*** The official Formula One 2015-16 off season thread ***

[suffolk009]

Last year I ran a survey on here. By a small margin people would rather Red Bull just cleared off.

[Scuffers]

suffolk009 said:

Last year I ran a survey on here. By a small margin people would rather Red Bull just cleared off.

if you replaced RB with Horner and Dr Marko, then I guess it might be closer to 100% ?

Edited by Scuffers on Sunday 31st January 17:36

[suffolk009]

^^^^ couldn't agree more.

Edited by suffolk009 on Monday 1st February 07:37

[Vaud]

Scuffers said:

I doubt it?

Merc would rather him at Williams than RB or Ferrari.

Probably. I'm a romantic at heart. I'd love to see Williams with Newey, and sign Max for 4 years....

[BarbaricAvatar]

Vaud said:

Scuffers said:

I doubt it?

Merc would rather him at Williams than RB or Ferrari.

Probably. I'm a romantic at heart. I'd love to see Williams with Newey, and sign Max for 4 years....

During silly-season in 2015, i was hoping Williams were going to announce Button replacing Bottas. It would book-end his career quite nicely to do a year for the team who "discovered" him.

[suffolk009]

Joe Saward recons the contract for Werhlein to replace Massa next year may already be signed. Then onto Merc a year or two later.

[suffolk009]

Magnussen confirmed at Renault.

[VolvoT5]

suffolk009 said:

Magnussen confirmed at Renault.

So the other seat will be between Maldonado and Palmer then? I wonder who has the most cash

[althedrummer]

I thought Palmer had already been confirmed at Renault ?

[ajprice]

althedrummer said:

I thought Palmer had already been confirmed at Renault ?

So did he, he tweeted that his race number is 30 last week.

[Teppic]

suffolk009 said:

Magnussen confirmed at Renault.

He hasn't been confirmed yet by the team, just "sources".

Although I don't doubt that it's true.

VolvoT5 said:

So the other seat will be between Maldonado and Palmer then? I wonder who has the most cash

Palmer has already been confirmed at Renault. It looks like Maldonado doesn't have any cash to bring anymore. Maldonado's only chance now is Manor, but I don't think they will want him without the money.

Edited by Teppic on Monday 1st February 15:02

[Vaud]

Palmer and Magnussen.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/122654

Probably want to take Magnussen and a known €7M rather than a Maldonado and maybe some € possibly maybe with a higher collision bill. I bet the sponsors prefer KM as well.

[Scuffers]

well, the upside to this is no drive for the moronic Maldonado (who IMHO should not have a licence)

[Vaud]

Scuffers said:

well, the upside to this is no drive for the moronic Maldonado (who IMHO should not have a licence)

Possibly. But we have mechanism for suspending/etc via the points.

Interestingly, it isn't MAL at the top in 2015 (content from Sky):

Max Verstappen - 8 (Monaco: 2; Hungary 3; Abu Dhabi: 3)
Pastor Maldonado - 6 (Malaysia: 3; Hungary 2; Brazil: 1)
Nico Hulkenberg - 4 (Malaysia: 2; Singapore: 2)
Romain Grosjean - 4 (Canada: 2; Hungary: 2)
Marcus Ericsson - 4 (Austria: 2; Italy 2)
Sebastian Vettel - 3 (Canada)
Kimi Raikkonen - 3 (Russia)
Two points - Sergio Perez, Felipe Nasr, Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button, Daniil Kvyat, Lewis Hamilton, Roberto Merhi, Valtteri Bottas
Zero points - Daniel Ricciardo, Nico Rosberg, Felipe Massa, Will Stevens, Carlos Sainz, Alexander Rossi

[BarbaricAvatar]

Vaud said:

Scuffers said:

well, the upside to this is no drive for the moronic Maldonado (who IMHO should not have a licence)

Possibly. But we have mechanism for suspending/etc via the points.

Interestingly, it isn't MAL at the top in 2015 (content from Sky):

Max Verstappen - 8 (Monaco: 2; Hungary 3; Abu Dhabi: 3)
Pastor Maldonado - 6 (Malaysia: 3; Hungary 2; Brazil: 1)
Nico Hulkenberg - 4 (Malaysia: 2; Singapore: 2)
Romain Grosjean - 4 (Canada: 2; Hungary: 2)
Marcus Ericsson - 4 (Austria: 2; Italy 2)
Sebastian Vettel - 3 (Canada)
Kimi Raikkonen - 3 (Russia)
Two points - Sergio Perez, Felipe Nasr, Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button, Daniil Kvyat, Lewis Hamilton, Roberto Merhi, Valtteri Bottas
Zero points - Daniel Ricciardo, Nico Rosberg, Felipe Massa, Will Stevens, Carlos Sainz, Alexander Rossi

He's at the top of my own stats for 2015 though (which is made up of spins + involvement in race-ending accidents regardless of blame)
Mald = 9
Raik = 7
Gros = 7
Eric = 7
Hulk = 6
Stev = 6
Sain = 6

Interestingly, it's the first time he's topped my table despite his reputation. He was 7th in 2014, 6th in 2013, 2nd in 2012 and 3rd in 2011

[Scuffers]

Vaud said:

Possibly. But we have mechanism for suspending/etc via the points.

Interestingly, it isn't MAL at the top in 2015 (content from Sky):

somewhat missing the point.

From Wiki:

wiki said:

In 2005, Maldonado progressed out of Formula Renault, but did not get the opportunity to complete a full season in any one series. He made four starts in the Italian F3000 Championship with Sighinolfi Auto Racing, in which one race win at the Autodromo dell'Umbria was enough to finish ninth overall. He also entered nine races (and made seven starts) in the Spanish-based World Series by Renault, with a best finish of seventh. However, his participation in the WSR was marred by a four-race ban for dangerous driving. He failed to slow down at the scene of an accident at Monaco, despite the presence of warning flags, and struck and seriously injured a marshal, for which he got a lifetime ban at Monaco.

[Mr_Thyroid]

Except we can prove he didn't get a lifetime ban from Monaco because he has raced there every year since.

[Scuffers]

Mr_Thyroid said:

Except we can prove he didn't get a lifetime ban from Monaco because he has raced there every year since.

No, he did get a lifetime ban.

It was overturned by a massive payment (bribe)

Do you think that's right?

[Vaud]

Scuffers, you might want to edit that last comment, it's potentially libellous.

[Mr_Thyroid]

Scuffers said:

Mr_Thyroid said:

Except we can prove he didn't get a lifetime ban from Monaco because he has raced there every year since.

No, he did get a lifetime ban.

It was overturned by a massive payment (bribe)

Do you think that's right?

http://www.f1zone.net/news/banned-for-life-maldonado-lucky-to-be-in-monaco/14071/

"Germany's Bild revealed that Maldonado's wealthy father intervened, promising to pay for the marshal's recovery and rehabilitation from a broken back."

Doesn't sound like a bribe to me. Sounds like compensation.