Silly season 2025-2026

[TimW]

The problem in the current driver market is Sainz getting solidly beaten by Albon. That raises questions. Is Sainz having a bad season? Or is Leclerc really not that much better than Albon? And then, with Hamiltons as the link, how does Russell compare? And if you consider Albon on par with Gasly, and thus Ocon, is there really anyone standing out? If not, why invest a lot of money in them? Unless somebody clearly stands out, what's the point?

[WardenOfTheNorth]

He won’t get a multi-year. Imo, Toto wants Max and he will gladly give up George to secure Max. The writings been on the wall since the yachts situation. If Toto wanted George he would have secured him with a 2+1 in the summer.

According to Sky F1 podcast George has a contract to sign but it is the small things he is still negotiating over, suh as sponsor days and bonuses.

Given how Kimi is doing, Tot won’t be silly enough to risk loosing George. Both George and Max have said at various times that they don’t care who their teammate is. I think Toto would prefer a George and Max lineup than Kimi and Max.

[catent]

The problem in the current driver market is Sainz getting solidly beaten by Albon. That raises questions. Is Sainz having a bad season? Or is Leclerc really not that much better than Albon? And then, with Hamiltons as the link, how does Russell compare? And if you consider Albon on par with Gasly, and thus Ocon, is there really anyone standing out? If not, why invest a lot of money in them? Unless somebody clearly stands out, what's the point?

Right, so the only two conclusions we can possibly draw from Sainz’s and Albon’s respective performances at Williams this season are: (1) Sainz is having a bad year, or (2) Leclerc is no better than Albon. That’s it. Nothing else. From that premise, you build out a chain of “if, then” comparisons across half the grid — but the reasoning rests on a shaky foundation.

One season’s worth of data (in which Sainz and Hamilton are driving brand-new cars, under brand-new teams, with new/different working conditions), does not enable one to accurately draw sweeping equivalencies between Sainz, Leclerc, Russell, Gasly, Ocon, Hamilton, or anyone else. It’s just not how competitive parity works in F1 because Formula 1 performance isn’t so binary; drivers adapt differently to new teams, cars, and power units. A change in chassis philosophy alone can create a steep learning curve. Sainz may have been particularly well-suited to Ferrari’s recent cars, just as Albon may have found a strong rhythm with the current Williams. Improvement/refinement in Albon’s driving ability, comfort with the Williams team, or racecar development direction, are all equally valid explanations, too.

Could it be that Sainz is struggling with an unfamiliar chassis and power unit?
Could it be that Sainz's driving style happened to mesh unusually well with Ferrari’s recent cars?
Could it be that Albon has made a step forward in performance during this/recent season(s)?
Could it be that Albon is simply more at ease in the current Williams than Sainz is right now?

All of those explanations are at least as plausible (if not more) than the conclusion that maybe Leclerc isn’t elite. There are multiple plausible factors that don’t box us into this binary choice that either Sainz is having a bad season or Leclerc and Albon are essentially the same tier of driver.

[BassVirolla]

The problem in the current driver market is Sainz getting solidly beaten by Albon. That raises questions. Is Sainz having a bad season? Or is Leclerc really not that much better than Albon? And then, with Hamiltons as the link, how does Russell compare? And if you consider Albon on par with Gasly, and thus Ocon, is there really anyone standing out? If not, why invest a lot of money in them? Unless somebody clearly stands out, what's the point?

Right, so the only two conclusions we can possibly draw from Sainz’s and Albon’s respective performances at Williams this season are: (1) Sainz is having a bad year, or (2) Leclerc is no better than Albon. That’s it. Nothing else. From that premise, you build out a chain of “if, then” comparisons across half the grid — but the reasoning rests on a shaky foundation.

One season’s worth of data (in which Sainz and Hamilton are driving brand-new cars, under brand-new teams, with new/different working conditions), does not enable one to accurately draw sweeping equivalencies between Sainz, Leclerc, Russell, Gasly, Ocon, Hamilton, or anyone else. It’s just not how competitive parity works in F1 because Formula 1 performance isn’t so binary; drivers adapt differently to new teams, cars, and power units. A change in chassis philosophy alone can create a steep learning curve. Sainz may have been particularly well-suited to Ferrari’s recent cars, just as Albon may have found a strong rhythm with the current Williams. Improvement/refinement in Albon’s driving ability, comfort with the Williams team, or racecar development direction, are all equally valid explanations, too.

Could it be that Sainz is struggling with an unfamiliar chassis and power unit?
Could it be that Sainz's driving style happened to mesh unusually well with Ferrari’s recent cars?
Could it be that Albon has made a step forward in performance during this/recent season(s)?
Could it be that Albon is simply more at ease in the current Williams than Sainz is right now?

All of those explanations are at least as plausible (if not more) than the conclusion that maybe Leclerc isn’t elite. There are multiple plausible factors that don’t box us into this binary choice that either Sainz is having a bad season or Leclerc and Albon are essentially the same tier of driver.

Some people are not happy with Leclerc being human, and the son of a certain rally driver being a good racing driver. And some are not happy with just the exact opposite.

[Jurgen von Diaz]

Remember when Sainz was wondering why Red Bull rejected him. If he can't adapt to Williams, adapting to Red Bull would have been a whole different story. It would been a career-ending move and he should thank Red Bull.

[PlatinumZealot]

He should be ashamed that his replacememt is doing a better job of adapting.

I was one of those that thought he would show Albon a thing or two and reveal the "true speed" of the Williams. Boy was I wrong.

[AR3-GP]

The points gap is shocking. Albon: 70 pts. Sainz: 16. It's not a good development for Sainz's career.

[Jurgen von Diaz]

Sainz have the ego issue. Coming from Maranello's infra to Williams primitive village, you also might feel unmotivated when getting sacked. Imagine driving Ferrari and next year you will be having Honda Civic, not the best motivation. Albon already fine with his own sacking from Red Bull.