[Driver] 2019 F1 Silly Season

[Formulahistory]

Williams will keep Sirotkin and hire another pay driver like Markelov, Latifi, Norris, Gelael or so I think.

Toro Rosso will kee Hartley as long as Ticktum doesn't qualify for a superlicense.

Sauber is close to sign Giovinazzi.

[BSchneiderFan]

How is Norris a pay driver? Would McLaren stump up for his drive?

[peebee2]

Originally Posted by BSchneiderFan

How is Norris a pay driver? Would McLaren stump up for his drive?

Because his Dad will pay £20m or so for his drive, just like he pays to be test driver?

(That’s how it works)

[VIVA GT]

I still think that The Honey Badger holds the key to the driver market at the moment. If he stays at Red Bull, then maybe there won't be too much movement (not towards the top half of the grid anyway). If he goes elsewhere, surely Red Bull will want Sainz back to fill DR's space, which will then leave a space at Renault. Someone has said recently that Renault are getting all parochial about having a French driver and are looking at Grosjean, which will leave a space at Haas and so on...

[chillibowl]

my money is still on Kimi at Ferrari for next year but must admit i would very much like to see Perez get a crack at that seat.

[gert]

For what it's worth, this is what I think and/or got from Belgian-French TV:

* Ferrari: Raikkonen or Leclerc
* Sauber: Leclerc or Raikkonen. Vandoorne possible if 1. he is booted from McLaren and 2. Raikkonen stays at Ferrari and 3. Ferrari wants Leclerc at Sauber. Remember: SV raced for ART/Vasseur in GP2. Or even alongside Raikkonen or Leclerc if they let Ericsson go.
* Red Bull: Ricciardo (probably) or Sainz.
* Renault: Sainz (preferred option by the race team), Ocon (preferred option by the French-purist fraction in the Renault board of directors). Grosjean possible but unlikely.
* McLaren: Alonso + Vandoorne, Alonso + Sainz, Vandoorne + Sainz, Alonso or Sainz + Norris. Vandoorne + Norris is very unlikely: too unexperienced.
* Haas: Magnussen + Grosjean or Perez
* Force India: Stroll + ... ?

Another rumour has it that Red Bull doesn't want to release Sainz to Renault because they need him. To replace Ricciardo if he goes, or to replace Hartley if Ricciardo stays. They can't get Ticktum in F1 and don't have anyone else.
Sainz is not impressed at all by the prospect of going back to TR.

[peebee2]

Gert, not so sure the team prefer Sainz to Ocon at all.

And I hear Checo to Haas in place of Grosjean very possible indeed.

[djinvicta]

Originally Posted by chillibowl

my money is still on Kimi at Ferrari for next year but must admit i would very much like to see Perez get a crack at that seat.

Can't see Perez saying.. "oh yes, i will let Vettel past"...like Kimi does...Money Kimi..he loves it. Perez is a hard arse nasty to overtake.. As Eddie Irvine said.. "I was a No2, but took 100 million out of it"...nice..

[BSchneiderFan]

Something tells me Grosjean might be left standing when the music stops. He seems cursed.

[chillibowl]

Originally Posted by djinvicta

Can't see Perez saying.. "oh yes, i will let Vettel past"...like Kimi does...Money Kimi..he loves it. Perez is a hard arse nasty to overtake.. As Eddie Irvine said.. "I was a No2, but took 100 million out of it"...nice..

indeed thats the reason why such a move would not happen.

talent wise though i think he deserves another shot at a top seat but yeah more a wishful fantasy more than anything else.

[gert]

Originally Posted by peebee2

Gert, not so sure the team prefer Sainz to Ocon at all.

And I hear Checo to Haas in place of Grosjean very possible indeed.

I don't know for sure. That's just what I heard. For every rumour I hear, someone else hears something completely different.

From what I hear: Hulkenberg + Sainz = stability, for once. Sainz pushes Hulkenberg, unlike Palmer and races good enough to get some decent results on his own (although recent races were somewheat diappointing, resultwise).
And they seem to both like and dislike the same aspects in the car and give comparable technical feedback.
They (the race team) know what they have and don't know what they would get (with Ocon) in that regards.

As far as I know, a choice for Ocon would be more of a political one than a technical/sporting one.
I have been reading French magazines (Sport-Auto, Auto-Hebdo) for long enough to recognize that French trait...

[BSchneiderFan]

Unless money changes hands, what’s in it for Mercedes to let Ocon go to Renault? Give him experience of a works team, I suppose. And he’s young enough to be called up if Lewis retires in 2020, or if he looks a better prospect than Bottas.

[V8 Fireworks]

Originally Posted by BSchneiderFan

Unless money changes hands, what’s in it for Mercedes to let Ocon go to Renault? Give him experience of a works team, I suppose. And he’s young enough to be called up if Lewis retires in 2020, or if he looks a better prospect than Bottas.

Mercedes had a free seat but refused Ocon. Mercedes clearly don't like Ocon that much and have minor interest at best.
Therefore clearly they are not very fussed if Ocon is lost from their driver program.

To the contrary, Ferrari will likely place LeClerc in their free seat as they think he is a jolly fine driver who is valuable to them.

[BSchneiderFan]

I’m not sure it’s as clear-cut as that. Ocon is fast and reliable, and still young. Let him learn his trade at Force India and Bottas in the meantime is an excellent number two. But Mercedes have to have one eye on the future in case Hamilton calls it quits after his new contract is done (assuming, of course, that they stay in F1 and don’t put all their eggs in the Formula E basket).

[S griffin]

Ocon might be poached by Renault and that would not surprise me. Mercedes could regret that

[BSchneiderFan]

At least they still have George Russell on the books (and Pascal Wehrlein).

[peebee2]

Originally Posted by BSchneiderFan

At least they still have George Russell on the books (and Pascal Wehrlein).

And Guenther. And Auer. And the others too.

[BSchneiderFan]

Russell strikes me as the most likely candidate for the F1 team (IF Mercedes go on beyond their current commitment).

[S griffin]

I wouldn't be surprised to see Russell in F1 next season

[Aysedasi]

With?

[BSchneiderFan]

Might Toro Rosso be persuaded to take him? McLaren tried to squeeze Norris in at Faenza.

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by BSchneiderFan

Might Toro Rosso be persuaded to take him? McLaren tried to squeeze Norris in at Faenza.

I thought it was Marko trying to 'borrow' Norris!!

[chunterer]

I'm concerned for Sainz. Nothing wrong with his skill but my feeling is if he loses his seat to Ocon after just one season it will be a major blow for his career.

Maybe right place wrong time?

[Skam85]

Originally Posted by chunterer

I'm concerned for Sainz. Nothing wrong with his skill but my feeling is if he loses his seat to Ocon after just one season it will be a major blow for his career.

Maybe right place wrong time?

Agreed, losing out on an ever-improving Renault seat would be a body blow.
McLaren aren't the worst option as they may benefit from Key's inclusion, and far better than being shoehorned back into a Toro Rosso. That's career suicide right there.
Apart from that, there's not a lot of options for Sainz. Which is a shame, because he is very good.

[Nononsensecapeesh]

Ric and Hulk at the Regie sounds like a pretty awesome line-up!