Bianchi takes Razia’s place at Marussia for 2013

2013 F1 season

1st March 2013, 18:094th March 2013, 23:15 | Written by Keith Collantine

Jules Bianchi will race for Marussia this year, the team has announced.

The French driver, who missed out on taking the second Force India seat yesterday, will replace Luiz Razia at the team.

Team principal John Booth confirmed Razia’s contract with the team has been “terminated” just 23 days after it was announced he would drive for them.

“We have found ourselves in a situation where we have had to terminate our contract with Luiz Razia.” said Booth.

“Having made clear the basis on which we must operate in 2013, and given the steps we had taken to put that new structure in place, we had no alternative but to remain true to the principles which we had identified as being key to securing our long-term future.”

Bianchi said: “Racing in Formula One this season has been my goal over the winter and after evaluating a number of options I am very excited to have this opportunity to demonstrate that I am ready for this next step in my racing career.

“I am also very grateful to the Ferrari Driver Academy that has always supported me and has given me the possibility to mature as a racing driver enabling me to be fully prepared for this new exciting challenge.

“The next two weeks of preparation for the season will be incredibly busy but I am ready to get started tomorrow with my first day in the MR02.”

Booth added: “Jules is a proven talent who is highly regarded within the Paddock. He has been on a clear trajectory towards Formula 1 and has achieved some impressive performances through the various feeder formulae, notably his 2012 season in Formula Renault 3.5 when he was also Reserve Driver for Force India.

“He is part of the Ferrari Driver Academy and his obvious pedigree put him on the radar for a number of teams over the winter as a driver ready to step up to Formula One.”

2013 F1 season

Browse all 2013 F1 season articles

Image © Force India

Author information

Keith Collantine

Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...
Read more about Keith Collantine, find all their articles and get in touch with them

Got a potential story, tip or enquiry? Find out more about RaceFans and contact us here.

131 comments on “Bianchi takes Razia’s place at Marussia for 2013”

JPQuesado (@joao-pedro-cq)
1st March 2013, 18:11
That’s it for Razia then. Shortest Formula One career I’ve ever seen. Hope Bianchi does good this season, but I’m sure he will struggle in the beggining with so few kilometres done on the Marussia.
1. BasCB (@bascb)
  1st March 2013, 18:14
  Bianchi did get a day or 2 in the Force India though, so he is still a lot better prepared than Razia would have been, not to mention the FP1 sessions last year, and the fact that there are now 2 days where he can have the car left.
Dion (@infinitygc)
1st March 2013, 18:12
Well, at least Bianchi is reasonably quick…
1. sato113 (@sato113)
  1st March 2013, 18:32
  @infinitygc quicker than Razia? how do their records compare?
  1. Armchair Expert (@armchairexpert)
    1st March 2013, 18:46
    From Autosport mag:
    All-out one-lap pace is a Bianchi strength, to the point that his chief F3 engineer, who also worked with Sebastian Vettel, believed Bianchi was faster.
    So you get an idea.
    1. Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
      1st March 2013, 20:10
      @armchairexpert – I wouldn’t go as far to suggest as what is suggested in that article (and apparently Vettel “clicked” one day in Valencia 2008 and found speed) but yes, definitely he has much more promise than Razia!
  2. Aimal (@aimalkhan)
    1st March 2013, 18:48
    Given that the marussia is at least 4 seconds slower than the next slowest car, i am surprised Bianchi didn’t chose to remain a test driver for at least one more year and try for a faster team next season. He is a talented driver and his record in the lower categories is very good. this could end up being a bad career move for Bianchi. i hope it isn’t.
    1. Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
      1st March 2013, 18:52
      @aimalkhan
      Marussia is at least 4 seconds slower than the next slowest car
      It’s not easy reading into testing times but I think that one is well wide of the mark. They look pretty much on Caterham’s pace and maybe 1-2s off the midfield.
      1. Aimal (@aimalkhan)
        1st March 2013, 19:01
        My bad…When i said next slowest car i meant the cars in the midfield. But what’s your opinion keith ? do you think he should have waited for a faster team next year or this is a good opportunity to try and get noticed by the bigger teams for next season ?
      2. BasCB (@bascb)
        1st March 2013, 19:36
        If I may @aimalkhan, I would say its never good to wait, always better to grab your chance if it comes along in F1
  3. Dion (@infinitygc)
    1st March 2013, 19:10
    What I meant was that he is probably one of the quicker people they could’ve gotten in that seat (and not for instance Yamamoto or Karthikeyan).
    1. DD42
      1st March 2013, 19:54
      I’d definitely take the seat rather than sitting in the pitwall, waiting and hoping.
      If your talented enough, it will show through a crap car. You’d need to beat your teammate (as always) demonstrate excellent awareness and not cause a crash. You’d also want to show your speed by driving consistantly on a limit people didn’t realise was possible.
      If Bianchi can show those skills and learns quickly how to set up the car well, he’d have a better chance at getting a seat with a good team than if he doesn’t race. He’ll also have a years experience of F1
BasCB (@bascb)
1st March 2013, 18:12
Having made clear the basis on which we must operate in 2013, and given the steps we had taken to put that new structure in place, we had no alternative but to remain true to the principles which we had identified as being key to securing our long-term future.”
very nice way of talking around that key principle = money to keep the team afloat!
1. Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
  1st March 2013, 18:44
  @bascb It echoes the language they used when they let Glock go:
  “The ongoing challenges facing the industry mean that we have had to take steps to secure our long-term future. Tough economic conditions prevail and the commercial landscape is difficult for everyone, Formula 1 teams included.
  Bottom line, this is another driver change that’s all about money.
  1. @HoHum (@hohum)
    1st March 2013, 18:58
    Everybody is suffering except CVC/Bernie.
    1. Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
      2nd March 2013, 6:49
      @hohum – The problem with this comment is that it implies Marussia had to let Razia go for the same reasons that they let Glock go: namely, that they were in such a poor state financially, that they could no longer afford to keep him.
      However, this is certainly untrue. Although Marussia let go of both Glock and Razia, and although money was the primary factor in the decision, it is misleading to generalise the problem the way you have. Glock was let go because the team could not afford to keep him. Razia was let go because his sponsors would not or could not pay the amount that they had agreed to. These are two issues that are worlds apart, and what’s more, I daresay you were perfectly aware of it when you misrepresented it.
    2. @HoHum (@hohum)
      2nd March 2013, 14:13
      @prisoner-monkeys, I disagree, in an era when F1 is “standardising” so many parts of the car because development is to expensive, an era when competent drivers are being let go because they cant raise enough sponsorship, an era when tracks like the Nurburgring can no longer afford to host F1, I say everybody in F1 is suffering, except CVC who are taking about $500+million a year out of the sport and are valuing their investment at about 5 times what they paid Bernie for it.
      1. Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
        2nd March 2013, 22:58
        @hohum – Except, once again, that’s not what happened. Razia was not let go because he could not raise enough sponsorship. He was let go because although he had raised enough sponsorship, those sponors failed to pay the agreed-upon amount at the agreed-upon time.
        As for the Nurburgring, its problems come from systemic mismanagement. The circuit owners decided to build an expensive roller-coaster within the circuit bounds, in the hopes that it would attract more spectators and make all of their races even more profitable. Except that it’s a total white elephant, and proved to be so expensive that it sent them spiralling towards bankruptcy.
      2. BasCB (@bascb)
        3rd March 2013, 7:16
        @prisoner-monkeys, when you say Razias sponsors failing to pay, how is that not a sign that the money was not there? I agree with you that the specific case of the Nürburgring is more about mismanagement that ran into trouble than about the lack of money per-se.
        But in no way do you succeed in countering what @hohum wrote about CVC being the only one making a (un-)healthy profit from F1 and everyone else struggling. When New Jersey did not get their stuff together for 2013 and it was likely the German GP would not be on the calendar, many wanted an alternative. None came up with enough money to get the spot. Not even Red Bull sponsored Austria Ring. And only a couple of months before we were unsure about Spa making it. Malaysia is rethinking their deal, both Spanish races are in trouble so much that its likely we will never see a race in Valencia again, and to get back to Germany, the Hockenheim ring is better managed than the Nürburgring, but they could still not afford taking over and do the race each year, because they lack the money to dump into that each year. And on top of that, all but the top 4 teams are struggling to make ends meet.
        All of this shows that the sport IS in trouble, money is staying in the sport enough and that is not good for F1
      3. Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
        3rd March 2013, 7:47
        @bascb
        when you say Razias sponsors failing to pay, how is that not a sign that the money was not there?
        Because Razia’s sponsors promised that money to begin with, but didn’t pay it. Glock, on the other hand, didn’t have any sponsors (or didn’t have enough sponsors).
        There is a scenario here where Razia’s sponsors deliberately chose not to pay so as to let the contract lapse. If this is what transpored, itt wouldn’t be the first time it happened.
      4. BasCB (@bascb)
        3rd March 2013, 7:59
        @prisoner-monkeys – i really hate it when you bring in “supposed that happened” kind of theories and then go on as if they prove your point. That is not fair discussing and you know it isn’t (rules of debate)
        Fact is, that all of that is happening because money is hard to come by and is unlikely to ever to bring a big ROI anytime soon.
      5. Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
        3rd March 2013, 8:49
        @bascb – And I think that generalising by claiming that Razia and Glock were let go for the same reasons is a total misrepresentation of what actually happened. Glock was let go because the team couldn’t afford to keep paying him. Razia was let go because his sponsors – for whatever reason – did not meet their contractual obligation to pay the team. Although money is at the root of both situations, we are talking about two very different branches of the same tree.
      6. BasCB (@bascb)
        3rd March 2013, 9:18
        Although money is at the root of both situations
        Yes, exactly what I and @hohum were saying then, isn’t it? I am glad we do agree, even if you argue we don’t :-P
        I wasn’t tree climbing there, I was talking about the base of the sport not being in good health.
      7. @HoHum (@hohum)
        3rd March 2013, 14:13
        @prisoner-monkeys,@bascb, I had drivers other than Razia and Glock, KK was foremost in my mind.
        Nurburgring, in my view was not gross mismanagement but an attempt to make some money out of hosting a GP by providing additional facilities to encourage family attendance, unfortunately for them it did not work and the GFC caught up with them, it seems that no circuit can afford F1 without govt. subsidies, Silverstone needed its opposition to go broke before they got a deal that they MAY be able to afford.
  2. BasCB (@bascb)
    1st March 2013, 19:39
    yes, its funny to hear Bernie talk about “no teams are in jeopardy” when almost half of the grid has to rely on drivers who bring a budget to be able to field 2 cars for a season of F1.
  3. JB (@)
    1st March 2013, 19:41
    @keithcollantine
    Bottom line, this is another driver change that’s all about money.
    Yeah, but the difference is that when comparing Bianchi to Sutil… Bianchi shows more promise and speed… And for sure, this guy is faster than Glock, Karthikeyan, etc…
    I am very glad this kid got the last seat! Justice has been done!
    1. BasCB (@bascb)
      2nd March 2013, 7:14
      @catracho504 when you write
      Bianchi shows more promise and speed…
      I agree with the promise part, after all he does show promise while Sutil is not so much a promise but a relatively quantifiable driver for this team. But how are we to say Bianchi shows more speed when we have no means (yet) to compare them is taking it a step too far. The team did compare them and was not as impressed with Bianchi that they wanted to give him the same chance they gave Hulkenberg.
      And your statement that
      And for sure, this guy is faster than Glock, Karthikeyan, etc…
      is even more far stretched. I doubt he will be faster than Glock even if his basic ability is better, as Glock has a lot of experience to help him be the better driver.
      Comparing to Karthikeyan is probably useless, as the Indian driver did show promise, but that was about 8 years back, so yes, Bianchi is probably a better driver choice than him. But when we compare him with the options FI had, Alguersuari, Kovalainen, Senna, Kobayashi to name a few that might fit in the etc. bit, I struggle to see how its easy for you to say that Bianchi is “for sure” faster.
2. socksolid (@socksolid)
  3rd March 2013, 4:58
  This season does not look very good for marussia and caterham. Until last season it was still possible to say with an honest face that maybe some day these teams will get their act together and start showing some actual results on the track. But with full pay driver lineups, old cars and no ambition even the last bit of credibility has gone imho. With full pay driver lineups there is just not one single reason to even support them imho because they have just given up everything they wanted to be. A competitive team to be taken seriously. What they are now are just meaningless backmarkers miles off the pace with even no chance to improve.
Christopher (@twiinzspeed)
1st March 2013, 18:13
So does this mean we may see Marussia Ferrari in 2014?
1. Dion (@infinitygc)
  1st March 2013, 18:14
  That was exactly my thought!
2. Ilanin (@ilanin)
  1st March 2013, 18:16
  Well, with Coworth withdrawing Marussia would need a new engine supplier anyway, and Ferarri have already said they wanted to increase their number of customers, so it makes sense from that perspective. Bianchi is presumably worth a discount.
3. photozen (@photozen)
  1st March 2013, 18:59
  That is the first thing I thought as well when I read this. I would think this will guide Marussia towards using Ferrari engines in 2014, probably part of the deal and I would think Bianchi not going to Force India would mean FI will probably stick with Mercedes engines in 2014 too.
4. Lauri (@f1lauri)
  1st March 2013, 20:27
  From marketing point of view you CAN NOT have Marussia Ferrari team name. They might get Ferrari engines, but there’s no way the team will get named that way :) Would be funny, but not going to happen.
  1. John Graham (@johnnyg)
    1st March 2013, 20:44
    But McLaren Mercedes is fine? LOL!
    1. Mouse_Nightshirt (@mouse_nightshirt)
      1st March 2013, 22:41
      Yes, it is fine because McLaren are a front of the grid team. Giving your engines to someone who consisently will finish at or near the back is a bit of an antithesis to a company like Ferrari.
      1. Ivan B (@njoydesign)
        2nd March 2013, 1:16
        Ever heard of Minardi? ;)
5. Sea-Bass Vettel
  2nd March 2013, 4:51
  that means there is a possibility of this kid replacing massa. he is by far my favorite rookie.
  1. Nickpkr21
    2nd March 2013, 22:16
    Well montezemolo may want more experience than that but Button and Webber may free some seats too.
Mallesh Magdum (@malleshmagdum)
1st March 2013, 18:13
thats a surprise!
1. Joe Papp (@joepa)
  1st March 2013, 18:42
  yeah, @malleshmagdum – right?! Was this something in the works for awhile as a contingency for those involved, and we’re just now learning about it or was this spur-of-the-moment response to evolving circumstances?
  1. Mallesh Magdum (@malleshmagdum)
    1st March 2013, 19:20
    spur-of-the-moment would say @joepa
  2. Mallesh Magdum (@malleshmagdum)
    1st March 2013, 19:20
    spur-of-the-moment i would say @joepa
    1. Joe Papp (@joepa)
      1st March 2013, 19:55
      thanks, @malleshmagdum. I do feel sorry for Razia and wonder if he will publicly battle his “sponsors” and sue them for destroying his F1 dream, or will he just slip quietly back into F1 obscurity? And Bianchi? How willl he perform? I hope he does well, even if the Marussia is a dog. Cheers.
      1. Mallesh Magdum (@malleshmagdum)
        2nd March 2013, 17:09
        @joepa hvnt fllwd Razia’s story. Hw did sponsors cheat him?
      2. Joe Papp (@joepa)
        2nd March 2013, 20:42
        @malleshmagdum well I’m as informed about it as you are if we’re both reading the same reports so all I meant is that it sounds like they promised him something – to back his F1 career – got him the seat and then didn’t follow through on ponying-up the rest of the sponsorship fee, thereby cheating him out of his F1 career and destroying his dream!
      3. Mallesh Magdum (@malleshmagdum)
        3rd March 2013, 14:22
        @joepa he cannot sue em had a contract not been signed. Thats hw it works i guess
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
1st March 2013, 18:16
Was that the shortest ever F1 career? (so far)
Just 1 test session and puf! gone !
Bad Luck Luiz… gets F1 seat because of backing, backing leaves after getting the drive.
1. Optimaximal (@optimaximal)
  1st March 2013, 19:12
  Razia’s backing hadn’t gone, Marussia just stuck to their guns and said ‘right, it’s not here, now, when we wanted it to be, so he’s out’.
  The last thing they’d probably want is the hot potato that were HRT & Lotus Racing in 2010 when sponsorship came and went.
Beto (@chebeto0)
1st March 2013, 18:18
Can someone explain me what the … is going on here. That was unexpected.
1. Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
  1st March 2013, 18:28
  @chebeto0 well, people have been talking about this for a couple of days now…
2. AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
  1st March 2013, 18:37
  @chebeto0 He can’t afford the bill!
  1. @HoHum (@hohum)
    1st March 2013, 19:01
    Maybe, but keep in mind that Bianchis manager is the son of the chief of FIA, don’t know about D’Razias.
    1. BasCB (@bascb)
      1st March 2013, 19:42
      And then there’s the engine deals in the background. Who knows, maybe this was about more about the 4-3-3 divide of engine supplies and Mercedes keeping a team they work with in FI so Ferrari takes Marussia @hohum, but as you say Bianchi must have the best connected manager in the sport.
3. Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
  2nd March 2013, 6:58
  @chebeto0
  Can someone explain me what the … is going on here. That was unexpected.
  When Razia joined the team three weeks ago, his sponsors promised to pay an agreed-upon amount of money to the team in exchange for the drive. Rather than paying everything up-front, they agreed to pay it in installments. This is a common tactic that benefits both teams and sponsors, because the teams don’t need all of the money up-front, and the sponsors stand to lose less money if the driver they are supporting under-performs and loses his seat.
  The first payment from Razia’s sponsors was made when he joined the team, and a second one was due to be made last week when testing resumed in Barcelona. However, the sponsors missed the payment – whether it was because they simply didn’t have the money, or didn’t want to pay it, or for some other reason remains unknown – and since Razia’s presence in the team hinged on his ability to produce the money that was promised when it was promised and to the amount that was promised, the team could not longer justify keeping him around. They are believed to have given Razia’s sponsors some extra time to produce the money, but when it never came, they sought other options and settled on Bianchi.
Kingshark (@kingshark)
1st March 2013, 18:19
VD Garde just hung himself.
1. Nick (@npf1)
  1st March 2013, 18:26
  Well, if anything, Giedo should think to himself he isn’t being taken out for wins this year.
2. Roald (@roald)
  1st March 2013, 18:53
  @kingshark why? What did I miss?
  1. Kingshark (@kingshark)
    1st March 2013, 19:08
    @roald
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa083NFqt_k
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KSsJ7Kwh88
  2. Nick (@npf1)
    1st March 2013, 19:22
    http://youtu.be/Qa083NFqt_k
    http://youtu.be/3KSsJ7Kwh88
    I think they had more incidents in 2011, just can’t find any footage. Many people blamed Biachi and his antics for costing van der Garde a better finishing position in the 2011 championship.
    1. Nick (@npf1)
      1st March 2013, 19:22
      Woops, that’s what you get for leaving a window open for too long.
Necrotizer
1st March 2013, 18:22
Looks like Marussia will have Ferrari engines for the 2014 switch.
PieLighter (@pielighter)
1st March 2013, 18:25
Has any Formula 1 driver ever had a shorter career?
1. Lin1876 (@lin1876)
  1st March 2013, 18:27
  There was that guy who got 800m to the first corner at Monza for Jordan…
  1. Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
    1st March 2013, 18:31
    @lin1876 400m at Imola: Miguel Angel Guerra. He failed to qualify in the first 3 Grand Prix in 1981 and crashed at the start at Imola. His injuries put an end to his career.
    He was quite successful racing cars here in Argentina, though !
    1. OEL F1 (@oel-f1)
      1st March 2013, 18:32
      Well still those guys at least got to qualify and race…
  2. Retired (@jeff1s)
    1st March 2013, 20:14
    @lin1876 Who? When?
  3. JerseyF1 (@jerseyf1)
    1st March 2013, 22:18
    @lin1876 not sure who you’re referring to, but I remember a young German driver not making it very far in his first and only race lap for Jordan at Spa, but I don’t think you could call his career short.
  4. Stephen H
    2nd March 2013, 18:06
    Marco Apicella. http://www.f1rejects.com/drivers/apicella/index.html
2. Journeyer (@journeyer)
  1st March 2013, 18:39
  @pielighter Jose Maria Lopez – remember him?
  1. Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
    1st March 2013, 18:47
    @journeyer so glad that didn’t happen…
    1. Klaas (@klaas)
      1st March 2013, 18:53
      @fer-no65 Why? Wouldn’t you be glad if your countryman got a seat in F1?
      1. Journeyer (@journeyer)
        1st March 2013, 19:01
        @klaas In a country that’s produced one of the all-time greats (Fangio) and a grand prix winner who almost became champion himself (Reutemann), Lopez would be a bit of a letdown, to say the least.
      2. Giuseppe (@giuseppe)
        1st March 2013, 20:11
        I thought not having an F1 driver in over a decade would be a much bigger letdown. The last two Argentine F1 drivers (that I can remember), Esteban Tuero and Gaston Mazzacane, didn’t exactly impress, but least they were there.
      3. Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
        1st March 2013, 20:27
        @klaas I hate him as a driver and person. Everything is fine when he’s doing it, but when others do, he cries like a little baby.
        He had a “I’m much better than everyone else” attitude that didn’t fit well. And he was always on the “all for it” without a single bit of thinking, often losing as a result. As in Hockenheim 2006, when he was leading the GP2 race by a long way, made a mistake on the last lap and lost the lead to Glock.
        The way they tried everything to end in F1 no matter what (even in that sucky team) was pathetic and his reaction was worse.
        I hate him, that’s all. He wasn’t as good as the press made him, and that’s not nice.
        Bit like what happens with Di Resta (generally), with Argie style :P.
  2. PieLighter (@pielighter)
    1st March 2013, 20:05
    @journeyer Hey, you wanna hear a joke? USF1.
3. @HoHum (@hohum)
  1st March 2013, 19:05
  Somebody check B.Ecclestone, I suspect it will be close.
Alfie (@alfie)
1st March 2013, 18:28
Keith, you’re supposed to put these things out on the 1st of April, not the 1st of March.
1. ak
  2nd March 2013, 3:53
  he he good one…sorry for you , if you are a razia fan :(
OEL F1 (@oel-f1)
1st March 2013, 18:30
Really got to feel sorry for Razia right now, his dream was fulfilled, he was going to be an F1 driver and then it just……. wasn’t to be.
1. Jon (@patomilan)
  1st March 2013, 20:23
  Yeah poor guy…
  He couldn’t ‘trust’ one of his sponsors.
Force Maikel (@force-maikel)
1st March 2013, 18:31
I’m in no way a fan of Bianchi but I will wait and see how he goes on.
Rigi (@rigi)
1st March 2013, 18:32
so he got a seat after all, good!
R.J.
1st March 2013, 18:34
Bold prediction: I think Bianchi scores a point this year. It may take a battle of atrition, but he’s proven to be as good as any young talent I’ve seen based on his junior formula results and F1 tests/FP1 times.
Chilton could even squeak in a point, for all we know – better qualifier than most people realize if GP2 is anything to go by.
1. Girts (@girts)
  1st March 2013, 19:06
  I think that even Vettel wouldn’t be able to score a point in that car on merit but I wish Marussia all the best and, with some luck, it can happen.
  1. Mouse_Nightshirt (@mouse_nightshirt)
    1st March 2013, 22:49
    Webber getting a 5th place in a Minardi in 2002 springs to mind here. Anything can happen.
    1. matt90 (@matt90)
      2nd March 2013, 3:04
      Attrition isn’t as high as it was then. Only 3 cars significantly faster than the Minardi actually finished that race. If we see that again this year, barring a Spa-1998-like start-line crash, I’ll eat my hair.
      1. wsrgo
        2nd March 2013, 5:00
        @matt90 good luck chewing through the keratin…
2. Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
  1st March 2013, 19:24
  @girts – yes they do appear to still be one or two seconds off the back of the midfield, so for either Caterham or Marussia to score a point this year seems a little far-fetched, unless there are very adverse circumstances.
  If anybody is to do it from the 4 drivers in the “new” teams though, I think Bianchi is the man. He has shown the most promise in the junior categories out of them and seems to be very quick, so I am very happy with Marussia’s decision (let’s just hope he lasts more than one tests session)!
  1. Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
    2nd March 2013, 7:04
    for either Caterham or Marussia to score a point this year seems a little far-fetched, unless there are very adverse circumstances
    They picked up some 11th and 12th places last year. Vitaly Petrov might have even snared a point in Valencia were it not for Daniel Ricciardo colliding with him late in the race.
    1. Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
      2nd March 2013, 12:26
      @prisoner-monkeys – the 11th place was in very adverse circumstances, and Monaco, Valencia and Singpaore weren’t exactly “normal” races either. Far-fetched does not mean impossible though however…
AdrianMorse (@adrianmorse)
1st March 2013, 18:34
I cannot recall a sillier season than this, a direct result of teams feeling the financial squeeze more than ever, I suppose.
I’m happy for Bianchi to get his chance after all, although a drive at Force India, who were scoring points and challenging for podiums occasionally last year, cannot be compared to driving for a team that is solidly at the back of the grid, together with (possibly just in front of) Caterham.
Terrible luck for Razia, though, and what were his sponsors thinking? Why did they bother to support him if they were not going to come up with the money?
At the risk of sounding terribly naive, why couldn’t Marussia confirm, even after dropping Razia, that they were waiting for his sponsors’ money? Why all the secrecy?
1. Klaas (@klaas)
  1st March 2013, 18:43
  what were his sponsors thinking? Why did they bother to support him if they were not going to come up with the money?
  Maybe because they found out Marussia’s dirty secret? :)
2. Joe Papp (@joepa)
  1st March 2013, 18:44
  @adrianmorse devastating for Razia. he must be mentally & emotionally shattered right now.
3. Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
  1st March 2013, 20:19
  I don’t think saying that Marussia dropped Razia for money reasons, as if they couldn’t afford to keep him in the same way that they couldn’t afford to keep Glock, is a fair representation of events. Razia appears to have been dropped because his sponsors couldn’t or wouldn’t pay up as promised, which is a far cry from being unable to afford his salary, as was the case with Glock.
Force Maikel (@force-maikel)
1st March 2013, 18:35
On a side not: 5 Rookie drivers in 2013!
1. Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
  1st March 2013, 19:28
  @force-maikel – only problem is that out of the 5, Bianchi, Bottas and at stretch Gutierrez are the only ones that can really justify their place in F1. Van Der Garde and Chilton have been fairly remarkable, and I would much rather see Frijns or someone in a seat.
  1. Force Maikel (@force-maikel)
    1st March 2013, 19:43
    @Max-Jacobson Totally agree on Frijns. Sure he still needs to learn a lot but he’s one of those drivers that needs to be thrown in front of the lions straight away, like they did with Kimi.
    1. Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
      1st March 2013, 20:16
      @force-maikel – agreed, I think he’s be more than capable to of being on the pace immediately (or within a couple of races at most). Sadly, money is talking louder than talent at the moment in general. :(
      1. wsrgo
        2nd March 2013, 5:13
        @vettel1 Well he’s close to landing the Trident sest. If he can get a few podiums and a top-10 finish, it will really be remarkable, considering how poor the team did last year with Leal and Richelmi.
  2. Joe Papp (@joepa)
    1st March 2013, 19:57
    Van Der Garde and Chilton have been fairly remarkable, and I would much rather see Frijns or someone in a seat
    @vettel1 – what are you trying to say? That VDG and Chilton have been remarkable, or UNremarkable? “Fairly remarkable” = pretty darn good! which would seem to imply they deserve their seats in your view…
    1. Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
      1st March 2013, 20:27
      @joepa – Ah, I intended to say unremarkable! I think you get the point on my opinion of them from the surrounding text though! ;)
      1. Joe Papp (@joepa)
        1st March 2013, 21:31
        Thanks for clarifying, still!
      2. wsrgo
        2nd March 2013, 5:19
        @vettel1 I don’t think you can compare VDG with Chilton. The former was very consistent in both World Series by Renault, as well as GP2. Chilton, on the other hand, had been utterly useless before 2012. His appointment brings to mind the following quote:
        One swallow does not make a summer
    2. Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
      2nd March 2013, 12:30
      wsrgo Van Der Garde is more consistent absolutely, but he has driven in GP2 for 4 seasons and done nothing remarkable. I am not entirely familiar with the pecking order in GP2 though, but I know enough to realise that the team you are driving for is nowhere near as important as in F1.
Slr (@slr)
1st March 2013, 18:39
Even if Razia is a pay driver, it is quite sad that his dream of racing in Formula One is over before it began.
1. Joe Papp (@joepa)
  1st March 2013, 18:45
  I agree w/ you 100%. As a former pro sportsman myself, I can empathize with the utter devastation & discombobulation Razia must be feeling, not to mention the despair. Sheesh. What a disappointment for him, and what a cruel, cruel world is sport!
2. photozen (@photozen)
  1st March 2013, 19:04
  I feel bad for him too and it is hard to believe that his sponsors let him down like that.
  1. Joe Papp (@joepa)
    1st March 2013, 19:59
    it is hard to believe that his sponsors let him down like that
    @photozen – yeah it’s horrible to be so irresponsible with someone’s professional hopes and dreams. I hope that we the public can know the full, fair and unbiased story soon.
3. codesurge (@codesurge)
  1st March 2013, 20:46
  Wonder what options he has right now, given how little time there is before the season starts. Third driver for another team? Return to a lower category?
Joe Papp (@joepa)
1st March 2013, 18:44
whoa. ***?!
jhr9988 (@rhj8899)
1st March 2013, 18:49
Ferrari engine for Marrusia in 2014 then….?
reprep (@reprep)
1st March 2013, 18:51
This is a win-win situation for Marussia and for Jules Bianchi, he maybe lost his seat to Sutil who did deserve a second chance but as far I can see I think this puts the pressure of of Jules because he can learn about being a Formula 1 driver at Marussia without having to score points on a regular basis, there are only two thing he needs to do and that is learn about the racing in the Formula 1 with competitors who have the same amount of talent he has got and outperform Max Chilton which I think he could do.
reprep (@reprep)
1st March 2013, 18:52
This is a win-win situation for Marussia and for Jules Bianchi, he maybe lost his seat to Sutil who did deserve a second chance but as far I can see I think this puts the pressure of Jules because he can learn about being a Formula 1 driver at Marussia without having to score points on a regular basis, there are only two things he needs to do and that is learn about the racing in the Formula 1 with competitors who have the same amount of talent he has got and outperform Max Chilton which I think he could do.
photozen (@photozen)
1st March 2013, 19:03
Marussia will probably gain a lot of experience from Bianchi in regards to car setup, etc after his time with Force India, which is one thing Marussia was missing with the original lineup of drivers. Granted the Marussia will be much different but Bianchi will be better able to help the team a lot to improve.
1. Metallion (@metallion)
  1st March 2013, 19:40
  I don’t know how Marussia was missing experience regarding set up work with their former lineup. Glock had many years of experience, I doubt Bianchi, a rookie, can bring any improvement setup wise compared to Glock.
AbeyG (@1abe)
1st March 2013, 19:21
This is interesting! What would make it more interesting is if Razia gets the third driver role in Force India!
1. Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
  1st March 2013, 20:23
  Good call – he’s tested for them before hasn’t he, there can’t be many decent GP2 or Renault 3.5 drives left for him, and Force India have rewarded their reserve drivers well in the past, with practice drives and eventual race seats. He’d be more likely than some 3rd drivers to get a race…there must still be a few question marks over Sutil’s performance, and his ability to attend all the GPs.
  1. wsrgo
    2nd March 2013, 5:22
    @bullfrog It would be something like the Michael Schumacher- Roberto Moreno switch in 1991(Jordan/Benetton).
Ryan Williams (@ryanwilliams)
1st March 2013, 20:11
Absolutely gutted for Razia. Thought he drove superbly in GP2 last year and deserved the seat at Marussia. Pleased it’s Bianchi replacing him after being horrendously overlooked by Force India earlier this week. I really hope that Luiz can recover from this and hopefully we’ll see him on the grid in 2014, once Bianchi has joined Force India
schooner (@schooner)
1st March 2013, 20:23
Will he be regarded as the 1st driver to lose his seat in 2013, or would he have needed to start the race in Australia to earn that distinction?
1. Joe Papp (@joepa)
  1st March 2013, 21:32
  Will he be regarded as the 1st driver to lose his seat in 2013
  lol, @schooner, good question!
Denis 68
2nd March 2013, 1:07
Feel terrible for Razia but sadly that’s what Formual One has become.
Would love to know how much dosh Ferarri have paid to buy Bianchi the seat.
Mike the bike Schumacher (@mike-the-bike-schumacher)
2nd March 2013, 1:45
I had had respect for certain teams taking a hard line on driver decisions based on financial reasoning, where they couldn’t avoid hiring less talented drivers in favour of sponsorship to survive.
But now I am finally fed up. To announce a driver, and suddenly drop him before the season even starts! It just sickens me.
LifeW12 (@lifew12)
2nd March 2013, 1:56
Sadly talent is worthless these days :(
Minardi (@gitanes)
2nd March 2013, 1:59
In the long run, this is better for Chilton too. He will have the legs-up off the bat due to more time in the car and will be rated higher than if he beat Razia. Better line-up than Caterham now actually.
ben (@dubaemon)
2nd March 2013, 2:18
I wonder how long it will take for Bianchi’s official website to swap the old FI pics to marussia, will it be straight after tomorrow, bets are opened…
1. Joe Papp (@joepa)
  2nd March 2013, 20:43
  @dubaemon I’d think they’d be working on it before the day was finished. That is, shoot the pics the moment the window to do so opened, and keep shooting during the course of the day, but all the while uploading new images to the developers so they could recode the site or drop a new graphic design shell upon it!
chandranath (@chandranath)
2nd March 2013, 3:33
Sometimes it is not enough to do our best; we must do what is required. – Winston Churchill
AlokIn (@)
2nd March 2013, 3:59
Force India’s loss, Marussia’s gain.
wsrgo
2nd March 2013, 5:41
Unfortunately, for some people, junior formulae extends only as far back as GP2. GP2 is an overrated series. In the official feeder series to F1, sprint races shouldn’t form half of the total no. of races. Razia clearly lacks the out-and-out raw pace required to be in F1. In a backmarker team, no amount of his sprint race heroics would have worked, seeing as he would be so far behind. And apart from one season in GP2(his 4th season, BTW), he hasn’t done enough to show that he deserves an F1 seat on basis of merit. Bianchi, on the other hand, certainly does, but just because he spent 2 years in GP2 with ART, and won just one race, people think he’s not talented enough. For them, series like World Series by Renault 3.5(where he finished a close second), Formula Three Euroseries(where he finished a strong 3rd in his first year, dominated the series in the second year), French Formula Renault(which he won on his first try)——–don’t exist.
Nico freak
2nd March 2013, 7:29
i am really happy for him , Marussia for 2013 ,force india f1 team for 2014 replacing di resta ,, i am not atalll, impressed by di resta , sutil scored more championship points in 2011 , hulk again scored more points then him in 2012 ,,, he is not aggressive as them ,

Comments are closed.

New on RaceFans

2013 F1 season

Author information

Keith Collantine

131 comments on “Bianchi takes Razia’s place at Marussia for 2013”