The Big Picture
Whilst I could ramble on about how the championship has turned into a boring, one-dimensional joke akin to that of 2011, I won't. For all intents and purposes this season is over, and so the big picture for Formula 1 right now is next year, particularly the driver market. The sport is abuzz with rumours about who's going where for next season. Veteran Felipe Massa is seeking a competitive drive for next season, with him linked to Lotus, Force India, Sauber and McLaren for 2014, with no doubt about his experience and talent. If he were to leave it would mean there would be no Brazilian drivers on the grid for the first time in decades, which would be bad news for the Brazilian Grand Prix in a country where they are so passionate about the sport. Massa also brings a lot of backing with him and for teams where finances are a major issue, such as Sauber and Lotus, it might make all the difference. Nico Hulkenberg is the star right now, as with his latest delivery of fourth place in Korea in spectacular style, adding to his fifth place in Italy and breaks into the points in recent races with a less than competitive Sauber he is showing he really has what it takes. Few teams would turn him down, and it looks like he has probably done enough to secure at Lotus drive for 2014. Grosjean, will he be team leader at Lotus in 2014? He certainly seems to think so, and Lotus are losing Raikkonen to Ferrari so may well want to keep the man that knows their team, and has started to perform better of late. However after his calamities last season and then drop in form earlier this year, I wouldn't say it was guaranteed, especially with Hulkenberg a sure target. Given their financial situation, it may also be that, if they want the Sauber man enough, they might elect to drop Grosjean and take Felipe Massa for his experience and financial benefits to the team. After all, one of their sponsors is already collected to the Brazilian. Paul di Resta's hopes of a good drive for next season are fading fast with his fourth DNF in a row, the second that is his fault after his Italian shunt, and with Hulkenberg drawing all the attention you wonder if he's lost his chance to move to a bigger team for 2014. There are few seats available that would actually be better than Force India, Lotus being the main target, and it might just be that he's lost that. A shame considering how good a driver he is and how strong he looked earlier this season. Rookies are also sweating about next season, with Perez having not signed a contract for next year just yet. Whilst he is confident about it, claiming it was all but done, Martin Whitmarsh this week said McLaren would be making "headline-grabbing" signings to shake the Woking team up, and you have to wonder whether Perez really will have a seat for 2014. Others like Bottas have had an average season, and despite the stunning third on the grid in Canada he has consistently finished behind teammate Maldonado this year, who also brings a lot of money to Williams and would more likely retain his seat. Gutierrez, whilst showing better the last few races, has consistently failed to match Hulkenberg in the same car, and with so many other tempting options available such as Massa, Di Resta or Sutil, Sauber might well elect to start afresh if Hulkenberg moves on. Without a very strong result in the final races, I'd say he will find himself out of Sauber next year. Caterham haven't confirmed anything, and rumours of Kovalainen getting a race seat again next year are still around, however Pic and Van der Garde have both been doing a great job consistently and are very closely matched, and I think deserve to stay. In good news, Bianchi confirmed he will stay for Marussia for 2014, which is great for the sport as he's deserved it and clearly has the talent for the future, and longer term is part of Ferrari's young drivers' programme. This means any change at Marussia will come by replacing Max Chilton, who hasn't had an electric first season. He's had some good moments but overall has been overshadowed by Bianchi, and might well find himself gone next season. On top of all this, Sauber team principal Monisha Kaltenborn was forced to backtrack on comments this week that Rubens Barrichello was in the running for a 2014 Sauber seat. It wouldn't surprise me if he was given his passion to continue his Formula 1 career, and his wealth of experience almost dates back to the last turbo era of F1.