Theres been alot of developments the last few days that have shaped next years season for F1.
According to Autosport, JPM will be entering NASCAR with his former CART team, abandoning any chance of furthering his F1 career and perhaps strengthening Lewis Hamilton's shot for the spare McLaren seat.
At the US GP, Jarno Trulli was rumoured to be on the verge of a new long term deal with Toyota. Whilst Toyota seem happy to put Gascoyne as the sacrificial lamb for their teams troubles, at least theyre aiming for continuity with ther drivers. RS remains on a long term contract with Toyota.
DC looks set for at least 1 more year at RBR. Whilst nothing is confirmed, Christian Horner has repeatedly stated his support for DC, and his desire for Klien to up his game. Ultimately the driver with the most points in the coming months will be retained, with the other seat possibly going to STR stablemate Liuzzi, or another driver. Massa and Kovalainen could play strongly depending on how RB manage their engines as well.
The tug of war for Raikkonens services continues. Just as it seemed certain he would be going to Ferrari, rumours persist he will be joining Fisichella at Renault. Whilst it seemed Fisichella's resigning happened mid year, it is now assumed Briattore put pen to paper as soom as Alonso's McLaren deal emerged. The sticking issue seems to be whether MS continues to race for 1 or 2 years. Recent speculation had him continuing for at least 1 year, which didnt seem to play favourably with Raikkonens move to Ferrari, despite constantly saying his team mate wouldnt bother him. In any case, it doesnt look like he'll be staying with McLaren.
Webber could also be set for a change of scenery. Whilst SFW's option on his services for '07 continue to run out, links to Renault continue to emerge although more is being said of SFW opting for another driver, than Briattore placing Webber in Renault, perhaps a sign of where Raikkonens negotiations are leading. Whilst many people assumed Rosberg had been signed to a multi year Williams deal, its been revealed its only a single year deal for now, but SFW is believed to be highly impressed with the younng rookie and will sign him for a new deal. If Webber leaves, the seat could go to Wurz. Whilst it seemed JPM had been offered the seat by SFW, Wurz is believed to have signed for Williams last year from McLaren with a future race seat in mind.
Heidfeld is secure at BMW, but some movement could arise over the second seat. Villeneuve's contract is up at the end of the year, and whilst he has displayed some inspired driving so far this year, some competition could come from young stablemate Robert Kubica, whom BMW rate extremely high.
Both Honda and Barrichello are secure at Honda, although 3rd driver Davison could be farmed out to Super Aguri. Whilst his driving skills are highly rated within the team, his race opportunities have been scarce, and Honda have even prevented his progress at times to retain his services. Sato looks set to retain his SA seat.
Midland F1 amongst its ongoing negotiations with potential buyers have expressed an interest in retaining Albers. It is unknown whether Monteiro will be retained.
Toro Rosso is keen on continuity, and is set to keep Speed to continue his development. Despite interest from the A team, Gerhard Berger has stated his intentions to keep Liuzzi as well.
The drivers market isnt the only thing to change.
Already Suzuka has lost the Japanese GP to the rejuvenated Fuji circuit. Some hope remains that Suzuka will return however, perhaps under the Pacific GP guise.
Whilst Spa was left out of this years calender, it looks set to return next year.
The Second GP's in Germany and Italy are under threat. Whilst Imola will be upgraded for next years race, a more immediate threat lies for either Hockenheim or Nurburgring. Either could be dropped in favour for the returning Spa, or the retained Suzuka, as the teams dont want to return to the hectic 19 race schedule. Rival GP's from Mexico, Russia and other countries are emerging as well. A solution could be found with a yearly rotation between tracks for the GP.
The race format itself looks likely to be changed as well. Whilst nothing is confirmed, it is believed teams are in favour of compressing the current schedule over the Saturday-Sunday, whilst allowing Friday as an open test day, increasing exposure to the fans. A compromise would be met with a drastic decrease of in-season testing, in the hope of drastically reducing costs in that area.
Bridgestone will be left without a competitor with Michelins withdrawel as well. Whilst the control tyre rules wont take effect until '08, it is believed Bridgestone will be asked to supply 2 specifications of tyre to the whole grid, as opposed to 2 specifications to each team. It is hoped this will prevent any preferential treatment or advantage gained in that area.
So what are peoples thoughts?
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Originally Posted by Daz27
