![]() ![]() Then there is the small matter of securing Ferrari engines for Marussia in 2014…ĭespite providing a healthy budget, there still remain some questions around whether Max Chilton is in F1 due to his talent, or the much needed healthy sponsorship package he brings to Marussia given that he has never won a championship in a lower category. Season objective: Prove to the world that the faith placed in him by Marussia, Ferrari and Force India is justified and help push the team forward ahead of Caterham. He’s good, and that’s what Marussia need right now. Bianchi comes highly rated from Force India where he was their third driver last season due to his speed and technical ability, and a driver is not part of the Ferrari Driver Academy unless they are seriously talented. However, fate – and one of Luiz Razia’s sponsors failing to meet a payment deadline – saw him elevated at short notice to the position of race driver at Marussia so much so, his helmet still had the ‘Ferrari Driver Academy’ stickers when he took to the car for the first time on Saturday. He’d lost out to Adrian Sutil in what was definitely not a shoot-out for the second Force India seat, and another year as a reserve driver seemed the likely option for F1’s third Frenchman. Until the penultimate day of the last Barcelona test, it did not seem that Jules Bianchi was going to be on the 2013 Formula 1 grid. Season objective: Work hard with the team’s underwhelming CT03 to stay ahead of Marussia a difficult task considering they seem to have the momentum at the moment. Despite this, van der Garde has acquitted himself well within the team by smoothly making the transition from test-driver to race-driver and in the process, and has shown himself to be media and fan friendly as he is always good for a soundbite. However, this is the least of his problems as Caterham seems to have produced an underwhelming car this season and the team has admitted it will not see the step forward it so badly needs to clearly place itself ahead of Marussia until the European season begins. Season objective: Mix his natural speed with consistency, and manage to be ahead of highly regarded team-mate, Nico Hulkenberg on a few occasions.Īt 25, the first Dutch Formula 1 driver since 2007 is the oldest of 2013’s newcomers. Main sponsor Telmex – and its owner, Carlos Slim who is worth an estimated $75.5bn – will be watching closely. If he can get on top of this aspect of his driving and combine it with the speed that he so obviously has, then expect another Formula 1 star to be born. However, whilst Perez – at least before he signed for McLaren – was noted for his consistency, despite finishing a respectable third in GP2 last year, one word blighted Guiterrez’s season inconsistency. Season objective: Live with teammate Maldonado, and continue the Williams revival.Įsteban Gutierrez comes into the sport with the tag “the chosen one” at just 22 then, a sense of expectation comes placed on the young Mexican’s shoulders to emulate the successes of his compatriot, Sergio Perez. However, Bottas appears to be the most promising of all the newcomers, as he does not fall into the category of ‘pay driver’ like his contemporaries he brings a sizeably smaller budget than Bruno Senna who he replaced at Williams, so if Sir Frank and the team – men and women who if you cut them bleed petrol – did not believe he could deliver the results that the new Renault-powered FW35 seems capable of, he would not be in the car. (Photo: WRi2)įinland’s latest star had the status of a legend even before he’d taken to the track as a Williams race driver after AUTOSPORT magazine begun the #BOTTAS Twitter phenomenon. Giedo Van der Garde, Esteban Gutierrez, Max Chilton, Jules Bianchi, Valtteri Bottas. takes a look at the five newcomers to Formula 1 this season, and rates their chances ahead of this weekend’s season curtain raiser, the Australian Grand Prix. ![]()
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