With the season firmly in its second half, now’s the time when everyone in F1 will be frantically updating their CVs; bragging about the year’s achievements, tweaking the font size here and there and realising that the ‘personal interests’ bit they put in last time around makes them sound like an idiot. Here’s a few moves we reckon could be on the cards for 2011, sprinkled with a liberal helping of “wouldn’t it be awesome if” style fantasy.
Kubica to Ferrari?
While everyone else was having a lovely bit of time off after the 2010 season, Robert Kubica still wanted to go racing. So much so that he ended up wrapping a Skoda Fabia around a church during the Ronde di Andora rally; a prang that’s sidelined the talented Pole for six months and counting. Bolstered by the fact that he was on the podium three times last year (that’s three times more than teammate Vitaly Petrov), we imagine such borderline mental dedication will have likely gone down well with the oldest and most illustrious team in the sport. Still, with Felipe Massa half the driver he used to be after his accident in Hungary two years ago, should Ferrari risk swapping one accident prone driver for another?
Hamilton to Red Bull?
When he arranged a not-so-discreet meeting with Christian Horner at the Canadian Grand Prix last month, Lewis Hamilton sent a loud and clear message to his current employers: build me a car that can win else I’ll be off. Though both Lewis and his management have since denied there’s any chance he’ll be driving a Red Bull next season, we reckon there’s still a possibility he’ll be sleeping in Mark Webber’s bunk come March next year, if not in 2013. Sure, putting Lewis on the same team as Sebastian Vettel – both of whom are eager to prove themselves this era’s ultimate champion – may be severely risky, but just imagine the on-track tussles.
Rosberg to McLaren?
Finishing a season with twice as many points as your teammate is an admirable feat for any driver, but when your teammate happens to be the most decorated man in F1, people start to seriously take notice. As such, we reckon the luscious-haired German is due a promotion, and is likely to be high on the shopping lists of teams with a seat to fill come the end of the season. Martin Whitmarsh may be happy with his men as they are, but should one of them decide to jump ship (see above), we reckon young Nico could have a seriously lucrative contract shoved under his nose.
Barrichello to retire?
Come on Rubens, 18 years and 317 races is a damn fine innings – surely it’s time to invest in some comfy slippers and take an interest in gardening. To the contrary, though, the most experienced man in F1 told the press earlier this year that retirement isn’t on his mind. “Five years ago I complained that the holidays were not long enough, but now just a week after a break I feel the desire to race again,” he told a Finnish rag back in March. All well and good, but having twice failed to win the world title in a car capable of doing so (with Ferrari and Brawn) and delivering some unconvincing drives so far this year, will the boys at Williams be looking to recruit some younger blood?
Let’s open this up to the floor – who do you want to see driving for who? While you’re pondering, here’s how we see the grid shaping up for Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix:
1.Sebastian Vettel
2.Lewis Hamilton
3.Mark Webber
4.Fernando Alonso
5.Nico Rosberg
6.Jenson Button
7.Felipe Massa
8.Nick Heidfeld
9.Michael Schumacher
10.Vitaly Petrov