Pressure mounting on Trulli

28/12/2011

Mat Coch writes:

The future of Jarno Trulli is under renewed threat as Adrian Sutil has been linked with a possible move to Caterham for 2012.

While already confirmed for next season, Trulli has been the subject of a number of rumours suggesting his days in Formula One are numbered. Initially it was reported that Daniel Ricciardo would replace him, with Adrian Sutil now linked with the Italian's seat. It's believed Trulli only narrowly avoided losing his drive at the beginning of 2011, when negotiations to oust him collapsed over money.

There is little doubt that Sutil enjoyed a better season in 2011 than Trulli. While the two had markedly different cars and opportunities it was the German who maximised his whereas the Italian was left in the wake of teammate Heikki Kovalainen. Sutil is also more highly rated than the Italian.

However there is a stumbling block. Caterham is backed by the American computer giant Dell while Sutil is backed by Medion, which is now under Lenovo's umbrella. Dell and Lenovo are direct competitors and it seems unlikely the team would be able to accept Sutil's Medion money as a result.

Elsewhere Vitaly Petrov is looking for work, and his sponsors portfolio is more aligned with that of Caterham. His backers include companies involved in the technology industry, mining as well as oil, industries and segments that are not in competition with the team's current investors. Petrov has also previously been linked with a sponsorship deal with the Russian state oil company (he is currently backed by Sibur, which is a state-run petrochemical company), though that move was vetoed thanks to Renault's existing deal with Elf. The Russian could well provide a viable alternative to the likes of Trulli or Sutil, and since he is believed to race without a retainer any funding he brings with him is pure profit for his team.

Of the two Sutil is perhaps the more complete driver and the one likely to offer greater potential, however Petrov has proven he is a more than capable driver - third place in Australia at the beginning of 2011, withstanding pressure from Alonso along the way, is testament to that.

There is just one problem; Jarno Trulli. He has signed and been confirmed with Caterham for 2012, though contracts in Formula One are rarely worth the paper on which they're written. The challenge Tony Fernandes faces is deciding what replacing the Italian can realistically achieve, and whether it will ultimately benefit the team.

For now Trulli remains at Caterham but the question is will he be on the grid in Australia and if not, just who will?