The F1 thread

[DjchunKfunK]

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/ ... otor-sport

Looks like this could rumble on for a bit.

[Rossell]

So, they've gone and made a public announcement about the secret meeting.

WTF did they think was going to happen?

[Rossell]

Watched episode 4 last night and I guess the prerequisite for being a Sun journalist is that you have to be a giant ass no matter what you are covering.

Finally watched season 2 and I was waiting patiently for the sun journo because I remembered your post.

Did not disappoint, christ what a giant fanny.

[Snowy]

I loved Drive to Survive, a genuinely insightful look at F1, warts and all. My all time favourite moment has to be the opening of one of the episodes in Season 2 where Danny Ricciardo is walking along with his physio and says "These Netflix blokes are a bunch of cunts... wouldn't it be funny if they showed that?" clearly not expecting them to do just that. Had a good laugh at that.

In other news, Vettel gone from Ferrari from the end of the year.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/ ... ar-reports

No real loss to be honest, Leclerc has battered him since joining and it's about time that they got two world class drivers at Ferrari rather than a star with an also-ran in support. That may be a little harsh, but there is some truth there too.

[Raid]

I feel that Vettel's heart hasn't been in it for a few years. He wasn't pushed by Kimi as a teammate, and it felt like his ability was dulled somewhat. I have my suspicions that he thinks Mercedes are unbeatable over the course of a season (not really a stretch of the imagination) which would explain why he reacted so badly to last year's Canadian GP result (when he had his on-track 1st place taken off him by a penalty).

I'm really looking forward to seeing who replaces him. It's not much of a secret that Hamilton will be interested, and it's not like he has anything left to prove. My only thought on Lewis as replacement is that he probably wants to hit Schumacher's tally (which he probably would have managed this year), which is about the only record left ahead of him, and his best chance of doing that will be to stay where he is. Would Ferrari look to rescue Ricciardo? He's clearly been disappointed at Renault who weren't looking much better after testing this year. Hulkenberg would be a solid, reliable second if Ferrari think LeClerc is their future, and given his current situation he'd probably come cheaper than others and wouldn't have missed out on as much running as he could have done this year.

Edit: The Italian media are apparently reporting Sainz will be announced for Ferrari within the week. It wouldn't be a bad decision, but it'd be a shame to break up the excellent pairing of Sainz and Norris at McLaren.

[DjchunKfunK]

I think you are right about Hamilton Raid, would have been more likely if this season had happened as normal. Think he is wise to stay at Mercedes and wrap up the records there. Have to say I am surprised that Vettel has allowed this to happen as I'm not sure where he could end up. Mercedes I suppose is possible and they might like to have a German driver but I think he would get munched by Hamilton. The other option is Red Bull but that would require Verstappan to move on as he wont want to go up against another young driver.

[Raid]

Mercedes wouldn't take Vettel unless they lost Hamilton; it's just not in their best interest to have two potential champions squabbling on track, they've been down that road once already. They could do better than Bottas I think, but I reckon they want to stick to having an obvious first and second driver rather than two equals.

Verstappen is contracted to Red Bull until 2023, and I bet that contract is water tight except for performance clauses that likely won't apply this year. Would they take Vettel over Albon? Maybe, but I'd be extremely surprised. Besides, Verstappen is very, very clearly Red Bull's chosen man (both Horner and Marko have practically said as much), it's why Ricciardo left for Renault.

[DjchunKfunK]

It's going to be interesting to see how Vettel career is judged now that it looks like it is winding down, no doubt he had skill but he had such an advantage with the Red Bull car that I think it has overinflated his actual ability. I think Andrew Benson does a good job of summing up where he stands,the stuff about Alonso running him close in a vastly inferior car and Vettel's inability to have the same impact at Ferrari as Alonso did are valid points.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/52627667

[Drarok]

Given he had his third kid last year, and with this whole lockdown thing he'll have been spending more time with the family rather than jet-setting around the globe all season… maybe he's just come to appreciate family time and has enough records and money under his belt?

[Raid]

Yeah, he has race wins with three teams and 4 championships, I think he'll just be disappointed that he wasn't able to emulate his hero Schumacher by taking the title with Ferrari.

Vettel is obviously going to be compared to Alonso given their fairly similar stints and lack of real success at Ferrari, but I get the feeling that in a lot of peoples' minds, Vettel just wasn't as good as other champions. The Red Bull was dominant, and he hasn't been able to repeat that dominance elsewhere (whereas at least the likes of Hamilton have achieved championships with multiple teams), and Vettel just doesn't seem to have shown that same level of skill that Alonso did. I suspect he'll always have that imaginary asterisk next to his total championships figure, where fans don't quite rate him as highly as some others. It's perhaps a little unfair, and it's a judgement that I eventually found myself leaving behind (but did hold at times during his best years).

[Wrathbone]

I think he'll retire at the end of the season, partly because of his family and partly because I can't see him taking a non-competetive seat. He's not Kimi, who has happily taken his cash while tooting around in cars he knows he'll never win in. Vettel has too much of a chip on his shoulder to do that. Even Alonso, Mr Hubris himself, only went to McLaren because he'd been convinced that Honda would turn their fortunes around, and his constant bitching about how rubbish they were probably did as much to hurt the team as their results. I imagine Vettel would act similarly, and few teams are going to risk that with an expensive driver who has done nothing to help his reputation in the last couple of years.

[Raid]

I'd say there's a good chance of retirement, but I wouldn't put it past him to give it another year or two if he can find a seat at at least a decent midfield team.

[Maturin]

He was always a superb practitioner when leading from the front at Red Bull, but I have very few memories of him showing great racing skills in tough situations - unlike Alonso and (especially) Hamilton. Under pressure, he was far more prone to simple driving errors than those two as well.

Still, 4 championships is 4 championships. He was a smooth operator in his earlier years, but not one of the best racers.

Another sign perhaps of the current 'era' coming to an end. He might not be the only driver to leave (assuming he does), and with Covid-19 there are many unknowns, plus a whole new batch of regs coming in at some point.

[Raid]

The Italian media were correct; Sainz is going to Ferrari, and Ricciardo is taking his spot at McLaren.
https://www.racefans.net/2020/05/14/off ... ttel-2021/

https://www.racefans.net/2020/05/14/off ... aren-2021/

Think Vettel would take the Renault seat if offered?

[Drarok]

Think Vettel would take the Renault seat if offered?

And end his career as a punchline? No chance.