Eddie said he's "certain" about Hulk and FI. I have to say I'm intrigued: Who's correct? Why FI and not Lotus? Also, EJ said Maldo and Williams are parting. I didn't know anything about this and I wonder where Pastor and his petrodollars will go next. Lotus are strapped for cash... And what about Gutiérrez with Telmex backing and burgeoning talent?
If Hulk misses out on the Lotus seat it will be very very sad. As for Gutierrez while he has improved recently he still still finished 20 seconds behind Hulk today. Him and Sirotkin would be a very worrying line up for Sauber.
Interesting FACT: Gutiérrez is 180cm tall but only 61 kg, according to his website. As far as I know, Sirotkin + roubles are a done deal for Sauber next year. It will be a shame if Hulk doesn't get it but EJ says it's not going to happen. As for Gutiérrez, he also started 7 places behind Hulk. I agree that he and Sirotkin sounds risky and unlikely and I wouldn't be surprised if Massa ends up there; incidentally, FM has been telling the media that he only wants a 'number 1' seat. Then again, there's always Maldo's millions. I have to say though, that Esteban's trajectory this season has been remarkably steep; he didn't look fit to be in F1 at the start of the year.
The deal is thought to be done for 2015 and the rumour is that they are trying to get him for next season as well!
If Maldo leaves Williams I can definitely see him at Sauber. He has been Williams' "lead driver" these past two seasons, after all.
It would be a travesty if Maldo got the Lotus gig ahead of Hulk. We should all chip in money to buy Hulk a decent seat, because he's clearly lacking in the funding department.
Can't we just buy him a gym membership so the fatty loses some pounds and can take a seat somewhere else? It might be a touch cheaper.
Jenson Button will be given the chance to finish his Formula 1 career with McLaren according to reports. The former World Champion joined the Woking-based team in 2010 and the Daily Mail claim they want to retain the British driver for another three seasons. Although not officially confirmed, Button's one-year extension for 2014 has already been sealed, but McLaren are also now looking to the longer term. 'The team are already planning for 2015 and are ready to offer Button the chance of up to three more seasons as they strive to build a partnership with Honda which can rekindle the kind of success they enjoyed when Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost were behind the wheel,' the newspaper reported. [h=4]On Sky Sports[/h] [h=3]F1 Midweek Report[/h] Japan October 16, 2013 7:00pm please log in to view this image Remote Record Get a Sky Sports Day Pass Upgrade to Sky Sports Button's connections with Honda can be traced back to 2003 when he drove for the BAR team who were powered by the Japanese marque, before the team were became a fully-fledged works outfit in 2006. However, according to the Daily Mirror, the 33-year-old may not be around for Honda's return to F1 and is a potential target for Red Bull, Ferrari, Lotus and Mercedes into 2015. 'Sources at Red Bull and Ferrari admit the Brit is on their wanted list, while at the end of next year all the top teams will be in a state of flux over their driver line-up,' the newspaper claims. 'Red Bull are waiting to see how new boy Daniel Ricciardo performs. And Ferrari have cast an eye over Button yet again because they are by no means certain the Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso partnership will make a second season. 'Lotus rate him highly too and Lewis Hamilton would certainly work with him again at Mercedes.' Whether Alonso's potential partnership with Raikkonen even makes one season is still the subject of much speculation with fresh rumours in the Japanese paddock that McLaren are still looking at luring the double World Champion back to the team in place of Sergio Perez.
Niki Lauda says Ross Brawn is only "50-50" to remain with Mercedes in 2014, despite being offered undisputed number one status at the head of the team. Underlying tensions at Mercedes seemed to reach a head at the Japanese GP when Brawn broke his counsel with an effective 'back me or sack me' statement on Sky Sports F1. "I think we need a very clear definition of who is in charge and obviously I need the motivation to carry on," he told Simon Lazenby. "I think the situation we have now is very different is probably a bit different to 12 months ago when some of these decisions were made so to some degree it is just unravelling what's gone on and finding a satisfactory solution." [h=4]Although Brawn denied at the Japanese GP that he was in talks with either former employers Honda or McLaren over a potential switch to oversee the former's return to F1 from 2015, speculation over the 58-year-old's future has been a running theme all season once Mercedes' move for Lowe was revealed in pre-season.[/h] However, Mercedes non-executive Chairman Lauda says the team have resolved any issues they had earlier in the season and that it is now down to Brawn to decide if he want to stay or not. "It's down to him now, I'd say it's 50-50," Lauda told the Daily Mirror. "We have had some small problems in the team in the past but everything is sorted now. "It's all agreed between him and Paddy and everyone else. He's No.1. I have tried to persuade him to stay. I want him to stay. We will talk again at the end of the season."
Sound of the V6 Honda according to SpeedWeek: [video=youtube;mx6gsXjmCbA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx6gsXjmCbA[/video] http://www.speedweek.com//formel1/n...klingt-der-neue-Formel-1-Turbo-von-Honda.html At least it sounds better than Mercedes and Renault.
Not a great surprise but Maurissa have now confirmed that Magnussen is in the running for the second seat in 2014. Still expect them to stick with Chilton though. http://www.espn.co.uk/marussia/motorsport/story/130577.html
If Williams drop Maldo who do you think will take his seat? How about Di Resta with his Mercedes... 'Connections'...
You laugh, but if Hulk's going to FI as Eddie reckons, one of his conditions of appointment might well be di Resta's exit. Di Resta expects preferential treatment from the team, which Hulk is never going to want. Di Resta can go to Williams - worth a gamble, they might come good next year.
di Resta's manager has admitted Paul has an "uncertain" future (although to me, that just sounds like he is putting pressure on FI to hurry up and make a decision, rather than "Paul might not be on the grid next season"). By contrast, Grosjean has been told a new deal is a "formality", once Genii have sorted out the team's long-term future: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/110698
