The Official F1 2023 silly season *contains speculation*

[thegreenhell]

Sandpit Steve said:

His manager is Mark Webber, who one might assume understands these things. It’s not a good look though, after all the testing Alpine have been giving him this year in lieu of an F1 seat.

The list of drivers who won the top F3 category and F2 in consecutive seasons, is as follows:

Lewis Hamilton
Charles Lerclerc
George Russell
Oscar Piastri

He’s a future world champion IMHO, if he can get a decent drive.

The list of drivers who were hailed as a future world champion is a lot longer than the list of actual world champions, and many of those on the second list never even appeared on the first.

[Speed Badger]

thegreenhell said:

The list of drivers who were hailed as a future world champion is a lot longer than the list of actual world champions, and many of those on the second list never even appeared on the first.

Still waiting for Alex Lynn to come through!

[GCH]

Speed Badger said:

thegreenhell said:

The list of drivers who were hailed as a future world champion is a lot longer than the list of actual world champions, and many of those on the second list never even appeared on the first.

Still waiting for Alex Lynn to come through!

And max*
A future world champion for sure.

[Big Nanas]

CardinalBlue said:

Not hugely surprisng, but Otmar says they are likley to head to court to sue Piastri should he not end up there next year.

Does say that a Heads of Terms agreement for 2023 was signed in November.


https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/piastri-c...

How often on the past has a driver been forced/obligated to drive for a team based on a contract?
Who does that benefit?

[vaud]

Big Nanas said:

How often on the past has a driver been forced/obligated to drive for a team based on a contract?
Who does that benefit?

Coulthard in 1995? (went to CRB)

[Finlandese]

Big Nanas said:

CardinalBlue said:

Not hugely surprisng, but Otmar says they are likley to head to court to sue Piastri should he not end up there next year.

Does say that a Heads of Terms agreement for 2023 was signed in November.


https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/piastri-c...

How often on the past has a driver been forced/obligated to drive for a team based on a contract?
Who does that benefit?

Button. Made him a champion a bit later…

[samoht]

Big Nanas said:

How often on the past has a driver been forced/obligated to drive for a team based on a contract?
Who does that benefit?

Jensen Button tried to get out of his BAR contract and move to Williams for 2005, based on a technicality about whether the former's Honda engine supply was sufficiently 'works'.
He failed, and had to continue with BAR that year.
BAR became Honda became Brawn, with which Jenson became World Champion four years later.
Williams have never won another championship.

So in this case, Jensen benefited from being forced to remain.

(There are actually more twists than this, see https://the-race.com/formula-1/the-bizarre-tale-of... )

[Teddy Lop]

samoht said:

Big Nanas said:

How often on the past has a driver been forced/obligated to drive for a team based on a contract?
Who does that benefit?

Jensen Button tried to get out of his BAR contract and move to Williams for 2005, based on a technicality about whether the former's Honda engine supply was sufficiently 'works'.
He failed, and had to continue with BAR that year.
BAR became Honda became Brawn, with which Jenson became World Champion four years later.
Williams have never won another championship.

So in this case, Jensen benefited from being forced to remain.

(There are actually more twists than this, see https://the-race.com/formula-1/the-bizarre-tale-of... )

Yeah there's a bit more, as I remember Jens was not happy having a signed a deal with the almighty Williams only to be farmed out Renault, then as soon the Renault started looking like something that might be going places he had the rug pulled and got stuffed in BAR, got a bit more settled and the team was in the ascendancy only for Williams - who now in decline and not attracting the big names frank wanted in preference to Jens - to try to make him come drive their donkey and Jens cried enough. Luckily honda thought well enough of him they bankrolled him buying himself out of his Williams contract.

Jens is a very cautionary tale of be careful what you sign.

[SmoothCriminal]

Can't really blame Piastri for looking elsewhere.

The only reason Alpine is offering him a drive is because Alonso screwed them, before that he was destined for a year in a Williams.

If he has put pen to paper for a 23 race sear with Mclaren then going back on that is worse than not taking the Alpine late offer.

Why on earth would a top tier driver want to go to Williams look what it did to Russell's career scratching about miles off the pace wasting valuable time where if he was in a higher team he would at least have been fighting for points on a race by race basis, oh but they learn race craft and get used to f1 gtfo completely pointless for proven winners like Russell and Piastri leave that for the likes of Albon and the rest of the journeymen drivers that make it to F1.

[GCH]

samoht said:

Big Nanas said:

How often on the past has a driver been forced/obligated to drive for a team based on a contract?
Who does that benefit?

Jensen Button tried to get out of his BAR contract and move to Williams for 2005, based on a technicality about whether the former's Honda engine supply was sufficiently 'works'.
He failed, and had to continue with BAR that year.
BAR became Honda became Brawn, with which Jenson became World Champion four years later.
Williams have never won another championship.

So in this case, Jensen benefited from being forced to remain.

(There are actually more twists than this, see https://the-race.com/formula-1/the-bizarre-tale-of... )

A July 31st option cut off date, Otmar Szafnauer (at Honda at the time) involved, and played out messily in the media too
Lessons were not learned it would seem...

[stemll]

jsf said:

stemll said:

Not going to happen. Ocon and Gasly do not get on and Ocon doesn't need any more excuses to drive into his teammates.

Ocon drives for Alpine, he doesn't get to choose his team mate. He will do as he is told or be sacked.

Didn’t say he did. Why would you, as a TP, choose two drivers who you know don’t get on? LH/NR was a bit different as they got on to start with.

[stemll]

jsf said:

stemll said:

Didn’t say he did. Why would you, as a TP, choose two drivers who you know don’t get on? LH/NR was a bit different as they got on to start with.

Because they are your fastest option.

Happens often.

Not very fast if they’re both parked in the wall

Let’s wait and see, we’re all just guessing (me included)

[andburg]

SmoothCriminal said:

Can't really blame Piastri for looking elsewhere.

The only reason Alpine is offering him a drive is because Alonso screwed them, before that he was destined for a year in a Williams.

If he has put pen to paper for a 23 race sear with Mclaren then going back on that is worse than not taking the Alpine late offer.

Why on earth would a top tier driver want to go to Williams look what it did to Russell's career scratching about miles off the pace wasting valuable time where if he was in a higher team he would at least have been fighting for points on a race by race basis, oh but they learn race craft and get used to f1 gtfo completely pointless for proven winners like Russell and Piastri leave that for the likes of Albon and the rest of the journeymen drivers that make it to F1.

I don’t think the time at Williams harmed Russell whatsoever, had he made a break it would not have been to Red Bull or Ferrari so he’d be in a slower team now.

[vaud]

andburg said:

I don’t think the time at Williams harmed Russell whatsoever, had he made a break it would not have been to Red Bull or Ferrari so he’d be in a slower team now.

I think he was there a year too long, but I think it is a good way to let someone adapt to F1.

Nobody expected a Williams in Q2/Q3 and Russell made to most of a rubbish car.

[PhilAsia]

stemll said:

Not very fast if they’re both parked in the wall

Let’s wait and see, we’re all just guessing (me included)

Only the FIA confuse what all means...

[carl_w]

Autosport now reporting that there was no July 31st cut-off and Piastri had simply not signed the Alpine paperwork and that Alpine knew he'd signed for McLaren well before their announcement.

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/why-piastris-att...

[Likes Fast Cars]

vaud said:

Adrian W said:

I'm still hoping Piastri falls on his arse and ends up without a drive

Why? He's no Dan Ticktum... and he has a serious amount of talent. He may be being badly advised, or very well advised, we don't know enough?

Personally I'm excited to see Piastri given the (well deserved) hype surrounding him.

Agree there is a lack of clarity and insight for most of us on here and a lot of the information is only a part of the story.

What I don't get is why Alpine didn't run OP in an FP session this year, from what I know it was scheduled to happen at some race(s) after the Summer break.

This is only my opinion, but (this is PH after all!) ..... in OP's mind Alpine didn't seem to be "committed" enough when it came to giving him a race seat next year (alternative being a Williams rive which would be a waste IMHO) and they weren't in a hurry to let him loose in an FP session this year.

The facts are that Alpine's efforts obviously were focussed on FA re-signing (all their eggs in one basket) and OP got pissed off with being kept on a string, if it was me I would had said "eff you" given Alpine's knee-jerk reaction to FA's leaving (his blatant act of sabotage to stick it to Alpine ... ) and Alpine's massive own goal in not keeping their eyes on the contractual ball and failing to exercise their contractual option with PO, an option which might simply have meant a binding agreement to keep him in the Alpine stable (and being loaned out for a year as was the existing case).

Piss poor risk management from Alpine on a number of fronts.

[Likes Fast Cars]

SmoothCriminal said:

Can't really blame Piastri for looking elsewhere.

The only reason Alpine is offering him a drive is because Alonso screwed them, before that he was destined for a year in a Williams.

If he has put pen to paper for a 23 race sear with Mclaren then going back on that is worse than not taking the Alpine late offer.

Why on earth would a top tier driver want to go to Williams look what it did to Russell's career scratching about miles off the pace wasting valuable time where if he was in a higher team he would at least have been fighting for points on a race by race basis, oh but they learn race craft and get used to f1 gtfo completely pointless for proven winners like Russell and Piastri leave that for the likes of Albon and the rest of the journeymen drivers that make it to F1.

Spot on, IMHO

[Byker28i]

carl_w said:

Autosport now reporting that there was no July 31st cut-off and Piastri had simply not signed the Alpine paperwork and that Alpine knew he'd signed for McLaren well before their announcement.

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/why-piastris-att...

Certainly interesting reading for all those people who were criticising Piastri

[_Yeti]

Byker28i said:

Certainly interesting reading for all those people who were criticising Piastri

Genuinely shocked by the amount of Piastri bashing going on (especially in the Autosport comments). Nobody actually knows the details yet but people are basically spitting on Piastri and saying his career deserves to be over?