I am always expanding this blog. I love Formula 1 and would love to write about the behind the scene action. It is an extremely competitive thing to do so for the mean time, it will be for fun to write about topics I feel need attention.
Situation Report
In recent news, Pastor Maldonado, current Renualt driver and teammate to Joylon Palmer has had his race seat under scrutiny due to late payments from his main sponsor PDVSA. Which has feature prominently on all the cars he has raced in.
PDVSA which is a state-owned Venezuelan petrol/natural gas company. Renault are
partnered with Elf. Maldonado was confirmed before the Renault takeover of Lotus. With these late payments have offered Renault a 'get out of jail free' card here. If Maldonado or his sponsor don't pay up and break any contractual agreements, it will give Renault enough cause to let Maldonado go. Kevin Magnussen has been linked to the seat and has been rumoured for a possible manor seat.
What now for Maldonado?
Maldonado hasn't lost his seat yet, but it is looking increasingly likely. But what I have learned from recent stories (Such as the Aston Martin Force India deal) it's not over until the fat lady sings. If Maldonado did loose his seat what would/could he do?
He has a large budget which has kept him in Formula 1 a little longer than his skills would have. Could a reserve role with Friday outings be the way forward? Not likely. It would most likely be the end of his career if he were to become a third driver.
Manor has two seats still available and with the smallest budget on the grid they may be looking for some extra cash. Maldonado and PDVSA could be what Manor needs. Rio Haryanto who has some big money backing had strong links to the team but they have gone quiet so this could be Maldonado's chance.
It also seems that this move wouldn't be completely disastrous or a last ditch attempt to stay on the grid for one more season. Manor have completely re branded. No longer holding on to the Marussia badge the team is now Manor Racing Team and has Mercedes 2016 power and some help from Williams and their gearboxes. Maldonado also has experience with Mercedes engines. Maybe Manor will become low points challengers, fighting the Sauber's Renault's and possibly Haas.
Manor's options
Manor still have both seats open for 2016. They also had three drivers race for them throughout the season. All of which showed decent performances and showed they are worthy of a drive. However there are more than just three drivers looking for seats there is going to be some drivers on the side lines this year.
Lets look at the candidates.
Will Stevens
Performed will all year in noncompetitive machinery. The score board doesn't go well in his favour as he was 21st in the classified standings and beating by both his teammates. However Stevens was consistant. It was looking good that he would be racing in 2016 but it has gone quiet recently.Roberto Merhi
Was originally on a 5 race contract when he started and also racing in lower Formula. Mehri raced for free and performed with full effort. He finished the highest out of the Manor drivers and 19th in the standings. A 12th place at Silverstone secured his 19th place. Alexander Rossi
The Haas reject performed excellently during his brief stint. He beat Stevens four out of five times. His best result was 12th at his home Grand Prix. He would be a great addition to any team. Pascal Wehrlein
Mercedes protege and DTM Champion hasn't taken the usual route to F1 but it's not the first time a DTM champion has joined F1. Only a few years ago Paul Di Resta did the same with Force India. Since the announcement that Manor would be racing with Mercedes power Pascal has been linked to the team. As a possible piece to the deal that got Manor the Mercedes power. However this is yet to materialised. Rio Haryanto
The GP2 veteran has been on the fringes of F1 for a few years. Having test roles for Caterham and Marussia in the past. He has a big budget from Indonesia. Which could be what Manor needs just to help it on its feet after the major changes the team has been going through.Pastor Maldonado
The star of this article. Maldonado is proven to have a big budget. He wants to stay in F1 and he has many years experience in the sport. He has knowledge of Mercedes hardware and when he isn't crashing into competitors or getting caught in accidents. (After all not all his crashes are his fault. Australia 2015 comes to mind) He can be a good wheel-to-wheel racer and has got good pace. These factors could be very appealing to Manor. This is all dependent on if he loses his seat to Magnussen.
Kevin Magnussen
K-Mag has got some serious talent. You should watch the first few seconds of F1 racing in Australia 2014. How he didn't slam that car into the barrier is quite remarkable. He then outperformed his seasoned and ex-champion teammate Button to a third place and to be promoted to 2nd after Ricciardo's disqualification. That would be his only podium to date but it's proof enough of his skills. If his Renault seat hopes fade, he may be tempted to move to Manor, if they can afford him. Like Maldonado he also brings Money as well as knowledge of Mercedes tech and a good portion of skill.Manor really have the pick of the bunch. Lets see what they do. My gut is saying. Will Stevens and Pastor Maldonado.
Thanks for reading
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