2014/15 Silly Season

[gary123]

Has anybody attempted to predict what next year's noses are going to look like with new rules - drawing wise ???

They are going to be like the Ferrari nose.

[WaikeCU]

I think something like this might happen:

Mercedes: Hamilton-Rosberg
Williams: Bottas-Massa
Red Bull: Ricciardo-Vettel
Force India: Perez-Magnussen
Ferrari: Hulkenberg-Bianchi
Mclaren: Alonso-Button
Lotus: Grosjean-Nasr
STR: Kvyat-Sainz
Marussia: Chilton-Vandoorne
Sauber: Van der Garde-Sirotkin
Caterham: Frijns-Verstappen

I think with Albers at Caterham, we might have dutch drivers in the team. I think Verstappen is promising and it would be cool if he could enter the F1 world. He's just made for this stuff. Since Marussia partners with Mclaren, I think Mclaren might stall Vandoorne at Marussia just to get him comfortable within F1. Sauber won't want to have another 2014 season, so they want to start fresh with a new line up. Same counts for Ferrari with Hulk en Bianchi, which is obvious. Alonso meanwhile will move to Mclaren together with Button. Button's partnership with Honda is superb. He is probably going to be key for this new startup with Honda. When he retires after 2015, Mclaren and Honda will be comfortable for the future as Magnussen will return from FI. Nasr is going to be rewarded with a seat at Lotus after a strong GP2 season. Kimi won't find a seat, since Williams can't pay him and because they are content with Massa's performance.

[jericho]

Verstappen won't race at Caterham, it's just to risky for his career. He will sign up with a big team, and race a year for a sub team, but not next year. If he will drive Formula 1, the earliest it will be in 2016 i think.

[WaikeCU]

Verstappen won't race at Caterham, it's just to risky for his career. He will sign up with a big team, and race a year for a sub team, but not next year. If he will drive Formula 1, the earliest it will be in 2016 i think.

Yeah I know, but we have had drivers who are world class drivers who just skipped a class and came directly into F1 from classes like Formula Ford or F3. Names like Jenson Button and Kimi Raikkonen. I still remember back when these two joined the big guns in F1. Never heard anything from them, but immediately made an impact when they arrived. Wish we could see these examples more often, but just imagine Verstappen at age 17.

[Cam]

Red Bull won't bin him anyway. How can they possible bin a driver who came through there ranks and won 4 wdc with them? Vettel is the perfect advert for there driver program, it wouldn't look good to bin him after 1 poor season at the top.

If anyone bins anyone it will be Vettel binning red bull

On Macca - I can't see Ron taking the risk with two unproven (in a winning sense) drivers. If he dumps Button it will be for another top driver. Vettel, Alonso etc.

Agree. Vettel has a bit more respect than to dump a team based on one year. Red Bull won't lie down and die, leave yes, but not give up. Why leave a top genuine contending team? Remember, Red Bull is one of the rumored purchasers of F1.

The only wild card really is Alonso. Can Ferrari afford to pay out his contract? Maybe the big re-shuffle includes letting him go? Alonso to McLaren is the only move really. Button out of F1 I think. While being 'solid' he rarely shines and it's time to look to the next gen drivers.

Ferrari really need to inject some new blood, across the board. New era, new thinking, new approach.

Kolles idea to let pay drivers line up for every Friday session, might be a good thing for the sport. Anything that allows talent to race, I'm ok with.

[Gaz.]

Are Ferrari really going to buy out Raikkonen AND Alonso? It's $50m iirc to buy out the pair (Alonso 2x$20m, Raikkonen 1x$10) for their remaining tenures, although that assumes that Alonso wants to stay otherwise he'd walk early without settlement as he did from Mclaren in 2007. The other thing is that Santander pay Ferrari a rumored $40m per year- are they really going to be happy paying that without Alonso in the car? I don't know what their agreement is but I'd be surprised if it didn't include Alonso being in the car as a stipulation.

That assumes it's Ferrari who want him out rather than Fernando wanting to leave. If he does, why would he want to go to Mclaren? They have the best engine yet are 6th in the WCC and behind Williams and Force India with the same engine and as Eric said recently they have their biggest ever budget and crucially they are behind Ferrari in 3rd and most of Ferrari's points have been scored by himself- Alonso has 87 points to Mclaren's 90. I just don't see what is in it for either Ferrari or Alonso for them to part company, who-ever instigates it.

It's a similar story for Vettel- the only movement is a downwards as the only team above him have drivers for the next season already. Like Alonso it isn't worth him moving nor can I see RBR buying him out of his contract when there really isn't anyone better available - Button & Grosjean are the only big names available for 2015 and wouldn't hiring either of them defeat the objective of their young driver program? Not that I'm implying the above are better than Seb btw.

[SectorOne]

I don´t see Alonso going anywhere to be honest. He´s invested way to much time in Ferrari to leave now.
Mattiacci has shown now that he´s ready to cut of heads and bring in new blood and i think that´s going to be enough to make Alonso stay.
Letting Alonso go is stupid and i don´t think Luca is a stupid person, outspoken yes but not stupid.

Mclaren/Honda sounds awesome, but i think waiting one year at least is ideal to see how well that boat floats.
Could be a complete disaster for all we know.

[ScottB]

I can see Vettel going to Ferrari, but only if they are showing signs of an upturn, or Red Bull take a nose dive, otherwise, why bother? Unless he comes over all Schumacher and wants to be seen as having 'built' a team there, but I'm not sure that's his character, if he really is focused on record as has been suggested, he'll go where the best chance of victory is, and that's where he is right now of the options available to him.

When he does leave, it will be someone from STR that replaces him. Ricciardo's performances have more than vindicated the promote from within plan (imagine they'd gone for Kimi based on his effort so far this year!) and I wouldn't be surprised if some at RBR are thinking 'Vergne was never that far off Daniel's pace, and Kyvat is doing well against him...' One of those two will make the step up for sure.

I also can't help but feel that Hulk will never get a top drive. He's been looked over so many times now by Ferrari and Mclaren, he may eventually get the gig, but that he seems to be the man of last resort; Ferrari stuck with a misfiring Massa and went for an aging Raikkonen, will Mclaren went for Perez then a rookie instead of him. If he was as good as some folk around here seem to think, why hasn't he gotten one of these drives?


Moving next year would be a risky business, better to wait and see how Renault, Ferrari and newcomer Honda get on while the chassis side of the sport stabilises. Then a better idea of the running order for 2016 emerges, when Button and Kimi at the least will have definitely left the sport.

[donskar]

Some "interesting" comments in this thread. Someone please help me out here:

Why on earth would Ferrari PAY Alonso to leave? To replace him with Hulk or (gulp) Bianchi? Can you name one driver who is likely (repeat "likely") to do more than Alonso?

Can you really imagine Vettel being dumped by RBR after one sub-par season and a string of WDCs? Now replace "really imagine" with "rationally suggest."

"Silly" season indeed. Keep your thoughts coming please, but don't limit yourself to drivers. Who are these unnamed engineers supposedly joining Ferrari?

[beelsebob]

Can you really imagine Vettel being dumped by RBR after one sub-par season and a string of WDCs? Now replace "really imagine" with "rationally suggest."

Simply put, yes, I really can imagine that. As a team boss, I would be looking at this season as a wake up call, and realising that the rookies are easily outperforming the guy you gave a rocket ship to for 4 WDCs. I'd be trying to get the best driver I could in the car.

I might perhaps delay by a year to 1) confirm that Vettel remains slow and 2) figure out which of the two current rookies at STR is the right one to replace him.

[SectorOne]

That would be like sacking Hamilton based on his 2011 performance. Only several orders of magnitude worse because he racked up 4 titles for Red Bull.

[beelsebob]

Well, McLaren in the end did make a lower offer to Hamilton at his next contract renewal, and they lost him because of it.

[Cam]

Some "interesting" comments in this thread. Someone please help me out here:

Why on earth would Ferrari PAY Alonso to leave?

My thinking is it could be a 'two party agreement'. Alonso wants to leave, Ferrari can let him off the hook for a reduced payout. Win, win. Either that or Ferrari can just keep performing badly and let Alonso action any 'performance' clauses he has to let him go.

Not sure what it is with Ferrari and throwing bucket loads of cash at every problem - that doesn't and hasn't worked - and will continue to not work all the while they don't have a focus and clear understanding of the issues they have. Ferrari don't need to be wasting cash buying out contracts, but they can't also have an under-performing driver and a driver who's been openly criticising the team and who obviously isn't happy there. That in itself brings performance issues. Imagine another year of average performance - how long will Alonso stay? You can't have that hanging over your head, always wondering if your key driver will pull stumps and leave.

Personally, Ferrari's shakeup should go deep and far. Two new drivers. One young brash cocky SOB who's got nothing to loose and everything to prove, side by side with a solid performer who understands setup, won't waste time screaming into the radio and isn't hungup on a WDC.

Just pie in the sky stuff - but heck, ain't it nice to dream.....

[SectorOne]

Well, McLaren in the end did make a lower offer to Hamilton at his next contract renewal, and they lost him because of it.

But they never sacked him and they did increase their offer as soon as they realized it was serious.
Frankly Mclaren did not want to lose Hamilton, it was Hamilton that wanted to lose Mclaren.

[Cam]

Well, McLaren in the end did make a lower offer to Hamilton at his next contract renewal, and they lost him because of it.

But they never sacked him and they did increase their offer as soon as they realized it was serious.
Frankly Mclaren did not want to lose Hamilton, it was Hamilton that wanted to lose Mclaren.

I saw it as though Dennis basically, with that initial offer, said "you ain't got the balls to go" - and for a good time, Hamilton didn't. Then a certain Lauda got in his ears and told Hamilton exactly how 'balls' are grown. That was enough. Could be wrong on all accounts, but as a fan sitting watching, that's how I read it.