No rush Haas, Nasr to Force India, Palmer to Sauber?

With only three rounds remaining in the current Formula 1 season, there are still ten seats unaccounted for on the grid for 2017. Here are the latest developments on the ongoing Silly Season saga:

Many outlets are reporting that Valtteri Bottas and Williams have agreed a one year deal, although there is still no official word out of Grove as yet.

Haas are more than likely to retain Romain Grosjean for another season at least, but Esteban Gutierrez’s future with the team may be numbered. The Mexican has failed to impress this season, and there may be a host of better drivers on the market when this season ends.

Speaking about their driver line-up for next year, team principal Guenther Steiner told Auto Motor und Sport, “This issue is still completely open. We won’t make any deadlines and give timelines, because if you don’t abide by these then you are no longer taken seriously.”

Kevin Magnussen is a name that is top of the queue should he get the boot from Renault, as the French team are reportedly seeking Bottas to partner Hulkenberg. The alternative would be a French driver whereby Esteban Ocon. Jean Eric Vergne and even Grosjean are said to be on the radar.

In Brazil there seems to be consensus, and indeed it has been reported, that Felipe Nasr will take his Banco do Brasil millions to Force India to partner Sergio Perez who is marking time with the team for another year. The Mexican in-line to replace Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari in 2018.

Nasr is supposed to have the backing of F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone who is keen to have at least one Brazilian on the grid, as Felipe Massa’s retirement will impact viewership in the country that has a rich tradition in the sport but right now interest has plummeted.

Also in the picture is Marcus Ericsson, also with a fair wad in his pocket, who is considering Force India should a Sauber go sour.

With Sauber making no secret that both their drivers will need to bring cash to the table, the list of candidates is immense, but latest name to be taken seriously is Jolyon Palmer who is not likely to be with Renault next year.

The Englishman does have money behind him and despite a rocky start to the season, he has improved in the latter half of the season and thus lifting his shares in the F1 paddock in the process.

2017 Teams & Drivers

No.	Driver’s Name	Team Name	Engine
44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team	Mercedes
6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team	Mercedes
3	Daniel Ricciardo	Infiniti Red Bull Racing	TAG-Heuer
33	Max Verstappen	Infiniti Red Bull Racing	TAG-Heuer
	TBC	Williams Martini Racing	Mercedes
	TBC	Williams Martini Racing	Mercedes
5	Sebastien Vettel	Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari
7	Kimi Raikkonen	Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari
14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren Honda	Honda
47	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren Honda	Honda
	TBC	Sahara Force India F1 Team	Mercedes
11	Sergio Perez	Sahara Force India F1 Team	Mercedes
26	Daniil Kvyat	Scuderia Toro Rosso	Ferrari
55	Carlos Sainz	Scuderia Toro Rosso	Ferrari
27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	Renault
	TBC	Renault	Renault
	TBC	Sauber F1 Team	Ferrari
	TBC	Sauber F1 Team	Ferrari
	TBC	Manor F1 Team	Mercedes
	TBC	Manor F1 Team	Mercedes
	TBC	Haas F1 Team	Ferrari
	TBC	Haas F1 Team	Ferrari

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