The Official 2018 F1 Silly Season *Contains Speculation*
Discussion
ELUSIVEJIM said:
Williams need two drivers IMO.
Get rid of Stroll and Massa but Williams are a sell out and will take money over talent which is a real shame.
Williams should be looking at the following
Charles Leclerc "very much doubt Williams would get him"
Robert Kubica would be way ahead of any other driver available even with his disability.
Wehrlein is a talent and could be available considering the engine in the rear of the Williams.
If you were watching the sport rather than commenting on it blindly you’d know that losing Stroll, were it legally possible, would cost Williams several tens of millions (much of which is probably already spent), jeopardising the company- and for what? To get rid of a driver who at the age of 18 and in his debut year is already moderately capable, has already had a standout performance at Monza (and arguably Baku) and is improving continuously. Get rid of Stroll and Massa but Williams are a sell out and will take money over talent which is a real shame.
Williams should be looking at the following
Charles Leclerc "very much doubt Williams would get him"
Robert Kubica would be way ahead of any other driver available even with his disability.
Wehrlein is a talent and could be available considering the engine in the rear of the Williams.
Leclerc will go wherever Ferrari wants him to, and that is likely to be Sauber
Wehrlein basically is available for that reason.
HustleRussell said:
Leclerc will go wherever Ferrari wants him to, and that is likely to be Sauber
Which is the right move I think. Sauber are at the back of the grid, so expectations can be low. OK, a better engine next year and they seem to be building up the team.So he can develop a full year of experience without the pressure of dropping into a top line team and all that entails. If he picks up some points then all the better.
My feeling is that if Kubica was up for it and capable, Renault would have had him signed up by now. That they haven't tells you all you need to know - sadly.
Bacardi Ltd are looking to boost market share for the Martini brand in the UK and this may well play into PDR's hands, helped too by the profile he's maintained out of the car via Sky Sports.
In an ideal world, there's any number of drivers that would serve Williams better in terms of on-track performance but F1 has never operated in an ideal world.
Bacardi Ltd are looking to boost market share for the Martini brand in the UK and this may well play into PDR's hands, helped too by the profile he's maintained out of the car via Sky Sports.
In an ideal world, there's any number of drivers that would serve Williams better in terms of on-track performance but F1 has never operated in an ideal world.
Vaud said:
Button. Meh. Probably heresy on a predominantly UK forum. Ditto when people say anything about Hill.
Button was in the right place and right time, and a very nice guy, but it was a huge chunk of luck. Even Ross commented that he was a bit flaky at times and he had him in 2009 as Button/Barrichello had nowhere else to go, but nor did Ross have any choice.
I think it is telling that Mercedes didn't retain him; they had the financial ability to do so.
Blimey, if you're not allowed to be a bit flaky when you're fighting for your first Championship, I don't know what. Tough crowd.Button was in the right place and right time, and a very nice guy, but it was a huge chunk of luck. Even Ross commented that he was a bit flaky at times and he had him in 2009 as Button/Barrichello had nowhere else to go, but nor did Ross have any choice.
I think it is telling that Mercedes didn't retain him; they had the financial ability to do so.
I think you will find that Button considered the team to be seriously depleted by the end of 2009 and will take several years of rebuilding before they could be competitive. Didn't fancy going through that again and moved to McLaren.
Glad Kubica has a shot for the Williams seat.
HustleRussell said:
If you were watching the sport rather than commenting on it blindly you’d know that losing Stroll, were it legally possible, would cost Williams several tens of millions (much of which is probably already spent), jeopardising the company- and for what? To get rid of a driver who at the age of 18 and in his debut year is already moderately capable, has already had a standout performance at Monza (and arguably Baku) and is improving continuously.
Leclerc will go wherever Ferrari wants him to, and that is likely to be Sauber
Wehrlein basically is available for that reason.
I know it is not possible for Williams to get rid of Stroll but that is their mistake.Leclerc will go wherever Ferrari wants him to, and that is likely to be Sauber
Wehrlein basically is available for that reason.
Yes he is only 18 years of age but he is not on a F1 level.
ELUSIVEJIM said:
I know it is not possible for Williams to get rid of Stroll but that is their mistake.
Yes he is only 18 years of age but he is not on a F1 level.
He has had more podiums than most drivers on the grid this year.Yes he is only 18 years of age but he is not on a F1 level.
he has a lot to learn, but he is doing OK for an 18 year old kid, if Williams gain some financial stability whilst having the potential for a decent mid field team driver, what's not to like? They can use the other seat to try a more established driver.
ELUSIVEJIM said:
I know it is not possible for Williams to get rid of Stroll but that is their mistake.
Yes he is only 18 years of age but he is not on a F1 level.
Really? Anyone who actually watches the sport will be able to tell you that he's beaten Massa in each of the last three GP, on merit, and is only one point behind him in the standings. I think the team are actually very happy with him, and not just for the money.Yes he is only 18 years of age but he is not on a F1 level.
thegreenhell said:
Really? Anyone who actually watches the sport will be able to tell you that he's beaten Massa in each of the last three GP, on merit, and is only one point behind him in the standings. I think the team are actually very happy with him, and not just for the money.
He is maturing well. Maybe not the next Schumacher but seems pretty solid at the moment, given the very variable Williams he has to drive.Vaud said:
...given the very variable Williams he has to drive.
It's not all that variable at heart, it's just a compromised concept towards lower drag and consequently lower fuel consumption and starting weight. That's why it has problems getting tyre temperature consistently. The Williams has been like this for several seasons.The change over to a higher-downforce concept is going to cost them a fortune they don't currently have.
Vaud said:
He is maturing well. Maybe not the next Schumacher but seems pretty solid at the moment, given the very variable Williams he has to drive.
I know everyone likes to knock Stroll but you're right. Since Baku he's gained confidence and isn't doing a bad job, he's doing about as well as anyone could do in that car in the races. Qualifying pace is where he needs to up his game, it's like he can't quite get to the limit of his or the cars speed yet over one lap. Once that comes and he gets that last bit of confidence combined with experience and that last bit of ability he has potential to be a quality driver. He's not the be Hamilton or Vettel but I don't think he'd be any worse than Perez/Hulk/Grosjesn etc DanielSan said:
I know everyone likes to knock Stroll but you're right. Since Baku he's gained confidence and isn't doing a bad job, he's doing about as well as anyone could do in that car in the races. Qualifying pace is where he needs to up his game, it's like he can't quite get to the limit of his or the cars speed yet over one lap. Once that comes and he gets that last bit of confidence combined with experience and that last bit of ability he has potential to be a quality driver. He's not the be Hamilton or Vettel but I don't think he'd be any worse than Perez/Hulk/Grosjesn etc
I agree. I think it's a useful relationship for Williams and for Stroll.DanielSan said:
CraigyMc said:
36 in November.
I didn't think he was that old to be honest, I thought more like 30-32. That may well answer why he isn't on the potentials list then. Alonso and Massa are both 36, and Kimi's 37 - these guys form the old guard.
CraigyMc said:
Hulkenberg and Vettel are 30. Hammo is the 4th oldest driver on the grid, at 32.
Alonso and Massa are both 36, and Kimi's 37 - these guys form the old guard.
Blimey. It's a bit of a perfect storm but Fred->Indycar, Kimi dropped by Ferrari and Massa retiring makes Hammo the oldest on the grid.Alonso and Massa are both 36, and Kimi's 37 - these guys form the old guard.
thegreenhell said:
Really? Anyone who actually watches the sport will be able to tell you that he's beaten Massa in each of the last three GP, on merit, and is only one point behind him in the standings. I think the team are actually very happy with him, and not just for the money.
Massa has had two retirements and a withdraw due to illness. Stroll has had three retirements so both on level terms.Throughout the rest of the season when both drivers have finished the races it is 6-3 to Massa.
Stroll is only close to Massa this season points wise due to his fortunate 3rd place at the Azerbaijan GP.
He has only proven that money gets you into F1.
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