The FIA have officially announced who will be taking part in the 2008 Formula One championship today. The list includes Takuma Sato and Anthony Davidson for Super Aguri, although the Japanese team did state today that they are still negotiating contract extensions with both drivers. They are expected to continue with the squad, providing the teams ’08 chassis is deemed legal following the customer car issues. Not on the list are Prodrive, who up until November were still expected to be on the grid. However, like with Aguri, the chassis problems ruled them out of competition, with Dave Richards planning to use McLaren chassis for his inaugural ’08 campaign.
Reigning champion Kimi Raikkonen will proudly have the number one emblazoned on the front of his Ferrari, and following their disqualification from the 2007 championship, McLaren are at the bottom with numbers 22 and 23, the former going to Lewis Hamilton. Adrian Sutil is also listed under Force India with the number 20 and Jarno Trulli, despite Toyota’s ummings and ahrings, is listed as number 11 for the Cologne-based squad.
For further explanations on Formula One’s numbering system, read the popular entry It’s A Numbers Game, written in late 2006 but still relevant today.
Ferrari | Kimi Raikkonen | #1 |
Felipe Massa | #2 | |
BMW Sauber | Nick Heidfeld | #3 |
Robert Kubica | #4 | |
Renault | Fernando Alonso | #5 |
Nelson Piquet Jr | #6 | |
Williams | Nico Rosberg | #7 |
Kazuki Nakajima | #8 | |
Red Bull Racing | David Coulthard | #9 |
Mark Webber | #10 | |
Toyota | Jarno Trulli | #11 |
Timo Glock | #12 | |
Scuderia Toro Rosso | Sebastien Bourdais | #14 |
Sebastian Vettel | #15 | |
Honda | Jenson Button | #16 |
Rubens Barrichello | #17 | |
Super Aguri | Takuma Sato | #18 |
Anthony Davidson | #19 | |
Force India | Adrian Sutil | #20 |
Giancarlo Fisichella* | #21 | |
McLaren | Lewis Hamilton | #22 |
Heikki Kovalainen | #23 |
*Updated after Fisichella was announced at Force India on January 10th.
It still suprises me every time i see 22 and 23 listed next to Mclaren.
Apparently Toro Rosso are running two Bourdais’ – surely one of them is meant to be Vettel ;]. I can see the same error occuring throughout the year across the interweb and broadcasting networks.
I’m counting on Davidson being confirmed by Suger Aguri in the near future as contract consultations are still ongoing. All being well, the British contingent will be providing a looming presence on the Formula 1 grid for the second consecutive year. Hopefully nearer the front of the field on the majority this time though.
Crap, although I did get the a’s and e’s the right way round. 😉 Thanks for pointing it out though, Jamie, I can see this happening a lot this year as well. I might have to come up with a nickname for one of them.
I hope Honda improve and Button and Barrichello can fight for points and podiums again. Honda did so well in 2004 and 2006; it would be great to see a Ferrari/McLaren/BMW/Renault/Honda shoot-out for the title. And to have four Brits on the grid again would be nice. I’m reasonably confident Davidson will keep his drive, but less so about the car; it’s all gone quiet on that front at the moment. (Crosses fingers and updates error in post.)
Bourdais already has a nickname – in the States he’s known as Sea Bass.
I wouldn’t worry too much about the two drivers – they’re probably going to be signed the moment the team knows what it’s doing. Stupid FIA for not writing the rules properly…
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