Formula 1 2013 Driver Line-up

[andy190]

Marussia:

Luiz Razia completes Marussia's Driver line-up as Second Driver alongside Max Chilton.

[andy190]

luiz razia for marussia
who says f1 isn't about talent

I actually think what Marussia & Catherham are doing is the right thing.

Getting Pay Drivers to help pay for 2014 & the new regulations.

Razia will probably be dumped for 2014 for someone with proper talent.

All the cars for 2013 have been unveiled.  Really like the look of the new Sauber...   Not liking the nose on the RB9...

The Williams FW-35 hasn

[Craig.]

Sorry Andy but Marussia and caterham are not interested in talent at all. If they were Glock and Heikki would have been kept on at their respective teams. You cant build for 2014 without experience. The changes are going to be huge and teams will need experience this year in the sims on the test tracks and in the office to get a useful car for next.
Despite all the PR talk of we will be better and move forward, the reality is, they are a bunch of guys looking to milk some unknowing pay driver and his country bank roll for every penny they can to line their pockets.
What we end up with is Yuji Ide and Super Aguri. A team thats slow with a driver who'd go the wrong way if it weren't for cars lapping him.

[andy190]

Sorry Andy but Marussia and caterham are not interested in talent at all. If they were Glock and Heikki would have been kept on at their respective teams. You cant build for 2014 without experience. The changes are going to be huge and teams will need experience this year in the sims on the test tracks and in the office to get a useful car for next.
Despite all the PR talk of we will be better and move forward, the reality is, they are a bunch of guys looking to milk some unknowing pay driver and his country bank roll for every penny they can to line their pockets.
What we end up with is Yuji Ide and Super Aguri. A team thats slow with a driver who'd go the wrong way if it weren't for cars lapping him.

What I mean by drivers with proper talent is of course Pay Drivers with some talent.

What you and others who want to keep Hiekki & Glock because they are so

[C]

What we end up with is Yuji Ide and Super Aguri. A team thats slow with a driver who'd go the wrong way if it weren't for cars lapping him.

Not really. VdG and Razia have nothing in common with Yuji Ide. Both have won multiple GP2 races over the past 4 years or so, and in fact, certainly in the case of Petrov, have similar or better pre-F1 records to those they are replacing. Actually, in some ways it's refreshing to see new talent coming into F1. Ide's record was a supreme 4 race wins in just under 20 years (1 x F3, 2 x F Nippon, 1 x GT)

A decent through put of drivers is better than the same faces year on year, and if they perform in a mediocre fashion (it could be argued that Heikki, Petrov and Glock haven't exactly set the world on fire in F1), then hopefully in a couple of years, they'll move on too.

As for the pay driver tag, the refusal of the Austrians and the Italians to adhere to an resource restriction agreement has made life for two of the new teams far more difficult , and killed the third, has made well backed drivers a necessity. But at least this year's crop have talent to back it up.

[Craig.]

C I will put a token fiver on it with you that none of the new drivers will come close to the outgoing drivers.
Glock Heikki are both fantastic developers, they aren't going to win you a championship but they bring the sort of skills the lower teams need. Look at how far both caterham and marussia have actually come in the past few years. I bet they both take a big step back this year.

[C]

C I will put a token fiver on it with you that none of the new drivers will come close to the outgoing drivers.
Glock Heikki are both fantastic developers, they aren't going to win you a championship but they bring the sort of skills the lower teams need. Look at how far both caterham and marussia have actually come in the past few years. I bet they both take a big step back this year.

We'll never know, as the outgoing drivers, who've had there chance, are off.

As for the newer teams, there's no point having an experienced driver to develop a car if there's no money to pay for it.

All in the cycle of F1. Drivers come, drivers go. Drivers take opportunities (not Heikki@McL?), drivers lose them (Glock - TF1). Too many of the same faces, year on year, particularly in the middle and back make the sport stale.

[Craig.]

To be fair as far as Hekki goes at Mclaren. How much of that was down to Lewis being there? His only two real chances to show he took them both. Silverstone quali where no one, could get even close to him in the wet. (though it didn't help Ferrari turned up with a suspension that didn't work and Massa thought he was part of dancing on ice)
And Hungary where except massa who lost the title in that race, no one was really close.
The reality was Mclaren needed a driver who wouldn't give them the trouble that Alonso did the year before, would keep his mouth shut and just deliver points while Lewis went for the title. Lets see what happens at Merc this year. You've got two young fast drivers again simmilar to Mclaren in 07.

[andy190]

To be fair as far as Hekki goes at Mclaren. How much of that was down to Lewis being there? His only two real chances to show he took them both. Silverstone quali where no one, could get even close to him in the wet. (though it didn't help Ferrari turned up with a suspension that didn't work and Massa thought he was part of dancing on ice)
And Hungary where except massa who lost the title in that race, no one was really close.
The reality was Mclaren needed a driver who wouldn't give them the trouble that Alonso did the year before, would keep his mouth shut and just deliver points while Lewis went for the title. Lets see what happens at Merc this year. You've got two young fast drivers again simmilar to Mclaren in 07.

I do feel that Heikki is one of the most over-rated drivers in recent history.

In 2008, he won one race, finished on the podium 3 times, and 7th overall in the championship - with the same car his teammate won the championship in.

In 2009, he finished the championship 12th, and his best result was a 4th place; with the same car, his teammate won two races and scored 5 podiums with.

And may I just add that Kovalainen's win in 2008 was only after his two main rivals, Hamilton and Massa, suffered a puncture and engine failure respectively.

[C]

Sutil all but confirmed at Force India.

[andy190]

Sutil all but confirmed at Force India.

Unfortunately.

Sutil had his chance & never set the world alight.

Bianchi is a bit erratic but I think he deserves a chance.

However, if Sutil gets the seat I hope beats the mediocre Scotsman known as Di Resta.

[andy190]

Force India:

Adrian Sutil completes Force India's Driver line-up alongside Scot Paul Di Resta.

Talking about his selection as the Second Force India Driver he said:

"Everyone deserves a second chance."

However I'm sure Jules Bianchi is thinking:

[quote]

[Craig.]

Word around the paddock is Sutil blew Bianci's times away when compaired.
This idea of setting the world alight in the midfield teams is really long gone. Unless a driver is super special. See Vettel winning in a torro rosso, chances are the bum in the seat of a midfield runner is there to bring the car home safely in the points where expected and that is all.
Side note, Hekki may be on the grid after all, word is apparently Razia's funding has fallen through and Kovi will drive in his place to start the season.

[C]

But is should be a place for development. Look at the top teams now and you have Vettel, Webber, Button (in reverse), Perez, Kimi, Alonso, Massa and Nico R, all who arrived in midfield teams.

Hamilton's the only one who didn't (although if STR hadn't existed, Vettel probably would have ended up at RBR just with the short stint at BMW,)

[andy190]

Word around the paddock is Sutil blew Bianci's times away when compaired.
This idea of setting the world alight in the midfield teams is really long gone. Unless a driver is super special. See Vettel winning in a torro rosso, chances are the bum in the seat of a midfield runner is there to bring the car home safely in the points where expected and that is all.
Side note, Hekki may be on the grid after all, word is apparently Razia's funding has fallen through and Kovi will drive in his place to start the season.

What I mean by hasn