Jump to content

F1 2016


Mandzipop

Recommended Posts

I think there's more chance of getting rid of Arrivabene. If Vettel was the sole problem then Raikonnen would be winning races. The fact they seem to be moving backwards (or forward slower than Red Bull) suggests there are deep problems with the team. They should throw as much money as possible at Ross Braun. Reading his comments from his biography it sounds like he has real problems with how Mercedes treat him. Dangling money and the possibility of dethroning Mercedes is probably a very tempting prospect for Braun.

That's not to say they couldn't get rid of Vettel as well. Perez, Bottas, Hulkenberg or even Grosjean would cost a lot less to have drive for Ferrari and seem to have a fairly good work effort. They certainly don't seem to whine/throw pissy fits as often.

I still think Vettel is good and has certainly had good races with Ferarri but moreso last year. I think his weakness against Ricciardo is more a sign of how good Ricciardo is. Ricciardo and Verstappen are probably the two most talented next gen drivers in the paddock and I think they could easily be considered on an Alonso or Hamilton level. If the new regulations don't jumble things up too much I'd say Ricciardo and Verstappen are solid contenders for the title next year.

I'd still arguably put Vettel above Rosberg. They are both drivers who excel in winning races from the front but I think Vettel has shown he can outdrive the car under him  - while I only ever recall Rosberg excelling when he had the fastest car.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think Rosberg's stepped up this year. He's been punchier and pulled off some overtaking moves that I don't think he'd have attempted a year or two back. Definitely a better driver than even 2015, and far better than three or four years ago. The only mark against him is that he still hasn't won a wheel-to-wheel duel with Hamilton. It'd be interesting to see them racing in the same car as Vettel as I think right now Rosberg is driving better, but otherwise they are somewhat similar drivers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks like Brawn has higher goals than Ferarri. Rumour is he's signed to take over Ecclestone's role. That could certainly shake things up. I think he'd be a popular choice for the sport. Although Toto Wolff and Lauda may be regretting any bad exchanges in the past with him.

11 hours ago, Werthead said:

I think Rosberg's stepped up this year. He's been punchier and pulled off some overtaking moves that I don't think he'd have attempted a year or two back. Definitely a better driver than even 2015, and far better than three or four years ago. The only mark against him is that he still hasn't won a wheel-to-wheel duel with Hamilton. It'd be interesting to see them racing in the same car as Vettel as I think right now Rosberg is driving better, but otherwise they are somewhat similar drivers.

I agree Rosberg has stepped up and this is certainly his best season. He's also been in some good scraps. Like you say, the feeling is still, that in a straight race, he can't beat Hamilton.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...
2 hours ago, BigFatCoward said:

Assuming Hamilton gets on pole, and gets a decent start, is there anything to stop him backing up Rosberg into the crowd?  

Might be worth a try, although if he slows up too much then Rosberg might 'accidentally' run into him.

It does seem largely out of Hamilton's hands, he may well win the race but he's going to need to get lucky to win the Championship. Maybe his best bet is the pressure getting to Rosberg and him making an uncharacteristic mistake, but if Rosberg can make it through a monsoon in Brazil without making an error then Abu Dhabi should be comparatively easy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ha. Looks like the prophecy did come true. Unfortuantely Verstappen spent all his good fortune in the previous race and couldn't quite reel in Vettel and Rosberg, and Hamilton left it a few laps too long before trying to back up Rosberg.

Whilst it showed impressive tactical nous (from a usually rather non-tactical driver), I'm glad it didn't work. If it had worked, I think it would have left a bit of a sour taste in the mouth. Hamilton is a much faster driver than Rosberg in a head-to-head confrontation, everyone knows that. But being a champion also means maximising every opportunity that comes your way, it means your engineers and team maximising the car set up and reliability in every race and it means keeping your head when someone else might throw it away (as arguably Rosberg did in 2014). On that basis, Rosberg fully deserves his victory.

Now we have a three-month wait before we start to see what the cars next year are capable of.

Also sad to see Massa and Button leave the paddock. Button's post-race interview with Webber and Coulthard was brilliant. If the BBC want an all-new Top Gear trio, there you have it right there.

Next year looking interesting. Germany is gone already whilst Brazil, Singapore and Canada all looked wobbly but all are now firmly back in place. Malaysia will be gone from 2018, but will still be on the roster next year, so at the moment it's 20 races next season. The teams look all the same, but we have the new regs which could mix things up nicely. Most notably, Renault get to unleash the first car they actually designed rather than using Lotus's hand-me-downs, Toro Rosso get to use Renault engines rather than old Ferraris and Red Bull could be very tasty if they have maximised their design lead time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, Werthead said:

Next year looking interesting. Germany is gone already whilst Brazil, Singapore and Canada all looked wobbly but all are now firmly back in place. Malaysia will be gone from 2018, but will still be on the roster next year, so at the moment it's 20 races next season. The teams look all the same, but we have the new regs which could mix things up nicely. Most notably, Renault get to unleash the first car they actually designed rather than using Lotus's hand-me-downs, Toro Rosso get to use Renault engines rather than old Ferraris and Red Bull could be very tasty if they have maximised their design lead time.

It does seem weird to lose Germany given how important German engineering and drivers have been to F1, although the track itself is not much loss since the Hockenheim redesign seemed to take away most of its distinctive features. Hopefully next year will be a bit less one-sided in terms of one team dominating, I'm sure Mercedes will still be at the front but hopefully some of the others can challenge.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have no problem with what Hamilton did as he's trying to win a championship. It wasn't exactly dangerous and Rosberg could have tried to pass him if Hamilton was so slow. It just showed how dominant Hamilton was that he could control the pace. He should have done so earlier in the race but i think he was a) being sporting and hoping something happened tp Rosberg without his involvement and b ) didn't want to risk losing first in the process which would have made him look an idiot. Far better than the 1-2 we'd have otherwise got.

Really hope Red Bull are fastest on slow corner tracks next year but not the best car. We'll have an excellent championship if the red bull and mercedes drivers are all fighting it out. I just fear with the changes we'll just get another team that is utterly dominant for a few years.

Wert, I'd certainly watch a show with Coulthard, Webber and Button hosting. To be honest Channel 4 (and coulthard's production team) should be on it ASAP

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quote

It does seem weird to lose Germany given how important German engineering and drivers have been to F1, although the track itself is not much loss since the Hockenheim redesign seemed to take away most of its distinctive features. Hopefully next year will be a bit less one-sided in terms of one team dominating, I'm sure Mercedes will still be at the front but hopefully some of the others can challenge.

We used to have the two German circuits alternating and sharing the cost (I think different federal authorities stumped the bill), so now there's only one they can't do it every year. So hopefully that means it'll be back in 2018.

That's not a bad idea actually. If hosting an F1 race is so expensive, they could contract a few different circuits to run races in alternating years and give them two years to raise the necessary funds.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rosberg has announced his retirement! I don't think anyone saw that coming. I can see his point though and it's better to go out on top if you don't want the stress of defending.

It's going to cause chaos in the paddock though. I wonder how many drivers have got themselves locked into drives for next year? Otherwise Hulkenberg, Perez, etc will be kicking themselves. We could have an interesting week while they announce his replacement.

 

EDIT: Hulkenberg and Magnussen aren't apparently confirmed yet for their drives (according to autosport).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Their test drivers Ocon and Wehrlein will be on the phone. Paul di Resta was their reserve driver last year (and Williams's this year) and is driving for them in the DTM, so might take a punt.

Hahahaha. They could always call up Button if they really wanted to get people going.

ETA: Looks like France will be back on the F1 calendar, potentially in 2017.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

49 minutes ago, brAnthelAstgreenseer said:

That was an absolute surprise ,  a very bold decision.

 

Does Mercedes take a well known driver or will they go for a guaranteed number 2 behind Hamilton ?  Is Alonso a possibility ?

I think the cheap unknown may be a good call given how angsty the team got over Hamilton's behaviour in the final race. It would be bad for the viewers though. Alonso would be hilarious given the last time they were together - although I think it would be the best pairing for entertainment (besides putting Verstappen alongside Hamilton).

2 hours ago, Werthead said:

Their test drivers Ocon and Wehrlein will be on the phone. Paul di Resta was their reserve driver last year (and Williams's this year) and is driving for them in the DTM, so might take a punt.

Hahahaha. They could always call up Button if they really wanted to get people going.

ETA: Looks like France will be back on the F1 calendar, potentially in 2017.

Imagine if either of the Mclaren drivers went to Mercedes and Mclaren had to pull Button out of retirement?

Wehrlein seems a good bet as I get the impression Mercedes like having a german driver (when they are available)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wehrlein is out of contract as well (although likely to be reconfirmed by Manor), which makes him the obvious, no-brainer answer.

Verstappen and Alonso (and Vettel and Riccardio and pretty much everyone else) are under contract. Mercedes could get them for a lot of money, which they can afford. The only question is would they want to. The better choice would be a solid mid-lister like Perez or Bottas, who have talen but also experience, but they've both resigned with their teams so that seems unlikely.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't think anyone saw that coming. I doubt it would hard to find a better example of 'going out on a high', since Rosberg had definitely picked the pinnacle of his career. It's a bit of a shame because it could have been fun to see Hamilton trying to fight back to regain his title next year.

6 hours ago, brAnthelAstgreenseer said:

Does Mercedes take a well known driver or will they go for a guaranteed number 2 behind Hamilton ?  Is Alonso a possibility ?

I think they can afford not to compromise, it would be easy to hire a solid midfield driver who would know his place (a bit like Schumacher's team-mates in the 90s) but I don't really see the point in that. I think there are two ways to go, either try to get one of the elite drivers who would be able to be immediately competitive against Hamilton or pick a young driver who they believe they can develop into a World Championship contender ready to take Hamilton's place as team lead when he moves on. I'd suspect a driver nearing the end of their career like Button (I'm sure he'd be willing to give up retirement for the chance of driving a race-winning car) or Kimi is probably unlikely.

I'm sure half the drivers in the field were phoning up their agents as soon as the news broke, even if a driver is under contract that doesn't necessarily mean a move can't happen if people want it enough. One complication is that there are a lot of regulation changes next year so it's can't be assumed that Mercedes will on top again, although I'm sure they'll be up there. If the likes of Ricciardo or Verstappen think Red Bull can catch Mercedes next year then they don't really have any motivation to move. Vettel seems disgruntled at Ferrari so he might be tempted into a move and Mercedes would probably like a German driver. McLaren have made progress this year, but Alonso might still think Mercedes are a better bet. Seeing Hamilton racing against either Vettel or Alonso would probably maximise the entertainment.

If they're going for someone inexperienced then Wehrlein seems the obvious choice, although while he's had a decent first season he hasn't really been dominating his less-hyped team-mates. He's a good driver, but I'm not sure he's necessarily better than the likes of Hulkenberg or Sainz or Di Resta.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hulkenberg > Sainz = Perez (he can't finish as high as he often does through luck) are my favourites. I tend to think Wehrlein will get it given his connections to the team, being german and being young enough to be cheap. I can't imagine it would cost much to buy him out of his manor contract either.

I do appreciate the snark of this being the most interesting development of the season though

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mercedes are using Manor as their development team and supply them with their engines, and could probably afford to buy them outright with their pocket change, so I don't see any issues if they decide they want Wehrlein or Ocon. I don't see Red Bull letting people go too easily from the family either. They probably see Ricciardo leaving in a year or two if Verstappen absolutely destroys him and likely want Sainz in reserve to step up. Kvyat I can't see being kept around unless he massively levels up his performance. I was impressed they kept him on for another season given his woeful performance after the switch.

This analysis is pretty solid.

Apparently Mercedes would have been happier with another year to see how Sainz, Nasr, Wehrlein or Ocon shape up. As it stands, it's probably too early for any of them.

Of the big names Vettel is much more likely than Alonso, but they also know that putting a big name next to Hamilton would cause ructions and it'd also be a major, major headache. Seeing how Vettel handled Webber (badly) and how he handled losing to Ricciardo (badly) and how Hamilton handled Rosberg (badly) and Alonso (badly), putting Vettel and Hamilton together would be a recipe for catastrophe. Just don't even go there.

Of the Red Bulls, Ricciardo is more likely: he'd probably get on much better with Hamilton, would be competitive but laidback as well. I'd be worried about them crashing: Ricciardo is much more aggressive in overtaking than Rosberg and it's more likely he'd tangle with Hamilton on a more regular basis. Although maybe he'd also be more likely to pull off a move and not crash, unlike Rosberg's judgement in some of those previous tangles. Verstappen would obviously be insane, they'd be at each other's throats every race (either racing-wise or literally).

Di Resta would be a "safe" option. Hamilton himself points out that Mercedes 100% want someone who can perform solidly and pull off consistent results (left unspoken is the that those results will be a constant #2 to Hamilton, obviously) like Rosberg, not someone who is "too" safe and may risk falling behind (like Webber did with Vettel) and risking the constructors. Di Resta would probably fall into that category.

The surprising #1 pick by the BBC is that Mercedes' best bet would be to switch up Bottas and offer them a sweet discount on their engine for next year and either give them Wehrlein or recruit Nasr for them. Apparentlty Ecclestone is pushing hard for a more prominent seat for Nasr as he wants to keep the Brazilian fans and business interests sweet so that makes sense, since Nasr is probably too inexperienced for Mercedes directly. Bottas would be laidback, solid, definitely consistent and would probably challenge Hamilton in a few races but be unlikely to overhaul him in the long term.

Interesting as I thought Wehrlein was the obvious choice, but maybe Mercedes do consider him too inexperienced.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the bbc analysis is quite good. They make an interesting case for Bottas and he seems to be "rosbergish" in terms of you wouldn't expect him to cause Hamilton too much of a headache but will mop up all the points o a regular basis. Defininitely a good choice for constructor championships.

I think Vettel would be entertaining but I agree with Wert that it would be a recipe for disaster.

Channel 4 hasn't even announced Rosberg's retirement on their site! I was hoping for Eddie Jordan's take as he often seems to know things others don't.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I reckon Bottas would surprise people if you stuck him in a Merc. He plays it reasonably chill to get maximum points out the Williams but he's had his moments where he's pulled some tricks and I don't think he'd give Hamilton any respect whatsoever if you gave him a championship-chasing car.

Verstappen would be ideal, though. The hissy fits from both sides would be for the ages. If Hamilton can't deal with Rosberg's competitiveness, Verstappen would give him a mental breakdown.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

BBC Sport are reporting that Mercedes apparently want Bottas, but Williams are saying they don't want to part with him. I'd imagine there is a price Williams would be willing to accept for him and Mercedes would be capable of paying that if they wanted to (they must be saving a lot of money not having to pay Rosberg's salary). Part of Williams' reluctance seems to be that they'd want to find an experienced replacement and there's a lack of obvious candidates. If Button still had any inclination to continue to drive, I wonder if he'd be interested in returning to his first F1 team for a final season? Outside of that I might suggest considering Paul Di Resta who has relatively recent experience and already has links with Williams.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...