I stuck him in a Renault. Flav tried to get him when he knew Alonso had signed for McLaren at the end of 2005, why not, it's silly season!

Boy oh boy USF1 is really set up to be shit with that line up. While I openly hope for JV in one seat, there are easily 10 betters drivers in the USA than Marco.

If his last name wasnt Andretti, he wouldnt even have a seat in the first place.

I can't see how they are going to have much chance anyway if they are picking all American drivers (or at least drivers linked to this USA as with JV).

Please excuse my ignorance of American drivers there by the way.

True. But for some reason I can't see Renault taking on Kimi. No offence. I wonder if Alonso's (and ING's) exit will precipitate the exit of Renault (as we currently know it).

Quite possibly. Can't see them continuing without Alonso or another top line driver. I suppose Kubica has links with them.

mmm. yeh. Kubica isn't all that 'warm' about BMW either. But would he really want to go to Renault? (seems a sideways move really).
I know this, if Nando goes to Ferrari next year, Renault have got a BIG driver problem.

After the latest political developments from yesterday,
the whole Silly Season is beïng on hold .. .. again!

It's a sideways move yes, but the clincher would be that he'd get no.1 status over the young Grosjean in a team that has won titles before.

Hear what you're saying but will he forgive Renault for letting him go to BMW in the first place?
Man, these negotiations are complex!

Brawn-Mercedes
Jenson Button
Robert Kubica

Red Bull-Renault
Sebastian Vettel
Mark Webber

Toyota
Jarno Trulli
Timo Glock

Ferrari
Fernando Alonso
Felipe Massa

Williams-Toyota
Nicolas Hülkenberg
Kazuki Nakajima

McLaren-Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton
Nico Rosberg

Renault
Bruno Senna
Romain Grosjean

BMW
Kimi Raikkonen
Nick Heidfeld

Toro Rosso-Ferrari
Sebastien Buemi
Brendon Hartley

Force India-Mercedes
Heikki Kovalainen
Gary Paffett

USF1-Cosworth
Scott Speed
Marco Andretti

Campos-Cosworth
Giorgio Pantano
Jaime Alguersuari

Manor-Cosworth
Rubens Barrichello
Anthony Davidson

I need someone to support next year so, wishfully thinking, do we reckon there's any chance at all that some midfield/backmarker outfit could still be persuaded to sign my boy (Kimi) for a year or two? I get that he's not very good but there are a number of folks on the current grid that are arguably no better and yet their being around next year doesn't seem to be in any doubt at all.

Does Kimi want to be around next year?

Can we now STOP this nonsense about Alonso to Ferrari?
Yesterday's interview on Autosport:

Renault driver Alonso, however, denied he had any contracts with Ferrari, and said he had not even talked to the team about his future.

"They are only rumours. They have been happening in the last four or five years," Alonso told reporters in Germany.

When asked if he had been talking to Ferrari or if you had a Ferrari contract, he said: "No, and no."


http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/76788

Apparently yes. Besides, it's not like he has anything better to do anyway.

"No and no"

1. Well, his agent might have.
2. Of course not, he's Renault driver at the moment.
I don't see a contradiction here*.


* - silly season

QUOTE ("Turun Sanomat")
BMW has an option with Kubica for next season but it can be revoked if the driver insists on it.

You know what I was thinking would be the perfect lineup: Barrichello and Senna. One has the experience to anchor a new team around and has proven he can still be quick, evne in a dog of a car (like at Silverstone last year). The other is young and fast and has a name to draw sponsors with. I don't think Brawn would give up Jenson Button ina hurry, so I can see Barrichello-Senna at the Playboy Mansion (Virgin-Manor, geddit?).

KR is talking to Brawn, Ferrari has interest in him going there and reducing the fine. RB goes out. Toyota has a standing offer for KR also.

NR replaces NH in BMW.

http://blog.estadao.com.br/blog/livio/

There is no way Brawn could afford Raikkonen, even for a third of what he is earning now. Raikkonen gets $51 million from Ferrari and I can't see him willing to cut that down to $17 million or less. Not if he can keep a moderately-compettiive Ferrari on his current salary.

The usual BS speculation.

Finnish teletext seems to confirm that Kovalainen especially had requested for slicks before coming in.

Also there is a short news about Steve and David Robertson (who is managing Kimi) and that they spent lot of Friday with the Brawn team on Friday.

Which means Alonso in for 2010 at Ferrari, Kimi out.

I tend to believe wht this guy writes. Let's see.

No it doesn't. It doesn't mean anything. As previously established, Brawn cannot afford Raikkonen. And Raikkonen won't want to take a pay cut simply to drive a competitive car when there's a chance he can keep his current salary for 2010 and stay in a competitive car.

But who am I kidding. You're the one who was convinced Honda sold their team to Brawn so that they could spend a year developing a better engine on their own and that Mercedes were just a pawn in a grand scheme for Honda to buy the team back.

Marco Andretti can't drive nails into the side of a barn, plus he's a whiner/team turmoil fellow. They'd be better off with Danica for all the world wide interest and publicity and she's as good.
Speed is a good choice, having seen and driven all the tracks, but I can't figure USF1 with a co driver for Speed, someone who might have better testing and sorting ability. Rahal JR. ain't it so far, but maybe there is some unforeseen jewel?

We have no idea what they have lined up for 2010; your assertion is based upon Brawn now, not then. It wouldn't surprise me at all to see many drivers knocking on Ross's door.

I think you confuse me with another Brabham named poster, I never posted anything you mentioned above

Michael Jackson to Ferrari?

Tasteless joke.

BMW is looking for a second ( or third ? ) F1 team to supply with engines in 2010

http://www.sportbild.de/sportbild/generate...3188400000.html

sportBILD... mhm... BILD is quite controversial here. often they're just publishing bs that's not even close to be a rumour... sometimes they got news from insiders way before others do. like things concerning bayern munich football club... and we all know BMW are based in munich aswell.
but which teams are there for bmw? i dont see any except Red Bull/Torro Rosso and Brawn. the the latters are happy with Ferrari and Mercedes. So basically there's just Red Bull.

With BMW's reliability this year it's going to be a brave team that picks that option.

It's funny, but only out of Heidfeld and Kubica, it's the Pole who is the only one experiencing trouble. Heidfeld has finished every race this season, though given the F1.09's performance, it's hardly anything to brag about (but if BMW release him, it would make him very attractive as a senior driver to a new team).

Schumacher himself had set sight on McLaren actually early-mid 1995 and they spoke only briefly and informally about a drive becoming available for 1996, but then the Ferrari opportunity arose and Willi Weber made him aware of it, really had to convince him of the move too. It wasn't an obvious choice at the time with the state Ferrari used to be in. Michael didn't agree to go along with it instantly.

Would be quite an interesting move and logical from the point of view that he won't return to McLaren and BMW sets sight on Rosberg, which I expect to be a done deal soon.
However, if I were Ross, I'd still see if I could sign Nico instead. He's definitely one of the bigger talents that become rarely available.

I think McLaren could do itself a favour by signing Sutil to replace Kovalainen. He's just definitely not up for the game.

Would Nico want to go to BMW? More money, but a sideways move at best in terms of the car.

Force india have an option on Sutil which the guy on the BBC practice said they would likely take up. Plus FI will also run Merc engines next year which will probably lead to a Mac driver given a seat. G Paffet and di Resta are likely but I think Mac will partner LH with a German driver for 2010 (Glock or Heidfeld at the moment) and Kovalainen will be put in the Force India.

Massa and Alonso look set for Ferrari.
Buttton and it looks like its going to be Raikkonen for Brawn.
Webber and Vettel will stay on at RedBull.
Buemi and Alguersuari look set for Torro Rosso.
Roseberg and probably Kubica for BMW.
Romain Grosjean for Renault.
USF1 will have two Americans.
Campos look to have de la Rosa lined up. Plus Pantano is making noises.

Nakajima will be on the grid with either Toyota or Williams
Nicolas Hülkenberg will be on the grid according to his manager, but not with Williams.
If Glock doesn't go to Merc, he will be at Toyota.

Christian Klien has been linked to a BMW race seat alongside Kubica for next season.

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news...714113220.shtml

The Austrian news source Vorarlberg Online believes his contract with the German squad guarantees him a full race seat by 2010.

Why are people so utterly convinced Alonso is going to Ferrari? Both parties have denied it; the only people who keep insisting on it are the Spanish tabloids. And while the Spanish language might not ahve a word for 'tabloid', that doesn't get around the fact that they're consistently publishing whatever crap comes to mind ona slow news day.

Although I agree on the possibilty of di Resta at FI, I find it highly improbable - close to impossible - that Heidfeld is in the running for a McLaren seat. Raikkonen will much easier quit F1 than going to another team. Rosberg is still one of F1 greatest talents so he would be in contention at nearly all available seats. My bet is that he will either stay at Williams or will get Kovalainen's seat at McLaren, if they decide to drop Heikki. And I am pretty much convinced that Kavalainen will stay. One must not forget that the team is still "McLaren" not "Mercedes", so Ron'n'Martin will have the last words on their drivers. And Whitmarsh is an outspoken fan of Kovalainen.

Whrer did you get the information that de la Rosa is set to join Campos? The guy turns 39 next year!

Yeah. I don't why people took that for granted. I'm pretty sure that Ferrari won't change lineup for the next season. But, I can see Alonso in Ferrari in 2011, of course, alongside Felipe.

Campos apparently wants a) an experienced driver and b) to be the Spanish All-Stars. I think he's mad since Super Aguri proved you can't really expect that to deliver the best-quality lineup, but there's only two drivers who fulfil both criteria: de la Rosa and Gene. Neither will be doing much with the test ban, and since de la Rosa has the more-recent racing expeirence - he was pretty good considering his age when he took over from Montoya - he seems to be the more obvious choice than Marc Gene.

Maybe if Alguersuari impresses, he could wind up at Campos ... but I think it's more likely they'll pick from the current crop of GP2 drivers. Rodriguez, Villa and Clos are not Formual One material, even if they're Spanish, so I could see a de la Rosa-Petrov lineup as Petrov is known to Campos having raced for them before.

I thought it was well known that he's leaving Mac the end of the Year, LH has said in interviews earlier in the month that he's going to miss him.

Adrian Campos has said he want's 1) an experienced driver 2) Spanish driver. It's not going to be Alonso or Alguersuari. Marc Gene might be in with a shout but the general gossip and feeling around the paddock is that de la Rosa is signed up. It will be announced at Valencia.

You can google for the LH interview.

Hamilton didn't say he's going to miss him, he said he would miss him if he left.

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news...703103620.shtml

Next year will be different. BMW will have the opportunity to get to terms with the regulations, whilst I would actually doubt that Brawn will be able to compete in the same way as they do this year. Ross remains a genius, but resources are not unlimited for them, especially if they need full focus on this year's car first. It could go both ways, but the creativity is IMO higher at Brawn than at BMW currently.

If Banco Santander joins and says we want Alonso in the car at all cost, what would you do?

What's to say they made that demand at all? This is Ferrari we're talking about; they don't take that kind of crap from a sponsor. Minardi might have, but not Maranello. They might be in need of someone to replace Malboro, but if Santander start issuing ultimatums, they'd just say thank you very much and get someone else on the side of their car.

And why are people so desperate to see Alonso in a Ferrari, anyway? There's been nothing to indicate Ferrari are dissatisfied with Raikkonen or Massa or that they're in talks with Alonso other than what the tabloids say.

They need to pay the bills like every other team. Alonso and Ferrari will surely happen sooner or later.

True... to the extent that a sponsor wants something they don't. If their interest is the same, that does open doors.

Brazilian Grande Premio reports today that Kimi Raikkonen is talking to both Toyota and Brawn for 2010