Catch-up Session – Week No. 47
In the heart of November, Motorsinside.com looks back at the week’s news marked by transfers for the 2010 season. As usual, your F1 news site covers the essentials from the past eight days. As the period dictates, the transfer market is in full swing, with no less than four drivers last week placed in different […]
In the heart of November, Motorsinside.com looks back at the week’s news marked by transfers for the 2010 season. As usual, your F1 news site covers the essentials from the past eight days. As the period dictates, the transfer market is in full swing, with no less than four drivers last week placed in different teams… or not! Motorsinside.com provides the details of these changes. As with every off-season, several private testing sessions will be organized to test the new single-seaters. The first will take place in the early days of December at the Jerez circuit in Spain. During these four days of testing, teams will mostly employ young drivers from their various programs. A new French driver will find himself at the wheel of an F1 car within a prestigious team. Finally, we will catch up with the Williams team which has recently seen some changes in the distribution of its capital.
Transfers: Everyone in their place or not!
The transfer period is in full swing and last week, no fewer than four drivers decided their futures. Their destinies differ as the positions acquired range from a top team to a sabbatical leave, nothing less! In detail, it was Timo Glock who kicked off the festivities last Tuesday. Expected at Renault as the second driver alongside Robert Kubica, the German surprises everyone by announcing his arrival at a new team, Manor Grand Prix. The surprise is significant, but after the withdrawals of BMW and especially Toyota (Glock was one of the two drivers for the Japanese manufacturer since 2008), attention shifts to these new teams such as Lotus, USF1, Campos GP and thus Manor GP. The former GP2 champion joins the team as lead driver, reigniting his Formula 1 career in the process. The next day, Wednesday, November 18, the premier category of motorsport had two major surprises, perhaps the biggest of this 2009/2010 offseason. These two pieces of information are closely linked. Early in the morning, Kimi Räikkönen’s camp announced the failure of negotiations with the only team with which the driver was in talks, McLaren. The two parties could not agree on the salary the Finn would receive. He has repeatedly stated that only this team interested him, so it is not surprising to see the 2007 world champion take a sabbatical leave. He warns his fans that he will only return to F1 in 2011 on the condition that he joins a team capable of offering him victories and titles. To this day, there remains a vacant seat at Mercedes GP, previously Brawn GP, but it seems that a 100% German lineup will prevail (Rosberg paired with Heidfeld). This decision leaves a seat available at McLaren-Mercedes and it will not stay vacant for long as the second driver is announced the same day. Lewis Hamilton’s teammate will be Jenson Button. Thus, two of the three world champions still active will be in the same team, promising exceptional spectacle within McLaren, still powered by Mercedes. Jenson Button changes teams despite just winning the title with Brawn GP. Finally, Jose Maria Lopez has reached an agreement with the new team USF1. If the latter manages to gather several sponsors, he will race within the American team. He is in direct competition with bigger ‘names’ such as Sébastien Bourdais or Jacques Villeneuve. Find all this information and much more on the ‘Transfers’ page of Motorsinside.com.
The official announcement of Timo Glock at Manor GP
The announcement of Kimi Räikkönen’s sabbatical
The official announcement of Jenson Button at McLaren
The probable arrival of Jose Maria Lopez at USF1
A Frenchman at the Wheel of a Ferrari F60!
It’s quite rare and worthy of note, but a Frenchman will soon be at the wheel of a Ferrari. Jules Bianchi, aged 20, will be present at the first off-season tests in Jerez, Spain, from December 1st to 4th. He is authorized to drive the F60 as a reward for his title in the Formula 3 Euro Series, whose season is concluding. He will be on track for two of the three days of the Italian Scuderia’s presence. We will closely follow his results…
The announcement of Jules Bianchi’s tests with Ferrari
The Williams Clan Releases Part of Its Stake
Things are moving on the Williams front. After announcing a few weeks ago that they would be powered by Cosworth, Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head have decided to part with a portion of Williams’ capital. The duo remains the majority owner, but an Austrian investment company now has a say in the team’s major strategic decisions. Christian Toto Wolff is making his entry into Formula 1, and it’s not the first time he’s attempted this kind of operation, as he tried to do the same with McLaren a few years ago. In light of this situation, rumors about the team’s sale quickly spread. Williams therefore had to refute speculations regarding the sale of his team.
The announcement of the purchase of part of Williams’ capital
