planetf1.com

Oddly enough I have the sneaking suspicion that 2018 will be Kimi's best season in years.

This backs up what I've said previously but was unable to find a source.

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Yes I hope it happens, we will be able to make the comparison between Vettel and Verstappen as well as seeing if 2014 was just a glitch.

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If you mean in comparison to Vettel that might just put more question marks on Vettel?

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What questionmarks?

It will be irrelevant if Ricciardo joins Ferrari, tbh.

If Kimi was to beat Vettel.

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That's sort of what I was saying what Kimi does or doesn't do might not be relevant?

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I don't understand. How does Kimi not being relevant mean that question marks might be put on Vettel?

Ricciardo joins whatever, to replace an under performing Kimi or because they're not sure of Vettel's performance level if he has a poor season relative to Kimi.

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Vettel and Ricciardo would be one hell of a lineup for Ferrari, almost certainly going to be the best overall line up on the grid and guarantees an interesting championship fight in the event of Ferrari dominating.

I'll believe it when I see though, makes sense for Ferrari but to go from signing Kimi again and again to signing an elite level driver like Ricciardo is a big change in approach. Also if I were Ricciardo I would be wary of pinning my hopes on Ferrari over Red Bull for the next few years.

While I fully agree with what you've said, I think it's possible that Ferrari have actually learned something from the past 10 years. Basically, ever since Schumacher left, they've been trying to reproduce what they had with him. They've tried to sign one elite driver to build the team around and another dedicated #2 to give them strategic flexibility and stay out of the top driver's way. With Kimi, it turned out he wasn't really up to the level people thought he was. With Alonso, things never fully came together in terms of car/driver/team all performing at top flight. With Vettel, they have also come up short these last few years. Maybe they are willing to alter their approach? I know it's hard to believe with Ferrari but it's not impossible.

Toto Wolff has said that incase Bottas disapoints this year which would result in his contract not being renewed, Sainz could be a possibility to partner Hamilton in 2019. Ofcourse, Red Bull wouldn't want to let him go to a direct rival team. I thought Ricciardo was the 1st preferred choice with Ocon 2nd. This is a shocker:

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-autosport/944209/Lewis-Hamilton-Mercedes-Toto-Wolff-Valtteri-Bottas-Carlos-Sainz-Renault-F1-news

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The same Sainz who is being destroyed by Hulkenberg?

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Surely not.

Or is this a "Hamilton must have a [inferior driver ]" alongside him thing?!

Hamilton's contract is being negotiated at the moment, and it might be a case of, 'if Ricciardo comes here, i'm off'.

Disappointing if true.

1) There is no quote in either the article you've linked to, nor the one they have lifted the quotes from, that says Sainz is his preferred choice over Ricciardo and/or Ocon. In fact...
2) ...in the article it quotes, Toto refers to Ocon as "my little treasure" and adds, "every year he has to respond to high expectations and he does it. It is impressive how it has grown." He also doesn't discuss Daniel at all, so it really isn't a shocker, as you've claimed.
3) Also, "Toto Wolff has said that incase Bottas disapoints this year which would result in his contract not being renewed"... he did not say that. Like, at all. So you're just making things up there.
4) But most importantly, the article from which The Express are drawing these quotes is dated the 7th March, so before the season even began. It isn't even reflective of the first two races.

Utter nonsense all round.

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You don't have to get hyper as it's not called 'Silly' season for nothing. What I wrote in the start was not exactly what Toto said, especially regarding Bottas, but he surely has to perform against Hamilton. The rest I never claimed were quotes from the article but tried to summarize it as how things could shape up for 2019.

Even if Toto was really interested in Sainz, Red Bull won't let him go. More than Sainz, Ocon has a better chance to get the seat, if not Ricciardo.

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You literally wrote, "Toto Wolff has said that incase Bottas disapoints this year which would result in his contract not being renewed, Sainz could be a possibility to partner Hamilton in 2019", that you "thought Ricciardo was the 1st preferred choice with Ocon 2nd", and that this development is "a shocker". Not really sure why you're trying to pretend otherwise?

And yes, this is the silly season thread, but there is silly and then there is barely reputable sources taking quotes from a pre-season interview that is over a month (and two races) old and trying to frame them as a new development.

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Not clicking on it. But articles from The Express are useless. I wouldn't waste your time.

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Yeah...shouldn't have stated Toto said it. I wanted to actually write that Toto considering Sainz for a (possible) seat in 2019 would be a shocker. If Bottas doesn't perform, I'd expect Ricciardo & Ocon in consideration. Still too early but Ricciardo's fate would be decided the earliest of the 3 as his contract negotiations wouldn't stretch till end of the season.

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https://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/for ... -ums-geld/

Some interesting things.

- Only small details holding up Lewis extension. Not money and Lauda denies he's asking for $10m extra, says the price goes up or down depending on Mercedes performance
- Lewis wants to see Liberty's plans as well before committing.
- Will only be 2yr deal, as will Ricciardo's wherever he ends up
- Rumour Lando Norris is the target for both Mercedes and Red Bull for next year. McLaren lose him if they don't offer drive for next year and says Red Bull can offer a STR seat. Asks can Mercedes offer one?

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"Clark came through at the end of the first lap so far ahead that we in the pits were convinced that the rest of the field must have been wiped out in an accident."
-Eddie Dennis, describing the dominance of Jim Clark in the Lotus 49 at Spa 1967

Hamilton does not seem happy but then he never has at Merc. I could see him moving or walking out of F1 altogether. I think if Ferrari came knocking he would go.

I wouldn't go as far as to say he's never been happy there but yeah, I get the feeling he's ready to move on to the next stop and Vettel (and Ferrari's clear 1-2 philosophy) is the only thing in the way. Ferrari would not want to create an internal battle and Vettel is already under contract. I'd be surprised if they signed Hamilton. Not to mention the salaries of Hamilton and Vettel combined would be more than the whole budget for some smaller teams.

This is the best silly season in a while though. Hamilton, Alonso, Ricciardo, Raikkonen and Bottas all potentially moving. Odds are Hamilton stays with Mercedes but I think both Mercedes and Ferrari will likely have different lineups next year. If Hamilton does move to Ferrari, I can potentially see both Ricciardo and Alonso ending up at Mercedes. More likely it would be only one of them so that the team could keep at least one driver who is familiar with them. Hamilton re-signing means Ricciardo will likely push for a Ferrari seat. That's the most attractive destination at the moment as they are in the ascendancy these last few years while Mercedes appear to be on the way down from the mountain top.

If Hamilton and Ricciardo stay put it will be another very dull silly season. Ricciardo's the key. Nobody is signing anywhere until the Ricciardo deal is done.

I thought he was pretty much nailed on for staying at Merc, I'm edging towards it still being the case but Ferrari's competitiveness is giving me doubts.

Ferrari are the ones coming with all the innovations right now as well which is usually a sign of things to come. They had the flexi floor which was banned, the had the blown axle which was banned but now they've got that perfectly legal switch on the steering wheel which activates the ers-h so they can blow the rear wing at certain points with stored electrical energy which is pretty genius...

https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/repo ... rix-report


You just get the feeling it's all coming together at Ferrari right now and they are right with Mercedes in the highest modes apparently, even a touch quicker, with only some shortfall in efficiency in the race but nowhere near as bad as thought in pre-season. That and their TD coming with all the neat tricks makes it an attractive prospect outside of the general driving for Ferrari is special thing that all drivers seem to have.

Problem is do Ferrari want the headache (And expense) of two stars there right as things are working well. Seb's deal runs out at the end of 2020 so a two year deal for Lewis at Mercedes would run out at the same time and a swap could make better sense then, especially if Seb has won a title or two and fancies a change himself so I think he'll still sign with Mercedes but Ferrari haven't looked this attractive in a while so it's interesting.

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"Clark came through at the end of the first lap so far ahead that we in the pits were convinced that the rest of the field must have been wiped out in an accident."
-Eddie Dennis, describing the dominance of Jim Clark in the Lotus 49 at Spa 1967

From a Merc side as well I don't think resigning Hamilton is a no brainer either. If he continues to operate on the Bottas level and if Merc can get Ricciardo then I can see them waving goodbye. Hamilton is very high maintenance, very expensive and hardly seems a positive influence in the team at the moment. If they can get Ricciardo who is a far more positive character, would cost less money and maybe more motivated then I could see them partnering him with Bottas.

Bit harsh mikey. He was on it in Oz until it went belly up and the two qualy losses have been pretty tight. China race was poor yeah but over the season it will likely be Lewis that Mercedes success this year will be down to. He was a bit up and down at the start last year and went on to have arguably his best season so I think it's a bit premature to be thinking Mercedes will jump ship.

They might not like it if he's asking for more money but if you tell the world Alonso isn't welcome and Max and Seb signs up elsewhere then you leave yourself open to get taken to the cleaners a bit in my book. They can just put Dan next to Lewis, he's sat next to two other top 5 drivers with no issues so I don't think he'd replace him when you could have a line up that strong.

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"Clark came through at the end of the first lap so far ahead that we in the pits were convinced that the rest of the field must have been wiped out in an accident."
-Eddie Dennis, describing the dominance of Jim Clark in the Lotus 49 at Spa 1967

I agree it all rests on Ricciardo's move though.

McLaren vs Enstone winner to a lesser extent as Alonso might jump ship.

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"Clark came through at the end of the first lap so far ahead that we in the pits were convinced that the rest of the field must have been wiped out in an accident."
-Eddie Dennis, describing the dominance of Jim Clark in the Lotus 49 at Spa 1967

I really want to see Vettel vs Ricciardo part 2. Let's see if 2014 was a fluke or not.


1. If Ricciardo beats Vettel again, then Vettel's legacy will seriously be harmed and he will go down like Piquet.

2. If they are evenly matched, then both drivers stock will remain about the same.

3. If Vettel beats Ricciardo, then his legacy is set in stone.

That's kind of ridiculous. Taking two lackluster races and ignoring the previous 4 years (and 40 wins) that Lewis racked up with them would be a foolish thing to do. You never want to take a proven champion for granted for the next shiny thing; especially an all-time great. How did replacing Michael with Kimi work out? How did allowing Lewis to walk out the door at McLaren work out? Lewis's salary is a drop in the bucket for a corporation the size of Daimler. They will re-sign him if he wants to stay. Of that you can be certain. I rate Dan but he's not a proven commodity when it comes to winning championships.

I said if.

And all the other points against Hamilton are nothing new. Sure it would be a risk but if you are as high maintenance, as expensive and as negative as Hamilton is at times you have to maintain a hell of an upside to be worth all the bother.

F1 teams are going through a faze of being extremely conservative with driver choices so I expect Merc to offer Lewis a deal. I just don't think it's a certainty.

Negative? Sorry I don't agree at all. Hamilton isn't a negative person. In fact his impact on the teams he has raced for has been overwhelmingly positive. Sure there are bumps in the road for him and for everyone else but he has always had an uplifting impact on any team he's raced for. This has been a strength for both him and Vettel. In fact, of the top drivers currently in F1, only Alonso has any kind of track record of bringing negativity to a team (and even that is mostly out of understandable frustration).

Merc have already offered him a deal, he just hasn't signed it. They're in the midst of one of the most dominant runs in F1 history with him as their lead driver (he did win the WDC last year if you recall). They are not going to be the ones to put an end to it. And for what? to sign Daniel? A special driver without question but one who has not been able to keep up with his teammate's pace for the last year? And at a time when the competition has caught and surpassed them? No chance.

If they wanted they could sign Alonso and Ricciardo.

Hamilton is negative. Anything that doesn't go his way in a race you can tell really gets to him. Look at him last weekend. Merc got the strategy wrong but how does Hamilton think being snippy to is race engineer 15 laps later help? That is negative. It's a trait throughout his career - If things go for him he's brilliant if they don't he is less brilliant.

Ok...This seems a little bit out of left field but I guess we can agree to disagree. No driver is happy when things don't go their way. I don't see Hamilton as being different in this regard. Didn't see him resort to blackmail or anything like that...Only some drivers have their every radio message broadcast to the audience though. I've never heard him on the radio ridiculing the team or calling the car a GP2 car like the guy you are suggesting they would sign in his place. I've never heard him having a meltdown the way Vettel did multiple times over the last couple of years.

I don't particularly think radio messages in the heat of battle matter too much anyway. It's more about the way you work with the team and the energy you bring to the team. Hamilton has won everywhere he's gone and his teams' form has improved upon his arrival everywhere he's gone too. That's not something to ignore.

Anyway, I've seen champions leave the team they are with. I've never seen the team push the champion out the door immediately after winning it. Let's see what happens.

McLaren in 2010 he had a pop over radio at a strategy call in Oz, 2013 with Mercedes when he got passed by a Williams he was pretty sarky over the radio about it (That was funny tho). Told Ron to go swivel (Hungary)and threatened him not to do that again (Monaco strat) Likewise in Monaco with the whole strategy mess up with Mercedes in 2015 he was snappy over the radio.

No blackmail but some threats to quit and some tweets and tension within the teams with everyone bar Kova and Bottas so it's not like he's an angel, none of the top guys are though of course.

Obviously it's quite hard to complain about your car when it's as good as Lewis's have been tbf so he's bound to have less of those type of complaints but he's definitely outspoken over the radio when it comes to strategy more so than some others but he's had some strategy howlers to get upset about, just as Alo's cars are plenty to get upset about, but I don't find him much different to the others in this regard either.

Top drivers want their input met with an equal level of quality, when that falls below they aren't shy to let the tem know and I don't think that's a bad thing either.

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"Clark came through at the end of the first lap so far ahead that we in the pits were convinced that the rest of the field must have been wiped out in an accident."
-Eddie Dennis, describing the dominance of Jim Clark in the Lotus 49 at Spa 1967

Neither do I. Like I said, radio messages in the heat of battle aren't that important. The important thing is the overall energy you bring to the team. I hear both Hamilton and Vettel many times in the press talking about how they feel their team is the best and generally saying very positive things. When in a dispassionate mind state, it seems that both of them have an appreciation of how their words can impact the people who work for the team.

The comment I was responding to was inaccurate in my opinion.

Yeah I agree.

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"Clark came through at the end of the first lap so far ahead that we in the pits were convinced that the rest of the field must have been wiped out in an accident."
-Eddie Dennis, describing the dominance of Jim Clark in the Lotus 49 at Spa 1967

Hamilton and Vettel are different personalities, but I don't think that one is necessarily better than the other.

When things don't go Hamilton's way, he seems to be in a permanent state of constant negativity. He moans to his race engineer and he seems defeatist. Vettel is calm 95% of the time, but when he loses his cool, he goes completely ballistic. I'm obviously talking about Mexico 2016 and Baku 2017. I don't remember Hamilton ever getting that angry. Lewis is in a constant state of negativity, while Seb occasionally blows up in rage.

I agree that Alonso's track record is probably the worst at bringing negativity into a team.

Ricciardo seems like a laid back guy, but even he threw his team under the bus after Monaco 2016.

Completely fairly I'd argue. You don't go from getting pole in Monaco, leading every lap comfortably (and pulling out a healthy lead early on I recall) to losing the win because of a mix up by the pit lane and not express frustration at what had happened. Doubly frustrating given Red Bull had only one car to watch out for, with Verstappen having put it in the wall earlier.

I couldn't imagine a single driver on the grid, on any grid for that matter, not being frustrated by that.

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Was there any way, shape or form in which the pit stop incident was his fault? If not, blaming them isn't throwing them under the bus.

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