godlameroso wrote: ↑05 Oct 2020, 18:30
Manoah2u wrote: ↑05 Oct 2020, 17:40
So.....With Honda leaving at the end of 2021......One has to concider what will happen with the team.
Max surely has a clause and let's face it, he wasn't going to get a WDC with Honda anyway.
It's most likely that we will see RB sign with Renault for the 2022 season, as I think it's unlikely RedBull will 'buy' the Honda power unit and do things internally, perhaps through some help with Cosworth. This is not neccesarily a bad thing as Renault's power unit seems to have improved a good margin this season if we look at how Daniel and Esteban have crawled to the front more or less and the topspeed of the Renault has improved significantly. Renault also no longer is the essential works team, even though Alpine more or less still is. So they could 'make amends' and reboot their relationship. This could mean Max does interest in staying, as it could potentially bring them a winning car.
But to be honest, I think Max is starting to have had enough of RedBull's promises and he can't afford another 'risk'.
And let's face it, a high-end Mercedes deal would be much more interesting for him right now.
Hamilton has not signed a contract for 2021 and beyond, and Bottas contract expires too at the end of 2021.
So 2022 Could open a spot for Max at AMG Mercedes.
However, with increased likeliness that INEOS is buying the team and AMG is going to step down, one could only wonder what that will do.
Will Hamilton stay @ Mercedes? Or will Hamilton move to Aston Martin?
I think it's pretty likely that Daddy Stroll, despite his son being there, would still sign Hamilton over his boy alongside Vettel.
And something tells me that it's not unlikely that the same could happen for Verstappen, as it's not unlikely for Verstappen to go to Aston Martin,
as his chances are greater to win a WDC there than it is with staying with RedBull.
This all could change though if Max is lured to stay with a decent VW Group deal (Porsche, Lamborghini, Bugatti, VW, Audi), looking towards 2026,
AND could also change if Max is able to grab a WDC with Honda in 2021. VERY unlikely, but not outside of the realm of opportunities.
To be fair, the only way right now i can see Max staying, and for that matter, RedBull, is through a works deal with Porsche / VAG. and then ONLY,
if they are able to convince them they're going to make an investment that'll get them winning.
The entire automotive industry is struggling right now.
Sure, action is needed 'due to corona', sure, but if we had to compare, public transport and airline industries are actually suffering, not neccesarily the automotive industry as Corona actually will raise the demand for personal vehicles as people will avoid public transport much more now, and delivery services have been greatly increased.
Expected numbers are a 15% decline compared to 2019, which is not good, but not really as excessive as people like to think. 2019 saw a 4% drop compared to 2018 anyway, and that was without anything Corona-related.
Meanwhile, Tesla and electric companies are growing their sales ever and ever, it's not just corona, it's also (political) environment influences and taxes.
Everybody now is abusing Corona as a means to scream they're struggling whilst that's not true at all.
It's also important to look at the car industry globally, as 'local' numbers don't paint a particularly good image.
For example, Spain has quite a big decline in car sales, yet this is partially down to the fact that due to the Brexit, there has been an enormeous exodus of both expats and businesses, resulting much less car sales. YES, obviously Corona has a huge impact, and people are keeping their wallets closed for now, but if the economy stays relatively stable, and the pandemic ends, there is going to be a surge in sales, and the auto industry knows this very very well.
Honda claiming they want to focus on 'economy' / ecology / etc is nothing but a fabricated story as clearly indicated by their presence in Indy, and simple words. They were going to pull the plug on their F1 project with or without Corona.
The budget cap, the renewed chassis rules, and the upcoming engine changes will be a possibility for manufacturers to enter again, and be much more interesting.
Hell, we could even see Honda return if they put a good deal on the table.
On one hand, it's smart to keep V6T hybrid engines, on the other hand, hybrid Inline 4 cylinder turbo engines with synthetic fuels, and proper tires, will make it much more interesting.
