Rumour Has It.....

It seems that Formula One is built around the idea of ‘the rumour’. Many fans dismiss them as just that, rumours. But every rumour has to start somewhere. It HAS to start with some small tidbit of information. Yes, sometimes it may be blown way out of proportions, and sometimes not so much. But each year, the rumour mill starts up, and it is up to us, the fans and the media to make our way through it and try to decipher what is true, what is based on the truth, and what is an out and out lie.

Free practice one is only two weeks away. The F1 cars have barely even turned their engines over, and the mill has begun to run rampant.

First up is the idea of Marussia F1 Team’s Luiz Razia being left out of pre-season testing. Razia was scheduled to run for two of the four days in Spain, but Marussia said the programme was changed to exclude Razia because it made sense to keep Max in the car for consistency. The situation seems to be causing alarm within Brazil’s F1 media ranks, and raising doubts about whether the 23-year-old’s new contract is now in doubt, or whether Max Chilton is simply the clear and favoured ‘number 1’. Luiz Razia has confirmed recently that off-track “conflicts” caused him to sit out last week’s Barcelona test. It begs to question exactly what is going on with Marussia and their pair of rookie drivers.

Second on the rumour mill is Adrian Sutil and a possible secured seat with Force India. The German magazine Sport Bild said Sutil (the long-time Force India driver who sat out 2012 in the wake of the Eric Lux assault affair) has beaten the young contender Jules Bianchi to become Paul di Resta’s new team-mate. This rumour seems pretty legitimate, but with the whispers of an idea that Sutil may not be able to enter China , it would seem more logical of the up and coming team to choose the young French Bianchi.

One of the most talked about rumours in the F1 paddock if the idea of Ross Brawn’s future with Mercedes. With the deification of Paddy Lowe from McLaren to Mercedes, many fans and media alike are waiting to see if Brawn will keep to his word and leave the team. It is stated that Brawn will remain with the team… for now. Brawn said last month in the wake of revelations: “Paddy is not coming. I want to see how things go before I make a final long-term commitment. If I choose to leave the team then Paddy will come. We’ve got a plan. We have a fall-back plan. It’s as simple as that.”

One great round that is on-again, off-again is the idea that Honda wants, and has plans, to come back to Formula One. Newest revelations indicate that Honda has been working on a project to make an appearance in F1 in 2014. With Honda revealing its all-new turbo V6 ‘power unit’ for next year, near Paris, Renault’s Jean-Michel Jalinier said he “definitely” expects more engine makers to enter F1 under the 2014 rules.

One very sad idea that has started being passed around is the rumour coming from the old Hispania Racing Team’s headquarters. Assets of the newly-defunct formula one team HRT have been bought. Reports indicate that Teo Martin, a well-known automotive component recycler, has bought most of the valuable parts left over in the wake of the Spanish team’s demise. Martin has apparently bought the 2011 and 2012 single seaters, a show car, a truck, tools, machinery, furniture and other assets. And everything that can be recycled and sold, that was still in HRT’s possession has been sold, everything but the engines (which have been returned to Cosworth) and the gearboxes ( which were rented from Williams). As many of the readers may know, this writer is a major supporter of the smaller teams in the paddock, the teams that some consider the future of Formula One.

The best bit of information (which we here hope is true) is that Danica Patrick IS NOT interested in swapping her closed cockpit NASCAR to the open wheeled world of Formula One. Speculation the 30-year-old American could have a future on the Grand Prix grid was kindled by her high-profile pole position for NASCAR’s premier Sprint Cup opener at Daytona. She said she has ‘never been really interested’ in exploring any F1 options. “It is speculation in the media,” she added, “but it has never been seriously discussed.”