nicolachew

One person on the grid whose seat is, at this moment, questionable, is undoubtedly Mark Webber. There has been a lot of talk that he might retire next year, and the one question that is running through everyone’s minds is

“Who is going to replace Mark Webber at Red Bull Racing?”

Some of the experts voiced the possibility of one of the front runners taking over his seat. Lewis Hamilton in particular, was a candidate. but is unlikely to replace Mark Webber, seeing how comfortable and confident he currently is with McLaren Mercedes after their recent wins in the last few races. Who else on the grid would be likely to take over Mark Webber’s seat once he retires?

And so I turned to the fans for answers.

I created a simple poll and asked F1 fans from around the world to vote for who they would think would be most likely to replace Mark Webber at Red Bull Racing. The options I gave were Daniel Ricciardo (HRT), because there has been a lot of speculation that he would rise up the ranks by moving to either Toro Rosso or Red Bull. As Red Bull’s reserve driver, he is one of the fastest drivers in the GP2 series and has shown an incredible amount of talent and driving potential. Currently, he is “on loan” to HRT so that he can gain driving experience before he advances to the top teams on the F1 grid.


The other 2 options I gave were Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastien Buemi, the 2 Toro Rosso drivers. It is a possibility that either of them will follow in the footsteps of Sebastian Vettel and graduate from Scuderia Toro Rosso to Red Bull Racing and become the next World Champion. Both drivers are one of the strongest amongst the midfielders, and they often finish races in the top 10 and clinching a handful of WDC points. Sebastien Buemi in particular has proved himself as a first-class driver in Hungarian Grand Prix when he finished in 8th place after starting right at the back of the starting grid. Jaime Alguersuari showcases a stellar performance as a midfielder, and all of us has seen his aggression in defending his track position during a race, as well as pushing the drivers in front of him to the very limit for an opportunity to overtake.



Based on the results, most fans (70%) think that Daniel Ricciardo has the highest chance of earning himself a seat at Red Bull Racing, followed by Jaime Alguersuari (17%). Sebastien Buemi has 0 votes, and I can honestly say that I am rather surprised. There were 3 other votes under the “Others” option, and 2 people have voted for Paul di Resta and one person has nominated Jenson Button. Interesting choices.

I’m not very surprised to see Paul di Resta’s name appear twice, because although this is his rookie year in F1, he has displayed excellent driving skill and talent on the grid, and many think that he is doing much better than his Force India teammate Adrian Sutil. Di Resta’s best result this year is 6th, finishing right behind the championship contenders, and we can all agree that for a mid-fielding team this is a very impressive result. He is young and promising, and has definitely exceeded our expectations of him this year, so it will be no surprise if it is decided that he should be given the second seat at Red Bull. The only problem though, is that there is not much of a connection between Red Bull Racing and the British driver.

Button, the McLaren driver, in my opinion will be unlikely to replace Mark Webber. He is doing very well at McLaren and it is unlikely that he will be leaving any time soon. However, there might be a possibility of him moving to Red Bull in the future, depending on how he is coping at McLaren as well as on Red Bull’s progress. But I am not dismissing the possibility! In a sport that requires high levels of strategies and team tactics, anything can happen.

Moving on to Daniel Ricciardo and Jaime Alguersuari. Daniel Ricciardo, although evident that he has much potential and is promising, is a rookie in F1 and does not have as much experience as Jaime Alguersuari. Would it be strategic of Red Bull to suddenly plant him in one of the top seats in F1? Or would it be better to let Alguersuari, who has more experience and is already at the top of midfielders, advance from Toro Rosso to Red Bull, alongside Sebastian Vettel?

Thoughts please!