2018 Driver Speculation

[Chrill]

Could I create this topic any sooner? I'll get back to you.

Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport:
44. Lewis Hamilton (link)
77. Valtteri Bottas (link)

Scuderia Ferrari:
5. Sebastian Vettel (link)
7. Kimi Raikkonen (link)

Aston Martin Red Bull Racing: (link)
3. Daniel Ricciardo (link)
33. Max Verstappen (link)

Sahara Force India F1 Team:
11. Sergio Perez (link)
31. Esteban Ocon (link)

Williams Martini Racing:
18. Lance Stroll (link)
35. Sergey Sirotkin (link)

Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda: (Honda)
10. Pierre Gasly (link)
28. Brendon Hartley (link)

Renault Sport Formula One Team:
27. Nico Hulkenberg (link)
55. Carlos Sainz Jr. (link)

Haas F1 Team:
8. Romain Grosjean (link)
20. Kevin Magnussen (link)

McLaren F1 Team: (Renault)
2. Stoffel Vandoorne (link)
14. Fernando Alonso (link)

Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team: (link)
9. Marcus Ericsson (link)
16. Charles Leclerc (link)

[Penfold]

Not unless you can go back in time.

[Chrill]

But I could edit the timezones. It'd appear as though I created this yesterday.

[Chrill]

I'm bored, I'm at work. I'm going to speculate.

Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport:
44. Lewis Hamilton
94. Pascal Wehrlein

Red Bull Racing:
3. Daniel Ricciardo
33. Max Verstappen

Scuderia Ferrari:
5. Sebastian Vettel
55. Carlos Sainz Jr.

Force India F1 Team:
11. Sergio Perez
31. Esteban Ocon

Williams Martini Racing:
13. Pastor Maldonado
18. Lance Stroll

McLaren Honda Formula 1 Team:
2. Stoffel Vandoorne
77. Valtteri Bottas

Scuderia Toro Rosso:
26. Daniil Kvyat
?. Pierre Gasly

Haas F1 Team:
8. Romain Grosjean
20. Kevin Magnussen

Renault Sport Formula One Team:
14. Fernando Alonso
27. Nico Hülkenberg

Sauber F1 Team:
9. Marcus Ericsson
?. Sergey Sirotkin

How about this? Wehrlein recovers, drives a good season for Sauber, and replaces Bottas. Bottas is drafted to McLaren to replace the fleeing Alonso. Alonso goes back to Renault once again because they are looking strong for 2018. This pushes Palmer away from F1.

Massa ends up retiring for good, despite having destroyed Stroll. Williams go back to their winning ways with Pastor Maldonado. Yes, their winning ways. He is their most recent GP winner.

Kimi Raikkonen is finally leaving F1, and Ferrari draft Spaniard Carlos Sainz from Toro Rosso. Sainz is not willing to stay for yet another year at Toro Rosso, but Red Bull keeps their lineup intact and therefore moves on.

Toro Rosso, having no real choice, keeps Kvyat for yet another year and finally drafts Gasly.

Sauber replaces Mercedes-bound Wehrlein with Russian money in the form of Sergey Sirotkin.

What I don't like about this:
* No room for Giovinazzi
* Not enough sponsors to justify bringing back Maldonado
* Is Wehrlein really up for the task next year? They did put Ocon at Force India before Wehrlein had the chance.
* Would Alonso really jump to Renault again?

If I go "out there" a bit more, this would be an interesting change of faces in F1:

Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport:
33. Max Verstappen
44. Lewis Hamilton

Red Bull Racing:
14. Fernando Alonso
55. Carlos Sainz Jr.

Scuderia Ferrari:
3. Daniel Ricciardo
5. Sebastian Vettel

Force India F1 Team:
31. Esteban Ocon
77. Valtteri Bottas

Williams Martini Racing:
11. Sergio Perez
18. Lance Stroll

McLaren Honda Formula 1 Team:
2. Stoffel Vandoorne
22. Jenson Button

Scuderia Toro Rosso:
62. Ferdinand Zvonimir Maria Balthus Keith Michael Otto Antal Bahnam Leonhard von Habsburg, Archduke of Austria, Royal Prince of Hungary, Bohemia and Croatia
?. Pierre Gasly

Haas F1 Team:
8. Romain Grosjean
20. Kevin Magnussen

Renault Sport Formula One Team:
27. Nico Hülkenberg
?. Jean-Eric Vergne

Sauber F1 Team:
9. Marcus Ericsson
?. Joel Eriksson

NOW THIS. This is interesting. Take it from the top:
Mercedes wants the best. They take Verstappen. Lewis loses the WDC to the Dutchman and 2018 proves to be his last season in F1.

Poor Red Bull! Both drivers are gone! They bring in Carlos Sainz because, why would they not? They are just not very pleased with Kvyat, so therefore draft the great Alonso alongside Sainz. Double Spanish line-up.

Ferrari goes all Red Bull in their Ricciardo-Vettel duo. Sparks fly. It is great.

Force India brings in the sexy Finnish man alongside Ocon. Two reliable, albeit perhaps not spectacular, drivers.

Williams manage to bag Perez thanks to a great season for the British Martini boys.

McLaren can't find anyone willing to race for them. Button, however, likes the look of these new cars and decides that his one-year sabbatical really was a one-year sabbatical.

Toro Rosso, not keen on keeping Kvyat around, brings in a moderately successful Habsburgian Prince alongside Pierre Gasly. After all, double rookie is the Toro Rosso way.

Haas keeps their boys. Nothing to see here, lads.

Renault wants a French driver, you know. That's where Vergne lands his return to F1.

Sauber, with lots of Swedish money, decides to promote the newly crowned F3 champion Joel Eriksson. He is not related to his (almost) namesake Ericsson.

[Penfold]

Should you be drinking so heavily at work... 


I say:

Merc - Ham/Bott
Red Bull - Dan/Max
Ferrari - Seb/Grosjean
Force India - Perez/Ocon
Williams - Sainz/Stroll
McLaren - Alonso/Van Door
Toro Rosso - Gasly/Kvyat
Haas - Giovinazzi/Magnussen
Renault - Hulk/Some French guy - perhaps 'It is I' Leclerc.
Sauber - Ericsson/Wehrlein

[Chrill]

Grosjean to Ferrari? I'd say you are the one who needs to drink some water. Grosjean to Ferrari just isn't likely. The Frenchman hasn't been fast enough.

Also, Ferdinand Zvonimir Maria Balthus Keith Michael Otto Antal Bahnam Leonhard von Habsburg, Archduke of Austria, Royal Prince of Hungary, Bohemia and Croatia is Austrian which Red Bull also is. WHO CAN RESIST AN ARCHDUKE IN F1!!!

[Penfold]

Judging by Kimi's performances over the last few years, Ferrari is perfectly content to run a no. 2 who is consistently incapable of matching the team leader.

[Chrill]

You do raise a valid point. I must confess.

[Chrill]

While this is a weak one, I shall start this thread with Perez to Ferrari.
http://www.grandprix247.com/2017/04/19/perez-happy-in-pink-but-dreaming-of-red/

[Penfold]

Wouldn't mind seeing what he could manage in a top team and against someone of Vettel's calibre.

[Chrill]

He did get a shot at a top team once before, and didn't really deliver on that. He has developed a lot since joining Force India though, and I'd be OK with him getting promoted.

[Penfold]

I assume you mean McLaren in 2013.  Only you threw me somewhat with the 'top team' remark.

[Chrill]

Well, yes. In 2012, McLaren won 7 races (the most of any team that year) and that was the season in which they signed Perez. Come 2013, they weren't close to that level. Still, they were a top team when he signed for them!

[Penfold]

Feels like an exercise in semantics.  Hopefully if he joined Ferrari for 2018 they would actually still be a top team, unlike McLaren in 2013....

[Chrill]

OK, I've gathered some more rumours to fill that list.

Vettel staying at Ferrari:
http://paddocktalk.com/news/html/story-312409.html

Giovinazzi to Ferrari:
http://www.f1-fansite.com/f1-news/ex-boss-wants-giovinazzi-replace-raikkonen/

Ricciardo to Ferrari:
http://www.f1-fansite.com/f1-news/ricciardo-denies-signing-ferrari-contract/

Alonso to Renault:
http://www.grandprix247.com/2017/04/16/alonso-to-renault-talks-have-begun/

And just to add some more names, at least this ties Oliver Rowland to Renault:
http://www.grandprix247.com/2017/04/13/oliver-rowland-named-as-renault-f1-development-driver/