2022 - McLaren Formula 1 Team

[SmallSoldier]

The rumors on Ricciardo started because someone (can’t remember exactly who) said that a “driver from a blue car was going to make a move”… Everyone interpret it as Gasly and when you look at the grid, the only logical place for Gasly was McLaren given the current line ups IF it would have been true… At the end, it was the potential for Piastri to go to Williams.

Regarding Pato and Colton, I watch Indycar and they are both very good drivers and are doing a “heck of a job” in an environment that is arguably a little tougher than F3-F2, where youngsters are fighting with very experience drivers… I don’t understand your comment that they should be hired “IF” they win Indycar, they both have won in Indycar already, do you mean the championship? Are you equating winning the championship in Indy to winning a few races in F1? I don’t think that is very fair to be honest.

I believe that the fastest drivers should be driving for a team like McLaren, regardless of who they are and you should never compromise for money… But I can see the appeal for the team to have someone that is very marketable in a target market for McLaren (like Colton in the US)… Been said that Colton is showing that he is pretty fast already, so we shouldn’t talk about Colton / Pato like if they were paying drivers looking for a seat.

I(f they do not win, would they have enough points?

While Colton and O'Ward have shown they are quite good drivers so far, imo they are not in the same league as Piastri, not even close. While they have won races here and there, neither have come close to winning the Indycar championship yet. Piastri has won 3 championships in a row in the traditional, proven path to F1, including smashing everyone in F2 last year. There also has been some very good drivers in F3 and F2 that he has raced against. What he has achieved is rare and only Leclerc and Russell are comparable in this regard. Pretty esteemed company there.

Also unless O'Ward or Colton finish 3rd or better this year I don't believe they would have enough points for a superlicense and would need special permission from the FIA to even get a drive in F1. If they did manage to get enough points or get special permission I could possibly see one of them in 2024 maybe joining Haas or possibly the new Andretti team on loan from McLaren. Has anyone from Indy let alone F1 even walked into straight into a top 3 or so F1 team before? I can think of Lando but even then McLaren were not far off rock bottom having finished 9th in 2017 so not exactly a top team when he joined at that point becoming test/reserve driver for 2018.

I’m not saying that either Colton or Pato are better than Piastri, that’s just an absurd comparison since they haven’t race each other, so any parallel between them is going to be subjective and with probably a lot of bias.

You don’t need to race in F2 or be a Champion in it to be great in Formula 1 (just ask Max Verstappen), as a matter of fact he finished 3rd in F3, clearly been a champion on F1’s feeder series isn’t requisite to be a solid driver in Formula 1 (shootout to Norris, who didn’t win F2 either)… As a matter of fact there are several F2 / GP2 champions that didn’t light the world on fire when they raced for F1, a close to heart example in McLaren is Stoffel Vandoorne, who came to the team as F2 Champion, having dominated during that season and unluckily flopped when he was in F1 next to Alonso… One could argue that is a similar story with the likes of Grosjean or Gasly, who also both were champions before joining F1 and neither achieved the level of what we might considered top tier drivers in F1.

As a matter of fact, both Colton and Pato are showing that they are faster than someone like Grosjean in the same category, with spec series cars… Actually, I don’t think that anyone would argue that both are showing way more pace and simply better race craft that someone like Calum Illot, who missed on the F2 title with some bad luck and finished 2nd in 2020, now in Indycar he is been outraced weekend after weekend by Colton and Pato.

I would also argue that racing against veteran / experienced drivers like Dixon, Powell, Newgarden, Rahal, etc is a bit more challenging than doing it with a bunch of youngsters that are still learning their craft and developing themselves.

Saying that Piastri, because he won F2 deserves a top seat, while the likes of Herta and Pato should be in a midfield / back marker team because they came from Indycar isn’t fair in my opinion… Placing F2 is some sort of pedestal isn’t objective since winning that Championship (or not) isn’t an indication of how good your F1 career will be… Unluckily, we haven’t had many drivers that came from Indycar into F1 to even make a comparison the other way around.

[Ground Effect]

The rumors on Ricciardo started because someone (can’t remember exactly who) said that a “driver from a blue car was going to make a move”… Everyone interpret it as Gasly and when you look at the grid, the only logical place for Gasly was McLaren given the current line ups IF it would have been true… At the end, it was the potential for Piastri to go to Williams.

Regarding Pato and Colton, I watch Indycar and they are both very good drivers and are doing a “heck of a job” in an environment that is arguably a little tougher than F3-F2, where youngsters are fighting with very experience drivers… I don’t understand your comment that they should be hired “IF” they win Indycar, they both have won in Indycar already, do you mean the championship? Are you equating winning the championship in Indy to winning a few races in F1? I don’t think that is very fair to be honest.

I believe that the fastest drivers should be driving for a team like McLaren, regardless of who they are and you should never compromise for money… But I can see the appeal for the team to have someone that is very marketable in a target market for McLaren (like Colton in the US)… Been said that Colton is showing that he is pretty fast already, so we shouldn’t talk about Colton / Pato like if they were paying drivers looking for a seat.

I(f they do not win, would they have enough points?

While Colton and O'Ward have shown they are quite good drivers so far, imo they are not in the same league as Piastri, not even close. While they have won races here and there, neither have come close to winning the Indycar championship yet. Piastri has won 3 championships in a row in the traditional, proven path to F1, including smashing everyone in F2 last year. There also has been some very good drivers in F3 and F2 that he has raced against. What he has achieved is rare and only Leclerc and Russell are comparable in this regard. Pretty esteemed company there.

Also unless O'Ward or Colton finish 3rd or better this year I don't believe they would have enough points for a superlicense and would need special permission from the FIA to even get a drive in F1. If they did manage to get enough points or get special permission I could possibly see one of them in 2024 maybe joining Haas or possibly the new Andretti team on loan from McLaren. Has anyone from Indy let alone F1 even walked into straight into a top 3 or so F1 team before? I can think of Lando but even then McLaren were not far off rock bottom having finished 9th in 2017 so not exactly a top team when he joined at that point becoming test/reserve driver for 2018.

Does Jacques Villeneuve count? I know it's been a while, but still, based on the generality of your question. He stuck it on Pole in Melbourne '96 and actually almost won, fought for the title till Suzuka (last race) and won it the next year... beating Schumacher no less.

[runningmanz]

I(f they do not win, would they have enough points?

While Colton and O'Ward have shown they are quite good drivers so far, imo they are not in the same league as Piastri, not even close. While they have won races here and there, neither have come close to winning the Indycar championship yet. Piastri has won 3 championships in a row in the traditional, proven path to F1, including smashing everyone in F2 last year. There also has been some very good drivers in F3 and F2 that he has raced against. What he has achieved is rare and only Leclerc and Russell are comparable in this regard. Pretty esteemed company there.

Also unless O'Ward or Colton finish 3rd or better this year I don't believe they would have enough points for a superlicense and would need special permission from the FIA to even get a drive in F1. If they did manage to get enough points or get special permission I could possibly see one of them in 2024 maybe joining Haas or possibly the new Andretti team on loan from McLaren. Has anyone from Indy let alone F1 even walked into straight into a top 3 or so F1 team before? I can think of Lando but even then McLaren were not far off rock bottom having finished 9th in 2017 so not exactly a top team when he joined at that point becoming test/reserve driver for 2018.

I’m not saying that either Colton or Pato are better than Piastri, that’s just an absurd comparison since they haven’t race each other, so any parallel between them is going to be subjective and with probably a lot of bias.

You don’t need to race in F2 or be a Champion in it to be great in Formula 1 (just ask Max Verstappen), as a matter of fact he finished 3rd in F3, clearly been a champion on F1’s feeder series isn’t requisite to be a solid driver in Formula 1 (shootout to Norris, who didn’t win F2 either)… As a matter of fact there are several F2 / GP2 champions that didn’t light the world on fire when they raced for F1, a close to heart example in McLaren is Stoffel Vandoorne, who came to the team as F2 Champion, having dominated during that season and unluckily flopped when he was in F1 next to Alonso… One could argue that is a similar story with the likes of Grosjean or Gasly, who also both were champions before joining F1 and neither achieved the level of what we might considered top tier drivers in F1.

As a matter of fact, both Colton and Pato are showing that they are faster than someone like Grosjean in the same category, with spec series cars… Actually, I don’t think that anyone would argue that both are showing way more pace and simply better race craft that someone like Calum Illot, who missed on the F2 title with some bad luck and finished 2nd in 2020, now in Indycar he is been outraced weekend after weekend by Colton and Pato.

I would also argue that racing against veteran / experienced drivers like Dixon, Powell, Newgarden, Rahal, etc is a bit more challenging than doing it with a bunch of youngsters that are still learning their craft and developing themselves.

Saying that Piastri, because he won F2 deserves a top seat, while the likes of Herta and Pato should be in a midfield / back marker team because they came from Indycar isn’t fair in my opinion… Placing F2 is some sort of pedestal isn’t objective since winning that Championship (or not) isn’t an indication of how good your F1 career will be… Unluckily, we haven’t had many drivers that came from Indycar into F1 to even make a comparison the other way around.

Of course there are exceptions where drivers do well in F1 not coming from championship winning comps before F1 however you can't really argue that Piastri hasn't done everything he can winning 3 championships in a row its not just F2, I think your underselling his achievements just a little bit, he smashed the competition last year winning the championship in his first attempt along with F3 as well. He has shown sustained high performance over 3 consecutive seasons leading to where he is now and even he doesn't get to walk into a top 3 team seat. I'm not saying O'Ward and Herta are not good because they are but I still don't rate them at the same level as Piastri at this point. Who knows in a year or two where they are at but right now imo they would be lucky to get an F1 drive in one of the backmarker teams. Let see how they go over the next season or two, winning Indycar would certainly be a big boost for their chances though.

[runningmanz]

I(f they do not win, would they have enough points?

While Colton and O'Ward have shown they are quite good drivers so far, imo they are not in the same league as Piastri, not even close. While they have won races here and there, neither have come close to winning the Indycar championship yet. Piastri has won 3 championships in a row in the traditional, proven path to F1, including smashing everyone in F2 last year. There also has been some very good drivers in F3 and F2 that he has raced against. What he has achieved is rare and only Leclerc and Russell are comparable in this regard. Pretty esteemed company there.

Also unless O'Ward or Colton finish 3rd or better this year I don't believe they would have enough points for a superlicense and would need special permission from the FIA to even get a drive in F1. If they did manage to get enough points or get special permission I could possibly see one of them in 2024 maybe joining Haas or possibly the new Andretti team on loan from McLaren. Has anyone from Indy let alone F1 even walked into straight into a top 3 or so F1 team before? I can think of Lando but even then McLaren were not far off rock bottom having finished 9th in 2017 so not exactly a top team when he joined at that point becoming test/reserve driver for 2018.

Does Jacques Villeneuve count? I know it's been a while, but still, based on the generality of your question. He stuck it on Pole in Melbourne '96 and actually almost won, fought for the title till Suzuka (last race) and won it the next year... beating Schumacher no less.

Yeah I think he could possibly be one of the rare exceptions walking into a top F1 team, but he was very strong leading into joining Williams and I also wonder how much the family name helped too though.

[SmallSoldier]

Of course there are exceptions where drivers do well in F1 not coming from championship winning comps before F1 however you can't really argue that Piastri hasn't done everything he can winning 3 championships in a row its not just F2, I think your underselling his achievements just a little bit, he smashed the competition last year winning the championship in his first attempt along with F3 as well. He has shown sustained high performance over 3 consecutive seasons leading to where he is now and even he doesn't get to walk into a top 3 team seat. I'm not saying O'Ward and Herta are not good because they are but I still don't rate them at the same level as Piastri at this point. Who knows in a year or two where they are at but right now imo they would be lucky to get an F1 drive in one of the backmarker teams. Let see how they go over the next season or two, winning Indycar would certainly be a big boost for their chances though.

Again, no one is underselling his achievements… But to make a comment like: “Herta and Pato are not on Piastri’s league” is just wrong… Is he deserving of a seat? Sure… Are Pato or Colton deserving of a seat? I would argue they do too… Who is faster between the 3? We just don’t know (at least not objectively).

My only point is that winning F3/F2 isn’t a guarantee that you will do good in F1 and tried to list you several drivers that came to F1 with similar credentials and that didn’t had stellar careers (Hulk, Grosjean, Vandoorne, Gasly for example… Even Mick Schumacher was F2 champion and today he is been beaten by Magnussen, which isn’t considered a top driver)… Even Lance Stroll was F3 champion and we all know how that translated to F1

I hope he gets his chance, while at the same time, the reality is that the teams have way more data than any of us could dream of, if he would be as good as everyone think he is, he may have been in a car already… Unluckily, the reality in F1 is that sometimes talent isn’t everything, timing is probably the most important part and it didn’t played out for him this season

[runningmanz]

Of course there are exceptions where drivers do well in F1 not coming from championship winning comps before F1 however you can't really argue that Piastri hasn't done everything he can winning 3 championships in a row its not just F2, I think your underselling his achievements just a little bit, he smashed the competition last year winning the championship in his first attempt along with F3 as well. He has shown sustained high performance over 3 consecutive seasons leading to where he is now and even he doesn't get to walk into a top 3 team seat. I'm not saying O'Ward and Herta are not good because they are but I still don't rate them at the same level as Piastri at this point. Who knows in a year or two where they are at but right now imo they would be lucky to get an F1 drive in one of the backmarker teams. Let see how they go over the next season or two, winning Indycar would certainly be a big boost for their chances though.

Again, no one is underselling his achievements… But to make a comment like: “Herta and Pato are not on Piastri’s league” is just wrong… Is he deserving of a seat? Sure… Are Pato or Colton deserving of a seat? I would argue they do too… Who is faster between the 3? We just don’t know (at least not objectively).

My only point is that winning F3/F2 isn’t a guarantee that you will do good in F1 and tried to list you several drivers that came to F1 with similar credentials and that didn’t had stellar careers (Hulk, Grosjean, Vandoorne, Gasly for example… Even Mick Schumacher was F2 champion and today he is been beaten by Magnussen, which isn’t considered a top driver)… Even Lance Stroll was F3 champion and we all know how that translated to F1

I hope he gets his chance, while at the same time, the reality is that the teams have way more data than any of us could dream of, if he would be as good as everyone think he is, he may have been in a car already… Unluckily, the reality in F1 is that sometimes talent isn’t everything, timing is probably the most important part and it didn’t played out for him this season

Probably have to disagree then I guess, I just don't see O'Ward or Herta quite there yet, if they have a strong season this year in the top 3 or even win the championship then maybe yes. Piastri has maximized his results and has been very consistent hence why I rate him higher not to mention winning 3 championships in a row. Anyway all just my opinion of course. Lets see how it pans out.

[SmallSoldier]

Of course there are exceptions where drivers do well in F1 not coming from championship winning comps before F1 however you can't really argue that Piastri hasn't done everything he can winning 3 championships in a row its not just F2, I think your underselling his achievements just a little bit, he smashed the competition last year winning the championship in his first attempt along with F3 as well. He has shown sustained high performance over 3 consecutive seasons leading to where he is now and even he doesn't get to walk into a top 3 team seat. I'm not saying O'Ward and Herta are not good because they are but I still don't rate them at the same level as Piastri at this point. Who knows in a year or two where they are at but right now imo they would be lucky to get an F1 drive in one of the backmarker teams. Let see how they go over the next season or two, winning Indycar would certainly be a big boost for their chances though.

Again, no one is underselling his achievements… But to make a comment like: “Herta and Pato are not on Piastri’s league” is just wrong… Is he deserving of a seat? Sure… Are Pato or Colton deserving of a seat? I would argue they do too… Who is faster between the 3? We just don’t know (at least not objectively).

My only point is that winning F3/F2 isn’t a guarantee that you will do good in F1 and tried to list you several drivers that came to F1 with similar credentials and that didn’t had stellar careers (Hulk, Grosjean, Vandoorne, Gasly for example… Even Mick Schumacher was F2 champion and today he is been beaten by Magnussen, which isn’t considered a top driver)… Even Lance Stroll was F3 champion and we all know how that translated to F1

I hope he gets his chance, while at the same time, the reality is that the teams have way more data than any of us could dream of, if he would be as good as everyone think he is, he may have been in a car already… Unluckily, the reality in F1 is that sometimes talent isn’t everything, timing is probably the most important part and it didn’t played out for him this season

Probably have to disagree then I guess, I just don't see O'Ward or Herta quite there yet, if they have a strong season this year in the top 3 or even win the championship then maybe yes. Piastri has maximized his results and has been very consistent hence why I rate him higher not to mention winning 3 championships in a row. Anyway all just my opinion of course. Lets see how it pans out.

Not an issue, a harmless conversation while we wait for the weekend to start

In any case, the chances of Piastri in McLaren are quiet low if you ask me… He is already bound to Alpine, most probably been thought as a replacement for Alonso when and if he decides to call it a day… Daniel is bound to McLaren for this season and the next and a lot can happen between now and the summer of 2023 when the team will probably start defining who would be in the second seat from 2024 and onwards… If Daniel shows the qualities that brought him to the team, they will probably renew him, if not they will look at what options are out there, if Piastri is still tied to Alpine I doubt they will get him in a “loan”, therefore would be forced to look outside… But again, most of it would be mute if Daniel renews with the team.

[runningmanz]

Again, no one is underselling his achievements… But to make a comment like: “Herta and Pato are not on Piastri’s league” is just wrong… Is he deserving of a seat? Sure… Are Pato or Colton deserving of a seat? I would argue they do too… Who is faster between the 3? We just don’t know (at least not objectively).

My only point is that winning F3/F2 isn’t a guarantee that you will do good in F1 and tried to list you several drivers that came to F1 with similar credentials and that didn’t had stellar careers (Hulk, Grosjean, Vandoorne, Gasly for example… Even Mick Schumacher was F2 champion and today he is been beaten by Magnussen, which isn’t considered a top driver)… Even Lance Stroll was F3 champion and we all know how that translated to F1

I hope he gets his chance, while at the same time, the reality is that the teams have way more data than any of us could dream of, if he would be as good as everyone think he is, he may have been in a car already… Unluckily, the reality in F1 is that sometimes talent isn’t everything, timing is probably the most important part and it didn’t played out for him this season

Probably have to disagree then I guess, I just don't see O'Ward or Herta quite there yet, if they have a strong season this year in the top 3 or even win the championship then maybe yes. Piastri has maximized his results and has been very consistent hence why I rate him higher not to mention winning 3 championships in a row. Anyway all just my opinion of course. Lets see how it pans out.

Not an issue, a harmless conversation while we wait for the weekend to start

In any case, the chances of Piastri in McLaren are quiet low if you ask me… He is already bound to Alpine, most probably been thought as a replacement for Alonso when and if he decides to call it a day… Daniel is bound to McLaren for this season and the next and a lot can happen between now and the summer of 2023 when the team will probably start defining who would be in the second seat from 2024 and onwards… If Daniel shows the qualities that brought him to the team, they will probably renew him, if not they will look at what options are out there, if Piastri is still tied to Alpine I doubt they will get him in a “loan”, therefore would be forced to look outside… But again, most of it would be mute if Daniel renews with the team.

Yeah for sure, it would be a boring world if we all just agreed with each other.

Don't get me wrong but I never mean't Piastri being in the frame for a McLaren drive either other than temp reserve driver at the moment amongst some other drivers. Like you said he is tied to Alpine. It looks like he will probably end up at Williams as a loaner replacing Latifi as soon as later this year but more likely next year from what I have heard. Can't wait to see him in F1, so deserving of a seat and an exciting young talent.

Yeah with Ricciardo its been a bit of sliding doors imo this season. If he didn't have that PU DNF in Saudi and just avoided that minor contact with Sainz after he touched the kerb he'd be right up on the scoreboard with Lando and wouldn't be copping all this criticism which if you base it on just this season alone I think is pretty unfair. He was really quick in qualli at Imola too setting that fastest first Q3 run and then due to the red flags never got a chance to beat Lando. It certainly wasn't out of the question. The main thing is though he looks much more comfortable in the car every race so far. It makes sense when the MCL36 is better balanced now and more towards the traditional handling cars he is used to and also allows him to trail brake agressively like the cars he has shined in, in the past.

Lando is at the top of his game so no mean feat if Dan only manages to match him but I still believe he can beat him this season he has produced some amazing seasons before as recently as 2020 at Renault and that would certainly be a big boost to him renewing his contract beyond the end of 2023. Alot of races to go yet so will be very interesting to see what he can do going forward.

[runningmanz]

https://youtu.be/8SXzGxoeN-c

Interesting video but a bit misleading really as Ricciardo often is slower to warm up his tyres in qualli, also he was trading fast laps with Lando and particularly in Q3 where he had the quickest first run lap. If you compared that it would show Ricciardo being faster. I would say they were pretty even at Imola. Dan never got his second run in to try and beat Lando's time after the red flags in Q3 so very hard to compare the two.

[SmallSoldier]

Probably have to disagree then I guess, I just don't see O'Ward or Herta quite there yet, if they have a strong season this year in the top 3 or even win the championship then maybe yes. Piastri has maximized his results and has been very consistent hence why I rate him higher not to mention winning 3 championships in a row. Anyway all just my opinion of course. Lets see how it pans out.

Not an issue, a harmless conversation while we wait for the weekend to start

In any case, the chances of Piastri in McLaren are quiet low if you ask me… He is already bound to Alpine, most probably been thought as a replacement for Alonso when and if he decides to call it a day… Daniel is bound to McLaren for this season and the next and a lot can happen between now and the summer of 2023 when the team will probably start defining who would be in the second seat from 2024 and onwards… If Daniel shows the qualities that brought him to the team, they will probably renew him, if not they will look at what options are out there, if Piastri is still tied to Alpine I doubt they will get him in a “loan”, therefore would be forced to look outside… But again, most of it would be mute if Daniel renews with the team.

Yeah for sure, it would be a boring world if we all just agreed with each other.

Don't get me wrong but I never mean't Piastri being in the frame for a McLaren drive either other than temp reserve driver at the moment amongst some other drivers. Like you said he is tied to Alpine. It looks like he will probably end up at Williams as a loaner replacing Latifi as soon as later this year but more likely next year from what I have heard. Can't wait to see him in F1, so deserving of a seat and an exciting young talent.

Yeah with Ricciardo its been a bit of sliding doors imo this season. If he didn't have that PU DNF in Saudi and just avoided that minor contact with Sainz after he touched the kerb he'd be right up on the scoreboard with Lando and wouldn't be copping all this criticism which if you base it on just this season alone I think is pretty unfair. He was really quick in qualli at Imola too setting that fastest first Q3 run and then due to the red flags never got a chance to beat Lando. It certainly wasn't out of the question. The main thing is though he looks much more comfortable in the car every race so far. It makes sense when the MCL36 is better balanced now and more towards the traditional handling cars he is used to and also allows him to trail brake agressively like the cars he has shined in, in the past.

Lando is at the top of his game so no mean feat if Dan only manages to match him but I still believe he can beat him this season he has produced some amazing seasons before as recently as 2020 at Renault and that would certainly be a big boost to him renewing his contract beyond the end of 2023. Alot of races to go yet so will be very interesting to see what he can do going forward.

I agree with most of what you say about Daniel… I’ll admit that I’m not a fan of any driver in particular, I’m a fan of McLaren and I will root and support any driver that is working for the team, at the same time, if a driver isn’t performing I don’t mind the team making the necessary changes to get the “right man for the job”, at the end it’s all about the Team (for me)… Do I hope that Daniel shines with McLaren? Absolutely! Not only because the team needs him to, but also because I enjoy his personality and he has had brilliant drives in the past, I’m just hoping that he can replicate those great weekends while at McLaren… But I won’t be apologetic of him either, if looked objectively his performance has been subpar since he joined the team, I don’t buy the whole “the car didn’t suit his style”, a great driver will drive the wheels of whatever they put in front of him and the car is as fast as the fastest driver can take it, that in my opinion is what differentiates the greats from the good drivers.

The season is just starting and there are a lot of opportunities for Daniel to showcase his brilliance, but at some point in time the excuses need to end and he either just needs to deliver or the team needs to move forward.

[runningmanz]

Not an issue, a harmless conversation while we wait for the weekend to start

In any case, the chances of Piastri in McLaren are quiet low if you ask me… He is already bound to Alpine, most probably been thought as a replacement for Alonso when and if he decides to call it a day… Daniel is bound to McLaren for this season and the next and a lot can happen between now and the summer of 2023 when the team will probably start defining who would be in the second seat from 2024 and onwards… If Daniel shows the qualities that brought him to the team, they will probably renew him, if not they will look at what options are out there, if Piastri is still tied to Alpine I doubt they will get him in a “loan”, therefore would be forced to look outside… But again, most of it would be mute if Daniel renews with the team.

Yeah for sure, it would be a boring world if we all just agreed with each other.

Don't get me wrong but I never mean't Piastri being in the frame for a McLaren drive either other than temp reserve driver at the moment amongst some other drivers. Like you said he is tied to Alpine. It looks like he will probably end up at Williams as a loaner replacing Latifi as soon as later this year but more likely next year from what I have heard. Can't wait to see him in F1, so deserving of a seat and an exciting young talent.

Yeah with Ricciardo its been a bit of sliding doors imo this season. If he didn't have that PU DNF in Saudi and just avoided that minor contact with Sainz after he touched the kerb he'd be right up on the scoreboard with Lando and wouldn't be copping all this criticism which if you base it on just this season alone I think is pretty unfair. He was really quick in qualli at Imola too setting that fastest first Q3 run and then due to the red flags never got a chance to beat Lando. It certainly wasn't out of the question. The main thing is though he looks much more comfortable in the car every race so far. It makes sense when the MCL36 is better balanced now and more towards the traditional handling cars he is used to and also allows him to trail brake agressively like the cars he has shined in, in the past.

Lando is at the top of his game so no mean feat if Dan only manages to match him but I still believe he can beat him this season he has produced some amazing seasons before as recently as 2020 at Renault and that would certainly be a big boost to him renewing his contract beyond the end of 2023. Alot of races to go yet so will be very interesting to see what he can do going forward.

I agree with most of what you say about Daniel… I’ll admit that I’m not a fan of any driver in particular, I’m a fan of McLaren and I will root and support any driver that is working for the team, at the same time, if a driver isn’t performing I don’t mind the team making the necessary changes to get the “right man for the job”, at the end it’s all about the Team (for me)… Do I hope that Daniel shines with McLaren? Absolutely! Not only because the team needs him to, but also because I enjoy his personality and he has had brilliant drives in the past, I’m just hoping that he can replicate those great weekends while at McLaren… But I won’t be apologetic of him either, if looked objectively his performance has been subpar since he joined the team, I don’t buy the whole “the car didn’t suit his style”, a great driver will drive the wheels of whatever they put in front of him and the car is as fast as the fastest driver can take it, that in my opinion is what differentiates the greats from the good drivers.

The season is just starting and there are a lot of opportunities for Daniel to showcase his brilliance, but at some point in time the excuses need to end and he either just needs to deliver or the team needs to move forward.

Yeah again I'd have to disagree about not being able to adapt I don't think its that simple, its more about the length of time it takes, some drivers are just slower than others to adapt depending on how far the opposite end of the spectrum of car they are used to, having said that though Dan has driven alot of cars previously without the problems he had in the McLaren early on. You also have to take into account the performance ceiling they have when comfortable in a car imo of which Ricciardo's is extremely high so worth taking the time.

The previous McLaren was a weirdly unique car which took away Dan's strengths with trail braking and sharper front end which is what he likes. Lando has never known any other car up until this year and had 3 years to adapt. Really Dan only struggled to adapt for the first part of the year. In the second half of last year he was alot stronger and more comfortable actually outscoring Lando. You see now this car is more towards what Dan is used to and he is right on it with Lando. He is certainly performing better than Lewis or Carlos this season relative to their teammates. Would matching Lando this season be a disappointment or worthy of dropping him? I don't believe so not when they are now on roughly the same salary anyway if he was miles off like last year then certainly you would be asking questions but he isn't this year. He was arguably faster in Australia particularly the first half on mediums and beat Lando in Bahrain, Imola he looked right there and really quick in Q3. In Saudi he was right there too with Lando before the PU issue. Last year tho he rightly deserved the criticism. However I do believe he will be back on it this season and showing some of the brilliance like you mentioned that we all know he is capable of.

Obviously I'm a big fan, I like how he brings alot more to the team than just being a great driver that has results over a long career to prove it such as winning experience and having driven many different cars can provide good development input. Also some ridiculously good overtakes in the past are a joy to watch, hopefully more of that this year. He also lifts the positivity of everyone around him too which can't be underestimated and is very popular which helps promote McLaren as well.

Can't wait for this weekend. Already looks like its been going nuts in Miami after the opening party.

[Ground Effect]

Obviously, Piastri seems to have the talent, but like Small Soldier said, a stellar junior career doesn't always translate into a great performance in F1. Regardless of what you're driving, you have to show your potential and talent, like Fernando did in Minardi, Schumacher in his debut in a Jordan etc. I wouldn't be eager to take Piastri over Daniel, even if he's still behind Lando, without first seeing Piastri drive F1 machinery in a competitive setting, not just tests.

[runningmanz]

Obviously, Piastri seems to have the talent, but like Small Soldier said, a stellar junior career doesn't always translate into a great performance in F1. Regardless of what you're driving, you have to show your potential and talent, like Fernando did in Minardi, Schumacher in his debut in a Jordan etc. I wouldn't be eager to take Piastri over Daniel, even if he's still behind Lando, without first seeing Piastri drive F1 machinery in a competitive setting, not just tests.

Yeah not always but again we are talking the class of Leclerc and Russell who did similar things to Oscar in the lead up to an F1 drive, I think the odds are he is the real deal. As for McLaren no chance he ends up here anyway not anytime soon if at all. He's tied to Alpine and Dan still deserves his seat given he is matching Lando now on pace. I believe Piastri will be in Williams and then Alpine after that when Alonso retires. Rossi head of Alpine rates him extremely highly and sees him in thier long term future. Having said that I think all rookie drivers no matter how good the leadup record is should have to hone their craft in a backmarker F1 team first before progressing to a better team.

https://www.foxsports.com.au/motorsport ... 9cd5db2933

[PhillipM]

Reminds me of the same rubbish that used to go on when people were saying we needed to get rid of Sainz (and Lando!) because he was --- and some new talent would blow him away...

[Mansell89]

I think Ricciardo looks on it this year to be fair. Was right back to his racy self in Melbourne I thought- I think going back to Aus and having some time with his friends and family has reinvigorated him having lived thousands of miles away from them in covid bubbles for nigh on 2 years.

Sure, Lando has been brilliant, but Dan looks much more like himself this time around and if we can keep improving the car he will deliver.