Silly Season 2013/14

[Manoah2u]

The truly great drivers impress right out the box. Clark, Senna, Schumacher, etc. - all of those drivers shocked everyone right from their first race. McLaren now had one year to determine that Perez isn't one of them. They can afford to move on and try out someone else.

Oh i'll agree those 3 drivers indeed impressed right out of the box. But what about the rest? Vettel surely did not shock
everyone right from his first race. Raikkonen didn't. Alonso didn't. Hill didn't. Button didn't. Yet they're all champions.

[Manoah2u]

anyway; lotus seat:

On hulkenberg getting that one:

"Not likely," Hulkenberg's manager Werner Heinz told Bild newspaper. "No one has talked with us about that."

On Valsecchi getting a call from Autosprint on the matter:

"I don't know anything," said Valsecchi. "I haven't heard anything from the team and I was not at the factory last week.

"Not even the people I talk to regularly at Enstone said anything," he added.

and about massa heading to williams:

The Auto Bild (Germany) and Italiaracing publications are reporting that Massa's deal to move to Williams next year, to replace Pastor Maldonado, is now effectively done.

It is believed the deal will include the sponsorship of the Brazilian oil company Petrobras.

But Massa insisted: "I will go on as a driver, not to plug the holes in someone's balance sheet."

so we might have Massa ending up at williams for a departing Pastor,

and we have lotus who haven't decided anything for this weekend's USGP. will they'll even get a 2nd car out at all ?

[timbo]

If Perez would be sacked it would remind Capelli's story.

Of course, had Perez outshined Button we would not be discussing this, but honestly getting upper hand on your teammate when the car is subpar and team doesn't have a clue on what to do with it, is a very difficul environment to establish oneself.

[Holm86]

According to danish media this morning, Magnussen will drive McLarens Pirelli test this week at the Vallelunga circuit in Italy. In a 2 year old car. They speculate that this means that he will drive with McLaren next year.

Source:
http://ekstrabladet.dk/sport/anden_spor ... 145407.ece

[fenix4life]

Williams to sign Massa according to eurosport.fr

http://www.eurosport.fr/formule-1/massa ... tory.shtml

[Jonnycraig]

According to danish media this morning, Magnussen will drive McLarens Pirelli test this week at the Vallelunga circuit in Italy. In a 2 year old car. They speculate that this means that he will drive with McLaren next year.

Source:
http://ekstrabladet.dk/sport/anden_spor ... 145407.ece

2 + 2 = 7 there.

He's driven plenty of miles in the current car on the current tyres and so is perfectly placed to do the tyre test.

[SectorOne]

Alonso might or might not run in Austin. Probably the least likely news in this thread though.

http://grandprix247.com/2013/11/11/alon ... ari-debut/

[Holm86]

According to danish media this morning, Magnussen will drive McLarens Pirelli test this week at the Vallelunga circuit in Italy. In a 2 year old car. They speculate that this means that he will drive with McLaren next year.

Source:
http://ekstrabladet.dk/sport/anden_spor ... 145407.ece

2 + 2 = 7 there.

He's driven plenty of miles in the current car on the current tyres and so is perfectly placed to do the tyre test.

But why not Turvey or Paffet?? I do agree its still a bit unrealistic. And I wont believe it till McLaren announces anything.
But I still hope he gets a seat. It would be a big thing for me to see a dane in a McLaren

[CBeck113]

Alonso might or might not run in Austin. Probably the least likely news in this thread though.

http://grandprix247.com/2013/11/11/alon ... ari-debut/

He's already trying to be better than Kimi at everything

[Aesto]

The truly great drivers impress right out the box. Clark, Senna, Schumacher, etc. - all of those drivers shocked everyone right from their first race. McLaren now had one year to determine that Perez isn't one of them. They can afford to move on and try out someone else.

Oh i'll agree those 3 drivers indeed impressed right out of the box. But what about the rest? Vettel surely did not shock
everyone right from his first race. Raikkonen didn't. Alonso didn't. Hill didn't. Button didn't. Yet they're all champions.

Vettel became the youngest points scoring driver ever right in his first race. Raikkonen also scored a point in his first race and continued to be extremely impressive, despite having next to no experience in single-seaters. Alonso didn't have the car, but his qualifying results compared to his teammate immediately showed how good he was.
And you can't seriously be considering Hill among those other drivers? Williams had good reasons to fire him in his championship year (i.e. he's had the fastest car for four years straight and yet only ended up winning the WDC because no other car came close to the FW18). My whole point was: McLaren want a driver who can carry to the team to winning a WDC, not the other way around. And they have enough reputation to see it through.

[i70q7m7ghw]

Look at the finishing position in Abu Dhabi is not enough, Perez should have been 5th at least, he was just too slow. The point being made about Button's performance, was that despite making the error that cost him his front wing and forced a slower 1 stop strategy, he still only finished 10 seconds down the road to Perez. Now if you take on-board that many here believe Button to be slower than average, where exactly does that put Perez?

and based upon what should 5th be at least?

2 insanely faster Redbulls,
2 much faster Lotuses,
2 much faster Mercedeses,
2 faster Ferrari's.

so if anything, 9th would be the only reasonable spot to look at, which is EXACTLY where Perez homed in his dog-awful Mclaren. the team at most is annoyed Force India ended in front of them, with them being afraid they'll pass them in the WCC.
But who's fault is that? The drivers not performing well? or Mclaren giving them a car that they'll need to worry about ending 6th in the WCC and having to put 11 and 12 on the cars next year?

if you concider pastor maldonado belonging at the back of the field, then where does it put button that he ended behind him?

Mclaren has nobody to blame but themselves. They still haven't realised Hamilton left because the team is dropping the ball in too many fields? Even if Hamilton would be in that car this year would have meant squad for them. And that would have made Hamilton leave most certainly - quite the opposite of arrogantly stating Lewis would see this year he'd made a mistake in going for Merc instead of staying with MCL.

Perez is nowhere near the level of Hamilton or Alonso. But he atleast should be provided material to grow into the likes of a Rosberg or Button. Perez 1st year at Sauber wasn't the best either. But the second year showed his potential.
Should go the same with MCL.

I said ignore the results, and look at the times, but never mind. Button was faster than Perez in Abu Dhabi, hands down. It doesn't get clearer than that.

If you look at the speed Button had in the race, with the same pace Perez would have been on terms with Di Resta, Hamilton & Massa and he would have been within striking distance of Alonso, i.e., racing for 5th.

[SectorOne]

Kvyat got his super license and he will run FP1 instead of Vergne according to Jennie Gow.
You would think Ricciardo would skip one instead seeing as Kvyat and Vergne will be teammates next year.

That way both can go out in FP1 and then Kvyat has some data to compare and analyze.

[mikeerfol]

Kvyat got his super license and he will run FP1 instead of Vergne according to Jennie Gow.
You would think Ricciardo would skip one instead seeing as Kvyat and Vergne will be teammates next year.

That way both can go out in FP1 and then Kvyat has some data to compare and analyze.

He'll replace Ricciardo in Brazil

[iotar__]

Don't get too carried away. Autosport has it's own agenda, and this is why that article is written in that manner.
they are trying to stir sh*t up.

About Perez/Magnussen articles

That's not the case - Sky, BBC and AS (last) printed/posted almost identical in content articles based on McLaren inside info aka controlled leaks. Anonymous senior sources + same quotes, selective information and "conclusions". That's McLaren and not for the first time this season.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula-one/24844304
http://www1.skysports.com/f1/news/12433 ... -race-seat

................
About dissecting Abu Dhabi - 1. it's still one race, proves and means nothing and is not a basis for changing drivers (see Hamilton compared to Rosberg) - only an excuse. Why not India ?

[Pup]

The "inside info" just says that McLaren are considering Magnussen. Which they should, after all, since he's one of their own. The whole thing about them turning against Perez after a single race result is nothing but bored journalists making way too much fuss over a single word in McLaren's race report. (A word which if they haven't used in every race report this season, they should have.)

Regardless, Perez seems like an O.K. driver, but he hasn't really lit up the track. He was a surprise last minute signing last year anyway, and if McLaren think they might get more from Magnussen next year, then I guess they hire him. But I think they'll only do so after running him through a battery of testing, which might mean waiting until after winter testing to make a decision.

It would be too bad for Perez, but that's the nature of the sport.