal talks with a team, because a clause on the contract like I said before will do the job. Having said that, you can bring up many names in your mind.

And if you count also the possibility that some managers will play their game wisely to release their customers from any binding contracts then some extra names can appear. We have heard many times the sentence “This driver is contracted to team X, loaned to team Y and will replace the Z driver (of team X) when he retires or leaves”. All this will collapse if the team who has his rights (Team X) isn’t performing and the manager of the driver can play a game on that, in order to place his driver to a “bigger team”.

Bottom line is that Sutil is only one of the possibilities Ferrari has and in case they will open the seat officially, bigger names will come into play. And from any initial talks to serious talk the way is very rough!

 

On the subject of #F1 driver management and Elvis Presley « Professor Mark Jenkins’ F1 Blog

On the subject of #F1 driver management and Elvis Presley « Professor Mark Jenkins’ F1 Blog.

 

Steve McQueen’s Le Mans overalls sell for $984,000! | Adam Cooper’s F1 Blog

Steve McQueen’s Le Mans overalls sell for $984,000! | Adam Cooper’s F1 Blog.

 

Pre season Testing & Launches | Scarbsf1’s Blog

Pre season Testing & Launches | Scarbsf1’s Blog.

 

Sahara Force India confirms Paul Di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg for 2012 – Announcement

Sahara Force India Formula One Team today confirmed that Paul Di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg will form its line-up for the 2012 season.

Paul continues with the team for his second season in a race seat, while Nico steps up from his role as reserve driver. Together they form one of the most exciting pairings on the grid.

Dr. Vijay Mallya, Team Principal and Managing Director: “I am delighted to present our line-up for the 2012 season. In Paul and Nico we have two extremely talented drivers with tremendous potential.

“I think Paul caught the eye of everybody in the pit lane during his rookie season. His speed, maturity and racecraft confirmed that we were right to believe in him and we look forward to working with him again next year.

“As for Nico, we identified him as a rising star at the end of 2010 and chose to evaluate him during the course of this season. Despite having only limited time in the car, he convinced us that he deserved a race seat for 2012.

“Our new line-up means we say ‘goodbye’ to Adrian Sutil, who has been with the team since we entered the sport. He has been an integral part of our success over the past four seasons and we wish him well for the future.”

Paul Di Resta: “I’m really looking forward to my second season of Formula One and continuing to grow and develop with Sahara Force India. I’ve said all along that I love being part of this team: they are ambitious, hungry for success and we work well together. I’m really excited about 2012 and there is a real sense of belief that we can continue to push the top teams and take another step forward. I’d also like to thank the team for all their hard work this year and for all the support they’ve given me. I’ll take some time out over the next few weeks to recharge my batteries and hopefully come back even stronger in 2012.”

Nico Hulkenberg: “I’m obviously delighted to be staying with Sahara Force India and to be given the chance to race next year. It wasn’t easy to watch from the sidelines this season, but I did my best to help the team and show what I was capable of. I’m extremely motivated for 2012 and would like to thank everyone for believing in me and giving me this chance. I’m keen to get down to work over the winter to develop our new car and help the team build on this year’s achievements. The first test in Jerez can’t come soon enough.”

 

Jonathan Heal joins Ferrari

There is a report at Omnicorse telling that Jonathan Heal joined Ferrari from McLaren. Found an interview of Heal

http://youtu.be/T6-Wkh-5ucg

 

Post Colles era at HRT – Announcement

Luis Pérez-Sala, appointed as new Team Principal of HRT F1 Team

Madrid, 15th December 2011

Spanish former Formula 1 driver Luis Pérez-Sala (Barcelona, 15th on May 1959) takes on, as of today, the role of Team Principal of HRT F1 Team after the exit of the head sporting figure from the Spanish team.

With the naming of Luis Pérez-Sala at the fore of the team, HRT F1 Team closes one chapter and begins a new one, which will hopefully come with new successes and satisfactions. Having Pedro de la Rosa at the helm, headquarters in Spain and the design of next season’s car being carried out internally, this is an exciting project although there is still much work to do before the 2012 season begins in Australia on the 18th of March.

Saúl Ruiz de Marcos, HRT F1 Team CEO: “From the moment we took control of the team last July, the first thing we did was to study and value where we were, whilst also set ourselves a target and establish a strategy. We have been working discretely but relentlessly towards this for the last few months. We’ve always made it clear that our priorities were the car, the headquarters and our drivers. The car is evolving, Pedro has been a great asset to the team and we have always wanted to settle the team in Spain and have everybody working under one roof. Since we began working with Luis (Pérez-Sala) our connection has been great. Now he takes on a much more key role in the team but the decision was an easy one given his knowledge and his way of doing things. It is the best decision we could make. I would like to also thank Colin (Kolles) and Manfredi (Ravetto) for their work and dedication in these two years that the team has existed and I wish them the very best for the future”.

Luis Pérez-Sala, Team Principal of HRT F1 Team: “This naming is an honor but also a great responsibility. I joined the team as an advisor to the new owners and to contribute with my experience in any possible way. We had to establish a base from which to grow slowly and we are now seeing the first rewards of that work. But we mustn’t lose our perspective and be aware that assuming responsibilities such as designing the car or moving the headquarters to Spain are huge tasks and we still have a lot of work ahead. We must be patient and keep in mind that we cannot expect to achieve great success in the short term, but we can take a team forward that we can all feel proud of. The simple fact that Spain has a team in the pinnacle of motorsports is already a great feat; we’re a part of the G12. And that, apart from being an honor, means a greater development to the structure and everything surrounding it”.

 

A thought on STR announcement and what may have happen

The announcement from STR last night came as a total surprise for many paddock people. I tweeted more than half an hour before the announcement that “I love the driver market! Got tip that in the 4 drivers for 2 seat case we will have a complete change of scenery”. Everyone thought the announcement would have come out today, but seems the decision has been changed (maybe because of the fact that the story was leaked and would be soon hit the press?)

Anyway … The original plan was to place Ricciardo at Caterham (he confirmed that there was a “chance” http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/96670) and to have Vergne and Alguersuari in at STR. Now it seems that something changed the last minute. Was it that someone offered more money to Caterham to get the Trullis seat from the bid Marko was putting? Was it that Marko decided that spending money was not the way and they had to use their 2 seats at STR for 4 drivers?

Franz Tost was very clear that the decision was coming from Red Bull in Austria. “However, one has to remember that when Scuderia Toro Rosso was established in 2005, it was done so with the intention of providing a first step into Formula 1 for the youngsters in the Red Bull Junior Driver programme. It is therefore part of the team’s culture to change its driver line-up from time to time in order to achieve this goal”, he said. Just before that he commented : “I must also thank Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari for all their hard work over the past three seasons. They have delivered some excellent performances which have helped the team move forward and develop. We wish them well for the future”. I thought that maybe one of them would go to RB as reserve, but I don’t think its going to happen. Reading into Tost words I get the feeling that they are out of the Red Bull umbrella. Buemi said at Blick last week that his contract isn’t renewed and he waits for that. Proved that he’s totally in the cold. You would say that Alguersuari could fit at HRT plans. Its possible but he has to find the money himself and its hard.

Take in addition that there are many drivers in the market now with big wallets.

 

Ricciardo – Vergne in at STR – Buemi and Alguersuari in the cold for 2012

Scuderia Toro Rosso will have a completely new driver line-up for the 2012 Formula 1 season, made up of Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne. It will be the first time since the team’s 2006 debut that it will begin the year with an all new line-up. Both drivers have come through the Red Bull Junior Driver programme and the decision to promote Daniel and Jean-Eric to Scuderia Toro Rosso was taken by the team in conjunction with Red Bull.

Franz Tost: “I am pleased that we have been able to reach an early decision on our drivers for next year, because it means we can all give our full attention to 2012, without any distractions. Over the past year, both Daniel and Jean-Eric have proved their worth and I expect them to make a significant contribution to the team’s performance next year. Daniel has the benefit of having actually raced in Grands Prix for much of this year, while Jean-Eric proved he could adapt quickly to the demands of driving a Formula 1 car. As they have both worked with the team and its engineers very recently, this should allow us to get up to speed right from the start of winter testing in a couple of months time. I must also thank Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari for all their hard work over the past three seasons. They have delivered some excellent performances which have helped the team move forward and develop. We wish them well for the future. However, one has to remember that when Scuderia Toro Rosso was established in 2005, it was done so with the intention of providing a first step into Formula 1 for the youngsters in the Red Bull Junior Driver programme. It is therefore part of the team’s culture to change its driver line-up from time to time in order to achieve this goal.”

Twenty two year old Ricciardo, from Perth, Australia has already experienced life in F1, firstly by driving for Toro Rosso during Friday’s first free practice session at Grands Prix in the early part of 2011, before driving full time for Hispania Racing in the second half of the year. In 2008 he won the Formula Renault 2.0 Championship and the following year, he won the British Formula 3 series. In 2010, Dan finished runner up in the Renault 3.5 series, combining his racing with reserve driver duties for both Red Bull F1 teams.

Daniel Ricciardo: “This is a really big deal for me and something I have wanted ever since I was driving for Toro Rosso on Friday mornings at the races in the first part of last season. To be honest, I am still jumping up and down with excitement at the news. In the second half of 2011 I learned a lot from the people I worked with, racing in eleven Grands Prix and I want to thank them for the opportunity they gave me. I have to say that joining Scuderia Toro Rosso was always my real goal, so a big thank you to Red Bull for giving me this fantastic opportunity and now I can’t wait to get to work once testing begins.”

Frenchman Vergne has already worked with Scuderia Toro Rosso, most recently, driving in Free Practice 1 at three of the last four Grands Prix of the 2011 season. The twenty one year old Frenchman followed in his new team-mate’s footsteps, winning the 2010 British Formula 3 Championship and coming second in this year’s Renault 3.5 series.

Jean-Eric Vergne: “First of all, I must thank Red Bull for all their support so far and for believing I am ready to take on the ultimate challenge of racing in Formula 1. Christmas has come early for me this year! Having driven for them a few times this year and also testing for Red Bull Racing in Abu Dhabi, I definitely feel ready to make the move, even if I know there is a big difference between testing and actually racing. I enjoyed working with the guys at Toro Rosso this year and I can’t wait to be part of the team for real. Sitting on the grid in Melbourne next March cannot come soon enough.”

 

HRT Official statement on Caterham

Madrid, 12th of December 2011

After the recent information appearing lately in the media, HRT F1 Team is obliged to deny that Caterham Technology and Innovation, a subsidiary company of Caterham F1, will be in charge of the design and fabrication of the F112’s monocoque.

Contrary to what has been published, the development of the car that HRT F1 Team will compete with in next year’s Formula 1 World Championship is being carried out at the team’s technical office in Munich by a team of designers under the technical supervision of Jacky Eeckelaert and chief aerodynamicist Stephan Chosse.

Despite the tight deadlines and a rule change for 2012 meaning that crash tests and chassis homologation procedures must be completed before any cars can test, the team is confident that the new car will be ready for preseason testing in February.