Swiss Blick is doing some educated guessing over what the Scuderia will look like in 2007: Drivers: - Raikkoenen - Massa MS retires at the end of this year after completing his 250th GP. Team Principals: - Gerhard Berger replacing Todt - Pat Symonds replacing Brawn This the bottom line of various sources (Blick, Lauda, Motorsport aktuell) and the fact, that Massa is not looking for a new job for 2007. http://www.blick.ch/sport/formel1/artikel37428 Will be interesting to see how much of this will happen.
I agree IF MS retires. Todt and Brawn (sp?) are gone as well... Big if about MS retiring though. I'd love to see one year of MS / KR team-mates with a competitive car! that would be awsome!
I don't think MS is leaving without going out as a WC, and the way Alonso is running I don't think it will be this year.
A friend gone to moto GP of France this week-end. in an interview, valentino ROSSI said he will be in formula one next year...
Not sure about Berger replacing Todt. I like him as a driver in the past, but not sure about him as a team priniciple as he has not yet proven or shown that he can be one. He was with William-BMW as BMW's sporting director then as part owner of STR but has not really done anything so far in F1 as far as I can see. Todt as well accomplished when he joined Ferrari, granted it was not in F1, but he was well accomplished and I think whoever that takes over the helm should be too. Did they ever consider having Brawn take over Todt's spot? I do like Symonds taking over for Brawn but I think McLaren and other top teams will do everything they can to lure him away. With McLaren, he will be with FA again and McLaren, after losing Newy, I think will go at Symonds hard to replace him.
According to the article Ferrari is only trying to lure Berger and Symonds, no agreement has been found yet. Wasn't Berger also a consultant to Ferrari at some point? Anyway I share your concerns. I think the Scuderia doesn't have a choice in regards to Todt and Brawn, they want to leave those positions. Which is also why speculation about MS not driving for a new boss in 2007 has some credibility.
wow....what hot news. but what IF schumi wins this year and continues next year ' just for fun ' with kimi as his teammmate? that'll be damn interesting..
MS can't drive for fun, he drives to win. And to beat Kimi he'd really have to work hard, which is another reason the article states he won't be doing that: The family wants him home and not spend countless hours testing. And his new gigantic villa in Switzerland will be ready next year to be moved in an enjoyed.
right. u have a very strong point there. p/s the lastest MS's racing shoes have just arrived in malaysia. not as spectacular as his white/red combo
Isn't Berger a principle in the team he is with currently? That means he is an owner, why would he leave for a managerial job at Ferrari? Also, Berger was a Ferrari driver for a few years, reasonably successful given the car. If I were Massa, I would be happy as third driver for Ferrari in 2007.
Interesting guess on the future. I had been thinking the same about the driver situation. Massa has been performing much better lately and I think will still be around at the end of the season. Even if MS doesn't retire and KR moves to Ferrari, I think they'll hold on to Massa as a test driver to let him race the next season. Mark
True about Massa, that might explain his worry free attitude right now. Berger is a part (50%) owner of Torro Rosso, fellow Austrian Mateschitz owns the other half. However that might not necessarily be an obstacle. Mateschitz runs two (competing) teams as well. I have the feeling Berger did the TR deal to keep himself busy and in the midst of F1. I'm sure he would be willing to sell his stake for $$$ if need be. OTOH as I mentioned Ferrari has asked Berger, not the other way round and no agreement has been reached.
I knew that Lauda was a consultant during the Alesi-driver X days, but I am not sure about Berger. Besides, being a consultant and actually running and managing a entire team is totally different. I will like to see him do a little more before sitting on the helm at Ferrari as a key mistake made at while re-building the team can be devasitating.
Agreed. I feel bad for Kimi already. Will he become the next Alesi? Highly talented, but never to be WC?
As I was watching one of the GPs this year, the Speed Channel's less-than-exciting commentators were talking about Kimi coming to the Scuderia and Schumi staying with Schumi being the number one driver. What do you guys think about this. I think it couldhappen, but I also don't think it's very likely.
This all has the makings of a made for tv soap opera, a'la As the World Turns, Days of Our Lives, The Young and the Restless . . . The issue of Autosport I received in yesterday's mail has on the cover "Renault back on top.. and now it wants Kimi" - Kimi is atop the wishlist for Renault (even has a photo of David Robertson, Kimi's manager in discussion with Flavio). Apparently at the European GP, Flavio had face-to-face talks with Kimi in addition to his manager. Kimi has not signed a binding agreement with any team although a pre-contractual agreement with him and Ferrari has existed. Michael has commented that it very well may be the end of the year before he makes any final decision on his future. On another topic - the artist's rendering of the new Imola pit complex is quite nice and includes a reprofiling of the track at Variante Bassa to create more room for the 3-story, 30 pit building. Can't wait to see it! Carol
*Smack* You just had to say it, didn't you??!!! That's what I am worry about too and hope that it will not happen, with the team going into a re-building phase as MS, JT and R. Brawn (Rory Barnes is technically retired already) all leaving together. I hope Ferrari has learned from the past and has enough young talents and had been grooming them for the future. IMO, this is re-enforced by the fact that the F-248 being relatively competitive this year in the front. And if Ferrari can get Symonds to replace Brawn and find someone respectable and creditible to replace Todt, I think Ferrari will be okay. PS: I think and hope that Michael Schumacher will return to Ferrari family in the future, in a position similar to Jean Todt today. I think he has what it takes as he has a great understanding of the sports (Both technical and on-track), management/political front as Some may argue that he is the keystone of the Quad (MS, JT, R.Brawn & R.Barnes). He still has the lure and is essentially a living legend to today's young talents. Granted it that he has not yet proven anything like Berger, but I have a feeling that he is much more savy than Berger.
Absolutely! but . . . I must say that I have recently been bitten by the ALMS bug. The only cure available is to attend more races! Spend a bushel basket of less money, see diversity of cars really up close, meet drivers, watch non-processional racing, and the list goes on . . . Carol
although i would like to see that happening as well, i seriously doubt it'll happen. once schumi is done with F1, he's done. i suppose he'd prefer to spend time with his corrina and the kids rather than sitting on the pitwall on weekends. don;t u think so?
Not at all. I think he will take some time off to spend with the family, but will be involve in some type racing in a non-specific capacity in the future. I think he is too competitive and that auto-racing is in his soul.
I would agree. He also has his other dream, which is soccer and he is the goodwill ambassador of San Marino and already does a lot of charity work you never hear about. He also loves motor cycles and touring the US, so I'd say at least for the immediate future he'll disappear a while, particularly with the house opening. Anthony, although I share your concerns over Berger, to his credit, he has done a lot more business deals than MS. He also run successfully the transportation business his father left him behind. MS is clearly the better driver, but Gerhard has a lot more experience in running an organization and is IMHO quite street smart. Personally I don't see MS running the Scuderia team, but if I were Montezemolo/Todt I would keep him employed as "test driver" for the road cars. They have test drivers of course, but if he'd work out some of the kinks of the new production cars, imagine the positive selling effect that would have on them! "The new F70, road tested and fine tuned by Michael Schumacher.". I see a lot more potential for him in that role and it would nicely fit with his balancing act of his private life.
but, i would still like to see MS stay for the 2007 season. nothing to do with winning, but rather guiding both kimi and felipe, especially kimi into a proper team leader. then, he retires happily in 2008. how;s that sound?
