The F1 driver transfer discussion/speculation archiveFormula 1 

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prisonermonkeys
Haas aren't limiting themselves to Ferrari drivers. As much as they want a technical partnership, they don't want to be completely indebted to Maranello. It's believed that they are currently talking to Magnussen.
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At first sight there seems to be a gulf between Magnussen's potential drives for next year; the possibility of Button's seat at McLaren if Button does walk away from F1, or the noob seat at Haas. But then... if this year's Ferrari is indeed helped by off-regulation testing in Haas development then perhaps it'll be one of the better newcomers in F1 for some time?
 
Speculation suggests Romain Grosjean will be off to Haas in 2016 after he said that he has "made his decision" for next year without saying where he is going.
 
So either Lotus have well and truly had it and know they won't be in the sport next year; thus they advised Romain to look elsewhere. Or he knows he'll have to give way to yet another pay driver to keep the team afloat. Thus going with Haas.
 
NOVOCAINE
So either Lotus have well and truly had it and know they won't be in the sport next year; thus they advised Romain to look elsewhere. Or he knows he'll have to give way to yet another pay driver to keep the team afloat. Thus going with Haas.
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He may well have decided to stay if he has advance knowledge of an impending Renault deal - Lotus were given a week's adjournment in their High Court case on the grounds that it could be resolved in a week, implying that a Renault buy-out is looming.
 
Either way, Grosjean is the biggest puzzle piece that has yet to fall into place. Where he lands determines how everything else goes.
 
BRRT_Angel
Either way, Grosjean is the biggest puzzle piece that has yet to fall into place. Where he lands determines how everything else goes.
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There's not much more to be determined, really. Mercedes, Ferrari, Williams, Red Bull and Sauber are all locked in. There are questions about Jenson Button's future, but if he goes, McLaren will almost certainly promote a driver in-house. Force India have Hulkenberg and will likely keep Perez. Likewise Toro Rosso, who have Verstappen and will probably retain Sainz. Manor's participation next year remains to be seen, and if they stay they could take anyone. So it's only really Haas and Lotus who need to be sorted out, so it's not like Grosjean's decision will have a massive ripple effect on the driver market. The only real surprise would be if Grosjean goes to Haas, leaving Renault as a works team with no drivers.
 
prisonermonkeys
There's not much more to be determined, really. Mercedes, Ferrari, Williams, Red Bull and Sauber are all locked in. There are questions about Jenson Button's future, but if he goes, McLaren will almost certainly promote a driver in-house. Force India have Hulkenberg and will likely keep Perez. Likewise Toro Rosso, who have Verstappen and will probably retain Sainz. Manor's participation next year remains to be seen, and if they stay they could take anyone. So it's only really Haas and Lotus who need to be sorted out, so it's not like Grosjean's decision will have a massive ripple effect on the driver market. The only real surprise would be if Grosjean goes to Haas, leaving Renault as a works team with no drivers.
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Perez hasn't signed for Force India yet, if Renault buy Lotus he may fancy his chances as a works Renault driver. That would open up a seat at Force India for someone else, maybe Mercedes stick Ocon or Werhlein in there. That's only if Grosjean leaves, of course.
 
aarror
Perez hasn't signed for Force India yet, if Renault buy Lotus he may fancy his chances as a works Renault driver. That would open up a seat at Force India for someone else, maybe Mercedes stick Ocon or Werhlein in there. That's only if Grosjean leaves, of course.
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Force India are pretty confident that they will keep him.
 
In addition to his VW-to-buy-RBR theory, Eddie Jordan reckons that Manor will get Mercedes engines and run Pascal Wehrlein alongside Alexander Rossi in 2016.
 
Unless Wehrlein does a race before the end of the year, how is he going to get the Super License under next years rules?
 
mustafur
Unless Wehrlein does a race before the end of the year, how is he going to get the Super License under next years rules?
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DTM counts for superlicence points. And he's had success in the Formula 3 Euroseries. Plus, if it is going to happen, I wouldn't be surprised if Mercedes put him in the Manor for the two races Rossi is sitting out.
 
prisonermonkeys
DTM counts for superlicence points. And he's had success in the Formula 3 Euroseries. Plus, if it is going to happen, I wouldn't be surprised if Mercedes put him in the Manor for the two races Rossi is sitting out.
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Under the new rules, they account for the last 3 seasons so 2012 wouldn't count and he will be miles from getting the required 50 even if he wins this years DTM Crown.

He will need to race atleast 1 F1 race this year.
 
NOVOCAINE
So either Lotus have well and truly had it and know they won't be in the sport next year; thus they advised Romain to look elsewhere.
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Lotus can't survive another 7 days without Renault buying them out, or so we understand from their deposition to the court. That means that Renault will be choosing drivers or that there will be no drivers. In either case Lotus are unable to offer long-term seats to any driver.

Personally I think that Grosjean has improved dramatically since his arrival in F1 (which was pretty awful) and he's very French. I could see him being offered a Renault seat in an ideal world... but at the moment there doesn't seem to be the wiggle-room in the driver market for that to happen.
 
TenEightyOne
Personally I think that Grosjean has improved dramatically since his arrival in F1 (which was pretty awful) and he's very French. I could see him being offered a Renault seat in an ideal world... but at the moment there doesn't seem to be the wiggle-room in the driver market for that to happen.
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The suggestion that I have heard is that Renault want Grosjean, but if Grosjean chooses Haas, then Vergne could return with Renault (presumably Haas would take either Grosjean and Gutierrez or Grosjean and Magnussen).
 
mustafur
Under the new rules, they account for the last 3 seasons so 2012 wouldn't count and he will be miles from getting the required 50 even if he wins this years DTM Crown.

He will need to race atleast 1 F1 race this year.
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This is going to be a slightly fallacious argument, but bear with me for a moment, because there might be something to it:

When Rossi joined Manor, he chose his number. He originally wanted #16, but was told no because that number was set aside for a Red Bull test driver. He chose #53, but #53 wasn't one of Manor's test numbers; #42 and #43 are. When Rossi was slated to drive at Spa and Sochi last year, he was entered in car #42 and did not get a choice. Similarly, when Andre Lotterer abd Will Stevens drove for Caterham, they took #45 and #46, which were Caterham's assigned test numbers. So why was Rossi given the choice here? Could it be because he already has a seat?

It's a fallacious argument because Rossi's actions have no bearing on Wehrlein's, but the suggestion specifically mentions Rossi, Wehrlein and Mercedes to Manor; it's not three separate stories, but one.
 
GTPorsche
I guess 5 races is enough to warrant a driver choosing his number.
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It's a possibility, but the talk of Rossi/Wehrlein emerged as Rossi joined Manor - it wouldn't surprise me if they see him as a long-term prospect, because they can't sustain themselves just by making interim decisions.
 
I read on twitter that Romain Grosjean has confirmed he will be joining Haas next year via an interview on French TV. Of course I can't confirm it because I don't watch French TV and if I did I wouldn't understand a word of it but it comes from a decent source.

They will probably announce their second driver at COTA or Mexico since it's an American team signing a Mexican driver.
 
From what I had heard a few weeks ago, Guttierrez was practically confirmed for one of the Haas seats, and it was just a matter of determining who would get the other seat.
 
If he really has signed for Haas then it's a brave move by Grosjean. Perhaps it's his only chance of staying on the grid with to little driver movement for next season but Timo Glock did the same, and his career has been assigned to the history books.
 
NOVOCAINE
If he really has signed for Haas then it's a brave move by Grosjean. Perhaps it's his only chance of staying on the grid with to little driver movement for next season but Timo Glock did the same, and his career has been assigned to the history books.
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It's an especially strange decision because unlike Glock who had limited options Grosjean had the chance to lead a Renault works team next season, I guess this is an indication of how much the drivers rate Ferrari's engine upgrades.
 
GOTMAXPOWER
It's an especially strange decision because unlike Glock who had limited options Grosjean had the chance to lead a Renault works team next season, I guess this is an indication of how much the drivers rate Ferrari's engine upgrades.
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Perhaps he knows more than we do about the legitimacy of their proposed works team?
 
TenEightyOne
Personally I think that Grosjean has improved dramatically since his arrival in F1 (which was pretty awful) and he's very French. I could see him being offered a Renault seat in an ideal world... but at the moment there doesn't seem to be the wiggle-room in the driver market for that to happen.
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Grosjean is both French and Swiss. But i still get your point ;)

GOTMAXPOWER
I read on twitter that Romain Grosjean has confirmed he will be joining Haas next year via an interview on French TV. Of course I can't confirm it because I don't watch French TV and if I did I wouldn't understand a word of it but it comes from a decent source.
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I'm listening to this TV Show right now. It's the Canal+ evening race debriefing with, interesting point, the presence of Prost who is both a Canal+ consultant and a Renault Embassador who worked on the Lotus buying project.
Prost confirmed Grosjean to be part of "Lotus" (Renault) project, but he then justify the driver's choice by the fact that Renault-Lotus project is taking too much time for him to wait. And that he could come back in the team later...

So, they didn't confirm anything, but this is the same as everything i've heard this week-end (itw from people who know him closely), reading between lines is quite easy here: Grosjean did choose Haas.
 
Honestly, if Haas actually picked up Gutierrez, then they've already showed the destination this team will be going, and it isn't good. Vergne obviously couldn't commit because of the pending Renault show, but it isn't worth picking up Gutierrez. He's less dangerous than Maldonado, but he's about as effective as Chilton. I would have honestly made a move for Perez. He has sponsorship, and he's been capable of success. A Perez/Grosjean pairing would have worked. Now that Perez is all but confirmed for Force India next year, Grosjean will the the team leader with at best someone who can't survive mid pack. Not liking the odds.
 
Gutierrez is a actually a good driver, he was just too young for GP2 and F1 when he got there (ART and Sauber were both off-form when he was there too), I think the year at Ferrari will have helped him a lot like it did for Massa in 2003.
 
TenEightyOne
Kind of like the Belgian driver Max Verstappen or the Monagasque driver Nico Rosberg :)
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Nico Rosberg is both Finnish (by father) and German by mother (i had to check this online to be honest)
Grosjean is Swiss by father, French my mother, so yes, it's kind of like Nico.
 
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