Silly Season 2002

[Victor Broccoli]

My breakdown of the silly season:

Ferrari: Schumacher and X (Barrichello's contract is up)
McLaren: X and X (both drivers are free agents)
Jordan: X and X (both drivers expire this year)
Williams: Schumacher and Montoya (both drivers on for next year, assumedly)
Benetton: Button and X (Fisi up at end of year)
BAR: X and X (I do believe that JV has an opt out, Panis I believe it till end of year)
Sauber: X and X (Raikkonen is a 1-year, Heidfeld is signed but option w/ McLaren)
Arrows: X and X (both drivers expire)
Jaguar: Irvine and De La Rosa (both confirmed by Lauda and Rahal for next year)
Minardi: X and X (I believe both are on year contracts)
Prost: X and X (I believe Alesi is retiring, Burti is until end of year)
Toyota: Mika Salo and Allan McNish (next year's lineup)

Drivers Available:
Rubens Barrichello
Mika Hakkinen
David Coulthard
Alex Wurz
Heinz-Harald Frentzen
Jarno Trulli (option to Renault)
Ricardo Zonta
Marc Gene
Giancarlo Fisichella
Mark Webber
Olivier Panis
Jacques Villeneuve
Kimi Raikkonen
Nick Heidfeld (option to McLaren)
Jos Verstappen
Enrique Bernoldi
Tomas Scheckter
Tarso Marques
Fernando Alonso (Renault reportedly owns his contract)
Christjian Albers
Jean Alesi (may be retiring)
Luciano Burti
Justin Wilson
Darren Manning
Antonio Pizzonia
Takuma Sato
Anthony Davidson


Note that these are only the people that I can think of. I am absolutely sure there are twice that amount of promisiong rookies that could easily assume a drive.

Well, that's just a preliminary list. It's like a giant box of puzzle pieces.

Anyone care to piece them together?

[DancingMachine]

well ill fix 99% of the puzzle for u..u can do the rest im sure..

ferrari - michael ( hopefully) & jos (hopefully again)
mc laren - coulthard & hakkinen (unless he retires)
williams - ralf & montoya

[Minardi fan]

McLaren: Hakkinen/Coulthard
Ferrari: M Schumacher/Verstappen
Williams: R Schumacher/Montoya/Gene
Jordan: Frentzen/Trulli
Jaguar: De La Rosa/Barrichello/Irvine
Benetton: Button/Pizzonia
Sauber: Raikkonen/Heidfeld
Toyota: McNish/Salo
B.A.R: Villeneuve/Panis
Minardi: Alonso/Albers/Saelens/BADOER!!!
Prost: Burti/Alesi
Arrows: Gene/Barrichello/Irvine

Actually, I have no idea...

[Raceace]

Since when has Jos been in the fray with Ferrari for next year? Has he signed a contract? I heard that Ferrari may have an option on Rakkionen when his contract is up. Although I would love to see Alesi in a Ferrari next year if only to see how well he would do in a quick (providing it is) race car.

[BD]

I like the idea of Verstappen at Ferrari. I think I remember reading that TGF and Jos are good friends. IMO he would be a better partner than RB.
I can see Villeneuve seeking a drive with McLaren.

But at this point, who knows?

[Tristan]

OK, I LOVE these wild predictions thingeys, so.......

Ferrari: TGF/Trulli
McLaren: Heidfeld/HHF
Willy: Ralf/JPM
Jordan: JV/DC
Sauber: Raikonnen/Jos
BAR: Panis/Rubinho
Jaguar: Irvine/PDLR
Arrows: Fischo/Bernoldi
Renault: JB/Pizzonia
Prost: Burti/Gené
Minardi: Alonso/Badoer
Toyota: Salo/Webber

Come on, you KNOW it fits!! Yours please......!!!!

[Minardi fan]

The Jos at Ferrari thing cropped up a while ago because TGF and he are good friends.

[EERO]

Tristan, I think you're close. I've been championing HHF at McLaren for ages, but realisticly, I think its DC again if Mika retires and Heidfeld for his youth.


Ferrari: TGF/Trulli
McLaren: Heidfeld/DC
Willy: Ralf/JPM
Jordan: HHF/Barrichello
Sauber: Raikonnen/Jos
BAR: Panis/Sato
Jaguar: Irvine/PDLR
Arrows: ?/Bernoldi
Renault: JB/JV
Prost: Burti/Gene
Minardi: Alonso/Fischo
Toyota: Salo/McNish

[Victor Broccoli]

I see it as this:

Ferrari: Schumacher/Verstappen/Badoer
McLaren: Coulthard/Heidfeld/Wurz
Williams: Schumacher/Montoya/Hamilton
Jordan: Villeneuve/Frentzen/Zonta
Sauber: Raikkonen/Fisichella/Wilson
BAR: Panis/Sato/Davidson
Jaguar: Irvine/De La Rosa/Scheckter
Arrows: Barrichello/Mazzacane/Pantano(that's not a typo)
Renault: Button/Trulli/Pizonnia
Prost: Gene/Burti/Servia
Minardi: Alonso/Webber/Webber
Toyota: Salo/McNish/Takagi

Alesi and Herbert go to CART
Todt repays Jos for his Malaysian antics and gives him the #1b drive
Williams recruits Lewis Hamilton to test. If not 2002 then 2005 to drive.
JV uses the "Honda Escape Pod" to beam to Jordan. HHF has deja vu '97.
Fisi is cut loose by Flav, who follows through on his promise to recall Trulli.
Heidfeld thanks his lucky stars that this year's Sauber was good enough to get him to McLaren.
BAR follows through and gives Takuma Sato his drive.
Jaguar, surprising everyone, goes w/ Irvine and De La Rosa.
Tom gives Gaston a drive. Victor becomes Arrows fan.
Marc Gene commits a mass murder. As punishment, he must drive his next two years at Prost.
Antipodean boss Paul Stoddart (go Minardi!!!) finally gets Mark Webber under wing and, armed with a new engine deal jump to midfield.
Toyota give McNish the drive he should've had about 8 years ago.

[senna12]

I think EERO has a good list, and for the question mark I would put Pizzonia.

[Minardi fan]

Stick Alesi AND Frentzen in the Macs, and I'm a happy HAPPY bunny...

[Minardi fan]

And Raikkonen is on a FOUR year contract with Sauber - they aren't going to give him up easily.

[OVERSTEER]

What do you reckon to the look of this?

Ferrari: TGF, Badoer
Mclaren: Coulthard, Heidfeld
Williams: JPM, R Schumacher
Jordan: Trulli, Zonta
BAR: Panis, Manning
Jaguar: Irvine, Franchitti/De la rosa
Sauber: Raikkonen, Pantano
Renault: Button, Webber
Arrows: Pizzonia, Wilson
Prost: Sarrazin, HHF
Minardi: Alonso, Albers

[Minardi fan]

Badoer in the Ferrari? WIKID!

[Marshal]

Ferrari: Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen
McLaren: David Coulthard and Nick Heidfeld
Jordan: Frenzy and Villeneuve
Williams: Schumacher and Montoya
Benetton: Button and Trulli
BAR: Panis and Sato
Sauber: Zonta and Webber
Arrows: Bernoldi and Wurz
Jaguar: Irvine and De La Rosa
Minardi: Alonso and Servia
Prost: Burti and Gene
Toyota: Mika Salo and Allan McNish

Maybe.

[robert2000]

Here's my guess

Ferrari: Schumacher and Raikkonen
McLaren: Coulthard and Heidfeld
Jordan: Villeneuve and Frentzen
Williams: Schumacher and Montoya
Benetton: Button and Trulli
BAR: Panis and Barrichello
Sauber: Wilson and Wurz
Arrows: Gene and Scheckter
Jaguar: Irvine and De La Rosa
Minardi: Alonso and Webber
Prost: Burti and Pizzonia
Toyota: Mika Salo and Allan McNish

[SH0077]

It seems that most of you expect Fisi to end up in the F1 wilderness next year. Only VB and EERO beleive that Fisi will have a drive next year. Well I hope he continues to kick Jenson's Butt and we see Trulli and Fisi in next years full Factory Renault Outfit! Why do so many beleive that Fisi's time in F1 is up?

[DNQ]

This is how I think things will happen:

Ferrari-Ferrari: M.Schumacher/R.Barrichello
Mclaren-Mercedes: D.Coulthard/N.Heidfeld (Mika will retire)
Williams-BMW: R.Schumacher/J.Montoya (Already signed)
Jordan-Honda: J.Villeneuve/H-H.Frentzen (Trulli to Benetton)
BAR-Honda: O.Panis/D.Manning
Benetton-Renault: J.Button/J.Trulli
Sauber-Petronas: K.Raikkonen/Wurz
Prost-Nissan: G.Fisichella/L.Burti
Arrows-Supertec: J.Verstappen/E.Bernoldi
Jaguar-Cosworth: P.De La Rosa/T.Sheckter (Irvine will retire)
Minardi-Renault: F.Alonso/M.Webber
Toyota-Toyota: M.Salo/A.McNish

[Tristan]

BTW, I said Fischo would have a drive. Soz, meant to put McNish at Toyota. Always get him and Webber confuzzed.

[bulldogspirit]

Ferrari: TGF/Alonso
McLaren: Panis/Heidfeld (Mika retires)
Williams: Ralf/JPM
Jordan: DC/Barrichello
BAR: Villeneuve/Manning
Renault: Button/Trulli (Fisi rather take a year out than suffer that engine again)
Sauber: Kimi/HHF
Arrows: Jos/Webber (Bernoldi banished to CART)
Prost: Burti/Bourdais (Alesi retires)
Jaguar: Irvine/PDLR
Minardi: Pizzonia/Badoer (Marques off to become a milkman)
Toyota: Salo/McNish(at last!!!)

I reckon that'd be a great competitive line-up, not a hope in hell of happening though!!

[EERO]

Originally posted by SH0077
It seems that most of you expect Fisi to end up in the F1 wilderness next year. Only VB and EERO beleive that Fisi will have a drive next year. Well I hope he continues to kick Jenson's Butt and we see Trulli and Fisi in next years full Factory Renault Outfit! Why do so many beleive that Fisi's time in F1 is up?

Actually, Shoo, I think all the good rides are resolved. EJ has stated that he doesn't want him back; McLaren will keep one of their current two and I still think Mika will retire, despite his protestations otherwise. Trulli has made it plain that he will NOT got to Renault. Flavio Flave is his manager, but does NOT own his contract. Prost may be a possibility, but Ferrari, which would be a good fit remans an impossibility as long as TGF controls the second seat. Fisi would never accpt #2 status, TGF doesn't want to be threatened by a fast teamamte.

Prost or even Sauber might be a possibility, but its a Minardi, if you ask me, or the IRL.

Agreat talent wasted and its time for Giancarlo to pack it in.