FEATURE How the 2015 grid is shaping up 19 October 2014 We looks at the done deals, the rumoured moves and the outside bets in the evolving 2015 driver line-up Red Bull Daniel Ricciardo, Daniil Kvyat Almost as surprising as the announcement that Sebastian Vettel would leave Red Bull at the end of 2014 was the team immediately confirmed Russian rookie Daniil Kvyat as his replacement. The news closed off the seat to Fernando Alonso and shows Red Bull has lost no faith in its young driver programme, confidence surely strengthened by Daniel Ricciardos incredible first season at the team. Mercedes Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg The new constructors champion has its current driver line-up locked in for 2015. Nico Rosberg signed a multi-year contract extension in May, while Lewis Hamiltons current deal takes him to the end of next season. Of more interest is the teams line-up for 2016, with Alonso eyeing a drive and Hamiltons contract extension talks put on hold after the Belgian Grand Prix so as not to distract him from the title battle. However, Toto Wolff has confirmed these talks will resume after the drivers championship has been decided at Abu Dhabi. Ferrari TBC, TBC It is all but certain Sebastian Vettel will be driving alongside Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari next season. Red Bull has repeatedly said the lure of Ferrari was too much for Vettel to resist, even though the red team has failed to confirm or deny those inferences. Though there has been plenty of speculation about his seat due to his troubled season, Raikkonens contract runs until the end of 2015 and there is no reason to think Ferrari would drop him. Until the official line-up is confirmed we will not know for sure, but its as close to a sure thing as you can get. Lotus Pastor Maldonado, TBC Though the butt of many a joke in F1, especially after another crash-strewn season, Pastor Maldonados raw pace and PDVSA backing secured his seat for 2015 earlier this year. Less certain is who will partner him. Romain Grosjean has been far from happy at Lotus this year but the teams announcement it will switch to Mercedes power next year will make a contract extension more appealing to the Frenchman. But Grosjeans statement earlier this year that Alonso holds the key to the driver market suggests he is considering options elsewhere. Junior driver Esteban Ocon recently won European Formula 3 and earned a Lotus test as a result. At 18 he may be considered too young for F1 but the man he beat to that title was none other than Max Verstappen. McLaren TBC, TBC This one is the key to everything. Its no secret McLaren wants a star driver to begin its partnership with Honda, with Alonsos name in the mix from an early stage this year. Alonsos departure from Ferrari is now confirmed and McLaren seems like the only viable option for him in 2015. If the Spaniard is the teams desired star driver McLaren now has a choice of who to drop; 2009 world champion and veteran of the paddock Jenson Button or the exciting but unpolished Kevin Magnussen. Button has the benefit of strong Honda ties from earlier in his career but Magnussen has impressed the team with his on-track performances and fighting spirit. McLaren junior Stoffel Vandoorne has been very impressive in his rookie GP2 year but is likely to stay there for another year in order to challenge for the title in 2015. Force India TBC, TBC Force India has one of the most exciting drive line-ups on the current grid. Sergio Perez is currently in talks about a new deal and is keen to stay at Force India after driving for three teams in three seasons. Nico Hulkenberg has gone off the boil slightly since his hugely impressive start to the season but with driver weight due to be less of an issue in 2015 it makes little sense to drop him. But with drivers such as Jean-Eric Vergne available and financial implications to consider there are no certainties about the teams line-up. Sauber TBC, TBC Neither driver is confirmed for next season at Sauber. Esteban Gutierrez recently said he would have no trouble moving if it guaranteed him a more competitive car but with a Mexican Grand Prix next season there are commercial incentives to consider. Rumours earlier this year suggested Adrian Sutils seat was under pressure from Giedo van der Garde but that came to nothing. Simona de Silvestro had eyed a race seat in 2015 but those hopes have suffered a setback after her testing deal was ended due to financial complications. Toro Rosso Max Verstappen, TBC Toro Rosso raised eyebrows earlier this year when it elevated Max Verstappen to its team for 2015, with the Dutch prodigy due to smash all sorts of records when he lines up on the Melbourne grid aged 17. At the time he looked likely to partner Kvyat but now the Russian is moving up the pit lane to Red Bull, there is a spot open. Having wrapped up the Formula Renault 3.5 title, junior driver Carlos Sainz Jr - the man overlooked for Verstappens seat - looks like a strong candidate. It shows the embarrassment of riches Red Bull has that Sainz Jr is not a shoe-in, however, with GP3 champion-in-waiting Alex Lynn also in with a shot of partnering Verstappen in 2015. Williams Valtteri Bottas, Felipe Massa Williams locked in its drivers for 2015 at Monza, an indication of just how happy the team has been with them. In Valtteri Bottas the team believes it has a future world champion, while Felipe Massa has been solid and took pole position at Austria. Marussia TBC, TBC Suzuka left a cloud over the Marussia team and the 2015 driver line-up is the least of its worries at the moment. But it is a question the team will need to consider eventually. Max Chilton has not been confirmed and nor had Jules Bianchi before his accident in Japan. In Alexander Rossi the team has a reserve driver who engine supplier Ferrari may want to give some experience before the arrival of Haas F1 in 2016, while Englishman Will Stevens recently joined the team in a similar role. Caterham TBC, TBC Kamui Kobayashi might be lucky to get to the end of the season with Caterham, with the team handing Roberto Merhi every Friday opportunity it can recently. The poorly-funded Japanese driver looks highly unlikely to be racing in green next year. Marcus Ericsson has hardly blown people away in his rookie season but lately has shown something of an improvement, plus his financial backing makes him appealing option for the cash-strapped Caterham team.
Posted on: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 20:02:48 +0000
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