Ricciardo leaves RBR for Renault

[Infi24r]

https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/opinion/f1/ricciardos-itchy-feet-and-ferrari

[TonyRizza]

Let's hope it's true

[Brembo]

Seb having to move over! Don't get your hopes up. Same goes for Dan.

[Ferrarichamp]

sounds legit.

[enjaybel3]

For me its a good match for both team and driver. I hope its true.

[Christopher]

Ricciardo would be perfect for Ferrari can speak Italian has Italian parents works well with Seb and is a very fast racing driver

[racingbradley]

I regard Ricciardo as the front runner when Kimi decides to call it a day.
Not only is he a fast driver but he has such a winning personality.
He's Italian with an Aussie streak speaks the language and gets on with everyone.
A cool choice for Ferrari until someone from the academy makes the grade. :-D

[Stormy]

Ric is a very competitive driver. It might make things with Seb a bit complicated. On the other hand, it would be nice to see Seb vs Ric rematch.

[mwk360]

If Kimi was performing like last year, i think this would be amazing to have Dani Ric replace him, best possible choice... but Kimi so far has been very good and if he get's along with seb and helps than its the best combination. Hope both Kimi and Seb get even better as the year goes on and hope the in season development is on point this year not like last year. So yeah :-P Hope early 2018 Kimi stays but dani Ric would be the best replacement if Kimi retires.

[Deephouse]

Red Bull is looking more and more like a Ferrari B Team. Seb, Kvyat, and maybe Ricciardo :-D

[Aberracus]

Kimi needs to retire on high, if he wins a race this year will be great, if he lets us win the WCC, much better, but he is 39, we don’t want to keep him around any longer.


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[racingbradley]

Kimi needs to retire on high, if he wins a race this year will be great, if he lets us win the WCC, much better, but he is 39, we don’t want to keep him around any longer.


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Kimi is driving well & is competitive so far this year. Only he knows when its time to retire and I don't think he would just drive for the money.
His age well Alain Prost won his 4th WDC at 38 & Damon Hill was 36 when he became WDC so..................................;-) :-??

[Aberracus]

We need to invest in the future, kimi is the past, if RIC signs with another team we lost a replacement for at least two years.


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[Ferrarichamp]

So what about Charles Leclerc? when will he get a Ferrari seat?

[Aberracus]

If he proves, 2-3 years from now

Not really, he needs to prove himself, go to a middle team first and then he can go to Ferrari. Unless he makes a Verstapen in next year much better Alfa Romeo Sauber

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[Brembo]

If Ferrari has the cars for WDC, WCC which it looks like it does, what's better? Having an experienced Kimi driving, or a rookie not taking advantage of what the car offers; because of inexperience. A F1 driver at 39 yrs. is in better physical shape than most any 29 yr. old, not into sports. 65 is normal retirement age!:rotfl A good example is F2 young; great Leclerc. He comes to F1 with youth and winning F2 experienc on his side, but the Kimi experience he's yet to have, is obvious. Then there's always the F1 fans reasoning, "It's the car's fault" , or," It was the drivers fault!" or "The pits fault!" Kimi is a a proven champion in great shape, why are all the other drivers behind him, or yet to get on the podium? Oh ! It's the car! :rotfl

[Infi24r]

We need to invest in the future, kimi is the past, if RIC signs with another team we lost a replacement for at least two years.


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Its a win win for Ferrari if they can get him. If he's faster than Vettel, then they now have a driver faster than Vettel. If not then they have a very fast and clean driver.

[paolo lalli]

Just like lewi and bottas.

[IulianFerrari]

Performance wise this season, there is no reason to replace Kimi... yet

[Larry_Cule]

Performance wise this season, there is no reason to replace Kimi... yetHmmmmm
Yeah,no doubt Kimi is great on one lap pace this year.
But......we had a front row lock out 2 times so far and he managed to lose positions in both races...
+he can't really overtake or put some pressure on the car ahead anymore...

[Aberracus]

Hmmmmm
Yeah,no doubt Kimi is great on one lap pace this year.
But......we had a front row lock out 2 times so far and he managed to lose positions in both races...
+he can't really overtake or put some pressure on the car ahead anymore...

+1
Better he should go in a high


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[Lega Verde]

Should Ferrari leave the old strategy of clear hierarchy between the drivers Ricciardo is probably the greatest choice. Seb and Daniel would eat out points WDC-wise but for the WCC they might be the quickest available couple.

A solid number 2 for the next two years would be Bottas. Give him a proper 2+1 contract with a good salary. He is not into politics and performs well enough. He was quicker and more solid than Massa through the Williams years.

e. But I would love to see Hamilton and Vettel on the same car. Hamilton is available as well.

[chinmay]

Should Ferrari leave the old strategy of clear hierarchy between the drivers Ricciardo is probably the greatest choice. Seb and Daniel would eat out points WDC-wise but for the WCC they might be the quickest available couple.

A solid number 2 for the next two years would be Bottas. Give him a proper 2+1 contract with a good salary. He is not into politics and performs well enough. He was quicker and more solid than Massa through the Williams years.

e. But I would love to see Hamilton and Vettel on the same car. Hamilton is available as well.

Bottas is a very slow driver, Raikkonen is much better than him but Raikkonen is no longer a Sunday driver, you could give him 100 laps fresh tires and yet he won't make an overtaking move.

Ricciardo is the only logical choice, is fast enough to get points for WCC. And Hamilton is not available, Hamilton likes to drive for the fastest car, he cannot leave Mercedes, he isn't a team builder like Schumacher or Vettel. The reason for his success was Rosberg's setup data. Because he is a naturally faster driver than Rosberg, he got more success than Rosberg but now that Rosberg is gone, Hamilton is struggling to find the right setup. Besides that, he wouldn't want to partner Seb in his lifetime after getting beaten from drivers like Button, Rosberg and now Bottas. Partnering Seb would mean ultimate embarrassment for Hamilton and that will lead to his retirement.

[Lega Verde]

Bottas is a very slow driver, Raikkonen is much better than him but Raikkonen is no longer a Sunday driver, you could give him 100 laps fresh tires and yet he won't make an overtaking move.

Ricciardo is the only logical choice, is fast enough to get points for WCC. And Hamilton is not available, Hamilton likes to drive for the fastest car, he cannot leave Mercedes, he isn't a team builder like Schumacher or Vettel. The reason for his success was Rosberg's setup data. Because he is a naturally faster driver than Rosberg, he got more success than Rosberg but now that Rosberg is gone, Hamilton is struggling to find the right setup. Besides that, he wouldn't want to partner Seb in his lifetime after getting beaten from drivers like Button, Rosberg and now Bottas. Partnering Seb would mean ultimate embarrassment for Hamilton and that will lead to his retirement.

Bottas is very slow, what? Qualis are 2-1 for him against Ham this season, 4-1 in last five races. Performance-wise Bottas was much closer to Hamilton than Räikkonen was against Vettel in last full season.

Hamilton holds the pole position record of all times. A very slow driver couldn't beat him like ever.

It is Ricciardo who seems to be bit slow when compared in terms of pure speed against Verstappen.

Oh and Hamilton was pretty quick last season without Rosberg's input. Fastest car at the moment is Ferrari. Should the trend continue towards our side Ferrari is definitely an option for Hamilton.

[wisepie]

Ricciardo would be a good fit for Ferrari, although he never seems to have made a big deal of his Italian heritage, my main worry would be whether he and Seb will be able to keep a lid on their rivalry! RIC is the ideal choice for a Kimi replacement, the other protagonists from the FDA are not yet ready in my very humble opinion.:Hmm

[chinmay]

Bottas is very slow, what? Qualis are 2-1 for him against Ham this season, 4-1 in last five races. Performance-wise Bottas was much closer to Hamilton than Räikkonen was against Vettel in last full season.

Hamilton holds the pole position record of all times. A very slow driver couldn't beat him like ever.

It is Ricciardo who seems to be bit slow when compared in terms of pure speed against Verstappen.

Oh and Hamilton was pretty quick last season without Rosberg's input. Fastest car at the moment is Ferrari. Should the trend continue towards our side Ferrari is definitely an option for Hamilton.

What makes you think Ferrari is the fastest car at the moment? Just based on the qualifying you saw in China? Mercedes did a 1.31.6 this year, last year also they did a 1.31.6, their car and engine is better than what was last year at the same point, the result was due to them not getting enough grip out of ultrasofts. You would assume that Mercedes car + engine is at least 6 tenths faster than their car 12 months ago on the same track, that already is faster than what Ferrari did.

When Hamilton doesn't perform, his pace is awful so that doesn't make Bottas any better. He will still remain a slow driver. Hamilton holds the pole position record because of the car he drove for the last 4 years which was unbeatable. His performances before 2014 were quite average, the reality is when competition increases, Hamilton is nowhere to be found. McLaren themselves said in the latter part of 2011 that they had a better car than Red Bull and said that Vettel must be a brilliant driver that he was taking poles and wins in what was the 2nd best car.

This is what McLaren said in late 2011:



McGrath added that beating qualifying master Sebastian Vettel will be crucial if McLaren is to be successful in 2012, particularly as its analysis indicated that the raw pace of last year's MP4-26 was superior towards the end of the season despite Red Bull and Vettel's run of poles.

"He must be a brilliant driver, because by the end of last season we definitely had the best car and he was still whupping us," McGrath said. "We're trying to figure out exactly what he's doing that's so good. How does he pull out that fast qualifying lap every time? We think it's driver skill. There's no trickery on the cars, he just gets more out of it than we do."

[racingbradley]

His performances before 2014 were quite average, the reality is when competition increases, Hamilton is nowhere to be found. McLaren themselves said in the latter part of 2011 that they had a better car than Red Bull and said that Vettel must be a brilliant driver that he was taking poles and wins in what was the 2nd best car.
Agree:-)

Seb is a very intelligent driver. He uses his brain how on earth did he keep Botas behind him in Bahrain with tyres that were shot????:-D

[Lega Verde]

What makes you think Ferrari is the fastest car at the moment? Just based on the qualifying you saw in China? Mercedes did a 1.31.6 this year, last year also they did a 1.31.6, their car and engine is better than what was last year at the same point, the result was due to them not getting enough grip out of ultrasofts. You would assume that Mercedes car + engine is at least 6 tenths faster than their car 12 months ago on the same track, that already is faster than what Ferrari did.

When Hamilton doesn't perform, his pace is awful so that doesn't make Bottas any better. He will still remain a slow driver. Hamilton holds the pole position record because of the car he drove for the last 4 years which was unbeatable. His performances before 2014 were quite average, the reality is when competition increases, Hamilton is nowhere to be found. McLaren themselves said in the latter part of 2011 that they had a better car than Red Bull and said that Vettel must be a brilliant driver that he was taking poles and wins in what was the 2nd best car.

This is what McLaren said in late 2011:

What a bunch of BS. Bottas is not slow by any means. A solid second driver for all the top teams. Much faster and more consistent compared to Massa for example.

Hamilton destroyed Alonso mentally on his debut year. The whining spaniard escaped to Renault and the WDC was there for Hamilton in next year. Ok, the closest rival was Felipe Massa so whatever.

E. Ferrari is the fastest car atm. Two poles in last two races. Even a sluggish qualifier like Kimi could perform well. The race in China was disgusting because of the work on the pits. "Very slow" Bottas took the undercut for the 1st position and after the safe car Max destoyed Sebs race.

[Aberracus]

What a bunch of BS. Bottas is not slow by any means. A solid second driver for all the top teams. Much faster and more consistent compared to Massa for example.

Hamilton destroyed Alonso mentally on his debut year. The whining spaniard escaped to Renault and the WDC was there for Hamilton in next year. Ok, the closest rival was Felipe Massa so whatever.

E. Ferrari is the fastest car atm. Two poles in last two races. Even a sluggish qualifier like Kimi could perform well. The race in China was disgusting because of the work on the pits. "Very slow" Bottas took the undercut for the 1st position and after the safe car Max destoyed Sebs race.

I would say Bottas is similar to kimi
All in McLaren vs hamilton was a McLaren vs Alonso, so please don’t mix things


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[FerrariSteve]

I would love to see Ricciardo in a Ferrari and I'd love to see him as WDC, I think he'd fit into the team well and his racecraft is very good.

[Lega Verde]

I would say Bottas is similar to kimi
All in McLaren vs hamilton was a McLaren vs Alonso, so please don’t mix things


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Yeah right. It's conspiracy by Alonso that McLaren favoured the rookie Hamilton.

And well whatever nevermind. Hamilton won WDC 2008 on non WCC car. His teammate Kovalainen was a average driver at best so no help from him. Chinmay claimed that Ham could only win WDC's and drive fast because Rosberg set the car. That is bunch of BS. So is the claim that Bottas is very slow. He won Massa 3-0 on Williams, Massa was on the way to beat Kimi 2-1 on Ferrari before his accident.

[jgonzalesm6]

Yeah right. It's conspiracy by Alonso that McLaren favoured the rookie Hamilton.

And well whatever nevermind. Hamilton won WDC 2008 on non WCC car. His teammate Kovalainen was a average driver at best so no help from him. Chinmay claimed that Ham could only win WDC's and drive fast because Rosberg set the car. That is bunch of BS. So is the claim that Bottas is very slow. He won Massa 3-0 on Williams, Massa was on the way to beat Kimi 2-1 on Ferrari before his accident.

Ron Dennis bankrolled Hamilton since his karting years. Once Hamilton got into F1, Ron favoured the rookie from the get-go....demoralizing mentally from a 2x WDC like Alonso. I don't agree with the way Alonso handled the whole spy-gate debacle....but it is what it is.

What about Button vs Hamilton??

[jgonzalesm6]

When Hamilton doesn't perform, his pace is awful so that doesn't make Bottas any better. He will still remain a slow driver. Hamilton holds the pole position record because of the car he drove for the last 4 years which was unbeatable. His performances before 2014 were quite average, the reality is when competition increases, Hamilton is nowhere to be found.

+1

[Giallo 550]

Ron Dennis bankrolled Hamilton since his karting years. Once Hamilton got into F1, Ron favoured the rookie from the get-go....demoralizing mentally from a 2x WDC like Alonso. I don't agree with the way Alonso handled the whole spy-gate debacle....but it is what it is.

What about Button vs Hamilton??

Exactly. It was Alonso v.s. McLaren and its golden boy.

[Rob]

I dont want to see him n Ferrari while Seb is there.

He good, but lets face it, RBR lucked into SC coming out when it did. New softer tyres, compared to the front 2 or were past pitlane and couldnt change tyres so couldnt push or even defend on those old harder tyres. If Seb and Bottas couldnt of pitted, they would of been untouched. And with Max self imploding is also making Dan Ric look alot better.

I think, after China, Dan Ric has done a Perez from few years ago when he was at Sauber.

[Infi24r]

I dont want to see him n Ferrari while Seb is there.

He good, but lets face it, RBR lucked into SC coming out when it did. New softer tyres, compared to the front 2 or were past pitlane and couldnt change tyres so couldnt push or even defend on those old harder tyres. If Seb and Bottas couldnt of pitted, they would of been untouched. And with Max self imploding is also making Dan Ric look alot better.

I think, after China, Dan Ric has done a Perez from few years ago when he was at Sauber.


If he's really not that strong than Vettel doesn't have much to fear.

[Deephouse]

If he's really not that strong than Vettel doesn't have much to fear.
I mean Vettel already said that he wouldn't mind having Ricciardo as his teammate again. I'm sure he wants to have another go at Ricciardo.

[aroutis]

I mean Vettel already said that he wouldn't mind having Ricciardo as his teammate again. I'm sure he wants to have another go at Ricciardo.

Having someone like Lewis in Ferrari while Seb is driving for us , is only going to hurt the team.
Lewis is toxic when he is not getting things his way.

[Aberracus]

RIC is super constant, is not the best qualifier, but Is superb in overtaking, and as I said súper constant, would be a perfect 2nd at the side of Sebastian.


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[WS6TransAm01]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. The chemistry within the team seems to be working. Don't rock the boat. As much as it hurts me to say, Kimi may be in his twilight but he is a good #2. Danny won't want to play second fiddle and we may end up with infighting. Not worth the risk, I say.

[Infi24r]

RIC is super constant, is not the best qualifier, but Is superb in overtaking, and as I said súper constant, would be a perfect 2nd at the side of Sebastian.


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People forget he comfortably out qualified Vettel as team mates.

[Deephouse]

People forget he comfortably out qualified Vettel as team mates.

Ricciardo qualified ahead of Seb on 11 different occasions.

Seb qualified ahead of Ricciardo on 8 different occasions.

It was actually quite close

[Aberracus]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. The chemistry within the team seems to be working. Don't rock the boat. As much as it hurts me to say, Kimi may be in his twilight but he is a good #2. Danny won't want to play second fiddle and we may end up with infighting. Not worth the risk, I say.

So you want to keep Kimi until his 40s ?

Kimi is a filling that seat until someone better appear, that’s the case for RIC

RIC is not a mad teammate. Or a dirty one.
Will go well with Seb.


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[From Treviso]

I love Kimi, and you can see he has lost none of his raw speed in qualifying. However, there's something that's not clicking with him during races where he loses ground without reason: one minute he's 3 seconds behind and the next he's 23 seconds behind! Usually after the first pitstop he loses his drive where I believe he just gets into a comfortable rhythm and does not push it beyond his slumber mode. Only if he gets a sniff, does he pull his finger out and puts in a drive that's equal to the best. He hasn't lost his outright speed; he has lost his consistent speed!

[mwk360]

I love Kimi, and you can see he has lost none of his raw speed in qualifying. However, there's something that's not clicking with him during races where he loses ground without reason: one minute he's 3 seconds behind and the next he's 23 seconds behind! Usually after the first pitstop he loses his drive where I believe he just gets into a comfortable rhythm and does not push it beyond his slumber mode. Only if he gets a sniff, does he pull his finger out and puts in a drive that's equal to the best. He hasn't lost his outright speed; he has lost his consistent speed!

Very true, Kimi is quick as Seb if not more comfortable with qualifying than Seb as Seb has to take multiple sessions to get setup right while Kimi is ace from the get go this year, it interests me when Kimi said there is no compromises between qualifying and race setup for him, maybe he goes all in for Quali setup so when it comes to the race he doesn't have a good race setup and can't do anything as soon as he gets out of drs range

[FranksterGM]

Oh man please no not Ricciardo at Ferrari. He has the most cringe worthy bogan Aussie fans.
Plus he has said he doesn't feel Italian and doesn't like living in Italy anyway, he can go get to

[Ferrarichamp]

Oh man please no not Ricciardo at Ferrari. He has the most cringe worthy bogan Aussie fans.
Plus he has said he doesn't feel Italian and doesn't like living in Italy anyway, he can go get to

doesn't he live in Monte Carlo? i mean that's practically living in Italy.

[IulianFerrari]

doesn't he live in Monte Carlo? i mean that's practically living in Italy.

Well... That's practically not living in Italy

[Brembo]

Giovanazzi needs to mary into Stools family and then buy a seat with Ferrari.

[barzini77]

If it's true: Thank you for all the memories Champ! You will be missed - but I'm sure we'll see you in some sort of racing yet.

Time for LeMans 24 h with Toni Vilander, as promised :)

[From Treviso]

what a silly post!

[From Treviso]

Oh man please no not Ricciardo at Ferrari. He has the most cringe worthy bogan Aussie fans.
Plus he has said he doesn't feel Italian and doesn't like living in Italy anyway, he can go get to

what's with the personal stuff against Daniel? We know that he will be faster than Kimi and will be at least as fast as Vettel, if not faster. He stays clean in races by bringing home the car unmarked, which we cannot say that about Vettel who doesn't seem to know how to avoid trouble! He was lucky he never collided with Kimi at the start of the Chinese race by being over aggressive - and that's with his own team mate!

[FranksterGM]

what's with the personal stuff against Daniel? We know that he will be faster than Kimi and will be at least as fast as Vettel, if not faster. He stays clean in races by bringing home the car unmarked, which we cannot say that about Vettel who doesn't seem to know how to avoid trouble! He was lucky he never collided with Kimi at the start of the Chinese race by being over aggressive - and that's with his own team mate!

He drives for Aus, and aus fans are the pits.

[racingbradley]

Well... That's practically not living in Italy

It may not be Italy but its as near as you can get.;-)
A lot of drivers live in Monaco apart from those who reside in Switzerland.

[Brembo]

What happened to all the huge Leclerc fans here, wishing him a seat ASAP with Ferrari? 2017 up until April 2018 all that went on here with regards to replacing Kimi was Leclerc.

[wisepie]

What happened to all the huge Leclerc fans here, wishing him a seat ASAP with Ferrari? 2017 up until April 2018 all that went on here with regards to replacing Kimi was Leclerc.

It's always the same when a new young hope appears in F1, only to find that's it's not that simple to impress without a competitive car and some practice! Give Charles some experience in F1 and hopefully both he and GIO will get a chance with the big team. But if RIC does come to the Scuderia, that may not happen for a while.:Hmm

[racingbradley]

It's always the same when a new young hope appears in F1, only to find that's it's not that simple to impress without a competitive car and some practice! Give Charles some experience in F1 and hopefully both he and GIO will get a chance with the big team. But if RIC does come to the Scuderia, that may not happen for a while.:Hmm
:-)I concur also I think it would be unfair to drum roll Charles into a team like Ferrari until he has proved himself in F1.............ok it will be hard to impress in Sauber but give the boy a chance.
Look what happened to Perez at Macca & he was our most promising young driver at the academy...........that was too early in his career.
Dan only wants a 2 year contract which would be just perfect. By then maybe Charles will have had a year at Haas as well. You never know maybe Gio will get his chance too.:-)

[Brembo]

Meanwhile Williams went with two rookies and are not doing too good to say the least. I just can't accept 36 yrs. old as being retirement age in F1, after all , the job allows you to just sit and drive! No running up and down a field like most other sports. Or getting in a ring and punching each other out.

[Stormsearcher]

Good news. Ricciardo would give the team a good boost. Hes clean and very competitive. I would be happier if he beats seb.
Kimi is driving well this year, but i dont think the team is allowing him to beat vettel. Guess it would make sense for the WCC, which we should easily get seeing as the car is better than the merc. At least in the initial races.

[Lega Verde]

Meanwhile Williams went with two rookies and are not doing too good to say the least. I just can't accept 36 yrs. old as being retirement age in F1, after all , the job allows you to just sit and drive! No running up and down a field like most other sports. Or getting in a ring and punching each other out.
Well Massa was constantly beaten by the supposedly 'very slow Bottas' and in the long run wasn't that much better than Lance Stroll.

F1 is quite demanding physically as well. What's even more crucial are those milliseconds that you lose in reflexes while aging. You can be a top driver in endurance races even even when over 40. That doesn't apply to F1. Schumi's performance against Rosberg was bit sad during the 3 years on Mercs for example. Some good results but no way he was the same guy who won the WDC's.

2018 is going to be a great swan song for Kimi, soon to be 39, though. The car fits him well. In it's current form it is probably the most comfortable Ferrari in his entire career including the WDC year in 2007. A pole and a single win would be great assuming it's doesn't affect Vettel's fight for championship.

[aroutis]

Meanwhile Williams went with two rookies and are not doing too good to say the least. I just can't accept 36 yrs. old as being retirement age in F1, after all , the job allows you to just sit and drive! No running up and down a field like most other sports. Or getting in a ring and punching each other out.

The G's the drivers are getting on their bodies are not to be laughed upon.
After a certain age, driving an F1 car is too demanding.

[Aberracus]

Well Massa was constantly beaten by the supposedly 'very slow Bottas' and in the long run wasn't that much better than Lance Stroll.

F1 is quite demanding physically as well. What's even more crucial are those milliseconds that you lose in reflexes while aging. You can be a top driver in endurance races even even when over 40. That doesn't apply to F1. Schumi's performance against Rosberg was bit sad during the 3 years on Mercs for example. Some good results but no way he was the same guy who won the WDC's.

2018 is going to be a great swan song for Kimi, soon to be 39, though. The car fits him well. In it's current form it is probably the most comfortable Ferrari in his entire career including the WDC year in 2007. A pole and a single win would be great assuming it's doesn't affect Vettel's fight for championship.

+1


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[jgonzalesm6]

Meanwhile Williams went with two rookies and are not doing too good to say the least. I just can't accept 36 yrs. old as being retirement age in F1, after all , the job allows you to just sit and drive! No running up and down a field like most other sports. Or getting in a ring and punching each other out.

Have you seen their training regiment?? Their diet intake?? Do you realize how many lbs. or ltrs. of water are expelled from their bodies at certain "hot" tracks?? They have personal trainers to keep them in tip top shape.

Not to mention the G loads their bodies take as someone mentioned.

Button at the time, ran marathons or triathalons during his F1 career....still does and a hot babe to boot.

[Brembo]

Well said! As long as it doesn't affect Vettel's fight for the championship! Now go tell that to Dan or anyone else besides a rookie like Antonio. Stay behind Seb! Williams IMO wanted to do all they could for Bottas to make him $$$$ marketable. If he was that good , why else would he have been sold to Merc? Massa in the#2 Merc would have done as well poss. better. As far as Shumy @ merc . He went there expecting another Rubenized #2 driver. And he would have retired "At Home" looking like he did @Ferrari. Leclerc for Kimi is all anyone here wanted before this season started. :rotfl

[nani_s23]

What happened to all the huge Leclerc fans here, wishing him a seat ASAP with Ferrari? 2017 up until April 2018 all that went on here with regards to replacing Kimi was Leclerc.

Personally, Sauber isn’t a good option for him to showcase his talent. Ferrari tried to get him in one of the haas car. But Mgene refused as their drivers contract is extended for a year.
I want to see Leclerc in haas car, which is 4th best car on the grid which will give clear picture of his skills.

[nani_s23]

People forget he comfortably out qualified Vettel as team mates.

Also vet had pre-contract with Ferrari & RB team was around DR young lad. They wanted to win championships with DR.
But still vet gave his best in quali. He was always a better qualifier than race craft during RB days.

At Ferrari he became good racer. One thing seb needs to improve is he’s quite emotional on track. This is where Lewis played mind games last year over vettel

This year, vettel seems to be on top of it. Hope his dream of 5th WDC with Ferrari comes true.

[Brembo]

Have you seen their training regiment?? Their diet intake?? Do you realize how many lbs. or ltrs. of water are expelled from their bodies at certain "hot" tracks?? They have personal trainers to keep them in tip top shape.

Not to mention the G loads their bodies take as someone mentioned.

Button at the time, ran marathons or triathalons during his F1 career....still does and a hot babe to boot.

I agree with you 100% , that's why I believe 36 yrs. is like 26 yrs. old for a F1 driver. Their in top shape including Massa. 40 sounds about right to take a hike.

[mwk360]

Also vet had pre-contract with Ferrari & RB team was around DR young lad. They wanted to win championships with DR.
But still vet gave his best in quali. He was always a better qualifier than race craft during RB days.

At Ferrari he became good racer. One thing seb needs to improve is he’s quite emotional on track. This is where Lewis played mind games last year over vettel

This year, vettel seems to be on top of it. Hope his dream of 5th WDC with Ferrari comes true.

Yes Go Seb , Go Ferrari! , go kimi! I hope Seb wins this Sunday lol that's all i want this weekend. :pray

last race weekend shows to be humble all the time even if ferrari are 100 seconds faster than mercs as it can all go wrong so quick. Poor Seb

[mwk360]

If Kimi does great to help Ferrari and Seb i wouldn't mind him staying. in fighting will only cause the team to desolve. Kimi and Seb are good together. Leclerc was at Maranello this weekend :) so he is the future for sure but maybe not next year, he himself says he has a lot to learn

[Silent Bob]

Leclerc at Sauber is great for his first year. If he can learn to drive a difficult car, he'll be awesome in a good car.

[Giallo 550]

Leclerc at Sauber is great for his first year. If he can learn to drive a difficult car, he'll be awesome in a good car.

He smoked everyone last year in testing: http://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/10969859/f1-hungary-test-charles-leclerc-fastest-on-2017-ferrari-debut

Exactly. Ferrari doesn't need Ricciardo if they have Leclerc. He's the future of our team and he's very mature for his age.

[Giallo 550]

Leclerc for Kimi is all anyone here wanted before this season started. :rotfl

Only for 2019, and I still do!

[Brembo]

He smoked everyone last year in testing: http://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/10969859/f1-hungary-test-charles-leclerc-fastest-on-2017-ferrari-debut

Exactly. Ferrari doesn't need Ricciardo if they have Leclerc. He's the future of our team and he's very mature for his age.

I still can't believe Dan or Leclerc want to or will sign that they will be #2 drivers, esp Leclerc, he's got so much going for him. He never had to "Move over, Let him pass !" in F2 and I'm sure as he moves up into the top 10 he won't want to be blessed as a #2 driver for his efforts in F1. Kimi is doing his job as #2 guy without too much grief. Does anyone think if he was blessed with the #1 status he would not be a #1 driver? For now he's relaxed where he is and still doing a good job . There's plenty of talent in his rear view mirror every race.

[Aberracus]

I still can't believe Dan or Leclerc want to or will sign that they will be #2 drivers, esp Leclerc, he's got so much going for him. He never had to "Move over, Let him pass !" in F2 and I'm sure as he moves up into the top 10 he won't want to be blessed as a #2 driver for his efforts in F1. Kimi is doing his job as #2 guy without too much grief. Does anyone think if he was blessed with the #1 status he would not be a #1 driver? For now he's relaxed where he is and still doing a good job . There's plenty of talent in his rear view mirror every race.

I don’t think Kimi is a number 2 driver, not the like of Rubens anyway, or Massa on the Alonso Time. Ferrari are letting them
Drive, the one which is ahead at the first corner is the number one for that race; at least until one is not a contender.

Whatever else anyone see in these races is having the same bias as the British media.



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[WS6TransAm01]

Ric denied having any type of contract with Ferrari. Pre or otherwise.

[Aberracus]

We should expect that, shouldn’t we ?


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[Aberracus]

Ok so kimi says that he is free to fight for the championship... so why people here keep saying Kimi is assigned a number 2 ?

Link

http://scuderiafans.com/kimi-defends-ferrari-100-opportunity-fight-title/



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[Brembo]

When has Ferrari not had a #1, #2 driver ? Kimi is just a great driver and person, knowing there's no good reason to talk about his team in any sort of bad way. The check is in the mail! And he's with Ferrari !!! Every drivers dream. F1 is Ferrari and 2018 is Ferrari's year.

[racingbradley]

Ric denied having any type of contract with Ferrari. Pre or otherwise.
Usually a sign that he has!!!.............so often in the past the more a driver denies he has a contract the more certain it really is. ;-)
I think Charles needs a couple of years in a less pressurised atmosphere before he takes on the responsibility of being a ferrari driver. :-D
Too many young drivers enter the lion's den too soon and it can ruin what could have been a sensational career.
Mick Schumacher seems to know how to play it!

[SS454]

I would LOVE if Ric goes to Ferrari for 2019.

[FerrariF60]

I would LOVE if Ric goes to Ferrari for 2019.

Yup, I’d love that too mate

[512 TR]

Thank you but no thanks. Ricciardo is going to disrupt everything like Alonso did. People also seem to forget Ferrari's history with italian drivers. OK, Ricciardo isn't italian in his passport but he's as much italian as anyone can be without actually being one. Even Enzo himself was very hesitant to hire Alboreto in 1985 and only kept him for 1986 because he won twice in 1985. The following seasons both Johansson and Berger beat him easily. Remember Morbidelli, Capelli and Larini in the early 90s? I guess you don't. As for the earlier years, it's even worse with deaths being the worst. Anything "italian" inside a Ferrari usually ends in tears. There's just too much pressure from the media. Ascari being the exeption from the rule.

As for Massa, the only reason he lost the 2008 WDC was because of what happened in Singapore. That and Timo Glock being a in Brazil on the last lap.

[Michal2_F1]

As for Massa, the only reason he lost the 2008 WDC was because of what happened in Singapore. That and Timo Glock being a in Brazil on the last lap.
Glock had no chance on wet track on dry tyres. However Singapore feels like a travesty, it is confirmed as fixed race yet points count and Hamilton had six more than Felipe.

Kimi is driving his best season since rejoining Ferrari and finally looking like real Kimi. The speed is finally here, it's not like 2014-17 when he was constantly slower. And listening to Seb, he's happy with his own pace. The results are creeping in, if not for terrible Bahrain pitstop he would have been right there with Vettel and Hamilton. He arguably deserves an extension more than anywhere earlier. I think it's no coincidence there is good atmosphere now at Ferrari. As much as I admire and like Alonso, his personality was driving Ferrari down, he wasn't helping with his comments, similar with McLaren 2007 or 2017. Vettel gets angry at times but he never lambasts Ferrari like Alonso did or does now with McLaren/Honda. Ferrari lost Allison but Binotto took over and there is no problem. There is quiet confidence and even when something bad happens (like in Bahrain) no one cries publicly.

"Alonso: Baku GP comeback the best race I've ever had" - Meh. Again, I appreciate him, he drove fantastic race, but it's getting really boring now.

[Greig]

As for Massa, the only reason he lost the 2008 WDC was because of what happened in Singapore. That and Timo Glock being a in Brazil on the last lap.

Hungary last lap engine failure, and Massa made some mistakes as well so can't blame it all on one thing. Kimi was looking good for the title until Lewis rammed him at Canada and then binned it at Spa and Massa got the win from Lewis being given a penalty.

[Michal2_F1]

Kubica deserved the title most in 2008. He was in inferior car and stayed within touching distance until penultimate race in China. Both Massa and Hamilton made some stupid mistakes and had some great races.

[512 TR]

Hungary last lap engine failure, and Massa made some mistakes as well so can't blame it all on one thing. Kimi was looking good for the title until Lewis rammed him at Canada and then binned it at Spa and Massa got the win from Lewis being given a penalty.

Yes, Hungary also qualifies in the same category as Singapore and Brazil for Massa's missed WDC. Only one of these three occasions had to go Felipe's way and he would have won the title.

Now, Felipe Massa is almost "italian" as Ricciardo from his grand father and father's side. But as I said, it ended in tears. Also, Massa was never a disruptive force, quite the opposite. I still wonder to this what LdM would have done back in the day (with Alonso) if Massa had won in 2008?

[512 TR]

Glock had no chance on wet track on dry tyres. However Singapore feels like a travesty, it is confirmed as fixed race yet points count and Hamilton had six more than Felipe.

Well, Glock didn't actually make it hard on Lewis. Worst defending for points on the last lap that season. Had it been Max Verstappen they would have crashed, for sure. ;-)

[Giallo 550]

I don’t think Kimi is a number 2 driver, not the like of Rubens anyway, or Massa on the Alonso Time. Ferrari are letting them
Drive, the one which is ahead at the first corner is the number one for that race; at least until one is not a contender.

Whatever else anyone see in these races is having the same bias as the British media.



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Exactly.

Hey Brembo, do you think Ferrari is intentionally sabotaging Kimi like the ant-Ferrari crowd thinks?

[Brembo]

Exactly.

Hey Brembo, do you think Ferrari is intentionally sabotaging Kimi like the ant-Ferrari crowd thinks?

If they are; it's not working. Ferrari will always use team orders #1, $2 drivers, that dollar sign is there as the reminder , the check is in the mail. Winning pole and getting the lead at the start of the race should do it for a win. Ferrari sure as hell did not sabotage the wrong car? Seb messed up trying to be Max!! Kimi , one eye shut got the podium spot. If RB had team orders in place, maybe one of thier cars would have finished the race.
I believe Max at the wheel of Seb's car, pole, ahead at the start, would have won the race. Kimi would have been there for him in the #2 spot, not like Dan did . Seb IMO is obsessed with being another Shumy , and wants Ferrari to treat him as such. Send him to RB and let him do his thing there, and get Max in red. Him driving , and the sight of him in a Ferrari will put the fear of God in the rest of the teams! BTW, Leclerc looks great so far!

[Giallo 550]

If they are; it's not working. Ferrari will always use team orders #1, $2 drivers, that dollar sign is there as the reminder , the check is in the mail. Winning pole and getting the lead at the start of the race should do it for a win. Ferrari sure as hell did not sabotage the wrong car? Seb messed up trying to be Max!! Kimi , one eye shut got the podium spot. If RB had team orders in place, maybe one of thier cars would have finished the race.
I believe Max at the wheel of Seb's car, pole, ahead at the start, would have won the race. Kimi would have been there for him in the #2 spot, not like Dan did . Seb IMO is obsessed with being another Shumy , and wants Ferrari to treat him as such. Send him to RB and let him do his thing there, and get Max in red. Him driving , and the sight of him in a Ferrari will put the fear of God in the rest of the teams! BTW, Leclerc looks great so far!

I love the rare occasions when you write lucid responses, even if I don't agree. :-D

I don't like Max's style at all. He's fast, but incredibly reckless and shows little sign of developing. My favorite driving style is that of Alonso's. Even in an inferior car, I always felt like a victory was a possibility when he was driving for us. He was fast, shrewd, and calculating.

[Aberracus]

Oh Max would have binned the car, as he always does, he is the new Maldonado.
He is becoming his father. Brembo has an anti Vettel bias that’s why he talks like that.

I really didn’t liked Vettel driving for Red Bull and when he replaced ALonso with I loved, was terrible for mi, but I’m sure he is a really working hard guy which have helped to create a winning team; if he becomes another Shumi, great! Best for Ferrari.




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[WS6TransAm01]

Ferrari isn't RBR. They won't stand for those shinanigans. The team always comes first. There is always a number 1 and a number 2. DR has too lofty an idea of himself and won't want to play second fiddle to Seb. Seb did the same thing at RBR. Remember Multi 21 and Turkey? If Daniel comes to Ferrari we can expect more of that. As much as I love Kimi I believe he has accepted his role as understudy. He is my all time favorite driver but he is in the twilight of his career. I think he is just having fun at this point. So far this year, he has done a decent job, I see no reason to replace him until Charles is ready.

Charles will be happy to be Best Supporting Actress until Seb retires or leaves Ferrari.

[IulianFerrari]

I will have to wait until after Hungary to way in into Ricciardo to Ferrari.

[Brembo]

I love the rare occasions when you write lucid responses, even if I don't agree. :-D

I don't like Max's style at all. He's fast, but incredibly reckless and shows little sign of developing. My favorite driving style is that of Alonso's. Even in an inferior car, I always felt like a victory was a possibility when he was driving for us. He was fast, shrewd, and calculating.

I agree 100%, why did Ferrari ever let him go ?

[IulianFerrari]

I agree 100%, why did Ferrari ever let him go ?

Same reason no top team wants him at the moment, despite his huge talent

[512 TR]

The thing is this. You have to go back a few years to the Alonso years to understand what Ferrari did. The LdM "Alonso project" was a failure because he had a demoralized Felipe Massa as team mate. Something Alonso and only himslef was guilty of creating. Since that Hockenheim incident Massa rarely took points off Alonso's rivals. So Alonso ended up 2nd three times in five seasons and I guess it was poetic justice that he couldn't pass Petrov in Abu Dhabi 2010 and that Button won in Brazil in 2012.

Ferrari evaluated the situation very carefully and acknowledged that to have a shot at both titles they obviously would need a great package, but as importantly, a calmness inside the team. So they shelved out a lof money to get Vettel. Kimi was already there. They knew both of these guys are friends off the track. If some Ferrari fans want to get Ricciardo in the team, that calmness and good spirit will be out of the door on day one. I promise you that. Ferrari has invested a lot in the "Vettel project". If they go back on that now after only three season they are very stupid. And I don't believe Sergio is as stupid as it turned out Ldm actually was. Yes, there will come a day when Kimi quits F1 but that hasn't have to be at the end of this season. If it is, then there are many other options to continue the "Vettel project". But if Ferrari want to open Pandoras box again then be my guest but don't expect me to support it. All those Alonso seasons are even more incomprehensible knowing what he was involved in at the Singapore 2008 race, basicly robbing Ferrari of the WDC. This is the last thing that I write regarding the Ricciardo possibility.

[Infi24r]

The thing is this. You have to go back a few years to the Alonso years to understand what Ferrari did. The LdM "Alonso project" was a failure because he had a demoralized Felipe Massa as team mate. Something Alonso and only himslef was guilty of creating. Since that Hockenheim incident Massa rarely took points off Alonso's rivals. So Alonso ended up 2nd three times in five seasons and I guess it was poetic justice that he couldn't pass Petrov in Abu Dhabi 2010 and that Button won in Brazil in 2012.

Ferrari evaluated the situation very carefully and acknowledged that to have a shot at both titles they obviously would need a great package, but as importantly, a calmness inside the team. So they shelved out a lof money to get Vettel. Kimi was already there. They knew both of these guys are friends off the track. If some Ferrari fans want to get Ricciardo in the team, that calmness and good spirit will be out of the door on day one. I promise you that. Ferrari has invested a lot in the "Vettel project". If they go back on that now after only three season they are very stupid. And I don't believe Sergio is as stupid as it turned out Ldm actually was. Yes, there will come a day when Kimi quits F1 but that hasn't have to be at the end of this season. If it is, then there are many other options to continue the "Vettel project". But if Ferrari want to open Pandoras box again then be my guest but don't expect me to support it. All those Alonso seasons are even more incomprehensible knowing what he was involved in at the Singapore 2008 race, basicly robbing Ferrari of the WDC. This is the last thing that I write regarding the Ricciardo possibility.

I would say Kimi was largely hired to try and control Fernando, who felt he was running the team at that point. Then Alonso beat Kimi by even more than he'd been beating Massa.

Kimi and Vettel aren't so different in terms of pace lately, I think Fernando would be well clear.

[Lesky]

I agree 100%, why did Ferrari ever let him go ?

Why Ferrari let Alonso go?

Alonso has labeled his time with Ferrari: "My time with Ferrari was a very very sad time, I probably should have left earlier". Do you think Ferrari wants to have a number one driver with that attitude towards the team?

Fernando did perform well in the car for the scuderia, but he also brought his usual drama/whining and primadonna ways. Thats why Alonso is considered toxic in all the top teams of Formula 1.

Marco Mattiachi was basicly an exterminator that would make sure to eliminate the Alonso pest that was suffocating Ferrari and Maranello, and he sure did clean out the Alonso trash.

Ferrari believed Vettel could perform at an Alonso level, or if a bit below the harmony within the team would mean more than little extra performance advantage Alonso might bring.

I am sure Vettels and Alonsos ages also were a factor.

[Lesky]

Kimi and Vettel aren't so different in terms of pace lately, I think Fernando would be well clear.

Did I read this right?

I can only think of maybe 2-4 races during the last 3 seasons where Kimi has performed better in the race than Vettel.

Raikkonen might have discovered a decent form in qualy this season because the car is better, but his overall form is shockingly bad.

Kimis racecraft is limited to gaining places from others pitting or accidents. Kimi in 95% of the races never beats Vettel, Hamilton or Bottas/Rosberg to any position on track by overtaking. (and this is something that is widely notice)

Ocons comments the other day says it all: "What do we want to tell Kimi? He doesn't talk. He's not in the [track] position he should be in a Ferrari."

Sadly a bitter Ocon is correct.

To state that Vettel and Raikkonens pace lately or ever is not so different is something I can not understand at all.
---
Based on performance Raikkonen should have been out of Ferrari 3 years ago....

[Giallo 550]

Why Ferrari let Alonso go?

Alonso has labeled his time with Ferrari: "My time with Ferrari was a very very sad time, I probably should have left earlier". Do you think Ferrari wants to have a number one driver with that attitude towards the team?

Fernando did perform well in the car for the scuderia, but he also brought his usual drama/whining and primadonna ways. Thats why Alonso is considered toxic in all the top teams of Formula 1.

Marco Mattiachi was basicly an exterminator that would make sure to eliminate the Alonso pest that was suffocating Ferrari and Maranello.

That is quite a lot of revisionist history there. Alonso missed out on the championship in 2010 and 2012 and he had a very haunted look in his eyes after the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix. People were getting axed and quitting right and left, and the team was in shambles in 2013 and 2014. Those were extremely dark times at Ferrari and I don't care to revisit them any time soon. I get why Alonso asked Luca to let him go. If he had started with the team in 2015, he would be singing a very different tune. It's easy to be happy when things are going well.

[Lesky]

That is quite a lot of revisionist history there. Alonso missed out on the championship in 2010 and 2012 and he had a very haunted look in his eyes after the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix. People were getting axed and quitting right and left, and the team was in shambles in 2013 and 2014. Those were extremely dark times at Ferrari and I don't care to revisit them any time soon. I get why Alonso asked Luca to let him go. If he had started with the team in 2015, he would be singing a very different tune. It's easy to be happy when things are going well.

Your reply does not change the fact that Alonso has been an egomaniac problem during his entire career to every team he has represented. This is widely known in the paddock, I remember Horner always saying about Alonso to Red Bull, "Alonso is quick, but he comes with a bagage". Just check Alonsos comments during his McLaren time, during testing "I feel like I am the fastest guy out there, now I just need an enginge" and after the last race: "No other driver would have even made it back to the pits" (speaking of his punctured Mclaren vehicle). The list goes on and on and on. Alonso is full of himself and it has hurt his F1 career badly. Karma.

I was very much into the details of Alonsos departure, and I can say for sure if Alonso wanted to leave Ferrari, Ferrari wanted to get rid of Alonso just as badly or more. It was not like Ferrari was go to go happy with Alonso and Alonso decided to bolt, there was a long internal disturbance that lead to Ferrari wanting Alonso gone no matter what.

With the outdrawn and dirty ending of Fernandos Ferrari stint, I cant ever imagine Ferrari considering taking him back - although I would suspect Alonso might behave better now after being a bottom feeder for almost 4 years. The desperation of getting back to the top would perhaps be enough for him to turn down his ego a bit and not become a burden to the team.
---
All in all you could say Schumacher and Vettel are the opposite personalities of Alonso - they never felt the need to praise themselves and pump up their reputation by talking about how great they were/are! (something Alonso does on a regular basis)

Ferrari wants team players first.

[darkchild]

I would say Kimi was largely hired to try and control Fernando, who felt he was running the team at that point. Then Alonso beat Kimi by even more than he'd been beating Massa.

Kimi and Vettel aren't so different in terms of pace lately, I think Fernando would be well clear.
Alonso is best driver on grid in shitbox cars like F14T, Kimi exact opposite. I doubt, over one lap, Alonso was ever faster then Kimi. Kimi is extremely fast driver when car is to his liking, as his driving style is theoretically faster then Alonso's (who likes understeer, and F14T understeered like crazy). Kimi on other hand loves strong front end and hates understeer (as do most drivers on grid).

In any case, Kimi's biggest problem is his inability to adapt and perhaps biggest of all, underwhelming racecraft in last Ferrari stint. Kimi from 2005 was animal, today? He will rarely pull that thing on Ocon (which was good in my eyes, I said "Finally!").

[Hornet]

I think 2 things that Ferrari tend to do in the past, is to have a clear driver no. 1 and 2, and only invest in proven talent.

So far, MA seem to continue such arrangement when he extended the contract for our current drivers. It is the safest arrangement, but who knows if he plan to continue it.

Ric will definitely not play into that 1-2 arrangement, so it would take a change of philosophy in the team before Ferrari would hire Ric.

[jgonzalesm6]

I think 2 things that Ferrari tend to do in the past, is to have a clear driver no. 1 and 2, and only invest in proven talent.

So far, MA seem to continue such arrangement when he extended the contract for our current drivers. It is the safest arrangement, but who knows if he plan to continue it.

Ric will definitely not play into that 1-2 arrangement, so it would take a change of philosophy in the team before Ferrari would hire Ric.

+1

Plus I don't think Ricci will sign a 1yr contract with the Scuderia; he's gonna want a multi-year deal......I would. If I'm #2 and only get a 1yr deal with the Scuderia, I might as well stay with RB.


HOWEVER, if Max keeps "mucking-up" then RB in turn makes Ricci their favorite and possibly Max gets demoted to STR like Kvyat. So who would fill Max's spot????

We will have Kimi for one more year if the above scenario plays out.

[Brembo]

Ferrari needs to get Kimi on pole for a few races, 2nd place points & podium is not good enough . Dan , Bottas no where to be found! :rotfl . Ferrari needs to switch #2 to #1 , #1 to #2 and see how it goes. Seb is all for team harmony, he will go along with it for sure , not like Alonso.

[Infi24r]

Alonso is best driver on grid in shitbox cars like F14T, Kimi exact opposite. I doubt, over one lap, Alonso was ever faster then Kimi.

Wasn't Kimi slower than Massa in qualifying all three seasons?

Lets be realistic here, Fernando doesn't get enough praise for just how fast he is.

[Infi24r]

Your reply does not change the fact that Alonso has been an egomaniac problem during his entire career to every team he has represented. This is widely known in the paddock, I remember Horner always saying about Alonso to Red Bull, "Alonso is quick, but he comes with a bagage". Just check Alonsos comments during his McLaren time, during testing "I feel like I am the fastest guy out there, now I just need an enginge" and after the last race: "No other driver would have even made it back to the pits" (speaking of his punctured Mclaren vehicle). The list goes on and on and on. Alonso is full of himself and it has hurt his F1 career badly. Karma.

I was very much into the details of Alonsos departure, and I can say for sure if Alonso wanted to leave Ferrari, Ferrari wanted to get rid of Alonso just as badly or more. It was not like Ferrari was go to go happy with Alonso and Alonso decided to bolt, there was a long internal disturbance that lead to Ferrari wanting Alonso gone no matter what.

With the outdrawn and dirty ending of Fernandos Ferrari stint, I cant ever imagine Ferrari considering taking him back - although I would suspect Alonso might behave better now after being a bottom feeder for almost 4 years. The desperation of getting back to the top would perhaps be enough for him to turn down his ego a bit and not become a burden to the team.
---
All in all you could say Schumacher and Vettel are the opposite personalities of Alonso - they never felt the need to praise themselves and pump up their reputation by talking about how great they were/are! (something Alonso does on a regular basis)

Ferrari wants team players first.

Ricciardo seems a non abrasive, easy going personality and comes with stacks of speed to go with it. I don't see him being a bad option.

[racingbradley]

Wasn't Kimi slower than Massa in qualifying all three seasons?

Lets be realistic here, Fernando doesn't get enough praise for just how fast he is.
Didn't Massa often outqualify Alonso but had to give it all away at the first corner?????
That scenario may not have happened with Arrivabene.:-)

[Kingdom Hearts]

Why Ferrari let Alonso go?

Alonso has labeled his time with Ferrari: "My time with Ferrari was a very very sad time, I probably should have left earlier". Do you think Ferrari wants to have a number one driver with that attitude towards the team?




Try harder making fake quotes.



"I only have good memories of my time with Ferrari," Fernando told CNN's Amanda Davies. "We didn't win the championship, but looking at the trophies collected over those five years, I feel very proud."

"I probably should have left earlier, because in the last year the car was not competitive at all and the team was getting more and more sad. So probably, one or two years less would have been the best thing, but we tried our best and fought until the end, at every single race."

http://www.f1i.com/news/21641-i-stayed-at-sad-ferrari-too-long-says-alonso.html

[IulianFerrari]

How is this an Alonso conversation?

[racingbradley]

I'm a big fan of Dan and always wanted him in red. Somehow his jovial personality, Italian roots, not to forget he's one of the fastest drivers on the track, made him look tailor made for the seat.
I have read a few posts which have helped me to have a rethink.
Since Alesi and Berger Ferrari have always had a no1 and no2 driver. The problem is getting an experienced driver to accept the no2 role is nigh impossible.
It rules out Dan, Sergio, Carlos et al. So we are left with an inexperienced young driver who would be happy to spend his first years as a no2 while he learns and hones his craft.
Now I also have a problem with that because I think it's unfair to put a young driver in the lion's den (Italian media) where he will be constantly criticized and blamed for any mistake he may get involved in.

Just to throw the cat among the pigeons I believe Max went to RB far too early and needed to drive for a mid field team for a little longer...............I would include Hamilton here.
I am so glad Charles is getting that opportunity and would like to see him get 2 years in midfield :-D.
So maybe if Kimi is willing we should keep him for another year!!!! :-)
It's just my opinion. ;-)

[wisepie]

I'm a big fan of Dan and always wanted him in red. Somehow his jovial personality, Italian roots, not to forget he's one of the fastest drivers on the track, made him look tailor made for the seat.
I have read a few posts which have helped me to have a rethink.
Since Alesi and Berger Ferrari have always had a no1 and no2 driver. The problem is getting an experienced driver to accept the no2 role is nigh impossible.
It rules out Dan, Sergio, Carlos et al. So we are left with an inexperienced young driver who would be happy to spend his first years as a no2 while he learns and hones his craft.
Now I also have a problem with that because I think it's unfair to put a young driver in the lion's den (Italian media) where he will be constantly criticized and blamed for any mistake he may get involved in.

Just to throw the cat among the pigeons I believe Max went to RB far too early and needed to drive for a mid field team for a little longer...............I would include Hamilton here.
I am so glad Charles is getting that opportunity and would like to see him get 2 years in midfield :-D.
So maybe if Kimi is willing we should keep him for another year!!!! :-)
It's just my opinion. ;-)

racingbradley, you know we'd love to have Felipe back but I'm glad he's out of it, he stood up to both Michael, Kimi and Fernando and should not be overly criticised for his efforts. Once a Massabot, always a Massabot.;-)

[Brembo]

Same reason no top team wants him at the moment, despite his huge talent

It could have something to do with $$, how much more he demands than the other drivers. Remember Briatore has the last say in where Alonso goes.

[IulianFerrari]

It could have something to do with $$, how much more he demands than the other drivers. Remember Briatore has the last say in where Alonso goes.

It's not the money, we all know what it is, well most of us do. Furthermore Alonso said he would drive the Mercedes for free, but its not him next to Hamilton is he?

[Giallo 550]

Your reply does not change the fact that Alonso has been an egomaniac problem during his entire career to every team he has represented. This is widely known in the paddock, I remember Horner always saying about Alonso to Red Bull, "Alonso is quick, but he comes with a bagage". Just check Alonsos comments during his McLaren time, during testing "I feel like I am the fastest guy out there, now I just need an enginge" and after the last race: "No other driver would have even made it back to the pits" (speaking of his punctured Mclaren vehicle). The list goes on and on and on. Alonso is full of himself and it has hurt his F1 career badly. Karma.

I was very much into the details of Alonsos departure, and I can say for sure if Alonso wanted to leave Ferrari, Ferrari wanted to get rid of Alonso just as badly or more. It was not like Ferrari was go to go happy with Alonso and Alonso decided to bolt, there was a long internal disturbance that lead to Ferrari wanting Alonso gone no matter what.

With the outdrawn and dirty ending of Fernandos Ferrari stint, I cant ever imagine Ferrari considering taking him back - although I would suspect Alonso might behave better now after being a bottom feeder for almost 4 years. The desperation of getting back to the top would perhaps be enough for him to turn down his ego a bit and not become a burden to the team.
---
All in all you could say Schumacher and Vettel are the opposite personalities of Alonso - they never felt the need to praise themselves and pump up their reputation by talking about how great they were/are! (something Alonso does on a regular basis)

Ferrari wants team players first.

Alonso never openly said anything negative or remotely egomaniacal when he drove for Ferrari until his birthday in 2013, when he was fed up and publicly said he wanted a faster car. He was with the team 3.5 seasons at that point, narrowly missed the championship twice, and in his defense, he was the team's second best asset behind the shield on the car. I'm not disputing that he wanted to leave, but saying Ferrari didn't want to retain him is rubbish, because Luca was more than happy to openly praise him and say that he is the best driver in the world. If they wanted him gone, why would the president behave that way? It wasn't until the following year when Mattiacci was asked how he will keep Fernando Alonso happy with a literal dumpster fire of a car. His apathetic response was one of the final nails in the coffin.

[Brembo]

It's not the money, we all know what it is, well most of us do. Furthermore Alonso said he would drive the Mercedes for free, but its not him next to Hamilton is he?

All except me! What is it? Please let me in on the reason. Also could Lewis have something to do with Alonso never to be his Merc team mate? Do you recognize the name Briatore the billionaire mgr. of Alonso? It's more a father son relationship. Ferrari welcomed Seb from RB where a pole and a good start was a lock on victory to the point where the race was thought of as won in advance. If it was "The RB Car" Ferrari should have known better. In Alonso's case it was the car that didn't work out, not his driving.

[aroutis]

All except me! What is it? Please let me in on the reason. Also could Lewis have something to do with Alonso never to be his Merc team mate? Do you recognize the name Briatore the billionaire mgr. of Alonso? It's more a father son relationship. Ferrari welcomed Seb from RB where a pole and a good start was a lock on victory to the point where the race was thought of as won in advance. If it was "The RB Car" Ferrari should have known better. In Alonso's case it was the car that didn't work out, not his driving.It was never bout the skills but about the way he behaved. He was toxic and not just in Ferrari.

Στάλθηκε από το SM-G965F μου χρησιμοποιώντας Tapatalk

[racingbradley]

[QUOTE= Luca was more than happy to openly praise him and say that he is the best driver in the world. If they wanted him gone, why would the president behave that way? It wasn't until the following year when Mattiacci was asked how he will keep Fernando Alonso happy with a literal dumpster fire of a car. His apathetic response was one of the final nails in the coffin.[/QUOTE]

Luca never liked to admit he had made a mistake! ;-)
While Mattiacci may have been trying to keep Alonso happy Arrivebene didn't feel the same.
His famous words when asked that question were "I am not here to make Alonso happy"
Evidently he had weighed up the situation with his drivers. :-)

[Giallo 550]

Luca never liked to admit he had made a mistake! ;-)
While Mattiacci may have been trying to keep Alonso happy Arrivebene didn't feel the same.
His famous words when asked that question were "I am not here to make Alonso happy"
Evidently he had weighed up the situation with his drivers. :-)

It was Marco Mattiacci. Maurizio didn't come on board until 2015.

[IulianFerrari]

All except me! What is it? Please let me in on the reason. Also could Lewis have something to do with Alonso never to be his Merc team mate? Do you recognize the name Briatore the billionaire mgr. of Alonso? It's more a father son relationship. Ferrari welcomed Seb from RB where a pole and a good start was a lock on victory to the point where the race was thought of as won in advance. If it was "The RB Car" Ferrari should have known better. In Alonso's case it was the car that didn't work out, not his driving.

It's Fred's big fat mouth and politics that deprives us of seeing one of the biggest talents in a top 3 car. He burned all his bridges, except maybe Renault, and is continuing to do so(ex:Honda). No top team will be hiring him and I dont blame them

[racingbradley]

It was Marco Mattiacci. Maurizio didn't come on board until 2015.
Ok agreed that Maurizio didn't come on board till 2015 but you were defending Alonso & the fact that Mattiacci hadn't provided him with the car to win. I am referring to Maurizio's take on the situation. Maybe he was more aware of what was going on. I saw Mattiacci as a trifle weak maybe. :roll

[Giallo 550]

Ok agreed that Maurizio didn't come on board till 2015 but you were defending Alonso & the fact that Mattiacci hadn't provided him with the car to win. I am referring to Maurizio's take on the situation. Maybe he was more aware of what was going on. I saw Mattiacci as a trifle weak maybe. :roll

I could be mistaken, but I don't think Arrivabene had any contact with Alonso or commented on anything Alonso said or did between 2010 and 2014. He and Vettel were bought on board at the same time. Like I said earlier, the team was really in shambles in 2014. The car was terrible and winless, Massa was out, Domemicali was out, and Luca was quitting at the end of the season. I think there were also several other key players who were fired and/or left.

I don't really know what to think of Mattiacci. At the time, I couldn't believe he said he didn't care about Alonso when Alonso was the only part of the team that was performing. On the other hand, he managed to secure Vettel as his replacement. Mattiacci deserves more credit if Alonso was as much of a pain in the ass as some here say. That said, Alonso wanted out anyway, so it's not like he had to work some wizardry to get him out.

[Lega Verde]

I could be mistaken, but I don't think Arrivabene had any contact with Alonso
Arrivabene was very much involved through Alonso years. (Less said about Marlboro sponsoring Alonso's career as a promising kart driver the better).

Quote from Wikipedia: "Through his work with Philip Morris, he became involved with the company's sponsorship (through the Marlboro brand) of the Ferrari team, and sat on the Formula One Commission as a representative for all the sport's sponsors from 2010."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurizio_Arrivabene

7431

[mwk360]

I'm so glad Ferrari have seb and not alonso :-D

[mwk360]

When Kimi decides to leave Hopefully not this year. leclerc will is ready :pray, best duo, master legend seb & prodigy genius Leclerc :clap

[Brembo]

When Kimi decides to leave Hopefully not this year. leclerc will is ready :pray, best duo, master legend seb & prodigy genius Leclerc :clap

Until master legend Seb can get a win after getting a pole, Ferrari and their fans need Kimi to keep getting on the podium until Seb can make a legendary come back, hopefully soon. Leclerc when ready, having to move over for Seb! :rotfl

[Aberracus]

Yes ! Our Kimi the King of Friday, could start qualifying higher on saturdays too and helping Vet getting the win ;)


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[Liscia]

I'm a big fan of Dan and always wanted him in red. Somehow his jovial personality, Italian roots, not to forget he's one of the fastest drivers on the track, made him look tailor made for the seat.
I have read a few posts which have helped me to have a rethink.
Since Alesi and Berger Ferrari have always had a no1 and no2 driver. The problem is getting an experienced driver to accept the no2 role is nigh impossible.
It rules out Dan, Sergio, Carlos et al. So we are left with an inexperienced young driver who would be happy to spend his first years as a no2 while he learns and hones his craft.
Now I also have a problem with that because I think it's unfair to put a young driver in the lion's den (Italian media) where he will be constantly criticized and blamed for any mistake he may get involved in.

Just to throw the cat among the pigeons I believe Max went to RB far too early and needed to drive for a mid field team for a little longer...............I would include Hamilton here.
I am so glad Charles is getting that opportunity and would like to see him get 2 years in midfield :-D.
So maybe if Kimi is willing we should keep him for another year!!!! :-)
It's just my opinion. ;-)

I second ypur reading of the situation emphatically and hope Kimi gets a win or two this year! "Giggles" Ricciardo has some growing up to do and it's a cinch he won't learn that being Vercrashen's teammate and RB allowing free-for-alls between their drivers.

[Giallo 550]

Arrivabene was very much involved through Alonso years. (Less said about Marlboro sponsoring Alonso's career as a promising kart driver the better).

Quote from Wikipedia: "Through his work with Philip Morris, he became involved with the company's sponsorship (through the Marlboro brand) of the Ferrari team, and sat on the Formula One Commission as a representative for all the sport's sponsors from 2010."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurizio_Arrivabene

7431

I know about his work with Philip Morris and being in charge of their sponsorship of Ferrari, but do you really think he had any direct interaction with or influence over the Alonso situation? It appears Alonso already had one foot out the door.

[Giallo 550]

Anyway, if Kimi is able to finish right behind Vettel, or less likely, in front of him in the championship, I think he deserves to be retained for the '19 season. Chemistry appears to be good, so why mess with it? Again, if Il Presidente wants him out at the end of this season, move Leclerc in. Based on what we have seen thus far, I believe he would be ready by the end of the season.

It should have been Bianchi/Leclerc at Ferrari at some point...

[Aberracus]

Anyway, if Kimi is able to finish right behind Vettel, or less likely, in front of him in the championship, I think he deserves to be retained for the '19 season. Chemistry appears to be good, so why mess with it? Again, if Il Presidente wants him out at the end of this season, move Leclerc in. Based on what we have seen thus far, I believe he would be ready by the end of the season.

It should have been Bianchi/Leclerc at Ferrari at some point...

My only worry is, Ricciardo is gonna be free at the end of the year, not the next one, if we take him has to be for 2019. I’m absolutely sure Leclerc or Giovanazzi will not be ready for next year. And Kimi is not getting younger; 39 - 40 next year, is just too much in my humble opinion.


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[paolo lalli]

The only way not to be a number 2 ina team is to out perform the number 1 you need to really take your opportunities because they are limited put your stamp down hard other wise n2 come and go the trick they want you to perform like the n1 driver but in a silent non commenting manner should you win races.

[Brembo]

The only way not to be a number 2 ina team is to out perform the number 1 you need to really take your opportunities because they are limited put your stamp down hard other wise n2 come and go the trick they want you to perform like the n1 driver but in a silent non commenting manner should you win races.

Finishing ahead of the #1 guy who had pole is a #1 qualifying move for sure .A sure stamp of approval! Kimi is taking limited opp. better than the current #1 driver. BTW @ 65yrs. old retirement age, he looks just as healthy as the other drivers on the podium and he drinks most of the champagne! :rotfl

[Giallo 550]

My only worry is, Ricciardo is gonna be free at the end of the year, not the next one, if we take him has to be for 2019. I’m absolutely sure Leclerc or Giovanazzi will not be ready for next year. And Kimi is not getting younger; 39 - 40 next year, is just too much in my humble opinion.


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Why don't you think Leclerc would be ready? Red Bull bumped up Verstappen quickly, and Leclerc is every bit as fast and far more mature.

[IulianFerrari]

Anyway, if Kimi is able to finish right behind Vettel, or less likely, in front of him in the championship, I think he deserves to be retained for the '19 season. Chemistry appears to be good, so why mess with it? Again, if Il Presidente wants him out at the end of this season, move Leclerc in. Based on what we have seen thus far, I believe he would be ready by the end of the season.

It should have been Bianchi/Leclerc at Ferrari at some point...

Would love to see Charles in a Ferrari, but I believe its maybe to soon. He needs to keep up the great work done in Baku. If Ferrari are keen to replace Kimi next year, Ricciardo is the only solution. If Kimi is to be retained, Charles has the opportunity to prove he is ready to drive for Ferrari. Maybe a year in a better car than Sauber(Haas or equal) , would be a great way to build a career up to Ferrari. As for replacing Kimi, it depends on how the season goes. But if it aint broke dont fix it, we have arrived as a genuine championship contender, with harmony in the team and hard work. Ferrari have improved the most out of all the top 3 teams in the last years, and i believe everyone had something to do with it, including Kimi.

[racingbradley]

Why don't you think Leclerc would be ready? Red Bull bumped up Verstappen quickly, and Leclerc is every bit as fast and far more mature.

Yeah RB bumped Max up too early and made a monster out of him!
Maybe a bump down again like they done to Kvyak would be the best they could do for him right now.
The boy has no respect for his fellow drivers imo :roll

There again Charles has the benefit of being more mature and modest for his years. :-)

[mwk360]

Until master legend Seb can get a win after getting a pole, Ferrari and their fans need Kimi to keep getting on the podium until Seb can make a legendary come back, hopefully soon. Leclerc when ready, having to move over for Seb! :rotfl

kimi is cool, but yeah bad strategy calls and badluck have really hurt poor seb just like kimi, fortunately for kimi the team and his own blunders sometimes work in his favor like baku and china, i want kimi to stay through 2019. Leclerc is super cool with seb already and im sure would take the mature role in learning with ferrari as no2 preparing for when his no.1 at ferrari after seb retires lol fantasy sure but it could happen.

Unlike max who sees collision as a victory i hope Leclerc builds maturity before getting a hot seat at ferrari

[Brembo]

A hot seat meaning , Don't even think about passing Seb, you are #2 [literally!] :rotfl It looked like RB's two drivers not Max saw collision as victory. Drivers need to race to win besides getting paid.

[Larry_Cule]

RICCIARDO LEAVING RED BULL
https://redbullracing.redbull.com/article/daniel-leave-team

[chinmay]

Daniel Ricciardo to join Renault.

[nani_s23]

Daniel Ricciardo to join Renault.

Sainz to RB. News circulating in twitter. Don’t know Abt DR joining Renault.

[nani_s23]

Italian media saying, kimi gonna be replaced with DR

[bondilad]

Italian media saying, kimi gonna be replaced with DR

Renault just confirmed.

[WS6TransAm01]

Renault just confirmed.

So Sainz and DR make the swap... I guess DR doesn't want to flounder with a Honda engine. Since he didn't go to Ferrari, once can only assume Kimi is staying for 2019 unless they give the seat to CL.

[DJTaurus]

Leaving Red Bull for a worse team like Renault means that Red Bull replaced him and not ric left them....very weird decision for Red Bull to replace its second driver with someone worse. Maybe it’s because that sainz like Alonso has strong sponsors and money talks!

[jgonzalesm6]

Surprised!!!!

[nani_s23]

Surprised!!!!

I’m more surprised not for his move out of RB but going to Renault.
Although it is 1 year deal I think.

[Rob]

Renault confirms Ricciardo will partner Hulkenberg in 2019

Daniel Ricciardo's shock move to the Renault Formula 1 team for 2019 has been confirmed.

The Australian's departure from Red Bull was announced by his current employer on Friday afternoon, as it emerged that Ricciardo had signed terms with Renault.


Red Bull's announcement has now been followed by Renault welcoming the seven-time grand prix winner to the team with a two-year deal.

Ricciardo will partner Nico Hulkenberg at the team, meaning Carlos Sainz will leave the French squad.


"It was probably one of the most difficult decisions to take in my career so far," said Ricciardo. "But I thought that it was time for me to take on a fresh and new challenge.

"I realise that there is a lot ahead in order to allow Renault to reach their target of competing at the highest level but I have been impressed by their progression in only two years, and I know that each time Renault has been in the sport they eventually won. I hope to be able to help them in this journey and contribute on and off track."

Renault's F1 boss Cyril Abiteboul said: "Daniel's signing underscores our determination to accelerate our progress towards the forefront of the sport. It is also a recognition of the work accomplished over the past two and a half seasons.

"Daniel's undoubted talent and charisma are a huge bonus and statement for the team. We will have to repay his faith in us by delivering the best car possible. We welcome him to our growing team in 2019 with a great deal of pride, but also humility."


Ricciardo's move away has come as a major surprise given he and Red Bull had indicated a new deal was a formality and earlier this week suggested it was just a matter of fine-tuning small details.

It follows a weekend in which Red Bull's Max Verstappen retired from the grand prix with another Renault reliability problem and team boss Christian Horner lashed out at its engine supplier.

Ricciardo had spoken earlier this year of losing faith that Red Bull's situation with Renault would improve enough to challenge Mercedes and Ferrari.

However, he has now been convinced by Renault that it is a better option than Red Bull.

He is a major coup for Renault, which had been in negotiations with Mercedes and Esteban Ocon to take the Frenchman on loan, while also speaking to current driver Carlos Sainz about extending his stay.

Instead, Ricciardo will join to partner Hulkenberg, with Sainz now free to push to replace Ricciardo at Red Bull or find refuge at Toro Rosso or another team.

Ocon and Mercedes will likely have to wait to see what happens to Force India, which is in administration and trying to find a buyer, before it establishes where the highly-rated youngster races in 2019.

This could also impact the options available to Mercedes' other junior driver George Russell, who is leading the Formula 2 title fight and making a strong case to step up to F1 next year

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/renault-confirms-ricciardo-move-red-bull/3153206/

[jgonzalesm6]

I’m more surprised not for his move out of RB but going to Renault.
Although it is 1 year deal I think.


Anyone want to make predictions???? Sainz, Ocon, etc, etc.

[jgonzalesm6]

- RedBull more than likely offered him a lesser deal than Max.

- Ricciardo believes the Honda unit won't deliver at RedBull hence the "lateral" move to Renault.

- Ferrari and Mercedes are out of the equation definitely.

[WS6TransAm01]

- RedBull more than likely offered him a lesser deal than Max.

- Ricciardo believes the Honda unit won't deliver at RedBull hence the "lateral" move to Renault.

- Ferrari and Mercedes are out of the equation definitely.

That's exactly how I see it. He could not move up because Merc is all booked and even if Kimi leaves Ferrari, Charles will take over. Danny had no seat at a better team. Couple that with the idea of running the worst engine on the grid next year, and there is no reason to stay at RBR. They have a phenomenal chassis, but I doubt they will see a single podium next year, let a lone a win. McLaren is 2-10 years away from fighting for wins according to their Cief. This was the best choice for him. Sucks, because he is a good driver and I would like to see him at Ferrari one day.

[Rishu]

I hope it works out well for him, I like the guy and most likely RB switching to Honda played a key role

[chinmay]

This was the best choice for him. Sucks, because he is a good driver and I would like to see him at Ferrari one day.

Never going to happen, half a dozen drivers out there are better than Ricciardo.

[WS6TransAm01]

Never going to happen, half a dozen drivers out there are better than Ricciardo.

"I would like" and "He will" are two vastly different things. Not sure what you are arguing about.

[FranksterGM]

Great... Ricciardo doesnt go to Ferrari, thank god.
Then we wont have all the Aussie bogan bandwagon fans stinking up ferrari just because an aussie is there.

[Christopher]

Bold move could work out like Hamilton's move to Merc did or backfire like Alonso going to McLaren Honda hopefully for Riccardo's sake it works out well would have loved to see him drive for Ferrari

[Ed Harley]

Did not see that coming. :cheers

[Liscia]

Bon chance Daniel, but not too much or at our expense;) I like the guy and he does have talent and tries very hard. He probably has a very bad feeling about Honda supplanting Renault power at RB
and who would blame him? Even with their beloved (and better paid?) wonderboy Verstappen (+ Sainz?) they will flounder with Honda's feeble and less reliable mill and Horner's orneriness and the
obvious favoritism he shows Vercrashen. Probably a wise and safe move sideways since he can't move up......

[Tifoso]

Bon chance Daniel, but not too much or at our expense;) I like the guy and he does have talent and tries very hard. He probably has a very bad feeling about Honda supplanting Renault power at RB
and who would blame him? Even with their beloved (and better paid?) wonderboy Verstappen (+ Sainz?) they will flounder with Honda's feeble and less reliable mill and Horner's orneriness and the
obvious favoritism he shows Vercrashen. Probably a wise and safe move sideways since he can't move up......

Good to see you, amico mio!

[wisepie]

Maybe it's a lost opportunity for Ferrari should Kimi decide to retire, Daniel is a likeable personality and a great opportunist driver but it may well have upset Seb if he came to Ferrari. I am not sure that he puts great value on his Italian heritage, as others have suggested, but I think he'd like to have had the opportunity to be in a Ferrari. I still find it a surprising move to Renault but they have a history of spoiling our title hopes, so we'd better not under-estimate the combination!:-E

[KimiBot]

Leaving Red Bull for a worse team like Renault means that Red Bull replaced him and not ric left them....very weird decision for Red Bull to replace its second driver with someone worse. Maybe it’s because that sainz like Alonso has strong sponsors and money talks!

Maybe they did not like that when RIC was saying that he wants to drive Ferrari or Mercs....

[IulianFerrari]

Maybe they did not like that when RIC was saying that he wants to drive Ferrari or Mercs....

I guess that played a very important role. You just can't say stupid things and get away with it. Look at Fred, huge talent, greedy and loud mouth, driving that McLaren kart.

[tifosi1993]

Good decision, no point being Max's wingman.

[Stormy]

It's possible that RB wants to focus solely on one racer from next season onwards. It's possible that they decided Max to be that driver hence Ric leaving the team and opting for Renault considering Ferrari and Merc doesn't want the trouble having Ric who is known as a driver that bites and shows muscle on the track.

I don't know but if Renault doesn't provide him with a title contender car his dream of becoming WDC is lost. Cant see him winning it with a different team other than Renault.

My prediction for RB's second driver is Sainz, they invested in him before but he never got his RB chance. If Sainz doesn't perform up to their expectations they will replace him with Gasly for 2019 given he performs well in 2019. Either way, they are relaxed because they got their star racer in Max.

[IulianFerrari]

Interesting who will line up with Verstappen next year. Guess it will be either Gasly or Sainz. If I was chief at RBR, I would go with an experienced driver next to Max, but those are few and far between. I think F1 parted ways to early with the likes of Button or Massa. Maybe I am just nostalgic...

[jgonzalesm6]

It's possible that RB wants to focus solely on one racer from next season onwards. It's possible that they decided Max to be that driver hence Ric leaving the team and opting for Renault considering Ferrari and Merc doesn't want the trouble having Ric who is known as a driver that bites and shows muscle on the track.

I don't know but if Renault doesn't provide him with a title contender car his dream of becoming WDC is lost. Cant see him winning it with a different team other than Renault.

My prediction for RB's second driver is Sainz, they invested in him before but he never got his RB chance. If Sainz doesn't perform up to their expectations they will replace him with Gasly for 2019 given he performs well in 2019. Either way, they are relaxed because they got their star racer in Max.

Ricciardo left because he hated "playing second fiddle." At least with Renault, he will be #1.....in a second fiddle team. It mostly likely is'nt the money either. :-)

Let's see how RedBull plays out for 2019.....Horner and Marko MIGHT have made the two biggest mistakes in RedBull history.


Interesting who will line up with Verstappen next year. Guess it will be either Gasly or Sainz. If I was chief at RBR, I would go with an experienced driver next to Max, but those are few and far between. I think F1 parted ways to early with the likes of Button or Massa. Maybe I am just nostalgic...

Cyril A is the "Mona Lisa" to Horner after recent events between Renault and RedBull.................smirking all the while.

[From Treviso]

I would say that Vettel was the reason Dan didn't sign for Ferrari, which many have said. Vettel has always being number one until Dan arrived at RB. So question remains: where will Sainz go, and will Kimi stay? Other questions, such as the likelihood of Romain being booted out from Haas, creating a void in the market. I kind of feel for Dan, as he would have taken a big fight to someone like Lewis in the same car, but Lewis is driving like the true champ that he is at the moment (much to my discomfort). One wildcard that some have mentioned: I would not be disappointed if Kevin Magnuson ended up in Kimi's seat, as the driver has good race craft and can avoid clashes, even if he causes a few.

[IulianFerrari]

I would say that Vettel was the reason Dan didn't sign for Ferrari, which many have said. Vettel has always being number one until Dan arrived at RB. So question remains: where will Sainz go, and will Kimi stay? Other questions, such as the likelihood of Romain being booted out from Haas, creating a void in the market. I kind of feel for Dan, as he would have taken a big fight to someone like Lewis in the same car, but Lewis is driving like the true champ that he is at the moment (much to my discomfort). One wildcard that some have mentioned: I would not be disappointed if Kevin Magnuson ended up in Kimi's seat, as the driver has good race craft and can avoid clashes, even if he causes a few.

You can't even spell his name right and you want him in a Ferrari? What is wrong with people nowadays, it's like they want any driver as long as it isnt our current line up. I can think of 13 better drivers than Magnussen on the current F1 grid(Mercedes, Ferrari, RBR, Renault, Force India current drivers, Fred, Gasly, Leclerc)

[From Treviso]

You can't even spell his name right and you want him in a Ferrari? What is wrong with people nowadays, it's like they want any driver as long as it isnt our current line up. I can think of 13 better drivers than Magnussen on the current F1 grid(Mercedes, Ferrari, RBR, Renault, Force India current drivers, Fred, Gasly, Leclerc)

Sorry to offend you, IceMan. My reference was mainly if Kimi was to retire, as it's not impossible. But nothing would make me happier to see Kimi to win another race or two before the year's end, and I wouldn't want him to relinquish his position for Vettel either.

[Liscia]

Good to see you, amico mio!

Ciao Lou!

[Brembo]

Maybe they did not like that when RIC was saying that he wants to drive Ferrari or Mercs....

That's true, but Max outdoing Dan big time when his car is running is a big factor. Dan wanting Merc or Ferrari is IMO every drivers dream esp. Ferrari. He's no where near the driver Kimi is .

[mwk360]

kind of sad, its hard to picture him with another team but, yeah the guy deserves better than being treated inferior to Max, especially as he such a good talent and doesn't seem like a bonehead like Max.. mentally, maybe the 2021 rules is where Dan is looking at as renault might be back in the game then. hopefully mercedes would be gone mainly to formula e too lol

[jgonzalesm6]

Renault stepping up to the plate....financially. Good for Danny.

Ricciardo set to earn £20 million per year at Renault https://gptd.co/2Mi8DTD

[IulianFerrari]

Sorry to offend you, IceMan. My reference was mainly if Kimi was to retire, as it's not impossible. But nothing would make me happier to see Kimi to win another race or two before the year's end, and I wouldn't want him to relinquish his position for Vettel either.

Not dissing at you, dissing at Magnussen. I don't rate him. Actually Ricciardo was the only I think would have done a good job at Ferrari.

[jgonzalesm6]

Actually Ricciardo was the only I think would have done a good job at Ferrari.

IMO I believe he approached them months ago knowing his situation with RedBull....whether physically or by phone.....Ferrari more than likely shut the door in his face. You don't go to Ferrari requesting a seat. Ferrari comes to you.

[Rob]

RBR pretty much stapled their flag to Max's post when he join the team. As, for whatever reason they see him as the long term "future" in him. Dani Ric, knew this and since then been looking to get out. Fair play to him.

[nani_s23]

IMO I believe he approached them months ago knowing his situation with RedBull....whether physically or by phone.....Ferrari more than likely shut the door in his face. You don't go to Ferrari requesting a seat. Ferrari comes to you.

I don’t think it’s exactly that way. Ferrari went after Alonso, after Schumacher era, jean todt & LDM disclosed it couple of times.

[Hornet]

Renault is a works team, maybe they have better chance at closing the gap than RB.

[FerrariF60]

Renault is a works team, maybe they have better chance at closing the gap than RB.

i highly doubt it.....red fools have an immense amount of resources to build a strong chassis.....as we can all see even this year, they have the most efficeient downforce of the TOP 3 teams....all they're missing is a good engine....just imagine how good they would be with either a Ferrari or a Merc engine...i think they would be the team to beat

now next year they;ll have the HOnda engine...so a BIG ? mark there

Renault may be a WORKS team, but their resources in building a strong chassis are pretty limitied....and the engine is a NO match for teh competition....we'll see where they'll be next year

[Stormy]

Ricciardo left because he hated "playing second fiddle." At least with Renault, he will be #1.....in a second fiddle team. It mostly likely is'nt the money either. :-)

Let's see how RedBull plays out for 2019.....Horner and Marko MIGHT have made the two biggest mistakes in RedBull history.



Cyril A is the "Mona Lisa" to Horner after recent events between Renault and RedBull.................smirking all the while.

I don't think that RB will be overly competitive next year. It seems to me that they are behind Renault but by only a small margin. At least they seem stable. That said, i expect RB to hold on to their status quo fighting for third. But this time Renault might be a challenger for that third spot as well which means RB wont be that comfortable in third place anymore. So, Ferrari and Merc the only teams duking out for the title till 2021 at least.

[jgonzalesm6]

i highly doubt it.....red fools have an immense amount of resources to build a strong chassis.....as we can all see even this year, they have the most efficeient downforce of the TOP 3 teams....all they're missing is a good engine....just imagine how good they would be with either a Ferrari or a Merc engine...i think they would be the team to beat

now next year they;ll have the HOnda engine...so a BIG ? mark there

Renault may be a WORKS team, but their resources in building a strong chassis are pretty limitied....and the engine is a NO match for teh competition....we'll see where they'll be next year


I don't think that RB will be overly competitive next year. It seems to me that they are behind Renault but by only a small margin. At least they seem stable. That said, i expect RB to hold on to their status quo fighting for third. But this time Renault might be a challenger for that third spot as well which means RB wont be that comfortable in third place anymore. So, Ferrari and Merc the only teams duking out for the title till 2021 at least.

Renault and Honda are about a year or 2 behind Ferrari and Mercedes in the hp dept when it comes to the PU. Honda (STR) is playing catch-up this year because they are swapping out engines like crazy....even though they don't have too at times.... for complete teardowns and analysis; STR and Honda don't care about grid spot penalties. My only worry is IF, and thats a big IF, Honda is close in hp to Ferrari and Mercedes and are reliable for 2019.....RedBull will take pts away from the top 2 teams given their chassis and aero is one of the best in the field. (and I'm not sayin Max will crash into anyone meaning pts being taken away :-D).

Still waiting to hear who's gonna be Max's team-mate? Sainz, Gasly???....definitely not Hartley as this might be his last yr in F1; he'll rejoin WEC.

[Stormy]

Renault and Honda are about a year or 2 behind Ferrari and Mercedes in the hp dept when it comes to the PU. Honda (STR) is playing catch-up this year because they are swapping out engines like crazy....even though they don't have too at times.... for complete teardowns and analysis; STR and Honda don't care about grid spot penalties. My only worry is IF, and thats a big IF, Honda is close in hp to Ferrari and Mercedes and are reliable for 2019.....RedBull will take pts away from the top 2 teams given their chassis and aero is one of the best in the field. (and I'm not sayin Max will crash into anyone meaning pts being taken away :-D).

Still waiting to hear who's gonna be Max's team-mate? Sainz, Gasly???....definitely not Hartley as this might be his last yr in F1; he'll rejoin WEC.

I think Renault never had massive budgets. Even when they won their titles they had an average budget. It looks to me like they are investing mostly in PU development and are a bit cheap on chassis and aero. So if they continue with this trend, the only way i can see them winning titles is if they have someone with a criminal psyche at the helm like Briatore :-D

As for RB's second driver, i used to think that they might give Sainz a chance knowing he never got a RB chance. But now i read a lot about Sainz being linked to McLaren so they might opt for Gasly. Gasly is not bad, they might give him a chance as a second fiddle to Max and see how that goes. They know they won't be fighting for a title anyway, at least not till 2021. Their goal is being top 3.

[jgonzalesm6]

I think Renault never had massive budgets. Even when they won their titles they had an average budget. It looks to me like they are investing mostly in PU development and are a bit cheap on chassis and aero. So if they continue with this trend, the only way i can see them winning titles is if they have someone with a criminal psyche at the helm like Briatore :-D



Renault have the former FIA tech director Budkowski whom everything passed unto him whether it's aero or in the PU dept.....he saw "top-secret" stuff. While not a big role in the 2018 car, it might be different in the 2019 car. He was going to take a 3 month gardening leave but team bosses from Mercedes, Ferrari and RedBull shouted foul and extended Budkowski's leave to 6 months. He might play a major role in the development of the 2019 car which I'm sure is being built right now; of course not during the summer break.

[Stormy]

Renault have the former FIA tech director Budkowski whom everything passed unto him whether it's aero or in the PU dept.....he saw "top-secret" stuff. While not a big role in the 2018 car, it might be different in the 2019 car. He was going to take a 3 month gardening leave but team bosses from Mercedes, Ferrari and RedBull shouted foul and extended Budkowski's leave to 6 months. He might play a major role in the development of the 2019 car which I'm sure is being built right now; of course not during the summer break.

Oh yeah, i forgot about that Budkowski guy. Yeah that guy might leak a lot of important stuff to them that will help with development. Well, you see, they never fly with big budgets. They are always trying to win by other means that won't make them bring a massive budget. That's their philosophy. That's why they only have 2 titles even though they have a huge history.

[Kingdom Hearts]

I really don't get why Ferrari didn't sign him. I don't think he is the kind of driver that will cause trouble because his past with Vettel, if he is beaten he will accept it and move on. Another year with Kimi I guess.

[Stormy]

I really don't get why Ferrari didn't sign him. I don't think he is the kind of driver that will cause trouble because his past with Vettel, if he is beaten he will accept it and move on. Another year with Kimi I guess.

We can't afford 2 drivers fighting each other. We need a perfect number 2 like Bottas.

[FerrariF60]

We can't afford 2 drivers fighting each other. We need a perfect number 2 like Bottas.

^this....could NOT agree more....that's where Kimi comes in....perfect #2 driver....'nough said

[Hornet]

We can't afford 2 drivers fighting each other. We need a perfect number 2 like Bottas.

I don't think Ferrari pre-determine who is #1 and #2.
Both drivers have equal chance at the WDC. Up to a point where one is ahead, then Ferrari would push that driver, which is a normal thing to do.

Best example was 2007 and 2008.

Kimi had full support when he was the driver in the running for WDC, and had team order support.
And the next year, Massa was that driver, and he had team order support too.

[Stormy]

I don't think Ferrari pre-determine who is #1 and #2.
Both drivers have equal chance at the WDC. Up to a point where one is ahead, then Ferrari would push that driver, which is a normal thing to do.

Best example was 2007 and 2008.

Kimi had full support when he was the driver in the running for WDC, and had team order support.
And the next year, Massa was that driver, and he had team order support too.

I think it was pre-determined for Kimi to be the #1 driver in 2008, but that was changed when Kimi failed miserably due to some uncommon issues in a driver of his caliber. The team had no other choice but to switch their full support to Massa.

[Brembo]

^this....could NOT agree more....that's where Kimi comes in....perfect #2 driver....'nough said

Kimi ...perfect #2 driver! OK. Now we need a perfect #1 driver ! Pole, or come from behind and win. When one of our drivers leaves town, we need IMO the likes of Max. He's now just 20 yrs old. @ 17 yrs. old he was the youngest to have many F1 first time youngest accomplishments. Dan now @ 29 had a few good times also. In 9 more F1 years Max will be way up there IMO with wins, poles , even a WDC with some of say Lewis' luck! Ferrari needs a young #1 driver who only thinks win. And if it truly is "The Car" that makes the winner , imagine Max in a real car like Seb's Ferrari , and hopefully not ever Lewis' car.

[aroutis]

Kimi ...perfect #2 driver! OK. Now we need a perfect #1 driver ! Pole, or come from behind and win. When one of our drivers leaves town, we need IMO the likes of Max. He's now just 20 yrs old. @ 17 yrs. old he was the youngest to have many F1 first time youngest accomplishments. Dan now @ 29 had a few good times also. In 9 more F1 years Max will be way up there IMO with wins, poles , even a WDC with some of say Lewis' luck! Ferrari needs a young #1 driver who only thinks win. And if it truly is "The Car" that makes the winner , imagine Max in a real car like Seb's Ferrari , and hopefully not ever Lewis' car.

My God with your fixation with Max. He has yet a lot to do in order to be in the same league with the big boys.
One that comes to mind is to stop crashing for most of the year.

When - if - he does that, and grows out of the "I am God" attitude, maybe we can talk bout Max.

[chinmay]

I don't think Ferrari pre-determine who is #1 and #2.
Both drivers have equal chance at the WDC. Up to a point where one is ahead, then Ferrari would push that driver, which is a normal thing to do.

Best example was 2007 and 2008.

Kimi had full support when he was the driver in the running for WDC, and had team order support.
And the next year, Massa was that driver, and he had team order support too.

That's true but things are different at Mercedes. Since race 1, Bottas is relegated to #2 driver role, he is always ordered to move over for his teammate.

[Stormy]

That's true but things are different at Mercedes. Since race 1, Bottas is relegated to #2 driver role, he is always ordered to move over for his teammate.

I'm pretty sure Kimi is relegated a #2 driver role as well. That's how you play in F1, there's no other way when the competition is tough. Prost vs Senna was in a time where McLaren was the only team fighting for the title.

[Rob]

Kimi ...perfect #2 driver! OK. Now we need a perfect #1 driver ! Pole, or come from behind and win. When one of our drivers leaves town, we need IMO the likes of Max. He's now just 20 yrs old. @ 17 yrs. old he was the youngest to have many F1 first time youngest accomplishments. Dan now @ 29 had a few good times also. In 9 more F1 years Max will be way up there IMO with wins, poles , even a WDC with some of say Lewis' luck! Ferrari needs a young #1 driver who only thinks win. And if it truly is "The Car" that makes the winner , imagine Max in a real car like Seb's Ferrari , and hopefully not ever Lewis' car.

Max Max Max blah blah blah. You still got massive chip on your shoulder about Rubens and Felipe being "mistreated" for playing the support role when needed. End of the day Schuey was miles better than Rubens, so team backed Schuey, as he was seen as best hopes for WDC WCC, get over it. Felipe, was just unlucky to be on the political walloping from Alonso.

We dont need Max, never will. We have super "#1" driver and #2 driver. If you still find it hard that in a team sport, that there will be times when the fastest, and the driver in better shot at WDC is given preferable treatment. You should really give up watching F1, or any team sports.

[Rob]

That's true but things are different at Mercedes. Since race 1, Bottas is relegated to #2 driver role, he is always ordered to move over for his teammate.

he has been in that role since signing for the team. Toto is so "Lewis is god" Look at last year, they gave Bottas few good races before he resigned, with a win and pole i think. He resigned.

[Brembo]

Max Max Max blah blah blah. You still got massive chip on your shoulder about Rubens and Felipe being "mistreated" for playing the support role when needed. End of the day Schuey was miles better than Rubens, so team backed Schuey, as he was seen as best hopes for WDC WCC, get over it. Felipe, was just unlucky to be on the political walloping from Alonso.

We dont need Max, never will. We have super "#1" driver and #2 driver. If you still find it hard that in a team sport, that there will be times when the fastest, and the driver in better shot at WDC is given preferable treatment. You should really give up watching F1, or any team sports.

I agree with most everything you say! Rubens was mistreated for sure. You are right! Next.. Team backed Schuey a good example of you being on the money was Austria 2002. We do have a super #2 driver as you say, but a super #1 driver should be in 1st place big time to earn "Super" status. Our last super #1 driver was Alonso who on the track gave a walloping to Schumy not once but twice ! Max @20 yrs.old is the F1 future WDC replacing Lewis. Get over it! Ferrari needs a real winning driver. If only we had Seb! Oh we do have him. Besides a great car he needs luck and 2 seconds up front with Kimi's help to maybe finish the race on the podium, where it seems Kimi is hanging out regularly. Ferrari WCC is what counts WDC is just an extra added attraction. Ex. When Schumy left Ferrari to be at home with Merc, did you also go with him ? Or were you still with Ferrari fans? Give Max the fastest car , team orders in his favor, and luck, @20 yrs. old!!! Unbeatable! Schumy Jr. belongs @ Merc , home away from home!

[Brembo]

Max Max Max blah blah blah. You still got massive chip on your shoulder about Rubens and Felipe being "mistreated" for playing the support role when needed. End of the day Schuey was miles better than Rubens, so team backed Schuey, as he was seen as best hopes for WDC WCC, get over it. Felipe, was just unlucky to be on the political walloping from Alonso.

We dont need Max, never will. We have super "#1" driver and #2 driver. If you still find it hard that in a team sport, that there will be times when the fastest, and the driver in better shot at WDC is given preferable treatment. You should really give up watching F1, or any team sports.

I agree with most everything you say! Rubens was mistreated for sure. You are right! Next.. Team backed Schuey a good example of you being on the money was Austria 2002. We do have a super #2 driver as you say, but a super #1 driver should be in 1st place big time to earn "Super" status. Our last super #1 driver was Alonso who on the track gave a walloping to Schumy not once but twice ! Max @20 yrs.old is the F1 future WDC replacing Lewis. Get over it! Ferrari needs a real winning driver. If only we had Seb! Oh we do have him. Besides a great car he needs luck and 2 seconds up front with Kimi's help to maybe finish the race on the podium, where it seems Kimi is hanging out regularly. Ferrari WCC is what counts WDC is just an extra added attraction. Ex. When Schumy left Ferrari to be at home with Merc, did you also go with him ? Or were you still with Ferrari fans? Give Max the fastest car , team orders in his favor, and luck, @20 yrs. old!!! Unbeatable! Schumy Jr. belongs @ Merc , home away from home!

[nani_s23]

I agree with most everything you say! Rubens was mistreated for sure. You are right! Next.. Team backed Schuey a good example of you being on the money was Austria 2002. We do have a super #2 driver as you say, but a super #1 driver should be in 1st place big time to earn "Super" status. Our last super #1 driver was Alonso who on the track gave a walloping to Schumy not once but twice ! Max @20 yrs.old is the F1 future WDC replacing Lewis. Get over it! Ferrari needs a real winning driver. If only we had Seb! Oh we do have him. Besides a great car he needs luck and 2 seconds up front with Kimi's help to maybe finish the race on the podium, where it seems Kimi is hanging out regularly. Ferrari WCC is what counts WDC is just an extra added attraction. Ex. When Schumy left Ferrari to be at home with Merc, did you also go with him ? Or were you still with Ferrari fans? Give Max the fastest car , team orders in his favor, and luck, @20 yrs. old!!! Unbeatable! Schumy Jr. belongs @ Merc , home away from home!

With normal car itself he’s (max) crashing into the wall..!! If we give fastest car to him, then it’s like costly season for ferrari. Need to bring more FW & floors into the race weekend.

Even DR was fastest during his prime, when max came DR became vulnerable but still one of the best in overtaking.

You seem always backing on one side, Mad max.

[aroutis]

I agree with most everything you say! Rubens was mistreated for sure. You are right! Next.. Team backed Schuey a good example of you being on the money was Austria 2002. We do have a super #2 driver as you say, but a super #1 driver should be in 1st place big time to earn "Super" status. Our last super #1 driver was Alonso who on the track gave a walloping to Schumy not once but twice ! Max @20 yrs.old is the F1 future WDC replacing Lewis. Get over it! Ferrari needs a real winning driver. If only we had Seb! Oh we do have him. Besides a great car he needs luck and 2 seconds up front with Kimi's help to maybe finish the race on the podium, where it seems Kimi is hanging out regularly. Ferrari WCC is what counts WDC is just an extra added attraction. Ex. When Schumy left Ferrari to be at home with Merc, did you also go with him ? Or were you still with Ferrari fans? Give Max the fastest car , team orders in his favor, and luck, @20 yrs. old!!! Unbeatable! Schumy Jr. belongs @ Merc , home away from home!
Again, when Max actually justifies what you say about him, right now he does not, maybe we can discuss what you say.
Right now he's unstable.
As for Alonso, 2005 he had a much better package, 2006 Michael at his last year almost beat him and was purely unlucky.

Of course, you are so sore that you just see things differently. Michael beat all the Brazilians drivers, grew up to be a greater idol than Senna and is regarded to be the greatest driver in F1.
And you just cannot handle it.

[nani_s23]

Again, when Max actually justifies what you say about him, right now he does not, maybe we can discuss what you say.
Right now he's unstable.
As for Alonso, 2005 he had a much better package, 2006 Michael at his last year almost beat him and was purely unlucky.

Of course, you are so sore that you just see things differently. Michael beat all the Brazilians drivers, grew up to be a greater idol than Senna and is regarded to be the greatest driver in F1.
And you just cannot handle it.

:thumb...

No one can match MS..!!

[superwonderboy]

I seriously think bottas needs to re-think his position at mercedes. He is competitive enough to take the fight to lewis, so he has to ask himself, if he is in f1 for lewis or for himself. It is a real shame for him. We all know the teams has a #1 driver or #2 driver in the team, but i feel that should not be premeditated before the season starts. I really feel at a certain time of the season pending on the drivers points position relative to his team mates, should he only then get preference over the other driver. As for our drivers, i think kimi is doing extremely well considering his age. The grid is young and ruthless, especially at starts. His points position is also not too bad, but yes we also can not shy away from the fact that we do need a younger driver now and that is entirely up to the team. Seb can win this WDC he just needs to keep calm and stay focused, the car is good enough. I wish our team, drivers, technical staff and fans all the best for the remainder of the season.

[IulianFerrari]

I seriously think bottas needs to re-think his position at mercedes. He is competitive enough to take the fight to lewis, so he has to ask himself, if he is in f1 for lewis or for himself. It is a real shame for him. We all know the teams has a #1 driver or #2 driver in the team, but i feel that should not be premeditated before the season starts. I really feel at a certain time of the season pending on the drivers points position relative to his team mates, should he only then get preference over the other driver. As for our drivers, i think kimi is doing extremely well considering his age. The grid is young and ruthless, especially at starts. His points position is also not too bad, but yes we also can not shy away from the fact that we do need a younger driver now and that is entirely up to the team. Seb can win this WDC he just needs to keep calm and stay focused, the car is good enough. I wish our team, drivers, technical staff and fans all the best for the remainder of the season.

Bottas has had a weak season

[sxviper698]

look where he would have been if he didn't move to merc

[mwk360]

I think the fact that bottas could be replaced by anyone willing to collect a paycheck and be hamilton's doormat leaves him with little choice, A lot of the races that ferrari ended up messing up was thanks to bottas sacrificing himsef in better positions than hamilton or being awake on raceday and leaving no breather for seb or pitwall, he has given seb more on track headaches than hamilton this year. if only kimi could'v start well and put himself in positions to prevent hamilton easy wins the way bottas has done to vettel, oh well lets hope the pipeline that vettel has talked about is way better than last years for development. I kind of wish hulkenberg is a match for Ricci as he is always overlooked on the grid

[Brembo]

Again, when Max actually justifies what you say about him, right now he does not, maybe we can discuss what you say.
Right now he's unstable.
As for Alonso, 2005 he had a much better package, 2006 Michael at his last year almost beat him and was purely unlucky.

Of course, you are so sore that you just see things differently. Michael beat all the Brazilians drivers, grew up to be a greater idol than Senna and is regarded to be the greatest driver in F1.
And you just cannot handle it.

:rotfl Alonso had a better car , next year bad luck! :rotfl That sounds like the top hit song Lewis' Success! Ross and the Midget Todt beat the Brasilians for Shumy. Oh! But they got paid!! Shumy fans have him as the greatest former Merc driver ever to retire F1. Most F1 fans in general have Senna as the best ever, he died driving to win F1 !! Even Lewis realizes Senna was the best! He actually drives F1 so he knows who was the best. He may well be the next Senna!! Barring any tragedy. Shumy pushing Rubens into a wall to kill him, not to win a race! No apology! "Der Zeig!" Shumy parking on the track to mess Alonso's chances in qually ! Truly non Brasilian driving at it's worst. IMO Max is the next greatest F1 driver. Give him a great driving package and good luck. He already has the driving skills and he's 20yrs. old! BTW he's not even Brasilian!!:rotfl

[aroutis]

Most F1 fans idolized Senna because ... HE DIED.
But truth being told , Prost proved that Senna was nothing really special when he was at the same car, because if we have to compare a driver to another driver in the same car, then we can see that Prost matched Senna.
Of course , there are those that call Prost FiProst, but noone really give a damn.
And judging by the way you just answered, you just prove me right :)

Senna had a really , really great car ,and cudos for him , he got world titles on it, but the fact of the matter is, it's Michael who is regarded the greatest driver of all times.
Max the Crash is the greatest driver ? LOL ok , now we all know you're drunk :D

[From Treviso]

Has anyone mentioned the possibility of Alonso joining Red Bull in case it hasn't been suggested. Not sure of his contract for next year, but I would expect bad fireworks with Max if he were to join, just as there was with Lewis in 2007.

[WRX202]

Has anyone mentioned the possibility of Alonso joining Red Bull in case it hasn't been suggested. Not sure of his contract for next year, but I would expect bad fireworks with Max if he were to join, just as there was with Lewis in 2007.

I thought of it at 1st but then I remembered how many times Alonso bad mouthed Honda's PU. I wouldn't imagine Honda wanting Alonso driving a car powered by their engines anymore. I have a gut feeling Alonso will be gone from F1 pretty soon as there aren't many teams willing to pay his fat salary.

As much as I never imagined saying this I would like to see Alonso instead of Kimi should he retire one day. It would be the perfect Mercedes counter with 2 drivers giving it their all.

[jgonzalesm6]

Has anyone mentioned the possibility of Alonso joining Red Bull in case it hasn't been suggested. Not sure of his contract for next year, but I would expect bad fireworks with Max if he were to join, just as there was with Lewis in 2007.

I would'nt put it past Alonso if he talked to the new CEO of Ferrari....after Marchionne's passing. Rumours are Sainz (now he has history with Max) going to Redbull along with Gasly as well.

Incidently, since Max now is aware that he is #1 at RedBull going forward, I hope it does'nt go to his head even more so. Let's hope he performs like he has the last two previous races before Hungary.

[Rishu]

I would'nt put it past Alonso if he talked to the new CEO of Ferrari....after Marchionne's passing. Rumours are Sainz (now he has history with Max) going to Redbull along with Gasly as well.

Incidently, since Max now is aware that he is #1 at RedBull going forward, I hope it does'nt go to his head even more so. Let's hope he performs like he has the last two previous races before Hungary.

Some people thrive when responsibility is put on their shoulders, however some crumble down. Let's see what Max is made up of, he is a future world champion, it will be good learning for him

[From Treviso]

Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if Alonso goes sniffing up Ferrari's pipe - let's face it, time's running out for the 2005 and 2006 champion and he needs to grab his career by the throat and take the best chance each year to win, and the best chance for him for 2019 will be with Ferrari. Not sure if it's a step backwards for Ferrari seeing the current good Seb and Kimi relationship, even though we all know that Kimi is yearning to earn at least equal status within the team - who wouldn't!

[aroutis]

Some people thrive when responsibility is put on their shoulders, however some crumble down. Let's see what Max is made up of, he is a future world champion, it will be good learning for him

More like, he's supposed to be a future WDC.
There is a lot for him to prove in order to be one.

[paolo lalli]

Ferrari did not see 70 million of value in ricardo for 2 years some sanity must prevail its going to a long rd for ric at renault its going to be alonso chapter 2 but 70 million is 70 million.

[Brembo]

Most F1 fans idolized Senna because ... HE DIED.

Wow! That's hitting low. And your sober! You owe me one!

Max the Crash is the greatest driver ? LOL ok , now we all know you're drunk :D

I said " Will be ," not yet! Lewis is now that. Me wanting Max @ Ferrari is almost, but not quite as heavy as most folks here wanting Leclerc @ Ferrari. Max is 20 and has crashed his way to the podium and a win, so far so good. I'm going to drink to that!:rotfl

[WRX202]

Bottas has had a weak season

7485

Had to share lol lol....

[FerrariF60]

7485

Had to share lol lol....

That is super funny.....wish Kimi would be doing the same helping Seb, although he did use specific “tactics” in France when he rammed into Hamster.....lol

[Brembo]

That is super funny.....wish Kimi would be doing the same helping Seb, although he did use specific “tactics” in France when he rammed into Hamster.....lol

The pit boys can only call on Kimi to help when Seb is somewhere to be found. But I agree, Seb needs all the Kimi help he can get.

[mwk360]

7485

Had to share lol lol....

LOOOOOOL truth!!!! i saw this pic and i forgot to download thanks for posting lol

sad thing is unless kimi can provide similar for ferrari , hamilton will be untouchable, kimi and seb cant vs each other and hope to beat hamilton when bottas is the perfect no.2 stopping seb and letting ham through to easy wins as well lol still wolf trying to explain the wingman comments is really funny.

[Brembo]

Kimi needs Seb nearby and up front to do a Bottas Lewis move. He will and does when he can, and takes a podium or 2 while he's at it!!

[FerrariF60]

Kimi needs Seb nearby and up front to do a Bottas Lewis move. He will and does when he can, and takes a podium or 2 while he's at it!!

no, no, no.....Vettel needs to secure POLE position at every race and ALSO if possible, Kimi to be right up there with him in order to protect him from Luise.....jsut like Bota$$ does to his master Hamster

[Brembo]

no, no, no.....Vettel needs to secure POLE position at every race and ALSO if possible, Kimi to be right up there with him in order to protect him from Luise.....jsut like Bota$$ does to his master Hamster

Pole it is!! Sounds right to me!

[IulianFerrari]

no, no, no.....Vettel needs to secure POLE position at every race and ALSO if possible, Kimi to be right up there with him in order to protect him from Luise.....jsut like Bota$$ does to his master Hamster
Can't wait for the SPA race. Hopefully we haven't lost anything to Mercedes in terms of pace. If so, I think we will do well in Belgium and Italy, taking the lead in at least one of the championships. I feel upbeat about our chances

[FerrariF60]

Can't wait for the SPA race. Hopefully we haven't lost anything to Mercedes in terms of pace. If so, I think we will do well in Belgium and Italy, taking the lead in at least one of the championships. I feel upbeat about our chances

well with all due respect, the next TWO races i think are engine dependent races....so since we have a really strong engine this year, especially with spec 3 coming in Spa for Ferrari (haas and sauber have tested it first in Hungary and everything seemed OK) i think we should NOT worry, OH and our car is pretty good in aero efficiency as we've seen that we are topping the trap speeds at every track and that was also the tale, tale ever since winter testing in Spain.....

i'm sure Mercedes will also bring some aero updates to Spa, but so will we....

so if the car proves to be FAST....or faster then the Merc....all Seb has to do is put it on POLE and come sunday run away with a the victory....and same will go for Monza

fingers crossed and Forza Ferrari!!!!

[FerrariF60]

Can't wait for the SPA race. Hopefully we haven't lost anything to Mercedes in terms of pace. If so, I think we will do well in Belgium and Italy, taking the lead in at least one of the championships. I feel upbeat about our chances

maybe both mate.....with some overdue bad luck for Hamster.....like a DNF

i know it's harsh thinking from my part....but will NOT be sorry one bit if it does happen....ha, ha..

[Stormy]

Renault said Ric should not expect to fight for wins till 2020. This was very well known, Renault are waiting for the new rules to try and thrive in.

[Brembo]

well with all due respect, the next TWO races i think are engine dependent races....so since we have a really strong engine this year, especially with spec 3 coming in Spa for Ferrari (haas and sauber have tested it first in Hungary and everything seemed OK) i think we should NOT worry, OH and our car is pretty good in aero efficiency as we've seen that we are topping the trap speeds at every track and that was also the tale, tale ever since winter testing in Spain.....

i'm sure Mercedes will also bring some aero updates to Spa, but so will we....

so if the car proves to be FAST....or faster then the Merc....all Seb has to do is put it on POLE and come sunday run away with a the victory....and same will go for Monza

fingers crossed and Forza Ferrari!!!!

Ferrari fast or even faster car is already real. Now as you so well put it, Seb the #1 driver "Legend" as some call him here needs to prove for the fans and himself "WDC", and get on pole and win it!! No one wants to here about Lewis' luck .

[mwk360]

Gasly officially replacing Dani Ric in RBR next year, hope he gives max hell lol

[Brembo]

Gasly officially replacing Dani Ric in RBR next year, hope he gives max hell lol

Look where Dan wound up trying to give Max "Hell!" IMO Gasly will be Rubenized ASAP; at least until Max leaves RB for Ferrari!

[racingbradley]

Look where Dan wound up trying to give Max "Hell!" IMO Gasly will be Rubenized ASAP; at least until Max leaves RB for Ferrari!

Max is the golden boy at RB but I have a feeling that Pierre is no push over and we know how competitive he is.
I too would love to see him show Max a clean pair of heels.
I can not see him being Rubenized as I think he's his own man!!!!! :lol
As for Dan at Reno it would be great to see them beat RB next year. :-)

[KimiBot]

I always thought that Ricciardo is a great quali driver, but it is 10-2 to Max this year, so I don`t know what to think about that.

[Rishu]

Maybe Max has the speed, only needs his brain and car reliability sorted out

[Stormy]

Maybe Max has the speed, only needs his brain and car reliability sorted out

He definitely has the speed as he constantly beats Ricciardo when it comes to speed.

[Brembo]

He definitely has the speed as he constantly beats Ricciardo when it comes to speed.

How dumb could Dan be to let a 20 yr. old beat hell out of him with a worse car? Podium finishes and a win takes a minimum of brains , how brainless are the rest of the drivers ?:rotfl