Silly season 2024-2025

[CHT]

Yeah but it's still the works Mercedes seat. Maybe Russell won't want to be there long term anymore.

It usually takes around 3 years for f1 rookies to reach its full potential, so the most logical progression should be to put Antonelli in team like Williams, give him some time and room to make all the necessary rookie mistakes and to learn the bolts and nuts about F1, while works team engage a more experienced driver to lead the team in the right direction.

At 17, he should continue to enjoy his childhood instead of being dressed up to be an ambassador for Merc and sponsors. Putting too much pressure on him (as LH replacement) will ruin him because fans will be expecting him to be able to challenge GR from the onset like what LH did when he join Mclaren. But in comparison LH was 21 years old when he got his first test in F1 car before joining Mclaren as F1 driver.

I think Merc is too big a team to be taking such a risk because there is really nothing to gain from rushing Antonelli to fill the seat other than amusement.

Talent is talent. I think he has that. No media narrative is going to change that in the long run.

no amount of education and talent can replace experience. all rookies make mistakes.

The only silver lining is perhaps GR. He may not be as dominating as Max or Alonso

[AR3-GP]

It usually takes around 3 years for f1 rookies to reach its full potential, so the most logical progression should be to put Antonelli in team like Williams, give him some time and room to make all the necessary rookie mistakes and to learn the bolts and nuts about F1, while works team engage a more experienced driver to lead the team in the right direction.

At 17, he should continue to enjoy his childhood instead of being dressed up to be an ambassador for Merc and sponsors. Putting too much pressure on him (as LH replacement) will ruin him because fans will be expecting him to be able to challenge GR from the onset like what LH did when he join Mclaren. But in comparison LH was 21 years old when he got his first test in F1 car before joining Mclaren as F1 driver.

I think Merc is too big a team to be taking such a risk because there is really nothing to gain from rushing Antonelli to fill the seat other than amusement.

Talent is talent. I think he has that. No media narrative is going to change that in the long run.

no amount of education and talent can replace experience. all rookies make mistakes.

The only silver lining is perhaps GR. He may not be as dominating as Max or Alonso

Yes of course he’ll benefit from experience but what I was against was the idea that somehow the media hype would cause him to burn out.

While I agree that there’s no need to put so much pressure on him with comparisons to other world champions, I don’t think this will get in the way of his career in any meaningful way.

[Dunlay]

It usually takes around 3 years for f1 rookies to reach its full potential, so the most logical progression should be to put Antonelli in team like Williams.

Imagine Ron Dennis doing that to Lewis in 2007. Putting him in a back marker. Imagine Red Bull not choosing to put Max in Red Bull in 2016 Spain because he was just 18 and continued with Kvyat. How about Lando and Piastri's debut at McLaren. Look at Ollie Bearman's performance in Jeddah for Ferrari.

It's ridiculous to put talented young drivers in back marker teams with that beaten concept of "giving them time to grow". It makes them frustrated and we don't get to see what their natural talent can do in a good machinery.

LH was 21 when he steps into F1 car

Max started his career in junior team str just like vettel before promoted to the top team.

Alonso started with Minardi

Mclaren was fighting in mid and back field not a championship team. There is little or no expectation

I expected this response and I am happy to respond.

I don't think LH would have performed any differently if he would debuted at 17 if his junior career was accelerated. Natural talent doesn't require a whole lot of time to shine. Same applies to every other talented drivers like Max, Charles, Lando, George etc.,

[Jurgen von Diaz]

Imagine Ron Dennis doing that to Lewis in 2007. Putting him in a back marker. Imagine Red Bull not choosing to put Max in Red Bull in 2016 Spain because he was just 18 and continued with Kvyat. How about Lando and Piastri's debut at McLaren. Look at Ollie Bearman's performance in Jeddah for Ferrari.

It's ridiculous to put talented young drivers in back marker teams with that beaten concept of "giving them time to grow". It makes them frustrated and we don't get to see what their natural talent can do in a good machinery.

LH was 21 when he steps into F1 car

Max started his career in junior team str just like vettel before promoted to the top team.

Alonso started with Minardi

Mclaren was fighting in mid and back field not a championship team. There is little or no expectation

I expected this response and I am happy to respond.

I don't think LH would have performed any differently if he would debuted at 17 if his junior career was accelerated. Natural talent doesn't require a whole lot of time to shine. Same applies to every other talented drivers like Max, Charles, Lando, George etc.,

Hamilton, with six years less experience in the junior series, at the age of 17, would he have been fighting for the F1 championship against Alonso and Räikkönen like he did in 2007 at the age of 22? I don't think so. Hamilton was very well prepared to enter F1 at the age of 22; it would have been a whole different story six years earlier.

[chrisc90]

[CHT]

Imagine Ron Dennis doing that to Lewis in 2007. Putting him in a back marker. Imagine Red Bull not choosing to put Max in Red Bull in 2016 Spain because he was just 18 and continued with Kvyat. How about Lando and Piastri's debut at McLaren. Look at Ollie Bearman's performance in Jeddah for Ferrari.

It's ridiculous to put talented young drivers in back marker teams with that beaten concept of "giving them time to grow". It makes them frustrated and we don't get to see what their natural talent can do in a good machinery.

LH was 21 when he steps into F1 car

Max started his career in junior team str just like vettel before promoted to the top team.

Alonso started with Minardi

Mclaren was fighting in mid and back field not a championship team. There is little or no expectation

I expected this response and I am happy to respond.

I don't think LH would have performed any differently if he would debuted at 17 if his junior career was accelerated. Natural talent doesn't require a whole lot of time to shine. Same applies to every other talented drivers like Max, Charles, Lando, George etc.,

the proof of the pudding is in the eating

Aside from LH, who join Mclaren as rookies at 21, I dont recall any good example of teenage rookies jumping into top F1 team and become WDC.

Perhaps you can refresh my memory?
Max, Vettel, Kimi, Jenson, Schumacher, Alonso, Mika?

[Cs98]

Imagine Ron Dennis doing that to Lewis in 2007. Putting him in a back marker. Imagine Red Bull not choosing to put Max in Red Bull in 2016 Spain because he was just 18 and continued with Kvyat. How about Lando and Piastri's debut at McLaren. Look at Ollie Bearman's performance in Jeddah for Ferrari.

It's ridiculous to put talented young drivers in back marker teams with that beaten concept of "giving them time to grow". It makes them frustrated and we don't get to see what their natural talent can do in a good machinery.

LH was 21 when he steps into F1 car

Max started his career in junior team str just like vettel before promoted to the top team.

Alonso started with Minardi

Mclaren was fighting in mid and back field not a championship team. There is little or no expectation

I expected this response and I am happy to respond.

I don't think LH would have performed any differently if he would debuted at 17 if his junior career was accelerated. Natural talent doesn't require a whole lot of time to shine. Same applies to every other talented drivers like Max, Charles, Lando, George etc.,

Accelerated his career how? Hamilton was only 6 months older than Max when he took the step from Karting to open wheel proper, he had ran a few open-wheel races the season before at age 16 but was still karting most of the time. But at 17, in 2002, he finished 3rd in Formula Renault UK. That's 3 categories below F1 in a regional series. He did another year of that, won it at 18, then took the step to F3 Euro, finished 5th at age 19. Won F3 next year at age 20, then won F2 at age 21, then F1 at 22.

You might have been able to shave a year off that, skipping F2, maybe two years if you were in a real rush and some team was desperate to promote him straight after his first F3 season, but it would've come at the cost of his development and experience. But there's just no way he was ever making his debut at 17, or even 18, or 19.

[CHT]

Looks like Merc doesnt have much choice for 2025 now. Mick Schumacher? Antonelli?

Or perhaps Alex Albon moving to Merc and Antonelli to Williams?

[dren]

Merc will go with Antonelli unless he just absolutely botched his recent test with them. Albon isn't going anywhere. Sainz would flounder for years with Audi if/until they get their --- together, although he'd make good money. I think his best bet short term would be Red Bull if he wants an opportunity to win.

[CaribouBread]

Merc will go with Antonelli unless he just absolutely botched his recent test with them. Albon isn't going anywhere. Sainz would flounder for years with Audi if/until they get their --- together, although he'd make good money. I think his best bet short term would be Red Bull if he wants an opportunity to win.

I feel the "lucrative" part of the Audi offer is not just money but contract length that Red Bull can't match. The romantic in me wants Sainz to go to Red Bull but somehow I feel Sainz will try to avoid very short duration contracts.

[Cs98]

Merc will go with Antonelli unless he just absolutely botched his recent test with them. Albon isn't going anywhere. Sainz would flounder for years with Audi if/until they get their --- together, although he'd make good money. I think his best bet short term would be Red Bull if he wants an opportunity to win.

I feel the "lucrative" part of the Audi offer is not just money but contract length that Red Bull can't match. The romantic in me wants Sainz to go to Red Bull but somehow I feel Sainz will try to avoid very short duration contracts.

Going to Audi on a long term deal would likely relegate him to irrelevance for the best years of his career. If he has the opportunity to jump in a RB or a Merc for one or two years he should absolutely take it, it might be the only chance he has of winning a chip, however small the chance. He can opt for a long term deal afterwards with a lesser team, provided he doesn't fall off completely, which seems unlikely.

[Zynerji]

Any chance we see Schumacher in a Merc FP1 this year?

[CaribouBread]

Going to Audi on a long term deal would likely relegate him to irrelevance for the best years of his career. If he has the opportunity to jump in a RB or a Merc for one or two years he should absolutely take it, it might be the only chance he has of winning a chip, however small the chance. He can opt for a long term deal afterwards with a lesser team, provided he doesn't fall off completely, which seems unlikely.

I agree, but still it won't surprise me if he goes with the "pragmatic" choice. A lot of seats will be tied up for a while after next year and he might have nagging feelings that he could be out of sync with the market if he takes a 1/2 year deal with a top team. Still, I have faith he'll choose the best team that's available to him.

[DGP123]

Going to Audi on a long term deal would likely relegate him to irrelevance for the best years of his career

Sometimes that happens, and the sensible decision. Sometimes F1 doesn’t work out, the doors don’t open for you, and you can’t win a title. Therefore, you take the decision to secure your future, post F1. It’s what Danny Ric has done. The Renault & McLaren deals sorted him for life, but he became an irrelevant force in F1. He’s not the first, and won’t be the last to follow this journey.

If RB don’t offer Sainz anything, and with Mercedes going for Antonelli, then it’s a no brainer to accept the Audi deal.

[Farnborough]

Any chance we see Schumacher in a Merc FP1 this year?

Zilch.

And they don’t want to be left with any half cars either

You're more likely to see Antonelli after his birthday as he also qualifies in not being ""experienced" too.