With only three races to go in this F1 season, eyes are already looking ahead to the joys that next year may bring.
So far we have had a Mercedes dominant year, with a few bright sparks from the Red Bull of Ricciardo and the re-emergence of Williams as a bit of a force. It has also been a season of underachievement on a number of fronts, from McLaren and Ferrari to Lotus and Sauber, and even the reigning World Champion has had a season to forget. There was also a particularly dark point in Japan where one of my favourite drivers, Jules Bianchi, had a crash and remains 'critical but stable' in a Japanese hospital having obtained injuries to his brain.
For Marussia overall, it is Jules Bianchi's 2 points from Monaco that has put them ahead of Caterham and Sauber is the Constructor's Championship. The Frenchman drove a solid race to bring his car home in 9th place and score Marussia's first ever points in Formula 1.
The two drivers I dislike the most continue to underachieve. Sutil and Maldonado remain pointless for Sauber and Lotus respectively, putting themselves on par with the Caterham team, Max Chilton and Esteban Gutierrez.
At the other end of the field, Rosberg and Hamilton have shared most of the victories thus far and are seperated by just 17 points at the top with three races to go. Nearly 100 points off of the lead, Ricciardo has had an impressive season in his first with Red Bull and Bottas sits in 4th as Williams continue to improve and impress. Vettel and Alonso find themselves in 5th and 6th, and Raikkonen on his return to Ferrari is sitting in a lowly 11th place.
Alas, the silly season is now upon us. Some driver changes for next year have already been announced, and speculation is hotting up on who will fill the remaining seats...
Mercedes are sticking with Rosberg and Hamilton for next year. Williams are the only other team to confirm that they are sticking with the same pairing, as Massa and Bottas have had a solid season together.
Other drivers to stay put include Ricciardo (Red Bull), Hulkenberg (Force India) and Maldonado (Lotus).
The biggest surprise thus far is in the Red Bull garage, where Vettel has announced his intention to leave the team that he has been with since the age of 11. Now at 27 years old, he feels the need to try things out at a different team - with Ferrari being his preferred destination. Red Bull responded quickly, announcing that Kvyat will take his place in the team, which in turn leaves the Torro Rosso team with a new pairing for next year. They announced early on that Vergne will be departing them, and he will be replaced by a 17 year old chap by the name of Max Verstappen. JEV claims to be too old now for the Torro Rosso team, and I imagine he's correct. It'd be a shame to lose him as I think he's a decent driver and would do a good job with anyone, but I fear he'll be joining Buemi and Alguesuari on the Red Bull scrap heap.
It is reported that Alonso wants to leave Ferrari. It seems McLaren will be his likely destination, but with Button and Magnussen currently at the team, I'm not sure who will make way. Perez at Force India was thought to have signed a 'Multi year deal' last year, so we can assume he'll not be changed. This would help build on a decent year for the Force India team, who have found themselves battling it out with McLaren for 5th spot in the Constructor's Championship.
With all this in mind - here is how the teams currently look for next season;
Mercedes
Hamilton
Rosberg
Red Bull
Ricciardo
Kvyat
Williams
Bottas
Massa
Ferrari
Raikkonen
Vettel (TBC)
Force India
Hulkenberg
Perez (TBC)
Torro Rosso
Verstappen
(TBC)
Lotus
Maldonado
(TBC)
McLaren, Marussia, Sauber & Caterham
(TBC)
(TBC)
Current drivers unassigned
Alonso, Grosjean, Button, Magnussen, Vergne, Bianchi, Chilton, Sutil, Gutierrez, Kobayashi, Ericsson
As you can see, there are currently many unknowns so I'm going to have a stab at filling the gaps for you...
I imagine Vettel will soon be confirmed at Ferrari, with Alonso returning to McLaren. I think either of the current McLaren drivers could make way, but I'm going to assume it'll be Magnussen who has had a quiet season. Jenson Button may be getting on a bit, but he has outperformed his younger teammate and is keen to work with the Honda engines coming in for them next year.
Perez, I'm sure, will be confirmed at Force India before too long.
The second seat at Torro Rosso is anybody's guess. Carlos Sainz Jr was expected to make the step up last year, but Kvyat came out of nowhere and has impressed in his first season. I'd quite like to see the Brit, Alex Lynn, given the seat but I think Sainz Jr will take it in the end.
Teaming up with Maldonado for next year? I don't think it'll be Grosjean. Maybe it's a decent destination for his fellow countryman, Jean-Eric Vergne. It'd be a shame to lose JEV as he has done nothing wrong, so perhaps Lotus makes sense for him. Failing that, I think our GP2 champion Jolyon Palmer deserves a shot in F1 so maybe this could be the team for him.
Marussia, I imagine, will keep faith in Chilton. Unfortunatley I don't see a way back for Jules Bianchi following his accident, and I reckon his seat will be taken by Alexander Rossi who is currently their reserve driver. He has been in and around F1 teams for a couple of years now and I think it's about time he got a seat.
Sauber could do with a complete change of personnel. Sutil was always a bad choice, and Gutierrez unfortunately hasn't stepped up. Van der Garde looks likely to be getting a seat back in F1, and I think he'll be put together with Sergei Sirotkin. He didn't particularly impress when doing a test drive for the team recently, but he brings with him a bunch of financial assistance and I think that is what Sauber need right now.
Caterham - will they even be in it next year? I don't know. It's impossible to know what is going on there, but it is clear that they have financial problems. If they do make it onto the grid for 2015, I wouldn't be surprised if they keep Ericsson on board. He hasn't had a good season, but he's still fresh. I can't imagine their second seat going to Kobayashi though. They'll need someone with a good amount of sponsorship to keep them afloat, or somebody that doesn't cost a lot. Merhi is currently looking good for a seat, or Lotterer who was their named driver in Belgium - though his race didn't last long at all. Jolyon Palmer is another potential candidate, and someone I would really like to see get a race seat for 2015.
Forza Rossa
Back in June it was announced that a new team based in Romania have been given the green light to start up in 2015. Not much has been said since, so whether they make it there in time is yet to be confirmed, but if they do I believe they'll pick a lineup with a mix of youth and experience.
The 'Romanian Ferrari' team will no doubt have aspirations to be on par with Torro Rosso, though as the team is apparently led by Colin Kolles I can't imagine they'll last too long - his CV includes HRT, Jordan, Midland and Spyker. He is also currently an advisor for Caterham..!
Being based in Romania, it'd make sense for them to pick out a Romanian youngster to be part of their team and 18 year old Robert Visoiu is doing a half decent job in GP3. The second seat is anybody's guess - so I'm going to have a stab in the dark and go for Kovalainen.
To be honest though, I doubt they'll make it as far as Melbourne.
