German Car Forum

With Fernando having announced his decision to leave McLaren this week, eurosport.yahoo.com takes a look at the main candidates to partner Lewis Hamilton next year.
Heikki Kovalainen (Renault)
Age: 25
Nationality: Finnish
GPs/Wins: 17/0
On the face of it, Kovalainen would appear to be the obvious choice, especially if Alonso ends up returning to Renault for 2008. After a dodgy debut race in Australia which was described as "rubbish" by team boss Flavio Briatore, he picked himself up and more often than not out-qualified and out-raced team-mateGiancarlo Fisichella over the second half of the season. His second place in Japan was the icing on the cake, and put him in the box seat for a McLaren move.
Nico Rosberg (Williams)
Age: 22
Nationality: German
GPs/Wins: 34/0
The ideal candidate, even more so than Kovalainen, and not as tied in to his Williams deal as Sir Frank Williams would have you know. Young, good-looking and multilingual, and that's even before you take into account his blistering speed. He won the GP2 title at his first attempt, like Hamilton. A karting superstar, like Hamilton, and a good friend of the Brit, having holidayed together often as teenagers. His wild streak of 2006 is gone, but the raw speed is still here in abundance. Fourth place in the season finale in Brasil was a sensational result against the faster BMW Saubers. He would certainly match Hamilton for both racecraft and speed, without making the kind of ructions that Alonso did.
Pedro de la Rosa (McLaren)
Age: 36
Nationality: Spanish
GPs/Wins: 71/0
McLaren's test driver would cause no problems to Hamilton and would certainly be a number two in speed terms, even though not in status. More experience of the team than any other driver since David Coulthard's days, the veteran raced for half a season with them last year and would relish the opportunity to get back behind the wheel in race conditions. On the downside, he was no match for Kimi Raikkonen last year, and how much will Hamilton really gain from not being pushed by his team-mate?
Jenson Button (Honda)
Age: 27
Nationality: British
GPs/Wins: 135/1
It's wishful thinking perhaps, but do not forget that despite Honda having twice officially confirmed both he and Rubens Barrichello for next year, the Brazilian is still being linked with a move to Super Aguri. So why not Button to McLaren? The only race-winner on our list, he would do a solid job and probably win races too. However, his contractual history might have blown his chance of ever driving for a big team.
Others
Rumours are a wonderful thing, but you would have to wonder what Ron would be thinking of if he took a punt on reliable old Giancarlo Fisichella or Jarno Trulli. Robert Kubica would do a great job, but would cost a fortune to prize away from the ever-improving BMW Sauber. Maybe footballer Milan Baros could be considered after being caught doing 271 kph on a French motorway, although the ex-Liverpool and Aston Villa striker was driving a Ferrari at the time, so maybe he's holding out for a move to the Italian team.
Eurosport

It seem like Heikki Kovalainen is the favorite to become the new Mclaren driver. I'd say go ahead and hire him Mclaren.

I don't think so. It would mean that Mc has 2 rookies as pilots... For me, they will try to have someone with more expericence, to develop the car, even if he is a bit less fast.

i say give pedro a chance..

id say rosborg is the best choice out of all.

I think Rosberg or Button would be more logical since they have some experience.

Assuming he's going back to Renault, then yeah, that would make the most sense.

Button doesn't seem to be good enough for Mclaren. Raoul made a good point that both Heikki and Hamilton are not very experienced F1 drivers. Perhaps Pedro is the best choice after all? He did demonstrate his skills last year and does have a long history in F1.

+1

Hamilton names potential team-mates

British Formula One star Lewis Hamilton has said Nico Rosberg, Adrian Sutil and Heikki Kovalainen are the main contenders to replace Spaniard Fernando Alonso at McLaren-Mercedes.
"Rosberg, Sutil or Kovalainen," said Hamilton, who finished runner-up in this year's world drivers championships behind Alonso, when asked who his team-mate would be next season.
"The important thing is that he is a team player," added Hamilton after his very public falling-out this season with double world champion Alonso before the Spaniard quit Mercedes-McClaren on Friday.
German Rosberg, the son of Finland's 1982 world champion Keke Rosberg, is under contract with Williams and is the favourite to join the British team having finished ninth in the 2007 championships.
Hamilton's friend Sutil is also amongst the favourites as is Renault driver, Finland's Kovalainen, who took 7th place in the championships with 30 points.
Norbert Haug, the boss of Mercedes Sport, refused to name Alonso's successor and said "the team will find it's best solution to the issue."
AFP

Williams: Hands off Rosberg

Nico Rosberg will not race for McLaren next year, according to Williams engineering chief Patrick Head.
The 22-year-old German has been tipped as one of the three favourites to replace former world champion Fernando Alonso at McLaren following his split with the team this week.
Even British superstar Lewis Hamilton said that Rosberg, a good friend of his from their days as team-mates in go-karting, would be an ideal team-mate for 2008.
But Head, who has run Williams in conjunction with team principal Sir Frank Williams since 1978, has reiterated his stance that the youngster will stay put next season.
"Nico is contracted to our team for 2008 and we have an option for his services for 2009," Head told the Mail on Sunday.
"We are planning to go into next season with Nico as our lead driver, and we would not entertain any approach from McLaren for Nico.
"McLaren are a team in a position to offer very large salaries, but our aim is to be looking to strengthen Williams."
Rosberg, whose father Keke won the 1982 world title for Williams, has raced exclusively for them since making his Formula One debut with them in last year's Bahrain Grand Prix, and enhanced his growing reputation with a career-best fourth place in Brasil three weeks ago.
But, despite Williams having first refusal on his service for next season, they have not yet pinned him down to another year's contract.
Jamie O'Leary / Eurosport

Rosberg has just been confirmed by Williams as one of their drivers for 2008. So we can strike him off the list. My money is on Pedro.

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^ I hope for Nelson Piquet Jr. These 2 will take points/crash from/into eachother leaving the title for some some like Alonso or Raikkonen.

Nakajima handed Williams drive

Japan's Kazuki Nakajima will race for Williams next season.
The 22-year-old son of former grand prix racer Satoru Nakajima will partner Germany's Nico Rosberg, also 22 and the son of Finland's 1982 world champion Keke, at the Toyota-powered team.
Nakajima, who was the team's official test and reserve driver this year, raced for Williams in the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix after Austrian Alexander Wurz announced his retirement.
Although he injured a mechanic in a pit lane incident at Interlagos, the youngster impressed with the fifth fastest race lap and a 10th place finish after starting 19th.

He's good, but getting a little too much credit and respect because of his name.

I am not sure he's good.

Hamilton is still a whole lot better . If Hekki goes to Mclaren next year there is a good chance that Nelson might drive for Renault.

I think that sounds more like Hamilton to me. He is getting a ton of credit because his name is Lewis Hamilton. I haven't heard anyone praise Piquet Jr. because his daddy was a three-time champ. I think Piquet, for a triple WDC, doesn't have that great of a name among F1 fans. He is almost never mentioned when people discuss great drivers.

Piquet Jnr. has tested extensively, so it might make him a more technically-complete driver. Most people don't care about technical ability, but I consider it the rarest trait among drivers. I don't want some bloke who sits in the car on race day and drives.

Those blokes you're talking about haven't had an F1 career handed to them like Nelson and Bruno who have been born and raised into racing(F1). I can imagine the privileges one gets with a racing champions surname.

Look who's talking. Hamilton's been handled a ticked from since he was 14.
So no more from this biased non-sense please.

Me biased? Lol

I think we all are biased.

But there's a different between working your ass off until you're 14 and having a gokart parked and ready for you before you're even born.

If you think that Piquet Jr. hasn't worked his ass off, I think you need to take a reality check. The only difference is that Piquet Jr. knew that when the time came he would have the connection so that he'd at least get a look from an F1 team.

If he drove like crap, his last name would be worthless. F1 is big business, they're not going to give a drive to someone who's a total hack because his daddy used to drive in F1.

De la Rosa wants Alonso's McLaren seat



''If they need a driver, I'm ready and willing''

Pedro de la Rosa has counted himself in the running to replace his countryman Fernando Alonso at McLaren for 2008.

The Spanish newspaper El Mundo Deportivo said 36-year-old de la Rosa is a friend of Emilio Botin, the boss of McLaren's Spanish sponsor Santander who is reportedly unhappy about Alonso's team exit.

"Everybody wants to be a McLaren driver," de la Rosa told Spanish press on Wednesday at Madrid's International Exhibition of Information Technology.

The Barcelona born driver is guaranteed McLaren's continuing primary test seat next year and also in 2009.

He substituted for Juan Pablo Montoya last year and subsequently hoped to be granted the seat that ultimately in 2007 was occupied by Lewis Hamilton.

"My dream has always been to race and, naturally, it is that possibility that keeps me going as a test driver," he continued.

"I'll try, of course I will. At the moment the team is in no rush and neither am I.

"If they need a driver, I'm ready and willing, that's for sure," de la Rosa said.

With Williams' Nico Rosberg now out of the running, also tenuously linked with the drive is 24-year-old French-Canadian DTM driver Bruno Spengler, who was thought to be a candidate for a Prodrive seat next year.

Source: Formula 1 : News DE LA ROSA - F1-Live.com