I know what you mean, but it’s good watching top drivers make it back up through the field. What a drive by Ricciardo!

Moe – Member
I’ve got to the point where I can’t be bothered to watch the highlights even, and reading through the grid penaltys fiasco I gave up!

Absolutely. This year has an actual championship battle, Monza tends to be my favourite race, and I’m still feeling very ‘meh’ about bothering to watch.

Last year I was getting a sizeable fix of FIA RX on YouTube instead, but they’ve cut the catch-up footage right back now 🙁

But Vandoorme has quietly got on with the job, no moaning or grandstanding but regularly outperforming Alonso

Not in qualifying he hasn’t… it’s 8-2 to Alonso. Alonso has only been classified in half of the races he’s done but only completed two. I’m no fan of Alonso but he’s had the upper hand on Stoffel for the season so far (as you’d expect for someone of his calibre)

But Vandoorme has quietly got on with the job, no moaning or grandstanding but regularly outperforming Alonso

but every utterance from Alonso will be broadcast, whereas Vandoornes opinions will be not quite as news worthy maybe.

I will suggest though ….. McLaren blink too soon and Red Bull reap the benefits

Would there be any for next season? Highly improbable but it would be nice to see a team do a ‘Brawn’ again.

….. oh good grief, I’m getting drawn back in again, we’re as bad as football fans! Just so want it to work!

I will suggest though ….. McLaren blink too soon and Torro Rosso reap the benefits?

I was always in the ‘Honda will get it right’ camp, but they just don’t seem to be able to. After this one there are only 3 seasons left with this current engine format and I can’t now see Honda making good enough progress in that time. And if by fluke they do, it’s all change again for 2021!

I think McLarens reasoning is this – take a Renault engine, prove they have got a good chassis, move up the teams standings. They could then try and pick up a manufacturer deal with one of the new engine suppliers who are lurking around F1 waiting to see what the new rules are.

Porsche making positive noises about a return (as engine supplier) when the new regs come in. So if Honda stay that’d be 5 engine suppliers, each able to support up to 3 teams (under current regs) so a potential grid of 30 cars. Bring it on!

That would be interesting, suspect you’d need to get costs down drastically and alter the distribution of funds to attract new teams though.

Do we know roughly what the 2021 engine regs will look like. I’m guessing they will ditch the MGU-H as they seem to be pretty problematic

Still in the air for definitive regs, twin turbos seem to be a given though and MGU-H removal – but this may help…

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/tech-analysis-f1-s-engine-options-past-2020-889758/

They (McLaren) could then try and pick up a manufacturer deal with one of the new engine suppliers who are lurking around F1 waiting to see what the new rules are.

Is this likely? I mean how many engine suppliers are really just waiting in the wings to plow vast amounts of money into F1, especially at the point when electric cars are becoming more fashionable.

Is this likely? I mean how many engine suppliers are really just waiting in the wings to plow vast amounts of money into F1, especially at the point when electric cars are becoming more fashionable.

Porsche/Audi/VW (whatever they choose!)
Cosworth
BMW
Aston Martin

Have all expressed an interest.

Porsche are quitting sportscars and Audi already have so the VW group have the budget.

And Formula E is still a niche (and still relatively slow speed) series.

Expressed and interest and being serious are two very different things. Aston Martin, Cosworth & VW/Porsche were all at the meetings, but that doesn’t mean they’ll commit to anything. Cosworth are the only real likely folk to appear IMO. And anyway the Aston and Porsche are unlikely to commit to McLaren what with them being in competition with them in the road market. Honda and Renault seem to be McLaren’s only options for now and the foreseeable future.

A quick Google throws up various links to quash any BMW involvement e.g. Autosport understands Toyota has joined BMW and Ford in not considering a return to F1.

I think Joe Saward or someone reported a few weeks back that McLaren were seriously looking at setting up their own engine program for the new regs.

It’s the worst possible time to be stepping away from a works engine deal. If McLaren play it smart, they’ll engineer a swap of engine with Toro Rosso, with a contractual clause that will allow them to swap back to Honda for 2019 if Honda sort their shit out next year.

Alonso is a positive for McLaren, but at thirty six it’s unrealistic to expect him to be around in 2019. Better to retain his services for an official works Indycar challenge (or even Le Mans) with a Honda engine.

By 2021, with new regs it’s not unfeasible that McLaren could partner the likes of Porsche (who built the TAG engines used until the end of 1987) or even build their own power unit.

McLaren – Porsche is the sort of hook up that’s no longer possible for them. As direct competitors, how does either company market that they need the other to make things happen?

I think Porsche are on something of a high at the moment [sales wise] so I doubt they’d do anything to potentially affect that.

I used to think “well it’s Honda, they are bound to sort the issues out and have an awesome engine any day now”. But I’ve lost faith in that, it just seems as bad now as it was when they first returned. Maybe a little faster but all the comedy grid penalties and breakdowns are just plain embarrassing now.

McLaren can’t wait forever, Honda are a bit of a laughing stock really.

Sainz to Renault then (possibly from Malaysia)…

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/sainz-renault-switch-str-mclaren-honda-951146/

One interesting consequence of this is that Red Bull and McLaren will be running the same engines next year- which will certainly test how good McLaren’s chasssis really is as well as hopefully provide some good Alonso/Verstappen/Ricciardo match ups on track! 🙂

Shame for Sainz that, in a way..I would much rather have seen him get Kimi’s seat at Ferrari.

So that’s the end of Palmer then ?

Shame for Sainz that, in a way..I would much rather have seen him get Kimi’s seat at Ferrari.

It’s good for him that he’s out of the Red Bull system – at least he’s now free to go where he wants in future rather than wait for a space in the Red Bull team.

It’s all speculation and rumour at the moment, no formal announcements have been made… but yeah, looks like Palmer’s career is going the same way as his dad’s.

Always worth remembering that Zac Brown (of McLaren) is also pulling the strings at Motorsport.com so their sources should be quite reliable on the whole McRenault story.

Though as this involves Alonso it’s now guaranteed that Honda will deliver a massive step in winter testing.

So that’s the end of Palmer then ?

He’s been a dead man walking for months

Shame for Sainz that, in a way..I would much rather have seen him get Kimi’s seat at Ferrari.

Same! Although the problem with Ferrari is that they do seem to love a fairly rigid driver hierachy, and with Vettel there until 2020 it does queer the pitch a little for any prospective Raikkonen replacements..

Always worth remembering that Zac Brown (of McLaren) is also pulling the strings atMotorsport.com so their sources should be quite reliable on the whole McRenault story.

But also could very much be Zac Brown putting out a story to try and force through the deal they want! 😉

So guess that means Kubica isn’t coming back to Renault then. 🙁

So guess that means Kubica isn’t coming back to Renault then.

Not to Renault but Toro Rosso are going to need a replacement for Sainz until the end of the season. Does Kubica have a Superlicence?

shermer75 – Member
Not to Renault but Toro Rosso are going to need a replacement for Sainz until the end of the season. Does Kubica have a Superlicence?

Not sure but he’s done the mileage and has shown “outstanding ability in a single seater” so I’d guess even if he hasn’t it’d be a formality as this point.

I would have thought though that Gasly will take the seat at TR. Guess they could be ditching Kvyat at the same time and Kubica could fill that seat but it seems unlikely given TR will want some stability for the development work.

Of course, Gasly! Duh!! Lol

Kubica won’t go to Torro Rosso – it’s not what they exist for.

Unfortunately, I think Renault was his only chance due to their history.

I’m pretty sure Kvyat has already been re-signed for next year.

Evil smurf – sorry, Massa may be dropped for Kubica.
Massa apparently wants to play in formula E ( where he may win something or be competitive )

I’m pretty sure Kvyat has already been re-signed for next year.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!

Kvyat set for new contract

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!

+1,000,000!

There’s no room for sulkly faces like his in F1. 😀

A bit more background from Mark Hughes…

http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/opinion/f1/williams-alonso-or-kubica

To be fair that article was written a couple of months ago and things may have changed since- as evidenced by the fact that it seems to be suggesting that Sainz was going to be renewing his Toro Rosso contract also. I’d be surprised to see Kvyat next year, but it won’t be the first time a seemingly less than impressive driver gets a contract extention!

Kvyat might bring with him lots of Russian money, so he could well end up with a seat.