Martin Brundle – who know his stuff – has suggested the ideal situation would be 6 x 2 Car manufacturers teams and 6 x 2 Car independent teams (affiliated to one of the manufacturers who would supply them the engine but leave them to run the team independently). This would give a grid of 24.

As of 2015 there will be four “manufacturer” teams: Ferrari; Mercedes; Red Bull/Renault; Mclaren/Honda.

Audi have ruled themselves out of F1, which means they are actually probably interested so they could be the fifth manufacturer to join.

No idea who a sixth might be? Toyota failed pretty badly previously they will have no appetite for a return. The big US firms don’t really get F1 so I can’t see Ford, GM or Chrysler putting together a team. BMW had a decent amount of success and maybe interested especially if Audi enter the fray. Who know maybe we might see a Hyundai F1 car!

None of this is likely in the short term though.

No idea who a sixth might be? Toyota failed pretty badly previously they will have no appetite for a return. The big US firms don’t really get F1 so I can’t see Ford, GM or Chrysler putting together a team. BMW had a decent amount of success and maybe interested especially if Audi enter the fray. Who know maybe we might see a Hyundai F1 car!

Porsche?

Chrysler already have a F1 team, they call it Scuderia Ferrari

Can’t see Honda wanting to do anything other than engines, especially after their last two seasons before they left.

Porsche own 50% of the VAG group so I can’t see them doing it if Audi won’t.

Doesn’t really leave many other options. Kia?

Porsche?

Nah – they’ve only just starting in sports cars again.

Audi – maybe, they’ve nothing left to achieve in sports cars at the minute. The fact they’ve gone for a ‘simple’ engine this year with little energy recover suggests a) they’re not interested in it, or b) they’re putting there efforts elsewhere.

I do hope Jules Bianchi’s care is taken into account when they folded.

I would imagine Ferrari are looking after this, he was effectively their driver.

Further proof that Alonso has a complete inability to panic: BBC. Sees flames pouring out of the self same car that he is very securely fastened into, doesn’t pull over until he sees a fire point so he can get out, grab an extinguisher and put the fire out himself. Classy move!

Anyone fancy crowd funding Caterham?

https://www.crowdcube.com/caterham/

http://www.crowcube.com is owned by the same company (Smith & Williamson) as the administators currently running the Caterham F1 team (James Allen on F1)

A question, if I may:

Every GP, the commentators talk about how the track is difficult at first, and needs to “rubber in” before we see proper performances in qualifying.

Why don’t they send out a fleet of touring cars (or something with little downforce) with tyres made of the same compound in the week running up to the race to do a load of skidz and rubber it up beforehand ?

Yours in ignorance, … etc

Why don’t they send out a fleet of touring cars (or something with little downforce) with tyres made of the same compound in the week running up to the race to do a load of skidz and rubber it up beforehand ?

Part of the challenge is adapting to the track as it evolves throughout the weekend.
There are often other cars and events going on during the build up to the race but nothing beats having the same rubber going down.

He’s not playing the averages is he?

Watching this race as it doesn’t involve me getting up at stupid o’clock.

It’s painfully boring. Guys just driving around at similar speeds managing tyres. It’s contrived garbage.

must be a horrible feeling having Hamilton chasing you down

Hamo is going get this

Ooh this is

boring

I thought the radio5live team was going to bum the radio/mic over Nico at the finish line. Acting as though hes the Messiah ‘won the pole position for the season etc/surely its his title now if hamo doesnt finish second’ etc.

Christian Horner complaining that the Mercedes dominance is unfair.

Really?

Al heard on the eay home was a terrible discussion about tyres., blisters, the size of blisters, the width of wear on tyres, when tarmac was laid ……it sounded proper thrilling

Thankfully Hora still managed to find something sexual in it

I thought it was a half decent race – not a classic by any means, but fairly entertaining. Shame Hamilton’s pit crew made him stay out/he overcooked it, otherwise it would have been more exciting at the end. Clearly the better driver again for 90% of the race.

Will be gutted if Hamilton comes 3rd/worse in the last race – and it will only be down to bad luck if he does.

If button is that good and the rumours are true that he is leaving McLaren then why aren’t any of the other teams snapping him up ???

Cos they can’t afford him

If button is that good and the rumours are true that he is leaving McLaren then why aren’t any of the other teams snapping him up ???

There are no seats available at any of the top teams.

Cos they can’t afford him

There are no seats available at any of the top teams.

Such a shame – he’s showed today & over the course of the season he’s still got what it takes, perhaps more so than someone like Kimi (& I say that as a fan of Kimi)

Most salaries will be getting negotiated down now
Vetted is probably the only driver that’ll have got somewhere near what they wanted, once he signed for Ferrari and Red Bull wrong footed Alonso all the other top drivers were then left with the threat of Alonso taking their seat if they couldn’t take less 🙂

Lewis blames his team for what happened, yet as he was coming round towards the end of the lap he should have confirmed he was coming in, not just carry on quietly knowing he destroyed the tyres… for once lewis side of the garage seem to get it wrong, to be honest nico’s side has done some really bad strategy errors in the past.

I do wonder how merc would have handled it if RBR or Ferrari or Williams would be mixing it with them in the year, it seems at the slightest sign of pressure things start to go wrong with them….

as i said before

3 car teams, its a done deal – why – because Force India wont be in 2015
curious also, Sauber (ferrari b team) sign 3 drivers for next year

back2basics – Member

Lewis blames his team for what happened,

Hmmm?

“At the end of the day I locked the rears into Turn 4 and under rotation that spun me around, the second time it happened this weekend – no one’s fault but mine.”

Or not.

I’m definitely a LH fan and I sincerely hope he comes out on top come the end of the season but IMO he’s been disappointing this year, overall.

In too many races he’s been outqualified by Nico and then mistakes like his spin in Rio have compounded that.

Put it this way, I don’t think that FA would have made the same mistake. Or his hero Senna for that matter.

michaelbowden – Member
back2basics – Member
Lewis blames his team for what happened,
Hmmm?

“At the end of the day I locked the rears into Turn 4 and under rotation that spun me around, the second time it happened this weekend – no one’s fault but mine.”
Or not.

Before that he stated the team left him out later than what he wanted.

Put it this way, I don’t think that FA would have made the same mistake. Or his hero Senna for that matter.

Senna would have announced he’s coming in NOW an told them to get ready, and if they weren’t ready he’ll just drive the car into the garage and quit. No messing.

The Merc cars ARE streets ahead of the others. I don’t think Nico is a great driver, just that hes in a great car. Lewis has been good but not amazing- just flashes of his awesome potential again.

Once Nico’s won this he’ll just default into the pack next year+

IIMO he’s been disappointing this year, overall.

In too many races he’s been outqualified by Nico and then mistakes like his spin in Rio have compounded that.

😯

Don’t really know how you can say that – he’s been on top pretty much every race day with very few mistakes if you look at it over the course of a season. 10 wins to Rosberg’s 5 and he’d have won more if it wasn’t for retirements/Rosberg cheating.

To be fair to LH, I think that ‘blaming the team’ comes from the questions asked – driver gets asked what happened, states ‘I made a mistake, it’s my fault’. Press asks for further details, driver explains that the team asked him to change a setting and then he forgot to change the other setting. Press reports ‘Driver blames team’, which clearly doesn’t actually reflect the interview but is a juicier headline.

LH lost his first world championship because of that China incident where the team left him out too long and he didn’t insist on coming in. As a first year driver, that was excusable, now less so.

As I said, I think he’s a fantastic driver but not the overall package that FA is – that’s the disappointment – admittedly it’s against a very high standard but if LH’s legacy is to be recognised as one of the true greats then IMO he’s not measuring up right now.

Yesterdays mistake was a lot different to China 2008.

Yesterday they saw that small window of opportunity after Rosberg pitted as their only chance to overtake. They just pushed it a bit too far (team and Ham), probably tempted by the fact it’s a very short lap so thought the tyres would hang-on.

He could easily have just sat back and rolled in in 2nd place.

This is why I prefer racing drivers like Hamilton to ‘thinking’ drivers like Prost etc.

what i cannot fathom is why he (LH) hasnt resigned for Merc yet and states he wants to “get the title dealt with first”

but why? for what possible reason? he has the best car and there is nothing to say anywhere else isnt as good, and , lets face it, there is no where else to go for him – so is it because Merc wont pay him what he wants? or he doesnt think he would win again with them? but why on earth would he think that?

As has been said elsewhere I also think the ‘where will Alonso go next year’ hinges on whether Hamilton wins the championship this year.

If he wins, he can head off to McLaren for a new challenge with Honda. And Alonso in at Merc.

If he loses, he’ll stay with Merc for another crack next year.

as already stated, Fernando said he wasnt going to a car with a merc engine. so thats not a good theory.

“new challenge” – this is what i dont understand – he’d want to stay with a winning team, not just take a mid field untested one and potentially waste his career, especially as he’s already been to mclaren. it just doesnt smack right with me….when going to the Merc he said he wanted to win as many titles as possible. i wonder if bridges have already been burned between him and merc

or perhaps, he has an “escalator” value in his contract that see’s him paid more per-world-title he gets.

Hasn’t LH just let his management lapse. He was probably waiting for that to lapse to negotiate himself without them taking a cut. With two or three races left (when it expired) he may as well wait for the season to finish and not have the distraction.

The thing with Alonso though is why is he waiting to make an announcement?

He’s either buying a stake in Lotus (as I can’t see him just being a driver for them again).

Going to McLaren? – but playing hard-ball with the management over contracts hardly seems the best way to get them on you side after the way he left.

Or waiting for another outcome – eg what happens at Merc.

And why Lewis back to McLaren? – because if he wins another title with them it will be in a ‘McLaren Honda’ – the same combo as his hero Senna.

One further possibility is that three cars for RB and Ferrari have been agreed and there’s some manoeuvring around that – eg Button to Ferrari in car 3 – but it can’t be announced yet because 3 car teams aren’t official.

Button to Ferrari in car 3

Well three world champions in a team would be something. I can’t see it though. 3rd drivers (if we get any) will be younger guys not looking for a seven figure salary. Even Ferrari has a limit to how much it can spend.

Button is a class act but sadly I think his days in F1 are numbered

I agree it’s unlikely, it all just seems rather odd about what’s holding up the announcements.

perhaps nothing will be decided until the FIA 2015 championship entry deadline is met and we see just how many cars will be on the grid,
Alonso could be in Ferrari #3
and button in RBR #3

i cannot see Mc & Merc and Williams wanting to run 2 car teams with the others running 3, so i can imagine they will ask Bernie for them to as well, and then Bernie can say it was all the “teams wanting to do it” rather then him having to state he *had* to do it because the grid is getting smaller.