Silly season 2021-2022-2023

[politburo]

[politburo]

Kimi Raikonnen is retiring from F1. What a driver! Many great memories and just reminds one of the classic "all about the racing/competition and not media" type.

[politburo]

About the power units. HPP operations don’t account towards the cap, just their invoice for the power units to the team, which has to be a fair price. Income from for instance Williams or McLaren have no influence on the cap of Mercedes, just a good financial result for HPP.
Mercedes can of course give a discount to Williams for their PU but, the fair price will count towards the cost cap, even if the real cost is only half.

That's an interesting point. The would confirm the apparent spirit of the financial regulations in that they don't really control cashflow and prevent teams from folding but really control the ability of big teams to do excessive research and development on aero and the like, whilst the smaller teams either suffer to keep up or overshoot their budgets to keep up. This is not surprising, as F1 has not even come close to having a new entrant due to the large financial risk that remains despite the potential equality of performance going forwards.

[politburo]

Kimi calls it quits!

The silly season is now well and truly underway.

[Jolle]

About the power units. HPP operations don’t account towards the cap, just their invoice for the power units to the team, which has to be a fair price. Income from for instance Williams or McLaren have no influence on the cap of Mercedes, just a good financial result for HPP.
Mercedes can of course give a discount to Williams for their PU but, the fair price will count towards the cost cap, even if the real cost is only half.

That's an interesting point. The would confirm the apparent spirit of the financial regulations in that they don't really control cashflow and prevent teams from folding but really control the ability of big teams to do excessive research and development on aero and the like, whilst the smaller teams either suffer to keep up or overshoot their budgets to keep up. This is not surprising, as F1 has not even come close to having a new entrant due to the large financial risk that remains despite the potential equality of performance going forwards.

It’s never intended as a way to prevent bankruptcy of teams. It’s pure a way to limit the investment needed to run a competitive team.
Let’s say, VW wants to enter. The past shows that there never was any certainty how much has to be invested in, let’s say, the next ten years to run a competitive team because time and time again, the two big spenders (Daimler and PMI) have the ability to raise their budgets (to what they have now). Just look what PMI did in the early eighties with McLaren and then again with Ferrari in 1996. Daimler went all in also around 1997-8 and again from 2010. Now you know you can run a team at that level for around 300 mln a year (145 within the cap and around the same outside). That’s a whole different story to pitch your investment to the board of directors like: it’s 500 now, but if our future competitors invest double that, we either match or leave.
That midfield teams might catch up, is a pleasant side effect.
The other effect what the cost cap brings is that on the income side F1 as a whole stays the same but spending will be significantly less, the dream of every investor (together with raising the entry fee for new entries with 150 mln to 200 mln, adding that value to the exciting teams instantly, a gain of 1.5 billion of value).

[Just_a_fan]

Kimi Raikonnen is retiring from F1. What a driver! Many great memories and just reminds one of the classic "all about the racing/competition and not media" type.

He was a bit like Max but 20 years ago. Didn't have a long single seater career but was obviously very quick. Once he got in to a top car, he was often quick enough to make the established stars look over their shoulders. 2 second places in the title race early in his career. Then his single title. And 3 third places - one of them in a Lotus!

I wish he'd retired sooner as it's always sad to see a champion languishing in the lower orders.

Always been a fan of Kimi's - his no nonsense approach, just get in a drive, is quite old school these days.

[Jolle]

Livers will die at this retirement party…

[Manoah2u]

https://www.instagram.com/p/CTSWBpQItE8 ... _copy_link

'twas a matter of time.
end of an era, end of a legend.
Kimi was a character, and will be missed in F1 even though - to be fair - the last while is not really beneficial for him or f1 in general.

He belongs/belonged in a topteam. Ferrari, Renault (Genii Lotus), Mclaren, Mercedes, perhaps Aston Martin is where he should be found, not backmarker teams with no future.

Either way, i'd say that there was little chance to see him back in a topteam so his potential would be 'wasted' in anything lower than that. It's great that he enjoyed racing, but i'd personally say again that it's a waste of potential to not have him in top material.

Perhaps we'll see him in other racing classes and go for the win, which is ultimately where he belongs.

It was expected though that this would be his final season in F1.

Expecting a Bottas or Mick announcement @ Alfa very soon now.

[NL_Fer]

Does Kimi like endurance racing? WEC will be mega the lmdh entrants.

[adrianjordan]

Does Kimi like endurance racing? WEC will be mega the lmdh entrants.

Read this imaginary quote in Kimi's voice:

"Yeah I like the endurance racing it's very good the car is fast and I don't get wet when it rains you know and then I get out the car and someone else drives and I can have an ice cream and take a --- and then I get back in the car and drive fast it's really good."

[adrianjordan]

Yes he was handed a podium without driving for it. He still got outscored by Latifi in racing.

He earned that second place by qualifying 2nd.

Latiffi did not out race Russell in Austria. He was lucky as the start to end up where he did and then Russell got screwed at the restart by where his pit box was. Put this another way, discounting the pit lane mix up, Lattifi lost more places than George did during the race.

By your logic Latiffi is a better driver than Verstappen, Ricciardo and Raikonnen, because he beat him too despite being in a Williams. Wow, this Latiffi, must be the next Senna!!

Come on. No-one serious actually believes Latiffi is better than Russell, or has out raced him.

Austria? Don't you mean Hungary?

You sir, are most correct. Although it is also true that he did not out race him in Austria lol

[Marty_Y]

Does Kimi like endurance racing? WEC will be mega the lmdh entrants.

Read this imaginary quote in Kimi's voice:

"Yeah I like the endurance racing it's very good the car is fast and I don't get wet when it rains you know and then I get out the car and someone else drives and I can have an ice cream and take a --- and then I get back in the car and drive fast it's really good."

classic!

"They just leave me alone, they know I know what I'm doing!"

[Scorpaguy]

I think Kimi has uttered an interest in NASCAR.

[NathanOlder]

Yeah he ran the truck series years ago, so obviously something he likes. Would love to see him in Indycar though.

So the time line will be , Kimi retired, this weekend will all be about Kimi, let him have the full attention of the paddock (along with Max for obvious reasons)
Next weekend Kimi has had his moment and people have paid thier respect etc , Alfa then announce their 1 or 2 new drivers at home in Monza. Bottas and maybe Mick get all the attention and limelight. A week passes and then Mercedes finally announce George, maybe they hold off the news until Sochi, but its obvious that George will be in the seat if Alfa sign Bottas.

[WaikeCU]

Kimi in WEC for Ferrari berhaps.

Racing + Sleeping is probably two of Kimi's favourite things to do during a race weekend