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Post by sjg on May 12, 2020 12:07:26 GMT
Vettel is leaving Ferrari. Couldn't negotiate final terms. He was offered a hugely reduced salary and a short-term contract. That means a seat needs to be filled. Hamilton? Sainz? Ricciardo? I think Vettel's gonna leave F1. Wow i didn't see that coming! I could see Ricciardo taking the seat but i can't see Vetel being satisfied with a Renault drive. It does look like he's going to take some time out or retire.
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Post by cypher on May 12, 2020 13:28:19 GMT
Vettel is leaving Ferrari. Couldn't negotiate final terms. He was offered a hugely reduced salary and a short-term contract. That means a seat needs to be filled. Hamilton? Sainz? Ricciardo? I think Vettel's gonna leave F1. Wow i didn't see that coming! I could see Ricciardo taking the seat but i can't see Vetel being satisfied with a Renault drive. It does look like he's going to take some time out or retire. It didn't surprise me. I predicted at the 'beginning of the season', that if he performed like he did last season, he would leave Ferrari. "As always Ferrari politics is going to be fun, and hope that Leclerc continues where he left off last season, as Vettel's contract is up for renewal at the end of the season, I think, and if he performs like he did last year, he's gonzo. He'll probably pull a Rosberg and retire. He's reached his pinnacle, and for someone who loves his personal stats, I don't think he'll go to another team and do an Alonso."Unfortunately, for him, he got done in by the pandemic. His contract was up for renewal at the end of this season, and he had this season to prove his worth, otherwise he was over a negotiating barrel having been outclassed by a rookie, and finishing 5th. This, coupled with talks of budget caps, and Ferrari having increased their total employees in 2019 by a huge 11%, meant that they were going to welch on his salary. So the end result is, he's gone. Will he go to another team? I don't think so. He will certainly not go to Renault, and do a straight swap with his former number 2, that's too humiliating. He'd be too scared, and humiliated, to go back to Red Bull, to race with Max. Also, Red Bull need to keep an even keel for the future with their young drivers, and I do believe they have a bright future with Max and Albon. There are rumors of possibly McLaren, but I don't think he'd fit in. In all reality, he doesn't have any realistic options that would be satisfactory to him, except retirement from F1. So what is his F1 legacy? He'll be remembered as a technically gifted, four time, consecutive World Champion, who drove an amazingly designed car by Adrian Newey, but when given an ordinary car, was prone to mistakes by his constant looking in the wing mirrors, to me anyway...
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Post by TheSowIsMine on May 12, 2020 19:40:28 GMT
Wow i didn't see that coming! I could see Ricciardo taking the seat but i can't see Vetel being satisfied with a Renault drive. It does look like he's going to take some time out or retire. It didn't surprise me. I predicted at the 'beginning of the season', that if he performed like he did last season, he would leave Ferrari. "As always Ferrari politics is going to be fun, and hope that Leclerc continues where he left off last season, as Vettel's contract is up for renewal at the end of the season, I think, and if he performs like he did last year, he's gonzo. He'll probably pull a Rosberg and retire. He's reached his pinnacle, and for someone who loves his personal stats, I don't think he'll go to another team and do an Alonso."Unfortunately, for him, he got done in by the pandemic. His contract was up for renewal at the end of this season, and he had this season to prove his worth, otherwise he was over a negotiating barrel having been outclassed by a rookie, and finishing 5th. This, coupled with talks of budget caps, and Ferrari having increased their total employees in 2019 by a huge 11%, meant that they were going to welch on his salary. So the end result is, he's gone. Will he go to another team? I don't think so. He will certainly not go to Renault, and do a straight swap with his former number 2, that's too humiliating. He'd be too scared, and humiliated, to go back to Red Bull, to race with Max. Also, Red Bull need to keep an even keel for the future with their young drivers, and I do believe they have a bright future with Max and Albon. There are rumors of possibly McLaren, but I don't think he'd fit in. In all reality, he doesn't have any realistic options that would be satisfactory to him, except retirement from F1. So what is his F1 legacy? He'll be remembered as a technically gifted, four time, consecutive World Champion, who drove an amazingly designed car by Adrian Newey, but when given an ordinary car, was prone to mistakes by his constant looking in the wing mirrors, to me anyway... A lot of great drivers couldnt win a championship with Ferrari and Adrian Newey has build great cars for other great champions as well.
Its not really a suprise, Vettel didnt seem that happy at Ferrari any more.
Who will replace him.
There is talk about Sainz, could be a good second next to Leclerc Gio, he is a ferrari junior, but doesnt deserve it. And I dont think he would function as second driver
Ricciardo, I would love that, but is he willing to play second to Leclerc.
Some are even talking about a Vettel/Hamilton switch.
We will see.
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Post by cypher on May 13, 2020 14:06:51 GMT
Looks like Sainz is filling the seat, with Ricciardo going to McLaren, but Ricciardo will have to break a multi-year contract, which he'd probably be happy to do.
Will be confirmed in a couple of days.
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Post by TheSowIsMine on May 13, 2020 14:10:39 GMT
Looks like Sainz is filling the seat, with Ricciardo going to McLaren, but Ricciardo will have to break a multi-year contract, which he'd probably be happy to do. Will be confirmed in a couple of days. I think he had a 2 year contract with Renault and he is already in his second year.
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Post by cypher on May 13, 2020 14:14:56 GMT
Looks like Sainz is filling the seat, with Ricciardo going to McLaren, but Ricciardo will have to break a multi-year contract, which he'd probably be happy to do. Will be confirmed in a couple of days. I think he had a 2 year contract with Renault and he is already in his second year. Yeah, you're right, that makes things easier for him.
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Post by cypher on May 14, 2020 11:47:10 GMT
It's been confirmed.
Sainz to Ferrari, and Ricciardo to McLaren.
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Post by TheSowIsMine on May 14, 2020 11:53:21 GMT
Norris and Ricciardo is a great pairing.
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Post by cypher on May 15, 2020 14:48:32 GMT
Silverstone has negotiated to hold two races behind closed doors this season, but the UK's quarantine rules could make that null and void, as all international arrivals would have to undergo a two week quarantine, and nobody knows when that will be implemented.
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Post by Aj_June on May 15, 2020 14:51:18 GMT
It's been confirmed. Sainz to Ferrari, and Ricciardo to McLaren. The widespread belief seems to be that Sainz will play second fiddle to Charles. Do you think LecLerc would prove easily to be the better of the two?
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Post by cypher on May 15, 2020 15:06:53 GMT
It's been confirmed. Sainz to Ferrari, and Ricciardo to McLaren. The widespread belief seems to be that Sainz will play second fiddle to Charles. Do you think LecLerc would prove easily to be the better of the two? I'm inclined to say, yes, Leclerc will have the upper hand. He's had a season in the team, he did winter testing, and will thrive in the knowledge that he's number 1. Sainz has to make a massive adjustment, and will have to overcome some initial uncertainty.
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Post by cypher on May 16, 2020 12:31:47 GMT
So, apparently, it wasn't a case of Vettel couldn't negotiate terms with Ferrari, it was a case of Ferrari not even coming up with a contract!
This is coupled with the fact that Sainz asked Zak Brown for permission to talk with Ferrari in the off-season.
Now that's a shocker!
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Post by Aj_June on May 16, 2020 17:17:54 GMT
The widespread belief seems to be that Sainz will play second fiddle to Charles. Do you think LecLerc would prove easily to be the better of the two? I'm inclined to say, yes, Leclerc will have the upper hand. He's had a season in the team, he did winter testing, and will thrive in the knowledge that he's number 1. Sainz has to make a massive adjustment, and will have to overcome some initial uncertainty. I am also among those who believe LecLerc will have an upper hand. Leclerc and Max are the best two of the young ones. I wonder though if George Russell had not been tied up with Mercedes, would he have been considered for Ferrari?
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Post by TheSowIsMine on May 16, 2020 18:46:16 GMT
I'm inclined to say, yes, Leclerc will have the upper hand. He's had a season in the team, he did winter testing, and will thrive in the knowledge that he's number 1. Sainz has to make a massive adjustment, and will have to overcome some initial uncertainty. I am also among those who believe LecLerc will have an upper hand. Leclerc and Max are the best two of the young ones. I wonder though if George Russell had not been tied up with Mercedes, would he have been considered for Ferrari? Not enough F1 experience. He is a good driver though, and I hoped Mercedes would finally take a chance with one of their young drivers, but they never do.
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Post by cypher on May 18, 2020 18:50:19 GMT
So it looks like F1 is seriously striving to get a season underway, and that has got me thinking if it's really a good idea for some sort of semblance of a season to go ahead.
As much as I have missed racing so far this season, if it were to proceed, it seems, to me, that it is going to be fraught with many potential problems.
Firstly, there's going to be four races at two racetracks, Silverstone and Red Bull Ring, as far as I know, as of today. Isn't the second race at each racetrack going to be a bit of a foregone conclusion, barring technical problems or drivers' mistakes. I know why they want to do consecutive races at the same racetrack, but it seems a bit redundant. The criticism of, 'it's won or lost in the pits', will probably be lent more credence, unfortuantely.
Secondly, there's travel and quarantine restrictions that need to be overcome. These haven't been ironed out, certainly not universally. It's a country by country decision, which in all likelihood will change according to coronavirus statistics, as a result there's already an air of uncertainty before the season starts. Silverstone has negotiated a double race, but without an assurance from the UK government it can even go ahead. At the moment, Silverstone is coming across as wishful thinking, let alone the season itself.
Thirdly, if the season goes ahead it's against the backdrop of the teams discussing budget caps. It seems a bit tone deaf to go ahead with a season with that in mind. What's the reason for the budget caps? It's to help teams 'save' money, which in turn supposedly helps 'poorer' teams become more competitive, whilst lessening their financial burden. Of course Ferrari, as per usual, was not keen on budget caps, but relented in the face of the pandemic, because they were coming across as arrogant, elitist and tone deaf, and then their response to this conundrum is to not even offer Vettel a contract. They knew he was going to be in a bind, as a result, and would be felt compelled to leave, and so now they can dispense a rookie salary/ contract. How fortuitous!
I know the teams have expended a lot of money already for this season, and why shouldn't the teams/ F1 try and recoup some of that money by conducting a season, but it seems that only the richer teams are going to be enthused to take part, and be rewarded for doing so. It seems, to me, to be a huge gamble, especially if 'promised' races suddenly don't materialize because something unforeseen happens.
It looks to be a chicken and egg kind of scenario, is it better to go ahead with some sort of a season, or to furlough until there's a degree of certainty. Is Haas, for example, thinking, 'Thank God we can race, whatever happens', or, 'Hope it all goes well, or we're going to be bankrupt'? What is the image of F1 going to be if more than one team goes bankrupt. Well, you might say, they'd probably have gone bankrupt anyway. If that's the case, when are they going to go bankrupt for certain, after the season or during? I don't think the optics of teams falling out during a season will look very good, and I don't think there will be rich consortiums who will easily, or readily, pick up the pieces of a team to carry on mid season. Teams have gone bankrupt during a season before, and that wasn't during a worldwide economic hardship.
Fourthly, are the financial rewards going to justify a season? Or should the question be, who will benefit most from the season going ahead? Obviously the racetracks won't, as it will be 'behind closed doors'. Will commercial advertisers be offering the same amount of money? I'm assuming TV rights were negotiated and paid before the pandemic, will that money be enough. Whichever teams finish in the top 3 will get some kind of reward, but will it be enough, and will what's left over be enough for the others? It seems the best way to combat any fears would be to, perhaps, make it equitable for all who take part in the season, and for all money to be shared equally amongst all the teams for this season only, or in the very least offer a promissory note for the next season, which in turn flies in the face of the reasons for a budget cap, or reinforces the reasons, whichever way you look at it. This scenario will make Ferrari, as per usual, question their motivation for taking part, which in turn calls in to question their motivation to race anyway.
Sorry for the rambling. Yes, it is coming from someone who is obviously bored, at home, with nothing better to do, and, yes, I have probably presented some patently stupid argument that can be picked apart very easily, but when I think about the season going ahead the potential cons seem to outweigh the wishful pros.
Hey, it might all go swimmingly well, and it'll go down as one of the greatest seasons, ever, or it might be the season that will forever be asterisked, as one of the most foolhardy seasons ever undertaken.
For me, the best laid plans of mice and men, comes to mind. What are your thoughts?
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Post by TheSowIsMine on May 18, 2020 21:06:11 GMT
I think the schedule they have for now is bonkers.
Potential 2020 F1 calendar
Jul 5: Austrian GP
Jul 12: Red Bull Ring ‘2’
Jul 26: British GP (or Hockenheim)
Aug 2: Silverstone ‘2’ (or Hockenheim)
Aug 9: Hungarian GP
Aug 23: Spanish GP
Aug 30: Belgian GP
Sep 6: Italian GP
Sep 20: Azerbaijan GP
Sep 27: Russian GP
Oct 4: Chinese GP
Oct 11: Japanese GP
Oct 25: US GP
Nov 1: Mexican GP
Nov 8: Brazilian GP
Nov 22: Vietnam GP
Nov 29: Bahrain ‘2’
Dec 6: Bahrain GP
Dec 13: Abu Dhabi GP
I dont want 2 races at the same place, the calender is already long, they surely can make it a bit shorter.
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Post by cypher on May 18, 2020 22:12:57 GMT
I think the schedule they have for now is bonkers. I dont want 2 races at the same place, the calender is already long, they surely can make it a bit shorter. I hadn't seen that schedule, and hadn't realized it was going to be 22 races. I was under the impression it was going to be pared back, possibly be Eurocentric. That is ridiculous. It's travelling internationally almost every weekend! I don't believe they can all afford to do it. They haven't all stashed away that much rainy day money.
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Post by Aj_June on May 19, 2020 1:21:44 GMT
For me, the best laid plans of mice and men, comes to mind. What are your thoughts? Woah, never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that F1 will plan to go ahead with the kind of brutal schedule as depicted in TheSowIsMine's post. I think formula 1 must be mentally exhausting and physically draining sport and that kind of schedule may endanger driver's mental and physical health. And Corona thing is obviously a continued worry. I much rather see a smaller season.
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Post by Aj_June on May 19, 2020 1:29:23 GMT
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Post by TheSowIsMine on May 19, 2020 8:08:21 GMT
No more Alonso, I’m so done with him.
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