626 replies to this topic

[Gilles4Ever]

The latest news is that it won't be Valsecchi.

Dimi PAPADOPOULOS @f1enigma

Lotus wont use Valsecchi RT @JavieRubioF1: "Lotus no utilizará a Davide Valsecchi" bit.ly/17RpNSk hoy en @elconfidencial @ECdeportes

 

I doubt it will be Hulkenberg, although a free agent due to non payment he has no contract for 2014 yet? Doubt he is ready to burn his bridges with Sauber just now. It could also do his reputation a lot of harm if he isn't great in the Lotus.

 

Koba is contracted to Ferrari so not him.

 

Williams are unlikely to release Maldonado

 

d'Ambrosio?

[pacificquay]

I think d'Ambrosio looks likely given he raced for them before.

 

Unless they're trying to get a 2014 driver in early, or just give it to the highest bidder for these couple of races.

[silense]

How about Heikki?

Would make sense in my point of view. He knows the tracks, drove a few FPs this year and has experience.

[johnwilliamdavies]

Senna?

[Cyanide]

Kovalainen would be a good fit. 

[TimRTC]

How about Heikki?
Would make sense in my point of view. He knows the tracks, drove a few FPs this year and has experience.

Would love to see it but given his close ties to Caterham, might be a conflict of interest.

[RedBullFan]

Villeneuve.

[Mohican]

Surely it should be Valsecchi. If Lotus gives the drive to anybody else they kill the whole concept of third drivers stone dead; and it is quite an important revenue source to some teams. Why do you think Williams say publicly that they want to contract somebody for that role ?

[scheivlak]

Maybe Petrov? Knows the team, the circuit as well, and might link them to some useful Russian money.

[RosannaG]

So if Valseschi is not going to be the chosen one... What's the use to have a third driver?   

[Gilles4Ever]

Surely it should be Valsecchi. If Lotus gives the drive to anybody else they kill the whole concept of third drivers stone dead; and it is quite an important revenue source to some teams. Why do you think Williams say publicly that they want to contract somebody for that role ?

He has only done two tests with the team this year and has never driven at either of the tracks.

 

Heikki has experience with the Renault engine, knows both tracks and has done FP sessions rcently, outside a competing driver he is probably the most qualified/suited for the seat.

 

Edit: In the linked article it says Lotus want an experienced driver.

[Oldie]

Valsecchi must be bitter. He has done nothing wrong, and it should be his moment to make impression. He's in dead end.

 

He has only done two tests with the team this year and has never driven at either of the tracks.

 

Heikki has experience with the Renault engine, knows both tracks and has done FP sessions rcently, outside a competing driver he is probably the most qualified/suited for the seat.

 

Edit: In the linked article it says Lotus want an experienced driver.

 

Yeah, I have nothing against him. But, Valsechhi knows the team and the car better than Heikki. Even if Heikki does have more experience and have raced before, he don't know the car, setups etc. So to me it would be a question of choosing Heikki who has the experience but don't know the car and thus has quite a handicap by that. While Valsechhi has less experience, but already knows the car and have run plenty in the simulator.

 

To me, it would be interesting to see either of the them driving E21. But IMO it would be more fair to give Davide the chance. That said, life is not fair.

 

As this is just speculation, if they would choose Heikki, would that be a sign that perhaps he would be their candidate for even further, for 2014? He certainly would not demand high pay for next year, and he would get his chance to make an impression on last two races to help his bid for 2014.

[Jvr]

Barichello

[SPBHM]

So if Valseschi is not going to be the chosen one... What's the use to have a third driver? 

 

decoration?

 

it's really a shame...

[Spillage]

Hope its Valsecchi. GP2 champions deserve a shot and I'd like to see how well he does.

 

Are Lotus looking for experience or are they looking to sell the seat for the last two races? That is the key question here.

[fabr68]

So if Valseschi is not going to be the chosen one... What's the use to have a third driver?

Take his sponsorship money in exchange of playstation, I mean simulator time. And third driver title of course.

[1Devil1]

Michael 

[seahawk]

Nasr so he gets practice for next season.

[scheivlak]

Nasr so he gets practice for next season.

 

Don't think so:

 

 

In the linked article it says Lotus want an experienced driver.

[Cyanide]

Nasr so he gets practice for next season.

 

Not a chance. 

 

Kovalainen is the only one I can think of, since they want an experienced driver. Him, Kobayashi or Barrichello. 

[Ross Stonefeld]

How about di Grassi or Alguersuari? They're getting mileage in the Pirelli test car...

[skinnylizard]

i would put my money on Hulk especially if he is being courted to run in the Lotus for '14 but only if that. I would have reckoned Kubica get a shot if points werent so important for Lotus right now. 

[Francesc]

Taki Inoue

[BobbyRicky]

Max Papis.

[John Player]

Narain Karthikeyan

[noikeee]

Luca Badoer

[santababy]

Alan Permane.

[artista]

Alan Permane.

Would love to see that

[Nonesuch]

Lotus wants an experienced driver, to perhaps salvage third in the WCC. Kovalainen seems a decent choice, but not much more than that.

 

Tough choice. This isn't a great time for youngsters to drop in either. They'll get very little running to prepare, and a bad impression now could derail their attempts to get a good seat for next year.

Edited by Nonesuch, 12 November 2013 - 14:10.

[Zesus]

Alan Permane.

 

[santababy]

Would love to see that

Yup, now that Kimi has gotten ****ing out of the way.

[noikeee]

I'd still go with Valsecchi, he's not great no but he knows the car. I'm not really sure an experienced-but-not-really-that-super-quick pair of hands like a Kovalainen, Senna, Kobayashi, di Grassi or Alguersuari, would be able to get better results than Valsecchi in this time frame, because they won't have been trained all year long to go drive that specific car. They appear to be going with one of them over Valsecchi though so what do I know...

 

Unless they want a guy who brings cash, but good luck selling a F1 seat for a good price with less than a week to the GP.

[Ross Stonefeld]

How much training has Valsecchi had though? Especially with the change in tire construction, 2012-era drivers might be more suitable to this car, plus they'll have driven Austin. So that leaves you with Senna(Ferrari wouldn't release Kobayashi). 

 

Unless Lotus have really amped up their simulator program in which case Valsecchi might do a passable job, but everyone else listed would at minimum do as good a job.

[SpartanChas]

Susie Wolff.

[prpr]

For sale, one seat with leading F1 team for two races. Offers in excess of 15 million please.

[string158]

Sato

[maximilian]

There's only one experienced super-sub:  Roberto Moreno!

Edited by maximilian, 12 November 2013 - 15:03.

[sopa]

Lotus wants an experienced driver, to perhaps salvage third in the WCC. Kovalainen seems a decent choice, but not much more than that.

 

Tough choice. This isn't a great time for youngsters to drop in either. They'll get very little running to prepare, and a bad impression now could derail their attempts to get a good seat for next year.

 

While it is certainly a tough challenge for a youngster, a similar situation saved Kobayashi's career. Especially if you are tight on money and struggle to continue your racing career, someone like Robin Frijns would jump at such opportunity. Nothing to lose there, for him.

[grichka]

Seb Vettel to prove he can win in a crap car.

[Atreiu]

Barrichello in Brazil!

Haha, please, no.

 

Does Montoya still fit?

[sheogorath]

The Stig, obviously.

[F1ultimate]

Seb Vettel to prove he can win in a crap car.

 

The Lotus is hardly a crap car. It qualifies decently and is brilliant on its tyres. 

[Jvr]

Depends what is ment with experience but names floated in the Twitter matching that to a degree are Kovalainen, Barrichello, Petrov and of course Hulk if he can be released from Sauber.

So my final suggestion is Petrov.

[SealTheDiffuser]

I'd say Hulkenberg 99%.

[V3TT3L]

The biggest Kimi Basher in this forum.

 

I just want to see the guy/gurl doing a 'Niki Lauda at Jaguar'.

Some people criticize him, so... show me the speed.

[Nonesuch]

While it is certainly a tough challenge for a youngster, a similar situation saved Kobayashi's career. Especially if you are tight on money and struggle to continue your racing career, someone like Robin Frijns would jump at such opportunity. Nothing to lose there, for him.

 

Absolutely, that's a great counter-example.

[V3TT3L]

BSenna and Kobayashi did the WEC race at COTA this year.

 

BSenna drove for Lotus before [same steering wheel comands?], so he might be able to - at least - leave the pits and start from the grid.

[Ross Stonefeld]

Relatively speaking Kobayashi was much more prepared. And this isn't a question of which driver would be willing to take the chance but who Lotus wants. So Frijns is way down the list. 

[beute]

Are people oblivious to the existance of Kobayashi?

he was barely beaten by perez and actually managed to score a well deserved podium that, unlike Perez' podiums, wasnt the result of a unconventional tactic.

And the years before he dominated his teammates.

 

It's a joke that perez got a promotion to Mclaren while Kamui has been shown the door.

 

the only better driver available is Hulkenberg.