2011 F1 Off-Season Thread

legion · 11-14-2010, 03:41 PM

Who is switching teams next year?

Who is out of F1?

Who is in?

What are the new rules for next year? Still 2.4L V8s, right? KERS is back. F-ducts are out. Same aero package? Same kind of tires, different manufacturer...

Zeke · 11-14-2010, 03:56 PM

Bruno Senna won't be around. And I hope Richard Branson can quit embarrassing himself. Maybe he should stick to space flight.

Or hire the retiring Burt Rutan to design the cars.

legion · 11-14-2010, 04:06 PM

Is anyone still using Cosworth engines next year?

It kind of sucked that the new teams were forced to use them, because they really stunk.

Noah930 · Noah930's Garage

How secure is Massa's job at the Scuderia? I realize he has a contract, and he certainly is a dependable company man (see Germany). But he was really...lackluster for most of the season. McLaren and RBR both have two decent drivers. It's hard to win a Manufacturer's Championship when you can only count on one car to score good points whereas the competition have two.

Did Petrov drive well enough (and does he have enough $$$$) to stay with Renault or anywhere else in F1 next year?

Heidfeld doesn't have a drive? The guy was talented enough to join a mid-pack team and make the car semi-competitive the last few races. He deserves to be in F1 by talent, IMO. Same with Hulkenberg. Has no money to bring to the table, but that qualifying in Brazil was just brilliant.

Schumi will be back. No doubt.

911Freak · 11-14-2010, 05:33 PM

I'm thinking big changes for the back markers but the Top Teams will remain unchanged in their drivers for 2011

With that being said, we never know for sure, what if:

Petrov to Marussia/Virgin Racing
Crashed to many cars this year and was sporadic even for a newbie, good pace but still very young and in need of experience. Good chances this will happen with the upcoming Russia GP in 2012

Kubica stays at Renault
Unless the deal with Lotus allows him out of his contract. If so he's off to ??? (It'd be great to see him in a top team, not that Renault won't be next year if they are still around)

Massa stays at SFM albeit he's lost his pace (Hulkenberg would be a good #2 for FA, maybe he goes to Force India)

OR

Hulkenberg to Ferrari replacing Massa or Lotus-Renault?

Tonio Liuzzi is g-o-n-e, crashing out of the last 5 of 6 races = fail

Webber stays at RBR now clearer then ever the #2 driver

Nico and MS stay at Mercedes GP

Torro Rosso remain the same

Truly Scrumptious remains at Lotus unless the deal with Renault then he's out

Senna should be out as he lacks pace as does either of the drivers he's been driving with at HRT but $$ rules at HRT so he may well remain, at the back of the field!

Do we see Chandok or Hulk at Lotus or Force India?

The real interesting story will be how the Lotus Group - Lotus Racing - Team Lotus fiasco works out...
Will Tony Fernandes still have Lotus in his teams name next year?

Will Fernandez' team be the Renault 'B' team or contenders with RBR trans and Renault engines?

What is left for Lotus Group now that Fernandez' status has been held up in most courts and he beat Lotus Group to the Black & Gold/Yellow colors for next year...

I believe HRT and Virgin will be running Cosworth.

Cosworth had power this year, they propelled Hulkenberg 1.5sec clear of Vettel's Renault for Williams 1st pole in years, clearly they make power...

What a phenomenal year in F1! Really enjoyed it, didn't think the seasons could get any more exciting then the last 3.

Next year looks to be another winner. Got to love the Turbo charged engines making a return. Paired with KERS it should make for some exciting racing.

Joeaksa · 11-15-2010, 06:20 AM

Wish they would open up engine type and allow refueling again.

Really miss the V-12 engines...

Zeke · 11-15-2010, 08:20 AM

Schumacher back to Ferrari replacing Massa would be cool. If Barichello could be Schumi's wing man back in the day, surely the Shoe could do that for Alonso.

herr_oberst · 11-15-2010, 08:28 AM

During the torpor of the Abu Dhabi race, I heard Varsha mention the fact the Lotus will not be allowed to use the Lotus name next year, and they will have Renault engines and RBR gearbox' (And I assume, RBR Kinetic Energy Regeneration Systems?)

That would give that team a real fighting chance, I would think. It would also give RBR a third team to run interference for Vettel.

Does anyone know - is Vettel still his own manager?

legion · 11-15-2010, 09:17 AM

Why is Lotus now not allowed to be Lotus?

911Freak · 11-15-2010, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by legion

Why is Lotus now not allowed to be Lotus?

It messy and convoluted but here's a summary and link for the whole story:

Joe Saward's Grand Prix Blog

The latest in Lotus…
November 11, 2010 by joesaward

The news that Lotus Racing is will be running in black and gold next year is a clear signal to anyone who cares to take notice that Tony Fernandes is not about to back down and accept being pushed out of the way by Group Lotus, no matter what the politicians in Malaysia want to see happening. Fernandes has invested around $120 million in the programme since it kicked off in the summer of 2009 and he clearly feels that he was the man who made it happen and that Group Lotus is trying to not only elbow him out of the way, but also claim the Team Lotus heritage, to which Fernandes believes it has no right at all. It would be outrageous if Team Lotus were to state a claim to have invented the Lotus Seven or the Lotus Elite road cars, but this is, in effect, what Group Lotus is trying to do, by trying to own the history of the team.

It is clear that Fernandes has a very strong case in the matter of the right to use the Team Lotus name. The Malaysian government must know this but it cannot buy the name from David Hunt and his partners because Fernandes got there first (again) and that deal is completed. In the circumstances it makes little sense for Group Lotus to do anything other than trying to work with Fernandes, rather than blindly supporting Group Lotus’s Dany Bahar. The Turkish-Swiss marketing man has a vision for Group Lotus which must seem very attractive to the Malaysians, but he is not an automobile industry expert and those who are doubt that his plan for the group is realistic. If the money being risked is private investment then that is fine, but there are increasing suggestions that Bahar did not manage to secure the funding that he hoped to have and that the funding of Group Lotus is coming from the Malaysian government, even if this may have been raised as loans from banks. Loans have to be repaid at some point and if Lotus does not bring in the money, it is the government which will have to use taxpayers’ money to balance the books. If this is the case then the politicians are facing the possibility that they will be attacked for gambling with taxpayers’ money. There have been some rumours in recent days suggesting that Bahar recognises that he is in a weak position in this respect and is looking for money in the Middle East. The more money he can raise, the less exposed he is to the whims of the politicians. They are obviously not keen on admitting that they have made a mistake and so will support Bahar until he gives them a reason not to, so the Group Lotus boss must be careful not to make too many mistakes in case they decided that they can justify dumping him.

The loss of the Team Lotus case in the High Court might provide such an opportunity. The other problem that could arise is that Fernandes could challenge Bahar’s right to terminate the licence agreement that he had with Group Lotus. This was a five-year deal and was by all accounts terminated on very flimsy grounds. Given the level of investment made, Fernandes would probably have a decent case if he chose to challenge the cancellation of the licence, which could provide another embarrassment.

There are also questions about the wisdom of doing a three-year $20 million a year sponsorship deal with Renault F1, when there is a risk that the cars will never be called Lotuses. Rushing into such an arrangement might seem the right thing to do given the Bahar timeline for Group Lotus, but it leaves no options when it comes to negotiating settlements with Fernandes. Even if he is pressured into giving up the Lotus name, there are other teams that would probably only support a name change from Renault to Lotus if Renault agreed to lose its historical payments, which would then be redistributed.

In the last few days there have been suggestions that Bahar’s plan was to switch from British Racing Green, which he has used this year in IndyCar, to the black and gold that is associated with Team Lotus. This would also have worked for Renault F1 because the switch from yellow and black to gold and black is not a huge move. Thus announcing a black and gold livery for 2011 Fernandes has probably thrown another spanner in Bahar’s works, perhaps unwittingly as he too is looking for a way to distinguish himself from Group Lotus.

More from Joe Sawards blog:

Lotus Racing has announced this morning that its cars will be running in a black and gold colour scheme from the 2011 Championship onwards. This move echoes the evolution of Lotus Formula One cars of the past by moving from the iconic green and yellow paint scheme of the first season to the much loved black and gold.

Lotus Racing has already won an army of fans worldwide whose support for the Anglo-Malaysian squad has been fuelled by the team’s open, honest approach to racing, and its efforts on track which has seen the team edge ever closer to securing the ‘best of the new teams’ title in its debut season.

To bring the fans even closer to the team in its second season Head of Marketing Silvi Schaumloeffel today explained how the 2011 livery will be designed: “We have worked all year to make sure our fans are given unprecedented access to our team. We are all very excited about the move to a black and gold paint scheme for next season, and we want our fans to help us design the livery that will be racing around the world next year. We will shortly be announcing exactly how the fans can take part in our design process, so keep an eye on our website Home for more details. The person who designs the livery we finally choose will be joining us at our first test next year to see the car out on track for the very first time, so for Lotus and F1™ fans it is the chance of a lifetime to help us take the next step forward in our amazing story in 2011.”

Riad Asmat, Lotus Racing Chief Executive, added his thoughts on the next step in the Lotus Racing story: “When we first unveiled our 2010 car there was unanimous praise for our decision to bring the historic green and yellow livery back to the modern F1™ grid. I know the return to the track of the legendary black and gold will be met with even more universal support as it strikes such an emotional chord with fans around the world. Giving those fans the chance to help us bring it back to the contemporary grid is true to our core belief of putting our supporters right at the heart of Lotus Racing – we can’t wait to show the world what we come up with!”

Zeke · 11-15-2010, 03:19 PM

Man, those marketing guys can spew out some BS. Put a black and gold John Player Special up in the grid and then we'll see.

Wintermute · 11-15-2010, 03:43 PM

Mercedes: Schumi and Nico remain, expect Schumi to have a car more suited to his oversteer driving style.

McLaren: No change

Red Bull: No change

Ferrari: Alonso #1, Massa might be leaving for good, I don't think he's all there after the accident. Kubica would step over.

Renault: Who knows, Petrov will probably be gone and Kubica could go to Ferrari if Massa is dismissed. Kovalainen returns with Renault/Lotus deal?

Force India: Chandok (Indian team, Indian driver and first Indian GP in 2011) and Sutil

Sauber: Heidfeld and Kobayashi

Torro Rosso: No Change

HRT: Probably leave series (please)

Lotus: Trulli and Senna or Petrov? For the latter, Lotus might not be able to pay for a lot of crash damage ; )

Virgin: Be surprise if they stick around

Williams: After his pole in Brazil, they should think about keeping Nico around. Rubens will stay, they need a veteran with a new car.

Wintermute · 11-16-2010, 09:58 AM

Looks like Hulkenberg is out at Williams. I predict it might have to do with money. I can see him landing at Renault to replace Petrov. I am disappointed to be honest, I really like Williams, but if they can snag the latest GP2 champ for next to nothing, it's their prerogative. And it seems to be their trend anyways.

Zeke · 11-16-2010, 10:11 AM

Why is Petrov on the hot seat? He crashed some cars and did some other bonehead stuff, but didn't Hambone do the same? If you're quick, you should be driving. Keeping it off the walls comes with experience.

911Freak · 11-16-2010, 10:16 AM

Williams let Nico go in favor of Pastor Maldonado's huge sponsor package = $$

"Quick Nick" Heidfield never had a chance at Sauber, they're bringing in the Mexican GP2 driver (Sergio Perez) to match Sauber's new Tel-Mex title sponsor of the Sauber team

Sauber signs Perez

October 4, 2010 by joesaward

"Sauber has signed Sergio Perez to race for the team in 2011. The 20-year old Mexican driver will line up alongside Kamui Kobayashi. The team has also announced a partnership with Telmex, which will have “a significant presence on the Sauber Motorsport racing cars” from the start of next year.

“Sauber has been not only a very successful racing team but also a strong talent developer of some of the most recognized names in racing since their early stages as well as one of the most respected people in the sport,” says Telmex chairman Carlos Slim Donit. “Their decision of having Sergio with them is very significant on his career to become a top driver representing Mexico. For Telmex and our racing project Escuderia Telmex it’s a great step forward, and we feel very proud to be able to consolidate these years of work for having a Mexican driver in F1 with Sauber Motorsport.”

Peter Sauber says that his team is happy and proud to be in a relationship with the Mexican telecommunications company.

“Telmex is an outstanding company and represents a strong partner for our team,” he said.

Perez has been a member of Escuderia Telmex, which supports racing drivers in various categories, for a number of years. He finished second in this year’s GP2 Series, winning four races – including the prestigious championship round in Monaco – in the process. Sergio began his career in karting, where he won a total of five championships. He followed that up with two years in Formula BMW before moving on to the National Class of the British F3 International Series, where he won a still record 14 races. In 2008 he finished fourth in the International Class of the British F3 International Series. In GP2 Asia he became the series’ youngest race winner at the age of 18.

“Formula 1 is the dream of every young racing driver,” Perez ays. “And now this dream is about to come true for me. Although I’m very much aware that this is also a big challenge and responsibility, I’m happy to accept that and am proud to be representing my country in the highest category of motor racing. I would like to thank Peter Sauber for the faith he’s shown in me and I’ll do everything I can to make the most of this wonderful opportunity."

Nick is quick, hopefully a team will see the value of his experience and pace and give him a drive in 2011!