We are half way through the 2013 F1 season and its that time of the season again - Silly Season!! What is Silly Season you might ask and to make it quite simple, that time of the year when you hear the most silly rumors regarding drivers and teams. This year the main topic for SS is the fight between Kimi Raikkonen and Daniel Ricciardo for the coveted Red Bull Racing seat alongside one Mr. Sebastian Vettel. Another topic which has been going one for the last 4 years in a row is the 'Who will replace Felipe Massa' at Ferrari conversation. But all this has been blown away by Fernando Alonso's manager Luis Abad being seen talking to Red Bull boss Christian Horner.
So let's start with that. Alonso is clearly one frustrated man who has outdriven the car year after year in a quest to win his first F1 title with Ferrari. But year after year the team has let him down. If you actually look at his last 4 years with Ferrari the team has always had a problem developing the car mid-season. What I don;t understand is how year after year a team like Ferrari can have wind tunnel correlation issues. They develop new parts, test it in the simulator, it looks good and when they test it out, the car goes even slower. Having this problem one year is understandable but year after year is unacceptable for a team like Ferrari and Alonso has clearly had enough of this. This is clearly one of the main reasons why Alonso is losing his patience.
The second part and one which might make sense to why Alonso is looking out is the all important 2014 season. With V6 Turbo engines its back to the drawing board for all engine manufacturers. Early reports suggest Mercedes will have the best unit with Renault not far behind and Ferrari a distant third. This might also be the reason why Alonso is looking to get out. But let's face Alonso is going nowhere!! He has the team built around him and with good reason. Would this have caused damage in his relationship with Ferrari? For sure but they need him as much as he needs them
The latest rumour also sees Raikkonen coming back to Ferrari which I don't see happening. One of the main reasons Massa is still there is that they need him to sell their cars in the South American region. This is why they have had a South American driver for the past 13 years. It can't be for his car development or helping Alonso as he is not exactly setting the world on fire in both departments. If Massa does leave I really hope someone like Nico Hulkenberg gets the seat as he will be a great asset to the team. He is quick, mature and has enough years of experience under him.
While the temptation of Raikkonen will be hard to resist for RBR, I do think they will go with Ricciardo. He will be the perfect team-mate for Vettel, fast but a good second driver, and possibly groomed to take over from Vettel in 2016.
With regard to Lotus I do feel they will look more closely at Nico Hulkenberg, if Raikkonen remains or not. Not only will be push Raikkonen but will be a good leader as well. At the same time they will need a bigger name to keep partners happy.
I feel Sahara Force India lost out a but when they lost Hulkenberg this year. They are a good team with good drivers but they need a charismatic and fast leader to take them forward. Di Resta is really quick but has never been able to dominate his team-mates so will never be the outright leader of the team. So amongst the top 5 teams this is how it will look next year in my opinion.
Red Bull Racing: Sebastian Vettel & Daniel Ricciardo/Kimi Raikkonen
Scuderia Ferrari: Fernando Alonso & Felipe Massa
AMG Mercedes: Lewis Hamilton & Nico Rosberg
Lotus Renault: Kimi Raikkonen/Romain Grosjean/Nico Hulkenberg
McLaren Mercedes: Jenson Button & Sergio Perez
So let's start with that. Alonso is clearly one frustrated man who has outdriven the car year after year in a quest to win his first F1 title with Ferrari. But year after year the team has let him down. If you actually look at his last 4 years with Ferrari the team has always had a problem developing the car mid-season. What I don;t understand is how year after year a team like Ferrari can have wind tunnel correlation issues. They develop new parts, test it in the simulator, it looks good and when they test it out, the car goes even slower. Having this problem one year is understandable but year after year is unacceptable for a team like Ferrari and Alonso has clearly had enough of this. This is clearly one of the main reasons why Alonso is losing his patience.
The second part and one which might make sense to why Alonso is looking out is the all important 2014 season. With V6 Turbo engines its back to the drawing board for all engine manufacturers. Early reports suggest Mercedes will have the best unit with Renault not far behind and Ferrari a distant third. This might also be the reason why Alonso is looking to get out. But let's face Alonso is going nowhere!! He has the team built around him and with good reason. Would this have caused damage in his relationship with Ferrari? For sure but they need him as much as he needs them
The latest rumour also sees Raikkonen coming back to Ferrari which I don't see happening. One of the main reasons Massa is still there is that they need him to sell their cars in the South American region. This is why they have had a South American driver for the past 13 years. It can't be for his car development or helping Alonso as he is not exactly setting the world on fire in both departments. If Massa does leave I really hope someone like Nico Hulkenberg gets the seat as he will be a great asset to the team. He is quick, mature and has enough years of experience under him.
While the temptation of Raikkonen will be hard to resist for RBR, I do think they will go with Ricciardo. He will be the perfect team-mate for Vettel, fast but a good second driver, and possibly groomed to take over from Vettel in 2016.
With regard to Lotus I do feel they will look more closely at Nico Hulkenberg, if Raikkonen remains or not. Not only will be push Raikkonen but will be a good leader as well. At the same time they will need a bigger name to keep partners happy.
I feel Sahara Force India lost out a but when they lost Hulkenberg this year. They are a good team with good drivers but they need a charismatic and fast leader to take them forward. Di Resta is really quick but has never been able to dominate his team-mates so will never be the outright leader of the team. So amongst the top 5 teams this is how it will look next year in my opinion.
Red Bull Racing: Sebastian Vettel & Daniel Ricciardo/Kimi Raikkonen
Scuderia Ferrari: Fernando Alonso & Felipe Massa
AMG Mercedes: Lewis Hamilton & Nico Rosberg
Lotus Renault: Kimi Raikkonen/Romain Grosjean/Nico Hulkenberg
McLaren Mercedes: Jenson Button & Sergio Perez
Riciardo to RBR makes sense. Kimi to RBR seems like overkill to me from RBR's perspective. They already have a triple (potentially quadruple) champion on board.
ReplyDeleteCan't believe Massa's gonna hang around for another year. He should just retire and make Ferrari fans rejoice globally.
Falonso's screwed unless Ferrari up their game.
Really believe Massa is there only because of his South America connection..anyway that will be put to the test this year..
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