2012 Driver Changes - Early Predictions?

[Chris Jenkins]

Hello Everyone.

I know it's still quite early, but I thought it'd be interested to see what some people's early predictions for the 2012 Driver Line-ups will be.

Personally I think:
Kobayashi or Perez will take Massa's spot at Ferarri
Barachello possibly to Sauber
Di Resta to Mercedes (if Schumacher leaves)
Massa to Williams (if he loses his Ferarri seat)

What do you all think?

 

[Christian Burge]

i think glock will leave virgin and trulli will lose his seat at lotus i think Massa will go to williams or Mercedes because i think Rosberg will leave

 

[Ross Balfour]

Quick Driver's list:

Red Bull - Unchanged (I hope)
Ferrari - Alonso, Rosberg
McLaren - Unchanged (If Lewis stops crying about his team)
Mercedes - Schumacher (If he doesn't retire), Kobayashi
Renault - Petrov, Kubica returns
Toro Rosso - Buemi, Ricciardo
Force India - Unchanged
Williams - Felipe Massa, Maldonado (Barrichello Retires after poor 2011 season)
Sauber - Perez, Jules Bianci (after winning GP2 2011 season, would make sense as he in Ferrari test driver and Sauber have Ferrari engines)
Lotus - Unchanged - possible Trulli goes to NASCAR or something to end career
Virgin - Unchanged
HRT - Luizzi, some random paid driver

 

[Luke McVicar]

Red Bull - Unchanged(possible Rosberg, Webber swap)
Ferrari - Alonso, Kobayashi
McLaren - Unchanged
Mercedes -Sutil, Kovalienen(if Webber then remove one of them)
Renault - Petrov, Kubica returns
Toro Rosso - Buemi, Ricciardo
Force India - Hulkenburg, Di resta
Williams - Felipe Massa, Maldonado
Sauber - Perez, Jules Bianci or Alexender Rossi
Lotus - Heidfeld takes Kovalienen spot.
Virgin - Glock, Wickens(unless he wins F3.5)
HRT - Luizzi, and some random pay driver

 

[Yann Laprevotte]

Jules Bianci (after winning GP2 2011 season)

Very unlikely at the moment.

Wickens(unless he wins F3.5)

Well, why?

 

[Luke McVicar]

If he wins he wouldn't want to go to virgin(because more likely there will be other intrest), but hes under there driver program at current(drives with a virgin livery in F3.5).

Any smart driver wouldn't want to go there if they want a decent go at f1

 

[Luke McVicar]

I got a good feeling Massa will go to Sauber instead of Williams actually.

 

[Chris Jenkins]

I think its more likely for drivers to go between teams that have working arrangements.

e.g. Ferrari/Sauber, Force India/McLaren/Mercedes, Red Bull/Toro Rosso/Renault

 

[Chris Jenkins]

As I expected, Mercedes are looking to sign Rosberg to a long-term deal, similar to the one Alonso signed at Ferrari.
They're being very honest and open about their intentions to build the team around him.

 

[Yann Laprevotte]

If he wins he wouldn't want to go to virgin(because more likely there will be other intrest), but hes under there driver program at current(drives with a virgin livery in F3.5).

Any smart driver wouldn't want to go there if they want a decent go at f1

Nowadays a prestigious feeder series title is absolutely no garantee of a decent future in F1 or in any other prestigious series. You can be the future Fangio, if you don't have the budget or the support, your future will remain very uncertain.

Ask Pantano(won GP2 in 2008, now is doing minor series like Superleague), Baguette(won WSR in 2009, still without any full time seat this year, his absolutely magnificent 500 drive last Sunday was a one-off), Aleshin(won WSR in 2010, has just been dropped by Carlin in GP2 because of lack of budget AFAIK), or even Hulkenberg.

If Wickens has an opportunity to go to Virgin in 2012, he should really take it IMO, unless he has talks with someone else for a very strong opportunity for 2013.

 

[Luke McVicar]

Pantano didn't get a drive because he's old and failed miserably in f1 back in '04.

 

[Ross Balfour]

There are some amazing drivers in the world who simply don't have the funds to race- which is really sad, as Yann said, Baguette, Aleshin etc.) and also Marcos Martinez who won WSR in 2009 (beat Ricciardo, Alguesuari etc.) and is now sitting on the sidelines, it's a shame people can't do what they did with Lewis Hamilton and sponsor them when they see real talent.

 

[Yann Laprevotte]

Pantano didn't get a drive because he's old and failed miserably in f1 back in '04.

"Failed", that's a bit harsh on him. The Jordan was nowhere in 2004, and the relation with the team was bad - lack of budget once again - and he kept being replaced by Glock in the end.

"Old" - no more than 26ish right? The motorsports universe is definitively a strange world.

 

[Luke McVicar]

Hes 32 years old, and was 30 when he won GP2, too old to get back into F1 really.

He had hes chance in '04 and failed.

Also you can't compare Martinez to Ricciardo as he did only a handful of races in 09.

also Aleshian argubely beat ricciardo in WSR due to better equipment.

 

[Péter Bártfai]

Just read on f1hirek.hu that Rosberg just extended his contract until 2016.

Hes 32 years old, and was 30 when he won GP2, too old to get back into F1 really.

Say that to Schumacher

 

[Chris Jenkins]

Just read on f1hirek.hu that Rosberg just extended his contract until 2016.

Check out the post on the first page

 

[Luke McVicar]

The difference is pantano isn't a schumacher.

 

[Luke McVicar]

Virgin have already signed Wickens as reserve, which will likely result in a drive next year me thinks.
http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/50649.html

 

[TheHemps]

After the interview in Montreal on thursday, I'm predicting Webber retires at the end of the season and is replaced by Ricciardo

 

[Luke McVicar]

I doubt ricciardo will go straight into rbr, unless he replaces a torro rosso driver this year and does really well.I don't think redbull woul give a drive to any of the current torro rosso drivers either.If the seats open next year I would say either Rosberg, Hamilton or Kobayashi for that seat.