Chris2K Posted November 1, 2014 Report Share Posted November 1, 2014 Sauber sign Marcus Ericsson for 2015 season Sauber have signed Swede Marcus Ericsson to race for the team in 2015. Ericsson, 24, made his Formula 1 debut in 2014 with Caterham, who went into administration last month. Their decision means one of their current drivers, Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutierrez, is likely to lose his place in the sport next season. Sauber team boss Monisha Kaltenborn described Ericsson as a "highly motivated driver" whose signing would give the Swiss outfit "fresh impetus". Sauber have been struggling financially this season and Ericsson comes with substantial backing from his native country. Ericsson said: "Fresh from a very turbulent week, I was suddenly given my best early Christmas present ever. "Sauber has put its trust in me for 2015 and it makes me proud as Sauber is known as one of the best teams in developing young drivers. It will be a great challenge." The move leaves three drivers hoping to land one empty seat. Along with Sutil, who says he has a contract for 2015, and Gutierrez, reserve driver Giedo Van Der Garde said at the US Grand Prix on Friday that his target was a race seat at Sauber next year and that it was "looking good". BBC. On a related note; If we assume Caterham and Marussia aren't going to be around next year then Jolyon Palmer is going to be without a drive anywhere as a GP2 champion he can't drive there or GP3, and there are soon to be no F1 seats available. Guess he'll just have to hope for a test driver role or move over to sports cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Lineker Posted November 3, 2014 Author Admin Report Share Posted November 3, 2014 Epic, epic race. COTA is fast becoming one of my favourite tracks on the calendar. And Sauber snapping up Ericsson is a good move. He's much better than Gutierrez and if he is partnered with van der Garde, as most people are expecting, then Sauber will hopefully be a little more secure going forward. Sky Sports F1 understands Marussia could return to the F1 grid in Abu Dhabi. Ted Kravitz reports that 2015 entry lodged under Manor Grand Prix Limited, but team hoping to compete at season finale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Lineker Posted November 5, 2014 Author Admin Report Share Posted November 5, 2014 So, nobody saw this coming: The Sauber Formula 1 team has signed Williams test driver Felipe Nasr to a race deal for the 2015 season. The Brazilian, who sits second in the GP2 standings with one round remaining, has taken part in four free practice sessions for Williams so far this year, including last weekend at Austin. Nasr's signing to race alongside ex-Caterham driver Marcus Ericsson means that both of Sauber's 2014 drivers - Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutierrez - will be replaced next season. Sauber team principal Monisha Kaltenborn said: "We have been following Felipe's career path for some time now. "He fully deserves his position in Formula 1 having had a very successful career in the junior categories. "We are happy that he will be driving for our team next year. This means that Brazil will have one more young and talented driver in the sport." Nasr, who has British Formula 3 and Formula BMW Europe titles to his name, said he hopes to follow in the footsteps of other top drivers to have made their F1 debut with the Swiss team. "This is an unforgettable moment that I owe to all of those who have supported me," he said. "Today the dream has come true. "Sauber was responsible for the arrival in F1 of great names such Felipe Massa, Kimi Raikkonen, Robert Kubica and Sebastian Vettel. "I am proud now to also be part of this racing family. "I had a wonderful year at Williams, where I learned a lot and prepared myself to be a race driver in Formula 1." If Manor (Marussia) make the grid next year, I can see them going for Chilton/Gutierrez for the money Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katsuya Posted November 6, 2014 Report Share Posted November 6, 2014 Wait people actually rate Ericsson? The guy was outperformed by Andre Lotterer who barely drove the car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted November 6, 2014 Report Share Posted November 6, 2014 Ericsson has some dinero behind him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Lineker Posted November 6, 2014 Author Admin Report Share Posted November 6, 2014 He's shown signs of improvement over the second half of the season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJB Posted November 6, 2014 Report Share Posted November 6, 2014 Ericsson has looked better at the right time in the season. Apparently in Singapore they made a major set up change that helped him. I still think that Nasr will have the measure of him next season though, even if they are still fighting towards the back of the grid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonM Posted November 6, 2014 Report Share Posted November 6, 2014 Well Giedo just got a nice kick to the teeth. He was all but a lock for the drive, and then they go ahead and take Nasr. I wonder what Giedo will do, because I'm sure he won't be interested in another year test driving the Sauber. He's got plenty of money behind him, so he could probably get a decent drive at a mid-table team if they needed him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Lineker Posted November 7, 2014 Author Admin Report Share Posted November 7, 2014 I sure do wish Lotus would take Dutch money over Venezuelan money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Lineker Posted November 7, 2014 Author Admin Report Share Posted November 7, 2014 Jenson Button says there is no guarantee he would accept a new deal to stay at McLaren, even if the Formula 1 team does eventually decide to keep him. The former world champion has still not been told whether or not he will be retained for next year, with the outfit still finalising its plans as it closes in on a deal with Fernando Alonso. While Button is awaiting a decision from his bosses, he has admitted that options he has outside F1 has left him in a situation where he could actually choose to turn his back on grand prix racing. When asked if, in the wake of being left hanging on over a new deal, he would definitely stay on at McLaren, he said: "That is a good question that I cannot answer at this moment in time." In other words, he's likely off. Elsewhere further down the grid, Monisha Kaltenborn has said that she did not expect Sauber's deal with Sergey Sirotkin to continue, after an original intention to prepare him for an F1 race seat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katsuya Posted November 7, 2014 Report Share Posted November 7, 2014 Marussia have folded Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Lineker Posted November 7, 2014 Author Admin Report Share Posted November 7, 2014 Absolutely gutted for them. Poor Bianchi, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Lineker Posted November 7, 2014 Author Admin Report Share Posted November 7, 2014 The Marussia Formula 1 team have ceased trading and all staff will be made redundant, administrators FRP have announced. The team went into administration last month and had hoped to return for the final race of the season after missing the races in America and Russia. Marussia had been in talks with two potential investors. But when a deadline of 12:00 GMT on Friday passed with no funds transferred the team folded. The news leaves more than 200 people without jobs. Geoff Rowley, joint administrator at FRP Advisory, said: "It goes without saying that it's deeply regrettable that a business with such a great following in Britain and worldwide has had to cease trading and close its doors." Elements of Marussia management still hope to return to F1 next season and have applied for entry to next year's world championship under the name of Manor F1, the team's original guise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2K Posted November 7, 2014 Report Share Posted November 7, 2014 It's depressing, if not unexpected. I just wonder if this is a deliberate move to start afresh as Manor F1 next year, for F1's sake I hope it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJB Posted November 9, 2014 Report Share Posted November 9, 2014 So, Nico Rosberg finally keeps Lewis Hamilton behind in a race and heads to Abu Dhabi 17pts behind. Hamilton probably had the win in his grasp though before a spin down at T4 changed all that. In Abu Dhabi, Hamilton just needs to finish 2nd to win the WDC. Assuming his car makes the chequered flag without incident, that should be fairly straight forward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rainiac Posted November 9, 2014 Report Share Posted November 9, 2014 Perhaps not as straight forward as it seems. Hamilton proved today that he has to try and win no matter what. If he tries that again in Abu Dhabi & messes up hard enough to drop out of the points/retire from the race, he might just hand Rosberg the title. I'm not saying it's likely to happen at all, but F1 can be an unpredictable sport. Of course, Hamilton could also decide to take Rosberg and himself out on Lap 1 and ensure the championship that way. We'll find out in 2 weeks... ...On an unrelated note, did anyone catch Nelson Piquet's interview with Lewis after the race? Piquet mentioned something about "your old girlfriend" and Lewis pretty much blew him off. It was kinda funny (but disrespectful to a 3 time winner) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJB Posted November 9, 2014 Report Share Posted November 9, 2014 Disrespectful to Piquet? Are you serious?! He'd just battled his team-mate for 71 laps and Piquet (seemingly drunk) didn't ask him about the race, only Nicole! Piquet should have been asking about the spin, Nico stopping Lewis' run of wins, or Abu Dhabi, not his girlfriend! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katsuya Posted November 9, 2014 Report Share Posted November 9, 2014 If F1 has taught us anything over the past few years, it's that the final race of the season is never easy when the title is on the line... 2007 - Kimi wins from 3rd in the championship 2008 - The final corner mularkey 2010 - Vettel inexplicably wins the title thanks to Vitaly Petrov 2012 - Vettel nearly throwing it all away on the first lap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazz Posted November 9, 2014 Report Share Posted November 9, 2014 2014 - Mercedes turn off Hamilton's engine two laps from the end to allow Rosberg to win the WDC. The UK immediately declares war on Germany. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2K Posted November 9, 2014 Report Share Posted November 9, 2014 ...On an unrelated note, did anyone catch Nelson Piquet's interview with Lewis after the race? Piquet mentioned something about "your old girlfriend" and Lewis pretty much blew him off. It was kinda funny (but disrespectful to a 3 time winner) I thought it was ridiculous but for the reasons MJB stated. Piquet interviewed Rosberg normally, goes over to ask Hamilton about Sherzinger, then immediately goes over to interview Massa because, let's face it, that's what the crowd wanted. I have no idea how Hamilton was meant to react to a question about his personal life that had nothing to do with the race. I think they're back together again now by the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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