2015 Formula 1 silly season thread.

[Biscuits In A Red Bull]

Guess there's no seat left for Vergne, a RBR test seat would mean nothing, so that's not a bad idea, especially considering Massa will leave relatively soon (he's not going to get younger) and there's a meaningful seat there, especially now Nasr has got a drive elsewhere, and his only competition (if testing is a battle to impress) is Susie Wolff...

[bella]

i dunno if there's no competition, richie stanaway's been lurking around with williams today. that'd be one heck of a good signing by them for their youth team...

[chunterer]

Jev would be a huge loss to the grid when he's clearly still getting better.

Maybe that's just it as far as Marko's concerned...he's not a quick enough learner?

Nah simple case of the old fizzog not fitting the moment situation I reckon?

He hasn't got any money to bring so a paid testing role is probably all he can hope for for next year.

[Mixer]

Originally Posted by chunterer

Jev would be a huge loss to the grid when he's clearly still getting better.

I question his motivation, when Kyvat's move got announced, he was suddenly faster.

[bella]

being a jev fangirl i view that slightly differently. the kvyat announcement was a bit more of a release from the last few years of waiting for a rbr seat/getting told to sling his hook. when it finally happened he could actually get on with being a racing driver.

i think people underestimate the stresses and strains of having your current and future existance defined by a third party in that kind of way. especially when you've done the lions share of your growing up in such a situation.

equally you can also be in a decent car with a decent team behind you but the style of management your team has doesn't suit what you need to keep developing as a driver and a person (not saying that's the case, just throwing it out there for thought). it might be that williams give him the environment where he can improve his single lap pace - after all, you can't question his racing ability.

where red bull excels imo is that they *do* give their drivers a bit of grief. the past 10-15 years in the junior stuff it's become unacceptable for a team or engineer to give a driver a serious telling off or to read him the riot act because they run off to daddy and daddy takes his money elsewhere when in fact his son needs a yelling at on a regular basis to achieve and push himself.

[Mixer]

Originally Posted by bella

i think people underestimate the stresses and strains of having your current and future existance defined by a third party in that kind of way. especially when you've done the lions share of your growing up in such a situation.

I don't underestimate anything but a really good driver can deliver no matter what else is going on. No matter how fast JEV has the potential to be, he has been utterly disappointing in the last 18 months. Given how fickle Marko is, he was lucky to get 2 years, and I think his F1 career is likely over.

[bella]

not necessarily. ricciardo couldn't deliver regardless. he's had to learn.

[Biscuits In A Red Bull]

If Vergne has been solidly disappointing, then surely Ricciardo was the same??? Kvyat is the most promising STR driver since Vettel. So my bet is Ricciardo will give a hammering this season

But Kvyat will stay on for a long, long time in F1...

[Born Racer]

Sainz set to drive for Toro Rosso: http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2014/1...onfirms-split/

[wolfhound]

Jean-Eric Vergne has said he is leaving STR. It helps to point the drive in Sainz direction but is yet to be confirmed.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/116949

[m355y]

I'd quite like to see Lynn instead of Sainz. Nagging feeling in the back of my head that Sainz is a bit more of a Nelon Piquet Jr than a Sebastian Vettel. He's often done a very strong job in FR3.5 but proper "wow" moments along the way?

[Biscuits In A Red Bull]

Shoving Sainz into STR for one season wouldn't hurt either him or Lynn, as the Brit could slot into Sainz's FR3.5 seat. Or GP2.

[bella]

something doesn't quite seem right with lynn, but i think that's a personal blind spot. i don't rate gp3 at all, but he had that won aside from pedantry before they got to abu dhabi, he's won macau and been through the fia academy thing so he clearly knows his bum from his elbow.

sainz hasn't been in that blind spot but i'm still not sure about him. i wanted to see a bit more from him this season (given how flaky his opposition was at times) and he kind of didn't necessarily deliver it.

sainz vs verstappen would be a verrrrrry interesting combination. my money would be on sainz...

[Beryl]

I didn't watch much GP3 this year (and I don't rate the field), so my last impression of Lynn is him being outclassed by Lello Marciello in the same team last year. I don't rate Sainz all that highly either, but I'd favour him for the TR seat.

[Hawkwood]

Lynn has said he's targeting an F1 reserve drive for 2015, so with that, Vergne leaving and Gasly looking at GP2 it does rather leave the way open for Sainz.

[Greem]

I've met Alex Lynn twice - once just after he'd barrel-rolled his FRenault at Oulton a few years back and was understandably rather shaken but still had time to wave to everybody and thank those who were nearest for the help, and once down at Fortec's factory. He took plenty of time out of his day to talk me and my son through the parts of his car that were at the time laid out on the floor waiting for a tub to arrive.

Thoroughly nice bloke. Driven, certainly, but thoroughly nice. I'd be chuffed to bits to see him in an F1 seat.

[bella]

in that case, that's what's wrong with him. you can't be a thoroughly nice bloke *and* be in f1

[Mixer]

Originally Posted by Biscuits In A Red Bull

If Vergne has been solidly disappointing, then surely Ricciardo was the same??? Kvyat is the most promising STR driver since Vettel. So my bet is Ricciardo will give a hammering this season

Not really, JEV faffed about in the STR doing not much for the first half of the season while Ricciardo was belting Vettel...

If you want to look at static results in STR DR and JEV looked similar, but DR outqualified JEV and DR had more mechanical DNFs.

Anyway JEV fans can say if this if that. If my auntie had balls she'd be my uncle.

I strongly believe we've seen the last of JEV, I don't know anybody that ever got a third year in STR before....

[m355y]

I've always liked Vergne, but I do think unfortunately after three seasons of scoring fairly regularly, racing pretty well and being edged on outright speed by both Ricciardo and Kvyat, it's probably time for him to accept that an F1 race drive might be a thing of the past now. He can make a decent career elsewhere, but I think what he lacked in F1 was that last couple of tenths of raw one-lap pace (and he ain't alone on that), and the ability to step things up and grab his chance when it came. A Red Bull seat has twice been a real possibility. I remember them adding him to the shortlist midway through 2013 after his beauty of a drive in Canada, suddenly he was in the ascendency and was maybe just starting to inch up on Ricciardo. Then the two or three races after that, he was crap. Frustrating. Chance gone.

McLaren's quotes today about the decision between Button and Magnussen not being based on points.....bye bye Jenson.

[Biscuits In A Red Bull]

Originally Posted by bella

in that case, that's what's wrong with him. you can't be a thoroughly nice bloke *and* be in f1

JB's managed both for several years, like Webber before him. So whilst what you say is largely true, they're clearly a dying breed. Hopefully Ricciardo can stick around for a bit longer

[Hawkwood]

Well, Carlos Sainz it is, confirmed.

It may be a little early to guess, but who do you reckon will come out on top between him and Verstappen?
That could be a little harsh on young Max, but Toro Rosso aren't exactly known for being soft on drivers.

[steve nielsen]

Originally Posted by Hawkwood

Well, Carlos Sainz it is, confirmed.

It may be a little early to guess, but who do you reckon will come out on top between him and Verstappen?
That could be a little harsh on young Max, but Toro Rosso aren't exactly known for being soft on drivers.

If you compare their F3 tesults Max had lots more wins in less races.

[chunterer]

Both appear to have basic speed in spades, so where will their differences show?

[Biscuits In A Red Bull]

Originally Posted by chunterer

Both appear to have basic speed in spades, so where will their differences show?

Verstappen in the rain. Will give Hulkenberg and Hamilton a good showing (I'm assuming Mr Rainmaster Button won't be back in this comment).

[steve nielsen]

Originally Posted by steve nielsen

If you compare their F3 tesults Max had lots more wins in less races.

https://www.driverdb.com/head-to-hea...rlos-sainz-jr/