The Official F1 2021 silly season *contains speculation*
Discussion
TheInternet said:
ELUSIVEJIM said:
Mercedes must be laughing.
Will Ferrari have the best driver line up on the grid though? (There's something to get you teeth into.)
LaurasOtherHalf said:
I think that's quite difficult to say, I don't think anyone's had a "best" driver line up since VER and RIC. Depends on what you count as best however, The HAM/BOT pairing certainly gets results.
Agreed. Hamilton and Vettel at Merc would be best and fantastic to watch. ELUSIVEJIM said:
I am completely baffled by what has happened today.
Ferrari should have signed Ricciardo and not Sainz. I can only think Ferrari want to make sure they have a clear number 1 and 2 driver as 2019 didn't work with LeClerc and Vettel.
Ricciardo joining McLaren as well is fantastic for McLaren but another stupid move by Ricciardo.
Mercedes must be laughing.
Don't forget that Ricciardo is 30. Granted, he has some years left in him, but Sainz has more (He's 26)Ferrari should have signed Ricciardo and not Sainz. I can only think Ferrari want to make sure they have a clear number 1 and 2 driver as 2019 didn't work with LeClerc and Vettel.
Ricciardo joining McLaren as well is fantastic for McLaren but another stupid move by Ricciardo.
Mercedes must be laughing.
Ferrari don't want someone troubling LeClerc - he's the chosen man.
I'd actually be a little worried if I were Mercedes. Who's replacing Hamilton?
George Russell looks promising but is unproven. Ocon has been released to Renault.
Seems like RB have Verstappen and Ferrari have LeClerc and these two will be the main men.
Muzzer79 said:
Don't forget that Ricciardo is 30. Granted, he has some years left in him, but Sainz has more (He's 26)
Ferrari don't want someone troubling LeClerc - he's the chosen man.
I'd actually be a little worried if I were Mercedes. Who's replacing Hamilton?
George Russell looks promising but is unproven. Ocon has been released to Renault.
Seems like RB have Verstappen and Ferrari have LeClerc and these two will be the main men.
Ocon can go back, he was only released as they couldn't give him a Merc seat.Ferrari don't want someone troubling LeClerc - he's the chosen man.
I'd actually be a little worried if I were Mercedes. Who's replacing Hamilton?
George Russell looks promising but is unproven. Ocon has been released to Renault.
Seems like RB have Verstappen and Ferrari have LeClerc and these two will be the main men.
TheDeuce said:
HustleRussell said:
leef44 said:
I think Renault would feel that DR was not a waste of money. They needed his experience to steer them back on track with the car set up. They've gained much experience and knowledge last season from having him there but engine/power unit issues let them down most the time.
Maybe. Personally I think Renault and Ricciardo were supposed to be mutually in it for the journey- witness Abiteboul now criticising Ricciardo's supposed lack of loyalty.I doubt this has anything to do with loyalty and everything to do with common sense and reality on DR's part. McLaren has done a better job with the chassis than Renault and they will soon have a better PU, which even if it's an awkward transition year one, will offer greater potential going forwards.
What potential does Renault have to improve? As a team they're in a tough spot when it comes to making any significant investment ahead of cost caps. Their PU is similarly unlikely to see a leap forward in terms of reliability as reliability is very expensive, and they don't even have any customers anymore.
McLaren have managed better with their limited resources than Renault have. And McLaren have done the one thing that Renault couldn't do, move away from the Renault PU! Christ knows DR has already lived with Renault PU for long enough already..
Whatever Renault was doing, it wasn't doing it fast enough for Ricciardo- and Abiteboul is now left throwing shade.
Post-Ron McLaren Racing is very much an unproven entity, very much a different animal from what it was last time it won anything- and Renault have been saying that the new regs will be their breakthrough moment for years.
HustleRussell said:
TheDeuce said:
HustleRussell said:
leef44 said:
I think Renault would feel that DR was not a waste of money. They needed his experience to steer them back on track with the car set up. They've gained much experience and knowledge last season from having him there but engine/power unit issues let them down most the time.
Maybe. Personally I think Renault and Ricciardo were supposed to be mutually in it for the journey- witness Abiteboul now criticising Ricciardo's supposed lack of loyalty.I doubt this has anything to do with loyalty and everything to do with common sense and reality on DR's part. McLaren has done a better job with the chassis than Renault and they will soon have a better PU, which even if it's an awkward transition year one, will offer greater potential going forwards.
What potential does Renault have to improve? As a team they're in a tough spot when it comes to making any significant investment ahead of cost caps. Their PU is similarly unlikely to see a leap forward in terms of reliability as reliability is very expensive, and they don't even have any customers anymore.
McLaren have managed better with their limited resources than Renault have. And McLaren have done the one thing that Renault couldn't do, move away from the Renault PU! Christ knows DR has already lived with Renault PU for long enough already..
Whatever Renault was doing, it wasn't doing it fast enough for Ricciardo- and Abiteboul is now left throwing shade.
Post-Ron McLaren Racing is very much an unproven entity, very much a different animal from what it was last time it won anything- and Renault have been saying that the new regs will be their breakthrough moment for years.
Whatever happens to McLaren, Renault are stuck with a PU that holds them back to a degree (on the basis that little in F1 holds a driver back more than a DNF). That is a problem that Renault can't solve without spending a lot more on refining their PU. They can't jump ship and buy in another unit.
Plus the increasing financial uncertainty behind the scenes of Renault F1.. All in all the future potential and even existence of Renault F1 is hard to have very much confidence in at present.
As for the new regs - they have indeed been saying that will be their saving and it's when all their work will pay off. If so, fair play. The entire landscape by that point is going to have changed though, almost any team could become surprise winners for a year or two when the regs change as much as is planned.
DanielSan said:
TheDeuce said:
It's most certainly no longer a given. The foundations of that whole project are shifting beneath it.
It's more likely they'll be there now they've just freed up $25million... But sure, probably won't cost as much as DR. I'm not sure $25m is enough to rescue the perception of those paying for the Renault team however..
Time will tell, and the current economic crisis is likely to speed time up.
TheDeuce said:
ajprice said:
Just saw that too https://www.essentiallysports.com/f1-news-ferrari-...
A. If this is all true about Sainz and DR deals being done, and B. If Seb doesn't go home after this year, does he fill the gap at Renault? Technically they're a works team but Red Bull and now McLaren have shown them the way with their own engines. If Vettel does go to Renault, they need to get their s
t together, and I can't see that happening soon.
Renault remaining in F1 isn't much more certain than Vettel remaining in F1 either... Especially not if they intended to match Ferrari's already 'too low to take' offer for Vettels services. All in all Vettel to Renault seems both unlikely from his perspective, and also not particularly logical for Renault - who must be under intense pressure to solve their engine issues and build a more competitive car ahead of willy waving by signing another top price driver.A. If this is all true about Sainz and DR deals being done, and B. If Seb doesn't go home after this year, does he fill the gap at Renault? Technically they're a works team but Red Bull and now McLaren have shown them the way with their own engines. If Vettel does go to Renault, they need to get their s
t together, and I can't see that happening soon.Although in these crazy times I would stop short of ruling anything out altogether.
Williams are a lost cause for me. When his peers like Norris, Albon and Le Clerc are all getting on with the top seats, it must be galling for him to be driving around at the back in a mobile chicane. I'd be looking for anyway out if it was me.
Otispunkmeyer said:
I had a thought that Russell could go to Renault even if it was only for a session before they bow out entirely for being mediocre.
Williams are a lost cause for me. When his peers like Norris, Albon and Le Clerc are all getting on with the top seats, it must be galling for him to be driving around at the back in a mobile chicane. I'd be looking for anyway out if it was me.
I've always wondered how good other teams are at analysing a drivers performance even if they're stuck in poorly performing car. Obviously we argue on here that x driver in x car could beat driver y in the same car and so on... But I wonder how accurate such predictions can be with enough data and analysis carried out? My suggestion being that from a career point of view, perhaps Russell being stuck in a crap car isn't the handicap we might expect - others could be seeing his potential still. Who knows though!? Just a wondering I have..Williams are a lost cause for me. When his peers like Norris, Albon and Le Clerc are all getting on with the top seats, it must be galling for him to be driving around at the back in a mobile chicane. I'd be looking for anyway out if it was me.
I'd like to see him in a faster car for sure, and he does deserve it. His testing n the W10 last year went very well, he's certainly above average on the grid.
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