Silly Season 2011/2012

[ESPImperium]

The Silly Season has started for 2011/2012. It seems to start earlier and earlier each season i know, but this is looking to be the earliest start so far.

So far, the rumors are theese:

* Renault in danger of loosing its technichal team on 2 factors; The Bob Bell factor as he is to be overhauling the Mercedes technichal staff for 2012 with a few Renault guys going to Brackley from Einstone. The second factor is the doubt of who is actually employing them, Renault/Lotus/GenII.

* Ferrari on the lookout to overhaul and re-brand its technichal department after what is in effect 4 lean years since 2007 and its last drivers championship.

* Williams to part company with Sam Michael and a few of his team as 2010 and what looks like a lean 2011 year as it was 2004 that saw their last win.

* Virgin are looking at a new technichal department as their cars are so vastly off the pace. Nick Wirth could still head the department, but could stand aside for a guy who know what a fast car should look like.

So far no driver changes, but id expect to start to see some movement on this front within a few GPs, posibly at Williams with Rubens calling it a day and Force India and Sutil calling time on their relationship. Sutil to Williams and Hulkenberg to take Sutils place??? That would be my estimation of what could happen this year by the results of 3 GP.

[marcush.]

Adrian is going to have a hard time to find a decent job next year..dir Resta and Hülkenberg have already started to dismount his pedestral methinks...

Wirth ..I´m not sure.. were is the money going ? last year Nick stated how few money he´s asking for a car...maybe it´s simply time to ask for a bigger share of it to develop more radically..Maybe they underestimated the task ahead...but I think Wirths guys are doing a good job and it will pay off long term if the guys involved keep patient.to rethink everything will be a expensive exercise and not lead to the results.
their problem is not CFD it´s a lack of creative but also realistic design.The car is a bit uninspired .

[wesley123]

@marcush; The problem of what i understood was the lack of experience in Formula 1 they have. Team Lotus is just a few Force India guys and most of the sacked Toyota staff, they have the knowledge.

What is Wirth Research? These guys have experience in building LMP's designing the Acura's but what further do they really know? They where much involved in the run towards the 2005 and onwards LMP rules making the cars less aerodynamicly sensitive. They did similair things for formula 1 having quite a big hand in development to the 2009 rules. They have never built a Formula 1 car before, at least not in this meaning. With the small amount of cash incolced in the development of the cars one can say they did an outstanding job. They should(and i bet they are) now build towards 2013 with the new rules that are coming.

[MrBlacky]

Jenson and Lewis seem to be at McLaren till 2017:

“Team executives are prepared to sign both drivers to long-term deals to make sure that they stay together until at least 2017.”

[marcush.]

@marcush; The problem of what i understood was the lack of experience in Formula 1 they have. Team Lotus is just a few Force India guys and most of the sacked Toyota staff, they have the knowledge.

What is Wirth Research? These guys have experience in building LMP's designing the Acura's but what further do they really know? They where much involved in the run towards the 2005 and onwards LMP rules making the cars less aerodynamicly sensitive. They did similair things for formula 1 having quite a big hand in development to the 2009 rules. They have never built a Formula 1 car before, at least not in this meaning. With the small amount of cash incolced in the development of the cars one can say they did an outstanding job. They should(and i bet they are) now build towards 2013 with the new rules that are coming.

I think that is the case.They went in at the deep side...when you even don´t get your fuelconsumption right you know there is not much F1 expertise in this team.
I think they are really starngled by shortage of development money.Otherwise you could not understand why not more parts are changing on the car.They have a clear advantage with turnaround times not having to build half scaleparts for tunneltesting so why don´t we see anything new ,they shouldd bang out bits and pieces as quick as Mercedes or Mclaren and we hear:we plan a big update for...crickey something does not add up here.They shy away from the money to build all the stuff or they god damn have no clue what to develop.Maybe they go ask manchild for that matter
I got an idea: let´s start a Virgin -Marussia MV02B thred now and show them what to do!

[andrew]

I think that Williams will let Barrichello go. Given that he is nearing/at the end of his career, the Williams is underperforming and the reports about him struggling with the technology all point to him leaving F1.

I reckon that one of the Torro Rosso drivers will be making way for Daniel Ricciardo, possibly to replace Webber or become the reserve driver for Red Bull (Ricciardo is the reserve for both at the moment). Just a wild theory about Webber but you never know given some of his comments.

[andrew]

Here's the latest from the F1 rumour mill.

[Neno]

* Renault in danger of loosing its technichal team on 2 factors; The Bob Bell factor as he is to be overhauling the Mercedes technichal staff for 2012 with a few Renault guys going to Brackley from Einstone. The second factor is the doubt of who is actually employing them, Renault/Lotus/GenII.

Bob Bell go from Enstone because he got fired. Renault wants to take higher risks in a different direction in the development of the car, after painful 4 years with Bell and his conservative approach, which did not bring anything except for 4 cars for the garbage. Bell may have experience, but he did not bring anything good to Renault, and is now in a Mercedes. I do not know why you think that the team will leave with him in Mercedes. For God's sake he's not Adrian Newey! And Renault finaly have decent car for podiums

[ESPImperium]

Some more new topics:

* D'Ambrosio to be released by Virgin as soon as Barcelona as his sponsors havnt paid up. http://translate.google.com/translate?h ... -SearchBox ***AND*** http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/2594 ... er-threat/

* The return of another Iconis partnership to the grid, Williams-Renault http://translate.google.com/translate?h ... -SearchBox **AND**
http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/05/ ... t-creates/

[Rob01]

Webber gone from Red Bull.
Massa replaced at Ferrari.
Schumacher retires.
Kubica makes a comeback.(not really silly but more my wish)
Trulli retires with his laptop.
Tost replaces one of his drivers. SOON. As he always fires mid season.
Rubens moves to Indy Cars with his buddy Tony Kanaan.

[beelsebob]

My bet for 2012 line ups...
RedBull - Vettel + Kubica (don't know whet kubica's contract ends, but I think RBR may take a punt if he's available)
McLaren – Hamilton + Button (no ---)
Mercedes - DiResta + Sutil (Schumacher's going and DiResta is hot tip to replace him... Rosberg is rumored to be replacing Massa, and there's not many other people who could replace him sensibly)
Ferrari - Alonso + Rosberg (As above)
Renault - Petrov + Senna (I don't think Heidfeld is impressing too much, and Petrov is showing he can be consistant and lead a team)

[raymondu999]

Kubica's signed to Renault for 2 years; had the situations been normal he should be in this year and next.

[richard_leeds]

My bet for 2012 line ups...

Mercedes - DiResta + Sutil (Schumacher's going and DiResta is hot tip to replace him... Rosberg is rumored to be replacing Massa, and there's not many other people who could replace him sensibly)
Ferrari - Alonso + Rosberg (As above)

Not sure about Rosberg. Would you go from number 1 at a well funded team like Merc to being Alsonso's fag*? The only exception would be someone like Kimi who'd rather have an ice cream (or a s**t) than get involved with the Ferrari/Alonso politics. I imagine Kubica could do that, if he was fit.

As for Sutil, I can't see a driver pairing moving from one team to another, I'd have thought drivers would prefer to have fresh start with a new team mate.

I'd say Rosberg stays at Merc, Sutil stays at FI because he'll not want to sacrifice the number 1 status.


* using the British meaning of that word, ie a junior boy who acts or acted as servant ("fagging") to a senior boy at a British independent school

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

Sutil in a Merc? Nah, not through my crystal ball.

I would hazard that should Rosberg end up in a Red Bull in 2012, as has been speculated, then Di Resta would be a shoe in at Mercedes. Schumacher's rather meek season can also be a precursor to retirement meaning there is another "top" seat available.

If I were Haug and Brawn the ONLY driver I would consider would be the fantastic Kamui Kobayashi.

[marcush.]

Sutil ,does he impress anyone here? Hulk and di Resta seem to already match him ,he ´s not the messias Mercedes would need .
Would Mercedes go for two new drivers? It seems that Rosberg´s uncertain future with Mercedes could help securing Schumachers place for next year...Schumacher /Kobayashi would be a thriller.