Silly season 2024-2025

[dren]

I think Binotto is a catch for a team like Audi, as he is the only F1 CTO that has experience running both engine and chassis development. I don’t expect them to hit the ground running, but I do think he is the best guy for the job.

As a trackside team principal he may not be the first choice, but running the factory? Hands down, number one.

I felt James Key was an odd choice, as his F1 track record was hardly impressive, so I think it’s probably best they lost him. Not that sure about Andreas Seidl, but McLaren has definitely turned a corner since his departure.

I think his role will be more high level and a go between the two entities; the race team and Audi board. Supposedly there was a power struggle and disagreement on team direction with Seidl and the other guy they fired, so they got rid of both.

[djos]

Perez had a very good Saturday, but a pretty rubbish race losing a bunch of positions, and finishing behind Max.

By contrast, Daniel drove a very good race despite a mid strategy. Starting on the soft tires didn’t help at all, and the medium tires were the wrong call for the second stint as the hard tires were faster and more durable. Despite this, Daniel made up positions and bagged the last point when George got DSQ’d.

It’ll be interesting to see if Perez gets dropped during the break. Daniel’s looking like the best bet to help RBR get the WCC.

Edit: the journos are already pouring more fuel on the fire:

https://apple.news/AQac6D6BeQMulg1arLYYhLg

Post-race footage of Daniel Ricciardo chatting with Christian Horner, before jumping in a helicopter with Max Verstappen, has raised eyebrows with a decision on his Red Bull future imminent.

[djos]

Marko’s brutal assessment!

[TeamKoolGreen]

Maybe Sainz will want to see how Perez's replacement does. What if Riccardo gets in the car and it is McLaren all over again ? Red Bull will need a driver for 2025 . I still think Red Bull are dropping the ball with Sainz. He would be the perfect driver to fight against the McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari duels next year. And still go into it as a clear #2.

[organic]

Max should be on the phone to Toto in the summer break. Mercedes has won as many races since Miami as red bull

[djos]

Maybe Sainz will want to see how Perez's replacement does. What if Riccardo gets in the car and it is McLaren all over again ? Red Bull will need a driver for 2025 . I still think Red Bull are dropping the ball with Sainz. He would be the perfect driver to fight against the McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari duels next year. And still go into it as a clear #2.

The Maclaren cars drive in a way that was diametrically opposed to Daniel’s driving style, and instead of fixing them (even Lando was on record complaining about them for ~4 years straight), they tried to change Daniel’s style to suit their car. It was never going to work.

We already know that RBR cars suit his driving style, and it was further backed up last year when he drove the RB19 in the Silverstone test. The best time he set, was reported to be within a few hundredths of Max’s pole time.

It seems obvious that Daniel has now recovered his confidence, and consistency. Add to that, he’s a proven team player and gets along well with Max.

Carlos and Max seem to have a history from their days at TR, so it’s unlikely that he’s even being considered.

[djos]

Max should be on the phone to Toto in the summer break. Mercedes has won as many races since Miami as red bull

Unless he has an epic get out of RBR free card written into his contract, I can’t imagine this is even an option for him.

[mvfad]

The Maclaren cars drive in a way that was diametrically opposed to Daniel’s driving style, and instead of fixing them (even Lando was on record complaining about them for ~4 years straight), they tried to change Daniel’s style to suit their car. It was never going to work.

We already know that RBR cars suit his driving style, and it was further backed up last year when he drove the RB19 in the Silverstone test. The best time he set, was reported to be within a few hundredths of Max’s pole time.

It seems obvious that Daniel has now recovered his confidence, and consistency. Add to that, he’s a proven team player and gets along well with Max.

Carlos and Max seem to have a history from their days at TR, so it’s unlikely that he’s even being considered.

He is consistently slower than Tsunoda. The score is 7-4 with the Japanese driver ahead in finishing positions and 22-12 in points. If we consider that Tsunoda is not as good as Norris, then Ricciardo is doing an even worse job this year.

[Dunlay]

The Maclaren cars drive in a way that was diametrically opposed to Daniel’s driving style, and instead of fixing them (even Lando was on record complaining about them for ~4 years straight), they tried to change Daniel’s style to suit their car. It was never going to work.

We already know that RBR cars suit his driving style, and it was further backed up last year when he drove the RB19 in the Silverstone test. The best time he set, was reported to be within a few hundredths of Max’s pole time.

It seems obvious that Daniel has now recovered his confidence, and consistency. Add to that, he’s a proven team player and gets along well with Max.

Carlos and Max seem to have a history from their days at TR, so it’s unlikely that he’s even being considered.

He is consistently slower than Tsunoda. The score is 7-4 with the Japanese driver ahead in finishing positions and 22-12 in points. If we consider that Tsunoda is not as good as Norris, then Ricciardo is doing an even worse job this year.

Daniel would be Perez 2.0 for Red Bull. They would be as frustrated with him as they are with Perez (less crashes). He would be of no help in the current competitive landscape. If Red Bull are serious about future of the team and also consider Max's flight risk, they should then consider their younger drivers more seriously and give them right opportunities. It's not about bringing a side kick for Max. Look at Mercedes, they brought George and countered Lewis' flight risk. They should have already put Lawson in VCARB to assess him this year, instead of putting Daniel there. Never too late. They can take the risk and put Lawson straight into Red Bull, like McLaren did with Piastri. They are not going to lose anything.

[djos]

The Maclaren cars drive in a way that was diametrically opposed to Daniel’s driving style, and instead of fixing them (even Lando was on record complaining about them for ~4 years straight), they tried to change Daniel’s style to suit their car. It was never going to work.

We already know that RBR cars suit his driving style, and it was further backed up last year when he drove the RB19 in the Silverstone test. The best time he set, was reported to be within a few hundredths of Max’s pole time.

It seems obvious that Daniel has now recovered his confidence, and consistency. Add to that, he’s a proven team player and gets along well with Max.

Carlos and Max seem to have a history from their days at TR, so it’s unlikely that he’s even being considered.

He is consistently slower than Tsunoda. The score is 7-4 with the Japanese driver ahead in finishing positions and 22-12 in points. If we consider that Tsunoda is not as good as Norris, then Ricciardo is doing an even worse job this year.

The last 7 races show otherwise. Whatever changes Daniel made after Monaco have put him firmly ahead of Yuki on pace. He should have come close to catching Yuki on points if RB hadn’t badly botched his Hungarian strategy.

[djos]

The Maclaren cars drive in a way that was diametrically opposed to Daniel’s driving style, and instead of fixing them (even Lando was on record complaining about them for ~4 years straight), they tried to change Daniel’s style to suit their car. It was never going to work.

We already know that RBR cars suit his driving style, and it was further backed up last year when he drove the RB19 in the Silverstone test. The best time he set, was reported to be within a few hundredths of Max’s pole time.

It seems obvious that Daniel has now recovered his confidence, and consistency. Add to that, he’s a proven team player and gets along well with Max.

Carlos and Max seem to have a history from their days at TR, so it’s unlikely that he’s even being considered.

He is consistently slower than Tsunoda. The score is 7-4 with the Japanese driver ahead in finishing positions and 22-12 in points. If we consider that Tsunoda is not as good as Norris, then Ricciardo is doing an even worse job this year.

Daniel would be Perez 2.0 for Red Bull. They would be as frustrated with him as they are with Perez (less crashes). He would be of no help in the current competitive landscape. If Red Bull are serious about future of the team and also consider Max's flight risk, they should then consider their younger drivers more seriously and give them right opportunities. It's not about bringing a side kick for Max. Look at Mercedes, they brought George and countered Lewis' flight risk. They should have already put Lawson in VCARB to assess him this year, instead of putting Daniel there. Never too late. They can take the risk and put Lawson straight into Red Bull, like McLaren did with Piastri. They are not going to lose anything.

Daniel’s average qualifying gap to Lando was 3/10ths, that is less than half Perez’s average gap to Max of 6/10ths.

Even when you look at the entirety of 2024 to include Daniels slow start, the average gap to Yuki is 1/10th.

In Daniel’s last year at RedBull, the average gap between him and Max was 1/10th.

[MYsee]

Max should be on the phone to Toto in the summer break. Mercedes has won as many races since Miami as red bull

Unless he has an epic get out of RBR free card written into his contract, I can’t imagine this is even an option for him.

I'm with you. This story just seems to be a constant media fodder but lacks any substance. Max has a contract and he's consistently said he's staying, which makes a move despite recent "struggles" very unlikely. He seems a creature of comfort and familiarity, and I can't see him giving that up. Besides his camp has immense power within the organization, which is unlikely to be the case at Mercedes.

[organic]

Max should be on the phone to Toto in the summer break. Mercedes has won as many races since Miami as red bull

Unless he has an epic get out of RBR free card written into his contract, I can’t imagine this is even an option for him.

I'm with you. This story just seems to be a constant media fodder but lacks any substance. Max has a contract and he's consistently said he's staying, which makes a move despite recent "struggles" very unlikely. He seems a creature of comfort and familiarity, and I can't see him giving that up. Besides his camp has immense power within the organization, which is unlikely to be the case at Mercedes.

Doesn't seem to be true as of the last 6 months. Thai (majority) side of RB backed Horner on the civil war and ever since it looks like Horner has almost all of the control in the team.

[TeamKoolGreen]

He is consistently slower than Tsunoda. The score is 7-4 with the Japanese driver ahead in finishing positions and 22-12 in points. If we consider that Tsunoda is not as good as Norris, then Ricciardo is doing an even worse job this year.

Daniel would be Perez 2.0 for Red Bull. They would be as frustrated with him as they are with Perez (less crashes). He would be of no help in the current competitive landscape. If Red Bull are serious about future of the team and also consider Max's flight risk, they should then consider their younger drivers more seriously and give them right opportunities. It's not about bringing a side kick for Max. Look at Mercedes, they brought George and countered Lewis' flight risk. They should have already put Lawson in VCARB to assess him this year, instead of putting Daniel there. Never too late. They can take the risk and put Lawson straight into Red Bull, like McLaren did with Piastri. They are not going to lose anything.

Daniel’s average qualifying gap to Lando was 3/10ths, that is less than half Perez’s average gap to Max of 6/10ths.

Even when you look at the entirety of 2024 to include Daniels slow start, the average gap to Yuki is 1/10th.

In Daniel’s last year at RedBull, the average gap between him and Max was 1/10th.

Maybe Daniel would be alright. But its looking like #2 drivers are becoming a thing of the past. Daniel's not a long term solution. Red Bull need to find their Piastri. Elite but a few years younger than Max.

[djos]

Daniel would be Perez 2.0 for Red Bull. They would be as frustrated with him as they are with Perez (less crashes). He would be of no help in the current competitive landscape. If Red Bull are serious about future of the team and also consider Max's flight risk, they should then consider their younger drivers more seriously and give them right opportunities. It's not about bringing a side kick for Max. Look at Mercedes, they brought George and countered Lewis' flight risk. They should have already put Lawson in VCARB to assess him this year, instead of putting Daniel there. Never too late. They can take the risk and put Lawson straight into Red Bull, like McLaren did with Piastri. They are not going to lose anything.

Daniel’s average qualifying gap to Lando was 3/10ths, that is less than half Perez’s average gap to Max of 6/10ths.

Even when you look at the entirety of 2024 to include Daniels slow start, the average gap to Yuki is 1/10th.

In Daniel’s last year at RedBull, the average gap between him and Max was 1/10th.

Maybe Daniel would be alright. But its looking like #2 drivers are becoming a thing of the past. Daniel's not a long term solution. Red Bull need to find their Piastri. Elite but a few years younger than Max.

Daniel is only 35, he’s got a good 5 years of top level F1 left in him from a physical POV - even if he only stays at RedBull for another 2-3 years. That gives RedBull a few years to ensure Liam is fully prepared to step up to RBR.

Oscar’s and Max’s don’t come along very often.