The F1 Thread…

But leaving a team on bad terms isn’t necessarily a bad thing if the relationship has delivered up to then. While some teams don’t feel they need to have that stress (Red Bull) others quite like that type of character. Much as Ron and Fernando didn’t work out well I still reckon Ron would admire him and they’re two of the sort of people that would put that aside if it meant winning.

Didn’t we do that Ron is no longer that directly involved anyway? McLaren certainly looks like a very feasible place for him – and he’s never been in the Merc team (in any previous incarnation).

Alosno leaving teams on bad terms. Isn’t that how its supposed to be, if your team is glad you left that’s not a good sign is it. You want them to be a bit hacked off no ?

Hamilton situation is going to be interesting. Mercedes have already said they think he’s overpaid. Rosberg would win the title in this car no matter which other team Hamilton drove for.

That’s a great theory but only works so long as you have huge superiority. On that basis, they could have a half decent pay driver and still have won this year.

Mind you, I agree to some extent that Hamilton has caused his own problems at times this year (poor qualifying in particular) which I don’t reckon a Senna or Schumacher would have had and as such his value may well have been diminished as much as Rosberg’s has been improved.

Ted Kravitz on Sky had a great bit on Alonso’s future. He bluntly said that Alonso had left every team on bad terms, except Renault. Now they’ve rebranded as Lotus, with the Merc engine next year, he could be off there.
To be the big cheese at Alonso-Lotus with lots of Santander stickers on the sides.

But………..

The only info Alonso has given out is that he will not be in a Mercedes powered car in 2015

Have you been watching the same season? Most of his problems have come from unreliability, which isn’t really his fault – when given the opportunity to race without any problems he’s been better 90% of the time.

If you’re suggesting his problems stem from poor qualifying, then let’s look at the facts. We can presumably first of all rule out the races he got pole, which leaves:
Bahrain – won the race anyway
Monaco – we all know why he didn’t get pole there
Canada – would probably have gone on to win, car failed
Austria – made a mistake, got 2nd in the race
Britain – won anyway
Germany – car failed in qualifying, had a brilliant drive for 3rd
Hungary – car failed in qualifying, had a brilliant race
Belgium – we all know why he didn’t win there
Japan – won anyway

I make that a grand total of one race where he made a mistake, qualified poorly and lost out because of it, and he still came 2nd there.

Hamilton is on fire at the minute – really showing the world what he showed back in 2007/08

Massive respect to Toto Wolff for letting his drivers race this year

We certainly didn’t see such exciting seasons during the Red Bull or Ferrari dominant years…..

I’m am massive F1 fan but didn’t bother watching the last 9 races of last season which Vettel won without breaking a sweat

This has been a fantastic season with loads of ups and downs and we Brits should proud that we’ve got a passionate racer with an incredible gift fighting his own mistakes, unreliability and a pretty ruthless team mate

We’ve also seen the resurgence of Williams, Bottas’ talent, 3 fantastic wins by Riccardo (thrashing a 4 time World Champion 🙂 ), tragedy in Japan 🙁 and a Championship going down to the wire

2014 is a vintage – no matter if you like Hamilton or his attitude – this is the best season since Ross Brawn pulled a blinder in 2009

And he is the man who deserves the most credit for Mercedes winning the WCC

Bring on the next 3 races 🙂

I have it on pretty good authority that both Vettel and Alonso have been flown into Farnborough, which by coincidence isn’t that far from Woking.

You do know that they have an airfield right next door? They wouldn’t fly into somewhere else where tongues would talk if they didn’t want anyone to know that they were off to Maclaren.

Hmmm. Just stumbled across Rush while scanning the endless channels in my American hotel room

I have to say, after Jules’ accident, it’s a damn sight more serious a film than I remembered 🙁

Vettel has signed with Ferrari.

Alonso has two choices really, sit it out for a year or get shafted by Ron,

Arguably the best driver in the world has shot himself in the foot.

Vettel has signed with Ferrari.

Have I missed something?

I know it looks like a dead cert, but there hasn’t been an official announcement yet….

and in other news
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/29622051

McLaren racing director Eric Boullier says Jenson Button is not racing for a place in the 2015 team despite uncertainly over next season’s line-up.
Boullier said he will name the 2015 pairing before the end of the season with the futures of drivers Button, 34, and Kevin Magnussen under threat.
Button produced his best performances of the season in the last two races.
“We don’t need him to deliver an extra job on track to – let’s say – save his job,” Boullier said.
“We know the value of Jenson and we know he is a world champion-class driver and he has been a world champion already.”

That would be McLaren probably saying that if required Button will be leaving at the end of the season even if he outruns Magnussen

It would be a shame to see him go!

We’ve also seen the resurgence of Williams

Call me a cynic but going back a few years when Bernie fell out with the big teams over the concorde/breakaway attempt he said he wanted to see lesser teams come through. BANG Redbull were dominant and consistent.

williams who have been nowhere really for years now suddenly starting to find form with ok drivers? I sniff something.

Glue, probably.

Williams have been at it a long time. They do get things right occasionally.

hora – you might want to read up on the significant changes Williams have made over the last two years before looking for conspiracy theories.

williams who have been nowhere really for years now suddenly starting to find form with ok drivers? I sniff something.

I’d try getting your nose looked at TBH 🙂

hora – Member

Call me a cynic but going back a few years when Bernie fell out with the big teams over the concorde/breakaway attempt he said he wanted to see lesser teams come through. BANG Redbull were dominant and consistent.

williams who have been nowhere really for years now suddenly starting to find form with ok drivers? I sniff something.

I don’t think there’s much mystery TBH. Their car has the best engine, they have an excellent gearbox whcih allows very tight packaging at the rear of the car, Clare Williams seems a good leader and finally Pat Symonds joined in 2013.

Also I think Bottas is better than average, Massa too is handy in the right conditions though I wouldn’t put him in the top tier.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/112188

They have taken the decision to make a step change and invested a lot of money last year into the team to halt the decline. It seems to have worked.

Mutter grumble, bloody gits in the right. Hates thems we do’ taking the precious being right away from us.

“We don’t need him to deliver an extra job on track to – let’s say – save his job,” Boullier said.
“We know the value of Jenson and we know he is a world champion-class driver and he has been a world champion already.”

This could mean that they have already decided that Button will be driving next year.

http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/button-worried-about-rookie-magnussen-s-future/

Or it could mean that they know full well that JB is a great driver and that his performances aren’t a determining factor in who will drive for them next year – rather it’s down to whether Alonso and McL can come to contractual terms. I expect that Alonso would reckon he’d have the measure of JB but equally McL are unlikely to give him No 1 status and history says that he’d prefer to be in that situation with someone like KM rather than JB who would be more of a challenge come races (just ask LH).

I can’t see Ron getting rid of a good driver that they are contracted to pay (but that doesn’t mean he will drive) just to keep Alonso happy. Alonso isn’t in a good position to negotiate so it might not matter that he doesn’t want Button.

I can’t see Ron getting rid of a good driver that they are contracted to pay

Both McL drivers are out of contract at the end of this year, aren’t they?

Jenson is. I don’t know about KM but he’s not going to be expensive either way.

What about Kimi?

Another year at Ferrari (assuming they feel he’s still motivated) and then retirement – I can’t see them wanting to get rid of both drivers at the same time.

No, Ron said that they both have contracts but all that does is give the team options. This says to me that they are both in contract and they will be paid even if they end up not driving.

I thought much the same reading that, though clearly I Ache’s interpretation could also be correct, and Jenson’s comments in that article do seem to support that theory to some extent (though he’s clearly not ruling out the possibility of his own retirement).

@hora – that is exactly how I’ve always visualised you.

No, Ron said that they both have contracts but all that does is give the team options. This says to me that they are both in contract and they will be paid even if they end up not driving.

RD has gone on record and said he has no one signed for 2015

“We do not have a contract with any driver at this moment in time. It isn’t our priority,” Dennis said. “Of course we talk and do all the things you’d expect us to do, but at this moment in time we do not have contracts that we have activated – because clearly we have driver contracts at the moment [with existing drivers].

maybe McLaren are hedging their bets of Bernies latest controversial rule change being that cars must be driverless or remote control F1 Drones.

I’m pretty sure in the sky interview RD said that the drivers have contracts but that doesn’t mean they will drive but it gives him options. I can’t find a transcript of it at the moment.

I never did this previously as I wanted to check facts. Given in his career at Mercedes he spent a few years beating MS before finishing quite close to LH last year (closer than he would be this year had mechanicals for LH not helped), it’s hard to see how this year has helped NR’s reputation, nor how it has diminished that of LH. I’m not sure how many people at the start of the season were expecting LH to be so utterly dominant when they were in a position to race on equal terms – it is now clear that even if NR does luck his way to a WC, he’s only really a number 2 driver.

Rosberg has had to rely on random events to take any points at all off Hamilton.

Rosberg is a very good driver but Hamilton is at another level, it’s only marginal but all differences in performance in F1 are marginal, there isn’t any way that Rosberg’s stock has gone up this year or Hamilton’s down.
He gets paid way more than Rosberg for a very good reason, if the 2 of them were suddenly on the market, I believe Rosberg would struggle for a top seat and Hamilton would have teams breaking contracts to place him in their car.

I’m pretty sure in the sky interview RD said that the drivers have contracts but that doesn’t mean they will drive but it gives him options.

I thought Jenson’s contract ran out at the end of this season, and Kevin was on a one year deal for this season only. McLaren may have an option on both of them for next year, but I bet they’ll be free to let either of them go with no penalty.

Ron said he had contract options for next year; not actual signed drivers.

Clunk

An option will normally cost the team some money somewhere. No driver is going to give the team a right to block them signing for another team but no compulsion to give them a contract for free.

Ferrari have confirmed Alonso is going, hardly a surprise but at least everyone knows for sure one way or another.

On a more speculative note: The delay in Alonso announcing his move to McL is rumoured to be because Mercedes are negotiating with Hamilton and Alonso is being used as a bargaining chip with the pay-off of a Mercedes drive if Hamilton won’t accept the deal.

BUT WHERE??!!? I CAN’T STAND THE TENSION!!!!