Who is going where in F1?

As the season draws to a close with the upcoming Brazilian F1 GP, it is interesting to know which team the drivers will be driving for in 2009 season.

Ferrari: Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa will continue their Ferrari partnership at least until the end of 2010. However, there are still those who believe the Finn could turn his back on the Scuderia - and Formula One - at the end of the year. The man himself is insisting the loss of his drivers’ title - possibly to his team mate - will only inspire him to come back stronger in 2009. And given his revived form in recent races, only the most cynical would disagree.

McLaren: Lewis Hamilton is securely signed until the end of 2012 and Heikki Kovalainen has been confirmed for a second season with the Woking team.

BMW Sauber: Robert Kubica was no doubt high on the shopping list of many a team boss for 2009. In the end the Pole opted to stick with BMW, for one more season at least. Nick Heidfeld’s qualifying problems prompted the team to delay their ’09 announcement, but with those now solved, the team are keeping their faith in the German, ensuring an unchanged line-up.

Renault: Fernando Alonso is staying put, especially after back-to-back wins in Singapore and Japan in a much improved R28. Who is his likely 2009 team mate? Nelson Piquet’s future remains uncertain.

Toyota: Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock have proved a consistent and competitive pairing in 2008 and both will continue in 2009. It will be Glock’s second season and Trulli’s fifth with the Japanese team, who still await that elusive first win.

Toro Rosso: With Sebastian Vettel departing for Red Bull Racing, there’s at least one ’09 vacancy up for grabs. Gerhard Berger has admitted he’s having a tough time making a decision on Sebastien Bourdais (who in turn has said he can’t wait around forever). It looks like there is likely to be new faces at Toro Rosso in 2009.

Red Bull Racing: Another clear cut line-up here, with Mark Webber retained and Monza winner Vettel stepping up from Toro Rosso to replace the retirement-bound father-to-be David Coulthard.

Williams: Nico Rosberg stays put for 2009, along with Japanese team mate Kazuki Nakajima.

Honda: Honda have one of the most experienced and successful line-ups on the grid and both Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello are keen to remain for 2009. But neither driver has been confirmed, most likely because Alonso’s future plans remain uncertain. In the unlikely event that the Spaniard is tempted away from Renault, who would be for the chop? According to reports it’s Barrichello, with some even suggesting that Honda bosses in Japan are keen to replace the veteran Brazilian with a younger name regardless of the Alonso outcome.

Force India: Comments from team owner Vijay Mallya would lead you to believe that Force India’s line-up of Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil is a dead cert to remain unchanged. However, there has been no official announcement, so nothing is confirmed yet.