Silly Season 2013/14

[CHT]

Lets assume that Webber is not going to continue with RBR after end of this year (which is very likely) who do you think will be the most likely driver to replace him?

[wunderkind]

Someone who is a clear Number 2 driver but still competent enough to challenge for podium positions and a reliable point-scorer to help Red-Bull to win the constructors championship.

Hulkenberg or Ricciardo would fit the bill me thinks.

[raymondu999]

Vergne would fit the bill I think - he has good race pace and is a good racer (IMO better than Ricciardo) but his lowly qualifying will hinder him from really challenging Vettel

[CHT]

I am shouting for kobayasi.

[Websta]

This belongs in the Silly Season thread.

Next season, should Webber not re-sign with RBR, I think Hulkenburg would be the most likely replacement, but he is definitely no number 2 driver in my eyes. Hulkenburg is very high on my list and could be the driver they have been looking for from their young driver program (and have not yet found). That is assuming that one of the STR drivers doesn't have a stand out season, or that Ferrari don't sign Hulkenburg to replace Massa, who's contract expires at the end of this season.

Should the latter occur, I think Massa could be a good fit to pair with Vettel:

- He has competed for a championship in the past and has a lot of experience
- He has experienced the psychological strain of being paired with a talent such as Vettel (Alonso, Raikkonen, Schumacher), and although he didn't initially fair too well with Alonso, he has recently had good performances and appears to have that confidence back. He's "been there" and "done that".
- He is a known quantity and arguably less risky than a Sutil or Di Resta
- He probably isn't as headstrong as Webber
- He is a quick 'number 2' driver, if they don't want to have two number 1s in the same garage.
I am assuming that he will have a good season this year though.

But you could make good arguments for a lot of drivers, and most would probably be cheaper than Massa.

I haven't included the STR drivers because, from our outside perspective, we really haven't seen what they can do as we can't (or at least I can't) gauge how competitive the STR car is. Obviously, RBR will have much greater access to their telemetry and can get opinions from the STR management which would allow them to decide.


Or were we talking about a midseason replacement of Webber should he walk (which he is not going to do)?

[Cam]

Vergne would fit the bill I think - he has good race pace and is a good racer (IMO better than Ricciardo) but his lowly qualifying will hinder him from really challenging Vettel

I disagree Ray. Vergne has a very similar temperament to Vettel and I think that's a cause for concern. If RedBull want to keep Vettel as top cock in the henhouse, then they need someone who can slip under the radar, do a solid job by picking up points, not rattle any cages, give good feedback to develop the car and be grateful for being in the RB10. Ricciardo is the man. He'll play 2nd second fiddle and be thankful for it. I'm still out whether he'll ever be a F1 great, but he's a Webber clone - before Webber lost the love.

[Maelstrom]

I dunno if I agree with that. Having two drivers who could win championships and races seems better than somebody who will let Vettel walk all over them.

Vergne is a sensible choice. But if it were upto me I might say Bianchi. The guy is driving the wheels off that Marussia. Give him a decent car and he might do wonders. But don't see Red Bull giving a seat to a back marker.

[WhiteBlue]

Massa could go to Red Bull and Webber to Ferrari if Alonso pulls the strings.

[mboutla]

I bet Kimi Raikonnen 's gonna replace Mark webber.

[Websta]

I was thinking about Raikkonen, he does seem like a pretty good fit (friends with Vettel and obviously an excellent driver). He is also a free agent at the end of the year.

[prince]

I would seriously recommend Jules Bianchi. The guy has shown what he can do with a sub-par car and has been beating his team mate black and blue. Although Ferrari protege, Red Bull should bring him in (same happened with Perez). To me, he seems like an ideal backup for Vettel if Vettel chooses to make a move sometime later. Better to be prepared than getting surprized.

[mnmracer]

I actually wouldn't be surprised if Vettel took his helmet(s) elsewhere.
The one signal Red Bull sent to Vettel in Malaysia was "Webber can get away with things, but when you do, you are in big trouble".

[mika vs michael]

Webber to stay at Redbull, Vettel to go to Ferrari after a 4th championship nothing else to prove apart from winning a championship in a non-Adrian Newey designed car... Alonso to leave Ferrari disheartened because after 4 years in the Pransing Horse all he could do was end 2nd in the championship in 3 occasions...

Crazy alternative scenario. Not likely to happen but as they say in F1: expect the unexpected...

[JimClarkFan]

Someone who is a clear Number 2 driver but still competent enough to challenge for podium positions and a reliable point-scorer to help Red-Bull to win the constructors championship.

Hulkenberg or Ricciardo would fit the bill me thinks.

Hulkenburg is not a number two driver.

Look at the guys history before and inbetween formula 1, you will be hard pressed to find a CV better than that anywhere.

Anybody would have a hard time against Hulkenburg, whilst I consider him unproven, my hunch is that he is as good as either Hamilton, Alonso or Vettel.

A lot of people felt he was the one of the stand out drivers last year.

I actually wouldn't be surprised if Vettel took his helmet(s) elsewhere.
The one signal Red Bull sent to Vettel in Malaysia was "Webber can get away with things, but when you do, you are in big trouble".

An opinion presented as a fact.

[WhiteBlue]

Kimi would be a cool move but I don't know how Mateschitz would think about it. Probably positive. Kimi is obviously still very fast, level headed and very experienced. And he does not care who is his team mate. It would be a big challenge for Vettel. I think Seb would have to seriously pull up his trousers and pay a lot more thought to his team mate than he has ever paid to Mark Webber. Kimi can handle a pole shoot out under high pressure and makes good starts. He would also be a good marketing move because he is very popular.

Massa, Kimi and Webber have all had competitive cars over the years just have a look at their pole positions:

Massa 15
Kimi 16
Webber 11
Vettel 38

There is no doubt in my mind that Massa or Kimi could easily replace Webber and do better for the team. And we know that money is no issue at Red Bull when it comes to buying value.