2021 Silly Season

[Richard C]

The 2020 Silly Season thread is now clearly talk about 2021 (and beyond). It was about this time last year I started the 2020 thread. So now is time to sync up topic to thread title.

Current topics seem to be...

* Where (if anywhere) will Vettel go?
* Will we see a return to F1 for Alonso?
* Who will fill in at Renault?
* As well as other staff changes that may come about due to the various F1 drama (Williams financial problems, etc.)

Richard

[Greem]

Originally Posted by Richard Casto

* Where (if anywhere) will Vettel go?
* Will we see a return to F1 for Alonso?
* Who will fill in at Renault?

* Is it Penry, the mild-mannered janitor?

Sorry, lists of questions pretty well always make me do that

[Richard C]

Originally Posted by Greem

* Is it Penry, the mild-mannered janitor?

Sorry, lists of questions pretty well always make me do that

Hong Kong Phooey to Renault?

Richard

[S griffin]

I do wonder if Renault are maybe looking to F2 for potential drivers for 2021. Of course Lundgard and Zhou have been linked to them, but they might need someone with money. Of course I still think Alonso will eventually be in that seat, even if it is a bit late in the day

[chillibowl]

Alonso would be able to bring money as well...if he were to return, Renault seems like the natural and perhaps only fit?

is Ocon under contract with Renault for 2021 also?

[Richard C]

Originally Posted by chillibowl

Alonso would be able to bring money as well

So we recently have issues around teams like Williams and McLaren having funding problems. We also are seeing economic impacts that are driven by the pandemic. Why are we also not hearing about potential issues with drivers either loosing their ability to bring funding or maybe their ability is reduced. My point is that we sort of act that it is a given that some drivers will be able to bring cash. Is there any evidence that might be changing?

Richard

[chillibowl]

Originally Posted by Richard Casto

...Is there any evidence that might be changing?

i dont know. obviously post covid one would assume it will be harder to find money but it has always been hard to find money.

i think teams have for the most part always tried to balance one's ability to drive with said driver's marketability/access to cash. perhaps with money becoming scarcer the balance will move more towards ability to get cash? but it was already going in that direction anyways.

no doubt some will have a harder time of it, but at the same time i see the growth of social media and some drivers' willingness to embrace and effectively monetize that popularity as an important part of one's employment skill set. one could assume that the younger drivers are better suited to do this as the reflected on the grid which was already trending downwards in average age (i think).

i would suspect we will also see another push for greater diversity as there will be a renewed focus on tapping new markets and demographics for sponsorship opportunities.

i suppose one could say the more things change the more they stay the same?

that said and more to the point...i fancy Alonso's chances on being on the 2021 grid more than i do SV's. both have talent, so that equals out, but Alonso brings his own brand in Kimoa and a massive following.

[Theunser]

I also wonder about Aston Martin. I'd like to see Vandoorne(he recently became reserve along with Gutierrez) replacing Stroll. I read that if Stroll doesen't deliver this year he could go.

[Theunser]

Answering to a question above, Ocon has a two year deal with Renault.

[Hawkwood]

Alonso coming back to Renault seems almost inevitable in some ways, but surely Renault would be better served by spending that money (which would be a heck of a lot) on improving the car?

Having Alonso driving your midfield car seems to be a waste of money.

[S griffin]

I agree we should see Alonso back in the Renault and tbh I can’t see him costing that much. He’ll probably be happy to be back in the championship. Renault don’t have a bottomless pit of money anyway, so could probably do with experience.

I actually look forward to him being in the Renault hopefully. After all, where is he going to go at this stage of his career? Here’s a chance to show how good a driver he still is after two years out

[djinvicta]

How will Stroll be out of a drive (see above) when Daddy owns the Team?
Alonso to Renault? Terrific news.. He can push them forward..
Seb V? No sorry, he lost it last year to a younger guy. Then got annoyed and again used his car as a weapon...retire now before you really balls up your career..

[steve nielsen]

Originally Posted by Theunser

I also wonder about Aston Martin. I'd like to see Vandoorne(he recently became reserve along with Gutierrez) replacing Stroll. I read that if Stroll doesen't deliver this year he could go.

You do know Lawrence Stroll owns the team and Aston Martin right?

[gert]

I too can't see Stroll being dropped either.
He will be replaced when he himself decides he has had enough, and (probably) takes up a management role at the team instead.

[S griffin]

Unless Stroll has been linked to another team(he might have been but haven’t heard of anything), he’ll probably stay. This is his big chance though if he is to continue in F1 for longer

[BertMk2]

Originally Posted by gert

I too can't see Stroll being dropped either.
He will be replaced when he himself decides he has had enough, and (probably) takes up a management role at the team instead.

He could be shuffled off to the Aston GT squad - maybe start out in GT4 in British GT

[S griffin]

Maybe he would be more suited to endurance, but anyway, if this season’s Racing Point is as good as it was in testing, then this is Stroll’s big chance to show he’s better than people say.

[Theunser]

Yes, I know Stroll's dad owns the team, but it becoming a factory team might change things.
But realistically I think too Stroll is staying, I'd just really like to see Stoffel there.

[broadrun96]

Originally Posted by Theunser

Yes, I know Stroll's dad owns the team, but it becoming a factory team might change things.
But realistically I think too Stroll is staying, I'd just really like to see Stoffel there.

He owns, or controls via investment group, controlling interest and is the managing director of the factory as well. Stroll is only leaving F1 if he has a top level Aston Martin program to go to and GTE is dead, it just hasn't been shot yet. GT3 maybe but that's less factory teams than private with factory money.

Maybe Daddy will build him a DPi and he can go play in IMSA and let the quick guys run the F1 cars.

[billy bleach]

Andy Cowell leaving Mercedes . Something afoot methinks Time for Alonso to sign up!

[Richard C]

Originally Posted by billy bleach

Andy Cowell leaving Mercedes . Something afoot methinks Time for Alonso to sign up!

Link to news item.

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/14...1-engine-chief

If you trust the info provided by Mercedes, he let them know he wanted to leave in January. Is it that he has nothing left to prove at Mercedes, a new project elsewhere, things are changing at Mercedes, all of the above?

It took me a minute to understand the Alonso reference above!

Richard

[sizzle]

Originally Posted by billy bleach

Andy Cowell leaving Mercedes . Something afoot methinks Time for Alonso to sign up!

Originally Posted by Richard Casto

Link to news item.

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/14...1-engine-chief

If you trust the info provided by Mercedes, he let them know he wanted to leave in January. Is it that he has nothing left to prove at Mercedes, a new project elsewhere, things are changing at Mercedes, all of the above?

It took me a minute to understand the Alonso reference above!

Richard

Cowell will work with Thomas to support the transition and will "consult to Mercedes-Benz AG on a major future project until at least early 2021"

Hardly likely he is going anywhere near a competitor in the short term.

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by sizzle

Cowell will work with Thomas to support the transition and will "consult to Mercedes-Benz AG on a major future project until at least early 2021"

Hardly likely he is going anywhere near a competitor in the short term.

Just nice words to mean that he will be going on gardening leave until at least next year.

[Richard C]

Bottas looking to stay at Mercedes for 2021.

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/b...-2021/4833817/

It is looking rough for Vettel to find a top seat in 2021. I feel he may pull an Alonso and take a year off or just outright retire.

Richard

[S griffin]

Bottas has done well so far this season, let’s if a contract for next season can keep him motivated throughout. We’ll wait for the official announcement, but he could be in a good place if contract talks break down with Hamilton and he ends up leaving.

But I too struggle to see where Vettel will fit next season, unless it’s somewhere like Haas