2010 Driver Line Up Predictions
2010 Driver Line Up Predictions
With only 5 races left in the 2009 season, what better time is there to take an in-depth look at the Formula 1 “Silly Season”.
Brawn : Jenson Button / ???
Jenson’s a lock to stay at Brawn, considering that there will be no other teams that can provide him a more competitive race seat for 2010. Rubens contact is set to expire at the end of ‘09. He could resign a 1 year deal, or Ross Brawn and Nick Fry could decide that he is past his prime and no longer need his services.
Campos : de la Rosa / ???
Adrian Campos has expressed interest in having a fellow Spaniard occupy one of his race seats next year. Although no deal has been signed, de la Rosa will most likely end up at Campos, and bring his years of experience to help develop the team, and the chassis. Vitaly Petrov’s name has been tossed around as a possibility for the second seat. The GP2 star has certainly made a mark in GP2, reaching the top step of the podium multiple times.
Ferrari : Massa / Alonso
The real reason why Alonso has not been announced yet, is because Massa took a center spring to the left temple. LDM and the brain trust in Maranello are squirming right now to determine whether or not Massa will still have ‘it’ in ‘10. It’s no secret that the Scuderia prefers their Brazilian over the Finn, but Raikkonen is still a World Drivers Champion, and his stock has been on the rise for the last 4 Grands Prix. Alonso will drive for Ferrari next year. Strangely enough, we don’t know who his team mate will be.
Force India : Sutil / Liuzzi
Liuzzi will step in this upcoming weekend at Monza for the outgoing Fisichella, and will retain the seat alongside Sutil in 2010.
Manor : ??? / ???
No one outside of John Booth and Nick Wirth have any idea who Manor GP (Virgin) are considering. They must be enjoying all of the turmoil that the Ferrari/Alonso and the BMW withdraw is creating. After all there are drivers like Kubica on the market, and I have a feeling that they are perfectly happy to sit back and pick up some prime talent at a discounted price come December.
McLaren : Hamilton / Rosberg
Rosberg wants to drive for McLaren, just like his father did. And can you really blame him? He is being very politically correct by claiming that he has “not made any decisions yet”, but insiders have told me that Rosberg, just like Alonso has already signed a contract for 2010.
Red Bull : Vettel / Webber
The only ‘09 top team without any questions as both drivers are locked into contracts for next year. Kudos to Red Bull Racing for not letting Vettel get away, and stir up even more drama in the silly season.
Renault : Grosjean / ???
Grosjean looks to remain his seat through this season and into next. There is some speculation that Kimi could switch with Alonso and move to Renault, bringing Finnish corporate giant NOKIA. With title sponsor ING on their way out of F1 after this season, speculation could become reality. All of this hinges, of course on Renault returning to F1 next year.
Toro Rosso : Buemi / Alguersuari
Toro Rosso is ramping up their production facility in Italy as we speak to become a full fledge constructor for 2010. The baby brother to Red Bull Racing will most likely not change as they groom the replacement for Mark Webber in Buemi and Alguersuari. But, if they do make a change it will be with test driver Brendon Hartley.
Toyota : Glock / ???
Toyota, along with Renault is also in question of making the 2010 grid. If they do, they will retain Timo Glock, as they are quite happy with his race performance. As was announced at Valencia, out goes the senior driver Trulli. With Williams dropping Toyota power next season in favor of Renault, we could see Toyota’s golden boy Nakajima heading to the Japaneese markque.
USF1 : ??? / ???
This is what you all came here to see isnt it? Well I don’t have any announcements yet, but I do have a very good lead on who will MOST LIKELY be carrying the flag in USF1’s inaugural season. Word has it that Peter Windsor is quite fond of Brawn GP’s test driver Alex Wurz, and he is a lock to take the role of “senior” driver. The team wanted to field 2 Americans strait away, but it looks like that was to ambitious of a goal, and we will see only 1 in 2010 as the team needs a experienced F1 driver to help develop the feel of the chassis. If Jonathan Summerton’s Twitter updates are any clue as to his future plans, we will see him in the “junior” position. Provided he can obtain the FiA superlicense.
Williams : Hulkenberg / ???
With Nico Rosberg departing for the Silver Arrows of McLaren Mercades, and Nakajima at the back end of the points standings, GP2 championship leader Nico Hulkenberg gets the nod to step up from the minor league and show us what he has got. If Michael Schumacher’s manager Willi Weber is correct about Hulkenberg, we are in for big things in the comming decade. Now we just need to petition FOM to change driver abbreviations from 3 letters to 4, “HULK”.
BMW Buyout or 4th New Entry: ??? / ???
Will it be Lotus, Superfund, or Sauber buying out the remaining 80% from BMW? If Sauber can remain control, and get the FiA to allow him back into the field next season, my inclination is that Nick Heidfeld will remain with the team a la Jenson Button/Honda, from a season ago.
This COMPLETELY speculative driver line up, leaves the following 11 drivers battling for the 11 blank positions above.
(1) H. Kovalainen, (2) N. Heidfeld, (3) R. Kubica, (4) B. Senna, (5) K. Raikkonen, (6) R. Barrichello, (7) K. Nakajima, (8) J. Trulli, (9) V. Petrov, (10) A. Wurz, (11) C. Klien
Where do you see the pieces of the puzzle fitting for the drivers that will make up the 2010 grid? Obviously there will be some left out, as there are no “young” American drivers on the list for the USF1 spot.
photo credit ©XPB
Author: Jeff
42 Responses to “2010 Driver Line Up Predictions”
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Bruno Senna is rumoured to be in talks with Campos. I would put him ahead of Petrov on there… there's a lot of marketing interest in seeing a Senna in F1 again, plus he has proved to be quick enough.
He certainly has, and with the Ayrton Senna movie coming out next year it makes financial sense to have him in F1. I would give it an 80/20 split that Campos takes Senna over Petrov.
There is also Nelsinho Piquet, who is definitely talking to other teams, despite having had a bad F1 debut. He's probably talking to the new teams like Campos. I've read that Bruno Senna is having conversations with Force India because of his (through his late uncle) and their association with McLaren-Mercedes.
Piquet is damaged goods now, after he opened his mouth and started the investigation into "Crash-Gate". Who knows, he might be banned from all FiA sanctioned events if they find out that he put his car into the wall on purpose. And if he can compete I don't think any team will want him. So the best shot that he has is having his dad buyout the BMW team and rebrand it "Piquet GP" just like their GP2 team.
I agree. I think his whole career in F1 was not all that great in terms of finding a new seat. First, he wasn't all that fast. Then he got pushed into a racing cockpit no doubt by his dad's connections. Then, I think things went sour for him because Briatore just seems to be a career killer if he wants to be. (And so is the Renault at this point, I think). But by and large, the way Nelsinho (and also his dad… must be in the genes…) present themselves all the time, it seems that they raise a lot of controversy. From the outside, I think dad is an influential person with a good group of friends, but a much larger group of foes. And Nelsinho seems to follow down that path. One can get pretty far with that attitude, but usually not all that long…
I disagree about him not being all that fast, he pretty much won every series he competed in, apart from GP2 where he finished second to Hamilton. He was, however, too eager to jump into F1 and ended up being screwed by Briatore in the process. He might end up at Williams or Manor, from what I've been hearing.
That is true. Of course there are tons of drivers who won every series they were in. There are quite a few series in the world, and most drivers only are in each series for a year or two. So while each year, there may be 100 different series, a good number of which are dominated by a driver or two, at the end of the day, only 1 or 2 of these even break into F1, and out of those, only a small group are potential winners. Especially in "normal" seasons. This year is a bit of an odd year.
So he is fast, yes. But is he one of the 10 fastest drivers in the world? Not by a long shot, I don't think.
Klein's name is really "Klien"
. Oh, and btw: He may be mis-pronounced in US TV all the time, but there is no "ei" to pronounce. In fact, his name is pronounced more like the English word "clean". Close, but not totally. Perhaps if it is pronounced a bit more with an Ebonics slang 
Also, from what I understand, Superfund has already announced they have no interest anymore as too much time has gone by. Besides, that would remove Wurz from the driver's lineup, wouldn't it? After all, he was supposed to be that team's principle
And no future for Fisichella?
Fisi will be retained by Ferrari for 2010 as a test driver, a position he must relish at this point in his career.
Here's a completely hypothetical questing, what if Fisi win a race or two? Does Fisi really retire to test driver status then?
Yes, the contract has been signed in RED ink. Fisichella is more than happy to be on the Ferrari payroll as a 3rd (test) driver.
It would suck, I think, but with Alonso, Raikkonen, Massa, and potentially Schumacher already waiting for the 2 cockpits there, it will be very touch for Fisi.
What about Jacques Villeneuve ???
Jacques who?
I used to really like him, but I think he just isn't smart enough about what he says and does. It is entertaining to have a driver who speaks his mind, but for him personally, I don't think it's done him any favors. I wouldn't hire him if I was a team owner. He may have been fast once, but is his still faster than other drivers in the market? Unproven at best. And you can be sure there will be other problems with him.
Too bad, really.
Barrichello has been talking to Williams and McLaren, but I doubt he'll leave Brawn. Going to McLaren will mean being second to Hamilton and at this point in his career he has no interest in doing that. Williams is still too much of a gamble as they don't even know what engine they'll be running in 2010, or how competitive they will be.
Would be very surprised if McLaren was interested in him. I think if anything, then a team like Williams might want him. But McLaren can pick just about anyone they want. I think it would be best for Rubens to either retire or stay at Brawn. Otherwise, I think he will end up at Force India or something. Which may not be all that bad at this point…
With Cosworth after hiring Mark Gallagher, I'm guessing he will get Adam Carroll a drive in one of the cossie teams. Anything to tell us USF1?
Kimi Räikkönen if not at Ferrari (if Massa cant come back) will go to McLaren or Brawn slim chance he will go to Renault.
Badoer drove for Minardi while he was a Ferrari test driver in 1999 so Fisichella could still look for a team.
I cant see Kubica not getting a decent team and I think Senna has a place lined up probably Brawn.
Ferrari want to run an extra car could they buy BMW/Torro Rosso and badge it Fiat/Maserati, then they wouldn't have to pay Kimi off and move him over and swap in Schumacher, Rossi, Loeb and some young drivers it the other car.
Of the 3 Cosworth powered teams, the only one that I can see Adam Carroll driving for is Manor. He doesn't fit the USF1 criteria, and Campos looks to have to many other options. But who knows really… Manor has been completely radio silent.
The Brazilian media is saying it's almost confirmed Senna will be Sutil's teammate at Force India next year.
I wonder about the marketability of Kubica…
What about Seb Bourdais? He's done so good in ChampCar and scored top finishes (and a win) for his first appearance in SuperLeague Fomula (ok, it's not the same level as F1, but).
I think that it would be an opportunity for USF1to retain him as he seems to do well with US team work environment.
I agree with you. I don't think he could really show what he can do at Torro Rosso. It just seems to be one of those things where some people just can't deal with teams like TR/RB and also Renault seems to be similar. Absolute career killers they can be. I think the same was true for Scott Speed and even Christian Klien.
As for the ChampCar stuff: Not sure how much that says. It is not as competitive. If you dominate ChampCar, you should have a chance in F1, but it isn't guaranteed. The last fast and succesful driver that came from that type of racing was Villeneuve. Afterwards, not a lot was happening. Zanardi, Glock, DaMatta,… no dice. Even Montoya broke apart in the end, although he was arguably more successful then the prior group. No real good shot at a championship though.
I would have been interested to see Castroneves in F1 though. Too late now, I guess…
About Manor, Lucas Di Grassi, currently in GP2, has been in talks with them. Piquet has reportedly received an offer from Campos, with a sliding-scale salary based on championship points, which didn't seem to interest him much.
di Grassi would be a great pick up from GP2 for Manor. Where did you hear this? As far as Piquet, I can understand why he would be hesitant. He couldn't score points in a Renault, so he must know that its going to be even harder in a start-up team's chassis.
I got the info from the same guy who leaked the crashgate info – Brazilian commentator Reginaldo Leme. And now I just heard that Antonio Pizzonia was invited by Manor to come to Monza – he had a good history with them in F3, could he be making a F1 return?
I think any team would have to be mad to talk to Piquet (jun and sen) at this point. What a soap opera that all is! Not something I can see any manager or principle be eager to get into…
I've heard from a pretty good source that Antonio Pizzonia is in talks with Manor, USF1 and Williams and planning to return to F1 next year.
Here are my thoughts on who will be where in 2010.
Ferrari-we already know
Mclaren-Lewis and Kimi. This also should classify as “we already know”
Renault-Robert and Grosean
Brawn-Rubens and Nico
Red Bull-Seb and Mark
Williams-Jenson and Nico (Hulkenburg)
Toyota-Timo and Adrian
The rest I’m unsure on. I think Force India will pick up an Indian driver, perhaps the GP2 driver that was in their garage, at Suzuka, or Singapore, I think. (I’m sorry I don’t know his name) STR might retain Buemi, but his performance has not been great since the first few races. They also might keep Jaime on, but he hasn’t done that well either. What I’m thinking is…maybe Bourdais was NOT the problem after all!?!?!?
The new teams are where things will get interesting. USF1 has said they want American talent. The problem facing them is there aren’t many Americans, unfortunately, with F1 experience: though I would really like to see some Americans on the grid. I think Heikki will go to Lotus. Kazuki will probably be out of F1. Jarno and Giancarlo are at the end of their careers. One of them might go to Campos. I think it would be nice to see Giancarlo at USF1. Well, it would be really nice to see Fernando or Robert at USF1, but that’s not gonna happen!!!
Toyota has already confirmed that Glock will not be retained for 2010. There are still doubts on whether they'll even be on the grid next year. Force India should retain Sutil and Liuzzi. Rubens is all but confirmed at Williams, while Grosjean's future at Renault is dim at best. We might see Kovalainen heading that way, or Di Grassi might be given a chance.
Toyota confirmed in Japan that they will retain Glock. And not Trulli. At least that's what SpeedTV reported. And yes, Toyota's future is unsure. Now, about Brawn. If Rubens is leaving, what about the news that Jenson feels he's being underpaid by Brawn and wants to leave? Will the 2009 Constructor's Champs start on the grid next year with neither of their 2009 drivers?? Ol' Ross isn't going to give up on Rubens that easily…
Toyota confirmed that they will let Timo search for further employment. Interesting place to be with a fractured vertebra.
Rubens is confirmed at Williams now, probably alongside Nico Hulkenberg. Brawn will likely retain Button for 2010, with Nico Rosberg as his teammate. Can you provide a source for Toyota retaining Glock? All I've heard from sources in the media and in the paddock was that Toyota opted to not renew Glock's contract and are still looking at options for next year. I think Heikki's most probable destination is Renault, alongside Kubica. I know Alex Yoong has already been retained by the Malaysian-controlled Lotus team, but it's still unconfirmed whether he'll drive for them or just take a managerial role. Mike Gascoyne has already said they want a British driver, which might be Gary Paffett (currently test driver for McLaren), but this is all speculation at this point.
I have heard from my sources that Rubens will be at Williams with Hulkenberg in 2010. I looks like Jarno is exploring Lotus as a option as well.
Also, Räikkönen at McLaren might not be as sure as we've been thinking… word is Hamilton really doesn't want him in the team, and Räikkönen himself said his future might be a surprise to many. Maybe he'll go to Brawn if they don't retain Jenson?
Is there anyone else currently on the grid that can play second fiddle to Lewis better than the mellow Finn, Kimi? No one will really know until the ink has dried, I suppose.
Senna has signed with Campos. Announcement to be made in Murcia next week at a sponsor's event. De La Rosa will probably be his teammate.
Force India will confirm Liuzzi stays in the team alongside Sutil within the next few days as well. Probably after the race.
Ferrari – Massa & Alonso (Confirmed)
Mclaren – Hamilton & Raikkonen (Pretty Much Confirmed)
Renault – Kubica & Grosjean/Kovalainen
Red Bull – Vettel & Webber (Confirmed)
Brawn – Button & Rosberg (Pretty Much Confirmed)
Toro Rosso – Buemi & Alguersuari (Pretty Much Confirmed)
Williams – Barrichello & Hulkenberg (Pretty Much Confirmed)
Toyota – Glock & Kobayashi/Nakajima/Kovalainen
Force India – Sutil & Liuzzi (Pretty Much Confirmed)
USF1 – Wurz & ???
Lotus – Trulli & Fauzy (Pretty Much Confirmed)
Manor – Heidfeld (Depending on BMW Situation) & Petrov
Campos – De La Rosa & Senna
I wouldn't put Räikkönen in McLaren as confirmed just yet. Word is they've been talking to Heidfeld and Räikkönen might be closer to Toyota. Grosjean is unlikely to be retained by Renault – they're looking at Glock, Di Grassi and Kovalainen for that seat. Pizzonia has good links with Manor and might make a return to F1 with them. Manor have also confirmed they made Piquet an offer, but that's a long shot.
I wasn't implying that, but in 2008 there was a clear improvement for him after France, and he arrived at Singapore only a handful of points behind Alonso. While I don't think he's in the same level as, say, Alonso, Massa or Hamilton, I don't think he's just a back-of-the-pack driver. Given the right equipment he could be consistent. Now, however, he's pretty much set fire to the circus and it's unlikely that he'll return to F1 for the next few years. Wouldn't be surprised if he gets another crack at it, though.
Yup. I agree with these statements.