by Nuppiz » 29 Jul 2009, 02:42
Well, Iltalehti analyzed the current situation and gave these probability ratings and arguments to each driver rumored to be at the seat:
Marc Gené: 75%
Arguments: Trustworthy, has been with Ferrari for a long time. The easiest solution for Ferrari. Has competed in F1 last time in 2004, but has kept himself in good form by racing Le Mans and other series.
Michael Schumacher: 15%
Arguments: Has been working for Ferrari on the background for the past couuple of years. The team personnel would probably welcome him well, but has he got the motivation to return racing in a car that's nowhere near the performance of his glory days?
Fernando Alonso: 6%
Arguments: Spanish media's favourite boy for Ferrari, and the Renault's ban from the next race has just escalated these rumors. But there's likely to be too much obstacles on the way now. Next year is a completely different thing, then.
Luca Badoer: 2%
Arguments: Has served the team for a long time, but last competed in F1 a decade ago. Was going to be Schumacher's replacement in 1999, but Ferrari chose Mika Salo instead. Why would Maranello trust Badoer now?
Mirko Bortolotti: 1%
Arguments: Mirko who? This youngster was raised in the spotlight by La Stampa. Has won the Italian F3 championship and has done a relatively good job in F2 this year. Has also tested for Ferrari and impressed the team by his speed. But Ferrari is now looking for an experienced supplement driver, not a young schoolboy.
Someone else: 1%
Jacques Villeneuve is willing to rejoin F1, but the Canadian's services don't spark even the small teams' interest. David Coulthard has admitted that he is missing the F1 circuits. How about Alexander Wurz, who has already negotiated for a driver contract after his own team project came to nothing? Vitantonio Liuzzi was also noted by the Italian media, but he hasn't got much recommendations from any motorsport series. Valentino Rossi would love to drive a Ferrari and it would be a huge thing for the Italian media, but asking for his services in the middle of the MotoGP season is as probable as the return of Mika Salo in the Ferrari driving suit.
I pretty much agree with this, though I'd still love to see Badoer in the seat!
PMMF Moderator, keeping that subforum tidy since 21st April 2013.
IFRC: not related to the charity foundation at all.
Life GP Series: where reliability is little more than a fancy word.