Abu Dhabi & Post Season discussion

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Vettel out in q1

Rosberg pole by three tenths, Hamilton second & Kimi third. Hamilton definitely not the same driver over one lap since the Singapore development changes to the car, in response to their slow pace that weekend.

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Fernando wrote:Kevin Magnussen will drive for Renault next year if Maldonado's sponsors don't pay up soon enough.

I'm really hoping that happens.

PDVSA says there is no reason to believe Pastor Maldonado will be dropped by Renault. To be honest, there's nothing special about Kevin Magnussen anyway & he's not exciting to watch either. Quite a plain character too.

At least he'd be there on merit.

Pastor Maldonando's CV is more impressive than Kevin Magnussen. GP2 Champion & has actually won an F1 race. Kevin just had the backing of McLaren & then they got rid.

LiamB wrote:Pastor Maldonando's CV is more impressive than Kevin Magnussen. GP2 Champion & has actually won an F1 race. Kevin just had the backing of McLaren & then they got rid.

And his repair bills are even more impressive!

And he wouldn't have won the Spanish GP if Hamilton hadn't had his pole position taken away (for being too low on fuel / under weight or something IIRC).

Magnussen was the 2013 Formula Renault champion and was steady if unspectacular in his rookie season at McLaren, who had a pretty average car in 2014 (granted he was no Verstappen or Sainz though).



In other news it seems F1 will get another boost in the near future with Uncle Bernie getting on board the idea of more durable tyres, that will allow drivers to race at / near their limits for longer. However he is still very pally with Pirelli and says it is up to the teams to support the manufacturer and help them develop the kind of tyres they want. He expects the top teams to make their cars & drivers available for testing.

Ecclestone backs drivers on tyre demands

Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has backed a demand from drivers for higher-performance tyres.

He told BBC Sport that "most drivers" wanted a shift away from the current tyres because they can rarely push to the limit on them.

Ecclestone said he agreed "a million per cent" that F1 should be about drivers racing flat out at all times.

"I have already told Pirelli that," he said, adding the issue would be discussed at a meeting next month.

However, he also defended F1's supplier, claiming the teams needed to help Pirelli with its tyre development.

"The bottom line is Pirelli supply the tyres in F1, they are the tyres we should use and the teams and drivers should work with Pirelli to perfect the tyres," Ecclestone said.

The 85-year-old said he wanted to see the top three teams and their top drivers putting work in, adding: "I want someone who can drive on the limit who can come back with an answer," he said.

"Pirelli agree with me 100%. That's what they have asked for - a top team with top drivers, not a team that can't push to the limit and certainly not a driver who can't."

Does look like Magnussen will replace Pastor. Think it will be an even tougher year with a Renault engine this year, so I'm guessing PDVSA want out expecting another tough, excrutiating year. Magnussen is nothing special in my eyes though.

Nothing special>barely competent

TBH if Renault ditch Maldonado for Magnussen, Maldonado could buy a cheaper seat at Manor who will certainly have a better engine. That said I still don't get why Renault signed Palmer, his F1 reputation is based on being a little slower than Maldonado in free practice. Renault could easily have signed Jean-Eric Vergne instead.

I thought Vergne was racing in Formula E at the moment?

I guess Renault are adopting a different philosophy now they are going to be owners, not just suppliers. Maldonado is going to be an even less attractive proposition without big sponsorship. If PDVSA do decide to end their deal with him, I don't see him buying his way into any team...though Manor may sign him just on the basis that he does have previous experience (I'd also expect he'd have to take a hefty pay cut too).

Magnussen is still something of an unknown quantity, given he's only had 1 season with McLaren. He's shown he can drive and score points fairly consistently, but thats about it. Palmer is a complete unknown - a few free practice sessions aren't really any basis to make any judgements about him.

I would agree they are taking quite a gamble on these two, but then they have said themselves their expectations for the next couple of seasons are pretty modest. If they're not going to be in a position to attract any top drivers, they could do worse. Magnussen ought to score them some points if the car is half-decent and Palmer, even as a total rookie, does have some pedigree at least, as the 2014 GP2 champion.

Also, Red Bull showed that even with an inferior engine, it is possible to be fairly competitive. Methinks Manor will have to make some big strides in the aero and chassis departments too, if they want to see any benefit from their Mercedes power plant.

Pastor Maldonado has confirmed he has left Renault.

Not a good time to be backed by Venezuelan oil money

Renault unveiling their 2016 car at 12.15pm today.

https://mobile.twitter.com/f1technical/status/694864202016645120/photo/1

Souless & very black. I don't like it

It's going to change apparently.

The Engine Token rules being thrown out for 2017.

LiamB wrote:Souless & very black. I don't like it

Me neither. I'm hoping at some point they revert to the classic yellow, white and black liveries from the late 70s - early 80s.

Fernando wrote:
It's going to change apparently.

The Engine Token rules being thrown out for 2017.

Do you mean the (nearly) all-black is just a pre-season test livery?

Glad they're getting rid of the ridiculous token rules too. Just tell the teams what they're allowed to do and let them do it as and when they please.

I much prefer black as a main colour to bright yellow tbh

I'm really hoping Renault adopt a majority yellow livery as that's their trademark colour.

Renault looking to tempt their hero Fernando Alonso back in the near future...

I think Haas are heavily rumoured to be yellow

Pascal Wehrlein joins Manor on loan from Mercedes, In exchange can use their wind tunnel

Fingers crossed he's replacing Stevens.

Jermaine2015 wrote:I'm really hoping Renault adopt a majority yellow livery as that's their trademark colour.

Renault looking to tempt their hero Fernando Alonso back in the near future...

If McLaren's car isn't significantly better than last season's, I could see that happening.

Fernando wrote:
Pascal Wehrlein joins Manor on loan from Mercedes, In exchange can use their wind tunnel

Fingers crossed he's replacing Stevens.

Well he can't be any worse than any of their previous drivers. That said, it would have been impossible for any driver to look remotely good in the cars they've run so far. Interesting to note Maldonado isn't on their radar.

Maldonado isnt getting his drive paid for with Venezuelas oil economy going jubblies up

Very excited to see what Pascal Wehrlein brings to the grid in 2016. Being a Mercedes protégé and being German he carries a lot of hype. He's been mentioned as Being as good as Sebastian(not in my eyes).

Toto very much at the forefront of discussions was hardly surprising, seeing as Mercedes need to start focusing on 2017 & beyond, in terms of the driver line-up. Mercedes know the LH/NR partnership has one year left to run, it's too toxic & you could argue, it's already gone pretty stale. If Lewis bags No.3 on the trot, it's goodbye Nico, or, Lewis himself could say, 'thanks for the three titles, I'm off for a new challenge'. If Nico bags the title, I'd imagine LH will retreat back to McLaren, to replace either Fernando or JB.

I read that Mercedes are keeping an eye on both Red Bull stars Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen.

I would imagine it'll be a firm #2 driver.

Dont want to risk putting Lewis nose out of shape.

Mercedes development driver, reigning GP3 champion, Esteban Ocon(who's on loan at Renault for 2016) will spilt his time by also replacing fellow Mercedes protégé Pascal Wehrlein at the factory Mercedes DTM team. Mercedes doing a good job with their young drivers.

Jermaine2015 wrote:I read that Mercedes are keeping an eye on both Red Bull stars Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen.

Good idea, given that Rosberg's contract is up at the end of this/next season. I read Mercedes are likely to make up their minds whether to renew his contract around halfway through the season, based on performances and his relationship with Lewis.

dyrewolfe wrote:

Jermaine2015 wrote:I read that Mercedes are keeping an eye on both Red Bull stars Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen.

Good idea, given that Rosberg's contract is up at the end of this/next season. I read Mercedes are likely to make up their minds whether to renew his contract around halfway through the season, based on performances and his relationship with Lewis.

TBH I only see Daniel Ricciardo possibly ending up at Mercedes. Ferrari will not want to harm their partnership with Sebastian Vettel and he's the clear number 1 as the Scuderia. Not that I believe Sebastian fears Daniel.

I think Max Verstappen will end up at Ferrari, but not before 2018 at the earliest. I think Romain Grosjean will replace Kimi Raikkonen in 2017.

Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne has hinted Alfa Romeo could return to F1 in the next few years. They won the first ever F1 championship in 1950 but last raced in 1985. Marchionne is also chief executive of the Fiat Group, which owns both Ferrari and Alfa.

Failure to win the title in 10 years would be a "tragedy"

Alfa Romeo, which won the very first F1 world championship in 1950, last raced in F1 in the 1980s but Marchionne said he believed it could be time for the brand to return.

"In order to restore their name they must consider returning to Formula 1," he said.

"They would probably work with Ferrari."

He added: "Alfa Romeo are capable of making their own chassis, just like they are capable of making their own engine."

dyrewolfe wrote:Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne has hinted Alfa Romeo could return to F1 in the next few years. They won the first ever F1 championship in 1950 but last raced in 1985. Marchionne is also chief executive of the Fiat Group, which owns both Ferrari and Alfa.

Failure to win the title in 10 years would be a "tragedy"

Alfa Romeo, which won the very first F1 world championship in 1950, last raced in F1 in the 1980s but Marchionne said he believed it could be time for the brand to return.

"In order to restore their name they must consider returning to Formula 1," he said.

"They would probably work with Ferrari."

He added: "Alfa Romeo are capable of making their own chassis, just like they are capable of making their own engine."

The more the merrier. There really should be all these Marquee names in Formula 1.

Wouldn't be surprised if the Fiat group just buy out Sauber and re-brand that team as Alfa Romeo

Jermaine2015 wrote:Wouldn't be surprised if the Fiat group just buy out Sauber and re-brand that team as Alfa Romeo

Yes it is the cheap way of doing things nowadays rather than start from the bottom up - we have seen this a lot recently. Brawn Racing bought out by Mercedes, Renault bought by Lotus and in turn bought back by Renault, the talk about Force India being bought and rebranded by Aston Martin and certain there are more.

Its a shame Jaguar aren't in a better financial position. I had high hopes when they bought Stewart Racing (wasn't it?)

Also a shame VW was hit by the emissions scandal. It would have been interesting to see them buy someone like Manor and rebrand it as Audi or something.

VW were buying RB before the scandal.

dyrewolfe wrote:Its a shame Jaguar aren't in a better financial position. I had high hopes when they bought Stewart Racing (wasn't it?)

Also a shame VW was hit by the emissions scandal. It would have been interesting to see them buy someone like Manor and rebrand it as Audi or something.

Absolutely.

There are more Marquee names in World Sportscars than in Formula 1 by some way. Porsche, Audi, Jaguar, Aston Martin, Mercedes and more all race in that grade of motor racing.

The thing with marquee names is that most are now sister brands of already established F1 names.

Mercedes group owns Aston Martin
Fiat group owns Ferrari and Alfa Romeo
VW group owns Audi and various other names

So rather than having more factory teams we would end up with the big boys essentially running 4 cars instead of two

Rio Haryanto takes the Manor seat

John wrote:Rio Haryanto takes the Manor seat

Where'd you read that?
I read Alex Rossi is still in the hunt

Jermaine2015 wrote:The thing with marquee names is that most are now sister brands of already established F1 names.

Mercedes group owns Aston Martin
Fiat group owns Ferrari and Alfa Romeo
VW group owns Audi and various other names

So rather than having more factory teams we would end up with the big boys essentially running 4 cars instead of two

Well, its not that different to what we already have with the likes of Red Bull and Toro Rosso, the former link-up between Ferrari and Sauber, Manor partnering up with Mercedes and other teams being linked by driver development programmes, sponsors, sharing facilities etc.

I see what you're getting at though and the globalisation of the car industry is a bit of a shame in that respect (IIRC Fiat also owns Maserati and VW own Bugatti). For genuine competition we really need more privateer teams, but with the amounts of money involved thats becoming an ever less viable option.

Apparently Haryanto is paying £10m for his seat

https://mobile.twitter.com/F1/status/700026069685047296/photo/1

like the matt finish, but it's not really anything different.

LiamB wrote:

like the matt finish, but it's not really anything different.

Well, the regs haven't changed substantially, so don't expect to see any major changes to the cars. Some minor tweaking of the aero elements will be the only visible changes. I expect more effort will be put into extracting more power from the engines and hybrid systems.

Agree about the paint job though. A nice subtle change.

Not really a big fan of the new Red Bull livery but stating the obvious it's what's under the livery will define their season

http://formula1.ferrari.com/en/