Off topic but just read your signature.Phil wrote: ↑08 Aug 2018, 14:52Sadly, for Buemi,I think it's a little too late. He has been out of F1 too long. Now he is driving for WEC and Formula-E. Even if he might have been one of the most promising RB drivers after Vettel, it's just been a little too long.
I think Hartley got the nod to join Torro-Rosso last year, not because they wanted him over Buemi, but because Buemi declined the prospect of sitting in for a short undisclosed time while he has other racing series to compete in. Back at the time, it was discussed that it may be a very risky thing to do and could potentially be damaging to your career.
I cant see any other outcome other than Gasly to RedBull, and Sainz will go back to ToroRosso if he doesn't get a seat at Mclaren alongside Stoffel as Fernando goes to IndyCar. If Sainz goes to Mclaren (because Fernando stays for some crazy reason) , then Torro Rosso will have to employ someone outside of the RedBull family, and with James Key going to Mclaren, they will let Toro Rosso borrow Lando Norris for a year to keep both teams happy. Win win situation for Norris, Key, Mclaren & Toro Rosso.Sieper wrote: ↑08 Aug 2018, 12:56Nathan, indeed Dennis not back to single seaters, the Dennis news, goes to drive for Audi in Japan
https://twitter.com/JakeDennis19/status ... 0473379846
The Hartley surprise move to STR must have shifted what is reasonable to expect a bit too far in my brain! What Are your expectations for the RBR and STR seats for 2019?
which is unprofessional and just plain rude. It also comes across as if Horner believes in this analogy that he's the most attractive man around, while the reality is that he runs only the third-most attractive F1 team."it’s kind of been like trying to convince a girl to go out with you that’s been pretty reticent. It’s felt like that"
The self-serving slipperiness of this framing is significant as while Vettel was quicker he wasn't just quicker; it fails to acknowledge Red Bull's rampant favouritism towards Vettel, despite Webber never being hired as a number 2 driver."It was potentially where Ricciardo-Verstappen could have ended up over the next couple of years ... if he (Webber) looked back at it now with perspective and honesty, Sebastian was just quicker".
That is an absolute reach... I've seen a side to Ricciardo this season that I haven't really seen before. He is obsessed with this 1st/2nd driver business and will not tolerate the idea of NOT being labelled as "1st driver".. I've seen him be childish on track and cause issue and when Horner says he has been reticent during the negotiations, it is likely 1000% true. He phoned Marko the Thursday prior to announcing the Renault deal that he is going to Renault, it's all been very shady and he's been extremely coy to media as well.AngusF1 wrote: ↑09 Aug 2018, 06:03Some quotes from the above video here: https://www.news.com.au/sport/motorspor ... 2fb25f3a33
Quite an insightful interview. Horner claims Red Bull offered a one-year deal and that money wasn't an issue. He makes some reasonable criticisms to establish the "Red Bull authorised version", however also adds some comments which reveal more about Red Bull's attitude and motives than they do about Ricciardo.
Firstlywhich is unprofessional and just plain rude. It also comes across as if Horner believes in this analogy that he's the most attractive man around, while the reality is that he runs only the third-most attractive F1 team."it’s kind of been like trying to convince a girl to go out with you that’s been pretty reticent. It’s felt like that"
Further, in reference to Webber-Vettel,The self-serving slipperiness of this framing is significant as while Vettel was quicker he wasn't just quicker; it fails to acknowledge Red Bull's rampant favouritism towards Vettel, despite Webber never being hired as a number 2 driver."It was potentially where Ricciardo-Verstappen could have ended up over the next couple of years ... if he (Webber) looked back at it now with perspective and honesty, Sebastian was just quicker".
Horner's acknowledgement that Ricciardo could have been treated similarly to Webber is all we need to know to understand Ricciardo's motivation for leaving. For a driver widely acknowledged as a top 5 in the sport, and arguably as good as 2nd or 3rd, to have such a role envisaged for him is a real shame. Ricciardo has always stated his goal in the sport is to win titles, and it's now clear that the opportunity to do so was blocked at Red Bull. Consequently with Renault he's chosen the best team available.
$35 million though?? It's a leap, an emotional one and I think Renault was strong armed into doing it to get him. Which fine, the dude took advantage of the situation, good on him, but that's a disgustingly large sum... especially compared to Hulk's salary.. and if true, that's also a larger base salary than Alonso or even Hamilton which is madness.