ringo wrote: ↑22 Aug 2020, 18:25
There is some talk about 2 F3 and F2 drivers who will soon have super license, but
Marko is saying he is not considering them at this time.
And that's a good thing.
He's been 'lowkey threatening' Kvyat again claiming he isn't performing how they want him to perform this season,
and casually upcoming drivers are mentioned.
However, they're really not talented enough nor is it a step up by any means.
Gasly is stable, he won't go anywhere, so that's one seat 'occupied'.
Verstappen has nowhere to go yet, so his seat is 'occupied'.
Albon is clearly the weakest link at the moment @ RedBull unfortunately. I've hoped more, but it's another example of getting too fast at the main team and perhaps also simply 'lacking' what the team really needs. Thing is, he'd be absolutely fine @ AlphaTauri, so the thing right now is, Kvyat is 'underperforming', he won't go 'up', Albon might be 'returned' to AlphaTauri (not this year though), so though both seats are 'up for grabs', the Alpha Tauri seat is most likely to go to Albon to be very honest, unless he suddenly unlocks his potential and starts driving competitive.
So that means the real seat thats 'opening up' is the second RedBull seat.
And I believe it's becoming more and more evident that RedBull is going to 'shop' outside their 'pool' (well sorta) for a driver that's going to perform better than Albon,Kvyat or Gasly guaranteed, and there's only a handfull of that.
1. Vettel. They know him, he's a former RedBull driver, he'll certainly do well. I think it's a very likely possibility.
2. Perez. If Seb goes to Aston, he's certainly leaving, and he's fast, experienced, AND fits the team.
3. Hulkenberg. The ONLY thing with Hulk is, as discussed above, he has some 'gremlin' surrounding him.
4. Raikkonen. He'd be a huge assett for RB, but i dont know whether he's wanting to participate in the circus around it (anymore). Though i'd like this the most to happen, i expect it to happen the least though. unlikely.
There are some things to think about though.
Aston certainly would want a REAL star driver, and neither Perez nor Stroll are. The only driver fitting that criteria right now is Vettel, all else are contracted elsewhere, only Raikkonen would be interesting but i don't think he's the right man for the team right now. Stroll surely stays, but if shock Perez stays and Stroll is out, he certainly won't turn up at RedBull. Stroll going to Haas would be interesting though.
Anyway, it's more likely Vettel will sign with Aston. Aston would 'need' Vettel more than Vettel needs RedBull or RedBull needs Vettel.
That means RBR has Perez, Hulk and perhaps Kimi to pick.
Again, Kimi is unlikely, secretly hoping different though.
Perez has done podiums, Hulk not. Perez could bring more interesting sponsors and stuff to RB, Hulk not so much, but then it's not like RB needs it. Both are likely to be similar in supportive role capacity, with the benefit from Hulk that he seems to be 'pals' with Max (actually speaks fluent Dutch) and i think is much more likely to be in a non-explosive relationship compared to Sergio. I'm not saying Sergio is 'flammable', but at the very least moreso than Hulk.
What's
most likely to happen imo though is this:
Vettel > Aston Martin
Hulk > RedBull
Albon > AlphaTauri
Perez > Haas
Kvyat > again no F1 seat.
Another
possibility
Vettel > Aston Martin
Perez > RedBull
Hulk > Haas
Albon > Alpha Tauri
Kvyat > again no F1 seat.
Yet another
potential outcome:
Vettel > RedBull
Albon > Alpha Tauri
Hulk > Haas
Kvyat > again no F1 seat.
My most hopeful outcome:
Vettel > Aston Martin
Perez > Haas
Hulk > Alfa Romeo
Albon > Alpha Tauri
Kimi > RedBull
Mick > Alfa Romeo (probably better for him to mature another year and enter new F1 in 2022)
Kvyat > again no F1 seat
Giovanazzi > thanks but no thanks (or get lucky another year to be replaced in 2022)
one can dream.
In any scenario though, ALL is better than ANY of the 'F2/F3' rookies with superlicense points.
It would only be like unneccesary dancing around with seats, with no actual improvement anywhere.