George Russell's teammate for 2025?
Discussion
epom said:
Lots of talk of Russel being WDC material. Lots of Union Jack tinted glasses ??
He's not crap. I would rate him similar to Button in the respect that with the right car and team mate he could win, but so could several others in those circumstances because that's F1.He's certainly not going to dominate a team mate like Max has.
Evanivitch said:
blueg33 said:
Surely Mercedes will want to see how drivers do in the first half of this season before even getting close to a decision?
Sure, but there's a lot of seats open in 2025 so they've got to at least keep some people interested...epom said:
Lots of talk of Russel being WDC material. Lots of Union Jack tinted glasses ??
Debut F3 and F2 wins, pretty close to Hamilton over the last two years… If I were him I’d spend this season trying to emulate Hamilton’s stint and race management skills. By the time Alonso and Hamilton go off the boil or retire, Russell could be among the very best of the remaining F1 drivers with Verstappen, Leclerc and one of the McLaren boys (we’ll find out which!) blueg33 said:
Evanivitch said:
blueg33 said:
Surely Mercedes will want to see how drivers do in the first half of this season before even getting close to a decision?
Sure, but there's a lot of seats open in 2025 so they've got to at least keep some people interested...I think it will mean that Russell will be the number one driver. I'm sure he went there on the promise that once Hamilton left, he'd be no 1.
I don't think Sainz will want to be a no 2 driver again, but if there's nothing else out there that may change his mind to stay in F1?
Albon would be the obvious choice, him and russell get on well, may change if they're in the same team mind you.
Mick would also be up there as an option.
Piastri would seriously keep russell on his toes and could push him all the way. Don;t think Russell would be happy to see him in the team?
Going to be an interesting off season between 24/25
I don't think Sainz will want to be a no 2 driver again, but if there's nothing else out there that may change his mind to stay in F1?
Albon would be the obvious choice, him and russell get on well, may change if they're in the same team mind you.
Mick would also be up there as an option.
Piastri would seriously keep russell on his toes and could push him all the way. Don;t think Russell would be happy to see him in the team?
Going to be an interesting off season between 24/25
nordboy said:
I think it will mean that Russell will be the number one driver. I'm sure he went there on the promise that once Hamilton left, he'd be no 1.
I'm sure he will have been told there is no contractual number 1 or 2, and any such status has to be earned on merit over a season. He'll have to beat his new teammate more often than not to get there, but whoever it is will start out each season on equal footing. That's the way Mercedes have always played it.Can someone explain to me why Albon is wheeled out whenever a seat becomes available.
It was only a few months ago he was being linked with Ferrari.
The guy has no notable achievements in his career was booted out the redbull driver programme twice and has already shown he can't handle a top team, it's all well and good running around the back of the grid with no pressure but a seat at merc....
It was only a few months ago he was being linked with Ferrari.
The guy has no notable achievements in his career was booted out the redbull driver programme twice and has already shown he can't handle a top team, it's all well and good running around the back of the grid with no pressure but a seat at merc....
SmoothCriminal said:
Can someone explain to me why Albon is wheeled out whenever a seat becomes available.
It was only a few months ago he was being linked with Ferrari.
The guy has no notable achievements in his career was booted out the redbull driver programme twice and has already shown he can't handle a top team, it's all well and good running around the back of the grid with no pressure but a seat at merc....
If you watch the High Performance show interview on YouTube, it's very good and he makes some very good points about how well he did compared to other Max teammates but also explains how Max influences the development of the car and how that is incredibly difficult for other drivers.It was only a few months ago he was being linked with Ferrari.
The guy has no notable achievements in his career was booted out the redbull driver programme twice and has already shown he can't handle a top team, it's all well and good running around the back of the grid with no pressure but a seat at merc....
So yes, he's well regarded on the grid but being tied into Red Bull actually didn't help the start of his career but he's doing well at Williams.
SmoothCriminal said:
Can someone explain to me why Albon is wheeled out whenever a seat becomes available.
.
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.reveale....
Team principles ranked him #8 for 2023... but what would they know?
The RB #2 seat is a hard place to be. He scored 27 out of 28 points for the team in 2023. He regularly put it in a quali position that it had not right to be in. He's a clean racer. Zero penalty points.
Albon was a formula e driver before Helmut upset the talent so much they were left without enough drivers for their F1 teams.
I mean, he’s been kicked out of F1 twice he’s so “good”. Doing a decent job at Williams granted but up against a talent vacuum (as nice as Logan is).
If he gets into the Mercedes seat it’s the biggest gift in F1 history and the final mail in the coffin of the once great team.
I mean, he’s been kicked out of F1 twice he’s so “good”. Doing a decent job at Williams granted but up against a talent vacuum (as nice as Logan is).
If he gets into the Mercedes seat it’s the biggest gift in F1 history and the final mail in the coffin of the once great team.
Edited by PRO 5T on Saturday 3rd February 18:16
Evanivitch said:
If you watch the High Performance show interview on YouTube, it's very good and he makes some very good points about how well he did compared to other Max teammates but also explains how Max influences the development of the car and how that is incredibly difficult for other drivers.
So yes, he's well regarded on the grid but being tied into Red Bull actually didn't help the start of his career but he's doing well at Williams.
It's a useful excuse to wheel out about 'oh it's Red Bull being biased to make the car for Verstappen' as well though? So yes, he's well regarded on the grid but being tied into Red Bull actually didn't help the start of his career but he's doing well at Williams.
albon also did say 'the car is what it is' - i have never heard from anyone from any of the teams saying they would go out of their way to build a car to fit a driver's handling preferences at the design stage as compared to simply trying to make the car with as much aero and mechanical grip as possible. Surely what Albon goes on about a very sensitive front end is something handled by each driver's engineers in trying to find a setup that suits them depending on track characteristics than a basic profile of the car's design.
Clearly Verstappen seems to want the car setup in a certain way that not many other driver's like - it should just mean attempting to go a similar route to what his side of the garage is doing mighty not be useful rather than the car is being designed in a certain way given a lot of handling characteristics can be set after.
isaldiri said:
It's a useful excuse to wheel out about 'oh it's Red Bull being biased to make the car for Verstappen' as well though?
albon also did say 'the car is what it is' - i have never heard from anyone from any of the teams saying they would go out of their way to build a car to fit a driver's handling preferences at the design stage as compared to simply trying to make the car with as much aero and mechanical grip as possible. Surely what Albon goes on about a very sensitive front end is something handled by each driver's engineers in trying to find a setup that suits them depending on track characteristics than a basic profile of the car's design.
Clearly Verstappen seems to want the car setup in a certain way that not many other driver's like - it should just mean attempting to go a similar route to what his side of the garage is doing mighty not be useful rather than the car is being designed in a certain way given a lot of handling characteristics can be set after.
We all (should) know that there are decisions made fundamentally in car design and setup that impact the properties of stability and rotation. You can't undo that all in adjusting setup. Whether it's by decision or just good coincidence, the fundamental properties of the RB suits Max's preference for a very responsive car. I think it's fair to say that Albon is experienced enough to recognise this isn't typical of other drivers.albon also did say 'the car is what it is' - i have never heard from anyone from any of the teams saying they would go out of their way to build a car to fit a driver's handling preferences at the design stage as compared to simply trying to make the car with as much aero and mechanical grip as possible. Surely what Albon goes on about a very sensitive front end is something handled by each driver's engineers in trying to find a setup that suits them depending on track characteristics than a basic profile of the car's design.
Clearly Verstappen seems to want the car setup in a certain way that not many other driver's like - it should just mean attempting to go a similar route to what his side of the garage is doing mighty not be useful rather than the car is being designed in a certain way given a lot of handling characteristics can be set after.
And then when you're not as fast as your (more talented) teammate you do look to take what you can from their setup and racing line. But clearly, as has been shown across several team mates, it's very challenging for anyone to drive the same car as Max in the same style.
I'm not trying to saw Alex is as good as Max, but I do believe he's one of the better teammates he's had.
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