F1 2015/16 Silly season predictathon!

F1 2015/16 Silly season predictathon!

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l354uge

Original Poster:

2,892 posts

120 months

Saturday 25th July 2015
quotequote all
With the season heading towards the summer break and the Monza GP weekend, which is usually when most driver deals are confirmed (bar a few pay drivers at the back which will probably be announced at FP2 in Melbourne...)

So.. lets predict the team line ups for 2016!

Heres a team template with confirmed at signed drivers added (can delete these if you're feeling brave):

Mercedes: Rosberg & Hamilton
Ferrari: Vettel &
Williams: Massa &
Red Bull: Riccardo &
Force India: Perez &
Lotus/Enstone: Grosjean & Maldonado
Torro Rosso/Faenza: Verstappen &
Sauber: Ericsson & Nasr
McLaren: Alonso &
Manor:
Haas:

l354uge

Original Poster:

2,892 posts

120 months

Saturday 25th July 2015
quotequote all
I'll start:
Mercedes: Rosberg & Hamilton
Ferrari: Vettel & Bottas
Williams: Massa & Hulkenburg
Red Bull: Riccardo & Kyvat
Force India: Perez & Wherlein
Lotus/Enstone: Grosjean & Maldonado
Torro Rosso/Faenza: Verstappen & Sainz
Sauber: Ericsson & Nasr
McLaren: Alonso & Button
Manor: Stevens & Vandoorne (Manor sign with Honda)
Haas: Vergne & Rossi

FourWheelDrift

88,381 posts

283 months

Saturday 25th July 2015
quotequote all
I would expect something like this.

Mercedes: Rosberg & Hamilton
Ferrari: Vettel & Bottas
Williams: Massa & Button
Red Bull: Riccardo & Kyvyvyvyvyat
Force India: Perez & Hulkenburg
Lotus/Enstone: Grosjean & Palmer
Torro Rosso/Faenza: Verstappen & Sainz
Sauber: Ericsson & Nasr
McLaren: Alonso & Vandoorne
Manor: Stevens & Leimer
Haas: Rossi & Gutierrez (on loan from Ferrari)

stemll

4,065 posts

199 months

Saturday 25th July 2015
quotequote all
Mercedes: Rosberg & Hamilton
Ferrari: Vettel & Bottas
Williams: Massa & Ricciardo
Red Bull: Verstappen & Kvyat
Force India: Perez & Hulkenburg
Lotus/Enstone: Grosjean & Maldonado
Torro Rosso/Faenza: Sainz & Vergne (if Renault buy the team)
Sauber: Ericsson & Nasr
McLaren: Alonso & Vandoorne
Manor: Stevens & Merhi
Haas: Won't turn up

Dermot O'Logical

2,547 posts

128 months

Saturday 25th July 2015
quotequote all
Mercedes: Rosberg & Hamilton
Ferrari: Vettel & Bottas
Williams: Massa & Hulkenberg
Red Bull: Ricciardo & Kvyat
Force India: Perez & Werlein
Renault: Grosjean & Maldonado
Torro Rosso: Sainz & Verstappen
Sauber: Ericsson & Nasr
McLaren: Alonso & Magnussen
Manor: Stevens & Merhi
Haas: Vergne/Gutierrez & Rossi

ajprice

27,317 posts

195 months

Sunday 26th July 2015
quotequote all
Proper silly options:
Mercedes: Rosberg & Hamilton
Ferrari: Vettel & Bottas
Williams: Massa & Alex Lynn
Red Bull: Riccardo & Verstappen
Force India: Perez & Pascal Wehrlein
Lotus/Enstone: Grosjean & Jolyon Palmer
Torro Rosso/Faenza: Sainz Jr & Dean Stoneman
Sauber: Ericsson & Nasr
McLaren: Kevin Magnussen & Stoffel Vandoorne
Manor: Stevens & Mehri
Haas: Alexander Rossi & Gutierrez

Button, Alonso & Hulkenberg will go off to WEC. Raikkonen to Global Rallycross or maybe World Rallycross. Red Bull Toro Rosso changes because Red Bull are aggressive with the new drivers, the Hungary results for Red Bull are an anomaly and not enough to save Kvyat. Wehrlein is a Mercedes reserve, but he's driven the FI a few times this year, they are the most likely step for future Mercedes drivers after Hamilton or Rosberg move on for whatever reason in the future. Oh and Maldonado off to play at something more suitable, like bumper cars, banger racing or BTCC hehe

Conservative options:
Mercedes: Rosberg & Hamilton
Ferrari: Vettel & Bottas
Williams: Massa & Button
Red Bull: Riccardo & Kvyat
Force India: Perez & Hulkenberg
Lotus/Enstone: Grosjean & Maldonado
Torro Rosso/Faenza: Verstappen & Sainz
Sauber: Ericsson & Nasr
McLaren: Alonso & Magnussen
Manor: Stevens & Mehri
Haas: Gutierrez & Vergne

Not much change except Bottas/Button and Magnussen. Raikkonen still goes off to somewhere else.

Edited by ajprice on Sunday 26th July 23:12

Inertiatic

1,040 posts

189 months

Monday 27th July 2015
quotequote all
Renault to buy lotus

Manor to stay Ferrari (too late in day to move to Honda)

Mercedes: Rosberg & Hamilton
Ferrari: Vettel & Bottas
Williams: Massa & Hulkenberg
Red Bull: Riccardo & Kyvat
Force India: Perez & Werhlein
Lotus/Enstone: Grosjean & a young french driver (Renault won't keep Maldonado)
Torro Rosso/Faenza: Verstappen & Sainz
Sauber: Ericsson & Nasr
McLaren: Alonso & Button
Manor: Stevens & Lotterer (Magnussen & Van Dorne if Honda)
Haas: Rossi & Vergne (Ferrari link)

Redlake27

2,255 posts

243 months

Monday 27th July 2015
quotequote all
I still don't get why Ferrari would pay 15M to release Bottas a year early. A one year deal for Hulkenberg, Grosjean or even Kimi would make more sense.

kambites

67,461 posts

220 months

Monday 27th July 2015
quotequote all
Inertiatic said:
Lotus/Enstone: Grosjean & a young french driver (Renault won't keep Maldonado)
Have I missed something? What have Renault got to do with Lotus?

Inertiatic

1,040 posts

189 months

Monday 27th July 2015
quotequote all
kambites said:
Inertiatic said:
Lotus/Enstone: Grosjean & a young french driver (Renault won't keep Maldonado)
Have I missed something? What have Renault got to do with Lotus?
Renault want a team again

Lotus have admitted they are in talks with them

Vaud

50,289 posts

154 months

Monday 27th July 2015
quotequote all
Redlake27 said:
I still don't get why Ferrari would pay 15M to release Bottas a year early. A one year deal for Hulkenberg, Grosjean or even Kimi would make more sense.
But that is also dependent on those drivers being willing sign one year deals...

suffolk009

5,344 posts

164 months

Monday 27th July 2015
quotequote all
Mercedes: Rosberg & Hamilton
Ferrari: Vettel & Button
Williams: Grosjean & Bottas
Red Bull: Riccardo & Verstappen
Force India: Perez & Hulkenberg
Lotus/Enstone: Massa & French driver
Torro Rosso/Faenza: Marco's lastest thing & Marco's other latest thing
Sauber: Ericsson & Nasr
McLaren: Vandoorne & Magnussen
Manor: £££ & £££
Haas: Rossi & American driver

I can't see Kimi keeping his seat, he'll be off to WEC with Alonso. McLaren don't need a $40m per annum pay deal, so will put in young talent. Williams must be tiring of Massa. Haas will have some young Ferrari talent and an American. Danica Patrick hasn't got a hope of getting the Haas seat, but will be hanging around - albeit more like Susie Woolf than Carmen Jorda.

kambites

67,461 posts

220 months

Monday 27th July 2015
quotequote all
Inertiatic said:
kambites said:
Inertiatic said:
Lotus/Enstone: Grosjean & a young french driver (Renault won't keep Maldonado)
Have I missed something? What have Renault got to do with Lotus?
Renault want a team again

Lotus have admitted they are in talks with them
Ah, I'd assumed Renault were only talking to teams which already used Renault engines.

Vaud

50,289 posts

154 months

Monday 27th July 2015
quotequote all
There seems to be a few key factors that need to be settled before September. I think the key ones are:

Red Bull power for 2017+ (contract expires end 2016)?
Ferrari 2nd driver
Haas drivers

Then the rest completes around it. I think Alonso will stay, no other good seats, but he will do Le Mans next year at a guess.

Europa1

10,923 posts

187 months

Monday 27th July 2015
quotequote all
kambites said:
Inertiatic said:
kambites said:
Inertiatic said:
Lotus/Enstone: Grosjean & a young french driver (Renault won't keep Maldonado)
Have I missed something? What have Renault got to do with Lotus?
Renault want a team again

Lotus have admitted they are in talks with them
Ah, I'd assumed Renault were only talking to teams which already used Renault engines.
There is presumably the issue that the contract for Lotus to use Mercedes engines is for more than one year?

VolvoT5

4,155 posts

173 months

Monday 27th July 2015
quotequote all
I think the line up will remain largely unchanged.

Mercedes: Rosberg & Hamilton
Ferrari: Vettel & Raikkonen
Williams: Massa & Bottas
Red Bull: Riccardo & Kvyat
Force India: Perez & Hulkenberg
Lotus/Enstone: Grosjean & Palmer
Torro Rosso/Faenza: Verstappen & Sainz
Sauber: Ericsson & Nasr
McLaren: Alonso & Button
Manor: Two rich drivers
Haas: Not convinced they will actually exist yet.

Vaud

50,289 posts

154 months

Monday 27th July 2015
quotequote all
VolvoT5 said:
Haas: Not convinced they will actually exist yet.
Really? Given the amount of Ferrari help...?

geeks

9,121 posts

138 months

Monday 27th July 2015
quotequote all
VolvoT5 said:
I think the line up will remain largely unchanged.

Mercedes: Rosberg & Hamilton
Ferrari: Vettel & Raikkonen
Williams: Massa & Bottas
Red Bull: Riccardo & Kvyat
Force India: Perez & Hulkenberg
Lotus/Enstone: Grosjean & Palmer
Torro Rosso/Faenza: Verstappen & Sainz
Sauber: Ericsson & Nasr
McLaren: Alonso & Button
Manor: Two rich drivers
Haas: Not convinced they will actually exist yet.
I am inclided to agree. With the exception of Haas, insider friend seems to think they are hot to trott so to speak!

As for who drives for Haas will depend on how much of a discount they want off Ferrari for an engine supply! Same goes for Manor as well I guess. Rossi is the most likely candidate for Haas as 'murican smile

VolvoT5

4,155 posts

173 months

Monday 27th July 2015
quotequote all
Gaz. said:
You're kidding aren't you?
semi kidding......... I won't truely believe it until I see their cars on the track in the first practice session of 2016.

VolvoT5

4,155 posts

173 months

Monday 27th July 2015
quotequote all
Redlake27 said:
I still don't get why Ferrari would pay 15M to release Bottas a year early. A one year deal for Hulkenberg, Grosjean or even Kimi would make more sense.
Neither do I...... but I don't see Grosjean or Hulkenberg wanting to risk a 1 year deal either. Kimi is the obvious choice, a couple more decent weekends like the one just gone and they will keep him...... then they can really look around at what is on offer for 2017.