- 26 Sep 17, 11:44#443264
There's a lot of talk about who Williams will sign up to partner Stroll next season, mainly around Massa, Kubica, and di Resta. My personal opinion is that they're looking for someone with the ability to mentor Stroll and also be competitive but cheap.
Massa is a great guy, but considering his experience I imagine his price tag is pretty high, and at his age he's not likely to improve past his current abilities - though I do think he has at least two years left in him at his current level. He's starting to get an undeserved Barrichello - esque reputation of overstaying his welcome long after his abilities have diminished - but he would certainly be the safest option for next year in my opinion.
Kubica has performed well at his Renault tests and shows decent pace and car control despite his injury, but there is still a lot of doubt about his endurance over an entire season and whether that pace will still be there during an actual race. He's had many years out of the cockpit since leaving, so he'll probably have to learn quite a bit about the way the new cars handle around tracks and adapt his entire driving style around his injury. He would definitely be cheaper than Massa, and he'd also bring a lot more attention from both fans and sponsors to the team with a Lauda-esque return against the odds. If Williams are after more public exposure - then he's the one to go for.
Di Resta was a decent driver who never really got to show his full potential in his Force India days, but there's really no way to tell if he still has that potential with his single performance at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Keeping a car that you've never drove on the track for the better half of a race is impressive, but he'll need to do a few more practice runs before he could be judged fairly either way. He's still relatively young - the youngest out of the three by a year and his performance in the DTM championship is still strong, though nowhere near his glory days of 2010. Honestly I don't see Williams hiring him unless they want a very cheap driver who will also get them some notice from British fans. His sponsorship appears to be quite weak, too - so whilst he may be cheap as a driver, Williams may lose money through lost sponsors on the car.
Please discuss below who you think they should sign. I think we can all gladly agree that any one of these would be a better choice than Palmer
Massa is a great guy, but considering his experience I imagine his price tag is pretty high, and at his age he's not likely to improve past his current abilities - though I do think he has at least two years left in him at his current level. He's starting to get an undeserved Barrichello - esque reputation of overstaying his welcome long after his abilities have diminished - but he would certainly be the safest option for next year in my opinion.
Kubica has performed well at his Renault tests and shows decent pace and car control despite his injury, but there is still a lot of doubt about his endurance over an entire season and whether that pace will still be there during an actual race. He's had many years out of the cockpit since leaving, so he'll probably have to learn quite a bit about the way the new cars handle around tracks and adapt his entire driving style around his injury. He would definitely be cheaper than Massa, and he'd also bring a lot more attention from both fans and sponsors to the team with a Lauda-esque return against the odds. If Williams are after more public exposure - then he's the one to go for.
Di Resta was a decent driver who never really got to show his full potential in his Force India days, but there's really no way to tell if he still has that potential with his single performance at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Keeping a car that you've never drove on the track for the better half of a race is impressive, but he'll need to do a few more practice runs before he could be judged fairly either way. He's still relatively young - the youngest out of the three by a year and his performance in the DTM championship is still strong, though nowhere near his glory days of 2010. Honestly I don't see Williams hiring him unless they want a very cheap driver who will also get them some notice from British fans. His sponsorship appears to be quite weak, too - so whilst he may be cheap as a driver, Williams may lose money through lost sponsors on the car.
Please discuss below who you think they should sign. I think we can all gladly agree that any one of these would be a better choice than Palmer
!! and...
