Silly Season - Winner and Loser?

[CHT]

Who do you think are the winners and losers who switch teams..

I think the biggest loser could be Pastor if Willams indeed turn out to have a winning car.

[JimClarkFan]

Who do you think are the winners and losers who switch teams..

I think the biggest loser could be Pastor if Willams indeed turn out to have a winning car.

I was beginning to like Pastor, but the way he handled himself at the end of the season was disgraceful. He got his just deserves.

[gridwalker]

I currently think that the biggest winner is Mark Webber. He bowed out at JUST the right moment

[oT v1]

I currently think that the biggest winner is Mark Webber. He bowed out at JUST the right moment

Kvyat and Ericcson must be thinking the opposite then!

I think Massa and Perez are the two that have done well, they both deserved another drive! Massa may have lucked into a podium challenging car if the media is to be trusted, and Perez gets another shot in pretty decent car too.....not bad considering he was booted from one of the biggest teams after 1 year.

[Alexgtt]

I currently think that the biggest winner is Mark Webber. He bowed out at JUST the right moment

Agreed.

Looking at Lotus I'd say Kimi jumped ship perfectly.

[skoop]

maldonado seems to be a big loser (if the lotus/renault problems wont get solved any time soon)

[Per]

If Maldonado is a big loser for joining Lotus, then Räikkönen must be a big winner for going to Ferrari.

Biggest winners:
Räikkönen (see above)
Kvyat (simply because of going from GP3/F3 to F1)

Biggest losers:
Maldonado (as explained by others)
van der Garde (had an OK season, has financial backing, was reported to fit well into the team, still loses seat to untalented driver)


I can't list Webber as a winner. Yes, it's probably good for him that he won't be around in 2014, but on the other hand he probably shouldn't have been around in 2013 in the first place.

[Maelstrom]

Raikkonen seems like an even bigger winner when you consider there were rumors he was being considered for a Red Bull seat.

Ofcourse... if Renault solve their problems and Red Bull and Lotus manage to catch up this will all reverse.

[Manoah2u]

from what i've seen, i think for 2014, both massa and bottas are the biggest winners.
bottas winner because simply put, the climate at williams now seems so fresh happy exciting and energetic,
that being there is win enough. a win for bottas because pastor is no longer there.

massa winner because, regardless whether he actually still 'deserved' that seat, ferrari as a team was taking it's toll on him.
he seems a new person at williams.

and having williams looking like they actually have a gp winning car again, it could be the best winner since times. IF they really do compete at the very front, that's amazing, because they were at the very back last year.

biggest loser? perez for getting the boot at mclaren. ugly mess mclaren was in at the end of last year [2013 entirely for that fact]. next biggest loser? alonso. alonso keeps a seat at ferrari, where, seemingly, nothing changed as it has been for the last couple of years. except he now no longer has his lap dog Massa to his benefit - instead he has the 'iceman' who will prove quite the challenge. if kimi outperforms him - that'll wreck havoc for Alonso.

the rest of the field is nether win nor lose. just, happy to be there and it'll be swell whatever happens.

[Artur Craft]

Raikkonen most likely profited for exchanging the teams, but if my prediction of Ferrari's pace/reliability confirms, the gain will be irrelevant tbh. Fighting for low points is not much better than nothing fighting at all...

[simieski]

Could you include Hamilton in this? He switched a year earlier, but the move was reported as being based upon the promise of a championship contending car in 2014.

[Manoah2u]

Could you include Hamilton in this? He switched a year earlier, but the move was reported as being based upon the promise of a championship contending car in 2014.

nah, he was the winner for the silly season last year. a 2014 WDC would still be result of the 2013 switch/effects.

[SectorOne]

I currently think that the biggest winner is Mark Webber. He bowed out at JUST the right moment

Bowed out of downsizing engines, hybrid technology and fuel saving.
Pretty much the same thing he will do at Le Mans. But i bet the tires will hold up better there though.
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winners losers is too early to tell. We don´t know who´s who until Q3 Qualifying.

[ringo]

As long as you have a seat in a car that's not a back marker, I don't think there are any losers.
We don't know how 2014 will turn out, but I think it's always good to make a change, and Maldonado may have stayed in Williams and be booted the end of the year nonetheless.
Something also tells me Williams wont be able to maintain strong finishes throughout the season anyway.

[zeph]

I'm an Alonso supporter, but I do hope that Massa/Williams will have the better of them in the first few races, it would appeal to my sense of justice, really.

Ditto for Perez/Force India. I hope they will have the better of McLaren in the first few races, again for a sense of justice only.

But I still wish for an Alonso WDC this year.