An awful lot of things happened these past few days, and I was ill so didn’t get to blog about any of them. The topics that merit further attention will receive it in due course, so let’s recap quickly:
Mercedes have bought a controlling stake in Brawn GP. The team will race in 2010 as Mercedes Grand Prix and carry the famous Silver Arrows livery. Ross Brawn remains at the helm, and drivers are yet to be announced, though one of those is thought certain to be Nico Rosberg. The other probably won’t be Jenson Button, who is set to confirm a 3 year, £18million contract with McLaren. Alan Henry has reported it in today’s Guardian newspaper, and there is no journalist with greater insider knowledge of the Woking team than Henry. The team will, incidentally, continue to use Mercedes engines.
Mercedes motorsport vice-president Norbert Haug has suggested that second-guessing Button’s replacement would be a dangerous business, but admits the team have an interest in Nick Heidfeld. Wilder speculation – and I will admit to having floated this idea myself in an idle moment – places one Michael Schumacher at the wheel for one final fling, having came to prominence in the Mercedes sportscars of the late 80s and early 90s, though that’s an extreme longshot given that he recently agreed a new advisory role with Ferrari.
If Button’s going to McLaren, where is Kimi Raikkonen going? Home. While the Kimi that turned up for much of his stay at Ferrari won’t be missed, the one that was so brilliant in the latter part of 2009 is a loss to the sport, and it is to be hoped that the Iceman’s absence is as temporary as the linked piece suggests.
Timo Glock has signed to drive Manor GP’s first F1 challenger, shying away from the expected move to Renault in the wake of the French firm’s meeting to discuss their future in the sport, the outcome of which is still not public knowledge. There is quiet, unsubstantiated talk that Robert Kubica has signed as de facto number one for the Regie and that Timo didn’t fancy playing second fiddle; whether there’s any truth to that is another thing altogether. Of the other new teams, Lotus have confirmed the signing of a driver whose identity will be announced in due course (the hot money is on Jarno Trulli to end up there, perhaps partnered with Anthony Davidson, but the contracted man is likely to be Malaysian Fairuz Fauzy as test and reserve driver), Campos have been linked with GP2 race winners Pastor Maldonado and Vitaly Petrov, and there is continued talk that USF1 will not make it.
Fernando Alonso has made his first public appearance as a Ferrari driver, accompanying Felipe Massa at the Ferrari World Finals in Valencia. His taste in knitwear is criminal.
