The departure of BMW from Formula One and their subsequent failure to secure a rapid rescue package leaves two top drivers on the available list - so will there be a place for both on the grid in 2010?
The driver merry-go-round often starts now, as people take time to think about their next career move during the summer break, and there’s no doubt BMW’s current driver pairing Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica will be pondering a little harder than most.
Neither was aware of anything awry at BMW before the announcement, made a little more than a week ago, that the German company could no longer afford to stay in the game.
Unlike Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello, who both committed to stick with the remains left by Honda and subsequently came out smelling of roses with Brawn GP, Heidfeld and Kubica have both already declared themselves firmly on the market - and for good reason.
Heidfeld must be a good bet to move to McLaren, for starters. Lewis Hamilton has a firm contract for 2010 but Heikki Kovalainen is not yet confirmed for next year and, with McLaren being Mercedes’ works partner, a German driver would do very nicely indeed. Especially a German driver who would likely play second fiddle to Hamilton, the team’s clear number one.
If there is no berth at McLaren, Kubica could return to Ferrari’s shopping list to replace the off-form Kimi Raikkonen, if they deem it necessary to do so. That said, many insiders believe the only way the Finn would leave Ferrari would be a money-induced switch with Alonso at Renault, backed by support from Spanish bank Santander.
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