2009 Driver Lineup

The majority of seats have been confirmed for 2009, but there are still a few question marks.

Renault: Ok, no question here as they just announced their lineup last Wednesday. We all knew that the best choice for Alonso was to stay at home with the Regie. Unlike McLaren, Renault work very well with Fernando, and why would they let him go a second time? He's shown that he is undoubtedly the best development driver in the paddock, and the tenacity he shows on track lap after lap rivals only Michael. But Piquet? Really? Aside from Japan, he's been a blight on the team pretty much all year, and not since the early 90's has a driver been out qualified by his team mate every single race of the season. He drove an ok race in Germany to capture a podium, but that was all down to luck. Surely Flavio isn't going soft even after the way he treated Kovalainen the first half of last year. Maybe they just want Fernando to know that he's definitely the number one driver?

Toro Rosso: Please, just please hang onto Sebastian Bourdais. Unless you're Lewis Hamilton, it takes you a while to acclimatise yourself to F1. He showed promise early in the season, fell off when the new car was introduced, then put in some really strong performances starting in Belgium. And he's a four-time Champ Car champion - I don't see how you can go wrong. Could Sato be the right man for the second seat? He's a bit on the wild side when in a sub-standard car, but he would bring experience to a still young team while still having the aggressive qualities of a young driver. Still, there is plenty of young talent on the way up.

Honda: Jenson seems to be in, although there were brief rumors that he might be shown the door. It's ludicrous that there was even mention of this, because the guy can drive a racecar with the best of them. He's shown to be a great driver in the wet (especially in Hungary '06), and let's not forget who scored the most points of any driver in the second half of the 2006 season. Going back further, his first win could have been at Monza in 2004 were it not for the ridiculous speed of the Ferraris. Rubens, on the other hand, might want to be getting his retirement plans in order. Honda have been very open about finding someone new, and the most experienced driver on the grid is not likely to get faster. Like Toro Rosso, they have plenty of choices, mainly in the form of Bruno Senna and Lucas Di Grassi. However, they should realize that no driver (even Fernando, Ross Brawn) will be able to challenge for podiums if the car is another disaster.