F1 2021 News/Misc.

donthaveanickname

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I guess now that the 2020 season is over it's time for a new thread.

Toto Wolff remains team principal of Mercedes for another three years, Ineos has bought a 33% stake in the team, Wolff also increased his share to one-third.

 
No Fs given by Horner:


I actually think this was a gracious move. It says it was a hard decision and made at the last possible moment.

Also Albon is staying in the Red Bull ecosystem so is not like he needs to find a job somewhere. (Unless he of course free wheels it and decides to go his own way which would be career suicide)
 
I actually think this was a gracious move. It says it was a hard decision and made at the last possible moment.

Also Albon is staying in the Red Bull ecosystem so is not like he needs to find a job somewhere. (Unless he of course free wheels it and decides to go his own way which would be career suicide)
It's not the fact of Albon getting demoted, it's the lack of respect in when telling Albon about the news. Hard decision or not, just show respect towards the guy and inform him sooner.

Marko and Horner wanted to keep Albon, upper management wanted Checo to sign on. They kept them both, which is fine, however Marko wants Tsunoda at Red Bull soon.

I'm not sure what to think, I just hope Tsunoda is not rushed. Checo will be a solid, more experienced hand for the team and I know he will perform well. It's a one year, prove it deal, but I'm certain Checo can deal with the pressure.
 
I think it's a great move. 2020 was by far Checo's best season and now he has an even better ride. Albon underperformed this year but I thought the last race could have saved him, especially considering the Thai involvement in RedBull.
For the first time since 2007 RBR has hired someone from outside their Junior team. I'm pretty sure Albon will get a full-time drive again at some point, maybe if Gasly joins Renault after 2021.
 
Riccardo, Kyvat, Gasly, and Albon.

In a span of four years.

Horner and Marko need to look at themselves in the mirror.
If you go back to Vettel and Webber the weird team dynamic stretches back a decade. Seb felt Ricciardo becoming the chosen one at Red Bull too, part of the influence of him going to Ferrari.

I think going with a veteran from outside of the Red Bull Junior Team is a good move though, I don’t think Perez will wilt under pressure or anything, his whole career has been pressured essentially. Albon might want to start looking at other options for 2022 because it’s hard to prove yourself in a test/reserve role and guys like Tsunoda, Vips, Daruvala are poised to move up soon too.
 
If you go back to Vettel and Webber the weird team dynamic stretches back a decade. Seb felt Ricciardo becoming the chosen one at Red Bull too, part of the influence of him going to Ferrari.

I think going with a veteran from outside of the Red Bull Junior Team is a good move though, I don’t think Perez will wilt under pressure or anything, his whole career has been pressured essentially. Albon might want to start looking at other options for 2022 because it’s hard to prove yourself in a test/reserve role and guys like Tsunoda, Vips, Daruvala are poised to move up soon too.
Albon has financial backing, I think he should continue to market himself and find more Thai backers. I think he'll stay loyal to Red Bull though.

Not to mention, Gasly is not set in stone in '22 and rumors were Gasly is on Renault's (Alpine's) radar. I would have rather seen an all-french line-up in Ocon and Gasly than Alonso tbf.
 
Riccardo, Kyvat, Gasly, and Albon.

In a span of four years.

Horner and Marko need to look at themselves in the mirror.

They also let Sainz go as well, that is the one I think that has hurt them most. He would've been a good replacement when Ricciardo walked away, in my opinion.
 
They also let Sainz go as well, that is the one I think that has hurt them most. He would've been a good replacement when Ricciardo walked away, in my opinion.
Sainz's evolution since his Renault days has been something else.

The man is just like his old man, he gets down to business on race day. Sainz's adaptability with Leclerc will make Ferrari stronger in the long run.
 
They also let Sainz go as well, that is the one I think that has hurt them most. He would've been a good replacement when Ricciardo walked away, in my opinion.
Lol, Totally forgot that one year they ran four different drivers in the Toro Rosso. Wasn’t Sainz essentially traded or used as some sort of financial offset against the Renault buyout?

Red Bull are involved in 90% of silly season stuff each year.
 
Binotto... C'mon mate, the ink has hardly dried on Sainz's contract and you say this egregious stuff:


To quote Mando "This is the way."

I have a feeling Sainz is going to give Leclerc a real fight so this is going to be a Lewis/Rosberg dynamic which is not sustainable for any long period of time.
 
Binotto... C'mon mate, the ink has hardly dried on Sainz's contract and you say this egregious stuff:

Ferrari are going to wind up like Red Bull where there’s a talent overflow. FDA is already stacked and it’ll stay that way for several years.

Best Sainz can do is make life difficult for Ferrari and Leclerc and maybe parlay that into another good drive after a couple of years if Mick shines.
 
Interesting, hopefully more brainpower can help Haas move back up the grid.


Smart move.

It gives Haas the ability to communicate with Ferrari directly and gives new light on what teams could possibly do with technical support deals. Not to mention, I wonder if it was probably the same price in renting a building right next to Ferrari compared to its own, stand-alone facility?

Gene and company is making the most of this.
 
Mazepin will keep his ride and Haas will not comment further on this issue. Mazepin's on extremely thin ice and I'd bet his Dad probably had to spend more money to make sure his son kept that seat.

That payment had to increase after this PR nightmare this team is going to have to deal with. I hope it's worth it in the long-run for Haas:
 
Mazepin will keep his ride and Haas will not comment further on this issue. Mazepin's on extremely thin ice and I'd bet his Dad probably had to spend more money to make sure his son kept that seat.

That payment had to increase after this PR nightmare this team is going to have to deal with. I hope it's worth it in the long-run for Haas:


Oh ffs, Haas makes it so hard to be a fan with some of the decisions they have made these past couple of years. As much as I would love to go on a long winded moan, I know how the business works and I feel like I would just be pissing in the wind. It is just so incredibly frustrating and disappointing.
 
Oh ffs, Haas makes it so hard to be a fan with some of the decisions they have made these past couple of years. As much as I would love to go on a long winded moan, I know how the business works and I feel like I would just be pissing in the wind. It is just so incredibly frustrating and disappointing.
Trust me, I defended the signing at first, but I regret doing so.

I could be Mr. Goody Two-Shoes all day, it just sucks that a immature kid with money gets away with this crap. I hope Haas is able to find a title sponsor in the future and dump Mazepin quicker than lord knows what.
 
This has the makings of backfiring in many ways. Mazepin will not have the respect of any drivers out there, lost the potential fans and the team itself is already bleeding supporters.

Sponsors will follow. The pressure campaign is already going strong. Haas must be broke to keep this headache around. It won’t be worth it.
 
This has the makings of backfiring in many ways. Mazepin will not have the respect of any drivers out there, lost the potential fans and the team itself is already bleeding supporters.

Sponsors will follow. The pressure campaign is already going strong. Haas must be broke to keep this headache around. It won’t be worth it.
Yep, if they feel a 5th-placed F2 driver with a history of incidents on and off track is worth it especially after this, he and his dad are obviously bringing metric ****tons of cash. I’m hoping he keeps his head down and stays out of the way with a crappy car and just floats the team long enough to get to the new regulations.
 
Yep, if they feel a 5th-placed F2 driver with a history of incidents on and off track is worth it especially after this, he and his dad are obviously bringing metric ****tons of cash. I’m hoping he keeps his head down and stays out of the way with a crappy car and just floats the team long enough to get to the new regulations.
Cognizant has a tinge of blue, so we'll see how it turns out for AMR.

Fittipaldi had Brazilian backing, but to the tune of only a million or so. Delatraz doesn't have major backing either, surprisingly. Haas made it's bed and especially with them being in-house at Ferrari. I'm curious about Schwartzman's spot with SMP Racing?

They could have fronted a bit more money and just moved up both Mick and Robert, if Haas was that serious about moving Nikita. 30 million euros or more just made it difficult for Haas to say **** em.

Let's just hope it's short-term, but whatever happens from 2021 forward will be a question mark regarding Haas.
 
Cognizant has a tinge of blue, so we'll see how it turns out for AMR.

Fittipaldi had Brazilian backing, but to the tune of only a million or so. Delatraz doesn't have major backing either, surprisingly. Haas made it's bed and especially with them being in-house at Ferrari. I'm curious about Schwartzman's spot with SMP Racing?

They could have fronted a bit more money and just moved up both Mick and Robert, if Haas was that serious about moving Nikita. 30 million euros or more just made it difficult for Haas to say **** em.

Let's just hope it's short-term, but whatever happens from 2021 forward will be a question mark regarding Haas.
I’d love to see Shwartzman at Haas but someone somewhere else mentioned U.S. sanctions on SMP/Boris Rotenberg probably prevent that from happening. IIRC that was the beginning of the end for Mikhail Aleshin racing here too.
 
Hamilton still hasn't signed a contract for this year. Word on the street is he wants too much money. How crazy would it be if he gets replaced with Russell?
 
how much money has one person need,he allready get over 50 million a year.russell would be fun to see in that car
 
how much money has one person need,he allready get over 50 million a year.russell would be fun to see in that car

He is in a position to ask whatever amount he wants and should be considered. That he should get it is another thing entirely.

Hamilton and Rosberg got them where they are right now.

In an scenario where Hamilton walks, Max is a shoe in along with Russel. But they'll have a Hamilton-Rosberg problem again.
 
Towards the end of the season Lewis said he’s looking to reduce travel in his next contract, do more virtual work from home and get more time with friends/family.

 
Towards the end of the season Lewis said he’s looking to reduce travel in his next contract, do more virtual work from home and get more time with friends/family.


I am assuming after reading the article he is speaking mostly on sponsorship commitments that may be able to be done from home. I don't really see how you could cut down from in person work days at the factory, those would seem to me to be pretty hands on from a drivers perspective. Regardless, he has definitely earned the right to have some demands in the new contract. I will also be interested to see the length of the new contract and what Mercedes direction is heading forward.
 
Towards the end of the season Lewis said he’s looking to reduce travel in his next contract, do more virtual work from home and get more time with friends/family.

Lewis and I are the same age. I get he’s in different levels of life than me but gosh damn...God bless him he’s at a point in his mid 30’s where he dictates when he works, how long he works and where he works. My man, I’m jealous.
 
Lewis and I are the same age. I get he’s in different levels of life than me but gosh damn...God bless him he’s at a point in his mid 30’s where he dictates when he works, how long he works and where he works. My man, I’m jealous.

The pressure to perform on the track at such elite level and then have to not disappoint and also do the bidding of the big conglomerate and companies etc can probably have a net negative effect on you.

I'm sure the traveling to different continents and exotic places is not the thing that's getting old. :p
 
The pressure to perform on the track at such elite level and then have to not disappoint and also do the bidding of the big conglomerate and companies etc can probably have a net negative effect on you.

I'm sure the traveling to different continents and exotic places is not the thing that's getting old. :p
I agree 100% , the pressure that fella faces is probably on a level I can’t even fathom. That’s what he is getting paid for I’d say, he deserves every penny imo
 
Interesting for Lawson as well, I do not think the revised F2 calendar will overlap with DTM events.

More seat time for Lawson. I'm happy for Alex that he has a seat racing, but DTM is difficult adjustment coming from an F1 car. I hope he fares well in the series. I will certainly keep an eye for them both.
 
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