When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Anybody following F1's "Silly Season"? That is, the driver and team shuffles that typically occur during the summer break.
Some general questions....
Your opinion on the Vettel retirement?
The Alonso move?
Daniel Ricciardo's fate? (Besides living large if he gets the payout he wants. Laff...)
But the one I'm most interested in hearing about is the "Oscar Piastri Alpine Non-deal". I have an opinion on this but I'm just throwing it out there because I was having a friendly discussion with friends that follow F1 and out of the 6 of us, we're nearly split right down the middle. I say "nearly" because there's some waffling and flip-flopping going on. Haha.
Not gonna describe the situation, it'd take forever. If you know you know. If you don't, there's tons of stories out there right now about Silly season.
Well, I'll bite. The F1 silly season is even sillier this year. Seb Vettel's retirement wasn't too surprising, as he was with a team with no real possibilities of contending for race wins or titles in the near future. The bulk of his earning power was in his Ferrari and RBR days, so he's unlikely to get a better contract in the future. As for Riccardo, that was more surprising, as he's keen to get the most out of his time at McLaren, but hasn't matched his teammate. So, is he going (back ) to Alpine to replace Alonso? Or will he stay at McLaren and battle it out? As for Piastri, I'm flummoxed. Is he really that talented? Did he break records on the F1 simulator or something? Why would he be turning down a Renault contract after the company backed him in the past?
Well, I'll bite. The F1 silly season is even sillier this year. Seb Vettel's retirement wasn't too surprising, as he was with a team with no real possibilities of contending for race wins or titles in the near future. The bulk of his earning power was in his Ferrari and RBR days, so he's unlikely to get a better contract in the future. As for Riccardo, that was more surprising, as he's keen to get the most out of his time at McLaren, but hasn't matched his teammate. So, is he going (back ) to Alpine to replace Alonso? Or will he stay at McLaren and battle it out? As for Piastri, I'm flummoxed. Is he really that talented? Did he break records on the F1 simulator or something? Why would he be turning down a Renault contract after the company backed him in the past?
Back to you, Mic.
You might be sorry, David. LONG (sorta) AHEAD - YOU ARE WARNED.
OK, let's see where we are:
- Sebastian Vettel retires - OK, not terribly surprising. Long career, 4 championships, but now driving for a mid-pack team.
- Fernando Alonso to take Vettel's seat at Stroll F1, er, Aston Martin - Interesting move but hardly ground shaking. But...
- Alpine (Renault), with empty seat (Alonso), announces F2, F3 champion Oscar Piastri will race for Alpine
- But wait... Piastri says "Nuh uh, ain't racing for Alpine." And I'm like... "Whuuuutttt?"
So, it comes to light that Piastri has turned his back on his longtime mentoring organization to sign with McLaren. (Opinion below)
But whose seat? Ohhhhhh, poor Daniel Ricciardo's seat. Zak Brown wants to dump him and bring in the wunderkind Piastri. Daniel fights back and says, "Fine, give me $21 MILLION dollars and I won't drive next year." (Or in reality, if he does go to another team, McLaren will need to pay him the delta between his new ride salary and the $21M)
================================
OK, all that said... my opinion (worth about $.02).
Piastri made a dick move by going to McLaren (if it's indeed true there's ink on a contract). There, I said it. I get that it's every man for himself. But I personally think he should have taken the Alpine seat for AT LEAST one year (or, as the option in his existing contract allows, be loaned to another F1 team for 2023.) Here's the thing... I mean, Alpine invested - according to reports - tens of millions of dollars over some four years on his development. (Saw a breakdown of costs between cars, tires, fuel, travel, and everything a reserve driver gets. Astronomical costs!) So, I think he's gotten very cocky (and possibly, impatient). Sure, his pedigree as F2, F3 champion and reserve driver at Alpine speaks highly of him; but from an emotional perspective, I already have less-than-positive impression of him, despite his talent. Wherever he lands, he's going to have to have some real success to change my impression of him.
And, in my personal opinion, Ricciardo still has talent and enough years left in him. I tend to believe that he never got the hang of the McLaren as its been reported, sadly. I understand having to be comfortable to be competitive, especially at that rarefied level of competition. I like him personally, having met him at the British GP in 2016 (yeah, the one where the Silver Arrows of Hamilton and Rosberg crashed each other out). He's every bit as friendly and outgoing as his TV persona would suggest. Perhaps that's why I speak so highly of him, haha.
================================
There's other rumblings about the F1 paddock. A lot that are not yet concrete but lots of speculation and guessing.
- Pierre Gasly has indicated he wants to move to another team - especially after he dissed the FIA; another story - but on the stipulation that it's for a team higher in the standings than his current team, AlphaTauri (Jr. Red Bull). After his demotion from Red Bull down to the "minors", he's been itching to get back on RB but with Sergio Perez firmly in the #2 slot next to Max, not gonna happen. So guess what.... the only team with a remote possibility of placing him on a higher team is Alpine. So presents an obstacle for Daniel Ricciardo in addition to many (double digits) other drivers itching to go to Alpine both from the existing grid and from outside.
- Mick Schumacher doesn't seem to be living up to his famous father's feats but he's doing better. But, he crashes a lot and that's why I think Haas is going to let him go without a contract renewal.
================================
If you made it this far, you must be an F1 nut so chime in. I personally find silly season fascinating! Laff...
You goaded me in with that last line haha, but this year has been a lot of fun on and off track. I'm with you on pretty much all points. Too bad Vettel won't reach the 300 race start milestone, but it's not like he won't be remembered.
Completely agree, Piastri comes off seeming.. I don't know if 'immature' is the right word, but it does make him look selfish. That said, at the end of the day everyone is there to win races (because that makes money). I'm sure he has a (non-Alpine) network/team around him to help make the decision, but I can't help but feel this 'dick move' will come up every time he is in contract talks. As Zhou said about the racist BS floating around on the social medias, paraphrasing, on-track performance is all that matters (and he's been doing well - that Monaco save was incredible).
I agree Riccardo still has it, and I'm hoping he can find a seat - it'd be real poetic if he got back in at Alpine and walked all over Piastri, but I'll save the rest of that storyline for my NSFW fanfiction.
Mic (no, the other Mic) seems to be turning things around, I'm hoping he can finish the season strong and prove he's not just a name - also let's not forget how the silly season started with Kmag getting called back up, would love for both of them to finish out strong.
Hah- like everything else to do with F1, I find it a bit laughable. After all, even at the rarified level of professional racing, these drivers make huge salaries! To not have much loyalty to the driver development program that got you to the point you can take offers just rubs me the wrong way.
You goaded me in with that last line haha, but this year has been a lot of fun on and off track. I'm with you on pretty much all points. Too bad Vettel won't reach the 300 race start milestone, but it's not like he won't be remembered.
Completely agree, Piastri comes off seeming.. I don't know if 'immature' is the right word, but it does make him look selfish. That said, at the end of the day everyone is there to win races (because that makes money).
Originally Posted by g356sp
As Zhou said about the racist BS floating around on the social medias, paraphrasing, on-track performance is all that matters (and he's been doing well - that Monaco save was incredible).
Zhou Guanyou and the other Asian driver, Yuki Tsunoda aren't half bad drivers. Just sorry that Zhou (not sure about Yuki) had to experience the racial taunts. And Lewis Hamilton, there was some bad shid said about him. But you're right, "on-track performance" speaks volumes.
Speaking of Zhou... What I find rather interesting and, OK, amusing, is that Zhou - also a member of the Alpine/Renault Driving Academy with Piastri and 3rd in the F2 Championship behind Piastri in F3 last year - got an F1 ride before Piastri. Hmmm... Wonder what Piastri would have done had he been offered the driver position at Alfa Romeo next to Bottas? Turned that down too? Yeah, I'm evil.
Originally Posted by dkmura
Hah- like everything else to do with F1, I find it a bit laughable. After all, even at the rarified level of professional racing, these drivers make huge salaries! To not have much loyalty to the driver development program that got you to the point you can take offers just rubs me the wrong way.
F1 is a circus. For so long, it was just the "AMG/Petronas show." Now at least there's some strong racing for the most part. And for a long time, barely watched/followed. Even now, I watch in double/triple speed sometimes. And.... look up the results beforehand. If "my" driver does poorly, won't even bother. If he's up there top 10, I'll watch.
Gotta say, I do enjoy watching Lewis really have to work for positions. For as long as I can remember, I couldn't stand Hamilton, not because of anything other than it was same ol'-same ol' week after week. Used to mutter, "Wonder how he'd do if he wasn't driving the fastest CAR on the grid." Well, here we go... For 2022 with less than stellar performing cars, Lewis is having to RACE and will say, his finishes on podium have been impressive.
=========
From both of your observations, it appears I'm not alone in thinking Piastri has been something of an "entitled child"; but I can't really blame it all on him necessarily, he's also represented by that egomaniac (high racing pedigree be dammed), Mark Webber who comes across rather condescending on TV. Laff.
OK, F1's summer break better end soon or I'm gonna start another thread about Indycar...
definitely no surprise from vettel but alonso jumping over was odd. Alpine looks strong. I think Daniel is gone, he has never jived well at mclaren, I think like red bull the car is tailored more towards max driving and lando and daniel and sergio are having a more difficult time adjusting. I really like daniel, I think hes got a great attitude and is great for F1, I hope he sticks around. I totally agree on Hamilton, he has alot of haters who said he isnt a good driver and always has a great car, I think this year he has done a good job proving that wrong, especially with the last few races. On track hes a damn good driver, off track I dont agree with alot he does and says but I dont really care. Just want to see good racing
Daniel Riccardo has been an enigma at McLaren. He's clearly an elite driver and yet has had a difficult time finding speed consistently. Watching his interview on F1 TV was embarrassing as he tried to explain why he'll be leaving the team after this season. His best chance of reestablishing his career is probably with Alpine, but going back to his old team probably means a pay cut and less favorable terms. Would he even consider going to Haas F1? Or would that be the kiss of death for his F1 dreams?
Daniel Riccardo has been an enigma at McLaren. He's clearly an elite driver and yet has had a difficult time finding speed consistently. Watching his interview on F1 TV was embarrassing as he tried to explain why he'll be leaving the team after this season. His best chance of reestablishing his career is probably with Alpine, but going back to his old team probably means a pay cut and less favorable terms. Would he even consider going to Haas F1? Or would that be the kiss of death for his F1 dreams?
Daniel could just retire with $21M payout from McLaren (which they agreed to as of this week, supposedly). But, if he sits out 2023 and hopes to get into the AMG Petronas seat *supposedly* in 2024 (with Lewis RUMORED to retire) or ANY seat for that matter, he'll be rusty and fat and won't stand a chance of getting a decent seat. Alpine and Haas (with Schumacher allegedly getting the boot) have seats available and if you believe the scuttlebutt with Otmar Szafnauer, head of Alpine F1, saying he'd welcome Daniel back, he'd be best off going there, IMO. But it's all pure conjecture. We'll see in a few months.
In the meantime, there was talk that Oscar Piestri might not actually get the seat at McLaren. He's created legal troubles for himself with both Alpine and McLaren believing they have a "contracted" driver for 2023. Jacques Villeneuve even says that Piastri is damaging (or has already damaged) his reputation in F1 by playing games. This one is going to be interesting with the matter going to court.
I do like how Kevin Magnussen came back and is doing relatively well for Haas F1. (Poor Nikita Mazepin...) With Schmacher likely out, yes, the seat could be Daniel's. Would it damage his long term prospects in F1 or anywhere? Would it affect the payout from McLaren - that is, will he "only" get the difference between what Haas might pay him (certainly less) and the alleged $21M he's getting from McLaren? Only time will tell.
In the meantime, we're back racing this weekend in Belgium!! Yippee! I can stop nattering on about the silly season and get back to the championship chase?
WIll Max repeat? Will Lewis and/or George finally get a win? Will Schumacher finally get a podium after steady improvement this year? And in poetic justice, wouldn't it be sweet if Daniel got podium or even a win like in Italy last year? Who knows?
In the meantime, Indycar is in the home stretch with three races left and only 17 points separating the top four drivers, hoooohaaa! Might come down to Laguna Seca again! Now that's good racing!
EDIT: Maybe Daniel Ricciardo can join the Indycar ranks...? Why not? There's already a number of ex-F1 guys (Grosjean, Ericsson, Rosenqvist, et al) in it. And with talk of Herta, O'Ward doing F1 reserve duty, that opens the door for him. Plus, with the discussions of Andretti Autosport entering F1 (much to Toto's ire, haha), that would be assured that those Indycar guys will go racing in Europe/F1. The Andretti F1 thing is a WHOLE 'nother topic!
Danny said in an interview he wouldn't leave F1 for another series, and he wouldn't want to join a team that can't compete for a win.. but that does seem like something you'd say up until you facing forced retirement.
Seems like Max has it all but wrapped up - RB had their early season reliability issues, but they'd have to really sh*t the bed to lose it at this point. On that note, spoiler alert, Max was 6 tenths faster than the fastest Ferrari in qualifying. Can't wait to see him work his way through the field since he's starting from the back tomorrow!
The Belgium GP just emphasized the point that Red Bull Racing (RBR) will take both F1 Championships this year. When RBR and Verstappen can start so far back and still win, with his teammate in second, means the 2022 season is history. Sure, other teams (lookin' at you, Ferrari) might win a few races here and there, but the championship is done and dusted.
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss (RBR and Mercedes)...
***SPOILER ALERT FOR THE JAPANESE GRAND PRIX 2022 AND THE SEASON IN GENERAL.***
DO NOT SCROLL DOWN LEST YOU BE TICKED OFF OR DISAPPOINTED OR ARE OTHERWISE SENSITIVE.
Yet another title that was unclear at the end but it's clear that Max Verstappen and Red Bull completely dominated the season. With only two other drivers (and teams) to cement the championship with four races still left to go (Schumacher, Vettel), this says a lot about Max and Red Bull.
The other thing that was answered for me this season that I've mused about over the years was "Is Lewis Hamilton as good as seven championships say he is? What if we put him in a mid-pack or back marker car? Would he still win as much?" Not saying Ham isn't good. Just wondering "how good?"
As the season winds up, I'll probably be back at what started this thread to begin with.... "Fred Flintstone is driving for WHO next year?!? You have got to be shiddin' me! C'mon, that seat belongs to Barney Rubble!!"
OK folks, here we are a day away from the end of the F1 season. And y'know what?
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....
Had kinda stopped watching after Max clinched the driver's champeenship but watched as RBR took the Constructor's title.
But honestly, when I keep hearing about driver X going to Team Y but it's not certain because he might end up at team W as a reserve bathroom attendant if the money is good enough and will maintain that role to stay in touch with the sport and go take Hamilton's seat in 2024 when Lewis goes to make movies about his fashion empire, I just shake my head.
On top of all the driver shuffles and the entrance of two drivers whose names I'd not heard were even being considered (Logan Sargeant and old name Nico Hulkenburg reentering F1)), it just got weirder and weirder as the days went on. All the F1 channels on YouTube were whoring headlines that had no basis in truth and were, at best, lame guessing so I shut that venue down for reliable information.
But as much as I gripe, we're now entering that time of year when all I do is mope around cuz there's no motorsports (or cycling, another "wheel-based sport") to watch (and I admit that I don't give a damm about any ball sports). So, I start considering who I'll be rooting for next year, especially after I'll get my ultimate wish for this year (after tomorrow's race, I'll tell ya what that is/was. I'm evil...)
WIll say this: Piastri better come through for McLaren after all of his "I'm better than everyone" bravado this year and I totally want to see Lando kick his new partner's *** just as a lesson in humility. Haha.
The grid will be different without Seb but he's made is mark and it'll be interesting how long he'll stay out before he wants to return.
Too bad Schumacher is out. He had/has promise but whatever, he'll end up as a reserve for someone over the off season. Count on it. No spots you say? There will be.
Speaking of reserve drivers... Daniel Ricciardo back at Red Bull backing Max and Sergio? Not sure what to make of that. I like Daniel but he's moved around a lot and honestly think he kinda screwed himself doing that but we'll see. Like the above off season antics I ref'd above, same could happen with Ricciardo.
OK, maybe one more F1 musing after tomorrow's race then I'll shut up for the season.
After race 4 or 5 of the season where AMG team was hurting bad, I told my buddy - whose former company sponsored Mercedes - “Hamilton’s gonna be winless.” He vehemently denied that supposition!
“OK, season wager!”
”You’re on!”
I’m $500 ahead. 🤣 But not gonna collect, his company got bought and pretty much shut down so he no longer defends nor cares about Hamilton. Essentially the same way I feel. Haha! Told you I was evil. 😈
I do feel for his DNF in this race though. No one should lose on a mechanical on lap 55 of 58. That’s f’d up.
Seabass’ end of race speech was nice. Class act, Vettel.
So season’s done, gonna be a long time before anyone challenges Verstappen’s season win record. 15 of 22 races. Love or hate him, that’s domination. Although his refusal of team orders to let Checo through in Sao Paolo really screwed both Checo and the team. With Leclerc’s finish ahead of Perez, he takes driver 2 honors when RBR could have finished 1-2. Ehhh. So much ego.
Well, four months of blah boring sports, guess I’ll go finish working on the projects in the garage.
Yep- the 2022 F1 season is over, pour a can of Red Bull over it and let Max Verstappen revel in the off-season. A few questions remain: does Honda regret pulling out right when their hybrid drivetrains produce their best results since the McLaren-Honda juggernauts of the 80's? Or maybe it was the extra funding RBR put into the effort that made the difference this year? And speaking of McLaren, they didn't have the best of years either and slipped down the standings. What makes their 2022 car so difficult to drive that Danny Ric was eventually booted for not keeping pace with his younger teammate? Ferrari managed to get second place in the final standings in both the driver's and constructor's championships, and you can almost hear Enzo's ghostly voice calling out: "Second place, second place!? That's the first loser! I want my red cars up front and WINNING! You can bring me heads later..." The F1-75 seemed to be fast, but fragile and one has to wonder if Mattia Binotto will survive the winter to lead the Italian squad again.
I could go on and on, but there's sure to be lots of action going on between now and the start of the 2023 season for EVERY team on the grid. With interest in F1 expanding worldwide, the silly season is just getting underway!
Max's refusal to help the team definitely left a sour taste... in the mouth of an otherwise excellent season? That was a weird statement. Wouldn't have mattered in the end with Ferrari's pace in Abu Dhabi (LeGreg would have 'won' by 1 pt instead of 3), but it certainly didn't help. My wife is Mexican and already hates Max, so that further fueled the rivalry in our casa.
That was a pretty bold prediction Mic, well played. I was hoping Lewis would get the win in Brazil after getting the ceremonial citizenship, but it was also nice to see that he's still a great guy when he's barely competitive, let alone cruising to an easy win every other race ("The problem with making things look easy is everyone assumes that it's easy" - Lorne Michaels, maybe). He's obviously still one of the GOATs of the sport, both on and off the track - massive respect to him. I hope Merc can bring it next year so George and Lewis can join the fight at the front.
Looking forward to seeing Danny Ric let is hair down so-to-speak, but I'm sure he won't ease off to far if he wants to get a seat in 2024. He did a interview on a
I watch that was pretty fun - I'm sure he'll open up a bit more once he's free of the sponsor obligations etc, but again, he'll probably still be deeply involved with the sport/teams/sponsors to keep his chances alive.
Weird to think we're only a few months away from the 2023 season (March 5 = 104 days). Luckily my ballsport team is having a complete underdog uprising of a season, makes for much easier/stress-free watching.
Yep- the 2022 F1 season is over, pour a can of Red Bull over it and let Max Verstappen revel in the off-season. A few questions remain: does Honda regret pulling out right when their hybrid drivetrains produce their best results since the McLaren-Honda juggernauts of the 80's? Or maybe it was the extra funding RBR put into the effort that made the difference this year? And speaking of McLaren, they didn't have the best of years either and slipped down the standings. What makes their 2022 car so difficult to drive that Danny Ric was eventually booted for not keeping pace with his younger teammate? Ferrari managed to get second place in the final standings in both the driver's and constructor's championships, and you can almost hear Enzo's ghostly voice calling out: "Second place, second place!? That's the first loser! I want my red cars up front and WINNING! You can bring me heads later..." The F1-75 seemed to be fast, but fragile and one has to wonder if Mattia Binotto will survive the winter to lead the Italian squad again.
I could go on and on, but there's sure to be lots of action going on between now and the start of the 2023 season for EVERY team on the grid. With interest in F1 expanding worldwide, the silly season is just getting underway!
Well, the F1 season has just ended and already Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto is out. A press release indicates he jumped (resigned) before being pushed (fired) from his position. IMHO Binotto did a good job for the team and deflected much of the criticism from the Italian press and public. But he risked his own reputation in doing so, and now he's made a good decision in choosing to leave rather than waiting for the axe to fall.
Well, the F1 season has just ended and already Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto is out. A press release indicates he jumped (resigned) before being pushed (fired) from his position. IMHO Binotto did a good job for the team and deflected much of the criticism from the Italian press and public. But he risked his own reputation in doing so, and now he's made a good decision in choosing to leave rather than waiting for the axe to fall.
Interesting. Hadn't heard that. (Season's over so don't really follow again until a month before new season starts.) But yeah, kinda sad that Binotto's out. Yeah, there were some bad strategy calls this year but I really can't even recall when Ferrari was as competitive as this year. Their last driver champion was like 14-15 years ago!
My feeds (usually rumors and conjecture) do tell me some stuff that were kind of expected....
Besides the rumored Binotto departure (and the wild rumor about dumping the entire Ferrari support team), there's other rumor about Red Bull squeezing out Checo (Sergio Perez) in favor of Daniel Ricciardo now that he's signed on as an RB reserve driver.
Much as I like Ricciardo, that would suck for Checo. He has been a great "second" to Max and I use that term loosely because he's a great driver and has supported the team decisions all year! Heck, he even took two wins (Monaco, Singapore) helping to secure the Constructor's Champeenship. So, to boot him out would be a LOW blow.
And now, there's talk of Ferrari's LeClerc possibly going to Mercedes in 2025, assuming it's true that Hamilton will retire. (My prediction: he won't retire until he's at least as old as Alonso is now.)
So it begins again. Qualifying for Bahrain is just getting under way.
Any thoughts, predictions, wishes about F1 2023?
I've personally not paid ANY attention to the goings on regarding the new cars, the newer drivers, etc. during the off season. Too much unsubstantiated BS (rumors) from the YouTubers that don't really know squat.
I am curious to see how the arrogant Piastri fares with McLaren and De Vries at AlphaTauri, who showed very well in his F1 "debut" last year.
I'll say it again to kick things off though. Hamilton won't win another championship. Go Max!
08-09-2022, 04:54 PM
Formula 1 Follies
