2011 Season Speculations

[Rollo]

I know that we're still only in November, but that doesn't mean that the silly season hasn't begun yet. So then in the spirit of WMD (Wild Mass Divination) this is what I think that we know for the 2011 season:

Red Bull
1 - Sebastian Vettel
2 - Mark Webber

McLaren
3 - Lewis Hamilton
4 - Jensen Button

Ferrari
5 - Felipe Massa
6 - Fernando Alonso

Mercedes
7 - Michael Schumacher
8 - Nico Rosberg

Renault
9 - Robert Kubica
10 -

Williams
11 - Rubens Barrichello
12 - Pastor Maldonado??

Force India
14 - Adrian Sutil
15 - Vitantonio Liuzzi

Sauber
16 - Kamui Kobayashi
17 - Sergio Pérez

Toro Rosso
18 - Jaime Alguersuari
19 - Sébastien Buemi

Team Lotus
20 - Jarno Trulli
21 - Heikki Kovalainen

Hispania Racing
22 -
23 -

Marussia Virgin Racing
24 - Timo Glock
25 -

More wild guessing:
- Nico Hülkenberg is somewhere on the grid but not at Williams anymore?
- Romain Grosjean wasn't able to secure a drive a Renault, but has Petrov been given the boot? If so, would he replace him?
- Would Kimi Räikkönen return after his one year "sabbatical"? Would he boot out Mark Webber?

[RJL25]

I think one of the more interesting speculations is not even driver related!

Will it be Renault and Team Lotus, or will it be Lotus-Renault and 1Malysia?

I think Hulkenberg will turn up at either Lotus, Renault or Sauber, and for F1's sake I sincerely hope that is correct.

I expect that Virgin will keep Glock and a pay driver, HRT will have 2 pay drivers, Schumi will stay, I think Liuzzi will be gone from Force India but no idea who will replace him.

[AndyL]

I think one of the more interesting speculations is not even driver related!

Will it be Renault and Team Lotus, or will it be Lotus-Renault and 1Malysia?

How many teams will be called Lotus and which ones will they be... that's proper silly season territory :D

[N. Jones]

Fearless Forecasts!

Petrov stays at Renault because he has money that the manufacturer needs.

Maldonado will be at Williams.

Liuzzi will be replaced by di Resta.

Trulli will be replaced by Heidfeld.

HRT will sign Pedro de la Rosa & Nico Hulkenberg.

Some new kid will drive for Virgin unless Jarno Trulli signs there.

[jens]

I'd guess something like that.

RBR: Vet-Web (despite rumours of Mark's departure!!)
McL: Ham-But
FER: Alo-Mas
MGP: Ros-MSc
REN: Kub-Pet (strangely silent there recently in the driver front - are they waiting on the resolving of the ownership first before deciding the second driver or...?)
WIL: Bar-Mal*
FOR: Sut-diR* (all kinds of strange rumours, but this still seems like the most logical option)
SAU: Kob-Per*
STR: Bue-Alg
AIR: Kov-Tru (still is more of a Lotus to me than the Renault one that is being created, even though they are likely to lose the name. Guess the new name could be the similar to what they have in GP2 - Team Air Asia)
VIR: Glo-Ale* (I almost put d'Ambrosio or vd Garde here, but perhaps the Marussia connection helps the new World Series by Renault champion Aleshin into F1)
HRT: won't be there!

* denotes rookie
Hülkenberg as Mercedes' reserve. I wonder, what will Heidfeld do. Perhaps a reserve driver for McLaren for instance? :p :

[Easy Drifter]

Peter Windsor and Ken Anderson announce a new team for 2012 called Team Alaska with car to be built in Chicken, Alaska.
As it is a depressed area they expect major funding from the US and Alaska Governments.

There really is a town called Chicken in Alaska. Population less than 20 I believe.

[V12]

Last Thursday's Autosport (printed version so can't link) seems to suggest that Fernandes is basically giving up on the Lotus name, and that the team will almost certainly not be 1Malaysia (thank god!). They reckon it could be Air Asia, or an all new name with Air Asia as title sponsor.

BUT - the same article suggests that the Renaults will still be Renaults, but with Lotus just as title sponsor for next two years, so technically speaking there could be no Lotus on the grid next year! :(

[ShiftingGears]

STR drivers only have contracts through to the first half of 2011. I can imagine Tost shoehorning Ricciardo in to replace Buemi if Buemi doesn't up his game. Alguersuari appears somewhat safe at the moment considering the praise he is receiving from Tost. I suspect for this reason that even if Alguersuari's first half of 2011 is awful he will be retained through the year.

[Retro Formula 1]

Sutil drives for Ferrari and pressures Fred who tries to blackmail the Scuderia and ends up with a Horses Head in his bed.

MS beats Rosberg and Flav takes over from Bernie and we see our first F1 race on a Super Yacht.

(OK, the last sentence isn't very likely ;) )

[ioan]

I think Hulkenberg will turn up at either Lotus, Renault or Sauber, and for F1's sake I sincerely hope that is correct.

That would be a very difficult one with Sauber having 2 drivers signed already.

[ioan]

There really is a town called Chicken in Alaska. Population less than 20 I believe.

:eek: You call that a town?!

[CNR]

Renault
Robert Kubica
Sebastien Buemi

Marussia Virgin
Timo Glock
Vitaly Petrov

Toro Rosso
Jaime Alguersuari
daniel ricciardo

[DexDexter]

Sutil drives for Ferrari and pressures Fred who tries to blackmail the Scuderia and ends up with a Horses Head in his bed.

MS beats Rosberg and Flav takes over from Bernie and we see our first F1 race on a Super Yacht.

(OK, the last sentence isn't very likely ;) )

Sutil will never pressure Fred if he goes to Ferrari. 1. He's not fast enough, 2. it's in his contract. ;)

[edv]

How can anyone take a 'speculation' thread seriously if it doesn't mention Villeneuve ?? :)

[turismo6]

Petrov, Hulkenberg swap.

[Easy Drifter]

Chicken, Alaska is on the Top of the World Highway. Highway only open in summer. My ex was across it in 09. Mostly unpaved. Runs from Alasaka into Canada's Yukon. It does have a road sign and population she tells me is 5. A gas Station and a couple of houses.

[Dr. Krogshöj]

If Petrov had the money, Renault would already have signed him for 2011. My guess is that they are trying to sell him to a big Russian sponsor, for example Beeline Telecom, and if they don't succeed, they'll sign Heidfeld or Hülkenberg. In that case, Petrov might still stay in F1 with Marussia Virgin. They probably want a Russian driver. If it ain't Petrov, it could by Mikhail Aleshin, the 2010 Formula Renault 3.5 champion.

To be honest, I hope Petrov gets another chance. He made a lot of mistakes but I think Boullier's attitude had a lot to do with it. He was constantly putting the pressure on Vitaly's shoulders by saying he's got to make less mistakes, have better performance etc. and it might have backfired. Meanwhile, Williams was patient with Hülkenberg during his horrid first third of the season and it payed its dividents at the and of the year.

[Stuartf12007]

i think its perfectly acceptable fir the boss to put pressure on petrov, afterall he is supposed to be in the pinnacle of all motorsports.

[Norwegian Blue]

Isn't 2011 going to be Coulthards year?

[Nikki Katz]

Unfortunately I don't see Hulkenberg anywhere. Reportedly he turned down a multi-year contract with Williams that would have seen him loaned out to Hispania in 2011 before presumably returning to Williams in 2012 (this is Barrichello's last year, right?) But the only seat that's really left is Petrov's, and it sounds like Petrov's keeping it - if he doesn't then I think Heidfeld would be more likely than Hulkenberg.

I hope he doesn't just disappear like Grosjean did, though I guess he hasn't been hung out to dry as badly by his team.

[slorydn1]

How can anyone take a 'speculation' thread seriously if it doesn't mention Villeneuve ?? :)

Glad you got THAT outta the way :up:

I was really beginning to sweat that no one and mentioned good ole Jaques yet :p :

[pino]

I want both Jacques and Montoya back in F1 now ! :p :