That sums Sainz up though. He isn’t good enough, hence wherever he goes, he’s in trouble. The recency bias of early season is waning now, and he’s firmly back to a #2 at Ferrari, and showing why Ferrari got rid.
People will understand how much it was a no brainer for Vasseur to bring Hamilton, even if he's not in his 20's anymore
Harsh but the more I think about it the more I think you might be right.
Nico is the riskiest as he is not rated highly unlike GR or FA, despite Hulkenberg being fast. Sainz was already slower than Hulkenberg last time they were paired. There is no upside to Sainz beating "journeyman" Hulkenberg as it is expected, yet if Hulkenberg was faster than Sainz it would be disastrous for Sainz's future negotiations and aspirations for a WDC-calibre seat.
Why on earth would any team want to hire Helmut Marko? Helmut is at times delusional, but I don't think he's reckless enough to leave RBR and be out of F1. Because I can't imagine Max weakening his negotiation position by forcing another team to hire a useless Helmut.PapayaFan481 wrote: ↑13 May 2024, 09:18On Max, I can't remember reading it in this thread, but The Race reported that Helmut is apparently willing to leave Red Bull in order to trigger the clause in Max's contract and allow him to leave if he feels that's in Max's best interest. Now that would open questions about what arrangement exists between Helmut and Max/Jos. Would Max want to take Helmut with him to a new team? Could be very interesting - I don't remember anything like that ever happening before.
He may well be considering things from a managing angle. If he got Max on board plus a few of his "ex prodigy" he could maintain his interest in the sport and a nice little earner as a side-line without having to travel if he did not want to.SharkY wrote: ↑13 May 2024, 10:37Why on earth would any team want to hire Helmut Marko? Helmut is at times delusional, but I don't think he's reckless enough to leave RBR and be out of F1. Because I can't imagine Max weakening his negotiation position by forcing another team to hire a useless Helmut.PapayaFan481 wrote: ↑13 May 2024, 09:18On Max, I can't remember reading it in this thread, but The Race reported that Helmut is apparently willing to leave Red Bull in order to trigger the clause in Max's contract and allow him to leave if he feels that's in Max's best interest. Now that would open questions about what arrangement exists between Helmut and Max/Jos. Would Max want to take Helmut with him to a new team? Could be very interesting - I don't remember anything like that ever happening before.
Could be a prerequisite for hiring Max Verstappen..SharkY wrote: ↑13 May 2024, 10:37Why on earth would any team want to hire Helmut Marko?PapayaFan481 wrote: ↑13 May 2024, 09:18On Max, I can't remember reading it in this thread, but The Race reported that Helmut is apparently willing to leave Red Bull in order to trigger the clause in Max's contract and allow him to leave if he feels that's in Max's best interest. Now that would open questions about what arrangement exists between Helmut and Max/Jos. Would Max want to take Helmut with him to a new team? Could be very interesting - I don't remember anything like that ever happening before.
It would be interesting to know what would be a role profile for Marko outside of Red Bull. If it's simply hire him and pay a certain salary and he sits in his home in Austria, then great. If he travels around as Max's luggage and his air travel (chartered flights), visa processes, hotel accommodations, track transit, garage entry security clearance etc., is required, then he would be a burden as he isn't going to add any value other than being Max's cheerleader. At Red Bull, he has the responsibility of young driver program, which is only available at Ferrari currently as they have a driver academy. Mercedes or Aston doesn't have one. Other than Max wanting his huggy bear, I don't see how Marko himself would think he can be of value to join Max elsewhere.deadhead wrote: ↑14 May 2024, 17:25Could be a prerequisite for hiring Max Verstappen..SharkY wrote: ↑13 May 2024, 10:37Why on earth would any team want to hire Helmut Marko?PapayaFan481 wrote: ↑13 May 2024, 09:18On Max, I can't remember reading it in this thread, but The Race reported that Helmut is apparently willing to leave Red Bull in order to trigger the clause in Max's contract and allow him to leave if he feels that's in Max's best interest. Now that would open questions about what arrangement exists between Helmut and Max/Jos. Would Max want to take Helmut with him to a new team? Could be very interesting - I don't remember anything like that ever happening before.
