Murr Posted November 28, 2012 Share Posted November 28, 2012 1x Lotus 1x Force India 1x Caterham 2x Marussia 2x HRT - If they make it onto the grid. And to fill them we have... Grosjean Senna Kobayashi Kovalainen Glock De La Rosa Karthikeyan Alguersuari Bianchi Sutil Barrichello There have been rumours of Kovalainen talking to Lotus, and of Barrichello looking for a return drive. I'd rather Kamui was talking to Lotus, I like Heiki, but Kamui man, he needs to be in F1. Maybe a Force India seat, straight swap for Hulkenberg. Senna not keeping his seat at Williams doesn't surprise me. What about Buemi or is he a reserve driver somewhere? In fairness Buemi & Alguersuari did better at Torro Rosso than Vergne & Riccardo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro_Link Posted November 28, 2012 Author Share Posted November 28, 2012 I'd rather Kamui was talking to Lotus, I like Heiki, but Kamui man, he needs to be in F1. Maybe a Force India seat, straight swap for Hulkenberg. Senna not keeping his seat at Williams doesn't surprise me. What about Buemi or is he a reserve driver somewhere? In fairness Buemi & Alguersuari did better at Torro Rosso than Vergne & Riccardo. Buemi is Red Bulls reserve driver, but I don't really know why he bothers. There's also talk of Kamui to Lotus. I have to say a Kimi & Kamui partnering at Lotus would be an exciting one! Though I'm not sure how much of a better bet Kamui is than Grosjean at scoring WCC points, Heikki would be the better man for that, but I'm not sure about him at Lotus and all Finnish pairing. I wonder if Grosjean's seat really is under threat. I'm wondering whether Total are now putting all their efforts behind Pic instead, and that's where the money is for next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ganepark32 Posted November 28, 2012 Share Posted November 28, 2012 I was under the impression that Lotus had already confirmed they'd be keeping Grosjean on next year, alongside Kimi. Could've sworn I saw it mentioned somewhere on the web a few weeks back (maybe a month or two). Skeptical we'll see HRT on the grid next year which is a shame for those looking for a seat but to be honest, unlike Caterham and Marussia, HRT haven't really made any progress in trying to join the pack with their car. So wouldn't be a huge loss. Think most of the front runners would be happy actually as they wouldn't have to be dealing with the likes of Karthikeyan when it comes to overtakes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro_Link Posted November 28, 2012 Author Share Posted November 28, 2012 Nope Grosjean hasn't been confirmed by Lotus (although many expect him to stay on), which is leading to a lot of speculation and rumours. They confirmed Kimi but not Grosjean, which made it seem like maybe they were going to continue evaluating him until the end of the season [after his race ban], and tbh he hasn't been completely trouble free. Collision in Abu Dhabi (not really anything to do with him), and crashing out in both Qually and the Race in Brazil. So we'll have to wait and see; could just be Lotus playing for media attention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro_Link Posted November 30, 2012 Author Share Posted November 30, 2012 (edited) Edited November 30, 2012 by Retro_Link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goron_3 Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 I was literally about to post that...absolutely BRILLIANT! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro_Link Posted November 30, 2012 Author Share Posted November 30, 2012 Just been reading the Grosjean/Kovalainen/Kobayashi to Lotus on autosports http://forums.autosport.com/index.php?showtopic=178432&st=120 According to a recent post Kamui's 'Help me get a seat in F1 fan sponsorship fund thing' is already at... Total funds for Kamui now 127,863,961 Yen or around $1.55m US Dollars or 966,000 Pounds. I'd forgotten how popular Kimi is in Japan! And a Kimi-Kamui driver pairing could potentially attract a big Japanese sponsor to the team I would imagine (no guarantee's though). Still find it hard to look past Grosjean for the seat though given he has 1 year behind him at the team. But as Lotus have said, whilst Kimi might be an expensive driver for them, he repays it back to the team and then some by scoring them a vast ammount of WCC points, where as Grosjean finished with less than half the points scored by Kimi (actually costing them a potential WCC win!) and money he brings to the team through Total he then crashes away in car repairs! Looking forward to seeing how this one plays out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro_Link Posted December 5, 2012 Author Share Posted December 5, 2012 Made a [beatles inspired] T-shirt etc... to remember the historic 2012 season: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro_Link Posted December 6, 2012 Author Share Posted December 6, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goron_3 Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 Made a [beatles inspired] T-shirt etc... to remember the historic 2012 season: Amazing! Might have to buy it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro_Link Posted December 7, 2012 Author Share Posted December 7, 2012 (edited) Amazing! Might have to buy it Cheers! If you did want one then let me know and I can always do the writing any colour you want to go with which ever colour T-shirt you choose! For the Lewis fans... Edited December 7, 2012 by Retro_Link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro_Link Posted December 8, 2012 Author Share Posted December 8, 2012 Merry Christmas from Kimi! 'Unfortunately I have to be in Istanbul for the prize giving/collect my award.' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro_Link Posted December 9, 2012 Author Share Posted December 9, 2012 Here's the highlights of the FIA Prize Giving Gala. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ganepark32 Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Sad news indeed: Former Sauber driver Kamui Kobayashi gives up on 2013 drive Japanese former Sauber driver Kamui Kobayashi has given up on finding a Formula 1 seat for next season. The 26-year-old had raised around £6.5m, partly in donations from fans, to fund a drive. He announced on Monday that he had failed to "secure a seat with a competitive team". In a message on his website, he asked for the donations to stop and said he would "save the money for 2014" and was "confident" of securing a drive then. He added that he would now "start to look at what is the best option for 2013 and 14". Kobayashi's only realistic options to stay at a comparable level to Sauber, or make a step up, had been Lotus and Force India. But on Monday Lotus announced they would retain Frenchman Romain Grosjean alongside Kimi Raikkonen. Force India have not yet revealed who will partner Scot Paul di Resta but Kobayashi's announcement suggests he is out of the running. German Adrian Sutil, who raced for Force India in their various guises from 2007-11, is considered the leading contender to partner Di Resta, with former Toro Rosso driver Jaime Alguersuari and the team's reserve driver Jules Bianchi also in the frame. There is a seat available at backmarkers Caterham, but that is considered likely to go to Russian Vitaly Petrov, who drove for the team in 2012. Ex-Williams driver Bruno Senna is also a contender at Caterham, where Finn Heikki Kovalainen, who has driven for the team since they started in F1 as Lotus Racing in 2010, is not expected to be retained. Kobayashi's message thanked his fans for the donations, saying: "Since the donations started, it has become quite big news in Japan. And because of your big support, it gave huge influences to some of Japanese companies and I started receiving good support from them. "I was in the position to bring a budget of 8m euro (£6.5m) at least. If you could imagine the time I had, it was an overwhelming reaction and it shows there still is a great potential from Japanese companies. "Unfortunately, the time was still short and I am not able to secure the seat with a competitive F1 team for 2013. I have to admit that it is very sad and I feel sorry for fans and Japanese companies who supported me. But I am still confident to make it happen in 2014." http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/20764423 A real shame as he has become one of my favourite drivers. Hopefully he can secure a seat in 2014 but that's going to be a tough fight to get anything, especially with HRT now off the grid for next season and Bernie saying he wants even fewer (i.e. only 10) teams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaggle64 Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 I find this to be unacceptable, please take it back. Also: Winter testing dates - Jerez: 5/2/2013 – 8/2/2013 Barcelona: 19/2/2013 – 22/2/2013 Barcelona: 28/2/2013 – 3/3/2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goron_3 Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 I find this to be unacceptable, please take it back. Also: Winter testing dates - Jerez: 5/2/2013 – 8/2/2013 Barcelona: 19/2/2013 – 22/2/2013 Barcelona: 28/2/2013 – 3/3/2013 Such a great talent, I'm gutted. And man, that 3rd test takes place on my birthday...tempting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro_Link Posted December 22, 2012 Author Share Posted December 22, 2012 So Suzi Perry has got the BBCF1 presenting job! Pretty good choice I reckon, I always liked her doing MotoGP back when she did it and I'm not even really a fan of that. I'd rather Lee have got it but I imagine she wants to carry on doing what she does anyway, and relieved it's not Chris Evans! Suzy will do well I think, wont be quite the same 3 amigo's chemistry as Jake (providing both DC and Eddie come back), but atleast unlike the embarrassing SKY girls, she'll know what she's talking about! Plus she's hot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murr Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 Don't know if you guys posted this already - F1 Adds Bangkok Race to 2015 Schedule Formula One Chief Executive Bernie Ecclestone revealed that the 2015 Grand Prix calendar will feature a night race on the streets of Bangkok. Speculation about a Formula One race in Thailand had grown since championship-winner Red Bull Racing carried out a demonstration run through the streets of the nation's capital in December 2010. Then in October, Kanokphand Chulakasem, governor of the Sports Authority of Thailand, seemed to confirm the rumors by saying the country would host a race in 2014. He added at the time that he was "working closely with F1 officials to look for the best site." Ecclestone said that the location has now been chosen, and specified that the race would come a year later. "They say 2014 and I say 2015. It is serious and it is good," he added. The annual fee for hosting an F1 race is $27 million and it is understood that the government of Thailand would foot around 60% of the bill. The rest is set to come from local companies such as the Thai brewer Singha and from Red Bull, the energy-drink maker. Ecclestone said that the race is backed by Chalerm Yoovidhya, the fourth-richest man in Thailand through his 51% stake in Red Bull. The addition of this Grand Prix increases pressure on the sport's crowded calendar. There are already 20 races slated for 2013 with Russia and New Jersey set to join in 2014. The number of races is restricted to 20 by the Concorde Agreement, the contract that commits F1's 11 teams to race. They object to adding more races due to increased transport costs and the added time staff would have to spend on the road. Under the agreement, only a consensus from the teams can cause the schedule to expand beyond 20 races or if over 60% of them are outside the sport's traditional markets of Europe, the U.S. or Canada. The calendar is currently evenly split with 10 races held in these three regions and 10 outside. So unless the teams agree to increase the limit on the number of races, the introduction of Thailand is likely to come at the expense of a race from the sport's historic heartland. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324407504578187182249598210.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro_Link Posted January 2, 2013 Author Share Posted January 2, 2013 I'd much rather Singapore stay as the only night race (they make a real spectacle of it with the architecture, lightshows and fireworks) and that we didn't have another street race. Here's hoping it replaces one of the dud circuits and not a European/Classic circuit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goron_3 Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 Anyone else attending the Autosport show at the NEC Arena next weekend? Me and @Retro_Link will be going Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro_Link Posted January 14, 2013 Author Share Posted January 14, 2013 Winter Break... Time for an Formula1 2013 thread soon... car launches and testing aren't all that far away!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murr Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 It's not news, but an awesome GIF - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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