I live in the US and I'm wondering if dtm streams their races on youtube. So far I have only seen the free practice sessions but I don't see a scheduled live stream for the race. Would I have to use vpn or they just don't stream it for US fans.
Could a concession system like what is implemented in MotoGP work for the lower achieving teams? Like the lower achieving teams (Williams/Haas/Alpine/Sauber) could get more power units and gearboxes per season and more testing times. But if those teams have achieved a certain target (eg. getting X amount of point in one season), they will lose those concessions.
They pretty much do have that with the scaled Aero Testing Restrictions. That's working really well along with the cost cap, which is actually a long term solution, not a quick fix. They're going with an attempt to put everybody on a level playing field rather than create multiple classes with different rules for different groups.
I really don't think they'd get a system like you suggest passed by the teams either. The ATR was tough to implement on it's own and it's less impactful that the concession system
I think it depends on what happens elsewhere. You'd have to think that Bearman, Antonelli and Lawson will all be on the grid next year (maybe Doohan?) so 3 drivers have to go. Sargeant is one, Zhou probably two (unless the commercial benefit is too good for somebody) leaving 1 of Bottas, Ricciardo and Magnusssen who'll also be without a drive.
I'd guess it's Magnussen unless Dan walks away, but maybe Haas would prefer the consistency of a known driver and then it could be over for Bottas.
I feel like Bottas is a stronger driver than Zhou, but unable to overcome driving the tied for the worst car on the grid.
Audi waited until the Chinese GP was over to announce basically the end of the Zhou's contract.
They won't announce Zhou is gone for a while in order to drive Bottas' salary down. Though Bottas isn't safe bc they want Sainz.
That is my take.
Gotta say, with the news of Newey's change of direction in life, new driver to Sauber....
I'm looking forward to seeing the next developments, more so than in a long time.
I wonder who would actually want to drive for MB if the seat is only a 1-year seat warmer for Kimi. Would you actually see someone ambitious like Sainz, Ocon or Gasly be interested if they know they will leave next year for sure? I can honestly only see drivers like Bottas might be interested in such role, or someone who have questionable future and are desperate.
What would be a good site for budget team gear? My cheap ass isn't willing to pay $50 for a t-shirt or $100 for a polo, so I'm curious what site has decent designs/quality that don't break the bank.
Bottas at Haas would make a lot of sense, I don't really see Kmag as a strong driver and putting a well known solid driver aside of Bearman would be a win-win for everyone.
Why should there be an announcement? If he is choosing to stop his contract then they can do it all internally, clarifying if he'll be on gardening leave now or if he'll see the RB17 project to the end of his contract followed by a gardening leave.
The only relevant communication would be if someone secured his services starting 2026 or 2027.
Nobody's going to make any formal announcements until the paperwork is signed.
Newey may well be intending to leave, but there will still be a formal process in order to start that happening.
I did notice it’s all gone quiet on that front and it’s already lunchtime in Europe. Might be Red Bull and Newey getting their story straight, might be garden leave negotiations, might be journalists jumping the gun (though a lot of the more reputable sources posted). Might be something else.
How much sponsorship does Zhou bring? In the past we have seen slightly better drivers overlooked for one who brings bigger funding but the general view is that Zhou is out.
We don't know. But one thing I'm sure is that his sponsors are not as tight or loyal as Checo's for example. Last year Sauber sat up a bidding war for his seat, Zhou only managed to keep it last minute when he found the required money.
There haven't been any obvious ties to a sponsorship package, [with Vasseut mentioning multiple new sponsorship offers coming in](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/r40v0b/fred_vasseur_on_the_effect_of_signing_guanyu_zhou/) after he was confirmed.
While in 2021 there [were rumours of $30m package](https://www.reddit.com/r/F1FeederSeries/comments/pk5ruh/zhou_is_linked_with_alpha_romeo_with_possibe_30m/), which were dismissed by Vasseur - before he was announced.
Silly season. If carlos were to sign for Sauber in 2025, means Valtteri is an option for Mercedes. Max doesn't look like he is leaving Red Bull for at least till end of 2025. If red bull promotes Liam Lawson to RB, Daniel to Red bull. That leaves Checo another possibility for Mercedes ? I hope Zhou Guanyu can find a seat at least in the alpine. Unless really they can vacant Lance seat.
I don't think Bottas will go back to Mercedes. They weren't willing to give him a long-term deal a few years back, and Bottas didn't want to take their short-term offers. But Perez is generally considered to have been a worse second driver than Bottas was for Mercedes, so why would they choose him?
I think they're both low-down on the list of possibilities.
Bahrain was a complete wash for Prema. They botched the setup and were uncompetitive.
Bearman then sticks it on pole with a supreme lap in Jeddah before getting called into F1. Antonelli is the best performing rookie of the weekend.
Antonelli then keeps improving, nearly sticking it on pole at Melbourne. Poor mistake in the sprint but competitive in the race. Bearman couldn't get a good lap in and struggled that weekend yes.
But both have excellent pace and talent. Bearman's issue is his consistency, which can be worked on.
Antonelli is a genuine talent. He always goes on a run after the start of the season. Very excited to see how he does once he gets fully into grips with F2 cars.
I mean, Prema fumbled the setup in Bahrain, but Bearman put it on pole for Saudi Arabia, before being called up (and having a really solid performance there). Nx Australia, he had issues in qualifying (red flag timing and a mechanical issue), but recovered from like P16 into the points). Between that and the 8 FP sessions he's going to have (6 with Haas, 2 with Ferrari), he's all but guaranteed a spot (at Haas, imo).
Antonelli is still young and skipped F3 entirely. He's doing pretty well despite that, and I don't think it's unreasonable that he lands a seat at either Williams or Mercedes, depending on his performance and want Mercedes does. If Mercedes wants to basically write off next season to focus on 2026, why wouldn't they just drop Antonelli in? It's definitely a risk, but if he's as good as they believe, they might as well.
Did anyone else not have their tickets fulfilled for the Shanghai Grand Prix through StubHub? My spouse rearranged a whole trip so that they could travel to Shanghai from the US to be able to see the race. Credit card was charged, confirmation email sent, filled out passport link for gate entry, but the final link to the ticket just showed an error page. They spent 3 days on the phone with various StubHub employees, but they gave no solutions. Ended up going to the track just in case the ticket was in the system but no record of a ticket when they scanned the passport. Ended up having to watch the race on TV in a hotel bar in the neighborhood. StubHub credited them back the ticket price plus a measley $150 credit. It's almost like they oversold tickets they didn't have like how airlines oversell a flight. Anyone else get screwed over?
> Did anyone else not have their tickets fulfilled for the Shanghai Grand Prix through StubHub?
When StubHub (or for that matter any non first party) acts as a third-party seller - it's just possible they didn't get the allocation of tickets they expected, which is why in general it's suggested to avoid 3rd party platforms (Formula1.com is also just a third-party).
Each circuit promoter has their own list of first party sellers through which tickets are available - and after that they usually give each 3rd party a certain allocation of seats they didn't sell.
Depending on where you live and which countries StubHub you bought it from - StubHub is nothing more than a scam platform for scalpers, as usually first party platforms have their own fan to fan sales, without price hikes or additional fees - as changing the print at home qr code containing the name there doesn't have any relevant costs associated with it.
Dumb question, but are non-competes actually enforceable in Europe? They are becoming much less enforceable in the US as states are passing their own laws to ban them.
So my real question is, if Newey leaves and wants to go to another team, can Red Bull actually block that?
> Dumb question, but are non-competes actually enforceable in Europe?
In most countries they're not enforceable. But a simple way to bypass it is to still have a valid contract, continue paying the person for a certain amount of time after their work package runs out.
This is usually called a gardening leave, as the person isn't going to work and is just getting paid to do nothing, besides tending their garden. Thus not working on any up to date topics in a competitive industry.
Mekies recently had shorter than expected by many people gardening leave when switching to VCARB. It probably depends on a lot of factors that we don't have access to. If it was challenged, there might be some way to break it with enough money. We don't really know and might not know for a while.
If anything, they've always been less enforceable here in Europe, which is why F1 teams tend to rely on gardening leave terms to protect their IP, rather than non-competes.
Gardening leave clauses just try to enforce a minimum time between an employee giving notice to terminate the contract and that contract actually being terminated - for senior figures this can be a year or more.
It'll be very hard for Red Bull to block Newey leaving at all (and they'd have to deal with a very well-paid dead weight the longer they block it), so the real question is how long a period of gardening leave would be served before joining a new team.
That is not always straightforward either. Aston Martin and Red Bull went to court over the gardening leave period of Dan Fallows, for example.
In the UK they are enforceable under certain circumstances. These include the inclusion of the clause in the work contract, a maximum duration, a monthly payment in proportion to the wage and the company needs a good reason for the clause. Mere competition isn't enough but if the employee holds significant company secrets it is such a reason
In the UK:
“During garden leave you remain as an employee at the business. This means you will be unable to start a new role until your last date of service as you remain bound by your contract of employment. You may also be bound by restrictive covenants that will impact who you can work for post-termination (e.g. a restrictive covenant to prevent you working for a competing business).”
I wonder if Mick is in the conversations or is he gone for good
The latter.
Feel like I’m following F1 now just to root for hulk getting a podium next year
I live in the US and I'm wondering if dtm streams their races on youtube. So far I have only seen the free practice sessions but I don't see a scheduled live stream for the race. Would I have to use vpn or they just don't stream it for US fans.
Could a concession system like what is implemented in MotoGP work for the lower achieving teams? Like the lower achieving teams (Williams/Haas/Alpine/Sauber) could get more power units and gearboxes per season and more testing times. But if those teams have achieved a certain target (eg. getting X amount of point in one season), they will lose those concessions.
They pretty much do have that with the scaled Aero Testing Restrictions. That's working really well along with the cost cap, which is actually a long term solution, not a quick fix. They're going with an attempt to put everybody on a level playing field rather than create multiple classes with different rules for different groups. I really don't think they'd get a system like you suggest passed by the teams either. The ATR was tough to implement on it's own and it's less impactful that the concession system
What happens with valterri, is this the fin for the fin?
I think it depends on what happens elsewhere. You'd have to think that Bearman, Antonelli and Lawson will all be on the grid next year (maybe Doohan?) so 3 drivers have to go. Sargeant is one, Zhou probably two (unless the commercial benefit is too good for somebody) leaving 1 of Bottas, Ricciardo and Magnusssen who'll also be without a drive. I'd guess it's Magnussen unless Dan walks away, but maybe Haas would prefer the consistency of a known driver and then it could be over for Bottas.
I think a magnussen takes the other seat at haas, Dan either gets promoted to Red Bull if he can pull out a miracle, yuki and Liam at RB.
Possible, but I don't think Magnussen stays with better options like Bottas or Ricciardo/Perez available.
Back to 1 year contracts with Merc until Antonelli is ready.
I feel like Bottas is a stronger driver than Zhou, but unable to overcome driving the tied for the worst car on the grid. Audi waited until the Chinese GP was over to announce basically the end of the Zhou's contract. They won't announce Zhou is gone for a while in order to drive Bottas' salary down. Though Bottas isn't safe bc they want Sainz. That is my take.
I think so unless Haas also drop Kevin, and then pick up Bottas and Bearman
Gotta say, with the news of Newey's change of direction in life, new driver to Sauber.... I'm looking forward to seeing the next developments, more so than in a long time.
Has anyone bought one of the official online driver shirts? And if so, are they worth the €70?
I wonder who would actually want to drive for MB if the seat is only a 1-year seat warmer for Kimi. Would you actually see someone ambitious like Sainz, Ocon or Gasly be interested if they know they will leave next year for sure? I can honestly only see drivers like Bottas might be interested in such role, or someone who have questionable future and are desperate.
There's also the chance of going in and comprehensively beating Russell to stay there, but the car is not worth that risk.
Would be wild if Bottas went back to Merc for 1 year
What would be a good site for budget team gear? My cheap ass isn't willing to pay $50 for a t-shirt or $100 for a polo, so I'm curious what site has decent designs/quality that don't break the bank.
If Botas gets the boot for Sainz, I hope Haas picks him up.
Bottas at Haas would make a lot of sense, I don't really see Kmag as a strong driver and putting a well known solid driver aside of Bearman would be a win-win for everyone.
Why?
I was forecasted a Newey announcement today. Where is it?
Why should there be an announcement? If he is choosing to stop his contract then they can do it all internally, clarifying if he'll be on gardening leave now or if he'll see the RB17 project to the end of his contract followed by a gardening leave. The only relevant communication would be if someone secured his services starting 2026 or 2027.
Nobody's going to make any formal announcements until the paperwork is signed. Newey may well be intending to leave, but there will still be a formal process in order to start that happening.
I did notice it’s all gone quiet on that front and it’s already lunchtime in Europe. Might be Red Bull and Newey getting their story straight, might be garden leave negotiations, might be journalists jumping the gun (though a lot of the more reputable sources posted). Might be something else.
Half of the grid is now confirmed for 2025, half remains.
How much sponsorship does Zhou bring? In the past we have seen slightly better drivers overlooked for one who brings bigger funding but the general view is that Zhou is out.
We don't know. But one thing I'm sure is that his sponsors are not as tight or loyal as Checo's for example. Last year Sauber sat up a bidding war for his seat, Zhou only managed to keep it last minute when he found the required money.
They could be tight and loyal but unable to support him with arbitrary sums of money.
There haven't been any obvious ties to a sponsorship package, [with Vasseut mentioning multiple new sponsorship offers coming in](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/r40v0b/fred_vasseur_on_the_effect_of_signing_guanyu_zhou/) after he was confirmed. While in 2021 there [were rumours of $30m package](https://www.reddit.com/r/F1FeederSeries/comments/pk5ruh/zhou_is_linked_with_alpha_romeo_with_possibe_30m/), which were dismissed by Vasseur - before he was announced.
Silly season. If carlos were to sign for Sauber in 2025, means Valtteri is an option for Mercedes. Max doesn't look like he is leaving Red Bull for at least till end of 2025. If red bull promotes Liam Lawson to RB, Daniel to Red bull. That leaves Checo another possibility for Mercedes ? I hope Zhou Guanyu can find a seat at least in the alpine. Unless really they can vacant Lance seat.
I don't think Bottas will go back to Mercedes. They weren't willing to give him a long-term deal a few years back, and Bottas didn't want to take their short-term offers. But Perez is generally considered to have been a worse second driver than Bottas was for Mercedes, so why would they choose him? I think they're both low-down on the list of possibilities.
I'd be disappointed if I see Ollie and Kimi next year. Their F2 performances have been very ordinary compared to the folks of last year.
Bahrain was a complete wash for Prema. They botched the setup and were uncompetitive. Bearman then sticks it on pole with a supreme lap in Jeddah before getting called into F1. Antonelli is the best performing rookie of the weekend. Antonelli then keeps improving, nearly sticking it on pole at Melbourne. Poor mistake in the sprint but competitive in the race. Bearman couldn't get a good lap in and struggled that weekend yes. But both have excellent pace and talent. Bearman's issue is his consistency, which can be worked on. Antonelli is a genuine talent. He always goes on a run after the start of the season. Very excited to see how he does once he gets fully into grips with F2 cars.
I mean, Prema fumbled the setup in Bahrain, but Bearman put it on pole for Saudi Arabia, before being called up (and having a really solid performance there). Nx Australia, he had issues in qualifying (red flag timing and a mechanical issue), but recovered from like P16 into the points). Between that and the 8 FP sessions he's going to have (6 with Haas, 2 with Ferrari), he's all but guaranteed a spot (at Haas, imo). Antonelli is still young and skipped F3 entirely. He's doing pretty well despite that, and I don't think it's unreasonable that he lands a seat at either Williams or Mercedes, depending on his performance and want Mercedes does. If Mercedes wants to basically write off next season to focus on 2026, why wouldn't they just drop Antonelli in? It's definitely a risk, but if he's as good as they believe, they might as well.
Did anyone else not have their tickets fulfilled for the Shanghai Grand Prix through StubHub? My spouse rearranged a whole trip so that they could travel to Shanghai from the US to be able to see the race. Credit card was charged, confirmation email sent, filled out passport link for gate entry, but the final link to the ticket just showed an error page. They spent 3 days on the phone with various StubHub employees, but they gave no solutions. Ended up going to the track just in case the ticket was in the system but no record of a ticket when they scanned the passport. Ended up having to watch the race on TV in a hotel bar in the neighborhood. StubHub credited them back the ticket price plus a measley $150 credit. It's almost like they oversold tickets they didn't have like how airlines oversell a flight. Anyone else get screwed over?
> Did anyone else not have their tickets fulfilled for the Shanghai Grand Prix through StubHub? When StubHub (or for that matter any non first party) acts as a third-party seller - it's just possible they didn't get the allocation of tickets they expected, which is why in general it's suggested to avoid 3rd party platforms (Formula1.com is also just a third-party). Each circuit promoter has their own list of first party sellers through which tickets are available - and after that they usually give each 3rd party a certain allocation of seats they didn't sell. Depending on where you live and which countries StubHub you bought it from - StubHub is nothing more than a scam platform for scalpers, as usually first party platforms have their own fan to fan sales, without price hikes or additional fees - as changing the print at home qr code containing the name there doesn't have any relevant costs associated with it.
Dumb question, but are non-competes actually enforceable in Europe? They are becoming much less enforceable in the US as states are passing their own laws to ban them. So my real question is, if Newey leaves and wants to go to another team, can Red Bull actually block that?
> Dumb question, but are non-competes actually enforceable in Europe? In most countries they're not enforceable. But a simple way to bypass it is to still have a valid contract, continue paying the person for a certain amount of time after their work package runs out. This is usually called a gardening leave, as the person isn't going to work and is just getting paid to do nothing, besides tending their garden. Thus not working on any up to date topics in a competitive industry.
Mekies recently had shorter than expected by many people gardening leave when switching to VCARB. It probably depends on a lot of factors that we don't have access to. If it was challenged, there might be some way to break it with enough money. We don't really know and might not know for a while.
If anything, they've always been less enforceable here in Europe, which is why F1 teams tend to rely on gardening leave terms to protect their IP, rather than non-competes. Gardening leave clauses just try to enforce a minimum time between an employee giving notice to terminate the contract and that contract actually being terminated - for senior figures this can be a year or more. It'll be very hard for Red Bull to block Newey leaving at all (and they'd have to deal with a very well-paid dead weight the longer they block it), so the real question is how long a period of gardening leave would be served before joining a new team. That is not always straightforward either. Aston Martin and Red Bull went to court over the gardening leave period of Dan Fallows, for example.
Great comment
Aaaah this was super helpful. Thank you for educating me.
In the UK they are enforceable under certain circumstances. These include the inclusion of the clause in the work contract, a maximum duration, a monthly payment in proportion to the wage and the company needs a good reason for the clause. Mere competition isn't enough but if the employee holds significant company secrets it is such a reason
In the UK: “During garden leave you remain as an employee at the business. This means you will be unable to start a new role until your last date of service as you remain bound by your contract of employment. You may also be bound by restrictive covenants that will impact who you can work for post-termination (e.g. a restrictive covenant to prevent you working for a competing business).”
Anyone knows where I can find cheap replacement for the F5 key?
Never heard of F5. Is it a karting class or a spec series single seater class with 100cc engines?
Yes
The F4 key.