F1 starts it US GP weekend with the Drivers Press Conference for thursday in Austin Texas with really cold temperatures but a more promising hotter weather announced for the rest of the weekend. This picture could be tittled “The Unemployed” since the drivers except for Jules Bianchi don´t have a set contract for next year just yet.
Sergio “Checo” Perez made a shocking announcement this week that McLaren opted to let him without a contract for the 2014 season leaving him with an uncertain drive in F1 to what he mentioned he would look for a good racing seat or wouldn´t race at all in the series next year in order to have a real chance to opt for wins and continue to build up his career at 23 years old. McLaren on the other hand just announced that the son of legendary driver Jan Magnussen, Kevin, will be racing alongside Jenson Button next year. The 21 year old comes well creddited with his World Series Championship win on the Renault 3.5 series this season and being part of the McLaren driver progamme for many years.
Both Perez and Esteban Gutiérrez showed their excitement over the coming weekend that brings them as close as their home as they can get at the time as Texas gives many mexican fans the opportunity to come support their drivers. Gutiérrez has yet to announce his future plans for 2014 but it´s likely he´ll be staying at Sauber for another year.
Paul Di Resta is another driver with an unclear future, although in the past years Force India´s Team Manager Vijay Mallia has denied to let him go to any other team. Di Resta´s real ambition is obviusly clear, to get into one of the main teams, but for the time being the doors have closed at Ferrari, Mercedes (wasn´t really open) and McLaren just now, so that leaves him with Lotus as a real option if he´s to upgrade his game. Now the question would remain on how ambitious he is, wait an see next year or try and go for it into uncertain ground. He looks set, he must have made the choice already, he looked pretty confident at the press conference.
Marussia´s Jules Bianchi will stay for another season at Marussia as they fight with Caterham in the last two races for the 10th place in the Constructors standings, his results haven´t been as good as at the beginning of the Championship but steady enough in the fight with the Caterhams.
Pastor Maldonado is another driver with an unclear future in F1, his mighty win for Williams will not be forgotten but goes into history and looking ahead into the next season his chances of joining a better positioned team right now look deem. Williams has a long history in F1 but haven´t been able to up it´s game and that opportunity could lie in the near future with the regulation changes planned for next year so only time will be the judge to his decision as well as Felipe Massa´s that comes in to replace him and joining Valteri Bottas in his 2nd season. It seems Massa is following the path of brazilian compatriot Rubens Barrichello, doesn´t it?
Well, that´s all for now, will post some more pictures of this fantastic track as the weekend unfolds..