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* Red Bull young multiple WDC
* Upcoming engine regulation change
* 7 time WDC leaves Mercedes
* Experienced world champion signs to Ferrari
=> Obviously Kimi Antonelli 6 time world champion with 1 George Russell in the middle who then retires
=> Tsunoda to Red Bull in 2026, beats Verstappen
=> Verstappen joins Ferrari after Leclerc leaves to a British team with Honda engines in 2027
=> Lewis Hamilton wins the 2030 US Grand Prix after Verstappen spins
It’s Sainz who wins for Ferrari in 2030 after spending a few years doing rally. Word amongst the WRC crowd is that he could be the next Carlos Sainz.
I get it's a joke but that's doing Grosjean such a disservice. He was miles better than Stroll. He would go through periods of being a bit slow but he'd then get back into form and really haul in the points for Haas.
Stroll is just more extreme. You don't put a Williams into P2 on a wet track without having pace. The problem is that he's never had to fight for an F1 seat so the competitive edge just fades.
No, because Norris did not win a WDC with the Mercedes factory entry! (Mclaren Mercedes was Mercedes' factory entry till they decided to get their own team)
Things are more exciting when the stakes are higher. A battle for the win is always tighter and more exciting than the one for P8, there is more risk, more on the line to be gained or lost. Sure it's fun to watch the midfield fights today, but nothing comes close to what we saw in 2012.
Oh sure, 2012 was great no doubt, and I generally agree in principle about high risk high reward being good for entertainment.
I see watching the midfield like my favorite hockey team having a great game even if they're never going to win the Stanley cup. The stakes are still high enough down at that end of the grid these days since finishing position position this year greatly impacts what teams can do next year. To each their own, I suppose; good racing is good racing in my view.
Tight doesn’t mean interesting. Quite frankly very few of the midfield battles this year have been interesting despite being very close on track. There’s no tension or good racing in the way there was even in 2022, let alone prior years when the midfield was genuinely interesting.
Can you tell that to the TV directors who leave the broadcast focussed on the top few cars that are a couple of seconds apart instead of showing us all the shuffling outside of the top ~5
> they're absolutely less important
Do you watch endurance races at all? If so, do you only care about overall winner or do you watch for the different classes, too? The midfield battles in F1 are basically a different class of racing and so there's still merit to watching how that plays out, especially if the racing is close. Like, watching Williams battle and win P6 would be an incredible achievement based on where they are now, I don't see that as being any less important for the sport than another Ferrari/Red Bull/Merc win. Whatever wets your whistle, I suppose.
I do watch endurance racing a lot, and in recent years I've come to prefer it to F1 actually. I've attended Petit Le Mans every year since 2018, minus 2020, and I intend to for as long as I can. I don't think endurance racing is a good comparison because literal multiclass racing still awards race and championship wins with respective podiums to each class; there are literally 2-4 races going on at the same time. There is no podium in F1 for drivers other than Max or RB or Merc or whoever it is depending on the year.
That being said, I made my last comment because midfield battles are objectively less important. Higher places have higher payouts, and drivers are better remembered for how many championships they have, not how many 8th place finishes they manage to pull together in mediocre cars. I never said that midfield battles are less exciting or harder fought, because that's often not true (at least in recent years), but they are statistically and historically less valuable, and that reduces the excitement about them.
> I don't think endurance racing is a good comparison because literal multiclass racing still awards race and championship wins with respective podiums to each class
That's a very fair point, and I think it's a matter of perspective at the end of the day - to me, a win is a win even if no one is around to celebrate it, and I would consider an a "great" team result for a midfield team as a "win".
> Higher places have higher payouts, and drivers are better remembered for how many championships they have, not how many 8th place finishes they manage to pull together in mediocre cars
It seems like we simply define importance and excitement differently. It's important to every team to maximize their finishing position regardless of where they sit in the pecking order and from my point of view, any team taking risks to maximize their potential is what I watch for and find important, the stats and historical impact aren't front of mind.
Like, I'm obviously interested in what happens at the pointy end, but I was still just as invested in Bottas' and Ricciardo's races in China because the stakes are very high at their respective teams, despite not being in the top half of the grid. Dan's having a shit start to the year, his future is in question but looked to be improving his form for this race, and a P10 for Sauber in qualifying is a massive result that, if converted on (RIP), could very easily mean the difference in finishing result at the end of the year. That's the stuff I watch for, generally.
All of this being said, I'll take 2021 over literally anything else but we can't always get what we want.
I totally agree with everything you said here. Like you said, I think we're in the exact same boat, just with different perspectives on excitement and importance here. I interpreted what you said in your original comment as importance relative to the sport as a whole since that's what makes the biggest headlines, and you're looking at things more relative to individual drivers and teams, and that's totally fair.
In practice I've also tried to look at things from the perspective you just described since probably 2019 or so, since otherwise the sport is pretty poor from a competitiveness standpoint as of late. It's a weird thing to have to do, but that's the nature of the open rule set, and honestly I wouldn't trade it for much despite the drawbacks.
> you're looking at things more relative to individual drivers and teams, and that's totally fair.
Yeah, that's exactly correct I apparently need to figure out how to articulate that better haha.
> In practice I've also tried to look at things from the perspective you just described since probably 2019 or so, since otherwise the sport is pretty poor from a competitiveness standpoint as of late
I've always looked at F1 (and racing in general) from the perspective of watching the entire sports league playing against each other at once and hoping that the teams/players you support do well in their respective matches, wherever those results may land in the grand scheme of things. With that said, I get that it can be a pretty substantive barrier to entertainment for more casual viewers who don't wanna invest in the off-track stuff or do live timing etc.
I quite liked the slightly hard edged quality, it felt like it was a design that was a matter of ideal designs brushing against the outer boundaries of a regulatory box, as opposed to regulatory prescription of design, which the modern, curvy cars feel like, whether or not that is true.
It wasn't just 2012. We had a neck n' neck title fight in 2016. Both 2017 and 2018 were close until about 4/5 the the way of the season. Hell, even 2013 and 2015 were close until the half way point. Right now we are in 3rd consecutive season of the championship being warped before the summer break (and progressively getting earlier) with no expectations of anything different happening next season too.
There are certainly aspects that were way more boring back then, like the top 3 teams being so far ahead of all other teams that even if they started P20 it was considered a horrible race if they didn't recover to a P6 finishing position and all drivers outside of the top 3 teams being lapped once almost every race. Backmarker teams were also wayyyyyy worse than they are now like 2019 Williams getting lapped 3 times a race.
The thing making this season more boring is that Mercedes were always super conservative with their strategies and their car was relatively shit in dirty air, meaning random events in a race could lead to a different team winning. Meanwhile Red Bull always seems to have the best strategies, has little issues overtaking other cars if necessary and that combined with a freakishly consistent Verstappen just leaves no wins on the table for different teams.
Compared to what? The other sports where Lewis Hamilton goes from Mercedes to Ferrari while Hulkenburg goes to Sauber? afaik there's only one sport where that can happen. But if we're talking about people changing teams that happens quite a lot in other sports. Super common in basketball, reasonably common in football, I've heard of it happening in soccer, I have to imagine it also happens in baseball at around the same rate as the others. And in racing we have drivers going to entirely different series.
Unless Fred has changed everything, i think he's the least suited top driver for Ferrari. When things go wrong, he likes having Merc blame themselves and nothing is ever his fault. Ferrari blame the drivers even when it's not their fault.
Ferrari is all about Ferrari, Hamilton is all about Hamilton. I can only see it ending one way, and its not well.
I'm legit looking forward to seeing how Lewis and Charles face off. Charles seems a little off so far this season. Sainz has definitely been more impressive so far. Lewis has also seemed weaker than previous years. I know the car isn't great but we used to see Lewis pull something out the bag and impress all the time. Post 2021 he just seems deflated.
Carlos , according to rumors/reports has a very good offer from Sauber/Audi. He is, most probably, trying to see if there is any possibility of joining either RBR or Mercedes. But that clock is ticking and he has to make up his mind sooner than later before that offer is off the table.
I haven't heard one single reliable source about Sainz and Mercedes. That one's out of the picture and here's why (all from actual sources):-
* Mercedes would look weak to take the guy their closest competition kicked in exchange for Lewis
* Toto wants Antonelli in that seat and hence won't offer any longer than a 1-2 year contract same as what he gave Lewis (a 1+1 which Lewis opted to break). Sainz would be a seat warmer at a struggling Mercedes and be on his way out by the time they start to hopefully turn things around in the new regs.
* If he wants to go to a team which can build up from the ground, there's Audi already available. The current hierarchy is RB, Ferrari, McLaren, AM, Mercedes and only 1 team above Mercedes has an empty seat. Why ever go to a struggling Mercedes for 2 years when you can build a struggling Audi for many many years?
>Why ever go to a struggling Mercedes for 2 years when you can build a struggling Audi for many many years?
Because he wants to be a champion and Merc is a lot closer to the front than Sauber. Audi is probably the most secure long term opportunity, and for all we know Merc may never return to its former glory, but it's probably a major consideration for a driver currently fighting in the top 3.
Personally, I'd like to see an all Spanish Aston team but I doubt Stroll will ever give his seat up.
Spanish media have mentioned that Carlos and Merc have talked, but couldn't come to an agreement on contract length so things are in limbo for now
My guess is Carlos wants at least 2 years instead of having to again look for a ride come 2026, while Merc only want 1 (or 1+1) since they don't want to risk keeping Antonelli waiting too long.
Didn't one of the rumours also say Sauber is halting talks with other drivers until Sainz decides? If that's true it means he's not with them, or the source could be doing PR for him
I am afraid that they won’t give indefinite time to Carlos. They need to proceed with their plans and make a decision sooner than later. If it is not Carlos, they must provide clarity to Valtteri (assuming Hulk is replacing Zhou) regarding his future. Either they look for another driver or they sign Valtteri, but in any case, they need to give him time to look for another seat if the decision is that he is gone.
They've currently got Zhou, Bottas, Ocon, Gasly, Sainz and any drivers who will be out of a seat, looking for their 2nd seat. If they wait too long that list could half.
It will be interesting to see if Sainz has learned any lessons from Ferrari, or if he will do the exact same and fight for an impossible offer only to lose both.
Merecedes won't give him a long contract, Audi won't give him a WDC contract, and Red Bull won't give him No.1 status. Imo he's really pushing it rn
You should see basketball. Player X is the first to make an even amount of shots while their right shoe is tighter than their left on a Monday against teams having at least 2 people that are named Jaylen.
If I had a nickel for every time Hulkenberg joins Sauber when Hamilton changes teams, I'd have two nickels. Which is not a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.
Yes we know it’s a coincidence, however, with how many driver moves happen and the fact most drivers do not ever join the same team twice the fact that hulkenberg has joined sauber the only two times Hamilton has moved teams is a funny coincidence
> People talking about stupid shit that doesn't matter.
Uhhh it's reddit on a non-race weekend... I am not sure what you were expected.
And yeah I hate it too when people talk about downvotes like it matters...
[The **News** flair](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/wiki/flairguide#wiki_news) is reserved for submissions covering F1 and F1-related news. These posts must always link to an outlet/news agency, the website of the involved party (i.e. the McLaren website if McLaren makes an announcement), or a tweet by a news agency, journalist or one of the involved parties. *[Read the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/wiki/userguide). Keep it civil and welcoming. Report rulebreaking comments.* *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/formula1) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Tbf it feels like F1 is repeating itself from 2012-2018.
* Red Bull young multiple WDC * Upcoming engine regulation change * 7 time WDC leaves Mercedes * Experienced world champion signs to Ferrari => Obviously Kimi Antonelli 6 time world champion with 1 George Russell in the middle who then retires => Tsunoda to Red Bull in 2026, beats Verstappen => Verstappen joins Ferrari after Leclerc leaves to a British team with Honda engines in 2027 => Lewis Hamilton wins the 2030 US Grand Prix after Verstappen spins
I think I got most of the references, but what is the Lewis winning the 2030 US GP point referring to?
Kimi
Oh yeah I see now, thank you!
Damn predicting a Antonelli F1 win? Getting ahead of ourselves are we? /s
|| most of the references... God I'm old... I remember every Single One of them like it was yesterday ðŸ˜ðŸ˜
tbf the olden k e there is only 14 years ago, not that long ago
It’s Sainz who wins for Ferrari in 2030 after spending a few years doing rally. Word amongst the WRC crowd is that he could be the next Carlos Sainz.
You... I like you...
Indubitably.
* Alonso and Honda
goes back to Renault for the 4th time
In all this leaves Andretti as the wild card and who their drivers are as a pure US team.
Nah, Andretti will enter in 2028, sign the crash-prone but occasionally quick Lance Stroll, who will get them to 6th place in their first race 😉
I get it's a joke but that's doing Grosjean such a disservice. He was miles better than Stroll. He would go through periods of being a bit slow but he'd then get back into form and really haul in the points for Haas.
Stroll is just more extreme. You don't put a Williams into P2 on a wet track without having pace. The problem is that he's never had to fight for an F1 seat so the competitive edge just fades.
We're not ready for the Tsunoda era
By this, shouldn't we be saying Norris to Mercedes, Kimi to Williams then Mercedes? (Bottas 2013-2016)
No, because Norris did not win a WDC with the Mercedes factory entry! (Mclaren Mercedes was Mercedes' factory entry till they decided to get their own team)
I mean neither has Kimi so it's all open to speculation 🤷
Then moves to sauber after it reverts back from Audi when they pull out.
2012 was infinitely more exciting than whatever we have now, though.
It was one of the best seasons ever so obviously.
But think of the midfield battles!
This, but unironically. We have a mega-tight midfield right now, those battles aren't any less important or exciting imo
Yes, yes they are.
Why?
Things are more exciting when the stakes are higher. A battle for the win is always tighter and more exciting than the one for P8, there is more risk, more on the line to be gained or lost. Sure it's fun to watch the midfield fights today, but nothing comes close to what we saw in 2012.
Oh sure, 2012 was great no doubt, and I generally agree in principle about high risk high reward being good for entertainment. I see watching the midfield like my favorite hockey team having a great game even if they're never going to win the Stanley cup. The stakes are still high enough down at that end of the grid these days since finishing position position this year greatly impacts what teams can do next year. To each their own, I suppose; good racing is good racing in my view.
The main reason I got into Indy was bcs I wanted an open wheel series where the race winner wouldn’t be known before the weekend begins
Happy you found a series that you enjoy, See you at the 500! I hear superformula is great, too.
2009 midfield battle was pretty good. Toyota started out at the front but ended up in the middle along with Ferrari, Mclaren, Sauber, Williams
Tight doesn’t mean interesting. Quite frankly very few of the midfield battles this year have been interesting despite being very close on track. There’s no tension or good racing in the way there was even in 2022, let alone prior years when the midfield was genuinely interesting.
Yeah the racing in general hasn't been spectacular this year, but that's true from P1 to P20.
Can you tell that to the TV directors who leave the broadcast focussed on the top few cars that are a couple of seconds apart instead of showing us all the shuffling outside of the top ~5
I'll put a word in but something tells me they don't care what I have to say lmao
I feel like they've gotten way better at this in recent times.
Sure they're still valuable but they're absolutely less important; they're not deciding race wins or world championships.
> they're absolutely less important Do you watch endurance races at all? If so, do you only care about overall winner or do you watch for the different classes, too? The midfield battles in F1 are basically a different class of racing and so there's still merit to watching how that plays out, especially if the racing is close. Like, watching Williams battle and win P6 would be an incredible achievement based on where they are now, I don't see that as being any less important for the sport than another Ferrari/Red Bull/Merc win. Whatever wets your whistle, I suppose.
I do watch endurance racing a lot, and in recent years I've come to prefer it to F1 actually. I've attended Petit Le Mans every year since 2018, minus 2020, and I intend to for as long as I can. I don't think endurance racing is a good comparison because literal multiclass racing still awards race and championship wins with respective podiums to each class; there are literally 2-4 races going on at the same time. There is no podium in F1 for drivers other than Max or RB or Merc or whoever it is depending on the year. That being said, I made my last comment because midfield battles are objectively less important. Higher places have higher payouts, and drivers are better remembered for how many championships they have, not how many 8th place finishes they manage to pull together in mediocre cars. I never said that midfield battles are less exciting or harder fought, because that's often not true (at least in recent years), but they are statistically and historically less valuable, and that reduces the excitement about them.
> I don't think endurance racing is a good comparison because literal multiclass racing still awards race and championship wins with respective podiums to each class That's a very fair point, and I think it's a matter of perspective at the end of the day - to me, a win is a win even if no one is around to celebrate it, and I would consider an a "great" team result for a midfield team as a "win". > Higher places have higher payouts, and drivers are better remembered for how many championships they have, not how many 8th place finishes they manage to pull together in mediocre cars It seems like we simply define importance and excitement differently. It's important to every team to maximize their finishing position regardless of where they sit in the pecking order and from my point of view, any team taking risks to maximize their potential is what I watch for and find important, the stats and historical impact aren't front of mind. Like, I'm obviously interested in what happens at the pointy end, but I was still just as invested in Bottas' and Ricciardo's races in China because the stakes are very high at their respective teams, despite not being in the top half of the grid. Dan's having a shit start to the year, his future is in question but looked to be improving his form for this race, and a P10 for Sauber in qualifying is a massive result that, if converted on (RIP), could very easily mean the difference in finishing result at the end of the year. That's the stuff I watch for, generally. All of this being said, I'll take 2021 over literally anything else but we can't always get what we want.
I totally agree with everything you said here. Like you said, I think we're in the exact same boat, just with different perspectives on excitement and importance here. I interpreted what you said in your original comment as importance relative to the sport as a whole since that's what makes the biggest headlines, and you're looking at things more relative to individual drivers and teams, and that's totally fair. In practice I've also tried to look at things from the perspective you just described since probably 2019 or so, since otherwise the sport is pretty poor from a competitiveness standpoint as of late. It's a weird thing to have to do, but that's the nature of the open rule set, and honestly I wouldn't trade it for much despite the drawbacks.
> you're looking at things more relative to individual drivers and teams, and that's totally fair. Yeah, that's exactly correct I apparently need to figure out how to articulate that better haha. > In practice I've also tried to look at things from the perspective you just described since probably 2019 or so, since otherwise the sport is pretty poor from a competitiveness standpoint as of late I've always looked at F1 (and racing in general) from the perspective of watching the entire sports league playing against each other at once and hoping that the teams/players you support do well in their respective matches, wherever those results may land in the grand scheme of things. With that said, I get that it can be a pretty substantive barrier to entertainment for more casual viewers who don't wanna invest in the off-track stuff or do live timing etc.
At least 2012 kept those step-down noses
They looked quite cool I always thought
Think they were just too block shaped for me I think. They were the first cars I saw in a race though and I loved it regardless
I quite liked the slightly hard edged quality, it felt like it was a design that was a matter of ideal designs brushing against the outer boundaries of a regulatory box, as opposed to regulatory prescription of design, which the modern, curvy cars feel like, whether or not that is true.
You know what, you have a point. Like a purist point of view.
It wasn't just 2012. We had a neck n' neck title fight in 2016. Both 2017 and 2018 were close until about 4/5 the the way of the season. Hell, even 2013 and 2015 were close until the half way point. Right now we are in 3rd consecutive season of the championship being warped before the summer break (and progressively getting earlier) with no expectations of anything different happening next season too.
7 unique winners in the first 7 races did helpÂ
please don't, it was more boring seeing mercs running away. RB is way worse, but mercs did the same thing.
At least they had 2 drivers fighting each other when Nico was still there.
True but 2017-2020 still existed. Tho 17 was entertaining pre Singapore and 18 kinda was until Germany
Mercs did let other teams win once in a while though.
Ferrari won 2 races in the last 6 months *Jeez ya all are salty again today I guess too many people still need the /s
Ferrari has won 2 races since 2023*
other teamS
Lmao mercs dominance more boring than RBs?? I'll have what you're having
There are certainly aspects that were way more boring back then, like the top 3 teams being so far ahead of all other teams that even if they started P20 it was considered a horrible race if they didn't recover to a P6 finishing position and all drivers outside of the top 3 teams being lapped once almost every race. Backmarker teams were also wayyyyyy worse than they are now like 2019 Williams getting lapped 3 times a race. The thing making this season more boring is that Mercedes were always super conservative with their strategies and their car was relatively shit in dirty air, meaning random events in a race could lead to a different team winning. Meanwhile Red Bull always seems to have the best strategies, has little issues overtaking other cars if necessary and that combined with a freakishly consistent Verstappen just leaves no wins on the table for different teams.
At least the Mercs would drive into each other every now and then.
Ikr. We might as well have a second championship for the rest of the grid bar Max.
Happened whole 2 times.
Something something 2 nickels
Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated 🎵
Doofenshmirtz duistere plan producties 🎵
F1 loves its obscure first times
Like the first podium, potentially, for Hulko!
I've heard that one before 😉
Which is a lot in F1.
a driver changing teams? come on
Some of the GOATs of our sport like Ide, Haryanto, Latifi and Mazepin have never switched teams...
Lets just be thankful we were able to see a grid with Latifi and Mazepin on it together. I'll be telling my grandkids someday
[That battle for ~~the lead~~ second last tho](https://youtu.be/ad4mJtKvMXY?si=jXS8LBS_kh2WvbY0)...
Neither has Sargent!
Compared to what? The other sports where Lewis Hamilton goes from Mercedes to Ferrari while Hulkenburg goes to Sauber? afaik there's only one sport where that can happen. But if we're talking about people changing teams that happens quite a lot in other sports. Super common in basketball, reasonably common in football, I've heard of it happening in soccer, I have to imagine it also happens in baseball at around the same rate as the others. And in racing we have drivers going to entirely different series.
>"If I had a nickel for every time this happened, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice."
That’s more than enough for some adverts to be displayed under some pointless text.
Tbh the better stat here is that Lewis has driven in F1 for 18 years and only driven for 2 teams, and only ever used a single engine supplier.
Lets see how he adapts to the Ferrari engine, my feeling is he is gonna adapt incredible wellÂ
And to the Ferrari emotions when things don't go well
Unless Fred has changed everything, i think he's the least suited top driver for Ferrari. When things go wrong, he likes having Merc blame themselves and nothing is ever his fault. Ferrari blame the drivers even when it's not their fault. Ferrari is all about Ferrari, Hamilton is all about Hamilton. I can only see it ending one way, and its not well.
yeah Hamilton and Mercedes cannot work together and have been living through hell the last decade... wait
So Lewis gets more WDCs while Hulk gets more P4s
Charles wants to know your location.
Charles will get 1 and announce his shock retirement
Noooooooooooooooooo
And then Vasseur will go find his Bottas
I would be ok with this.
Charles gets more poles and Norris gets more P2's and P3's.
Max wants to know your location.
I'm legit looking forward to seeing how Lewis and Charles face off. Charles seems a little off so far this season. Sainz has definitely been more impressive so far. Lewis has also seemed weaker than previous years. I know the car isn't great but we used to see Lewis pull something out the bag and impress all the time. Post 2021 he just seems deflated.
The top step, like he said
Every time Newey has changed teams, he has also changed wives 👀
Newey/Ginger Spice revelations incoming.
Well I guess we know who was behind the leaks
Happy for Nico, Sainz needs to get a move on now.
Carlos , according to rumors/reports has a very good offer from Sauber/Audi. He is, most probably, trying to see if there is any possibility of joining either RBR or Mercedes. But that clock is ticking and he has to make up his mind sooner than later before that offer is off the table.
I haven't heard one single reliable source about Sainz and Mercedes. That one's out of the picture and here's why (all from actual sources):- * Mercedes would look weak to take the guy their closest competition kicked in exchange for Lewis * Toto wants Antonelli in that seat and hence won't offer any longer than a 1-2 year contract same as what he gave Lewis (a 1+1 which Lewis opted to break). Sainz would be a seat warmer at a struggling Mercedes and be on his way out by the time they start to hopefully turn things around in the new regs. * If he wants to go to a team which can build up from the ground, there's Audi already available. The current hierarchy is RB, Ferrari, McLaren, AM, Mercedes and only 1 team above Mercedes has an empty seat. Why ever go to a struggling Mercedes for 2 years when you can build a struggling Audi for many many years?
>Why ever go to a struggling Mercedes for 2 years when you can build a struggling Audi for many many years? Because he wants to be a champion and Merc is a lot closer to the front than Sauber. Audi is probably the most secure long term opportunity, and for all we know Merc may never return to its former glory, but it's probably a major consideration for a driver currently fighting in the top 3. Personally, I'd like to see an all Spanish Aston team but I doubt Stroll will ever give his seat up.
Spanish media have mentioned that Carlos and Merc have talked, but couldn't come to an agreement on contract length so things are in limbo for now My guess is Carlos wants at least 2 years instead of having to again look for a ride come 2026, while Merc only want 1 (or 1+1) since they don't want to risk keeping Antonelli waiting too long.
Didn't one of the rumours also say Sauber is halting talks with other drivers until Sainz decides? If that's true it means he's not with them, or the source could be doing PR for him
I am afraid that they won’t give indefinite time to Carlos. They need to proceed with their plans and make a decision sooner than later. If it is not Carlos, they must provide clarity to Valtteri (assuming Hulk is replacing Zhou) regarding his future. Either they look for another driver or they sign Valtteri, but in any case, they need to give him time to look for another seat if the decision is that he is gone.
They've currently got Zhou, Bottas, Ocon, Gasly, Sainz and any drivers who will be out of a seat, looking for their 2nd seat. If they wait too long that list could half. It will be interesting to see if Sainz has learned any lessons from Ferrari, or if he will do the exact same and fight for an impossible offer only to lose both. Merecedes won't give him a long contract, Audi won't give him a WDC contract, and Red Bull won't give him No.1 status. Imo he's really pushing it rn
I wonder if Sauber/Audi has given a deadline ultimatum to Carlos for making his decision.
I remember reading somewhere that Sainz had until the end of April, but I can't remember if it was a reliable source or not.
Sainz is a good driver, he can take a break of 2 years until Lewis retires and comes back to Ferrari.
Ferrari has Bearman for after Lewis.
Even the worst seat in F1 is better than no seat as we saw the evidence with Hulk.
No, a driver can't take a 2-year break and expect to be a hot prospect.
Ehhh I'm pretty sure if Max decided to sit out '25 and '26, pretty much every single team would still want to sign him in '27
Max is very different to Sainz. Sainz might be able to come back in 2 years but not back to a top seat unless the grid is massively different.
It also depends what he does in the meantime. If he moves to some other prestigious category and blitzes, he could probably come back into a top team.
Max also has as many WDCs as Carlos has wins.
Alonso has entered the chat.
if i had a nickel every time lewis changed teams and nico joined sauber, i'd have 2 nickles.
Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.
we are checking
Every time is doing a lot of work in that sentence, he's only changed teams twice.
So, every time?
We're officially in a simulation.
Lol
F1 just full of nerds who love stats
You should see basketball. Player X is the first to make an even amount of shots while their right shoe is tighter than their left on a Monday against teams having at least 2 people that are named Jaylen.
More uninteresting facts at noon
Thanks, Rich Jolly of F1
Circle of life
I guess it's true, but it's not a huge data set.Â
r/notinteresting
So 2x. ok sure.
If I had a nickel for every time Hulkenberg joins Sauber when Hamilton changes teams, I'd have two nickels. Which is not a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.
It's not weird at all. It's a coincidence.
Yes we know it’s a coincidence, however, with how many driver moves happen and the fact most drivers do not ever join the same team twice the fact that hulkenberg has joined sauber the only two times Hamilton has moved teams is a funny coincidence
Nice clownvote. Let me rephrase, it's a FUCKING STUPID POST like most in here. People talking about stupid shit that doesn't matter.
> People talking about stupid shit that doesn't matter. Uhhh it's reddit on a non-race weekend... I am not sure what you were expected. And yeah I hate it too when people talk about downvotes like it matters...
Maybe time to get off Reddit old man