F1 2016 Season: Lineup's - Rumours - News

They should be closer for sure, but for example Sauber are only 8th in the constructor's championship this season behind both RB and TR who use Renault PUs which are definitely substandard. The C34 is just not a good enough package despite having a decent PU from Ferrari so it will be important for Manor and Haas to come with a decent package as the Renault PU will be closer to the pace (if the rumours about the single cylinder model improvements turn out to be true when scaled to the V6 on track) and Honda will probably catch some stuff up when they spend tokens this year. Still going to be difficult for them, especially Haas as they don't even have control over their chassis as they farmed it out to Dallara who did SUCH a great job with HRT in 2010.

 

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This looks like one of those soooon pics, I think Verstappen's after Kimi's seat.

 

Eventually it could happen. Between Ricciardo, Hulkenberg, Bottas, Max and Raffaelle Marciello atm.

 

Ferrari simply don't hire under 25s. Their first choice is probably ricciardo but he's more or less stuck at red bull.

 

Gene Haas has dropped a few names in recent days, giving clues to who he is thinking for the driver line-up at Haas F1 in 2016. It seems the goal of picking an American driver has gone out of the window, with JEV, Gutierrez and Hulkenberg the only names mentioned in this latest brief. I understand the Ferrari reserve drivers, due to the partnership the teams now have (which Haas did allude to), but he's got no chance of getting Hulkenberg out of a Force India just to go right to the back of the field.

http://www.foxsports.com/motor/stor...an-gutierrez-nico-hulkenberg-shortlist-080215

 

..Unless Force India are no more next year?

 

Vergne has been announced as a driver for Andretti in FE next year, but it's understood that if he has an 'out' in the event that he gets an F1 contract.

 

I stand corrected, there is a chance!

He'd be a good driver for any small F1 team, but if he can't get a seat then FE is a good option for him to keep racing.

 

He surely wouldn't go to a backmarker team when he can get a factory drive with Porsche. It's got to be Ferrari or bust for him this year.

 

Absolutely right.

Gutierrez is a dead cert at Haas. Vergne to partner him IMO.
Raikkonen will quit to join WEC hopefully, he seems to have grown too old for wheel to wheel racing.
Errm, who will partner Vettel? It won't be
Danny Riccy just because Seb will block it.

Bottas recently said Williams have no chance of catching Mercedes whereas Massa said they will fight back.

We all know Valtteri is leaving for pastures new.

 

I dont think Vettel would block Ricciardo, I think he knows 2014 was just poor and he'd like to prove he's better. This year Ricciardo is currently being beaten by a little Russian boy who did nothing last season. I doubt he'll be at Ferrari soon, but who knows.

Plus Haas has already said they wanted an American right? Surely that makes Rossi their number one option, and as they'll be a Ferrari development team basically, I think JEV is their best option for the experienced drive.

 

Haas also said they wanted two experienced drivers, ruling Rossi out.

 

I can see them talking a big game now and then not being able to convince said experienced drivers to come.

 

It's a long shot but Chilton is racing and making a name for himself in America.

 

A safe pair of hands if they want to go down the 'hare & tortoise' thinking of racing. Whilst being slower than Bianchi, he never really did too much wrong in the two seasons he had.

If you had a choice, Chilton or Maldonado?

 

The Glock & Trulli experiences will put many off now

 

Chilton, from a Haas point of view. He's raced in America so is already known to the fanbase Haas is trying to tap in to, and Maldonado is backed by a Venezuelan state owned oil company that is unlikely to fund an American race team as the Venezuelan Government doesn't exactly like the US at the moment. Haas could obviously do with more money (you can never have enough in F1) but I don't think his team would collapse if it didn't have the funding from a Maldonado style pay driver or HF1 would've hired one by now, the Ferrari partnership is probably a good two way street.

 

Two teams have been unsuccessful in the FIA's latest selection process to enter Formula 1 in 2016 or '17, AUTOSPORT has learned.

Motorsport's governing body invited candidates to submit their interest in May and set a deadline of June to do so, before extending that to July 23.

Two teams submitted applications, but neither met the governing body's criteria, meaning the grid will not grow beyond Haas' 2016 entry.

An FIA spokesman said: "We can confirm that the FIA received two candidate Formula 1 team applications for vacant grid slots.

"We subsequently put these through our comprehensive diligence processes.

"Unfortunately none of the applicants were able to meet the FIA's criteria for new teams despite being granted every opportunity of doing so, and we now consider this round of applications to be closed."

The identities of the two teams is unknown, although it is understood neither was leading GP2 outfit ART Grand Prix.

The FIA spokesman said it was not up to the governing body to reveal the names of the applicants.

When the FIA announced the new selection process, it stated a decision would be made based on "the overall long-term interests of the championship", and it would not select an additional team if there is no viable candidate.

The FIA said it would assess:

• The technical ability and resources of the team
• The ability of the team to raise and maintain sufficient funding to allow participation in the championship at a competitive level
• The team's experience and human resources
• The value the candidate may bring to the championship as a whole

This means 11 teams will contest the Formula 1 world championship next season.

 

Who would want to take part in a sport where they are guaranteed to make a huge loss in year 1 and then make gradual smaller loses for the next 5 years until they pack it in. Unless you are a major consortium or manufacturer.

 

Ferrari retain Kimi then. Pretty dull choice if you ask me, i dont see Raikkonen producing anything other than another year of mediocrity. Great driver in his prime, but those days have passed.

Decent enough number 2 though i suppose and doesn't rock the boat with Vettel.