Pros: Alonso’s resilience, car can’t be as bad as it was a year ago
Cons: Massa might be as bad as he was a year ago
McLaren Mercedes: Jenson Button, Sergio Pérez
Pros: loss of Lewis Hamilton’s entourage
Cons:: loss of Lewis Hamilton’s speed
Lotus Renault: Kimi Räikkönen, Romain Grosjean
Pros: Grosjean’s pace, Räikkönen’s unerring consistency
Cons: Grosjean’s inconsistency
Mercedes: Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton
Pros: facilities, Hamilton’s vim, several proven technical directors
Cons: potential political in-fighting
Sauber Ferrari: Nico Hülkenberg, Esteban Gutierrez
Pros: Hülkenberg is a major asset
Cons: somebody else (hello, Ferrari) is likely to poach him
Force India Mercedes: Paul di Resta, Adrian Sutil
Pros: solid midfield credentials
Cons: solid midfield credentials
Williams Renault: Pastor Maldonado, Valtteri Bottas
Pros: Bottas’s great promise, Maldonado’s pace
Cons: Maldonado’s likely repair bills
Toro Rosso Ferrari: Jean-Eric Vergne, Daniel Ricciardo
Pros: Red Bull investment
Cons: Force India speed
Caterham Renault: Charles Pic, Giedo van der Garde
Pros: commonality of ownership with cash-rich Queens Park Rangers
Cons: almost as bad as Queens Park Rangers
Marussia Cosworth: Jules Bianchi, Max Chilton
Pros: cheerful realism, access to McLaren’s wealth of technical
resources
Cons: restricted access to other types of wealth