Where will Webber be come 2013?

Where will Webber be come 2013?


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landogeorgelewis1

Champion Elect
With Mark Webbers future unsolved for the 2013 season, I believe he is the key man in the driver market for next season.

1. Until Webber decide where he is going to be in 2013. We won't find out where Lewis Hamilton is going too.

2. Webber's future needs deciding before Massa can decide his future.

3. Sergio Perez's future remains up in the air, as Webber is rumoured to be on Ferrari's radar.

4. Paul Di Resta's future can't be decided until both Webber and Hamiltons futures have been announced.

5. The Toro Rosso team can't announce their line-up for next season until Webber's future is decided.


Those are 5 reason why I think Webber is the main player into the driver market for the 2013 season. So where will he be come 2013?
 
I think most likely option is he'll stay put. I read an article in autospot about the driver market, similar analysis to yours HammydiResta. It went on to say that lewis is losing bargaining power with Mclaren as other seats look less likely to be available. Ive also read Vettel may be at Ferrari in 2014. "Impeccable Italian sources that have always turned out to be right in the past insist there is an option for Vette to be at Ferrari in 2014" On the other hand Vettel has assured Red Bull that this is not the case. Interesting!! One things for sure lewis wont be going to Ferrari, that move's been vetoed.
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I am pretty sure this very question has been asked every year since Red Bull bought out Jaguar.

Your first point stated that we wont know where Lewis will be until Webber makes up his mind but I suggest it is the opposite which is true we wont know where Webber will be until Lewis makes up his mind.

At the moment the drivers market is stuck until Lewis signs for whoever he chooses to drive for, if Lewis wants to go to Red Bull then Webber is out if Lewis wants to stay put or go somewhere other than Red Bull then Webber will stay put...

For these reasons I don't know how to vote as I believe it is Lewis and not Webber that is the major player in the market place, once he chooses things will start happening..
 
If you think that Webber's the key to all the changes for next year I think you're wrong, much as I Iike and rate him. He is not a big player in F1, he doesn't have the caché of Alonso, Hamilton, Vettel, Button or any of the upcomers, he's a safe pair of hands and that's all in the current driver market. If he moves from Red Bull and stays in F1 it'll be to Williams or Sauber, if either want or need him.
It won't be his choice anyway, it'll be down to Red Bull.
 
But its not always how big a player you are that figures in all this. Politics rears its ugly head.
 
Hamilton should stay, Webber might have 1 or 2 years left at Red Bull and Vettel might move to Ferrari in 2014 because of the clause in his contract. I dont see any use in Webber going to Ferrari as he'll be bad the 1st year trying to get used to the car and the second he will have some chance but will Ferrari be on the pace before he retires?
 
There could be one reason for Webber going to Ferrari, a one year deal -mega bucks. He makes a nice little nest egg and retires. For Ferrari, he most likely scores more than Massa, it keeps Alonso happy and fills the gap unti Perez or Vettel are ready.
 
Does Webber strike you as the person who would leave a team he's well established in just for some bucks?
No not really. But perhaps if he'd decided to call it a day anyway and was offered a mega deal.....maybe. I still think most likely is he stays at Red Bull, thats what I voted for.
 
I think you are right HammydiRestarules when you say that Hamilton's options depend on Webber's choice but also on Schumacher's retirement (or not) which is a bit off topic. I know things usually pivot around the biggest fish, but on this occasion that might not be the case. I had better explain why I think that!

1) if Webber wants to stay
I cannot see Red Bull dumping Webber if he wants to stay. Things are just too cosy and if it ain't broke... That would leave Ferrari needing a second driver. I know a lot of people will say that Alonso would veto it but I don't think he would, nor do I think that Ferrari would accept the veto if they wanted to make a serious run at the constructor's title. If you were Ferrari and had the choice of Alonso & Massa, Alonso & Perez or Alonso & Hamilton, which would you go for? If you were Ferrari's sponsors Santander & Phillip Morris you might also push for Hamilton.

2) if Webber wants to move to Ferrari
What driver doesn't want Ferrari on their CV? Mark was hardly euphoric on the team radio winning Monaco and I think that he probably has a couple more years left and might now have had had enough of Horner. This is his last chance to move to a competitive alternative to Red Bull and probably his last big contract. It's now or never.

I think Alonso & Webber would be Ferrari's dream ticket. None of the complication of dual (or duelling) number 1 drivers and none of the risk of a young driver being Alonsoed. But where would that leave Red Bull? Ricciardo and Vergne - there is no evidence to suggest they belong. Frankly I think, Buemi and Alguersuari would be better options. I think if Red Bull lose Webber, they have to very, very seriously consider Hamilton or they have to tie Vettel in beyond next season. They surely cannot afford to be left without a top driver for 2014/15 can they?

The worst case scenario for Red Bull probably looks a bit like this: 2013 - lose Webber to Ferrari while Hamilton recommits for 5 years to McLaren. 2014 or 15 - lose Vettel to replace Webber at Ferrari so by 2015 McLaren is HAM & BUT while Ferrari is VET & ALO. Red Bull left with ??? & ????.

Personally, I think Lewis would be wise to do a 1 year deal with McLaren for next year and reassess when Vettel's future is clearer.
 
I doubt McLaren would let Hamilton do a one year deal. It shows a lack of commitment to the team, especially with the Vettel/Ferrari/2014 rumours. Not to mention it would be another huge tug of war over the contracts. The only way I can see a one year deal happening is if Hamilton takes a huge paycut.

Personally I think Webber should stay at Red Bull. He's been much better this year and there hasn't been much to choose between him and Vettel. Just have to put 2011 down to an anomaly. If he moves to Ferrari there's not guarantee he will recieve equal status, even if he does I doubt he would have a chance to beat Alonso over a season, whereas at RB he's certainly close to Vettel this year.

Vettel should also stay put. If we thought Button was entering the lion's den at Hamilton's McLaren then surely the situation at Ferrari with Alonso is another matter entirely. From an outside perspective it appears that Alonso certainly has a great level of sway in that team (one of Mark Hughes' reliable sources says Alonso's influence is close to that of the team principal), not to mention that Alonso is considered to be one of the best drivers on the grid and Webber doesn't speak Italian which could make working with the team more difficult.

Hamilton should stay with McLaren in my opinion. He's been with the team for a very long time and although they have won just 3 WDC (and 1 WCC (I'm not counting 2007)) in the last 15 years they have shown that they are able to deliver a race winning car consistantly, however it is their deficiency as a race team that lets them down. Granted Red Bull and Ferrari could probably afford to pay him more, but when all is said and done it's race wins and titles that are remembered. The whole Red Bull situation seems very shady to me, possible pre-contract deals with Ferrari and Webber's will he-won't he is a real turn off that could leave Hamilton leaving it too late and not having a race seat for 2013 (di Resta and Perez must look like good contingencies to McLaren). Ferrari seems even less likely than Red Bull, again there's the immovable object and unstoppable force that is Alonso. But Hamilton has raced against him before and beaten him (by the smallest of margins!) and if he were to go to the classic marque and do it again it would surely seal his place in the history books as a great, irrespective of what future titles he might win.
 
I think it will be a closer call than any of his previous years one year deals... I don't think he is the sort to move for the dollars, I think he gets paid a fair lick on his 1yr deals (which have been smart moves all round really, always leaves him with options). That said... this years Ferrari is starting to turn the corner... even Massa is starting to make it look quick :thinking:.

He is probably the only driver that Alonso gets along with... I was reading an article that basically said that Alonso has a stronger hold on Ferrari than Schumacher ever did... (as alluded to by no-FIAt-please)... he understands F1 history as well as anyone... no Australian has ever driven for Ferrari... it could be a nice sign off if it delivers a race win or two plus a WCC over a couple of seasons.

Theoretically...if the desire is still their... Lewis has at least another 10+ seasons in him... Vettel probably 12+... a move away from the their first F1 creche is not the end of their careers... you need only look at Button and Webber for validation of that... for mine, Lewis leaving McLaren could be the best thing for him...
 
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