Silly Season 2017/2018

[Jolle]

When you take a look at the Red Bull Racing website, click drivers and you see what changed

http://www.redbullracing.com/#

What I see, are VER, RIC, Buemi and Gasly, just like at the start of the season....

the STR on the other hand, switched from Kvyat/Sainz to Sainz/Gasly and now Kvyat/Gasly within a few weeks.

[dren]

Im expecting Kvjat to take his car and allocation and mechanics and engineers back at Austin. Gasly will go back to Super Formula in order to take it in a Red Bull sponsored Honda Powered car for Japanese PR, Honda need to get their PR machine to back this project, especially now they own 40% of STR. Im expecting Buemi to take a drive for the race in Saint old car and allocation, however i do think this could just be a way for Buemi to put himself back in a F1 car for next year as i think Kvjat will see next season, i see Red Bull/Toro Rosso/Honda placing Buemi in the seat for a season as Matsushita will spend one more year in F2 and also test for STR as well for a seat in 2018 as well, it will also be a way to see how Buemi stands up in F1 these days. It will also give Red Bull a better insurance if VES or RIC move to either Mercedes or Ferrari in 2019. The rumour of STR taking WEH is wide of the mark as Marko won't take a Mercedes Junior driver.

The other elephant is the Williams seat, this will be down to Kubica getting enough finance together or Mercedes offering Frank and Claire money off for taking Di Resta for the year. Mercedes are offering €15m off i believe, and DIR is getting backing from Scottish companies as well, not much but €5m, that will also help. IF Kubica can get even €12m together, i think they will take him.

As for McLaren, Alonso will sign on for 2 more years. He will retire from F1 in 2019 i think.

Sauber will take Le Clerc and Giovinazzi, i see Ferrari buying or leveraging for both seats. ERI isn't cutting it for me, too many errors now, now Palmer is away its only ERI that can fill those shoes, maybes Kvjat will fill those shoes for one race but after that it will be ERI.

Honda said they'd prefer Gasly to race in F1 at Austin, even if it means giving up the Japanese Super Formula title to Toyota. Gasly is a known quantity to Honda. I expect him to have one of the seats for next year at TR. I'm not so sure about Danill. TR doesn't have too many options if they stick with the RB pool.

[ChrisDanger]

Looks like Gasly won't be in Austin.

http://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/form ... 20045.html

"Our new engine partner Honda wants Gasly to drive the Super Formula on the same weekend for the title. We can not deny this wish, "Marko explains.

"On Tuesday we will know who is in the second Toro Rosso."

[Phil]

I am beginning to assume they meant next Tuesday given it's Wednesday in most time zones by now...

[dren]

Looks like Gasly won't be in Austin.

http://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/form ... 20045.html

"Our new engine partner Honda wants Gasly to drive the Super Formula on the same weekend for the title. We can not deny this wish, "Marko explains.

"On Tuesday we will know who is in the second Toro Rosso."

Odd, cause Honda stated they'd prefer him to race in Austin.

[ChrisDanger]

Odd, cause Honda stated they'd prefer him to race in Austin.

Well Marko said this latest news contraticts an earlier official Toro Rosso statement. One might expect Honda to publicly react most politely whatever the situation. Anyway, there seems to have been a lot of confusion around these driver switches.

[Sevach]

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/hart ... in-964827/

Brendon Hartley supppousedly in line for Gasly's car at Austin, that's a out of nowhere possibility.

[FrukostScones]

Yes. Great news!

[dren]

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/hart ... in-964827/

Brendon Hartley supppousedly in line for Gasly's car at Austin, that's a out of nowhere possibility.

That's interesting. Good for Brendon!

[phantaman]

Red Bull should have looked for Felipe Nasr who was a Sauber driver and has more recent experience in similars cars to those on the grid today. Not this one who has nothing of experience with anything and will take Toro Rosso to nowhere. Unless the idea is exactly this ... do not create a shadow for the potential 2018 drivers.

[godlameroso]

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/hart ... in-965234/

Official now, funny I said this was going to happen.

Also, I don't know if you've seen him in WEC, but he's very fast in that Porsche. The downforce of LMP1-H is close to F1 levels, he'll be ok.

[Sevach]

I consider Hartley the fastest guy in his car (who he used to share with Webber for whatever that's worth).

It will be interesting to see how Brendon does, obviously Porsche is getting out of LMP1 and he's on the market.

[iotar__]

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/hart ... in-965234/

Official now, funny I said this was going to happen.

Also, I don't know if you've seen him in WEC, but he's very fast in that Porsche. The downforce of LMP1-H is close to F1 levels, he'll be ok.

Hartley ? How close? How about tyres, braking, G-forces, margin for error, wheel to wheel? Does it mean anyone from WEC would be OK in F1?

Drivers choices have been farcical for a long time in F1 and especially in RB teams but this is headless chicken territory of marketing stunts.

Leaving aside the fact that Sainz for the third time this season found it difficult to drive in a straight line for 500 m of a GP (add Bahrain for round 25% failure rate) what it the point of this switch? Media distraction from the way season went for both teams?

[godlameroso]

Close enough, stints in WEC are longer, true it's 4wd but that doesn't make it easy to drive, and his Porsche has a GU-H along with an MGU-K so he has experience with hybrid systems. He was also clearly the fastest driver in that car, and the lap times he gets in the IMSA car shows he's on a different level to the people there. It's really a no brainer, if you're fast you're fast.

[djos]

WEC cars actually had over 1,000 horsepower until very recently so Hartley shouldn't have much trouble adapting the F1 imo. He also has a very level head on him, as witnessed by doing very well at endurance racing, so I dont expect him to be another 1st lap lunatic like many other rookies.