Silly Season 2020/2021 (starting with silliness in 2019)

[Jolle]

It's highly unlikely that Vettel will walkout his Ferrari contract mid season for anything other then instant retirement. As a driver under contract you just can't do stuff like that and for Ferrari it would be very unwise to designate him as a scapegoat.

As for Albon, I think he performs as expected. He wasn't brought in as a challenger for Verstappen, he was, for 2019, someone they rang up to fill a Toro Rosso seat because they blew trough all their juniors. The last seasons Verstappen on the other hand showed perfectly that he excels without added pressure from the other side of the garage. In other words, he needs support, not a push. So far this season, Albon's point scoring was perfect, one place behind his teammate, in quite possibly not the most predictable car at the moment. That Honda still making the back twitchy on the apex.

As for Vettel, how much I like him, somehow those nine victories at the end of 2013 changed him, almost trying to get that same invincible magic feeling back but never finding it. If you've done perfection, where do you improve? Like his switch is still stuck there, and should be turned back to 2009.

As for Sainz, you don't want to hop in a difficult Ferrari mid season, look at fisi.... Having his dream at the back of the grid and ending his career.

I expect that Vettel takes a sabbatical just like Hakkinen did...

[Pyrone89]

Would be a shame to lose Vettel. He is a 4 times WDC aged only 33. What is going on these days with F1.

[SmallSoldier]

It's highly unlikely that Vettel will walkout his Ferrari contract mid season for anything other then instant retirement. As a driver under contract you just can't do stuff like that and for Ferrari it would be very unwise to designate him as a scapegoat.

As for Albon, I think he performs as expected. He wasn't brought in as a challenger for Verstappen, he was, for 2019, someone they rang up to fill a Toro Rosso seat because they blew trough all their juniors. The last seasons Verstappen on the other hand showed perfectly that he excels without added pressure from the other side of the garage. In other words, he needs support, not a push. So far this season, Albon's point scoring was perfect, one place behind his teammate, in quite possibly not the most predictable car at the moment. That Honda still making the back twitchy on the apex.

As for Vettel, how much I like him, somehow those nine victories at the end of 2013 changed him, almost trying to get that same invincible magic feeling back but never finding it. If you've done perfection, where do you improve? Like his switch is still stuck there, and should be turned back to 2009.

As for Sainz, you don't want to hop in a difficult Ferrari mid season, look at fisi.... Having his dream at the back of the grid and ending his career.

I expect that Vettel takes a sabbatical just like Hakkinen did...

I should say that I don’t think things will developed as stated and that there is a very slim chance of drivers changing teams with the season already started, but given how crazy this season already is, I wouldn’t be totally surprised if it did.

In regards to Vettel jumping to RBR mid season or as soon as in within the next few races, I don’t think it would be an issue as long as both him and Ferrari are in agreement... There is already perceived bad blood, Ferrari are currently out of contention, so a mutual parting could happen and both would find a way to “Save Face”... In regards to Red Bull doing it, they did it last season, it wouldn’t be unheard of... And them denying it really doesn’t hold much weight after what they did to Gasly last season (Albon’s performance in the first couple of races isn’t as bad as Gasly’s, but aren’t impressive either).


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[dans79]

In regards to Red Bull doing it, they did it last season, it wouldn’t be unheard of... And them denying it really doesn’t hold much weight after what they did to Gasly last season (Albon’s performance in the first couple of races isn’t as bad as Gasly’s, but aren’t impressive either).

Don't forget about how max got his seat in 2016.

[SmallSoldier]

In regards to Red Bull doing it, they did it last season, it wouldn’t be unheard of... And them denying it really doesn’t hold much weight after what they did to Gasly last season (Albon’s performance in the first couple of races isn’t as bad as Gasly’s, but aren’t impressive either).

Don't forget about how max got his seat in 2016.

Completely forgot that! There is a pattern there already... In any case, I see it more of a possibility for 2021 and beyond... With Albon’s performances this year been the key in how it could play out


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[JordanMugen]

Would be a shame to lose Vettel. He is a 4 times WDC aged only 33. What is going on these days with F1.

There are reasons why Ferrari did not retain him. Alfa Romeo, AlphaTauri, maybe Red Bull and Williams (if Russell is promoted and Vettel brings a budget) might still be interested in Vettel.

[raymondu999]

Im pretty sure Vettel wouldn’t stay for 3 of those 4 names though

[alexx_88]

Quick question: what makes everyone think that Vettel will perform much better than albon?

After all, he was beaten by Ricciardo, who was made to look very ordinary by Max towards the end of them racing together.

[raymondu999]

Quick question: what makes everyone think that Vettel will perform much better than albon?

After all, he was beaten by Ricciardo, who was made to look very ordinary by Max towards the end of them racing together.

I may be mistaken but I think a fair bit of that was probably due to Seb not being happy with the 2014 car’s characteristics. Which of course means if the current RBR doesnt suit his driving style either then that does not bode well for him, especially against Max.

[Manoah2u]

Quick question: what makes everyone think that Vettel will perform much better than albon?

After all, he was beaten by Ricciardo, who was made to look very ordinary by Max towards the end of them racing together.

He just came out of a dominant streak, and the new 'formula' did not fit his liking very much. There has also been the question mark on exactly when he made a deal with Ferrari, official or unofficial. He might actually already made a deal with Ferrari before the change in the 'formula', and quite frankly, motivation then plays a big part too.
Yeah, Daniel 'beat' him in certain areas, but it's not like Daniel is pretty dominant against Ocon or was against his other Renault teammate.

If we look at how he performed at Ferrari, despite a bunch of clumsy moves, honestly, i ain't seeing Albon do that.
Furthermore, Vettel is a 4-time WDC and multiple GP winner. He showed that potential already at Toro Rosso, and quite frankly, I don't see a WDC in Albon, and it's really questionable whether he actually is winning material. It's pretty obvious how Vettel would perform better than albon, and don't forget his experience.

[alexx_88]

I'll be honest, there's nothing that I've seen from Seb Vettel after the blow-diffuser era to make me think he can take on Max Verstapen. Leclerc matched or exceeded his outright pace relatively quickly, especially in qualifying and it's not like his experience is coming through in terms of exceptional racecraft.

If you replace 'Albon' with 'Rosberg' and we would've had this discussion in 2013 I'm sure many (including me) would've agreed. A dominant car can seriously lift a good driver's image. The tricky thing is differentiating between the good drivers and the exceptional ones.

[Pyrone89]

The point would not be to take on Max. The only one that can fight with Max under equal conditions is Hamilton. The two of them are well clear of the rest. The point would be to have a solid number 2 because now Max is fighting the Mercedes juggernaut alone leaving Mercedes too many strategic options during races as seen (and that is a problem against a team that is already in possession of the fastest car).

[holeindalip]

Do you guys think Red Bull would ever recall Daniil Kvyat? after all their young drivers have been either moved on or destroyed by Max, their young driver academy is very thin now and kvyat is probably the only one capable of getting close to Max.

[Manoah2u]

Whether he can take on Max is a different story alltogether. I am confident that Vettel is quite a degree better than Albon, and i'm sure he will also push Max further. Not unlike Daniel vs Max.
That said, i think Seb is more prone to errors, and very much depends on a perfect setup. I would have prefered to have Daniel alongside Max, but it is as it is.

What i'm wondering about though is this:

What if Bottas keeps his current pace, which is much better than last year's. Yes Hamilton once again beat him, but there are still plenty of races to go and he is ahead in the standings still.
Let's imagine Bottas actually grabbing the WDC title.

Would it be far out of the realm of possibilites to see him do a Rosberg too?

Quite frankly, I think this is going to be his only 'shot' left at the title, and i'm confident he knows it.
Let's say he doesnt grab the title: if he's going to stay @ Mercedes 2021 and on, it's going to stay the same. 'Just short of it'.
He won't find himself in any team outside of Mercedes ever that's gonna grant him a win or WDC. And I doubt he's gonna 'enjoy F1'
in a barrichello role or in a grosjean role (staying too long and just being grid filling material).
So quite frankly, i don't think Bottas has any joyful place to go outside from where he is now.

Now let's imagine that he does grab that WDC title. Where does he go on from there? Unless Hamilton leaves, it's very unlikely he's in a position
to grab the title again, and there is no other team that'll get him close. So quite frankly, since his goal is to become a WDC, i pretty much think that
he's gonna exit F1 the moment he becomes WDC and participate in other classes.

I'm curious to how the season thus will develop.

[Manoah2u]

The point would not be to take on Max. The only one that can fight with Max under equal conditions is Hamilton. The two of them are well clear of the rest. The point would be to have a solid number 2 because now Max is fighting the Mercedes juggernaut alone leaving Mercedes too many strategic options during races as seen (and that is a problem against a team that is already in possession of the fastest car).

You clearly are forgetting Daniel Ricciardo.