Transfers 2012: the teams and their drivers

Red Bull-Renault: Sebastian Vettel / Mark Webber

No change for 2012 in the world champion team. Sebastian Vettel will still wear number 1 after his world champion title and Mark Webber will be eager to erase a disappointing 2011 campaign, which ended with a victory in the last Grand Prix in Brazil. Red Bull continues to trust the Australian, but his seat is being closely watched by young talents in the program for 2013. The pressure is on Mark’s shoulders, who, at 35, no longer seems to represent the future of Red Bull.

McLaren Mercedes: Lewis Hamilton / Jenson Button

The 100% British duo of the team based in Woking delivered complete satisfaction in 2011. Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton brought six victories to McLaren this season and put on a good show despite Vettel’s unchallenged domination. Next season, however, Hamilton will need to raise his performance to beat his teammate who dominated him this year. The internal struggle will remain interesting to follow.

Ferrari: Fernando Alonso / Felipe Massa

Fernando Alonso seems omniscient at Ferrari, and his long-term contract assures him a serene future within the prancing horse team. As the true driving force of the team, they rely on him to achieve more success in 2012. On the other hand, Felipe Massa will need to prove himself after a difficult season. Heavily criticized, the Brazilian risks losing his seat in 2013 if he doesn’t improve his performances. The Frenchman Jules Bianchi, as well as the Mexican Sergio Pérez, both graduates of the Ferrari Driver Academy, remain on standby, and a potential return of the Polish driver Robert Kubica in 2013 could put him in trouble.

Mercedes: Michael Schumacher / Nico Rosberg

Long announced to be leaving for Ferrari, Nico Rosberg has finally extended the long-term venture with Mercedes, convinced that the latter will allow him to achieve his first victory. Supported by Michael Schumacher, who was wrongly said to be demotivated, the team could finally reap the rewards of hard work and devout patience. This is, in any case, Ross Brawn’s wish for 2012.

Lotus-Renault: Kimi Räikkönen / ?

The announcement was a bombshell. Kimi Räikkönen, the 2007 world champion, will return to Formula 1 with the Lotus-Renault team. He was expected at Williams, but it’s with the black and gold team that the Finn will make his grand comeback. This likely marks the end of the partnership between Lotus and Robert Kubica, whose contract ends at the end of 2011. As the Polish driver won’t be ready to get back behind the wheel at the start of 2012, Eric Boullier needed a leader; which he believes he has found in Räikkönen. For the second seat, three drivers will be vying for it: Vitaly Petrov, who claims to have a contract, Romain Grosjean, a Gravity driver and Boullier’s favorite, and Bruno Senna, who might find it more challenging to convince.

Force India-Mercedes: Paul di Resta / ?

The two drivers for the Indian team have not yet been announced for 2012. But in all likelihood, the British Paul di Resta, supported by Mercedes, should be in the lineup. The current third driver, Nico Hülkenberg, is expected to join him, thereby pushing the German Adrian Sutil out. An announcement is expected by the end of the year.

Sauber-Ferrari: Kamui Kobayashi / Sergio Pérez

No change either for the Swiss team for the 2012 season. The Japanese Kamui Kobayashi had a very satisfactory year by regularly scoring points, and the Mexican Sergio Pérez is one of the revelations of 2011.

Toro Rosso-Ferrari: ? / ?

The situation is complex within the Faenza team. No fewer than four drivers are vying for two available seats. Of course, the two current holders of the 2011 season are in the running. Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastien Buemi have not underperformed, but behind them, Daniel Ricciardo, who had an interesting half-season with HRT, and Jean-Eric Vergne, who impressed the Red Bull decision-makers during the Rookie Days, are knocking on the door and are serious candidates for a full-time seat.

Williams-Renault: Pastor Maldonado / ?

Bringing a significant budget, essential for the team’s survival, Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado will be part of the journey again in 2012. After failed negotiations with Kimi Räikkönen, the second seat might be given to Adrian Sutil, who would also bring in interesting financial backing thanks to his personal sponsors, or the young Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas, who impressed Frank Williams during the young driver tests. However, with the return of the Renault engine, the diamond brand would like to place their driver Romain Grosjean, which would not be a bad deal for both parties.

Caterham-Renault: Heikki Kovalainen / Jarno Trulli

The former Team Lotus, which will become Caterham in 2012, is expected to rely on the same driver duo as in 2011. At least, that’s what Tony Fernandes stated on the sidelines of the Brazilian Grand Prix. Kovalainen is indispensable within the Malaysian team’s setup, but Jarno Trulli’s position seems threatened, despite his boss’s statements, by drivers from the Red Bull program (Ricciardo, Vergne) or even by Romain Grosjean, whom Renault is reportedly looking to place.

Marussia-Cosworth: Timo Glock / Charles Pic

The Russian team will delight all French Formula 1 fans by welcoming Charles Pic, the first Frenchman to start a season since Sébastien Bourdais in 2009. He will replace Jérôme d’Ambrosio, who was excellent this year but lacking in budget. Timo Glock will remain the team’s lead driver, relying on his experience.

HRT-Cosworth: Pedro de la Rosa / ?

Surprise within the Spanish team that has hired veteran Pedro de la Rosa. At 40 years old, the Spaniard will bring technical experience gained at McLaren during his final years as a test driver. The list to accompany him is long: Vitantonio Liuzzi, Daniel Ricciardo, Jean-Eric Vergne, Jérôme d’Ambrosio, Narain Karthikeyan, Karun Chandhok, Jan Charouz, or Dani Clos are all contenders. The driver bringing the best funding will surely be the chosen one.