Gary Paffett - where will he be racing in 2007?
Discussion
Seems to have beaten favourite Christian Klien to the lucrative Honda test role. (Stepping in Barrichello's seat in 2008?)
Gary Paffett could be confirmed as Honda's new test and reserve driver within the next few days, this week's Autosport reveals.
Paffett has been in discussions with Honda for several weeks, with his current McLaren employers having told the Briton that they will not hold him back if he wishes to leave them when his contract expires later this year.
Although former Red Bull Racing driver Christian Klien remains a contender for the Honda test seat, it is understood that Paffett's experience of working with a team as successful as McLaren has been key in helping him emerge as the favoured candidate for the job.
A source close to Honda Racing told Autosport: "Being able to choose a driver with close working knowledge of a current top Formula One team is extremely useful for our development plans."
The final contract has not been signed, however, and Paffett is believed to still be considering other options he has in F1.
Should be conclude the Honda deal, then Paffett will work alongside Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello from next year, with Honda's current test driver Anthony Davidson set to switch to Super Aguri as a race driver.
McLaren are likely to only have one test driver next year with testing restrictions meaning teams no longer need two testers on board.
So most likely Klien will get the Spyker drive after all.
Autosport said:
Gary Paffett could be confirmed as Honda's new test and reserve driver within the next few days, this week's Autosport reveals.
Paffett has been in discussions with Honda for several weeks, with his current McLaren employers having told the Briton that they will not hold him back if he wishes to leave them when his contract expires later this year.
Although former Red Bull Racing driver Christian Klien remains a contender for the Honda test seat, it is understood that Paffett's experience of working with a team as successful as McLaren has been key in helping him emerge as the favoured candidate for the job.
A source close to Honda Racing told Autosport: "Being able to choose a driver with close working knowledge of a current top Formula One team is extremely useful for our development plans."
The final contract has not been signed, however, and Paffett is believed to still be considering other options he has in F1.
Should be conclude the Honda deal, then Paffett will work alongside Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello from next year, with Honda's current test driver Anthony Davidson set to switch to Super Aguri as a race driver.
McLaren are likely to only have one test driver next year with testing restrictions meaning teams no longer need two testers on board.
So most likely Klien will get the Spyker drive after all.
Well Im disappointed he wasn't given a race drive by McLaren in the first place - Paffet is a serious talent but just gets overlooked too often. Will be keeping my fingers crossed that Honda do him justice and elevate him to a race seat in 2008.
I mean, come on Rubens, you've had your chance, MOVE OVER!
I mean, come on Rubens, you've had your chance, MOVE OVER!
team underdog said:
I mean, come on Rubens, you've had your chance, MOVE OVER!
Can't be long, he's too 'adequate' to stay for long. Paffett v Davidson for the second Honda seat in 2008? Interesting to read that Honda are very interested in Paffett's experience with McLaren - seems to me they are loading up for a serious title shot.
team underdog said:
Well Im disappointed he wasn't given a race drive by McLaren in the first place - Paffett is a serious talent but just gets overlooked too often.
Definitely agree. Perhaps he needs some better management behind him. Surprised and disappointed he hasn't got a race seat for this year, he has a far more credible case than Hamilton IMO.
stumartin said:
team underdog said:
Well Im disappointed he wasn't given a race drive by McLaren in the first place - Paffett is a serious talent but just gets overlooked too often.
Definitely agree. Perhaps he needs some better management behind him. Surprised and disappointed he hasn't got a race seat for this year, he has a far more credible case than Hamilton IMO.
Paffett is currently looked after by the Brundell Brothers in the guise of 2MB so I don't think poor management is his problem.
The trouble is Hamilton is seen as the new bright young star of British motor racing and, true or not, it is very difficult for anyone to compete against that kind of reputation.
Jacs said:
stumartin said:
team underdog said:
Well Im disappointed he wasn't given a race drive by McLaren in the first place - Paffett is a serious talent but just gets overlooked too often.
Definitely agree. Perhaps he needs some better management behind him. Surprised and disappointed he hasn't got a race seat for this year, he has a far more credible case than Hamilton IMO.
Paffett is currently looked after by the Brundell Brothers in the guise of 2MB so I don't think poor management is his problem.
The trouble is Hamilton is seen as the new bright young star of British motor racing and, true or not, it is very difficult for anyone to compete against that kind of reputation.
Hmm, not sure I'd feel safe putting my career in the hands of Mark Blundell. I guess Brundle has so far managed to prolong the career of Coulthard beyond all reasonable expectation, but he's hardly a Willi Weber. Afraid I don't see McLaren being swayed by public / media opinion, and Paffett must surely have an equal claim to Hamilton to any F1 seat going.
Seems like an about change of decision, Honda have taken Christian Klien on as tester at Honda along with James Rossiter.
With confirmation that Anthony Davidson will be leaving for Super Aguri as expected, Honda has taken the opportunity to sign Christian Klien and James Rossiter as its new testing strength. Despite speculation that current McLaren reserve Gary Paffett may get the third spot behind Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello, Red Bull refugee Klien has been handed the role of test and reserve driver, while Rossiter steps up to the role of 'official' test driver. Despite leaving Red Bull under a cloud - having rejected a Champ Car drive to replace his F1 activities - Klien's determination to remain in the top flight has paid off. Still only 23, the Austrian has 46 grands prix under his belt from three seasons with Christian Horner's team, and will join the Honda operation when winter testing gets underway at the end of November.
"Christian has accumulated a great deal of experience in Formula One over the past three years and this should prove extremely valuable to us given the limitations placed on teams by the new testing regulations," team boss Gil de Ferran commented, "We expect Christian to play an important role in the development of the RA107 and we look forward to working very closely with him in the winter." Although being touted as a contender for the remaining race seat at Spyker for 2007, Klien clearly believes his future is better served with Honda and, in addition to regular testing duties, he will be in the paddock at each grand prix in case either race driver is incapacitated.
"This is a fantastic opportunity for me to work with one of the top manufacturers in Formula One, and alongside two of the best race drivers," Klien insisted, "I have three years of F1 experience to contribute and I am looking forward to helping Honda to achieve its ambitions. "Equally, I have a great opportunity to progress my own career, and I am very much looking forward to driving the car for the first time when winter testing begins."
Rossiter has been a member of Honda's development squad for some time, and was reckoned to be in with a shout of the full back-up role when rumours of Davidson's move to Super Aguri first surfaced, particularly with Adam Carroll relinquishing his position in the set-up. Klien's arrival ended those ambitions, but the World Series by Renault racer has now been granted full test driver status for 2007.
Honda's revelation that it has signed Christian Klien to be its test and reserve driver for next season has left Gary Paffett out in the cold, but the Brit's management company says a new deal for the former DTM champ will be unveiled in the upcoming days. Paffett had been strongly tipped for the third driver slot at Honda following a year spent in the same role at McLaren, but today's announcement means he will now have to look elsewhere for next year. Although the 25-year-old is still in contention for a race seat at Woking alongside reigning world champion Fernando Alonso, little mention has been made of his name in that respect in recent weeks, and his hopes would appear to be receding.
Mark Blundell though, who manages Paffett alongside fellow former grand prix ace Martin Brundle at 2MB, is confident an alternative deal is on the cards. "We have to look at the bigger picture and what is best for Gary's future," he told Crash.net. "Honda were very good people to deal with, but we had to look a bit deeper in terms of where we thought would be the best place for him to be." Blundell added he expected an announcement regarding Paffett's 2007 activities to be made public in the next few days.
Crash.net said:
With confirmation that Anthony Davidson will be leaving for Super Aguri as expected, Honda has taken the opportunity to sign Christian Klien and James Rossiter as its new testing strength. Despite speculation that current McLaren reserve Gary Paffett may get the third spot behind Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello, Red Bull refugee Klien has been handed the role of test and reserve driver, while Rossiter steps up to the role of 'official' test driver. Despite leaving Red Bull under a cloud - having rejected a Champ Car drive to replace his F1 activities - Klien's determination to remain in the top flight has paid off. Still only 23, the Austrian has 46 grands prix under his belt from three seasons with Christian Horner's team, and will join the Honda operation when winter testing gets underway at the end of November.
"Christian has accumulated a great deal of experience in Formula One over the past three years and this should prove extremely valuable to us given the limitations placed on teams by the new testing regulations," team boss Gil de Ferran commented, "We expect Christian to play an important role in the development of the RA107 and we look forward to working very closely with him in the winter." Although being touted as a contender for the remaining race seat at Spyker for 2007, Klien clearly believes his future is better served with Honda and, in addition to regular testing duties, he will be in the paddock at each grand prix in case either race driver is incapacitated.
"This is a fantastic opportunity for me to work with one of the top manufacturers in Formula One, and alongside two of the best race drivers," Klien insisted, "I have three years of F1 experience to contribute and I am looking forward to helping Honda to achieve its ambitions. "Equally, I have a great opportunity to progress my own career, and I am very much looking forward to driving the car for the first time when winter testing begins."
Rossiter has been a member of Honda's development squad for some time, and was reckoned to be in with a shout of the full back-up role when rumours of Davidson's move to Super Aguri first surfaced, particularly with Adam Carroll relinquishing his position in the set-up. Klien's arrival ended those ambitions, but the World Series by Renault racer has now been granted full test driver status for 2007.
Honda's revelation that it has signed Christian Klien to be its test and reserve driver for next season has left Gary Paffett out in the cold, but the Brit's management company says a new deal for the former DTM champ will be unveiled in the upcoming days. Paffett had been strongly tipped for the third driver slot at Honda following a year spent in the same role at McLaren, but today's announcement means he will now have to look elsewhere for next year. Although the 25-year-old is still in contention for a race seat at Woking alongside reigning world champion Fernando Alonso, little mention has been made of his name in that respect in recent weeks, and his hopes would appear to be receding.
Mark Blundell though, who manages Paffett alongside fellow former grand prix ace Martin Brundle at 2MB, is confident an alternative deal is on the cards. "We have to look at the bigger picture and what is best for Gary's future," he told Crash.net. "Honda were very good people to deal with, but we had to look a bit deeper in terms of where we thought would be the best place for him to be." Blundell added he expected an announcement regarding Paffett's 2007 activities to be made public in the next few days.
There's an article in Motorsport News that the deal was (then) in danger of falling through (obviously has now) and Paffet was looking at a return to the DTM. Blundell reckoned a return to F1 after this was on the cards but I seriously doubt he'll find a way back if he jumps back in a C Class.
Honda don't need Klien's money - they clearly wanted someone with more F1 experience. I would imagine that Monteiro's Portuguese money will buy him the Spyker seat and Paffett will be the one left standing once the music has stopped.
IMHO that's extremely poor management and I doubt we'll see him in F1 again.
IMHO that's extremely poor management and I doubt we'll see him in F1 again.
I agree. It's a great shame imho. Why do ex-drivers think that they can be good managers? [quote=racylady
Why do ex-drivers think that they can be good managers?
[/quote]
They have done OK for David Coulthard and they seem to be doing OK for Mike Conway. Paffet has been very unlucky but McLaren have a history of taking F1 race proven drivers and even now seem to be unconvinced about promoting Lewis Hamilton - they don't take risks.
Its a pity that Fisichella, Ralf Schumacher & Wurz etc don't retire - they have had their chance, time to move over and give people like Paffet a chance.
Why do ex-drivers think that they can be good managers?
[/quote]
They have done OK for David Coulthard and they seem to be doing OK for Mike Conway. Paffet has been very unlucky but McLaren have a history of taking F1 race proven drivers and even now seem to be unconvinced about promoting Lewis Hamilton - they don't take risks.
Its a pity that Fisichella, Ralf Schumacher & Wurz etc don't retire - they have had their chance, time to move over and give people like Paffet a chance.
racylady said:
andy97 said:
They have done OK for David Coulthard and they seem to be doing OK for Mike Conway.
I dont' agree as far as DC is concerned - and Mike Conway is yet to be seen. If DC had been managed properly, he may have been more successful imho.
OK, well we'll have to agree to disagree. A lot of people thought that DC was all washed up when McLaren finished with him and at one point he was touted as a possible Ferrari test driver so the fact that he got a race seat at all is probably pretty good going.
andy97 said:
racylady said:
andy97 said:
They have done OK for David Coulthard and they seem to be doing OK for Mike Conway.
I dont' agree as far as DC is concerned - and Mike Conway is yet to be seen. If DC had been managed properly, he may have been more successful imho.
OK, well we'll have to agree to disagree. A lot of people thought that DC was all washed up when McLaren finished with him and at one point he was touted as a possible Ferrari test driver so the fact that he got a race seat at all is probably pretty good going.
I'd agree but I think he should have left maclaren earlier, he seems to have been reborn since leaving, ever since he let mika through he seemed to have suffered from either a lack of motivation or inertia. I think he'll obliterate Webber next year, he'll be outqualified at every race but will get more points.
DTM for 2007, F1 for 2008?
Gary Paffett is rumoured to be returning to the DTM in 2007 after his attempt to sign for Honda failed to materialise. The story of what happened with negotiations depends on who one talks to with Paffett's people saying that he had a better offer and whispers from Honda that he was asking too much. The "better offer" argument suggests that Paffett has been offered a definite F1 drive in 2008 with a secondary Mercedes-Benz team. It is a nice idea but the only possibility of that is Prodrive and there is no sign that any deal is going down between the German manufacturer and the F1 newcomers. A deal does make sense in many ways but McLaren is keen not to disrupt its own programme by trying to supply a second team.
The idea will have to remain on hold for a while longer because of the expected announcement early next year that the team has been bought by Mercedes-Benz. This is believed to have been completed some time ago but is being kept under wraps at the moment.
GP.com said:
Gary Paffett is rumoured to be returning to the DTM in 2007 after his attempt to sign for Honda failed to materialise. The story of what happened with negotiations depends on who one talks to with Paffett's people saying that he had a better offer and whispers from Honda that he was asking too much. The "better offer" argument suggests that Paffett has been offered a definite F1 drive in 2008 with a secondary Mercedes-Benz team. It is a nice idea but the only possibility of that is Prodrive and there is no sign that any deal is going down between the German manufacturer and the F1 newcomers. A deal does make sense in many ways but McLaren is keen not to disrupt its own programme by trying to supply a second team.
The idea will have to remain on hold for a while longer because of the expected announcement early next year that the team has been bought by Mercedes-Benz. This is believed to have been completed some time ago but is being kept under wraps at the moment.
Those rumours have been around for some time now. It certainly seems that he's back in DTM next year and doing some McLaren testing in 2007. If he really was asking too much for the Honda drive, he's a fool - there are strong rumours that Rubens may retire at the end of next season when his Honda contract is up. If so, given Honda's reputation for (eventually) rewarding loyalty, I'd have thought that the 3rd driver would be a prime candidate for a race drive.
Mike Conway is a great prospect and I hope he gets a good GP2 seat - I can't recall what the latest on that is?
I think DC got the Red Bull drive off his own back really - he and Horner appear to get along very well.
Mike Conway is a great prospect and I hope he gets a good GP2 seat - I can't recall what the latest on that is?
I think DC got the Red Bull drive off his own back really - he and Horner appear to get along very well.
rubystone said:
If he really was asking too much for the Honda drive, he's a fool - there are strong rumours that Rubens may retire at the end of next season when his Honda contract is up. If so, given Honda's reputation for (eventually) rewarding loyalty, I'd have thought that the 3rd driver would be a prime candidate for a race drive.
If the Rubens-retiring situation arose, I reckon that Ant Davidson would be more in line for the works Honda seat, regardless of who the 3rd driver is this year. Providing of course he does OK in the Super Aggro in '07.
Then, if they want to promote their 3rd driver, they can - into the Super Aguri in '08 (when it'll 'basically' be a works Honda chassis and engine. Of course the works team will get all the best stuff first though, much like MotoGP)
muzzer79 said:
rubystone said:
If he really was asking too much for the Honda drive, he's a fool - there are strong rumours that Rubens may retire at the end of next season when his Honda contract is up. If so, given Honda's reputation for (eventually) rewarding loyalty, I'd have thought that the 3rd driver would be a prime candidate for a race drive.
If the Rubens-retiring situation arose, I reckon that Ant Davidson would be more in line for the works Honda seat, regardless of who the 3rd driver is this year. Providing of course he does OK in the Super Aggro in '07.
Then, if they want to promote their 3rd driver, they can - into the Super Aguri in '08 (when it'll 'basically' be a works Honda chassis and engine. Of course the works team will get all the best stuff first though, much like MotoGP)
Yep, fair point. But if you were Paffett, you'd take the gamble that Ant won't show well in next year's car (which looks like it'll be this years RA06 in any case)...and thus make sure you shone well enough to get the drive. Whatever, a race drive in an Aguri has gotta be better than another year of very limited McLaren testing, or a year of DTM where Schneider has clearly found his feet again and where Jamie Davis will be champing at the bit to turn his stunning qualis into wins.
brundle / blundell reckon that a year in DTM racing will be better for paffett's F1 future than another year testing... i'm not so sure to be honest... i think it's unlikely we'll see him racing except for as a reserve possibly. both wurz and davidson, long time testers, now have a chance to race 
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