Kobayashi and Vergne's seat under threat?

Source: http://www.f1zone.net/news/lotus-drivers-safe-vergne-and-kobayashi-not/14560/

Lotus’ driver duo looks set to survive beyond the 2012 season, but Toro Rosso’s Jean-Eric Vergne and Kamui Kobayashi at Sauber could be in trouble.

At Lotus, Romain Grosjean has looked quick on his return to F1 following his abortive 2009 debut, but the reigning GP2 champion has also faced criticism for getting involved in too many incidents.

Kimi Raikkonen, meanwhile, initially impressed in 2012 after two years off the grid, but more recently he has struggled, is reportedly at odds with his engineers over the E20′s steering, and according to Jacques Villeneuve even risks being “dropped”.

But team owner Gerard Lopez is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport: “We have the perfect pair of drivers.”

Meanwhile, the same German publication said Japanese Kobayashi has been inconsistent in 2012 while his teammate Sergio Perez has been on the podium twice so far.

When asked by Switzerland’s Blick if the spectacular Kobayashi has been a weak point in 2012, team boss Peter Sauber admitted: “A difficult question.

“Kobayashi is a great guy. I love his attitude and he will have success with us.”

Nevertheless, Auto Motor und Sport named Heikki Kovalainen and Nico Hulkenberg as potential replacements for the 25-year-old.

Also potentially in trouble for 2013 is the French rookie Jean-Eric Vergne, who was drafted in this year after Toro Rosso ousted Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari at the end of last season.

Vergne has been outqualified by his only-slightly-more-experienced teammate Daniel Ricciardo six times out of seven attempts so far in 2012, while his mistakes have earned a rebuke by Red Bull’s driver supremo Dr Helmut Marko.

“Vergne is too wild. There’s nothing wrong with aggressiveness, but in his case we need to drive out the wildness,” said the Austrian.

With even worse qualifying records than Vergne so far in 2012, however, are Ferrari’s Felipe Massa, McLaren’s Jenson Button and HRT’s Narain Karthikeyan, who have not even once outqualified their teammates this year.

Vitaly Petrov, meanwhile, has been outqualified by Caterham’s Kovalainen 6 times out of 7.

 

I don't think Vergne is under pressure at all. He's only just got a drive, he's still very young and unlike Buemi and Alguersuari, there's no one of note coming up through the Red Bull young driver ranks. Unless they're going to get either Buemi or Alguersuari back to give them a benchmark for Ricciardo he's not going to be in trouble.

Would be harsh on Kobayashi, but Heikki's driven better than him in the last couple of years in my opinion, and probably deserves a Sauber drive more than Kamui.

 

I want Kamui to leave Sauber. They're a bad mix for each other, Sauber run endurance style strategies, Kamui is a fast agressive driver being asked to copy Perez' style, it doesn't work at all, and it's hurting his performances. I could see him doing well at Caterham, maybe even Lotus.

 

I doubt either would be replaced.

With Vergne, the mistakes will go with more experience, and there's no-one ready to replace him yet.

As for Kobayashi, who could replace him? Kovalainen and Hulkenburg... just pure speculation. The only 2 drivers with a chance are both underperforming --Bianchi needs to make more of an impression in his Force India outings and Gutierrez needs to improve in GP2. Maybe Sutil?

 

Im not sure Kovalainen has been that great to be honest. Good no doubt and deserves a chance, but over the last two seasons he's been in a car with no rivals and a demotivated, ageing teammate. How can he lose?

Of course he deserves a chance to prove himself in competitive machinary but at the expense of Kobi? Hulkenberg is proving he's overrated this season. He needs to beat Di Resta first before he can start thinking about a better seat.

Vergne needs time. Its his first 7 races in F1 having skipped a rung of the ladder, of course he's going make mistakes. Even Marko isn't stupid enough to sack him for that.

 

Unless it's Helmut Marko's head on the table if he can't find a replacement for Webber let alone Seb!

 

About time too.

 

To be honest I trust Gehard Burger to take over if Marko did get the sack sooner rather than later. Burger was important in Sebs development and when he left they have failed to produce another.

 

Maybe it's the talent pool that's decreased though?

 

Possibly, having Seb, Lewis, Rosberg, Kubica, Kobayashi, Di Resta all enter and leave F3 roughly about the same time does make you want to think could that keep happening? I don't think so personally and when this lot retire we might be left with nothing for another 30 years until another wave of this degree comes along.

 

Kamu deserves a better team

 

What rubbish. How can Vergne be under pressure when he's scored double the points of Ricciardo and this would be even more if the team hadn't gambled in Monaco. Ricciardo undoubtedly has the better one-lap pace, but seems disappointing in the races.

 

I think both the Torro Rosso drivers have been poor, but I dont think the car is that great either!

 

Seconded.

 

Kamui has disappointed this season, not sure if it's him or that he gets the rough end of the stick with the split strategies Sauber use. Perez definitley has some skill, but he's been incredibly lucky, I think if Kamui had had the early change in Malaysia that got Perez his first podium he wouldn't have spun off like Perez (who spun off twice in that race) and quite probably would've won.

 

I think the strategy can take some of the blame. Monaco, for example, If Ricciardo's steering didn't break and they didn't leave him on the super-softs for another 10-odd laps he would have finished 8th (or thereabouts). Not to mention the car is just getting a lot less development on it right now than guys FI and Williams.

 

Thing is how can we really tell without an established benchmark.

 

Lets see if Saubers strategy works for Kamui for a change.

 

Agreed, plus Kamui is good in the wet.

 

yeah, last seasons Canada he got screwed by Saubers tyre decision, again, after a very impressive bit of wet weather driving.