This week's Autosport magazine says BMW are trying to sign Rosberg as Heidfeld's replacement for 2010. The article says Nick Heidfeld could stay, but only if Robert Kubica goes elsewhere for 2010.

and just out of curiosity: where could RK go to?

McLaren.
Ron doesn't hire German drivers. Never has, never will.

He tried and failed to hire Schumacher.

Not true. All BS from McLaren PR machine.
Schumacher; "Yes we chatted but nothing serious. There was never an offer."

"Um die unterschiedlichen Meinungen innerhalb der FIA wieder unter einen Hut zu bringen, wurde am Renntag von Monte Carlo eine weitere Sitzung anberaumt. Darin schworen sich die FOTA-Teams Einigkeit, die aber schon einen Tag später dadurch gebrochen wurde, dass Williams seine Nennung für 2010 abgab - trotz der Drohung der in der FOTA vertretenen Hersteller, für Streikbrecher keine Motoren zu liefern."

McLaren.

This week's Autosport magazine says BMW are trying to sign Rosberg as Heidfeld's replacement for 2010. The article says Nick Heidfeld could stay, but only if Robert Kubica goes elsewhere for 2010.

McLaren.
Ron doesn't hire German drivers. Never has, never will.
That eliminates 5 prospects.
Robert would fit the bill.
Or is there another Finn arround that they haven't tried?

Hi Metz, can you explain why Ron doesn't hire German drivers as you stated,
or is just an idea you have ?

Well the latest rumour is that Marc Gene is close to a deal with Campos,
I've no problem with Marc Géne,
he has already competed in 36 GP's and has a 5th place as his best result.

But Campos is heading with there wanted drivers to be spaniards...
after USF1 another team that only hires drivers from their own country??? please no...

As with USF1, I can understand this from a marketing pov as it will help secure local sponsors at least in the short term.

So what if Gene is 36? Is he a pensioner? The 'ageist' culture these days annoys me, a good F1 driver could easily hold his own until his early 40's even in the modern era, the world has just become so obsessed with youth that the teams are always looking to find the Next Big Thing even if it means offloading an older driver before his use-by date.

Interesting to note that all three Le Mans winners are in a way linked to new F1 teams: Marc Gené allegedly considered by Campos, Alex Wurz still a potential team boss with Superfund, and David Brabham's last name might yet return to the grid albeit on an other team's car.

Whilst it is true that a driver can compete later than many in F1 think, in 2010, Brabham will be 45. The only drivers of note that competed at or above this age are Fangio, Hill, and Brabham. All did so at the twilight of their careers, and all in an age where physical fitness didn't matter. Look at Mansell aged 42. He gave up after a couple of races.

I did have to LOL when the Le Mans commentator hinted at a place for Brabham in F1. The only way David Brabham will be in F1 next year, is if it is full of nobody teams, desperately looking for a name to add something to the soon to be defunct F1 championship.

Actually, there are better than even chances of him being involved, come to think about it.

Thanks for you reply, but I didn't imply that David Brabham could be on the 2010 grid - afterall, his last race was Oz 1994 - but merely his last name on the Formtech-owned cars run from the former Super Aguri factory. That is, should the whole FIA-FOTA thing go keblam, and the FIA allow more new teams on the 2010 entry list.

So Heidfeld is being sent out to pasture. Poor bloke will never win a race.

I wouldn't be so sure about the 'Pasture', if he would have been sacked last year, who knows, he might have gotten a seat in the crappy Honda for this year ;).

With a split looking more likely it's quite unlikely that a driver has to retire after this season. Even if not there are supposed to be 6 more seats to fill.

Hi Metz, can you explain why Ron doesn't hire German drivers as you stated,
or is just an idea you have ?

There is this myth because he took Kimi over Heidfeld in 2002. Ever since some people believe that's because he has something against Germans. (Is he a nationalist? A German hater or what?)

This is not true at all...
Just that many German fans/media believe that the non-german driver statistic is more than coincidence.
Many also believe that any one of the 5 current German F1 drivers would have been a better choice than Kovi.

He was ready to sign Michael Schumacher. It didn't happen at the end but I don't think the reason was Michael's nationality.

He was ready to sign Michael Schumacher. It didn't happen at the end but I don't think the reason was Michael's nationality.

afaik, the reson was that Ron/McLaren did not tolerate personal sponsors at that time - smth Micheal (or Weber..?) insisted on. I remember Haug told the story in some interview. Until 2007 or 2008 no McLaren driver had personal sponsors, when they dropped that 'law'.

We only have Ron's quote for this.
Schumacher himself shrugged this off.
He said there were casual discussions but no negotiations.
No offer was ever made.

Schu couldn't work with Dennis
Friday, 24, November, 2006, 15:53


Michael Schumacher has revealed that he never drove for McLaren Mercedes in Formula 1 because he had “different ideas” about how a team should operate compared with its boss Ron Dennis.

The German spent all but the first grand prix of his 248-race career driving for Benetton and Ferrari – despite being supported by and racing for Mercedes on his way through the motorsport ranks.

However although the retired legend admits he did have talks about a possible move to the team prior to his switch to Ferrari in 1996, he says the McLaren factor ensured a much-expected move to reunite with the German carmaker never materialised.

“There were several conversations and meetings with McLaren-Mercedes, for example 1995 in Monte Carlo,” he said in an interview with German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung’s magazine.

“But I noticed that we didn’t really fit together.

“I didn’t fit to McLaren or to be honest to McLaren boss Ron Dennis.

“It seemed to work out with Mercedes I am sure we would have found a way.

“Ron Dennis and I had different ideas how a Formula 1 team should work.”

However the German insists the reason the move didn’t happen was not because he demanded exclusive number one status at the team.

Despite dominating all of his team-mates throughout his 16 seasons in the sport, Schumacher says he never asked for a preferential status at any point in his career - insisting his superior pace was the reason for the support he received.

“I never demanded it, neither contractually nor verbally not during my whole career,” he said.

“This is how I see it: At the beginning of the season both drivers get the same material, are equal in every way.

“It soon emerges thought that one driver is quicker than the other and the team has to support him.

“Not in every situation [is quicker], sometimes chance also plays a role in this – but if the second driver only wants to win a grand prix because of his ego, while the first one is trying to win a world championship, I would regard that as silly.

“Because the goal always has to be to be first at the end of the season.

“Formula 1 is no children’s birthday party.”

Ron Dennis opens up about Schu talks
Monday, 23, April, 2007, 13:00


McLaren boss Ron Dennis has revealed just how close he came to luring Michael Schumacher away from Ferrari at the end of the 1990s.

Schumacher was repeatedly linked with McLaren before his run of championships with Ferrari began, and in an interview published in this month's F1 Racing magazine (on sale tomorrow), Dennis has admitted that only 'peripheral financial issues' prevented a deal going ahead.

"He and I met in Monte Carlo quite a few years ago, specifically to discuss the possibility of his joining the team," said Dennis.

"That meeting followed an informal chat we’d had at the Log Cabin (at Suzuka).

"I can’t remember, off the top of my head, but I’d say (it was in) 1998, 1999 or 2000."

Dennis said that Schumacher would have been happy to work with McLaren - and with the salary it offered.

"Clearly, neither his ability as a driver, nor our quality as a team, was an issue," he said.

"The size of his retainer wasn’t an issue, either.

"The issue was more what I’d call peripheral financial issues."

When asked if this related to personal sponsorship deals such as logos on caps, which Ferrari allowed Schumacher to sell himself, Dennis replied: "Yes, things like that."

He insisted that he did not regret failing to do a deal with the man who went on to win five consecutive titles for Ferrari in 2000-2004.

"I guess perhaps some things just aren’t meant to be," Dennis said.

"There are lots of things in life that you can look back on - if you’re minded to - and say, ‘If only...’, but I don’t like to do that because I don’t think it’s a particularly productive way of thinking."

ITV-F1.com

If Ron never wanted to sign him and that was because of his nationality, then why were "several conversations and meetings"?

Should all come to fruition, that adds up to 24 cars. If March and N.Technology are one and the same, that's a total of 22 cars. There could also be other teams still, since the FIA announced they received applications from as many as 15 potential new teams.

Yesterday's Autosport says that three entries received were denied straight away. March is one of them and the other two were myf1dream.com and Sky Sports Italia. So March will not be on the grid in any scenario.

ahh.... sounds like Williams and Force India will be asked to field about 4 cars each!

It would actually be brilliant racing if there was a field of Williams cars...

What about BMW, would they not prefer to have another team using their engine in F1 ?

I think Red Bull Racing will use a Mercedes, and Toro Rosso the Renault.

I think they want to get away from second-string Ferraris.