F1 2013 Driver Rumours

OK... I KNOW there's a Lewis Hamilton thread already, but I'd like to cater for the other drivers as well!

Anyway, I'd like to share my half-fantasy list of teams and drivers for 2013 (Confirmed drivers are in bold, Team/driver numbers based on current championship positions):

Red Bull - Renault
1. Vettel
2. Webber

McLaren - Mercedes
3. Button
4. Perez

Ferrari
5. Alonso
6. Massa

Lotus - Renault
7. Raikkonen
8. Grosjean

Mercedes
9. Hamilton
10. Rosberg

Sauber - Ferrari
11. Hulkenberg
12. Gutierrez/Kobayashi

Force India (?) - Mercedes
14. Di Resta
15. Algersuari

Williams - Renault
16. Maldonado
17. Bottas

Toro Rosso - Ferrari
18. Riccardo
19. Vergne

Marussia - Cosworth
20. Glock
21. Chilton

Caterham - Renault
22. Kovalinen
23. Senna

HRT - Cosworth
24. De la Rosa
25. Karthikeyan

---

GPGSL -
GPGSL-3 - Pizza Party Racing manager and driver
Nations Cup - Team Scotland manager



Edited 13 time(s). Last edit at 10/16/2012 05:05PM by smoglessbutton4.

Rosberg is also confirmed for 2013: [www.mercedes-amg-f1.com]

---

GPGSL: S6 - TafuroGP Tester (14th) /// S7 - ART Tester (6th) /// S8 - Demon Driver (13th) /// S9 - Demon/Snake Driver (13th) /// S10 - Snake Driver (???) ///]
"My ambition is handicapped by laziness" - Charles Bukowski

Grid wont change almost at all...this is what rumours say now:

Ferrari=Alonso,Massa
McLaren= Hamilton, Button
RedBull= Vettel, Webber
Lotus= Räikkönen,Grosjean
Mercedes= Rosberg,Schumacher
Sauber= perez, Alguersuari
Williams=Maldonado, Bottas
Force India=Di Resta, Hulkenberg
Toro Rosso=Ricciardo, Vergne
Caterham=kovalainen, Pic
Marussia= Glock, Chilton
HRT=De La Rosa, no idea?

But I'm sure not all of these: Kobayashi,Petrov and Senna will be without a drive so at least one of them will be on the grid.

I'd say Clos for 2nd HRT seat with Ma Qing Hua doing all Fridays.

Don't see the hype over Pic to be honest, would be surprised to see him get a drive at Marussia, let alone move up the pecking order. I can't see Petrov leaving, he's doing a decent job (although not as close to Kovalainen as I thought he might be) and brings in plenty of money.

Same for Sauber, I'm not sure why they'd bring in Alguersuari over Kobayashi. It seems like a sideways step. They could do with trying to get Glock or Kovalainen if anyone.

Senna's been so frustating, he put together a great weekend in Hungary but hasn't been able to back it up. I'm not convinced by Bottas, but maybe he's worth a go.

As for Ferrari, who knows. It will probably depend on Hamilton. If Hamilton leaves, I'd say Ferrari will sign Perez immediately to stop McLaren poaching him. If not, Ferrari can afford to keep Massa for one more year - his form has actually been pretty good recently - and then have either Perez, or if the rumours are true, Vettel, for 2014.

---

X (@ed24f1)

Read somewhere yesterday that Massa signed for another season with Ferrari a week ago.

Annoyingly I can't find the source now.

Ferrari is set to announce that Felipe Massa is staying with the famous Italian team in 2013. Intense speculation has surrounded the future of the Brazilian, who since 2010 has struggled to shine alongside his highly rated teammate Fernando Alonso. But in an article by veteran correspondent Roger Benoit, the Swiss newspaper Blick said the 31-year-old is staying put in the wake of his recent form surge. “It (2013) will be his eighth season in red,” wrote Benoit.

In Singapore last weekend, Alonso publicly backed Massa, deriding the “little names” that had been linked with his place for next season.

“With all the names you hear, if you compare what Felipe has done and what these little names have done …” he said.

“In my opinion we need to have a driver that respects Ferrari, that respects the tradition that here we work for the team, for the red cars,” added Alonso.

Blick.CH/Inautonews

The Real Story of the Race was that the Renault's fell apart and the Ferrari's didn't.
Rosberg headed for the sliproad and retired, probably because of Nicotin starvation they have still not given him a helmet with a little hole in it.

gav Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Read somewhere yesterday that Massa signed for
> another season with Ferrari a week ago.
>
> Annoyingly I can't find the source now.

Might that have been me?

My original source was F1Kate.

---

It's fun to speculate on driver changes.. yet I don't see too many changes for next year or at least not particulary significant ones. I think Hamilton and Massa will stay at their teams. The only question mark really is Schumacher. Will he continue or retire again, if he retires then Paul Di Resta has long been Mercedes favourite for the promotion, though Hulkenberg would be equally worthy, Bianchi would step in at Force India in place of whoever gets the Merc.

Apart from that... will Wiliams give Bruno another season or will they take a risk of losing money to put Bottas in the car? Will Petrov have enough Russian backing to keep his drive at Caterham, will Marussia go for continuity and keep Pic or do their normal and go with the highest bidder? And at HRT can Karthikeyan afford to keep bankrolling the entire team? :P

Massa continues to surprise me. Virtually every year since 2008, he has had critics saying that he is about to lose his seat. But, when the is really under pressure then - suddenly - he becomes much quicker!!

I am a bit of a Massa fan but even I think he's past his sell-by date at Ferrari, it's just a shame that 2008 and 2009 didn't come to fruition for him.

Regarding Hamilton, I think he needs a change of scenery more than anything. I think a move would do him good.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You know you want to. [judgegrudge.mybrute.com]

i alos believe hamilton needs a change of team. he doesnt seem to get the same adrenalin with that team ever since the beginnin-mid 2011.

regarding the whole driver market, i believe it mostly depends on what schumacher decides to do. schuey's decision i assume depends mostly upon his judgement, whether the merc. will be a competitive car next season. if he leaves then the whole driver market will change. hamiltan might go to merc. this leaves a seat at mclaren open. also, schuey might not just retire but change teams, which means maybe massa will go. this means 3 empty seats if thing like that (although unlikely) happens (massa's, schuey's and hamiltan's). and lets be honest, everyone would love to see schu vs alonso, ham. vs rosberg 2-nd volume after their battles in lower categories and of course button vs. di resta/ hulk/perez/heidfeld etc.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/25/2012 05:53PM by mitadumapaga.

and i in particular would LOOOOOVE to see massa in another car than ferrari, since i think his whole problem is that he is dribing against alonso. massa button combo would be mighty !! ROCK ON 2013!!!!

Updated my list in light of the hamilton/Perez signings and various other rumours. Also found that Glock and de la Rosa have contracts for next year with their current teams

SchueyFan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I can't see
> Petrov leaving, he's doing a decent job (although
> not as close to Kovalainen as I thought he might
> be) and brings in plenty of money.

I can see why - his funds have apparently dried up!

---

GPGSL -
GPGSL-3 - Pizza Party Racing manager and driver
Nations Cup - Team Scotland manager



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/29/2012 04:01PM by smoglessbutton4.

Ferrari
1. Alonso
2. Massa or Schumi (but i think they stay with Massa)

Red Bull - Renault
3. Vettel
4. Webber

McLaren - Mercedes
5. Button
6. Perez

Lotus - Renault
7. Raikkonen
8. Grosjean

Mercedes
9. Hamilton
10. Rosberg

Sauber - Ferrari
11. Schumi or maybe Heikki
12. Pic or Alguersuari

Force India - Mercedes
14. Di Resta
15. Hulkenberg

Williams - Renault
16. Maldonado
17. Bottas

Toro Rosso - Ferrari
18. Riccardo
19. Vergne

Marussia - Cosworth
20. Glock
21. Chilton

Caterham - Renault
22. Heikki again lol maybe Kobayashi if Heikki leaves
23. Senna

HRT - Cosworth
24. De la Rosa
25. Clos


just what i think right now. Hope the teams get some movement into this so we get to see some changes.
Could be like 2007 where we had 8 driver changes or maybe 2010 with 10 driver changes not including the new teams as its not like a driver changes lol

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"And thats the bottom line cause Alonso0506 said so"



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/29/2012 04:19PM by alonso0506.

Massa to Williams

Maldonado to Ferrari on a 1 year!


Jenson drives it like he owns it; Lewis drives it like he stole it

I can just hear the radio chatter now "Pastor... You.. Have just crashed.. Again"

I've heard that Alguersuari's off to Force India. It might be something to do with the fact that FI are the only F1 team that he follows on Twitter...

Hulkenberg is rumoured to be moving to Ferrari to cover Massa, leaving the space at FI.

This probably keeps Kobayashi at Sauber and he'd most likely be partnered by Esteban Gutierrez, or (if we believe the French reports a little while back) Charles Pic.

---

GPGSL: S6 - TafuroGP Tester (14th) /// S7 - ART Tester (6th) /// S8 - Demon Driver (13th) /// S9 - Demon/Snake Driver (13th) /// S10 - Snake Driver (???) ///]
"My ambition is handicapped by laziness" - Charles Bukowski

Pastor has also been linked to Sauber.

I would be pleased if Alguersauri got another opportunity. He's at least as worthy of a established F1 career as any other of the mid-field and he was developing well just when Marko decided it was unacceptable that e couldn't win in a car incapable of winning.

He'd be a good choice for any team next year, young enough to be young, experienced enough to not be a green rookie and also familiar with the 2013 spec Pirelli.

He's signed a contract for a lifetime's supply of Magmun ice-creams.