McLaren New Drivers 2019
Discussion
Looks like the McLaren driver changes crept out the back door on Saturday
https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/43780515
"Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso will be replaced by Formula 2 driver Lando Norris at McLaren at the end of the season"
Bit of a shocker.
Were is Fernando going ?
Red Bull / Ferrari ?
One more shot at a 3rd F1 title ?
https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/43780515
"Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso will be replaced by Formula 2 driver Lando Norris at McLaren at the end of the season"
Bit of a shocker.
Were is Fernando going ?
Red Bull / Ferrari ?
One more shot at a 3rd F1 title ?
rev-erend said:
They're all just quoting the same Spanish website as a source, without anything else to back up the story. There is no journalism involved, just lazy copy and paste.suffolk009 said:
If that's true, I'd love to see him replace Bottas. Slim to nothing chance of that happening.
I suspect that, as far as F1 is concerned, it is Mercedes or retirement for Alonso.suffolk009 said:
Maybe he's off to Indy in a McLaren/Andretti/Honda. Maybe he's just going to WEC fulltime with no distractions. Maybe he'll still be driving a McLaren next year.
My money would be on Indy 500/WEC.
Latifi to Mclaren? His father has just invested £200m
https://www.mclaren.com/technologygroup/news/artic...
https://www.mclaren.com/technologygroup/news/artic...
Andy S15 said:
Could quite easily just be a test seat. Or Nando is on his way out soon. I'd be surprised if Vandoorne is under the hammer - he's proven to match or best Nando on a number of occasions now.
Really?When both have finished, Vandoorne has only finished higher than Alonso on one occasion (4 places higher after damage to Alonso's car at Singapore last year). On average Alonso finishes 2.8 places ahead of Vandoorne.
If Alonso is on his way out of F1 it's not through lack of talent, more through burnt bridges and the potential of young chaps like Norris... though you'd expect Vandoorne to get the boot first based on the results, surely?
JS1500 said:
Really?
When both have finished, Vandoorne has only finished higher than Alonso on one occasion (4 places higher after damage to Alonso's car at Singapore last year). On average Alonso finishes 2.8 places ahead of Vandoorne.
If Alonso is on his way out of F1 it's not through lack of talent, more through burnt bridges and the potential of young chaps like Norris... though you'd expect Vandoorne to get the boot first based on the results, surely?
I'll be sad to see Alonso go. As you say, he's been the master of his own downfalls, but he often puts in some exciting drives. I would agree that he can go into a race with his switch in off mode, but then that goes for a lot of drivers.When both have finished, Vandoorne has only finished higher than Alonso on one occasion (4 places higher after damage to Alonso's car at Singapore last year). On average Alonso finishes 2.8 places ahead of Vandoorne.
If Alonso is on his way out of F1 it's not through lack of talent, more through burnt bridges and the potential of young chaps like Norris... though you'd expect Vandoorne to get the boot first based on the results, surely?
I don't 'like' the bloke. Whenever I start to warm to him he does or says something that reminds me of his nasty side. I've decided he won't marry either of my daughters.
Great to watch though, and his on air comments brighten a race.
tux said:
Latifi to Mclaren? His father has just invested £200m
https://www.mclaren.com/technologygroup/news/artic...
Why else would Latifi do this unless he was "buying" a seat for his son. IMO this would be a disaster for McLaren - Latifi is not F1 material, has never won any series and is midfield in F2 at best.https://www.mclaren.com/technologygroup/news/artic...
Lando Norris is being lined up there so I think the Latifi connection is something else. His son is test driver for Force India, maybe with Red Bull going to Honda and a supply of cheaper Renault engine available maybe Force India are looking to get the engine supply. Latifi could buy into Force India but maybe that isn't an option. Or they need to persuade McLaren to allow Renault to supply to another customer team. I wouldn't put it past McLaren to have a clause in their contract about which new team gets customer Renault engines. So throw McLaren some money and Force India get the engines and his boy is in F1. So who's out of Force India?
And what name will Force India be racing under next year, they wanted to change this year but were too late.
And what name will Force India be racing under next year, they wanted to change this year but were too late.
EDLT said:
Does McLaren's marketing scheme still require a current or former champion? If so Vandoorne is buggered.
I'm not so sure it is a scheme as such. They simply know that to attract sponsors it is easier if they have a WC driving for them. They keep the 'top team' profile despite being a solid mid tier team in terms of performance.For Alonso's team mates, it'll always be a challenge to enter F1/Mclaren and be compared to one of the best drivers
Frimley111R said:
If Alonso leaves it will be because its his choice. I can't see McLaren ditching their best driver.
I don't think they have much choice about that. I can't for the life of me find the story/ link again, which really hampers this point, but I swear I read late last year that Zak Brown had been given one year to attract a title sponsor by Mumtalakat/ Ojjeh following the Honda split - as they were plugging the now sizeable gap left in the coffers by Honda no longer bending over backwards for them.Given the increase in Kimoa branding on the car now that Renault are powering them, I'd argue/ speculate that in order to keep him interested, they've supplemented his salary with increased promotion of his clothing brand when it became apparent the 2018 car was no quicker than the MCL32...and that from 2019 onwards they simply can't afford to retain his services, when the 'best chassis on the grid' transpires to be yet another mediocre at best car.
The fact that ZB has since come out and outlined there'll be no title sponsor on the car in 2018 only furthers that...in my head at least.
But then, McLaren are allegedly looking at Indycar and LMP1 entries - perhaps he'll just be floated around the programs until he finds something he can win in...
JohnoVR6 said:
Given the increase in Kimoa branding on the car now that Renault are powering them, I'd argue/ speculate that in order to keep him interested, they've supplemented his salary with increased promotion of his clothing brand when it became apparent the 2018 car was no quicker than the MCL32...and that from 2019 onwards they simply can't afford to retain his services, when the 'best chassis on the grid' transpires to be yet another mediocre at best car
Please don't propagate this bogus claim. It has been repeated countless times, it has become a meme.Please correct me if you have direct quotes, but I remember only once in the last 3 years when someone from the McLaren camp claimed the chassis is the best...at the tail end of last year, it was mentioned as an end point.
Dr Z said:
Please don't propagate this bogus claim. It has been repeated countless times, it has become a meme.
Please correct me if you have direct quotes, but I remember only once in the last 3 years when someone from the McLaren camp claimed the chassis is the best...at the tail end of last year, it was mentioned as an end point.
Apologies that I missed 'one of...' off as a precursor - will hold my hands up on that one. However, I'm surprised that that's all that's been taken away from my post, given it is the least relevant bit to the OP. It was also in quote marks, as I am indeed quoting 'Nando following his claims after Mexico 2017 - all because he set a purple sector or two.Please correct me if you have direct quotes, but I remember only once in the last 3 years when someone from the McLaren camp claimed the chassis is the best...at the tail end of last year, it was mentioned as an end point.
But as I'm quite quiet today, a five minute search has brought this little lot up - varying quotes and claims of the abilities of McLaren as a team, insinuating that the chassis was at least 'one of the best' on the grid and it was all Japan's fault that the MP4-31 and MCL32 were s
t. And nothing at all to do with multiple bad decisions, mismanagement, ego and an insistence on sticking with that stupid size zero concept for too long. Eric Boullier, Dec 2017:
http://uk.pressfrom.com/news/sport/-229704-mclaren...
Fernando Alonso, Oct 2017 (again):
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/headlines/2017/...
Alonso, September 2017:
https://www.grandprix247.com/2017/09/16/alonso-our...
Matt Morris, Chief Engineering Officer, June 2017:
http://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/11205/mclaren-...
Alonso, May 2017:
https://www.planetf1.com/news/alonso-mclarens-chas...
Eric Boullier, May 2016:
http://paddocktalk.com/news/html/story-301667.html
Button, May 2018 - questioning McLaren's claims in 2016 and 2017:
https://www.grandprix247.com/2018/05/09/button-tal...
I ran out of momentum for copy and pasting after that... I see where you are coming from however - the biggest perpetrator of the 'very best' claim is everyone's favourite two-bit BBC correspondent...
But there are more than enough ambiguous claims out there from McLaren staff that pin the blame squarely on Honda for holding back their podium worthy chassis...I'd love to know exactly how and why it's fallen apart with Renault power. Whatever the answer is, I sincerely doubt Alonso will be there in 2019 to put up with what's cobbled together. To the point I'm tempted to put money on it...
Edited by JohnoVR6 on Thursday 7th June 16:45 - for the howler of a spelling mistake...
Edited by JohnoVR6 on Thursday 7th June 16:45
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