View Full Version : Silliest Season blows wide open
While the ALO-Ferrari split announcement is widely expected to be forthcoming, Infiniti Red Bull announced that VET will be leaving the team at the end of the season. Kvyat also announced as Seb's "replacement".
http://motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com/2014/10/03/sebastian-vettel-leaving-red-bull-at-end-of-season-daniil-kvyat-to-replace-him/
The rumored seat swap between ALO and VET would seem to be moot with Red Bull's announcement. Vettel is obviously going to Ferrari. Is there still a possibility for ALO at Mercedes or does he take the Honda-Santander $40,000,000+ salary for ALO-McLaren 2: Electric Boogaloo?
Insomniac
10-04-14, 02:40 PM
I guess it all starts with Alonso. They mentioned that Luca di Montezemolo granted him his wish to get out of his contract on his way out the door. Interesting that Red Bull is doing the same for Vettel.
The logical spots Alonso would go to in terms of competitiveness are McLaren and Mercedes. A reunion with McLaren does seem crazy, but winning is important to every team, so maybe the past can be put aside. Rosberg isn't going anywhere so that means Hamilton would either want to leave (to go back to McLaren?) or would have to be pushed out to make room for Alonso.
Is Kimi a lock to be at Ferrari next year? If Hamilton wanted to leave, could he co-exist with Vettel at Ferrari? I'm guessing not with their reputation for a #1 and #2 driver.
So I gues for the most part, probably the most logical things will happen, apart from Alonso going back to McLaren.
What about the idea of both Vettel and Alonso going to McLaren?
Who is going to be left standing when the music stops:
Alonso?
Hamilton?
Button?
Magnussen?
My long shot money is on Hamilton (and I'm a fan), but I don't see him staying at Mercedes; they're committed to Niko not him. I don't see Alonso going there, but if he goes to McLaren I can see Kevin going to Mercedes.
Vettel may be successful at Ferrari, but it ain't gonna be Schumi redux. Too much other talent in F1 now, IMO. The blind Ferrari love by the F1 establishment really hurt F1 in the final Schumacher years; hopefully they won't be so stupid to repeat that. Also, I wonder if they will get a top young driver to willingly play second fiddle to Vettel they way Irvine, Barrichello & Massa did all those years? They will have to get a real wanker and I don't think they really want that. Who knows?
Mary
Insomniac
10-04-14, 06:26 PM
What about the idea of both Vettel and Alonso going to McLaren?
Horner said Vettel told him he was going to Ferrari. I also don't think Alonso would agree or McLaren would be crazy enough to try that again.
Insomniac
10-04-14, 06:30 PM
Who is going to be left standing when the music stops:
Alonso?
Hamilton?
Button?
Magnussen?
My long shot money is on Hamilton (and I'm a fan), but I don't see him staying at Mercedes; they're committed to Niko not him. I don't see Alonso going there, but if he goes to McLaren I can see Kevin going to Mercedes.
Vettel may be successful at Ferrari, but it ain't gonna be Schumi redux. Too much other talent in F1 now, IMO. The blind Ferrari love by the F1 establishment really hurt F1 in the final Schumacher years; hopefully they won't be so stupid to repeat that. Also, I wonder if they will get a top young driver to willingly play second fiddle to Vettel they way Irvine, Barrichello & Massa did all those years? They will have to get a real wanker and I don't think they really want that. Who knows?
Mary
Button. It's a wonder he's still driving now. :)
I think Hamilton can stay at Mercedes. IMO, they've demonstrated a commitment to him, winning and no #1 driver. At the end of the day, they all want to win and be at a team that enables it. That's how Ferrari was able to succeed with the #1/#2 model. Their cars were just that good. But when they're not, no one wants to be #2 and finish off the podium every week.
opinionated ow
10-04-14, 11:06 PM
Vettel & Raikkonen at Ferrari for 2015, Vettel & Bianchi in 2016.
No change at Mercedes
Alonson & Magnussen at McLaren
Ricciardo & Kvyat at Red Bull
Verstappen & Sainz at STR
That's my best guess. If Alonso goes back to McLaren it shows that Hamilton was the problem first time around. I've always though Lewis a bit of a self gratificationist and I'm sticking with that.
Based on today's race results I'd say Alonso leaving Ferrari is for certain.
If Alonso goes back to McLaren it shows that Hamilton was the problem first time around. I've always though Lewis a bit of a self gratificationist and I'm sticking with that.
Hamilton did not cost McLaren a $100 million fine. Alonso did.
Case closed.
P.S. They are ALL self gratificationists. (Is that even a word... :-) )
opinionated ow
10-07-14, 07:13 PM
Hamilton did not cost McLaren a $100 million fine. Alonso did.
Case closed.
P.S. They are ALL self gratificationists. (Is that even a word... :-) )
Not really but it's my polite term for calling someone a wanker
Insomniac
01-01-15, 06:13 PM
Old news at this point, but McLaren did make it official. Alonso and Button for 2015.
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/formula1/30291496
Old news at this point, but McLaren did make it official. Alonso and Button for 2015.
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/formula1/30291496
Button on a "long term" renewal. K-Mag retained as third driver.
Hopefully McLaren-Honda will offer an attractive power unit/tech support deal with Magnussen and Vandoorne* attached for 2016. MAG deserves at least a second full season and Vandoorne is almost certainly a better option than Sauber's 2015 line up if not more.
*I know, neither is Japanese but there really isn't a Japanese driver close to being ready for F1 let alone one contracted to Honda. Kimiya Sato did win the AutoGP title but didn't do nearly enough in GP2 and with second season out of F1, Kamui Kobayashi's Grand Prix career is probably over (how a guy that doesn't have huge personal sponsorship passed on a factory Ferrari contract in GT racing and F1 testing for an unpaid drive with Caterham boggles my mind).
Forget about a Japanese driver...what about that Japanese engine? Engine wars? Everyone else gets to make engine improvements throughout the year, but Honda can't? Their final design has to be submitted in a few weeks. No changes after that? Is that correct? Gee, that's the spirit, Bernie.:irked: First Mercedes threatens to quit if they have to go back to V-8s, now McLaren might do the same over THIS? Take your pick, it's all over the web. I tried to understand it at Autosport. Sounds like Affirmative Action to me.
Insomniac
01-06-15, 11:22 AM
Forget about a Japanese driver...what about that Japanese engine? Engine wars? Everyone else gets to make engine improvements throughout the year, but Honda can't? Their final design has to be submitted in a few weeks. No changes after that? Is that correct? Gee, that's the spirit, Bernie.:irked: First Mercedes threatens to quit if they have to go back to V-8s, now McLaren might do the same over THIS? Take your pick, it's all over the web. I tried to understand it at Autosport. Sounds like Affirmative Action to me.
My understanding is there is no actual date in the regulations. They are allowed to make a certain % of changes to the engine each year (using a token system). With no date, they argued they can make those changes any time as long as they respect the tokens. FIA says the spirit was no in season development and I'm sure the manufacturer's know that, but with the whipping they are getting from Mercedes they want that ability. For Honda, it's their first year. If they applied the same logic to them, Honda could develop the whole engine for the entire season so the FIA is saying, engine is frozen on 2/28 just like it was last year for the others.
Right, that's the part I don't get...even the (stupid) token "take your pick" lottery thing I could follow but what's with "Everyone ELSE froze 'em LAST year, so YOU get frozen THIS year!?" So...Honda has a brand new, barely tested "power unit":rolleyes: (who ARE these people!!?:mad:)...and THEY would have the advantage? Sure, maybe over those guys who blew up 11 times last season...they didn't know WHAT the hell they were doing..."RUN IT TIL SHE BLOWS," over, and over and...A retroactive rule I don't get. I can hardly wait for Honda to win a race! ...or says, SEE YA!...after one CHAMPIONSHIP season!:D And McLaren gets to learn all this AFTER the deals are made? "Bad luck, chaps.":shakehead: I liked it better when, "What's good for Ferrari IS what's good for F-1" was the mantra...Now THAT actually made sense! Oh, and Bernie just said "Monza is CRAP, and has to go"...or words to that effect;)...(dammit, why haven't we come up with an FBE icon!?...a little troll, right?) Maybe he was counting on that Korean race...oh, WAIT...that's off AGAIN, too. Perhaps NORTH Korea? Pinnacle, indeed. The "spirit of the rules"...:rofl: (the sprinklers idea doesn't sound so silly, now.)
chop456
01-08-15, 06:22 AM
(dammit, why haven't we come up with an FBE icon!?...a little troll, right?)
http://cdn.images.express.co.uk/img/dynamic/1/285x214/214041_1.jpg
Holy Cr**...that's uglier than any troll I've ever seen...well, not that I've actually SEEN any trolls, but...ahhh, you know what I mean!:gomer:
Seriously? An ounce of sanity has appeared in F-1? Oh, goody..."the average rounded down to the nearest whole number":shakehead: Honda gets to use left-over tokens! I mean, the other guys can't use 'em ALL! Right? Some editorial cartoonist should come up with a panel showing a Ferrari guy flipping a coin toward a little Japanese engineer, saying something like "Here, take THIS, ya big baby!" I really DO wonder what prompted the change, though. You think F-1 NEEDS Honda...or McLaren!? Or Monza? Or...ahhh, SOME bluff was called!
WickerBill
01-19-15, 11:05 AM
Can't say I understood why Honda was going to have to follow 2014 rules when everyone else followed 2015 rules. The whole argument of "well WE had to do it this way" strikes me as a walked-five-miles-to-school-uphill-both-ways argument. Honda should have to lock their motor on Feb 1, and then use tokens the rest of the season if they wish.
Insomniac
01-19-15, 11:24 AM
Can't say I understood why Honda was going to have to follow 2014 rules when everyone else followed 2015 rules. The whole argument of "well WE had to do it this way" strikes me as a walked-five-miles-to-school-uphill-both-ways argument. Honda should have to lock their motor on Feb 1, and then use tokens the rest of the season if they wish.
I assumed they'd be a year behind on the token system so they'd get to change more than others next year if they were going to make them freeze the engine the whole year. Seems simpler to just have everyone use the same rules though.
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