Formula 1 2024 – WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS

WCA was obviously joking, but let’s face it, no team is going to let their star designer join another team without enforcing the longest period of gardening leave they possibly can or insisting on an eye watering financial settlement. Christ, look at the legal situation that Palou is in with McLaren – McLaren are asking for $30 million.

https://www.the-race.com/indycar/alex-palou-mclaren-court-case-latest-pato-oward-salary-david-malukas/

FFS, pages back I posted a video about his new boat.

In the video he’s talking about having more time and looking forward to doing lots of sailing.

My money is on him just stepping back from work.

Hulk confirmed at Stake

no team is going to let their star designer join another team without enforcing the longest period of gardening leave they possibly can or insisting on an eye watering financial settlement.

Depends what the contract says though really doesn’t it? I can imagine that for folks like Newey he can (and will probably get) anything he wants in a contract. I’d bet a can of warm flat red bull, that he can walk anytime he wants.

Talk on the street is his contract is till end of 2025 then would have to go on years gardening leave so wouldn’t be available till 2027.

But if a contract has ended in 2025 can they enforce gardening leave if no longer contracted to the team?

Depends what the contract says though really doesn’t it?

It’s reported that he’s contracted until the end of 2025 and would have to take gardening leave after that. The point is that any team would enforce the gardening leave as strictly as they could or ask for a huge financial payment. It’s not a matter of Horner being a ****, it’s just how the business works.

I imagine he would say that Horners behaviour and antics has led to constructive dismissal and the gardening leave no longer applies.

I reckon he will go to Williams for the challenge of getting them winning again.

Only joking.

I reckon he will go to Williams for the challenge of getting them winning again.

If the owners have any sense, they’d offer him 25% of the team and a free hand to do whatever he wants, which is what Frank Williams and Patrick Head should have offered him 30 years ago.

the-muffin-manFull Member
Talk on the street is his contract is till end of 2025 then would have to go on years gardening leave so wouldn’t be available till 2027.

What, you mean the word I posted on the previous page?!

So is The Useless Hulk replacing Bottas or Zhou?

Yes, my comment about honour and doing the right thing was taking the piss.

The point with F1 contracts is that they are very flexible and seem to change depending on how much money is involved. It is almost a shame that Bernie is not still around to manipulate all of this behind closed doors.

I suspect, as previously mentioned, Newey will spend less time working on the DB2025 and more time working on his boats and other pet projects. How long before, and if, he gets tempted back into F1 is the question. If he doesn’t get to design a 2026 car, or at least have very significant input into it, then he will be tweaking other peoples designs which might not be that appealing. As, I assume, a lot of the 2026 design has already been done and obviously more will happen as time passes, the longer he leaves it before joining another team, the less fundamental design he does.

Looking at the time lines, development cycles and his age, along with the cost caps meaning he can’t just walk in and scrap any existing designs and do his own, you have to wonder if he will bother.

Year Age Action
2024 65 Resigns
2025 66 Contract ends
2026 67 Gardening leave and legal battles
2027 68 Possible 1st season with new team
2028 69 1st season to address inherited design weakness
2029 70 1st season able to get major changes on the track
2030 71 Refine last years design and start winning
2031 72 Championship Winner?

Audi must not be wanting one car on the podium at any races!

Hulkenberg to join Sauber from Haas in 2025 – https://www.bbc.com/sport/articles/cjew54g41ego

Possibly not the biggest news in F1 right now, but Hulkenberg has signed to Audi/Sauber

My money is on him just stepping back from work.

Mine too tbh

Hulkenberg to join Sauber from Haas in 2025 – https://www.bbc.com/sport/articles/cjew54g41ego

Possibly not the biggest news in F1 right now, but Hulkenberg has signed to Audi/Sauber

Do people actually bother to read this thread before posting? 🙄

Mine too tbh

ditto

@Twodogs

What, you mean the word I posted on the previous page?!

Oooooh – so sorry – I must do better. I’ll slap myself on the wrists and go and sit on the naughty step.

And I’ll pinky-promise to cross reference every single bleedin’ forum post in future! 😜

Newey will go to Ferrari, with time spent not in F1 in their road car division.

Tantalising prospect for the mega rich

So is The Useless Hulk replacing Bottas or Zhou?

Probably little difference between Bottas and Hulk, but Hulk will help with all of the German PR

Expecting Zhou to be dropped with Bottas position being on hold until the rest of the grid settles down.

Hopefully Hulks move opens the door at HAAS for Bearman and Antonelli is being lined up at Mercedes/Williams

Hulk is replacing Zhou. I think Zhou is better than just a pay driver, but Hulk is an improvement. He’s signed as a better second driver. Audi want to replace Bottas with Sainz or Albon as their lead driver. Whatever happens, replacing Zhou with Hulk is an improvement, even if they get stuck with Bottas and Hulk, that’s two solid drivers who can help to build the team.

If I was Sainz I’d want a lot of money to drive for Audi. As the only person to have won a GP in the last 18 who wasn’t in a RB, its weird that he’s still not got a confirmed drive for next year though.

As the only person to have won a GP in the last 18 who wasn’t in a RB, its weird that he’s still not got a confirmed drive for next year though

It’s probably him waiting to decide which team is best rather than no one after him. Or waiting to see if Verstappen jumps to Merc, you’d kick yourself if you signed for Audi and then that happened. Since Alonso agreed a contract he is now the best driver available

None of his options are appealing…

• Red Bull – toxic now and built around Max who he already has/had a testy relationship with.

• Mercedes – who seem to have forgotten how to build an F1 car. And they have ‘sleepover with Toto’ George as No.1. 🙂

• Audi – who knows how they will do. If their sportscar/rally history and experience follows them into F1 they won’t be in it to make up the numbers.

If I was Sainz I’d want a lot of money to drive for Audi.

They’ve offered him a lot of money but he’s waiting to see if Merc or Red Bull will take him.

Its a case of who blinks first

Red Bull and Mercedes have plenty of options, so theres little reason for them to confirm any of their drivers until later in the year. Sainz is just going to have to play a waiting game.

I’m sure Alonso got a firm no from both of those teams and so decided to extended with Aston.

Audi is such a gamble and I cant see them breaking into the top half of the grid in the short term

Sure I read that Marko was quoted as saying that RB could/would not match the mega offer Audi have already made to Sainz

Sure I read that Marko was quoted as saying that RB could/would not match the mega offer Audi have already made to Sainz

They have Verstappen locked down for years. Let’s face it, Red Bull could turn up next year with this year’s car and still be competitive so Max isn’t going anywhere. They don’t need Sainz so he’s basically waiting for Merc to make a decision.

Sure I read that Marko was quoted as saying that RB could/would not match the mega offer Audi have already made to Sainz

Thats just Marko being Marko.
If you have the fastest car on the grid theres no need to offer big money to someone

Where next for Newey? Your questions answered before Miami GP – https://www.bbc.com/sport/articles/ckr5mnd25nyo

Andrew Benson reckons it will most likely be Ferrari for Adrian Newey

There’s meant to be an announcement today about him leaving Red Bull – whether that includes where he’s going remains to be seen.

Logic would suggest he’d need to be in place to work next season (on the 2026 regs), otherwise he’ll be turning up and having to undo someone else’s work.

Retirement is my opinion now.

Retirement is my opinion now.

Yes, that wouldn’t surprise me. Or, Ferrari might make a deal where he’s allowed to work on supercars but not F1 until 2027. Red Bull and Ferrari both have more money than they know what to do with and preventing Newey from joining a rival team might suit both of them and a Newey designed Ferrari supercar would sell for huge money.

I reckon he will take a ‘soft retirement’ working for Ferrari supercars because of this – Red Bull and Ferrari both have more money than they know what to do with and preventing Newey from joining a rival team might suit both of them and a Newey designed Ferrari supercar would sell for huge money.

Thing is; Red Bull have been at pains for the last few years to point out that Newey isn’t all that crucial, claiming that Pierre Wache (also a target of Ferrari headhunting) has more day to day input and is responsible for the design direction. They even called it a “machine that Newey can dip in and out of” – which I don’t think Newey was all that impressed about if the rumours are true

They can’t have it both ways though, claim that he’s not all that important, and then impose a huge long garden leave becasue…what? He’s been designing a road car?

“machine that Newey can dip in and out of”

We’ve all had that feeling when you’ve worked on something for bloody ages – then someone who really knows what they are doing walks in, points to the obvious and says “you’ve screwed that up”! Makes a small change – it miraculously works – and smugly walks off! 🤣

That’s Adrian Newey’s role now!

Thing is; Red Bull have been at pains for the last few years to point out that Newey isn’t all that crucial, claiming that Pierre Wache (also a target of Ferrari headhunting) has more day to day input and is responsible for the design direction

Newey and Ross Brawn both seemed to be able to set up technical departments and hire and train engineers who could do amazing things, but then struggled after they left. All the teams have dozens of brilliant engineers, the difference is that Red Bull and Merc had better management. So did Williams, McLaren, Benneton, and Ferrari in their glory days.

nickc
They can’t have it both ways though, claim that he’s not all that important, and then impose a huge long garden leave becasue…what? He’s been designing a road car?

A road car that by pure coincidence has ground effect aero?

Also:

A road car that by pure coincidence has ground effect aero?

And will also be in WEC next season – but nothing to see here!!

https://www.fiawec.com/en/news/aston-martin-to-enter-fia-wec-from-2025-with-valkyrie-hypercar/7798

And will also be in WEC next season – but nothing to see here!!

It’s years since he worked on that. He’s been working on Red Bull’s road car.

Red Bull and Merc had better management. So did Williams, McLaren, Benneton, and Ferrari in their glory days.

Williams? The team whose glory days were characterised by managing to lose all their drivers as soon as they became world champions and then managing to lose the guy who designed the cars that they became champions in? 🙂