All Change in Formula One 23/04/2009 Yesterday's news that Lola are considering a return to F1 was very welcome in spite of the company's ill-starred attempts in the past. Most fans will recall how poorly Lola chassis did in the eighties and nineties but I remember a happier time, the sixties, when Lola supplied winning chassis to Bowmaker, Reg Parnell and Honda. The fact that two of the drivers I rated most highly in that era (John Surtees and Chris Amon) spent time driving Lolas made me particularly well disposed towards the company and I have long hoped for a properly-funded return by a factory Lola team. It seems that I may get my way.John Surtees in the 1962 Lola Mk 4Now that Dave Richards has announced that he may bring Aston Martin into the game too, the potential for new F1 entries has risen to three, counting USF1, of course. This has given rise to a flurry of speculation regarding other projects from GP2 and suddenly we are presented with the possibility of teams having to compete for places on the grid. How different a prospect this is from the doom and gloom of recent history, when it seemed that the grid could only shrink as manufacturer teams departed.Much depends on Mosley's budget cap being finalized for next year and the forthcoming negotiations between FOTA and the FIA regarding the exact figure for the spend assumes even more importance. But as long as the cap does not go beyond $60m, interest from new entrants should remain.While prospects for new teams look bright at the moment, some of the drivers have reason to fear the future, however. Piquet Jr is said to have three races to prove himself or he will be out and Bruno Senna will get the second Renault drive. That may or may not be true but it seems likely, the sight of Flavio Briatore shaking his head at Nelsinho's latest off in the Chinese GP perhaps being more indicative of his feelings than any public statement.Another whose seat must be in danger after lackluster performances so far this year, is Sebastien Bourdais. While his rookie team mate, Buemi, has exceeded expectations, Bourdais has had a troubled time with little but excuses to defend himself. Blaming the car never has gone down well at Toro Rosso and Sebastien needs several good races if he is to avoid the axe.Fisichella, too, is said to be under pressure at Force India and Liuzzi is apparently getting excited, although he is careful to talk only in terms of 2010. I would say that is a certainty and that the chances are Liuzzi will get the seat a little earlier than that. Fizzy is one of the old guard and is looking ready for retirement now.At Williams, Kazuki Nakajima is on most fans' lists of potential expulsions but I think the Toyota connection will keep him in the seat for this year. Heikki Kovalainen should also survive the season, his awful start being compensated for by a sound performance in China. But rumors of Alonso taking Raikkonen's seat at Ferrari in 2010 look very strong and Kimi is going to have to improve remarkably if he is to hang on for another year. I suspect he will go of his own volition at the end of the season anyway.What it means is that, after an off season in which there was very little movement in the driver market, we are likely to see a lot of changes before the 2010 season begins. If the new teams succeed in their bids for entry, they will need drivers, most of whom will be new to F1. Vacated seats amongst the existing teams will also increase the chances for young hopefuls and the grid is bound to look very different next year.There is a lot of promise amongst the new talent waiting at the edge of the sport. Apart from Bruno Senna, Romain Grosjean and Kamui Kobayashi are likely to find drives and Paul di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg are certainly worth a try. Some of the old guard might also be attractive to new teams as well - Christian Klien springs to mind for a start. For those who drop out this year, however, I think the chances have gone; they will have had over a year in which to prove themselves and failed.It all amounts to a fascinating period of change, both for the teams and the drivers. With the pecking order upset so much by Brawn GP, Toyota and Red Bull this year, we have the prospect of even more factors to be added to the mix next year. Amazingly, F1 suddenly looks pretty healthy in the midst of the recession and Ferrari may be quite right to be muttering about "garagistas". Bring it on, say I!
Clive
Hezla You mention Christian Klien, regarding the old guard I think more of Takuma Sato. Date Added: 23/04/2009
Clive Hezla: Yes, Sato would be another possibility, especially as he brings Japanese interest, which is a plus with some sponsors. I thought of Klien because I don't think he has really had a decent chance but has a lot of testing experience and considerable speed on his side. Date Added: 23/04/2009
Hezla I think only Piquet will be droped mid season. The others are all in the dangerzone but will survive the season. Bruno Senna or Romain Grosjean will come instead.The new F1 teams might also look at Anthony Davidson and Franck Montagny. Because of the testing ban it is hard to give new drivers experience, so all drivers with a little knowledge of F1 will have an advantage. A new team should at least have one driver with some experience.Even Nikolas Kiesa might interest somebody, but I am biased on that point as a Dane. Date Added: 23/04/2009
Clive Hezla: I agree Piquet looks most likely to be dropped but Fischella must be close to the danger zone too. Sutil has been much better this season and Mallya always said that Liuzzi would get a chance if one of the other two was underperforming.That's true that any F1 experience is going to help drivers to get seats next year. If there are so many new seats available, even just some testing experience will count! Date Added: 23/04/2009
Mr Soap Judging from last year, Senna really needs more experience before entering F1. That he seems unwilling to get it is worrying. Date Added: 23/04/2009
Steven Roy I would love to believe all these teams are for real but I don't. Lola cannot possibly be in a position to start up an F1 team. They are a long way from the company that dominated CART and F3000.Prodrive is dependant on aggressive budget cuts and they may or may not happen.On drivers Williams have to have one driver from the Toyota young driver program. That is part of their contract. That means Nakajima or Kobayashi. Nakajima's younger brother is doing British F3 this season and must end up in that program if he is good at all.I hope di Resta and Hulkenburg get a break as they are F1 drivers. Equally Senna I believe is ready for F1 and needs to be put in a car and given a chance. Date Added: 23/04/2009
Pink Peril Now I can't get that Kinks song out of my head...Lo lo lo lo Lola, Lo lo lo lo Lola.... Date Added: 24/04/2009
Lee Great news indeed, I would love to see an Aston Martin car (hopefully racing in british racing green as we all know it makes cars faster), I wonder if the drivers will benefit from hand stitched leather seats and a nice leather covered stearing wheel......It is a shame that I will be unlikely to see it race though as if Bernie cancels the British grand prix I will not be watching F1 next season. Date Added: 24/04/2009
Nick Goodspeed Why on earth would any self respecting company want to get involved with an organization as poorly run as F1 is beyond me. These companies must be quite desperate in light of the economic downturn. There was a time when there was a certain prestige in F1 but I am afraid that prestige has been eroded on a regular basis. The thuggery, personal vendettas and scandals that surround F1 are now an integral part of it. Mosley has attained a position of absolute power over F1 and is now proving that he can bring any team he feels the want to, to it's knees or drive them out of F1. Paul Stoddard warned of this years ago when he said he had no intention of returning to F1 while Mosley was still around. I can only hope that the grand, historic names of Lola and Aston-Martin keep away from the dictatorship of the pompous self glorification and perverse self interests of Mosley and Ecclestone. What F1 needs is for a complete boycott, not other sycophantic joiners to prop up the tyrant's little fiefdom. Date Added: 24/04/2009
Clive Mr Soap: I think Senna read the writing on Piquet's wall and decided to be ready when the call comes! ;) Date Added: 24/04/2009
Clive Steven: I am being optimistic about Lola's return - it's been a long wait and, to be considering it, they must think they're capable of it. Agreed though that all remains dependent on the magical budget cap.Buemi has opened the way for a lot of youngsters by his good form in the early season. No one expected him to do as well as he has, especially Bourdais! And if Buemi can do it, there is no reason why Senna and many others cannot.Of course, there will failures amongst those tried but that is always a risk, no matter how good the track record in lower formulae. Date Added: 24/04/2009
Clive Peril: Maybe it was Lola that inspired the Kinks' song - the car company has been around longer after all... ;) Date Added: 24/04/2009
Clive Lee: Ah, now you're talking. The last Aston Martin F1 car was one of the best looking front-engined racing cars of all time in deep British Racing Green. I just hope they can repeat that exercise.The on-going farce of the British GP is apparently heading for disaster, pretty much as I predicted. And that is exactly what Bernie wants, a way to be rid of Silverstone and the BRDC and yet to claim it wasn't his fault. It's all rather sickening... Date Added: 24/04/2009
Clive Nick: They have to die sometime, don't they...? Date Added: 24/04/2009
donwatters Bring it on indeed, Clive. The next few years could be the beginning of a new golden era for F1. One can only hope. Date Added: 24/04/2009
Clive Amen to that, Don! Date Added: 24/04/2009
Nick Goodspeed Clive: I shall move to Louisiana and buy voodoo dolls! Date Added: 24/04/2009
Björn Svensson I regret that Sato never got a chanse to drive this season, i think that he would have been able to make a result ten times better than Bourdais anyway.And anyone who looks surprised at that Bourdais may have to leave, well, please pay attention when looking at F1.Aston Martin and Lola, at the grid would really be a welcome sight. F1 needs some teams who still remember the history of F1, and who might bring some more ideas into the sport in the same manner as Brawn and Williams did at the beginning of the season.And about Brawn...i fear that their limited budget is beginning to show now, dropping down the order during training and qualification.And Buttons recent comments certainly brings some thoughts. One can just hope that they will be able to get their act together and make a comeback before too long time has passed.Interesting times to come? No, the interesting times are here, and they will just keep on. Date Added: 25/04/2009
Clive Bourdais has been a big disappointment to me, Björn - I expected better from him this season and he has not delivered. perhaps Sato would have been a better choice after all...I think the problem with Brawn is that they have not improved the car since the beginning of the season, just like BMW. Do that and the competition is bound to catch up. There are probably upgrades on the way for Barcelona, however, and I think they will continue to be one of the best cars this year.Agreed about the interesting times! Date Added: 25/04/2009
Alianora La Canta I am, for the first time, seriously beginning to believe that Piquet Jr. might leave Renault before Alonso does. It appears that the Renault board's patience has snapped and they're willing to displease the sponsors to get someone better on board. Cue the next driver on Flavio's conveyor belt of talent, Grosjean.As for the rest of the field, it's all to play for with the exception of Button (he's completely safe where he is, with his iron-clad contract and a car well worth his time). Everyone else is either fighting for their seat or looking to see if there's something better. I can see some drivers trying to get a better seat, failing because another driver impressed that team and had a faster-reacting manager, and ending up with either a worse seat than hoped or out of it altogether.I think USGPE will happen, but the rest are contingent on the FIA making its mind up for once. Note that none of the others have signed up formally yet and there is plenty of time for them to change their minds if Max has one of his famous U-turns (or his successor picks up bad habits). Date Added: 26/04/2009
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