The Official F1 2021 silly season *contains speculation*

[stemll]

WickerBill said:

and yet, if there was no breach, where has their pace gone....surely if there was no breach, then their engine could continue in its form from last season

Lots of technical directives change things that remove items from cars. TD 014/20 meant Mercedes and RP had to change rear aero and you can go back, I think, to 2013 with the Front/rear connected suspension which led to the 2016/7 heave dampers. None of them technically breaching rules but when a TD clarified something they were no longer allowed.

So, generally TDs fill in gaps that a team or teams have found and exploited. Doesn't mean any of the above teams were cheating but doing somthing that the FIA did not intend so they release a TD to clarify it.

[spunkytherabbit]

HustleRussell said:

Craigyp79 said:

thegreenhell said:

RonaldMcDonaldAteMyCat said:

Gasly's won one race in fortuitous circumstances. He's also been demoted from the top team for poor performance. Monza was a nice story, but maybe a little premature to start lining him up as someone who deserves by right to be considered by top teams. I'd have Russell before Gasly, for example.

Totally this. One fluked result won't get him anywhere near a Mercedes drive.

Yeah, it's strange that everyone thinks that Gasly is now the second coming. I'm fairly sure that if Albon had been in the AT and Gasly in the RB the results would have been the same.

Teams like RB don't select drivers on the basis of one good drive, they have tonnes of data on all their drivers and will select who gets the top seats based on this.

I am happy for Gasly though, bit of redemption for him and will probably be the highlight of his career..

‘Everyone’ doesn’t think nothing, PH is a collective of individuals with nuanced opinions.

However Gasly isn’t being championed based on ‘one good drive’- he has consistently smashed it in the Red Bull junior team and the only blemish is his performance in the top team- however there is mounting evidence that the Red Bull number two seat is not an easy ride during the Red Bull / Verstappen marriage

I certainly wasn't thinking of him as second coming. I was been a bit silly extrapolating him into a Merc seat for 2022.

The more I thought about it though, the more I could see those sort of 'wild card' type situations unfolding that could see him considered for something like the Merc seat in a Bottas type role whilst they were getting ready for post Hamilton. Especially as pointed out, the second RBR seat, even since Weber's days, has always been a poison chalice. With the two next WDC contenders, Max and Leclerc, tied up for the foreseeable future top teams may have to think outside the box or accept a certain driver in a 'holding position'. It's not unrealistic to expect Mercedes to let Bottas go at the end of 2021 to get a decent rear gunner in place and build the team relationship ready for after Hamilton retiring. Have the number 2 established and only have to worry about transitioning one driver into the top line position and all the pressure that will come with filling Hamilton's shoes. If Gasly carries on being competitive surely a team like Mercedes would look at him in that sort of situation and for that sort of role? Or someone like Gasly at least?

But again, that is still some wild extrapolation on my part. Just wanted to hear what others thought really. Plus there is *contains speculation* in the title of the topic!

[HustleRussell]

Gasly would be very loyal to hold out for the Red Bull call up again. If I were he, and looking for an upgrade from Alpha Tauri, I'd be looking to do a Sainz and break out of the Red Bull environment.

[SpudLink]

Based only on Gasley’s performance this season you could see why a top team might take a good look. However his very recent CV suggests a man who failed to cope with the pressure of a superstar team mate in a race winning car. I get that being no.2 at Red Bull is difficult. But I imagine Mercedes would want to see evidence that he won’t wilt when up against Hamilton.

Apparently the Red Bull is a tricky car to get the most out of. Any team might produce a car that has handling characteristics which don’t suit your driving style. The ideal 2nd driver should still be able to work with a car designed around the team leader.

As things stand I think Gasley could look for a good mid-field team and try to rebuild his future from their. However, if he were to return to Red Bull and stay constantly close to Max, then Mercedes might seriously consider him ready for the best seat in motorsport.

[Deesee]

The AT is fundamentally a different concept to the Red Bull, it’s probably more in line with the Renault in a apples and oranges way, I expect them to run well at ‘Ring, and Bahrain outer..perhaps Abu Dhabi.

Red Bull have a fighters chance at a podium in Portugal and Imola... but that’s about it for me..

The midfield have caught Red Bull, and will take turns in taking the P2/3/4 from them, especially as they seem not to have a joined up approach with the two drivers.

[kiseca]

HustleRussell said:

Gasly would be very loyal to hold out for the Red Bull call up again. If I were he, and looking for an upgrade from Alpha Tauri, I'd be looking to do a Sainz and break out of the Red Bull environment.

I don't know about anyone else but I certainly don't think he'd be holding out for Red Bull. I think he'll take the first big opportunity that comes his way, and it's more likely to come from Red Bull than from any other team. But if Merc do come knocking first, I can't imagine he'd say no.

I'm saying the opposite, I saying if Red Bull offer him a 1st team seat again, I don't think he'd pass it up and hold out for a drive somewhere else. I think he'd take it.

[Byker28i]

HustleRussell said:

HTP99 said:

It's all gone quiet with the Seb to Aston move, last I heard it seemed to be a foregone conclusion, this was a couple of weeks ago and now it's all radio silence!

Ted says some kind of news on this within a week or so.

Vettels been making more and more mistakes for the last 3 years, it's a shame but I think he should have gone last year, if not the year before, whilst he was still remembered as a good driver.

[Muzzer79]

spunkytherabbit said:

kiseca said:

I can see Gasly wanting to go back into RBR. I would think every driver in Formula 1 would pick the faster car over the easier to drive but slower one, and have the self belief that they can make it happen.

Now with that said, I'm aware that Ricciardo, Hamilton, and going back Schumacher all moved to teams with a slower car when they didn't need to, but it wasn't because they were struggling with the fast car they were in. They'd all proven themselves already. Gasly hasn't. So it's either sit in the Alphatuari until someone comes knocking with a big opportunity, and no guarantee that will ever happen, or he goes back in the Red Bull, which definitely is a big opportunity should it be offered to him again.

I can't see him being next in line for the Merc seat. There are better options.

Do you think? The stars aligned timing wise for Hamilton and Merc but I can't see anyone else on the grid now that would be on the same trajectory to be at the point Hamilton was when he signed for Merc. So it may take Merc another period of rebuilding post Hamilton to get back to the top consistently. Do you not think Gassly would be a decent driver for Merc to put in there as an interim but with a view to retaining him if he does well and gels?

My thinking was based as much on the timings of everyone's contracts post 2021. Like I said though, beyond that, it was mostly wild speculation on my behalf.

Who else would be in with a decent shot? Thinking in terms of timings of contracts, Merc needing to go through a succession phase etc. Rather than just raw ability (which would mean Max without a doubt).

One (somewhat fortuitous) race win and people are talking about Gasly to Mercedes??

Jesus Christ.....

[anonymous-user]

vaud said:

..and they are talking about it for 3-4 races. Not a wholesale change of the entire sport.

Every single result counts in a world championship where there are no dropped scores or rounds you can opt out of.
It always amuses me how people think the last race is more important than the first, they all count equally.

[spunkytherabbit]

Muzzer79 said:

spunkytherabbit said:

kiseca said:

I can see Gasly wanting to go back into RBR. I would think every driver in Formula 1 would pick the faster car over the easier to drive but slower one, and have the self belief that they can make it happen.

Now with that said, I'm aware that Ricciardo, Hamilton, and going back Schumacher all moved to teams with a slower car when they didn't need to, but it wasn't because they were struggling with the fast car they were in. They'd all proven themselves already. Gasly hasn't. So it's either sit in the Alphatuari until someone comes knocking with a big opportunity, and no guarantee that will ever happen, or he goes back in the Red Bull, which definitely is a big opportunity should it be offered to him again.

I can't see him being next in line for the Merc seat. There are better options.

Do you think? The stars aligned timing wise for Hamilton and Merc but I can't see anyone else on the grid now that would be on the same trajectory to be at the point Hamilton was when he signed for Merc. So it may take Merc another period of rebuilding post Hamilton to get back to the top consistently. Do you not think Gassly would be a decent driver for Merc to put in there as an interim but with a view to retaining him if he does well and gels?

My thinking was based as much on the timings of everyone's contracts post 2021. Like I said though, beyond that, it was mostly wild speculation on my behalf.

Who else would be in with a decent shot? Thinking in terms of timings of contracts, Merc needing to go through a succession phase etc. Rather than just raw ability (which would mean Max without a doubt).

One (somewhat fortuitous) race win and people are talking about Gasly to Mercedes??

Jesus Christ.....

Maybe you missed me stating, several times, it was absolutely wild speculation and merely 'conversational'. Why not see what people thought about 'what Pierre did next?' and see if anyone could come up with a set of circumstances where something fanciful might be possible. Again, I point out the title of the thread that it isn't exactly one of the more 'serious' topics.

[DanielSan]

SpudLink said:

Based only on Gasley’s performance this season you could see why a top team might take a good look. However his very recent CV suggests a man who failed to cope with the pressure of a superstar team mate in a race winning car. I get that being no.2 at Red Bull is difficult. But I imagine Mercedes would want to see evidence that he won’t wilt when up against Hamilton.

Like the driver whose contract they've just renewed you mean?

I get the feeling that's partly why George Russell has been a bit more vocal this last 2 weekends, sheer frustration at yet again knowing he's stuck in a Williams next year while all his mates/rivals are close to the front and have some proper battles.

[DanielSan]

Perez leaving Racing Point. He's just put this on his social medias.

[MiniMan64]

Vettel it is then

[vaud]

So the irony is that having been dumped by Ferrari, Vettel ends up in a better car...

[DanielSan]

vaud said:

So the irony is that having been dumped by Ferrari, Vettel ends up in a better car...

Tricky to end up in a worse car to be fair.

[AJB88]

DanielSan said:

Tricky to end up in a worse car to be fair.

That is true.

[MiniMan64]

From a Ferrari to an Aston. Not a bad swap I guess.

Shame for Perez, I guess that could be the end of the line for him unless he fancies trundling around at the back with Alfa or The Team Formally Known as Williams.

[LaurasOtherHalf]

Vettel really wants to ps off Ferrari at their big party doesn't he

[anonymous-user]

That's nuts.

[coetzeeh]

Thanks Toto.