The Official F1 2023 silly season *contains speculation*

[HustleRussell]

HustleRussell in the Silly Season 2024 thread a couple of weeks ago said:

Devries having a shocker. Liam Lawson in that car before the end of the 2023 season?

Too soon to take de Vries out IMO, they want to know whether he could be a decent F1 driver and it is too soon to have answered that question. Ricciardo won't want to drive for Alpha Tauri in anything more than a stand-in capacity because he saw what happened to Gasly. The threat to de Vries comes from Lawson.

[cuprabob]

I think they'll give DeVries upto the summer break and then make a decision if he remains in the car or replaced.

[entropy]

Joey Deacon said:

It's not as if Red Bull haven't got a history of swapping drivers mid season if they think they are not cutting it.....

Just ask Daniil Kvyat, Pierre Gasly and Alexander Albon.

I think there is a very good chance Nyck de Vries will be gone in the next few races.......

That was at RBR when they failed to hang on the coat-tails of Max and, funnily enough, Ricc (Kvyat).

To be ditched at AT after half a season would be shameful for both sides. No disrespect to Tsunoda but unless he gets to prove me wrong he's nowhere near peak Danny Ricc.

[Pflanzgarten]

entropy said:

No disrespect to Tsunoda but unless he gets to prove me wrong he's nowhere near peak Danny Ricc.

No disrespect, but he’s not even peak Grosjean yet.

[Teddy Lop]

entropy said:

Joey Deacon said:

It's not as if Red Bull haven't got a history of swapping drivers mid season if they think they are not cutting it.....

Just ask Daniil Kvyat, Pierre Gasly and Alexander Albon.

I think there is a very good chance Nyck de Vries will be gone in the next few races.......

That was at RBR when they failed to hang on the coat-tails of Max and, funnily enough, Ricc (Kvyat).

To be ditched at AT after half a season would be shameful for both sides. No disrespect to Tsunoda but unless he gets to prove me wrong he's nowhere near peak Danny Ricc.

Kvvat finished the previous season - their only full season together - ahead of Ric on points. Although it's red bull, who knows what shenanigans were going on.

[Fundoreen]

Yes it could give f1 fans a reason to stay up till 5am down under but richiarrdo deserves to be benched for a few years.
He cost cyrill his job at renault by leaving and made him get a tattoo he has probably lazered off by now lol.

[kambites]

MustangGT said:

HTP99 said:

Top 2 yep, possibly Norris, others nope and Vettel lol!

Agreed, I also find it amusing that Russell is not on the list, yet many claim he is better than Hamilton!

Yeah I'd say Hamilton, Russell and Alonso are on pretty much the same level as Max; close enough that who would win would come down to whose driving style the handling characteristics of the car in question best matched.

I don't think LeClerc, Norris or Vettel would have a chance; LeClerc is fast but I think he's too mistake prone to put together a sustained title challenge against someone as good as Verstappen in equal machinery; Norris I don't think is quite as quick as Verstappen, he'd out-perform him on some tracks but I think overall Verstappen would win out; IMO Vettel is nowhere near as quick unless the car is absolutely to his liking, and even then I think Verstappen would beat him. Sainz I think is a step below Verstappen (and most of the over genuinely top-tier drivers) in pretty much all departments. He's good, but he's not that good.

[MissChief]

It's been denied that Ricciardo is in Italy for a seat fitting, he's there for Lance Stroll's sisters wedding and that's all they say.

[vaud]

MissChief said:

It's been denied that Ricciardo is in Italy for a seat fitting, he's there for Lance Stroll's sisters wedding and that's all they say.

Given they use RB's pool of reserve drivers, it would be odd for them all not to have a seat fitting at some point...

[Deesee]

MissChief said:

It's been denied that Ricciardo is in Italy for a seat fitting, he's there for Lance Stroll's sisters wedding and that's all they say.

If it was Gasly there for the wedding it would make more sense..

[Deesee]

vaud said:

MissChief said:

It's been denied that Ricciardo is in Italy for a seat fitting, he's there for Lance Stroll's sisters wedding and that's all they say.

Given they use RB's pool of reserve drivers, it would be odd for them all not to have a seat fitting at some point...

Lawson would make more sense IMO.

[thegreenhell]

MissChief said:

It's been denied that Ricciardo is in Italy for a seat fitting, he's there for Lance Stroll's sisters wedding and that's all they say.

That would be more interesting if he was there to marry Stroll's sister.

[Deesee]

vaud said:

Deesee said:

Who can, slowest car on the grid, sticks it P10/P11 every race..

Yuki is super consistent this year.

Yuki, is a engineers dream.. with a touch of class with the overtakes..

He’s like a hot knife through butter on new tyres…

[Muzzer79]

Still Mulling said:

5 races into a 23 race season? I think even Red Bull would realise the negativity that would generate.

I don’t think Red Bull give a monkey’s about negativity, quite frankly.

[F1GTRUeno]

HTP99 said:

Orchardab said:

Stealthracer said:

MissChief said:

Stealthracer said:

Pflanzgarten said:

I disagree, I think Max would have him there no problem, he thinks he's superior.

I can think of four or five drivers who would beat MV in similar machinery. I may not have LH at the top of the list, but he's certainly on it.

Interested to know who is on your list as well as Max.

(In alphabetical order, to hopefully forestall some of the criticism that inevitably follows a post like this):

Alonso
Hamilton
LeClerc
Norris
Sainz
Vettel

Yes, sorry, I know that's 6 - and one has retired.

Can this be moved to the comedy thread please?

Top 2 yep, possibly Norris, others nope and Vettel lol!

Leclerc is easily as quick over one lap at least. Be interesting in a race situation if both in Red Bulls.

[Still Mulling]

Muzzer79 said:

I don’t think Red Bull give a monkey’s about negativity, quite frankly.

I meant among young drivers. Managers would be tempted to steer away at some point.

[vulture1]

entropy said:

Joey Deacon said:

It's not as if Red Bull haven't got a history of swapping drivers mid season if they think they are not cutting it.....

Just ask Daniil Kvyat, Pierre Gasly and Alexander Albon.

I think there is a very good chance Nyck de Vries will be gone in the next few races.......

That was at RBR when they failed to hang on the coat-tails of Max and, funnily enough, Ricc (Kvyat).

To be ditched at AT after half a season would be shameful for both sides. No disrespect to Tsunoda but unless he gets to prove me wrong he's nowhere near peak Danny Ricc.

Agreed but Tsunoda is saved from not being on the chop jsut now as others are worse. I don't rate him either. Red bull don't have a great pipeline of drivers just now either.

No-one in f2 is standing out just now either.

[HustleRussell]

Still Mulling said:

Muzzer79 said:

I don’t think Red Bull give a monkey’s about negativity, quite frankly.

I meant among young drivers. Managers would be tempted to steer away at some point.

Any and every opportunity is gold dust

[Mark-C]

HustleRussell said:

Still Mulling said:

Muzzer79 said:

I don’t think Red Bull give a monkey’s about negativity, quite frankly.

I meant among young drivers. Managers would be tempted to steer away at some point.

Any and every opportunity is gold dust

Certainly for a younger driver you'd be mad (or already tied to someone else) not to take an Alpha Tauri seat. Any chance you have to show you're special has to be grabbed. Beating Tsunoda will not prove you're the next Senna but it will get you exposure and probably some points as well. The risk is you get hoofed out early but that's not something you'd worry about if you believed in yourself.

[Muzzer79]

Still Mulling said:

Muzzer79 said:

I don’t think Red Bull give a monkey’s about negativity, quite frankly.

I meant among young drivers. Managers would be tempted to steer away at some point.

20 seats in F1.

Any driver aspiring to be in the series would give vital body parts to get one.

They'd drive for Goebbels, let alone Helmut Marko.