F1 Silly Season 2012

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Op woensdag 14 december 2011 15:37 schreef sasquatsch het volgende:
'Petrov spreekt met vier teams'

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Verrassend is Toro Rosso omdat die al de keuze hebben uit vier (Red Bull) coureurs.

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EliGP twitterde op woensdag 14-12-2011 om 17:30:30 Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne will race for Toro Rosso in 2012. Story coming up reageer retweet

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Scuderia Toro Rosso will have a completely new driver line-up for the 2012 Formula 1 season, made up of Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne. It will be the first time since the team’s 2006 debut that it will begin the year with an all new line-up. Both drivers have come through the Red Bull Junior Driver programme and the decision to promote Daniel and Jean-Eric to Scuderia Toro Rosso was taken by the team in conjunction with Red Bull.

Franz Tost: “I am pleased that we have been able to reach an early decision on our drivers for next year, because it means we can all give our full attention to 2012, without any distractions. Over the past year, both Daniel and Jean-Eric have proved their worth and I expect them to make a significant contribution to the team’s performance next year. Daniel has the benefit of having actually raced in Grands Prix for much of this year, while Jean-Eric proved he could adapt quickly to the demands of driving a Formula 1 car. As they have both worked with the team and its engineers very recently, this should allow us to get up to speed right from the start of winter testing in a couple of months time. I must also thank Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari for all their hard work over the past three seasons. They have delivered some excellent performances which have helped the team move forward and develop. We wish them well for the future. However, one has to remember that when Scuderia Toro Rosso was established in 2005, it was done so with the intention of providing a first step into Formula 1 for the youngsters in the Red Bull Junior Driver programme. It is therefore part of the team’s culture to change its driver line-up from time to time in order to achieve this goal.”

Twenty two year old Ricciardo, from Perth, Australia has already experienced life in F1, firstly by driving for Toro Rosso during Friday’s first free practice session at Grands Prix in the early part of 2011, before driving full time for Hispania Racing in the second half of the year. In 2008 he won the Formula Renault 2.0 Championship and the following year, he won the British Formula 3 series. In 2010, Dan finished runner up in the Renault 3.5 series, combining his racing with reserve driver duties for both Red Bull F1 teams.

Daniel Ricciardo: “This is a really big deal for me and something I have wanted ever since I was driving for Toro Rosso on Friday mornings at the races in the first part of last season. To be honest, I am still jumping up and down with excitement at the news. In the second half of 2011 I learned a lot from the people I worked with, racing in eleven Grands Prix and I want to thank them for the opportunity they gave me. I have to say that joining Scuderia Toro Rosso was always my real goal, so a big thank you to Red Bull for giving me this fantastic opportunity and now I can’t wait to get to work once testing begins.”

Frenchman Vergne has already worked with Scuderia Toro Rosso, most recently, driving in Free Practice 1 at three of the last four Grands Prix of the 2011 season. The twenty one year old Frenchman followed in his new team-mate’s footsteps, winning the 2010 British Formula 3 Championship and coming second in this year’s Renault 3.5 series.

Jean-Eric Vergne: “First of all, I must thank Red Bull for all their support so far and for believing I am ready to take on the ultimate challenge of racing in Formula 1. Christmas has come early for me this year! Having driven for them a few times this year and also testing for Red Bull Racing in Abu Dhabi, I definitely feel ready to make the move, even if I know there is a big difference between testing and actually racing. I enjoyed working with the guys at Toro Rosso this year and I can’t wait to be part of the team for real. Sitting on the grid in Melbourne next March cannot come soon enough.”

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Op woensdag 14 december 2011 17:33 schreef Tarado het volgende:
Massacre at Toro Rosso
December 14, 2011 by joesaward

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http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/12/14/masaacre-at-toro-rosso/

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Op woensdag 14 december 2011 18:39 schreef SjaakVilleneuve het volgende:

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Zo idd, 3de fransman in de F1?

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Op woensdag 14 december 2011 20:01 schreef M.Melandri het volgende:
Op zich wel logisch, zowel Buemi als Alguersuari hebben nou niet echt laten zien dat ze de potentie hebben om door te groeien naar RBR.

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Op woensdag 14 december 2011 22:25 schreef Big-Ern het volgende:

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Zoveel minder dan Webber zijn ze toch niet? Dan zou ik Webber wieberen en Alguersuari in de 2e RB laten rijden.

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AdamHayNicholls twitterde op donderdag 15-12-2011 om 17:47:53 Just had the Sahara Force India line-up confirmed to me by team source: Di Resta, Hulkenberg, Bianchi reageer retweet

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Op donderdag 15 december 2011 21:12 schreef ElmarO het volgende:
Gerucht over line up Force India:

twitter:

AdamHayNicholls twitterde op donderdag 15-12-2011 om 17:47:53 Just had the Sahara Force India line-up confirmed to me by team source: Di Resta, Hulkenberg, Bianchi reageer retweet

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Op vrijdag 16 december 2011 16:38 schreef Peterselieman het volgende:
Gister was het nog niet officieel, maar nu wel:

Di Resta en Hülkenberg racen voor Force India in 2012

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Op vrijdag 16 december 2011 17:29 schreef Funzel het volgende:
Alsjeblieft geen vd Garde zeg. Zet dan Alguersuari in die auto.

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Ferrari interested in Sutil as replacement for Massa

It was announced today by Force India that Nico Hulkenberg, who had been their reserve driver in 2011, will be promoted to a race seat next season alongside Paul di Resta. Hulkenberg will replace Adrian Sutil, who had been expected to leave the team for some months.

According to respected German magazine Auto Motor und Sport, there are rumours in the Formula 1 paddock suggesting that Ferrari is interested in hiring Sutil to replace the struggling Felipe Massa. Massa endured one of his worst seasons ever in 2011 and it is widely known that next year is his last chance to prove himself if he is to remain with Ferrari in the future. Massa did not get a single podium in 2011, becoming the first regular Ferrari driver since Ivan Capelli in 1992 to fail to make it into the top three during a season.

However, Massa has a contract with Ferrari until the end of 2012 and the contract will be difficult to break. Massa’s situation is different from Kimi Raikkonen in 2009, where Ferrari managed to convince the 2007 Formula 1 world champion to accept a $19 million payoff to end his contract one year early for Fernando Alonso take his place in 2010.

It is less likely that Massa will be willing to accept a financial settlement to give up his seat next year. Massa will most likely insist on seeing out the remainder of his contract at Ferrari and the team will not want a contract dispute to be brought to the FIA Contract Recognition Board.

Sutil is reportedly only interested in a one-year contract with Williams, since Massa will no longer have a contract with Ferrari in 2013. Williams are reportedly wanting a two year deal but the former Force India driver wants to be free to switch to a bigger team in 2013. However, if Sutil waits too long before signing with Williams, the team could suddenly decide to continue with Rubens Barrichello. The Brazilian driver has put together a sponsorship package of five million euros and he would be satisfied with a one-year contract with Williams.