2015 Formula 1 Season Thread

[bone]

it's about time to start a thread for this i think?

not that i have anything to contribute right now

 

[Four Five Eight]

Romain Grosjean is coming back to Lotus in 2015 so he'll be hoping that the new Mercedes engine helps them have a good car for the coming season, McLaren have really drawn out their decision on next year Alonso and someone else apparently maybe they are having a tough time deciding between Button for experience and development and Magnussen for the long term play though Alonso I think wants Button so maybe they'll get Button who isn't afraid of Alonso at all.

http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2014/11/mclaren-on-the-verge-of-driver-decisions-as-grosjean-set-to-be-confirmed-at-lotus/

 

[-Niklas-]

Sauber has already confirmed Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr for next year. Although Sutil and Giedo van der Garde still claim they also have a contract for next year, so we'll see what happens there.
R?ikk?nen and (most likely) Vettel in Ferrari will be interesting to see. Hopefully they will get a competitive car so they can take the fight to Mercedes.
Mclaren-Honda will most likely sign Alonso for next year. But a silly-season-rumor puts Carlos Sainz Jr in the other car. Mclaren might have some Spanish sponsors coming in, I think they would like to see an all-Spanish line-up.
Toro Rosso will probably keep Vergne for another year to support rookie Verstappen.

What's your predictions for next years line-up?

 

[Thanatos]

what about the 3 driver teams rumors? what are the chances?

 

[anesvick]

what about the 3 driver teams rumors? what are the chances?

The minimum required is 16 cars, they have 18, so I don't see it happening next year. It could be a real possibility if Sauber and Force India can't get it together though.

 

[bone]

unexisting!

it's only 5 more months till the start of the new season. now way the teams kind find, hire and train capable staff, make a complete car from scratch, and trick out additional trailers etc to haul the extra stuff around
there simply isn't enough time left...

 

[Delll]

unexisting!

it's only 5 more months till the start of the new season. now way the teams kind find, hire and train capable staff, make a complete car from scratch, and trick out additional trailers etc to haul the extra stuff around
there simply isn't enough time left...

Some of the teams already bring an extra chassis and there should be an abundance of F1-grade equipment and staff on the market now... Red Bull could probably use their unique position to field a fifth car at a day's notice as long as Renault is able to supply the extra engines.

 

[bone]

extra chassis is for when one of the top dogs crashes during practice or quali.
even with 3 cars, they still would need the additional chassis

and i don't know about that abundance of F1-grade staff. haven't the best been snatched away by the WEC teams?

 

[Delll]

extra chassis is for when one of the top dogs crashes during practice or quali.
even with 3 cars, they still would need the additional chassis

and i don't know about that abundance of F1-grade staff. haven't the best been snatched away by the WEC teams?

I doubt Bernie would object to them giving the working car to a championship contender especially if the third car was a rotating seat for young drivers. The bigger teams probably already have suitably qualified mechanics, engineers, etc at the factory anyway. Running a third car obviously wouldn't affect the R&D much.

 

[jpmfan]

McLaren won't be announcing their driver line-up until after the season is over. Have to say if they're not keeping Jenson it's quite disrespectful that he won't get a proper send off.

McLaren will wait until December before announcing their driver line-up for next season.
Spain's Fernando Alonso is expected to leave Ferrari to join the team.
But it is not clear whether McLaren want to retain Britain's Jenson Button or Kevin Magnussen alongside him.
McLaren's Twitter account stated: "Guys, we know you're awaiting news on our driver line-up. We'll announce after 1 December - you'll hear it here first. All eyes now on Abu Dhabi."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/30107277

 

[mpicco]

For all we know, McLaren might have 3 cars next year... so this year's silly season will be quite... silly.

 

[Richmondgal]

Ferrari have finally officially confirmed Formula 1?s worst-kept secret ? Fernando Alonso is leaving the team to be replaced by Sebastian Vettel for 2015.

http://www1.skysports.com/f1/news/24184/9570867/its-official-fernando-alonso-to-leave-ferrari-at-the-end-of-2014-season-team-confirm

 

[mpicco]

Stupidest move in recent history... And I bet Alonso didn't wanna leave till Vettel's name started flying around.

 

[bone]

Alonso didn't want to leave because there is no free seat at Merc or RB

if one of those had a seat free, he would rival the flash in his speed to go place his signature...

 

[lukenwolf]

Alonso didn't want to leave because there is no free seat at Merc or RB

if one of those had a seat free, he would rival the flash in his speed to go place his signature...

He was gambling. His initial intention was to use a possible McLaren or Mercedes seat as leverage to extract more money from Ferrari, but that plan was shot down when Vettel announced that he was leaving RB and Marko and Mateschitz announced that he was Maranello-bound. Suddenly his bargaining tool vanished and Mattiachi told Fernando where to shove it on the Thursday before the Japanese GP.
I think he is still clinging on to the hope that Lewis walks out on Merc should Rosberg win the title, hence the endless delays in announcing the McLaren line-up. H?s negotiation tactics smack of desperation a fair bit.

The biggest loser in this is Button. Should he lose his seat, he won't even be given a proper send-off due to the delay in announcement. That would be quite an undignified way to end a 15 year F1 career and quite a disastrous PR for McLaren.

 

[GraemeH]

^He wants a championship, not a bit more money. He's already paid way better than his finishes suggest he would be, and he moved from Switzerland back to Spain and took a financial arse-raping on tax to be back around his home. You don't do that if you're only motivated by making a few more million.

He'd have already decided to try to make a move elsewhere around Melbourne when the performance of the Ferrari became clear. After Monza would have been the final push, when the Alonso super-fans management was replaced by one that wanted results not excuses.

And yeah, shame for Button, he's overrated generally and by the British press in particular, but it's all a bit undignified, and the points are the points; he's better than Magnussen at this point in their careers. He should probably have went to WEC a while ago and acted like it was entirely his choice to leave.

 

[mpicco]

If the management wants results, not excuses, Alonso would be well down the list of factors why Ferrari aren't winning races. It's not his fault at all.

 

[lukenwolf]

He'd have already decided to try to make a move elsewhere around Melbourne when the performance of the Ferrari became clear. After Monza would have been the final push, when the Alonso super-fans management was replaced by one that wanted results not excuses.

That would make him a hippocrite though. He slammed Vettel last year saying it was all the car and not the driver and - lo and behold - this years he whores about to get into a superior car. He had five seasons in a Ferrari. Schumacher had rebuilt the team from a shambolic operation into an almost unbeatable force in exactly the same time. Maybe Alonso just isn't a leader. Things like blackmailing McLaren suggest that Alonso deludes himself into thinking he's bigger than the team and that doesn't work in Maranello. He's one heck of a driver, but build a team - he can't. That's where I think Vettel will do better. Sure, results won't come in a matter of weeks, but he learned from a close friend called 'Michael Schumacher'. I think it won't take him 5 years to win a title in red.

 

[mpicco]

He's one heck of a driver, but build a team - he can't. That's where I think Vettel will do better. Sure, results won't come in a matter of weeks, but he learned from a close friend called 'Michael Schumacher'. I think it won't take him 5 years to win a title in red.

Based on what, exactly? Vettel had everything in place when he joined RBR and he was fortunate enough to join the team with the best aerodynamicist around during a time when finding downforce solutions was really hard. He did no building of no team, it was all there for him.

 

[Pininfarina_]

Why are people insisting on this "build a team" idea as if modern drivers have a huge impact on the design of a car?

News flash, they don't.