The Official 2018 F1 Silly Season *Contains Speculation*

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Why would Honda bankroll a rival brands driver? I guess they could use a sub brand but can't see Renault liking that.

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HustleRussell said:

Personally I think McLaren will still have Honda engines next season. Corporate suits will be moving heaven and earth to keep Honda in the sport, Red Bull / Torro Rosso don't want them for the same reason Sauber didn't- Can McLaren commit to supply 'Honda' pattern gearboxes to Torro Rosso in 2018?

Alonso is making a lot of noise at the moment as he has done, on and off, since 2015. He's still there. I think McLaren are more likely to retain Honda engines than Fernando Alonso for next season.

Possible, but on the flip side McLaren would be delighted to fabricate the boxes for a fee...?

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One idea. Williams have the Merc engine but not the full package IIRC? Force India have the full monty from Merc leaving just aero, etc

Suppose Williams got the same deal? Could that sway Alonso?

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Durzel said:

Wouldn't Alonso be on for some serious money if he made the switch to Indycar? The fever that met his participation in Indy 500 must've surely given some teams & advertisers pause for thought about his potential PR draw.... I'd imagine he'd be offered a significant salary contract, and he'd be in a much better position to actually win something.

I suspect he thinks that Indy is a step down from F1 as a series.

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hairyben said:

JB would be perfect. Wasn't ever in his a day part of the alien class but not far off - damn quick, smart, gsoh, he can put in the work to build the team, McLaren don't need the high maintenance prima Donna with his majick six tenths untill they have the car to satisfy him and this is what they're experiencing.

Possibly. But I think like Massa, he has had his day. I'm not sure he wants the hassle anymore. He seemed to lose some edge after his fathers death (understandably)

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cuprabob said:

The BBC article says they are considering it from 2021 when the new engine regs come into force but to be honest this is nothing new as VW / Porsche are always being mentioned in the F1 gossip columns.

I understand that they will only commit once the new regs are set.

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HTP99 said:

patmahe said:

There is one thing I cannot figure out at the moment. I don't like to bash any driver when he's down and I know there can be a multitude of reasons why a driver may not be performing, but I think most people acknowledge that Palmer doesn't look like he'll be in a Renault next year.

What do they have to lose by using his car (even just in Friday practice) to evaluate replacements for the remainder of 2017. Anything else would just be a gamble surely and I cannot see why Renault would be keen to retain him unless they know something we don't. Its a desirable seat too, I expect them to be in the top 8 pretty regularly all next year and maybe even sneak a podium somewhere.

I should imagine Daddy's money has a lot to do with it.

And what is in his contract? You can't just pull a driver out of a chunk of a race weekend (potentially impacting their performance)on a whim.

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On Honda, I guess there is another scenario

Honda just pull out until 2021 and divert their energies to influencing the new engine spec.

Instead of putting €x000ms into this failing engine, save the money and build a team that can really do 2021 properly?

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patmahe said:

I'd be surprised if Renault didn't have a performance clause in the contract and I'd be equally surprised if Palmer is meeting those conditions.

Performance criteria are two-way. It's not like they have given him a fast, reliable car...

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jamiebae said:

If Sainz moves from Malaysia onwards the Gasly is a shoe in for the Torro Rosso drive, but if Matsusta can secure enough Superlicense points before the end of the F2 season I guess Kvyat is out for 2018.

I suppose this is the end for the Kubica fairytale, and I expect Massa will stay at Williams too given the lack of available drivers who meet Martini's much-publicised age requirements.

Who is old enough from available drivers to fill the Williams seat?

Alonso... Massa... Perez... Bottas?

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Jinba Ittai said:

I will be very disappointed if Williams retain Massa for next year. He's had a solid career but needs to retire. Put Paul di Resta in!!! I guarantee he'll be more motivated than Massa, and a good solid driver too.

I agree, but who should they hire who is 25+ and available?

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He did a good job on the day but he is not the future of the team in my view.

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rubystone said:

STR's release of Sainz won't have come cheap.

I recall them saying that if someone paid all of Sainz's development costs under the RB program then they might consider...

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rdjohn said:

For Autosport, you are really reading Motorsport.com and vice-versa. The latter's phylosophy seems to be
Ask a question
Listen to the answer
Write the story that first entered your head. - eg read their story about McLaren building its own engine.

There is a lot that they write now that does not actually happen. I think that they are simply seeking readership.

It's not the Autosport of old, but they do (still) normally separate speculation from more confirmed, multiple sourced news.

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Mansour is worth over $3b apparently. Maybe he will fund the team. Just give Alonso helmet/clothing sponsorship rights and let him do his own thing and keep the cash...

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janesmith1950 said:

eople with that kind of money don't tend to keep hold of it by throwing large chunks at projects like McLaren. They persuade other people to do that!

True, my point is more that they don't have to put money in directly to keep Alonso. Just free him up to earn more through personal sponsorship, reduce his event days (and let him monetize them himself) and contract Button as the ambassador.

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andburg said:

sad to think Williams may be in a such a poor financial state they'd need to take someone of Jolyon Palmer's ability

To be fair to him he has had some rubbish reliability.

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jsf said:

If I was them I would give Kubica a chance, what have they got to lose? Huge PR gain and the potential for an electric drive, the bloke had talent and it appears his disability is manageable.

I wonder if we will see Kubica in Formula E instead.

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2fast748 said:

Joe said the other day Perez to Renault was a done deal so I'd take anything he says with a pinch of salt.

It may have been a done deal. Deals get unravelled with money. They may have had a committed option on him, etc...

Joe rarely, if ever, posts gossip.

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The 2017 list (so a bit dated) of drivers who could possibly race:

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2017/01/23/38-drivers-e...