Silly season 2016

[PlatinumZealot]

If ferrari want 2 special drivers then they need to put all their eggs in the Ric basket and go hard at breaking his red bull contract. If they want a no2 to compliment vettel then i think hulk/bottas would be better options.

well, hulk and bottas are both better drivers than ricciardo. at least they do not make stupid and rash moves repeatedly in a race. Ricciardo is even being outshone by kvyatt.

When did that New flavour of kool aid come out?
Apologies i respect your opinion and all but... err.. that is a tough one to wrap my head around...

[djos]

well, hulk and bottas are both better drivers than ricciardo. at least they do not make stupid and rash moves repeatedly in a race. Ricciardo is even being outshone by kvyatt.

The reality distortion field is strong with one!

[basti313]

Also there is Mclaren. If they take up Botton on his option for next year, they would desperately want to place Magnussen and/or Vandoorne somewhere so they could race.

Hmm.. If Button gets that Willy seat he is taking it. He is smart enough to know by now that even though Macca driver's are allowed to race, Alonso WILL be de-facto number 1 next year. Button will never win a title with Mclaren. He will be lucky if he is allowed to win a race even. Remember Button is the old geezer they wanted to drop but decided against it because he has his use developing the grey donkey this year.

Button Nr.2...the same thing is said since Button joined McLaren and it is proven wrong year for year...

[aral]

If ferrari want 2 special drivers then they need to put all their eggs in the Ric basket and go hard at breaking his red bull contract. If they want a no2 to compliment vettel then i think hulk/bottas would be better options.

well, hulk and bottas are both better drivers than ricciardo. at least they do not make stupid and rash moves repeatedly in a race. Ricciardo is even being outshone by kvyatt.

*cough* 51 points *cough* 45 points *cough*.

It seems like if you want a driver to challenge Vettel, then hiring the driver that ground him into the dirt and beat him in pretty much every way is probably a good plan.

sigh. sometimes it surprises me as to the lack of actual f1 knowledge that is actually posted here! you just cannot assess a person on their points standing at mid season. kvyat has led ricciardo on a number of occasions and has then suffered from mechanical woes to a greater extent than ricciardo and has also had to accede to team orders. also, this is kvyats first year in red bull, and ricciardo also has more f1 experience. driver to driver, it is plain to see that kvyat is a cooler driver than ricciardo, and is less prone to mistakes. so his performance is far more meritous. without mechanical woes, kvyat would be ahead of ricciardo in points, but as i said, points do not tell the true story. as for ricciardo grinding vettel into the dirt? you might like to think that, but you are overlooking two points. vettel stated at the start of the season that he car was a turd. and also, rbr were aware in april last year that seb had signed for ferrari, and that is the reason why they were favouring ricciardo with the best tactics and taking various tactical gambles with vettel.

[ME4ME]

sigh. sometimes it surprises me as to the lack of actual f1 knowledge that is actually posted here! you just cannot assess a person on their points standing at mid season. kvyat has led ricciardo on a number of occasions and has then suffered from mechanical woes to a greater extent than ricciardo and has also had to accede to team orders. also, this is kvyats first year in red bull, and ricciardo also has more f1 experience. driver to driver, it is plain to see that kvyat is a cooler driver than ricciardo, and is less prone to mistakes. so his performance is far more meritous. without mechanical woes, kvyat would be ahead of ricciardo in points, but as i said, points do not tell the true story. as for ricciardo grinding vettel into the dirt? you might like to think that, but you are overlooking two points. vettel stated at the start of the season that he car was a turd. and also, rbr were aware in april last year that seb had signed for ferrari, and that is the reason why they were favouring ricciardo with the best tactics and taking various tactical gambles with vettel.

That's just incorrect.
Horner stated by the time of Monza, he noticed Vettels mind was somewhere else and not solely on Red Bull anymore. Then at the Japanese GP, Vettel told Horner and Dr Marko about his move. Red Bull then immediately reacted and issued a statement of Kvyat driver for them in 2015.

[ringo]

Button will never be at redbull. I think their doors are closed to newly crowned champions or redbull driver program drivers.
It's either he stays at mclaren or goes to williams. Ferrari could use him for 2 years then dump him too. Any how you look at it his future in F1 is bleak.

What you may see happening though is rosberg to ferrari. He will switch when he realizes that he cannot challenge Hamilton. Which will be mid 2016 when the next silly season starts. He's at Ferrari or Mclaren if Honda comes good.

[ME4ME]

.... .... ...

Also there is no reason for them to pick their drivers now. Gutierrez won't go anywhere, they can wait and sign him up at the end of the season. It would be more clever to wait and see what Ferrari does, if they keep Raikkonen or replace him, and how that effects the driver market and if there is any high profile driver left out without a drive.

Now tell me that isn't true. And why.

Hulkenberg isn't staying at Force India. Wehrlein is going there from Mercedes, and they need Perez's money. Those are both 100% fact.

Manor taking Honda power from next season is also the worst kept rumour in the paddock.

As for why they would wait, what is there to wait for? They signed 'their' driver in Rossi 12 months ago, and have been funding him ever since, 100% fact. The only decision they had left to make was Gutierrez or Vergne from Ferrari, which was made for them when Vergne stated he had no interest in returning to F1 racing at the back.

They can tease for a few months more and get some free PR, sure, but when Mexican journalists have already told all and sundry that Gutierrez has signed for the second seat, it's a bit of a pointless exercise, especially with Haas intending to have their cars out shaking down by December.

News on Haas F1:
http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/haas- ... ves-closer

On the subject of a timeframe for his driver line-up to be decided, Haas replied: "In the next four weeks or so, this month is when the real thought-proving, intense decision-making occurs.

“But we’re also actually waiting for the current F1 teams to make their decisions before we will. You never know who’ll become available.

"It seems like the bigger teams are putting in younger and younger drivers, so some of the more experienced drivers might become available.”

[Racer X]

If ferrari want 2 special drivers then they need to put all their eggs in the Ric basket and go hard at breaking his red bull contract. If they want a no2 to compliment vettel then i think hulk/bottas would be better options.

well, hulk and bottas are both better drivers than ricciardo. at least they do not make stupid and rash moves repeatedly in a race. Ricciardo is even being outshone by kvyatt.

*cough* 51 points *cough* 45 points *cough*.

It seems like if you want a driver to challenge Vettel, then hiring the driver that ground him into the dirt and beat him in pretty much every way is probably a good plan.

I would love to see a driver that is going to beat Vettel with him in Ferrari Kimi hasnt been able to so i say switch. I would like to see Bottas more then Hulk with him in Ferrari tho.

[ME4ME]

Autosport article by Dieter Renken (paywall)

http://plus.autosport.com/premium/featu ... 1439400959

Some interesting quotes. First about Hulkenberg

"When [Nico] was with [Ferrari-engined] Sauber we had access to all his data, and somehow we were never totally convinced," one Ferrari insider told this writer. "Ask yourself why we didn't sign his when we had the chance before bringing Kimi back."

(Personally I think this is somehow a bit weird. He outscored Guttierez 51 points to 6 that year. There is more than pace alone, which their current driver Raikkonen is living proof off)

although rumours in Germany increasingly link him to a full-time Porsche WEC drive. With Hulkenberg said to be disillusioned with his future F1 prospects

Then the plot thickens. Ferrari is apperently interested in Verstappen (although I think it's far fetched..)

However, as the Hungarian Rhapsody progressed, it became speculated upon that the keys to next year's Formula 1 line-up were not held by its oldest driver, but by its youngest.

It goes on about how Verstappen is locked in at Redbull, but possibly can get out for 2017. So if Ferrari would want to hire him, then they need a driver for one year (2016) and Bottas probably wouldn't want that. Raikkonen on the other hand..

[PlatinumZealot]

Ferrari verstappen? after Bianchi just died and they just bolstered up their young driver program? that is like a slap in their own faces.

[WaikeCU]

Ferrari verstappen? after Bianchi just died and they just bolstered up their young driver program? that is like a slap in their own faces.

F1 is a serious business and you want to do the upmost job to get the best result as possible. It may seem harsh, but sometimes when that opportunity is right there, you have to grab it with both hands and do the explaining later. Controversial decisions will be cleared with the successes they will gain later on.

Remember back in 2001 when Hakkinen entered his final season for Mclaren? Heidfeld drove for the Sauber that very season. Mclaren backed him up throughout his junior career and he even became Mclaren's test driver. it seemed a formality that he would drive for Mclaren in 2002, but who would have thought Raikkonen, who was his teammate, who was beaten in points by Heidfeld, who drove his rookie season in 2001, would end up with a seat at Mclaren in 2002?

[wickedz50]

From all it seems now that Kimi will be Ferrari's number 2 next year. A good second half of the season with consistent finish in top 4 will be good for Kimi provided no bad luck further. Saying that he is the only lucky Ferrari driver to win a WDC for Ferrari since Micheal. If luck really smiles on him, I see him ahead of Seb next year and really fight hard against the Merc for the WDC title.

[Jonnycraig]

Rio Haryanto has 3 offers for 2016. He will work with the President to find the finance to be on the grid, so long as he finishes the GP2 season strongly and gets the superlicence points:
http://www.cnnindonesia.com/olahraga/20 ... nto-ke-f1/

Rumour is that one of those offers is to replace Gutierrez as Ferrari test driver.

[PlatinumZealot]

Ferrari verstappen? after Bianchi just died and they just bolstered up their young driver program? that is like a slap in their own faces.

F1 is a serious business and you want to do the upmost job to get the best result as possible. It may seem harsh, but sometimes when that opportunity is right there, you have to grab it with both hands and do the explaining later. Controversial decisions will be cleared with the successes they will gain later on.

Remember back in 2001 when Hakkinen entered his final season for Mclaren? Heidfeld drove for the Sauber that very season. Mclaren backed him up throughout his junior career and he even became Mclaren's test driver. it seemed a formality that he would drive for Mclaren in 2002, but who would have thought Raikkonen, who was his teammate, who was beaten in points by Heidfeld, who drove his rookie season in 2001, would end up with a seat at Mclaren in 2002?

Coz Raikkonen was better than Heidfeld by a faaar margin at the time. As far as the whole world can see now Carlos Sainz is better than verstappen in raw speed and consistency. Verstappen is a bit better at the overtakes. Just saying it is a huge risk to take the unproven Verstappen and Ferrari do not do risky stuff like Mclaren has been known to do.

[Moose]

"It seems like the bigger teams are putting in younger and younger drivers, so some of the more experienced drivers might become available.”

I read that as "McLaren might drop Button, and we'd really like him".