Silly season 2016

[George-Jung]

but at the end of the day any driver would like a teammate he hates and can beat compared to a friend he can't and vice versa.

Uhm.. seriously?
Not that I am a fan of him, but didn't Button go to Mclaren to see how he would do against Hamilton?
amd Hamilton being considered as one of the best drivers..

[Manoah2u]

but at the end of the day any driver would like a teammate he hates and can beat compared to a friend he can't and vice versa.

Uhm.. seriously?
Not that I am a fan of him, but didn't Button go to Mclaren to see how he would do against Hamilton?
amd Hamilton being considered as one of the best drivers..

you are correct, and he quite stood his ground. i never got why people hate on JB. he's outstanding.
He's doing very well against Alonso despite it being a bit difficult to judge.

anyway, i think people should finally stop expecting a GP2 champion would 'deserve' an F1 seat. every year there's a new one. that means in 5 years time, 5 drivers need to go to be replaced by 5 new GP2 champs. but these 5 drivers that need to go were GP2 champions before, too. And gained new experience.

the whole idea of GP2 WDC = F1 seat needs to get thrown out of the window.

[iotar__]

Two very similair articles on Autosport and Motorsport.com about Stoffel Vandoorne:
It makes me worry a bit. Obviously there is still time till the end of the season. But where would he go?
Personally I think he deserves better than Manor F1. I certainly hope he doesn't get left out like Frijns and Da Costa.
Almost makes me hope Ferrari replaces Raikkonen so a seat gets available at either Williams or Force India.

Why would Williams agree to groom a rookie for McL? Same for Force India, McL tried it with Magnussen and it didn't work. I think they are less connected (engine and Toyota wind-tunnel) and now FI has debts to Mercedes and is paying them off with wasting tests with Merc juniors and getting engines late. FI is not impossible, same for Lotus/Renault (only in theory, it won't happen either way with them).

From McLaren's side:
- they might be afraid of Magnussen repeat (covers "deserving" part)
- they still have Magnussen, idee fixe of Ron Dennis who is still looking for Lego funding
- Button is Honda's choice. (All speculation)

There's a time connection with announcement of no intention of supplying other teams but that's not the end of it. They might be willing to help carry on Marussia for one season with Ferrari and make it full stooge team in 2017 thus having a seat for Vandoorne or Magnussen.

[ME4ME]

Yes you are right. That's what makes me worry for Vandoorne. I think he is super talented, maybe even more so than Magnussen. I really hope he makes it into F1.

Can't be easy for Mclaren either. Both their current drivers are starting to get a bit old (no offence). Alonso is confirmed to be on a 3 year contract and Button on a 1+1 year contract. That means Mclaren has drivers for the short and medium term, but should already be looking/planning for replacements for either driver. Maybe that makes them willing to put financial backing behind Vandoorne making sure he gets a seat for 2016. I'd imagine Force India and Lotus could be an option if a good deal is presented to them.

[wickedz50]

Raikkonen to retire, no one else can afford his salary and haven't already got the drivers they need, and he has already said Ferrari will be his last team

Plus Raikkonnen will never drive for a second class team.

Rai will drive for a mid tier team may be HAAS or similar if they can pay him a good salary. He will stay put at Ferrari for 2016 without doubt. His performance will improve in the 2nd half of the championship. If that stays the same he will retire on his own as he will be out of motivation.

[SilverArrow10]

but at the end of the day any driver would like a teammate he hates and can beat compared to a friend he can't and vice versa.

Uhm.. seriously?
Not that I am a fan of him, but didn't Button go to Mclaren to see how he would do against Hamilton?
amd Hamilton being considered as one of the best drivers..

As well as the fact that despite the media's best interests they appear to be quite fond of each other

[Phil]

It's an interesting situation, but I'm willing to make a bet that Kimi will not be driving next year anymore. It might be a bit unfair to him, since things haven't really gone his way (luck wise), but the management at Ferrari clearly aren't happy with the performance he seems to be able to extract. He is quickly going the exact same way Massa went.

I might also be burned for saying this, but my personal opinion of Kimi has been mixed. I've been willing to believe that he is a driver of great talent over the years, genuinely quick... but there are some clouds developing over that feeling. Right now, I'm not sure if Kimi has just been fortunate to shine in very good cars and that his overall talent has been masked by circumstance. This is not to say he isn't quick on a good day; he is - but at the moment, there's an interesting fact:

Kimi / Massa at Ferrari - both were rather similar in performance
Massa / Alonso at Ferari - Alonso dominated Massa in most GPs
Alonso / Kimi at Ferrari - Alonso dominated Kimi in pretty much all GPs

The conclusion over these 3 different pairings is that perhaps, Massa and Kimi are rather similar in what and how much they are able to extract from their cars. Alonso, seems to be definitely quicker - which correlates with what F1, the world and us take for granted: That Alonso is one of the very top F1 drivers. So where does this put Massa and Kimi? Massa usually isn't regarded as one of the top F1 drivers - short of saying mediocre (if that can be used to describe any F1 driver), I do wonder if Kimi belongs in this same 'group' given he and Massa were very comparable when they were both at Ferrari. Having that said, Kimi is a WDC, Massa isn't - but considering this, I wonder how much he is worthy of that title... In 2007, bearing perhaps how good that Ferrari was, that title really should have gone to either Alonso or Hamilton.

*puts on flame-suit*

[Vasconia]

The title should have won by Alonso or Hamilton. But Mclaren didnt deserve that title not only because the spygate but also because how badly it managed the situation between its two drivers.

And in 2008 Massa deserved more the title, because I know that Lewis is clearly better so taking into account that the WC wasnt decided until the last race I can assure that Massa´s performance during the season was better than Hamilton´s. Plus the Brazilian won a wet race!!

I really hope that Kimi continues in F1 next year, but I doubt it.

[Vasconia]

So if Button continues in Mclaren I only expect interesting movements in Ferrari and obvisouly in Haas.

Ferrari: Vettel+Hulkenberg
Haas: Vergne+a new driver

[zeph]

Somehow I don't see Hulkenberg at Ferrari as long as Vettel is there. Just a hunch.

[Sevach]

http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2015/07/f ... -in-italy/


If true, stones are beggining to fall into their places.

I'm a little torn about the Hulkenberg comment and situation.

[ScottB]

http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2015/07/f ... -in-italy/


If true, stones are beggining to fall into their places.

I'm a little torn about the Hulkenberg comment and situation.

I think it's a pretty spot on analysis, despite him being a pretty firm favourite of many, both on here and in the media, he's been consistently passed over for top drives, the teams have all the data on all the drivers, so there must be a reason he's lost out over the years.

A decent driver most certainly, but lacking that something special for a shot at the big time perhaps?

[SimRacer]

http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2015/07/f ... -in-italy/


If true, stones are beggining to fall into their places.

I'm a little torn about the Hulkenberg comment and situation.

I think it's a pretty spot on analysis, despite him being a pretty firm favourite of many, both on here and in the media, he's been consistently passed over for top drives, the teams have all the data on all the drivers, so there must be a reason he's lost out over the years.

A decent driver most certainly, but lacking that something special for a shot at the big time perhaps?

That "something special" being called opportunity...

[SimRacer]

http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2015/07/f ... -in-italy/


If true, stones are beggining to fall into their places.

I'm a little torn about the Hulkenberg comment and situation.

http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/3281 ... peculation

According to GPUpdate.net, a Ferrari spokesperson labelled the story as "total bullshit."

[Jordan44]

http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2015/07/f ... -in-italy/


If true, stones are beggining to fall into their places.

I'm a little torn about the Hulkenberg comment and situation.

http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/3281 ... peculation

According to GPUpdate.net, a Ferrari spokesperson labelled the story as "total bullshit."

Just like this Ferrari spokesperson said with Vettel joining, and Alonso leaving then.

Hulkenburg's junior career is stunning, it is the best on the grid for license points. This data thing sounds like nonsense to me. He's been in pretty mediocre cars and has done all he needs to do against his team-mate. It's easier to look more impressive in better cars. He is a proven winner in the right machine. If he's been overlooked because of his height that's a very disappointing state of affairs.