Silly season 2024-2025

[kptaylor]

And to make matters worse, we still have Drugovich and Lawson available to take a spot if new blood is wanted anywhere. Experience is nice, but at what point is age an issue whee it may be better to gamble on youth? Salaries are cheaper, too, in a cost cap limited budget era.

[mendis]

And to make matters worse, we still have Drugovich and Lawson available to take a spot if new blood is wanted anywhere. Experience is nice, but at what point is age an issue whee it may be better to gamble on youth? Salaries are cheaper, too, in a cost cap limited budget era.

I agree. Unless the driver is exceptional like Lewis or Fernando, anyone above 30 that hasn't made a mark in F1, should be replaced with young drivers. Who knows some of them might turn out to be legends. McLaren dumped Daniel for Piastri and have been rewarded. It's time drivers like Lawson and Drugovich should get a look in for a bigger role.

[Zynerji]

I'm putting $20 on Hulkenberg -> Mercedes for 2025.

Any calls?

[djos]

The latest rumours are that Max is talking to Mercedes about 2025 due to the current “controversy”.

[mendis]

As an aside, I would like to see young talents like Lawson, Drugovich, Vesti and Porchaire on the grid. Too early to talk about Antonelli though. Can't the teams get rid of the likes of Daniel, Perez, Bottas, Stroll, Magnussen and Sargeant. FIA should make some rules that can outlaw the proven "lack of talents" to be out of F1, regardless of the financial backing.

[selvam_e2002]

if they have money and sponsorship then they will get the seat else it is difficult. The F1 is now Money related instead of talent.

[djos]

As an aside, I would like to see young talents like Lawson, Drugovich, Vesti and Porchaire on the grid. Too early to talk about Antonelli though. Can't the teams get rid of the likes of Daniel, Perez, Bottas, Stroll, Magnussen and Sargeant. FIA should make some rules that can outlaw the proven "lack of talents" to be out of F1, regardless of the financial backing.

If anyone is going to get the boot, it’s Yuki. He’s in his 4th year and still can’t follow team orders or control his temper.

Bottas should go too, simply because his racing ability is so bad, even in the dominant Mercedes cars he couldn’t fight his way through the pack when needed.

[mendis]

As an aside, I would like to see young talents like Lawson, Drugovich, Vesti and Porchaire on the grid. Too early to talk about Antonelli though. Can't the teams get rid of the likes of Daniel, Perez, Bottas, Stroll, Magnussen and Sargeant. FIA should make some rules that can outlaw the proven "lack of talents" to be out of F1, regardless of the financial backing.

If anyone is going to get the boot, it’s Yuki. He’s in his 4th year and still can’t follow team orders or control his temper.

Bottas should go too, simply because his racing ability is so bad, even in the dominant Mercedes cars he couldn’t fight his way through the pack when needed.

I wouldn't mind Yuki moving out and VCARB getting 2 new drivers. If they think they need some experience, then whoever ends ahead in standings, can be kept for another year.

Anyone know how Jack Doohan has been as a driver?

[Jdn1327]

Wouldn't it be great if there was an 11th team just for for the F2 champion and runner up. They have a year to showcase their talent in f1 and if they don't succeed they get dropped back down to F2.

[dren]

Wouldn't it be great if there was an 11th team just for for the F2 champion and runner up. They have a year to showcase their talent in f1 and if they don't succeed they get dropped back down to F2.

Pro-rel in F1...

[Undead_Mud]

Toyed around with the relegation idea a bit:

3 Post-Season Testing Days serve as relegation deciders.
The drivers that lost against their team-mate in the 3 teams that came last in the constructors have to prove themselves against the Top 3 Finishers of F2.
1 duel each day. 2 equal-spec cars out on track all day.

To give less opportunity for manipulation of these duels and less of an advantage to the F1 driver, cars of the 3 top F1 teams will be used and run by the 3 top teams. These teams therefore lose testing time for next season, but get data on 2 drivers. Possibly a time-handicap to account for the fact that one of the drivers drove an F1 car all season. Say 0.15s.

The winner of each duel (based on fastest single lap pace) gets a 1-year minimum salary contract at the team of the F1 driver in the duel. Previous contracts can be nullified by this.

For additional craziness:
Only the 3 teams that came last in the championship can hire from outside of F1 (including F2 losers of the duels). The other 7 teams are limited to hiring drivers already in F1 (including the F1 losers of the duels).
This means that if a driver retires from F1 the team-leaders of the smaller teams have a good chance of moving up, freeing another seat for a young talent or for giving a second chance to a driver who lost their duel but may still be interesting for a team based on his season/time in F1.

In general I think this would lead to a lot more young drivers coming into the tail-end of the grid on short-term contracts that would only manage to stay if they are good.

Probably not realistic and I can see issues already, but it would sure make post-season interesting.

[bluechris]

Just do it like football... the 1st team in F2 goes to F1 and last team in f1 goes to f2

[Big Tea]

Just do it like football... the 1st team in F2 goes to F1 and last team in f1 goes to f2

There would have to be a guaranteed "period of grace" for probably at least 3 years to enable them to get a F1 car up and running and benefit from the finances and facilities gained in F1.
This could double up as an excuse to have 2 extra teams on the grid but financed from a separate pie which would not be a share of the teams fund. Sort of F1 (A), on the grid but not in the club so - to - speak.

[UlleGulle]

if they have money and sponsorship then they will get the seat else it is difficult. The F1 is now Money related instead of talent.

Yeah, looking back for the last 10 years, only 5 teams have introduced a top three in the championship driver in the last 10 years. And one of them was HRT, who was paid by RB to let Ricciardo race.

I have a humble proposition. How about Liberty setting aside 25 million a year for the teams who introduced the top three drivers in the championship? Like 15 million for the world champion and 5 million for the other two.

If my calculations is right, during the last 10 years, that would have earned McLaren 105 million, on Hamilton alone.
RB Cash/AT/TR/Minardi would score 95 million on VER, VET, ALO and WEB.

Williams 45 million, on ROS and BOT. The latter might not be one of the greats, but he used to be a top driver.

Sauber would gain 20 million for introducing Raikkonen, Perez and Leclerc.

My proposal might not stop teams from signing paydrivers, but it would give them incentives for trying to sign future champions, and might encourage them from kicking drivers like Mazepin out.

[mvfad]

The FIA needed to create ways for teams to give young drivers more opportunities. And it's not a very difficult thing to do. A simple example: it could give extra testing days to teams that hire F2 drivers. Young drivers also need more testing, so it would be a great way to encourage the hiring of these drivers.