Formula One - 2017

In reply to Adrian_Thompson :

geez, Adrian- Eric Boullier isn't that bad of a guy.  ;)

If McLaren starts to win with Renault, that would be the ultimate irony for Alonso, though.  WAY too many connections between him and that french group over his career.  

alfadriver said:

In reply to Adrian_Thompson :

geez, Adrian- Eric Boullier isn't that bad of a guy.  ;)

Touché 

In reply to Adrian_Thompson : How do you figure Palmer to Williams? I would think Alex Lynn or Paul Di Resta will get the nod. This will save Paul's career as DTM is looking like the manufacturers are on their way out.

Just rumors on the internet, but unlike DiResta who has Mercedes but not independent backing, Palmer has significant independent backing he can take anywhere.  Mercedes gave DiResta a shot in F1, he didnt' blow it, but he wasn't a stand out, so I doubt they'll push for a full time return.

They gave Paul the nod earlier this year after Massa went down. Your right cash is king, I just thought after his performances there was no way he was going to stay. I am sure Ericson will be flashing his cash as well at Williams.

In reply to trigun7469 :

Yeah, but FI is one of the few teams to have a reserve driver and unlike your average IMSA paddock, there isn't a whole lot of people in an F1 Pit lane with a) Helmet and suit ready to go and b) far more importantly a Superlicence  in hand.  I wont eat my hat if DiResta get's another full time gig in F1, but I'll come back here and issue a public mea culpa.  

Adrian_Thompson said:

So, who drives for Torro Rosso next year? Well with Sainz still in the fizzy sugar caffeine camp but placed at Renault so that’s one seat empty…or is it?  Red Bull want to put Pierre Gasly in to keep the Junior driver program moving up. The issue is that Honda probably want to put Nobuharu MatsuE36 M3a in F1 if they can get him enough Super License points to qualify.

Sorry, I have nothing constructive to add but this is hilarious.

McLaren and Honda split agreed 

Bottas Agrees to 1 year deal  So is Daniel or Max going to sign with them after this contract?

http://www.racer.com/f1/item/144061-bottas-signs-new-one-year-mercedes-deal

trigun7469 said:

McLaren and Honda split agreed 

Bottas Agrees to 1 year deal  So is Daniel or Max going to sign with them after this contract?

http://www.racer.com/f1/item/144061-bottas-signs-new-one-year-mercedes-deal

I think that's the reason Red Bull are letting Sainz go to Renault.  They keep him happy by putting him in a more competative drive, then in 2019 I think there's a good chance of Mad Max going to Ferrari, only eclipsed by the great chance of the Honey Badger going instead.  Then they can pull Sainz back into the senior team.  It also allows them to pull Gasley up to Torro Rosso as he's been treading water in SuperFormula  this year after winning the GP2 title last year.  

Adrian_Thompson said:

trigun7469 said:

McLaren and Honda split agreed 

Bottas Agrees to 1 year deal  So is Daniel or Max going to sign with them after this contract?

http://www.racer.com/f1/item/144061-bottas-signs-new-one-year-mercedes-deal

I think that's the reason Red Bull are letting Sainz go to Renault.  They keep him happy by putting him in a more competative drive, then in 2019 I think there's a good chance of Mad Max going to Ferrari, only eclipsed by the great chance of the Honey Badger going instead.  Then they can pull Sainz back into the senior team.  It also allows them to pull Gasley up to Torro Rosso as he's been treading water in SuperFormula  this year after winning the GP2 title last year.  

When you put it like that- the future of F1 is coming fast.  Some of these guys are aging out, some are starting to talent out, some are (finally) money'd out, some are just getting tired.  (while some just don't know when to quit).  F1 in 2022 is going to be very interesting.

In reply to alfadriver :

Tangent to F1 but following up on what you just said.  Indy car is entering a very interesting time with several old timers being moved on to sports cars or down field rides and new guys coming up.  

JPM is Indy only, Helio is moving to sports cars and will be Indy only next year.  TK is moving down gird to Foyt.  Next year LeMan Winner and soon to be ex Porsche LMP1 driver Brendon HArtley is joining Ganassi.  Newgarden is >< close to the title and Rossi is improving all the time.  With new younger talent coming up from Indy Lights and increased interest from European based drivers I think we're going to see a very different and talented Indy car grid by 2020 as well.

trigun7469 said:

McLaren and Honda split agreed 

Bottas Agrees to 1 year deal  So is Daniel or Max going to sign with them after this contract?

http://www.racer.com/f1/item/144061-bottas-signs-new-one-year-mercedes-deal

I really can't see Mercedes ditching Bottas for either Daniel or Verstappen. The latter would be a gutsy move, as he's a bit of a loose cannon no matter how much FOM pushes him as the future of F1 (tm). He's not someone I'd want driving for me.

I don't think Daniel would bring anything to the table that Bottas does not other than a massive smile. Hamilton and Bottas is working well. Maybe this one year contract was Bottas' idea!

Adrian_Thompson said:

In reply to alfadriver :

Tangent to F1 but following up on what you just said.  Indy car is entering a very interesting time with several old timers being moved on to sports cars or down field rides and new guys coming up.  

JPM is Indy only, Helio is moving to sports cars and will be Indy only next year.  TK is moving down gird to Foyt.  Next year LeMan Winner and soon to be ex Porsche LMP1 driver Brendon HArtley is joining Ganassi.  Newgarden is >< close to the title and Rossi is improving all the time.  With new younger talent coming up from Indy Lights and increased interest from European based drivers I think we're going to see a very different and talented Indy car grid by 2020 as well.

I was thinking about that too.  There are a whole lot of 40+ year old dudes storming around right now.  Nascar has just started a huge shift as well.  Gonna be a very different grid in high end American racing soon- probably sooner than F1.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Mercedes wont touch Max and I doubt they'd go after the Honey BAdger.  I think they see their future as Ocon or Russell, I don't think Wehrlein has done enough to get to the top team, they punted him sideways to Sauber and promoted Ocon to Force India  

F1 seems more intent than ever in become a soap opera.  the latest that's popped into my inbox is this from Motosport Magazine.  It says that as further fall out from the Honda/McLaren split and McLaren getting Torro Rosso's Renault supply, Renault are planning on dropping the senior Red Bull team at the end of 2018 as well.  That could leave them with only Honda as an option until 2022 when the new engine regs come in by which time many expect Red Bull to have sold the team to Porsche.  So until Red Bull becomes Porsche, it really may be Dead Bull for a couple of years. 

I know that many here really don't like the current F1 rules about engine economy.  But I think they are really interesting.

And this news is pretty amazing- Mercedes is claiming 50% brake efficiency.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGDJqTDXgtg

That is pretty mind boggling.  And Mercedes is planning on putting a derivative into a road car.  For once, F1 tech is going to cycle down to real cars.  Ok, maybe the "real" part is a stretch.  But it is a road car.

Danika is leaving

That was an interesting start. Looked to me that Vettel squeezed Verstapan and Raikonen causing that accident. 

A pivotal moment in the season.  Seb will rue that move as he collects second place in the championship.

The guys on Sky Sports didn't ever really mention the fact that Lewis had an absolutely stonking start.  Even without the crash, he is likely in second coming out of turn two.

It's always amazing to me that all these top professional drivers can't get through the first turn with out running into each other. Ya I get it, every second makes a difference and you have to be aggressive and it was raining and slippery but 3 top drivers out in the first 30 seconds?  Overall a mostly boring race.  This win was handed to Hamilton.

I like races that are decided on the last lap, not the first.

In reply to iceracer :

Exactly.

I kinda had wanted to see this play out between Seb and Max .....and Fernando ......is it time for him to seek other avenues or is this hand he's been dealt just plain E36M3?

In reply to Streetwiseguy :

I didn't see it like that Hamilton seemed to be in a place where he might have been caught out on the outside of turn 1 and pushed off track into turn two. The three crashers would have been in front as well as maybe Ricciardo. 

Hamilton got him on the start but then Ricciardo decided to brake early as he was going through Ferrari parts then boxed in behind his damaged teammate. That let Alonso, and Hulkenburg get a lot closer to the front than it would have been if the top three made it to the braking zone and through turns 1-3. I really really wanted to see Ricciardo's in car on the start and don't think they ever showed it. He would have trailed Hamilton into Turn 1 but if Hamilton had to go off track then Ricciardo could have come out ahead from Turn 3. 

Given the crashes though, I was hoping Alonso could have just taken the off track route around the carnage in Turn 1 and maybe come out P3 or P4.

I have always thought Alonso was a great driver but terrible business person. He got into Renault at the right time, not sure if he had any other options back then, then made mistake after mistake after that. I think drumming Honda out of McLaren will be his last mistake.  I would add Button to that poor choices leader list.