The Official F1 2019 silly season *contains speculation*

[Sam993]

ghost83 said:

I’ve heard from a “friend” le clerk will be replacing grojean at haas

I’ve Also heard Kimi is staying at Ferrari so I’m guessing Vettel doesn’t want Danny ric there either

This sounds like a plausible option, I don't see Haas keeping Grosjeanado and Vettel wanting real competition at Ferrari. If LeClerk goes to Haas (if they stay as competitive as they are this year) he could even fight for podiums and I reckon Kimi wants to make as much money as possible before he retires for good so staying at Ferrari is a good gig.

[Dermot O'Logical]

ELUSIVEJIM said:

Basically Ferrari are putting Vettel's number one status in front of thinking about Ferrari.

Look how that worked out for Red Bull with Vettel.

If Ferrari don't sign Leclerc and he gets a drive elsewhere then Ferrari have lost the plot.

Isn't it refreshing that Red Bull have two top drivers in one team. Just hope if Ricciardo stays the car will be the one to beat in 2019.

But I doubt it.

LeClerc is contracted to Ferrari.

[MissChief]

Some rumour of Alonso going to Renault in a swap deal with Sainz. Not sure about it though!

[anonymous-user]

MissChief said:

Some rumour of Alonso going to Renault in a swap deal with Sainz. Not sure about it though!

Doubt moving to Renault would be any better than McLaren.

Alonso stated a few months ago that he was in talks over a big team move.

Well Mercedes are totally locked out and I very much doubt Vettel or Ferrari would have him back.

But this is F1 so you just never know.

Kimi to McLaren and Alonso to Ferrari?

[HTP99]

ELUSIVEJIM said:

MissChief said:

Some rumour of Alonso going to Renault in a swap deal with Sainz. Not sure about it though!

Doubt moving to Renault would be any better than McLaren.

Alonso stated a few months ago that he was in talks over a big team move.

Well Mercedes are totally locked out and I very much doubt Vettel or Ferrari would have him back.

But this is F1 so you just never know.

Kimi to McLaren and Alonso to Ferrari?

For as long as I have a hole in my arse, Alonso will never be racing for either Ferrari or Mercedes, neither of the teams need him or probably will want him, Renault is a possibility and probably a better proposition than McLaren and they are a big team, a move to a big team in Indy Car is a possibility or he is just bull stting.

[cgt2]

Marchionne's sudden illness and change at the top at Ferrari could mean Kimi gets another year.

He is a solid backup to Vettel, they both get on extremely well and it's likely Ferrari could take both championships this year.

Throwing a hungry youngster in could upset the equilibrium as there's no doubt he will butt heads with Vettel as Ricciardo did. I wonder if LeClerc stays on ice for another year?

[Vaud]

MissChief said:

Some rumour of Alonso going to Renault in a swap deal with Sainz. Not sure about it though!

https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/formula-1/mclaren/new...

Would probably be a good fit. Cheaper than Alonso, pretty solid driver. Sponsor friendly. Probably what you need while still rebuilding the team - if you are faced with losing Alonso.

That said, Kimi would also be a good fit.

[LaurasOtherHalf]

ELUSIVEJIM said:

Doubt moving to Renault would be any better than McLaren.

Care for a bet on that? I'm actually not a betting man but I'll put my money where my mouth is, Renault will win an F1 race before McLaren ever does.

[Angpozzuto]

LaurasOtherHalf said:

Care for a bet on that? I'm actually not a betting man but I'll put my money where my mouth is, Renault will win an F1 race before McLaren ever does.

I have to agree Renault just seem to be in a much better place at the moment. I suspect someone like alonso could drag their car to 4th/5th/6th place

[hairyben]

Anyone else tired of hearing constantly how "unlucky" bottas is?

[ajprice]

Angpozzuto said:

LaurasOtherHalf said:

Care for a bet on that? I'm actually not a betting man but I'll put my money where my mouth is, Renault will win an F1 race before McLaren ever does.

I have to agree Renault just seem to be in a much better place at the moment. I suspect someone like alonso could drag their car to 4th/5th/6th place

Initially at least for early next year, Red Bull could go backwards from the 3rd best team when they first have the Honda engines.

[anonymous-user]

hairyben said:

Anyone else tired of hearing constantly how "unlucky" bottas is?

Considering he is in the car that has been the best since 2014 I would say many driver would love to be that unlucky.

[entropy]

tigerkoi said:

Ricciardo: last few months I don’t think show him as the smartest negotiator in the room. Naive to be constantly bounding up to the camera and telling all. Best to have kept his mouth shut and played it low key until the clock stops. So to see his body language slowly droop as the weeks went by gradually realising he might not be quite the ultimate object of everyone’s interests, was telling. Verstappen is cool though; he has time on his side and knows neither of them are likely to be WDC with a Renault engine.

Not really. It may seem naive to sound out teams but generating interest can only help contract negotiations with your current team:

Bernie Ecclestone once helped Kenny Roberts out by brazenly handing over an empty brown envelope at the F1 paddock fuelling rumours but was really a bluff on Kenny to get more money out of Yamaha.

Senna once famously said he would drive for Williams for free but was really a ploy to get more money out of McLaren.

[tigerkoi]

entropy said:

tigerkoi said:

Ricciardo: last few months I don’t think show him as the smartest negotiator in the room. Naive to be constantly bounding up to the camera and telling all. Best to have kept his mouth shut and played it low key until the clock stops. So to see his body language slowly droop as the weeks went by gradually realising he might not be quite the ultimate object of everyone’s interests, was telling. Verstappen is cool though; he has time on his side and knows neither of them are likely to be WDC with a Renault engine.

Not really. It may seem naive to sound out teams but generating interest can only help contract negotiations with your current team:

Bernie Ecclestone once helped Kenny Roberts out by brazenly handing over an empty brown envelope at the F1 paddock fuelling rumours but was really a bluff on Kenny to get more money out of Yamaha.

Senna once famously said he would drive for Williams for free but was really a ploy to get more money out of McLaren.

For sure, sounding out teams is understandable - normal even! But judging the situation he seems in now, like I say, he’s looking slightly more thoughtful and less exuberant, as if he hadn’t really thought through the jigsaw or what may or may not happen a few months prior.

And Horner, Mateschitz and Marko probably also reasonably enumerated that the market may be more static than usual and therefore sat back patiently, whilst he went on telly being very talkative about it. But he doesn’t really have any cards in his hand, did he? Except his home team who said we don’t want him to go...

So after a month or two of him going on a bit too much on telly, Ferrari say they aren’t interested and that Mercedes aren’t evolving (and as done loads on here already, were never seriously going to change much anyway!). With Ferrari, my view, I think some maybe at an Elkann-level, that he’s probably a bit too free with his thoughts, and that’s never been “on-brand” as marketing types say.

I didn’t know the Kenny story (sr or jr), or which year - would love to know more, anything on Motor Sport mag? - but with Senna, as before, it’s all about leverage, where are you in your career arc.

Senna, with 3 titles already, knowing the Williams was the only place to go to keep winning as they were clearly in short-mid term ascendancy....he can say what he likes to the press. His statement wasn’t about more money at McLaren. He wanted out of McLaren and into Williams. He wanted to chisel out Prost.

https://www.news.com.au/sport/motorsport/formula-o...

The guys obviously disappointed, and hints that maybe he should have played things another way. Maybe the Marchionne situation has stalled everything. But look at the Ronaldo situation: Juve really wanted him. What happens? Andrea Agnelli flies to his yacht holiday in Greece and personally does the deal. The Andrea who is Elkann’s cousin. That’s the level of family sign off and that’s the level that needs to be impressed, or do the impressing. After all no one else right now can sign off multi million deals. Maybe Marchionne wanted Raikkonen out. Maybe. Or maybe people have just interpreted his frequent chidings of his performance as a sign. Then again Marchionne plays rough with everyone. So now it’s all about Elkann (and maybe Arrivabene and his old pal Camilleri stating their opinion too).

But generally...people are only best advised to telegraph everything to the media if they are in a proper position - like with two contracts offered quietly up. Normally best to be low key if you really want something to happen but the route there is not easy. But he’s a young guy, all part of the curve

Happy to be wrong though, it’s an interesting side story!

[cgt2]

Senna's Williams offer in Summer '92 was not about money at all, he was desperate to get into the (at that time utterly dominant) winning car and as said block Prost from the team in 1993.

Frank Williams has mentioned this in several interviews and books, Senna genuinely would have driven a winning car for free, though I'm sure his personal sponsors would have generated a few mil here or there.

[entropy]

cgt2 said:

Senna's Williams offer in Summer '92 was not about money at all, he was desperate to get into the (at that time utterly dominant) winning car and as said block Prost from the team in 1993.

Frank Williams has mentioned this in several interviews and books, Senna genuinely would have driven a winning car for free, though I'm sure his personal sponsors would have generated a few mil here or there.

That's right. Sorry, I was confusing it with the 1990 silly season. As well as Alesi Williams were also talking with Senna but Senna was using Williams to get a better deal with McLaren; Alesi ended up at Ferrari and Williams were so desperate for a top driver that they got Mansell out of (short) retirement.

[cgt2]

entropy said:

That's right. Sorry, I was confusing it with the 1990 silly season. As well as Alesi Williams were also talking with Senna but Senna was using Williams to get a better deal with McLaren; Alesi ended up at Ferrari and Williams were so desperate for a top driver that they got Mansell out of (short) retirement.

Yes and Alesi had actually signed a contract with Williams in the middle of 1990 which he then reneged on when the Ferrari seat became available alongside Prost, he said the emotional lure of Ferrari was too strong. This was also why Williams scrambled to convince Mansell to drive in 1991 as you rightly say. Alesi's has to be one of the worst decisions in F1 history, instead of winning a single race Alesi could have won at least one, possibly more, championships.

Now I mention this I also recall Ken Tyrell also thought he had exclusivity with Alesi for 1991 so he basically was in bed with three teams, though I'm 100% sure he did actually sign a Williams contract.

[MartG]

From an unreliable source

https://thesportsrush.com/lawrence-stroll-has-boug...

[Sam993]

MartG said:

From an unreliable source

https://thesportsrush.com/lawrence-stroll-has-boug...

RIP Williams.

[Jonesy23]

Sam993 said:

MartG said:

From an unreliable source

https://thesportsrush.com/lawrence-stroll-has-boug...

RIP Williams.

RIP Force India if the pair of Stroll muppets get involved.

Daddy should really accept his son is never going to be a talent and there are cheaper hobbies. Maybe he should think on what his boy is going to do with his time after he gets properly bored of playing racing driver.