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Hence going on to talk about support
Who's he taking there to build the winning team?
Was the Rich Energy shenanigans covered by channel 4 at all? I didn't see any. Quite a big story to miss out on!!
BBC and F1.com both seem to be ignoring it. Wonder who they’re frightened of pissing off?
Quite!
I said earlier that I took my 10yo son to Silverstone on Friday practice for his and my first experience there. I am now being sucked back into F1 due to him. I was previously of the opinion that a part of my love of F1 died at Imola in May 1994. It's great seeing the passion in the young generation. I am not sure where it came from but my lad has become a fan of Charles Leclerc this year. It was nice supporting him on Friday and then watching with excitement on TV on Sunday. I hope his tussles with Verstappen can enthuse the kids of today.
Can't see Hamilton going to ferrari personally, they have a reputation for underperforming in recent years. Even when Schumacher was winning consecutive championships they managed to bugger up pitstops for Irvine to lose the championship.
pondo
Member
Who’s he taking there to build the winning team?
I never said I was building the team for them
I never said I was building the team for them
I never said you did. But Michael had a ready-made squad that Ferrari poached at the same time they hired him, I just don't see the same scenario happening for Lewis. I also don't think he'd be prepared to wait five years for a title in a red car, at his age.
Simone Resta reported to be returning to Ferrari to work on 2021 car.
https://www.grandprix.com/news/designer-resta-returning-to-ferrari.html
I think that if Lewis did go to Ferrari it would be precisely because of the challenge of building the team on his own terms, without Toto and co. It would be one way of truly making his mark on the sport for a very long time. Depends upon whether his motivation is just setting records or creating a legacy that nobody can question.
Drivers don't build teams, team managers do. IIRC, the Ferrari superteam was built up by Jean Todt. He convinced Schumacher to join along with Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne, all of whom had been together at Benneton. Schumacher was a key part of that, but it was Jean Todt who built the team. Ross Brawn went on to rebuild Honda into a championship winning team (as Brawn), and then rebuild that into Mercedes. Without Brawn, it's difficult to imagine Ferrari and Mercedes dominating the way they did.
Totally agreed, but there would be some appeal for Lewis to move to Ferrari and be the catalyst to bring the right parts together. I would imagine that Alonso and Seb probably thought the same...
I imagine that Alonso and Vettel thought that Ferrari had massive financial and technical resources and would be able to provide them with cars that could win championships. I don't think those guys give a rat's arse about being The Guy Who Rebuilt Ferrari, they just want to win championships. Ferrari don't look likely to do that, hence Hamilton's public statement that he's not interested and the speculation about it is just people making up stories.
Thought it was a great race on Sunday - possibly the best of the season so far. Assuming LH wins this year's drivers championship then I can't see him leaving. Merc will probably still be a string car next year (although RBR have made some significant improvements this year which is good to see) and in his mind probably the best environment with which to have a crack at Schumacher's record. Agree that Vettel seems to have gone walkabout mentally although I don't know that he has ever been a proper "racer" when it comes to competing against other "elite" drivers. Same as Nico Rosberg. Very capable drivers of going very fast bit somehow just too clumsy when it comes to hard, wheel to wheel racing. And Sunday's incident with him was bizarre. There was never going to be any room up the inside so why he even thought about it I don't know., Unless he was intending to dummy to the inside and then try and go around the outside but was too slow in changing back to the outside. His initial radio message was more ludicrous than the track incident but then I suppose that was him just trying to do the "get a message to the stewards quick to try and influence their thinking before they get down to looking at the incident properly". Not sure I can see him staying beyond this year but I doubt he will quit mid season. I think he's too professional for that but his general demeanour for the past few races indicates someone who knows any chance of winning the title this year has gone
He can definitely go wheel to wheel when his heads not in its current state
Merc will probably still be a string car next year
I thought they were using carbon fibre these days...
Latest rumour mill is Grosjean out, Ocon in at Haas, possibly before the next race.
Hope he can bring Haas a new title sponsor, too.
Where have you seen that Purist?
Found them - not sure how I missed that one. Even The Express had it! 🙂
https://www.theweek.co.uk/formula-1/102323/f1-news-haas-romain-grosjean-esteban-ocon-german-gp
https://www.planetf1.com/news/grosjean-to-be-fired-haas-keen-on-ocon/
They're basically the same story, all stems from some bloke on reddit so keep it filed under 'rumour mill' until anyone reports seeing Ocon at the Haas factory having a seat fitting.
Grosjean is an interesting one. He's clearly not completely shit, back when he drove for Lotus he regularly got on the podium and even managed to calm down his "first lap nutcase" tendencies.
But he has been sub par for a couple of seasons now, with some really bizarre incidents like crashing under the safety car last year in Baku.
Still he does like his mountain biking.
After reading a bit more a Perez --> Haas and Ocon --> Racing Force Point India could be on the cards too, but not quickly, possibly next season.
The doubts of Ocon to Haas appear to be that Ferrari may not want a Mercedes man using their engines.
I really liked Grosjean during that (brief!) day in the sun at Lotus. Shame he couldn't make it stick!
Jenson in a Brawn - this is lovely.
Interesting seeing how the aerodynamics have changed over the decades, the Brawn front wing looks a bit basic compared with the latest cars.
2018 Mercedes
2018 Red Bull
2009 Brawn
1999 McLaren
1989 McLaren
1979 Ferrari
1979 Ferrari
1976 😉
1976
Well...umm...yeah, if you take it literally instead of thinking of it as a metaphor.
Lewis to Williams would be awesome.
Lewis to Williams would be awesome.
Yep, it would be right up there with Damon Hill going to Arrows. Only fly in that ointment is that Merc aren't stupid enough to sack a reigning world champion and Lewis isn't stupid enough to quit the most sought after seat on the grid, so zero chance Lewis will be anywhere other than Merc next year.
I know, I know. I'd love him to take on the challenge of building a team though.
Saying that, he could do the same with Ferrari.
even with all that tax he's saving Max can't afford a Zwift subscription #poormax
That sort of outlook needs a Peleton bike ruining it really.
https://twitter.com/ClueHeywood/status/1089923528722309120
he's no James Hunt ol' Max is he, hot tub on an overlooked balcony and not appearing in the scandal rags #f1disappoints
Anyone anticipating a "ve look like vankers again" from Gunther Steiner this weekend?
One of the most enduring mysteries of the sport is how Romain Grosjean has clocked up an impressive ten years as an F1 driver given his regular predilection for a bout of The Yips every other race.
he's got compromising photos of Bernie at one of Berlusconis bunga bunga parties.
“ve look like vankers again”
red flag as Magnussens Haas breaks down.
Still running the Rich Energy branding tho. Which either means they're being paid, or they're so skint they can't afford to change the livery.
Or they aren't daft enough to give RE a reason to break a contract. Haas would be foolish to rebrand until this mess has been sorted out in court - somewhere Mr Storey must be very familiar with by now.
So, Haas is best of the rest...in the same spec car as the first race of the season. And the car with all the latest upgrades on? Well, that one was 18th:
German GP: Ferrari top in Germany as Gasly crashes - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/49128377
Vettel out in Q1, not even set a time due to some sort of engine power issues.