2019 Driver Speculation

[Chrill]

Lando is definitely being readied for a 2019 seat. McLaren have never used a third driver in a Free Practice before. Vandoorne should be worried.

Still, with Toro Rosso promoting Gasly there is an obvious issue at Toro Rosso. Hartley looks very likely to retain a 2019 drive at Toro Rosso, but who will drive along him? There are no Red Bull juniors with the points required for promotion. It could open up for unconvential solutions like borrowing a driver from another team (Norris, Russell, Giovinazzi) or finding a more experienced driver (Vandoorne, Grosjean, Gutierrez) or even going back to drivers ditched in the past (Kvyat, Vergne, Buemi). Time will tell.

[Chrill]

And with that, some more stuff:

Sainz to McLaren confirmed
Gasly to Red Bull confirmed
Vergne to Toro Rosso speculated
Force India F1 Team no longer named Sahara Force India F1 Team



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

Scuderia Ferrari:
5. Sebastian Vettel (link)
7. Kimi Raikkonen (link)
16. Charlec Leclerc (link)
14. Fernando Alonso (link)

Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Honda:
33. Max Verstappen (link)
10. Pierre Gasly (link)

Renault Sport Formula One Team:
3. Daniel Ricciardo (link)
27. Nico Hulkenberg (link)

Haas F1 Team:
20. Kevin Magnussen (link)
?. Pietro Fittipaldi (link)
?. Robert Kubica (link)

Force India F1 Team:
11. Sergio Perez (link)
18. Lance Stroll (link)
31. Esteban Ocon (link)
?. Nicholas Latifi (link)

McLaren F1 Team:
55. Carlos Sainz (link)
7. Kimi Raikkonen (link)
31. Esteban Ocon (link)
?. Lando Norris (link)
?. Nyck de Vries (link)
14. Fernando Alonso (link)

Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda:
25. Jean-Eric Vergne (link)
94. Pascal Wehrlein (link)
?. Dan Ticktum (link)
?. Felix Rosenqvist (link) ^(Dutch)
?. Lando Norris (link)
?. Robert Kubica (link)

Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team:
2. Stoffel Vandoorne (link)
7. Kimi Raikkonen (link)
9. Marcus Ericsson (link)
16. Charles Leclerc (link)
?. Antonio Giovinazzi (link)

Williams Martini Racing:
18. Lance Stroll (link)
35. Sergey Sirotkin (link)
?. Oliver Rowland (link)
?. Robert Kubica (link)

[Penfold]

Come on, surely you've got to put Grosjean as a potential Haas driver for 2019....

Vandoorne - do you suppose Toro Rosso fancies hiring someone who so far has looked out of his depth in F1, or would that be too much of a clash with Hartley?

[Penfold]

Norris to have his second FP1 session next Friday in Monza.  So, seems we still need to find a space for Ocon for next year, unless Chuck Norris gets bartered out to Toro Rosso for a season.

[Chrill]

Vandoorne confirmed by Vasseur to be not in the equation for 2019 Sauber. Speculation says Ericsson/Leclerc or, if Leclerc goes, Ericsson/Giovinazzi.
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/vandoorne-not-in-the-frame-for-2019-sauber-drive/3166774/



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

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

Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Honda:
33. Max Verstappen (link)
10. Pierre Gasly (link)

Renault Sport Formula One Team:
3. Daniel Ricciardo (link)
27. Nico Hulkenberg (link)

Haas F1 Team:
20. Kevin Magnussen (link)
?. Pietro Fittipaldi (link)
?. Robert Kubica (link)

McLaren F1 Team:
55. Carlos Sainz (link)
7. Kimi Raikkonen (link)
31. Esteban Ocon (link)
?. Lando Norris (link)
?. Nyck de Vries (link)

Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda:
25. Jean-Eric Vergne (link)
94. Pascal Wehrlein (link)
?. Alexander Albon (link)
?. Dan Ticktum (link)
?. Felix Rosenqvist (link) ^(Dutch)
?. Lando Norris (link)
?. Robert Kubica (link)

Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team:
7. Kimi Raikkonen (link)
9. Marcus Ericsson (link)
16. Charles Leclerc (link)
?. Antonio Giovinazzi (link)
2. Stoffel Vandoorne (link)

Racing Point Force India F1 Team:
11. Sergio Perez (link)
18. Lance Stroll (link)
31. Esteban Ocon (link)
?. Nicholas Latifi (link)

Williams Martini Racing:
18. Lance Stroll (link)
35. Sergey Sirotkin (link)
?. Artem Markelov (link)
?. Nikita Mazepin (link)
?. Oliver Rowland (link)
?. Robert Kubica (link)

[Penfold]

Good news for Ericsson but potentially disastrous for the Van Door's F1 future.  Which is a shame, I really like his name.

[Chrill]

To be honest, making such a statement makes me assume he definitely is in the running. You don't want to undermine Ericsson now that he is scoring the occasional point, but Vandoorne does on paper look like a stronger driver. Perhaps not in 2018, but overall.

[Penfold]

McLaren to reveal all (of its 2019 drivers) by end of September: https://www.racefans.net/2018/08/30/mclaren-announce-sainz-2019-f1-team-mate-in-september/

[Chrill]

And with Norris running two FP1 in a row, I think they are measuring if he is up for replacing Vandoorne in 2019. Sainz-Norris could be on the cards.

[Matt]

Two more rumors for STR: Giovinazzi and the triumphant return of Kvyat.

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/kvyat-in-frame-for-shock-toro-rosso-return-/3167919/?nrt=54

[Chrill]

Kvyat? Sure. Gio? Sure. I believe I've speculated about both.

Also, see attached.

[Penfold]

Wow, absolutely no idea Lawrence Stroll had so many tats.

Kvyat back to Toro Rosso... things are getting desperate.

[Chrill]

Wow, absolutely no idea Lawrence Stroll had so many tats.

It's uncanny how much he resembles the older man from that chopper building show.

[Penfold]

Distant relatives.

Zakky Brown saying that Norris is one of four guys in the running for a 2019 drive.  So that would be Norris, Van Door, Ocon, and ... (scrolls down to check Chrill's list of possibles, sees only Kimi and de Vries available) ... nope, still not sure who candidate no. 4 might be.

[Chrill]

Button? Wehrlein? Ericsson? Maldonado? Palmer? Sato? Franck Montagny? Alex Zanardi?