Silly Season 2018/2019

[NL_Fer]

Mercedes: Must be shopping around. Bottas is a nr2, but they need someone who can push Hamilton hard or replace him if he decides to lleave/retire. Danny Ric, maybe Alonso? Hulkenberg with new driver weight rules?

Ferrari: Vettel is still a good choice, but if he loses this years title maybe the pressure rises to replace him. Danny, Alonso to return, Hamilton (you ust have driven for the tifosi once, before you quit right?) Overall Vettel looks like a better fit for the reggazi, with Bottas as Kimi’s replacement.

Redbull: Verstappen/Saintz is a good lineup. Sainz is good, his form was better last year, but still a good driver. Or keep Danny.

McLaren: IF a spot opens at Ferrari/Merc Alonso is gone. VanDoorne is a nr2 at the moment. Bottas, Hulkenberg, a return of Perez, Magnussen with current reshuffle of commands. Ocon?

Renault: Alonso for the 3rd time? They look like to have a better car then Mclaren in short time future. Ocon could also fit.

[F1NAC]

It's going to be interesting for F2 champions, especially if one of them is Russel or Norris. Where could they end up? RUssel thinks he has fair shot at FI but in that case who's gonna be ousted ?

[NathanOlder]

Ocon promotion to Merc No.2

[Just_a_fan]

I think Bottas will have a strong season this year and will be kept on by Mercedes. I think Hamilton will sign up for two more years and then retire. He'll want to get his 5th title but I think he'll finish his career on 4 titles. I don't think he'll win the title this year and the others are/have caught up with Mercedes meaning he'll struggle in following years.

[djos]

Bottas will need to seriously lift his game if he wants to keep his seat!

[nacho]

Why does everyone think Bottas has done a bad job this year?

[Manoah2u]

Why does everyone think Bottas has done a bad job this year?

Agreed, i really dont get the Bottas hating. He's actually doing pretty fine, and quite frankly, he has impressed me more than Lewis this year, who to me has only been rather disappointing and seems 'distracted'.

I still wonder whether there's not a possibility that Lewis actually will end up with Ferrari next year alongside Vettel or DannyRic even (that would signify a Vettel retirement or crazy enough, perhaps a transfer from Seb to Mercedes).

as for Mercedes, it's going to be either Ricciardo or Ocon if Lewis leaves, and i'm expecting Danny before Esteban.

i'm still going to have to sit out some more races to see Gasly's results, but at the moment, i'm thinking he wouldn't get to replace DannyRic, but Sainz would be called back. I think it would be very, very interesting at this moment to see how Sainz and Verstappen would weigh out against eachother. Sainz always has been blazingly fast and talented in my opinion, but @ Toro Rosso i've always felt Max had some sort of 'edge' on him, i wouldn't know what and where exactly though. I do feel however that Sainz has matured quite significantly and quite frankly, more than Max. I think Sainz would be a much bigger fish to fry for Max now than he has been before.

So that would be a battle i'd enjoy watching.

Nevertheless, ask me right today, and what would i like to see most of all?

Sainz at Ferrari alongside Ricciardo.
Vettel at Mercedes alongside Perez
Bottas at Mclaren with Ocon
Verstappen at RedBull with Gasly
Kubica at Renault alongside Stroll

Alonso and Raikkonen retiring. Actually, i would include Hamilton there too but i wonder what would happen with him at Ferrari, though some underbelly feeling makes me think he and Ferrari simply aren't a good fit, and i really wonder whether he's actually motivated for another stint. I'd really relish seeing Kubica try @ Renault.

that would mean a gigantic amount of openings of seats.

i think we could then see Sirotkin and Ericsson at Williams. Hartley and Matsushita @ Toro Rosso, Magnussen still at Haas, and LeClerc still at Alfa Romeo. Force India open seats.

so that would mean Romain Grosjean also retired.

quite a number of F1 retirements then; Raikkonen, Hamilton, Grosjean, Alonso, Hulkenberg.

Mick Schumacher as a test driver for Renault.

[djos]

Why does everyone think Bottas has done a bad job this year?

Is not that he's done a bad job, it's that in best car last year and top 2 car this year, he's been completely ordinary!

[nacho]

Why does everyone think Bottas has done a bad job this year?

Is not that he's done a bad job, it's that in best car last year and top 2 car this year, he's been completely ordinary!

Well to me he's been on par with Hamilton this season.

But I noticed demands for replacing Bottas already before the season started. Maybe Merc can find a better driver but I'm not completety convinced many would do a better job in a team where Hamilton has won 3 titles.

[djos]

Why does everyone think Bottas has done a bad job this year?

Is not that he's done a bad job, it's that in best car last year and top 2 car this year, he's been completely ordinary!

Well to me he's been on par with Hamilton this season.

But I noticed demands for replacing Bottas already before the season started. Maybe Merc can find a better driver but I'm not completety convinced many would do a better job in a team where Hamilton has won 3 titles.

Results wise sure, but Bahrain was a good example, had Lewis been chasing down Seb in those last few laps, you can bet he'd have won the race - Bottas was just feeble trying to overtake him.

Bottas is a very good driver, but he lacks the mongrel of drivers like Ricciardo, Alonso, Vettel & Hamilton.

[Fulcrum]

I think what the driver's want is largely irrelevant. What do Ferrari management want? What do Mercedes management want? What do Red Bull want? That will determine who goes where.

Ferrari have been notoriously reticent to fire Raikkonen for poor past performances. He's actually got increasingly competitive the longer he's driven at Ferrari, this year being no exception. I could easily see them retaining him for another year, especially if Ferrari think they've got an advantage in 2019. Vettel for the championship, Raikkonen for support - Ricciardo would never accept the type of treatment (e.g. strategy calls, priority in qualifying runs, etc...) Raikkonen regularly tolerates.

Mercedes should only be shopping for a driver (imo) if they're looking to future proof the team from Lewis leaving. Otherwise, Bottas is performing as you'd expect from a competitive driver in a competitive car.

Red Bull have a good alternative set of options: Gasly and Sainz, although I think Gasly is the clear front runner. But Ricciardo (imo) is better than both and Red Bull would prefer to retain him, but at what cost being the only sticking point.

Ricciardo is clearly the best available free agent for next year, but he would provide a more volatile atmosphere in either team. Not because he is high-strung, but simply because Raikkonen and Bottas are the most apolitical drivers on the grid.

I can see all 3 teams retaining the same driver lineup for next year. Or, Raikkonen to retire, Ricciardo to Ferrari, Gasly to Red Bull being the most likely scenario of change.

[ScottB]

I think Bottas has been fairly close to Lewis, closer than Kimi is to Vettel, today being a case in point, but then, is that, in part, to Lewis appearing to be a little off his game? Or has Valteri stepped his up?

But, if I was Wolff, I'd be looking at Lewis and thinking he isn't a sure bet to be around much longer, he may very well be, but, I'd say there's a fair chance he decides to retire in the next year or two, at which point, who do Mercedes have to lead the team? Danny and Max are the clear leaders of the younger generation as it stands, with Danny being available. Long term planning would, in my mind, make him an attractive option. Of course, the same is true at Ferrari, Kimi is very old, Seb isn't a spring chicken. As it stands, neither team's proteges; Ocon and Le Clerc, look ready.

As for Alonso, he's also in the 'old' bracket, would a top team part with a hefty amount of coin for a guy in the twilight of his career? How much longer has he got left? His powers don't seem to have diminished yet, but that won't be true forever. Again, wouldn't you go for Danny Ricciardo, who could have a decade ahead of him, and probably be cheaper?

I noticed DC in commentary today suggesting Vandorne could be dropped / should be dropped which I think is the first time I've heard that. Norris seems a fairly strong bet for a McLaren seat either way next year. Would they drop SV if Alonso leaves?


At this point I'd guess

Mercedes - Hamilton / Bottas
Ferrari - Vettel / Ricciardo
Red Bull - Verstappen / Sainz
Mclaren - Vandorne / Norris
Renault - Hulkenburg / Ocon
Force India - Perez / Russell
Haas - Grosjean / Magnussen
Sauber - Le Clerc / Ericsson
Williams - God knows, maybe the same...

[GM7]

If Vandoorne is dropped by McLaren, Fred Vasseur could be interest by him at Sauber to replace Ericsson. In the case of Ricciardo going to Ferrari the real question is "who's going to replace Sainz at Renault ?".
My bet is on Ocon with a similar contract as Sainz.

Mercedes : Hamilton / Bottas
Ferrari : Vettel / Ricciardo
Red Bull : Verstappen / Sainz
Mclaren : Alonso / Norris
Renault : Hulkenberg / Ocon
Haas : Grosjean / Magnussen
Force India : Perez / Russell
Sauber : Vandoorne / Leclerc
Williams : Stroll / Sirotkin

[ScottB]

Presumably Ericsson is fairly secure at Sauber as long as their Swedish owner is in play? Ferrari wanted Giovinazzi in there instead, so I imagine he’d get the nod if a seat came up?

[Zynerji]

Presumably Ericsson is fairly secure at Sauber as long as their Swedish owner is in play? Ferrari wanted Giovinazzi in there instead, so I imagine he’d get the nod of a seat came up?

After the China race, I could actually see Ericsson going to Ferrari to replace Raikkonen on a 2 year contract, and Giovinazzi replacing Ericsson at Sauber to get experience and measure head to head with LeClerc for the 2021 drive at the Scuderia.