kptaylor wrote: ↑01 Oct 2024, 16:53
No way Yuki would get the Red Bull seat. First, he's a Honda-backed driver. I see him more going to Aston than Red Bull. Two, he's too hot-headed, even if he's "matured" this year. Cannot effectively communicate or digest critical feedback to improve.
Yes, he's a driver that was selected out of their Honda Formula Dream school. He probably has a feel for how to use the Honda engine better than other drivers (evident in his driving and downshifting style).
Max turned out FINE for RB as well. Truth is, drivers are ruthless and they have to be. They are die-hard. Maybe you have to be one to know how they operate. When he says "too much information", he means it. He's being distracted and and needs to focus and not on something he doesn't care to. No F1 driver wants to be told to push when they already are. No driver wants to be told to look after the tires when he can feel and see the graining and has to compensate for a car that can't cope. It adds insult to injury, especially when driving a mid-field car powered by the same power unit in the top team. I'm sure Honda is unimpressed by how Red Bull have squandered the opportunity to put one of the most popular young drivers on the grid (look it up, fanzone champ) who would be a fitting final year partnership with RedBull and Honda. But no, they keep Checo, an under-performing non-Honda or non-RedBull junior driver. Yuki has the killer instinct and now the experience. Checo and Dan both lost that edge (Checo had a spark in Baku, but cracked and failed to deliver). You can already tell by the way Yuki takes corners, brakes, and carries speed. And once RedBull lose the Honda PU, let's see how they perform. Will they be like Williams with the Judd engines? Will VCARB (maybe won't have VISA title sponsor after this year) be more like the Minardi/Lola level and back of the pack? Aston Martin does seem to be the best place to be and Whitmarsh has acknowledged that Yuki is on their radar. The question will be where Lance and Fernando will be, but it's a shame that RedBull don't have balls to promote a 4th-5th year junior driver into the top team. We all know that Horner is behind it but I would love to see what Dr. Marko thinks about having Yuki instead of Checo or Dan. And forget Liam, he lacks experience.