Who should partner Hamilton at Mclaren next year? [Archive]

View Full Version : Who should partner Hamilton at Mclaren next year?

raikk

24th October 2009, 00:02

So there is a lot of speculation these days about who will take the remaining seat at Mclaren , such names have been Rosberg, Raikkonen, Button, Sutil , Heidfeld and even resigning Kovalainen . So the question is who do you think would be most suitable for the team?

could we have a poll pretty please :) ?

Roamy

24th October 2009, 03:28

well the proper choice should be sutil but they will screw around and ruin someone's career. all the goods are going to hamilton so you need to pick a guy on the up that can take what is given and do a good job - that would be sutil

aryan

25th October 2009, 01:43

Koz

25th October 2009, 01:09

Jag_Warrior

25th October 2009, 04:33

Rosberg. Mainly because I'd like to see what he's really made of... or what he can do in a car and on a team that has its act together (most of the time). If not him, I wouldn't mind seeing Sutil or Glock get that seat.

harsha

25th October 2009, 06:10

I think Rubens will be resigned to the fact that he can never again come close to winning the championship....he might agree for a no 2 in a stronger team rather than no 1 in a weak team

DexDexter

25th October 2009, 11:04

The best driver available. Who? Kimi, of course

harsha

25th October 2009, 12:09

who "should"...well Kimi or Rosberg

keysersoze

25th October 2009, 15:04

What Jag said

Brown, Jon Brow

25th October 2009, 18:14

Kimi because he will push Lewis all the way. It would be nice to see what Rosberg is made out of too.

raikk

26th October 2009, 00:04

Why not Barichello?

Seriously, he is still fast, he is a race winner, he is awesome at setup, he has good relationships with his teammates, and he has helped his team multiple time to become WCC.

And he would be very cheap, compared to Button and Kimi.

I repeat: Why not Rubens?

I didn't think of it to tell you the truth, but I don't think he's really on their radar.. I could be wrong though..

I would love a pairing of Kimi Raikkonen and Hamilton ,both drivers are fast and would get along well because Kimi doesnt bring politics with him just a real old fashioned racing driver who puts his head down and drives the car.

I would be very interested to see what Rosberg is made of .

woody2goody

26th October 2009, 00:27

Raikkonen is the obvious choice, followed by Heidfeld and Kovalainen for me.

F1boat

26th October 2009, 08:30

Nick Heidfeld, for sure. History tells that two strong drivers in McLaren is not the best choice for the team (Prost/Senna, Raikkonen/Montoya, Alonso/Hamilton). While with one super fast and one solid driver the team worked very well. So I think that it will be risky to put Jenson or, especially Kimi in the car. In my opinion Heidfeld is the best choice, IMO now he wants just to score a race win and to retire happy. He is solid and consistent, but not fast enough to challenge Lewis. So Nick is the best choice.

pino

26th October 2009, 09:59

Can I add Trulli on the poll ? :D

DexDexter

26th October 2009, 10:20

Can I add Trulli on the poll ? :D

Trulli would be interesting, he would sometimes outqualify Hamilton and it would be interesting to see how he (Lewis) would react to that. Don't think it's gonna happen though :)

Mark

26th October 2009, 11:12

I can well see Kimi not going to McLaren, it's a very different place since he was there. No Ron Dennis and everything designed around Hamilton.

pino

26th October 2009, 11:29

Trulli would be interesting, he would sometimes outqualify Hamilton and it would be interesting to see how he (Lewis) would react to that. Don't think it's gonna happen though :)

Let's wait and see, we might be shocked by Mc Laren :p :

Mark

26th October 2009, 11:47

Trulli hasn't done anything notable for years.. Although you could have said the same of Button at the start of this season.

Big Ben

26th October 2009, 12:11

I voted for KR but I don't really know. It would be ashame to see another good driver ridiculed by this team.... I would like to see the Finn getting a good car and be able to fight for the wdc but if we are to consider McLaren's best interest I think NH would be one of the best choices available.

jens

26th October 2009, 15:21

I know Kimi would be the most exciting option for F1 fans in general, but... I would love to see Heidfeld finally getting a shot in a real top car to finally end all those debates on topic "what if..." And he would face Hamilton in his own team, which would leave no questionmarks any more (despite NH facing strong team-mates throughout his career, none has been convinced of his performances) - it'll be do or die. :)

Hence my vote.

wedge

26th October 2009, 15:30

I can well see Kimi not going to McLaren, it's a very different place since he was there. No Ron Dennis and everything designed around Hamilton.

Kimi doesn't give a stuff about team mate rivalries/gamesmanship.

Ignored Schumi at Ferrari; JPM did the bulk of testing in 2005 in refining the car.

According to Ted Kravitz Kimi never liked Ron Dennis.

Kimi is akin to the character Jimmy McNulty from TV show 'The Wire', he is his own man - f**k the bosses, chain of command, bureaucracy.

McLaren have a corporate way of running things.

I reckon the stalling point is a clause allowing Kimi to jump out of the car whenever he feels like just so he can grab an ice cream! :D

Garry Walker

26th October 2009, 17:27

JPM did the bulk of testing in 2005 in refining the car.

No, that is not correct.
JPM did 24 days throughout 2005, Kimi did 21.

In anycase, every normal F1 fan would want a Kimi-Lewis rivarly in the same car, it would be quite interesting to see.

Heidfeld is a nice guy and everything, but he would get destroyed.

Rollo

27th October 2009, 00:53

How about Kamui Kobayashi?

Ok, so his first drive ever in an F1 race wasn't the most disciplined affair, but provided some of that totally insane wild energy can be tamed, he'd be a driver to be reckoned with.

McLaren would be a good place for him to learn some discipline, and at least for one season, I think he'd probably do well alongside Hamilton. Then in 2011, the field had better watch out, because Kamui would be easily up to par.

Formula One needs characters. For me, Kobayashi appears to be similar in character to someone like Carl Fogarty, they only know two speeds: insane and whirlwind.

leopard

27th October 2009, 03:08

Kimi or Rosberg are great choice for McLaren, but since they have already had Hamilton they are now looking for driver whom Hamilton will be partnering with. Considering all this among the choices I think Heidfeld - perhaps a not popular choice - is the right person for this position in case of Kovalainen unusable.

Storm

27th October 2009, 06:00

Raikkonen - as he has a lot of history with the team ;) and to see how Hamilton will cope up with another WDC as a team-mate.

Barrichello - I like him so I would like to see him in F1 next year in a competitive car in what could be his last year of racing.

Button - I don't like him but would like to see the entire Brit population of fanboys split down the middle. LOL

raikk

27th October 2009, 06:16

Heidfeld, what you see is what you get , as Mclaren have said they want the best possible driver on the market.. Now if Kimi does not lower his price tag and Button signs with Brawn the best choice would be Rosberg, there is still alot of potential in the young German, that and he knows Hamilton better then anyone on the grid.

It's not a matter of Mclaren wanting Rosberg ,It's if Rosberg wants to go to Mclaren and partner Hamilton, Ive heard daddy is none too keen on this.

Roamy

27th October 2009, 06:20

Can I add Trulli on the poll ? :D

What part of "Toast" are you not getting :p ;)

Koz

27th October 2009, 12:16

Mika says stick with Kovy.

I'm inclined to agree, no one knows how Lewis will react to Kimi or anyone else. Kovy with a decent car could be a good no2.

jens

27th October 2009, 12:53

Kovy with a decent car could be a good no2.

Kovy in a decent car? Let's see - when Lewis fights for a win or finishes at least on the podium, he is around 6th/7th or in worse case scenario isn't even in the points. At least this has been recent scenario. That's not, what you would call a "good No2". Decent reserve driver maybe. :p :

Koz

27th October 2009, 13:21

Kovy in a decent car? Let's see - when Lewis fights for a win or finishes at least on the podium, he is around 6th/7th or in worse case scenario isn't even in the points. At least this has been recent scenario. That's not, what you would call a "good No2". Decent reserve driver maybe. :p :

My keyword would could. :p

Look at the likes of Fisi.

And I don't think he was bad in 2008 at all. RK isn't available, otherwise I would have said him.

Heidfeld is nearly at the end of his career now (now offence), while he is good, would be want to play second fiddle to LH for the 2-3 seasons towards the end of his career?

Rosberg... Now that would be interesting, he and Kovy has been neck and neck in the latter half of the season.
I think Kovy has been unlucky this season, and Hamilton is that great that he pulls a greater performance out of his car than a mere mortal could. :p

jimakos

27th October 2009, 13:36

I believe Kimi is the best solution for Mclaren next year!!!
They will take everything :D

I am evil Homer

27th October 2009, 13:50

My keyword would could. :p

Look at the likes of Fisi.

And I don't think he was bad in 2008 at all. RK isn't available, otherwise I would have said him.

Heidfeld is nearly at the end of his career now (now offence), while he is good, would be want to play second fiddle to LH for the 2-3 seasons towards the end of his career?

Rosberg... Now that would be interesting, he and Kovy has been neck and neck in the latter half of the season.
I think Kovy has been unlucky this season, and Hamilton is that great that he pulls a greater performance out of his car than a mere mortal could. :p

He had a perfectly good car last season, you know, the one his team mate won the title in. This year merely showed he's a hugely average driver.

I like Kovi but I don't think he should have the second McLaren seat if Kimi, Rosberg or Hedifeld are available.

DexDexter

27th October 2009, 18:53

He had a perfectly good car last season, you know, the one his team mate won the title in. This year merely showed he's a hugely average driver.

I like Kovi but I don't think he should have the second McLaren seat if Kimi, Rosberg or Hedifeld are available.

I agree that Kovy has failed miserably but one still must remember that he clearly beat Fisi when he got going at Renault, the second half of 2007. And Fisi beat Sutil and finished second in Spa and now he is nowhere. Driver performance is always a question of many things.

Langdale Forest

27th October 2009, 20:15

Jenson Button

harsha

27th October 2009, 21:18

Can I add Trulli on the poll ? :D

isn't Jarno heading to NASCARS?

bruce99

28th October 2009, 02:45

micheal schumacher should. lol

pino

28th October 2009, 06:54

isn't Jarno heading to NASCARS?

No ! :p :

ArrowsFA1

28th October 2009, 09:24

Mika says stick with Kovy.
I tend to agree. Heikki fits well within the team and works well with the other driver. Those are two important factors for any team.

Teams sometimes change drivers for, it seems, changes sake. While the likes of Kimi or Nico may raise the performance of the other McLaren in the garage their arrival may take something away from the team as well.

Still, I suspect Heikki is on his way out of the door so I think Nico would be McLaren's best option. A fast analytical driver, he will work well with Hamilton and the two of them would be a strong pairing.

UltimateDanGTR

28th October 2009, 14:08

I tend to agree. Heikki fits well within the team and works well with the other driver. Those are two important factors for any team.

I tend to disagree. Mclaren want to win the constructors world championship. so, they need a good team, which they have, a good car, which hopefully they will have next year, and 2 good strong drivers able to fight for the championship. Lewis is perfect for this as he has demonstrated and how we all know, but in my view Heikki just isn't good enough to fight for the world championship. Kimi Is, and Nico would ceetainly be a strong team mate to Lewis in my view. Kimi would be best bet, Nico or Heidfeld would be strong as well.

Koz

28th October 2009, 14:56

I tend to disagree. Mclaren want to win the constructors world championship. so, they need a good team, which they have, a good car, which hopefully they will have next year, and 2 good strong drivers able to fight for the championship. Lewis is perfect for this as he has demonstrated and how we all know, but in my view Heikki just isn't good enough to fight for the world championship. Kimi Is, and Nico would ceetainly be a strong team mate to Lewis in my view. Kimi would be best bet, Nico or Heidfeld would be strong as well.

Reality is, for Kimi, if he goes there, that's were his career will end as the no2 for Hamilton. He will be treated like he was at Ferrari, there will be even more tantrums too.
What has Lewis proven exactly? Please enlighten me. As far as I can see, he has proven that he is one of the best driver out there. He has not proven anything when he had a team mate on the same level.
While I have all the respect in the world for the guy as a drive, I still reckon he's a bloody er, who couldn't cope with Kimi.

Does Heidfeld want to end his career being no.2 at McLaren? If, he want's he's free to do so.
If they were going to favor Lewis against Alonso, who was a proven double world champion, how the hell do you think they will treat Rosberg or Heidfeld?
Career suicide for anyone who goes to McLaren.
That's why Kovy should stay.
Or they should get Sutil, that way he and Lewis will hold hand all day and we won't have anything to worry about.

(Same goes Massa at Ferrari, if I were him I'd be looking for a new team for 2011)

When was the last time in F1, when there were two driver at the top of their game and there was no tension, people tell me. (And please don't say Ferrari 07-08)

UltimateDanGTR

28th October 2009, 15:32

Reality is, for Kimi, if he goes there, that's were his career will end as the no2 for Hamilton. He will be treated like he was at Ferrari, there will be even more tantrums too.
What has Lewis proven exactly? Please enlighten me. As far as I can see, he has proven that he is one of the best driver out there. He has not proven anything when he had a team mate on the same level.
While I have all the respect in the world for the guy as a drive, I still reckon he's a bloody er, who couldn't cope with Kimi.

When was the last time in F1, when there were two driver at the top of their game and there was no tension, people tell me. (And please don't say Ferrari 07-08)

Lewis has proven he can fight for championships, and win them, with 2 championship fights in his first two years. Thats a proven championship fighter. Im not sure about your views on macca favouring lewis over alonso, because Lewis was a rookie so needed that extra step to get him to a top driver, but i believe there was equality that alonso saw as favouring the new guy because he had ideas about being outright number 1. but thats another topic.

Your second point is very interesting: I can actually remember a team with 2 drivers being so superb without tension. Im not sure what the tension was like between lauda and prost in 84, some of the older folk round here can enlighten me on that.

But the tension has always been because of the competitiveness and the will to win, not to mention the fact that they want to be the better driver from the same car. I believe there would be less tension yet no less competition between kimi and hamilton, because the ice man and lewis are too 'cool' for that, in every sense of the word. (apart from the hot headed moments lewis has had in the past.... :D that was stupinity it resulted in, not anger....)

Im sure both will enjoy each others competition. Who knows i could be wrong, but something tells me Kimi-Hammy is a great team in the making. plus we would see whos best out of the two.............

Thor

28th October 2009, 15:49

Jag_Warrior

28th October 2009, 17:48

Koz

28th October 2009, 18:17

Lewis has proven he can fight for championships, and win them, with 2 championship fights in his first two years. Thats a proven championship fighter.
Totally agree. One of the best, on the grid. No questions.

But the tension has always been because of the competitiveness and the will to win, not to mention the fact that they want to be the better driver from the same car. I believe there would be less tension yet no less competition between kimi and hamilton, because the ice man and lewis are too 'cool' for that, in every sense of the word. (apart from the hot headed moments lewis has had in the past.... :D that was stupinity it resulted in, not anger....)

Im sure both will enjoy each others competition. Who knows i could be wrong, but something tells me Kimi-Hammy is a great team in the making. plus we would see whos best out of the two.............
I just can't see it working with Lewis + someone on his level. It will end in tears.

Lewis has been in Formula One for three seasons now. And the only time he's really had a driver at (or above) his level was his first season... some guy named Alonso. How did the final 2007 season results have them ranked again? :D
Kimo won. Ironic though, if you look at it but: last two years the team two strongest drivers lost. (would be nice if we had a repeat next year and we don't see "3F" Ferrari domination)

I like Kovi. He seems like a nice fellow. I'd let him go out with my sister (if I had a sister). But whether it's to be a strong #2/wingman or to challenge for wins and help with the championship, I don't see that he is the man for that job. I'd hire Glock before I'd bring Kovalainen back - probably the same results for less money.

Glock is a decent choice too. The reality is, it doesn't matter much everyone after Massa, Alonso, Kimi and Lewis are pretty much in the same bag, but I can see whoever joins McLaren will be the new Barrichello and the McLaren whipping boy for a great many years to come.
I'd have Kovi waste away and try to improve rather than ruin some more careers.
Look what happened to Rubens, do you want to see Rosberg in the same light?

Julius Caesar did say "I would rather be first in a small village in Gaul than second in command in Rome", and the only people I see considering Mclaren are old guys who want a nice paycheck for two years and enjoy life afterwards.

Oh, would you let me go out with your sister (if you had a sister)? :p

raikk

30th October 2009, 02:56

As posted in Kimi's future thread
http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2009/10/29/mclaren-the-only-option-says-raikkonen/

Kimi is saying the only option for next year in formula 1 is Mclaren..Now the ball is in Mclaren's court

Roamy

30th October 2009, 04:21

well with 45 mil this year he can afford to sit out one.

jens

30th October 2009, 12:34

I tend to agree. Heikki fits well within the team and works well with the other driver. Those are two important factors for any team.

Actually I see it in an opposite way. OK, McLaren acts like a professional team and is doing their best to try to get the best out of Heikki instead of blaming him. And HK is doing his best to have a positive attitude.

But if we leave human relations out and analyze work relations, then it's clear that this partnership has not worked out. For whatever reason Heikki is constantly failing to unveil his potential and his stock is falling. He would get better results in another team. Also McLaren needs a driver, who can adapt better to racing alongside Lewis. McLaren-Kova may make a brave face together, but in reality they don't work well together at all - they are holding each other back. Common sense tells to part ways.

AndyL

30th October 2009, 14:41

Look who's topped the timesheets in P2... I doubt it will help him keep his job though :D

I am evil Homer

30th October 2009, 14:56

Counts for nothing...lets see where he is when the chequered flag drops

rabf1

30th October 2009, 15:59

"Kimi is saying the only option for next year in formula 1 is Mclaren"

To clarify, it appears what he said (meant) is that he is only staying in F1 next year if he can drive for Mclaren. I hope he gets the seat, but he does not appear to have a strong negotiating position.

I am evil Homer

30th October 2009, 16:07

Depends on how much money he's asking for because everyone knows he's flush so why pay him loads?

gravity

31st October 2009, 17:57

IF Button moves to McLaren, who'd be their #1 driver? He'll have the car with the #1 on at least.

Imagine the position of the team where you back your #2 driver for the wins. LOL.

Lewis/Rosberg get along very well. I think he's a strong contender for the seat. That leaves the question... If he doesn't get the Mac drive, where's Kimi heading next year?

TMorel

31st October 2009, 20:43

Interesting wink/nod between Lewis and Nico when they got out their cars after qualifying. What was behind Lewis's cheeky grin?
a) don't worry, it'll be yours next year
b) if you'd been willing to go up against me this could have been yours
c) wow, they've still not guessed you're replacing Massa have they
d) this'll get their tongues wagging, you nod back and the forums will be full of gossip

F1boat

1st November 2009, 07:54

Interesting wink/nod between Lewis and Nico when they got out their cars after qualifying.

Nothing, really. They are friends since forever, I know it from our commentators. Remember how Lewis were playing with Nico last year in the Singapore GP, on the podium.