To Silly Season, and Beyond...

As if Silly Season ever officially ends, it unofficially begins--- or at least picks up--- every calendar year as soon as the Formula 1 circus sets down their cargo in the hauntingly beautiful Royal Villa of Monza.

The ever-pristine Autodromo Nazionale Monza

 In the midst of the beautiful woodlands sits a piece of history itself, a name synonymous with motor racing: Monza. The sheer speed of this Northern Italian masterpiece is enough to send quivers up any Formula 1 fan’s spine, let alone the driver's themselves.

In the paddock, it’s almost as if you can hear the whispers of F1 past, those who showed up in hopes of Grand Prix glory only to never again return home. Ascari, von Trips, Rindt, Peterson: A list of legends who were lost on the fastest track in the entire world, names that will forever go down in history not for their mortality, but for their courage and tenacity in attempts to conquer this concrete jungle.

On a circuit with so much history taunting at every corner, chicane and straightaway, the ghostly chill that sweeps over you isn’t so much the drivers of the past, but the drivers of the present, and the drivers of the future. Those whispers you hear aren’t from the championed souls of Alberto Ascari or Jochen Rindt. Nor are they from would-be champions like Count Wolfgang von Trips or Ronnie Peterson. Instead, those whispers are replaced by current drivers, team principles and sponsors, and to an even more amplified extent, the journo's and the exuberant crowd.

The only given on a season-to-season basis at Monza is that nothing trumps Scuderia Ferrari, especially amongst the Tifosi, their raging fans who clammer into it's rusted confines each and every year, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Prancing Horses galloping to victory in their own backyard. But this year, the mere sight of a Ferrari automatically segues into a question about Felipe Massa’s tumultuous season, and what may lay ahead in his future with the team, if there even is one.

Felipe Massa is slowly
falling from Ferrari's
good graces.

 Sitting in 10^th place on the points table, Massa came into the Italian Grand Prix well over 100 points behind teammate and current championship leader, Fernando Alonso. Despite Alonso being the clear-cut number one in the Ferrari garage, to say that Massa is underperforming is a gross understatement. Ever since returning from the freak accident that nearly ended his life at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix, he hasn’t been the same---gone is the Massa that came within a corner of winning the 2008 Championship, in is the careful Massa---one who cannot find pace in the same car that Alonso has found success in.

                Due to Massa’s shortcomings on a week-to-week basis, Ferrari find themselves in third place in the Constructor’s Championship, well off the pace of frontrunner Red Bull, which opens up an interesting dilemma in the Scuderia’s overwhelming quest for the WCC: Can they win with only Alonso keeping the team's hope alive?

                In short, no. In long, maybe, but only if Alonso puts together an ungodly string of results with help from others’ misfortune. If anyone in the paddock is capable of shouldering the load, it is Alonso, arguably one of the greatest to ever get behind the wheel of a race car. But this leads me into my next question: What happens if he can’t?

                If he can’t, Felipe Massa’s seven year tenure at the Scuderia is almost certainly over. If any team loves having a bonafide support driver to their ace, it is indeed that damned red team from Italy. But at a certain point, if that support driver can’t be the Barrichello to their Schumacher, can't contest for race victories and pole position's, or most importantly can't even help claw the points away from the team leader's closest of challengers, there is no point to retain him for 2013. And this, ladies and gentlemen, is where Silly Season begins.

                Given the hypothetical (although perhaps not, his contract expires at the end of this season) that Massa is unfit to support Alonso in the Constructor’s and Driver's Championship charge, who does Ferrari turn to? There are options.

                Example A would be the hottest commodity on the grid at the moment, Sergio Perez. The young Mexican burst onto the scene in Round 2 at Malaysia. On a drying Sepang International Circuit, Perez came from anonymity to challenge Alonso’s then-sluggish Ferrari in an even sluggish-er Sauber, in what was one of the most exciting battles of the 2012 season to this point. Since then, he has routinely qualified higher than he should be, and found himself competing for positions that, in actuality, he shouldn’t even be near. 

               Monza marked his third podium of the season following a brilliant, late one-stop strategy employed by Sauber, charging from fifth to second in the dying laps, flying past both Ferrari’s stricken by tire wear. His cool head and even cooler approach to tire management could be just the anti-Massa Ferrari need, and his youth may provide them with a driver they can build around for the future, in the post-Alonso days.

                However, signing Perez could prove to be hazardous. Alonso’s first go-round with an exciting young phenom as his teammate didn’t go so well, and if the two end up competing for a championship, things could take a turn for the worse. But buyer beware, if Ferrari don’t sign the upstart Perez this offseason, there is a very, very good possibility another top-tier team will. And why’s that?

Not the brightest of ideas to Tweet this, Lewis

                Rumors were abound at Monza that following his tantrum at Spa-Francorchamps, which included the old ‘TwitPic-ing of a highly classified graph of team information’ stunt, Lewis Hamilton may have worn out his welcome with the very outfit that signed him before he hit puberty. Hamilton would move down a step from McLaren to team with Mercedes and Nico Rosberg, filling in Michael Schumacher’s disappointing, post returning from retirement, shoes.

                Although replacing, statistically speaking, the greatest driver to ever slide himself into a Formula 1 cockpit would be quite the challenge, it wouldn’t be as much of a culture shock as one would think. Hamilton and Rosberg are close friends, amongst the closest on the grid, and, not to be overlooked, Team Principle Ross Brawn is nothing short of genius. Mercedes have won a race this season, their first since leaving the sport in the 1950’s, and have all of the necessary components to turn their team into a perennial championship contender.

                The funds that the most popular driver on the grid would bring to MercedesGP could be endless. Two brand names in the racing world, Mercedes and Hamilton, together, under the guidance of one of the greatest bosses in the history of F1. That’s a marketers dream for a team that already has pretty good financial backing. But could this dream become reality, is the real question.

                Considering the source of the rumors are none other than Eddie Jordan, notable shit-stirrer and Irish hero, the answer to that, at least from me, is a resounding no. McLaren are still in with a shot at both championships, and if they can bring at least one home, it’d be silly to handoff one of the most talented drivers we’ve seen in quite a while, simply for his off-track social media journal entries. But, again, hypothetically if they did, Perez would likely be one of their top prospects to replace Hamilton, possibly snatching him away from Ferrari’s iron fist and putting him in a spot that he could thrive in immediately, equal status to Jenson Button.

                If not Perez, one of the youngsters at Force India, who have become McLaren’s junior team over the recent years, Paul di Resta or Nico Hulkenberg, would certainly both be viable options to help Button take on Red Bull and Ferrari. Di Resta, a former DTM driver, has impressed in his transition to open-wheelers, routinely running in the points. His teammate, Hulkenberg, has been no less impressive, following a season-long testing solace with the team last year after a notable rookie season with Williams in the year prior. Both are quicker than most, but I feel Hulkenberg is a star in the making.

                That would leave Ferrari at an impasse, keep the fledgling Brazilian in Massa, or look elsewhere for a second driver.Which leads into Example B. 

"Heikki, Fernando is
                is faster than you."

                One interesting name to bring up as the heir to Massa's prince-hood is Heikki Kovalainen. Lewis Hamilton’s number two during his successful 2008 World Championship campaign, Kovalainen brings something young drivers cannot: Experience. His work in the research and development department at the newly-formed Caterham isn’t overlooked in the paddock, as he’s played an integral part in turning the young team into the best of the other two outfits that joined Formula 1 in 2010, Hispania and Marussia. Although he hasn’t finished in the points, he has turned heads, routinely outpacing his teammates while using his unique insight from being a part of McLaren to build the Caterham up from scratch into a fairly competitive car, reasonably speaking.

You know what you’re going to get from Kovy, that signature car control that all Fin's are apparently born with, and a heady racer who may not contest for wins, but will be on the podium and running in the top five regularly. That’s why I think he might be an even better fit at Ferrari than Perez, although passing on a future World Champion could come back to bite the Scuderia in their already red asses.

Ahhh, it’s all in the fun of Silly Season. You get a little bit of everything, aside from, of course, actual racing. A wannabe fortune teller like myself enjoys this part of the year, and it also relieves the tension on what has been a fantastic, but dramatic season on the track thus far.

Although the talk of driver lineups will be on the backburner until the end of the season, I always enjoy putting forth my predictions for next season a little bit earlier than most, just in case I actually get something right. There will be more updates as the season progresses. 

With that, I give you my preliminary predictions of what the 2013 starting grid will look like.

(Please disregard the order used, this is in no way a prediction of how this season will finish)

Might this be the next 'Superteam'?

Ferrari:

1. Fernando Alonso (ESP)

2. Sergio Perez (MEX)---I just think this fits, especially given his Ferrari background.

McLaren:

3. Lewis Hamilton (GBR)--I don't believe McLaren would sever the cords on this lovefest.

4. Jenson Button (GBR)

Red Bull:

5. Sebastian Vettel (GER)

6. Mark Webber (AUS)

Lotus:

7. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN)

 8. Romain Grosjean (FRA)---A bit controversial, but really all for one incident, everything else he's been caught up in have either been 50-50's or to no fault of his own. Talented driver.

Mercedes:

9. Nico Rosberg (GER)

10. Paul Di Resta (GBR)---One day he will be winning races at McLaren on a regular basis. That day won't come until Button retires or Hamilton moves out. A move to MercGP is a natural progression. 

Sauber:

11. Kamui Kobayashi (JPN)

12. Esteban Gutierrez (MEX)---Big, big sponsorship from TelMex like Perez. An alright season for him in GP2, but it seems that he is on the fast track to F1, with Mr. Slim spinning the wheels. 

Force India:

14. Nico Hulkenberg (GER)

15. Heikki Kovalainen (FIN)---He deserves a ride where he can compete for points, and I don't think Force India will hold onto both drivers. He would work well with a younger driver. Makes sense. 

Williams:

16. Pastor Maldonado (VEN)---I think in the end, the money he brings is too valuable to let go.

17. Valtteri Bottas (FIN)---One of the hottest prospects around as Williams' test driver this year. I think he'll make the jump into a race seat sooner rather than later. 

Toro Rosso:

18. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS)

19. Davide Valsecchi (ITA)---Not sure where he's at sponsorship-wise, but he will likely be GP2 champion and will likely get a ride out of it.

Caterham:

20. Felipe Massa (BRA)---He tried. 

21. Felipe Nasr (BRA)---Exciting young Brazilian, would be a stretch as he's barely out of his teenage-years, but undoubtedly quick and a decent Caterham with his countryman could be a stepping stone to bigger and better things. He can fund himself in if need be. 

HRT:

22. Narain Karthikeyen (IND)

23. Ma Quinghua (CHN)---Became the first Chinaman to participate in a race weekend at Monza, with more than likely tons of government-backed money behind him, ought to find himself in a race seat in the struggling Hispania. 

Marussia:

24. Timo Glock (GER)

25. Vitaly Petrov (RUS)---A driver that's never gotten his fair shake. Wouldn't be surprised to see him at Marussia for awhile, at least until the race at Sochi in 2014.