2014 Formula 1 Season Thread

NooDle said:
FIA banned it because Merc's system was by far more advanced than the others and this way they're trying to level the playing field
Click to expand...

If that's the case they've levelled the playing field in the same way that Oscar's goal levelled the score against Germany.
 
Well they can hardly penalise just Merc can they?
 
Lotus appears to have been hurt the most by the loss of FRIC, while Ferrari and McLaren actually look better without it.
 
I've been running some numbers... It's been 25 races in a row where the winner is either a Mercedes or a Red Bull.
I went and checked on the infamous Ferrari domination years, widely hated by everyone including some Ferrari supporters, and the longest string of 2 teams winning races I could count was 17. Had to go to 1987-88-89 to find 23 races in a row won by only two teams (Ferrari, McLaren)

Just an observation.
 
Last edited:
Apparently Alonso is after ?35 million per year to stick it out with Ferrari until 2019, It'll be interesting to see if McLaren or someone wants to open their wallets to lure him away from Maranello. He has yet to win them a championship but he's probably worth the money.
 
If he hasn't won a championship with Ferrari, he sure isn't the one to blame.
I don't particularly care for the guy, but he's a great driver and he never gives up.
So yeah, it would be money well spent for Ferrari.
 
or, they could get bottas and hulkenberg for a 10th of the price, and spend the money on development?

is driver wages included in the resource agreement?
 
Well if McLaren didn't want to stump up the cost of Hamilton's asking price in 2012 then it's hard to see them matching that unless Honda come to the party. He might not ask that much of McLaren, it could simply be a negotiating tactic, or he's saying "if I gotta spend the rest of my career in an average car fighting for minor podium places and the odd win I might as well get paid for it".

I can't see Ferrari improving dramatically in the foreseeable future, it'll be more of the same I suspect, whereas McLaren Honda are a bit of an unknown. Course he'd have to face Ron Dennis again :p

And that he hasnt won a championship for Ferrari is no fault of his, he's probably been consistently the best driver for the past few years. I'd welcome him back at McLaren.

Rumour is McLaren are a bit interested in Bottas, and given that he's Finnish it's inevitable that he'll end up in one of their cars eventually :p. Who would go though? Neither Button or Magnussen are secure, although it'd be a pity to drop Magnussen as he's yet to realise his full potential in the same way Bottas didn't set the world alight in his first year either. Only now is he starting to come good. Button would be a solid and reliable benchmark.
 
Last edited:
I can't imagine McLaren dumping Jenson Button, he seems to have gotten his foot securely in the door and is determined to finish his F1 career at McLaren as well not to mention he's leading Magnussen in the championship finishing ahead of him in 9 out of 11 of the races so far.
 
Unless McLaren can put Magnussen somewhere for a season although where exactly I wouldn't know, but I expect the lineup will stay the same.
 
i'm not that sure we'll see button in a McLaren next year
i wouldn't even be surprised if we don't see him at all!
 
bone said:
or, they could get bottas and hulkenberg for a 10th of the price, and spend the money on development?
Click to expand...

that would be the wise thing to do, but Ferrari hasn't been very wise as of late. So I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see them pony up the money for a future of mediocrity.

Red_Bull said:
I can't see Ferrari improving dramatically in the foreseeable future, it'll be more of the same I suspect, whereas McLaren Honda are a bit of an unknown. Course he'd have to face Ron Dennis again :p
Click to expand...

Not really, I can't see the Honda unit besting that of the MBZ. McLaren has a crap chassis that they're kind of stuck with for the foreseeable future. I suspect McLaren will improve but they won't be a front runner.
 
Cellos88GT said:
that would be the wise thing to do, but Ferrari hasn't been very wise as of late. So I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see them pony up the money for a future of mediocrity.
Click to expand...

How much is Alonso's Santander deal worth? Quick googling suggests something in the vicinity of 40m ?/$ per year which means they would still get one of the best, most marketable and most experienced drivers on the grid for the cost of a sponsorship slot. IMO it's a win/win for whoever gets him (at least if they don't have another star driver who can compete with him).
 
So many question marks next year. It's going to be an interesting silly season for sure. Lets run it down so far.

Merc: I don't see many changes for them, quite frankly, they can just keep doing what they're doing and have a better than average shot at the 2015 WDC/WCC.
RBR: Two huge questions here, How will they fare without Newey, and who will supply their engines? Driver line-up should be stable unless Seb decides that he sucks now and it's time to retire. If he stays, it should be in his contract that he loses both index fingers. ;)
Williams: Stable car wise, hope they lose Felipe but I'm not counting on it. I have high hopes for Bottas and hope he keeps his seat and they can keep being competitive.
Ferrari: If they don't get rid of Kimi I'll be surprised, sacrificial lamb if you will. Alonso needs a better car and I'm getting more and more pissed that they won't provide it. They better get their Italian asses in gear.
McLaren: I've heard lots of rumors about JB going bye bye but it wouldn't make any sense to do that, he's a damn consistent driver and sometimes has flashes of brilliance. Alonso will never go back there if RD is still in charge.

The rest of the teams I'm not going to bother with.. I would honestly not be surprised if one or two of them are not on the grid next year.
 
anesvick said:
Ferrari: If they don't get rid of Kimi I'll be surprised, sacrificial lamb if you will. Alonso needs a better car and I'm getting more and more pissed that they won't provide it. They better get their Italian asses in gear.
Click to expand...

I'd be more surprised if the did get rid of Kimi, The only way Kimi gets out of that seat is if he decides to leave and he's already saying he's hopeful that the 2015 car will be a race winner and that he's already said he's going to finish out the 2015 season before retiring and hasn't even completely ruled out a 2016 season. Performance or not Kimi has a contract.
 
Four Five Eight said:
Performance or not Kimi has a contract.
Click to expand...

Yes...but he had a contract with his first stint at Ferrari too, and they decided it was worth it to can him (but still pay a salary) and go with Alonso. I can't fault them for that, but it shows the lengths they are willing to go to get the driver they want.
 
anesvick said:
RBR: Two huge questions here, How will they fare without Newey, and who will supply their engines? Driver line-up should be stable unless Seb decides that he sucks now and it's time to retire. If he stays, it should be in his contract that he loses both index fingers. ;)
Click to expand...

Adrian Newey will design the 2015 RB11, he will "retire" afterwards.
 
Electric-Mayhem said:
Yes...but he had a contract with his first stint at Ferrari too, and they decided it was worth it to can him (but still pay a salary) and go with Alonso. I can't fault them for that, but it shows the lengths they are willing to go to get the driver they want.
Click to expand...

They can put any driver they want in the car they have, and it will still be shit.. that's the problem. Alonso is easily the best driver on the grid, and he's lucky to manage being in the top 5.. That's absolutely ridiculous for one of the top funded teams to be that far down the order.. They won't even hold on to their 3rd in the constructors, considering that Williams is only 7 points behind and definitely faster than they are at this point.

I guess it's just more proof that the Italians are great for being passionate, but they need at least a few Germans to bail them out in the engineering department. :mrgreen:
 
anesvick said:
They can put any driver they want in the car they have, and it will still be shit.. that's the problem. Alonso is easily the best driver on the grid, and he's lucky to manage being in the top 5.. That's absolutely ridiculous for one of the top funded teams to be that far down the order.. They won't even hold on to their 3rd in the constructors, considering that Williams is only 7 points behind and definitely faster than they are at this point.

I guess it's just more proof that the Italians are great for being passionate, but they need at least a few Germans to bail them out in the engineering department. :mrgreen:
Click to expand...

Well...their most successful times had mostly British people running the technical side of things, so not sure a German would do much :p

No doubt that with a crap car even the best guy won't win the championship or even place well at all (as referenced by Alonso at the moment). I was just commenting that despite a contract, it doesn't really seem to matter to Ferrari if they think someone else will be better. Kimi seems pretty unmotivated lately, so who knows how things will go.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top