Kazuki Nakajima

[Galahad]

I really felt for the lad today, he did everything right and was heading for a strong points finish until a spot of finger trouble in the pits. Williams seem to be having that sort of season, don't they?

Now, it is well-known that Kazuki is only there because of his links to the team's engine supplier, Toyota. However I think that he has proven himself to be a decent performer and, more importantly, is showing signs of improvement as he gets more experience under his belt. Whether other similar young drivers are learning at the same rate is a point worth pondering?

Now, of course your opinion of Nakajima will depend to some extent on your opinion of Nico Rosberg. But what's the general view? Is Nakajima worth his place in F1?

 

[Brogan]

Yes a real shame for Kazuki today.
Despite being out-qualified by Nico again (7-0 to Nico) he did in fact put in a better fastest lap and was on his way to some points prior to the pit stop problem.

I suppose really you'd have to compare Kazuki to Nelsinho and possibly Heikki to get an idea of how he is performing and improving?
However, that in itself is difficult as the latter 2 are paired with team-mates who consistently out-perform them and have been WDC.

I'm undecided about Kazuki.
No doubt he has improved since last year but I'm not sure whether it's enough to deserve another drive next year

 

[bogaTYR]

kazuki is doing just fine in my view. sometimes better and sometimes worse but he is learning and there is improvement. today the team let him down but like you said, its that kind of a season. i have to admit, sutil for instance is showing much less improvement to my disappointment.

rosberg, i think he had his 60th GP today? i think he is becoming a true nr 1 driver. the main reason why i don't see nico go to macca. cos that would be a step back. but nico took his time and got the chance to grow. clearly that paid of.

but the biggest letdown this year has to be buemi for me. there seems to be very little progress in his driving. maybe my expectations were too high.

 

[Brogan]

rosberg, i think he had his 60th GP today? i think he is becoming a true nr 1 driver. the main reason why i don't see nico go to macca. cos that would be a step back.

Is that because you're one of those people who think McLaren run a number 1 and 2 driver?
You do know this isn't the case don't you which is why we saw all the problems in 2007?

Heikki has clearly stated many times that he is classed as an equal in the team and there is no favouritism.

Even the impartial observer put in the McLaren garage in 2007 said Alonso and Hamilton were given equal status and opportunity.

Seriously boga, you need to base your posts on facts and not opinion, especially when it's not true and has been proven to not be true.

Personally I think Nico would be a good fit at McLaren and we might end up seeing some better racing.
2007 was a case in point where Lewis and Fernando finished on equal points - they seemed to get the best out of each other due solely down to the competition.

Anyway, I digress, this thread is about Kazuki.

 

[bogaTYR]

bro, not at all. i have the fullest confidence in macca and them not having a nr 1 and nr 2 driver. its in the eyes of the world and in the shadow of LH.

ps. plus, what i meant in my post. rosberg seems nr 1 at williams. going to a team with 2 equal drivers is a step back in that view.

and whats wrong with opinions? i think kazuki is doing just fine

 

[gribbli]

I always thought he did pretty well leading up to this season. Though one could argue that you make your own luck to some extent, i.e. if the team arent feeling it, then they might be prone to mistakes that would not normally occur if they had more confidence and 'get up and go' attitude.

However thats all conjecture and its a team effort anyway, hopefully with a few more decent performances the luck will go his way and they can all perform a bit better as a team.

 

[Galahad]

Funnily enough I thought Kovalainen, Sutil and Buemi all had good weekends, in different ways. But I would agree that we aren't necessarily seeing the same improvement with all drivers.

Some are blessed with natural talent but aren't inclined to put the effort in on improving in other areas (Kimi?)

Whereas others have to work hard at it (Massa?)

Seldom do drivers have both the talent and the application. Schumacher certainly I would put in that bracket.

As for Rosberg, if he doesn't think he's as quick as Hamilton, that's a good reason not to go there isn't it? Somewhat disappointing for his fans, but that's what his father advised him. At the moment I think a lot of drivers will be wondering whether a McLaren seat is really going to be as good an option for them as it has been in the past - so Kovalainen may get to keep it.

 

[bogaTYR]

the oddest thing, and i never knew this. today the presenter of where i was watching the race said that buemi would never be a success in f1 cos his reaction speed was too low. no idea if that is true or not but it was a new one to me.

 

[Galahad]

Was that an ex-driver's comment? Seems odd to me.

Ferrari used to use lights to practice GP starts, probably they still do, and the results were that Michael Schumacher was consistently slower at reacting than Eddie Irvine! So I don't think it's that important really.

 

[Brogan]

Getting back on topic

Do you know GM if Kazuki's current sponsorship deal expires at the end of this season or does it go on into 2010?
I wonder how it would affect Williams if Kazuki was to leave, surely they need as much financial help as they can get at the moment.

 

[bogaTYR]

thats what i remember too. so i was really surprised. actually, it was our good friend mr lauda. ok, he gives his opinion and sometimes even make sense but i just respect the guy.

lauda was not too thrilled about nakajima's pit stop though. amateurs i think was the kindest word he used.

 

[gribbli]

I think there is alot of 2nd driver material out there, Rosberg im not sure of. As for Kazuki, like all other times we have seen it before, having a driver in a team for the sake of getting certain sponsors, engines, or even the dreaded 'driver bankrolling team' scenarios seldom lead to anything positive for either the driver or the team for that matter.

This season is probably last chance saloon for a number of drivers. If Williams want to continue with the same engines then it could well guarantee Kazuki a drive, however it might also guarantee Williams mediocraty in the long run if he isnt up to the task.

 

[bogaTYR]

ah yes, thats true bro. this contract with toyota was for 3 year starting in 2007. so that will end after this season. that certainly spices the situation up.

 

[Galahad]

Bro - I don't know whether Nakajima has a contract for 2010, but I suspect not. Rumour has it that the engines are free as long as Kazuki is driving.

Now, of course Cosworth are supposed to be coming back next year, and Williams have a good relationship with them, but with the freeze, a free engine is better than a cheap one, is it not?

So my guess would be that it depends on whether Toyota are still in F1 next year. If so, it'll be Williams-Toyota again with Nakajima in one car. If not, it'll be Williams-Cosworth, and perhaps someone else will get a chance - Nico Hulkenberg?

 

[bogaTYR]

GM

and additional point, slightly off topic at first though: doesn't a team when entering an application to paricipate in F1 has to give an engine supplier? just thought i remembered something like that.

cos if i remember this correctly, then williams must have given their engine supplier too. and logically this should be toyota. thus ensuring kazuki's future with the team.

ah yes, according to paragraph 13 of the sporting rules you have to submit not only the make of the engine, but also of the chassis, and the names of the drivers.

 

[Galahad]

True, boga, but I don't think it will be a problem to change it, particularly if your engine supplier makes a late decision to withdraw - force majeure. There have been an awful lot of teams I can remember who haven't known in October/November what engine or drivers they were going to be running the following year - Minardi, Jordan in their later years, Arrows etc.

 

[teabagyokel]

I'm not sure about Nakajima. He's a decent driver, but there may be a few too many offs.
Sometimes he does a really good job, but then again if he was that brilliant then he'd be driving for Toyota itself.

As for Rosberg to McLaren, the liklihood is that, long term, McLaren will be more competitive than Williams after this season, so I think it'd be a step up. If he gets close to Hamilton that'll be seen as good considering where Alonso was in 2007 particularly!

I'm not sure Naka will be in F1 next year, if Toyota stick around he's got a chance, but if Campos, Epsilon etc. want an experienced driver then there'd be better places to turn than Naka.

 

[bogaTYR]

plus FOTA sees williams as a scab so no engines from toyota under the existing circumstances. this apparently was one of the decisions FOTA made in Monaco. so here comes cossie! especially cos williams registered so maybe they already registered with cosworth.

which is odd, cos today the CEO of williams was on tv and he said that williams had not been kicked out but was suspended in mutual agreement.

 

[Galahad]

Well, of course FOTA will end up back in F1 once they've got what they want. At the moment everybody will have to use Cosworths!

If you were Rosberg's manager, which option would you sign for 2010?

> McLaren, with Hamilton as team-mate
> BMW, with Heidfeld as team-mate
> Williams, with Nakajima as team-mate

 

[teabagyokel]

Well, of course FOTA will end up back in F1 once they've got what they want. At the moment everybody will have to use Cosworths!

If you were Rosberg's manager, which option would you sign for 2010?

> McLaren, with Hamilton as team-mate
> BMW, with Heidfeld as team-mate
> Williams, with Nakajima as team-mate

Where's Kubica going?

Personally, BMW!