F1 Eifel GP Thoughts
Death, taxes, Hamilton-Verstappen-...Riccardo???
What an interesting race, here are my thoughts on Sunday now that I've had a couple days to digest:
-Albon needs to go, what a disgraceful team radio. RBR needs an experienced driver in that seat who can handle being directly compared to Verstappen. Hopefully Perez, or maybe Hulkenburg. Albon would probably benefit from a Gasly-like demotion, drop Kyvat he's not really that good nowadays anyways.
-Speaking of Hulkenburg, what a fantastic drive. He's proven himself twice this season. It'd be dumb if he didn't get a seat next season, but I really hope he ends up at RBR not some back-marker.
-Also, congrats to Hamilton. That wasn't the standard 30sec gap that we've seen in many past races, he had to work for this one eg. deliberately pushing Bottas until he locked up at the beginning. I've never been a fan, but we should all acknowledge that he's a great driver, which has been shown yet again.
Agree Albon can't go soon enough. His comments during the race on Gasly racing him hard has to be one of the most embarrassing comments in any sport ever. I'm not sure he even deserves an F1 seat at AT based on his driving this year.
Unfortunately for Albon that comment was grossly taken out of context - his paddock was telling him he needs to maintain his tyres, to which he responded that it was tough since 'They [Gasly] race me so hard'...
No, it's still bad. Even if we look at Albon's comment in the context you are suggesting, he still had an extremely whiny tone on the radio. Almost like he's upset about being raced by Gasly. By radioing this message, Albon is implying that Gasly should just let him by because he's on the sister team. Gasly (10th in driver standings) is perfectly within his rights to race Albon (7th in standings) hard. Gasly choosing to fight is not something overly aggressive like Ocon bumping Verstappen while trying to unlap himself. No matter how you look at it, Albon has lost his competitive drive, and I didn't watch F1 when Gasly was on RBR, but I don't think he did something this bad while on the "A Team". I really hope someone more deserving takes Albon's seat next year.
Super late; somehow this slipped by.
Agree that Albon has been (aside from his podium at Mugello) dreadful this season given the car hes in. Its definitely surprising given how strong he looked throughout the back half of last season. I don't think Hulkenburg gets a shot at RBR. It's been fun watching him come in as a replacement, but lets not forget we're talking about someone who is 33, has raced 9 full seasons and has never once made it onto the podium. IMO, hes a mid-tier driver at best who would be on the decline, not someone RBR would want to invest in for the future, especially as we move closer to the cost cap and the Mercs.
I know a lot of people don't agree, but personally, I think Gasly has the best shot at the seat next year. Whether you like him or not, he's been arguably a top 5 driver this season (ranking by consistency) despite being in probably the 6th or 7th best car. If Albon continues his decline and Gasly continues to do his thing, I'd find it hard to believe RBR wouldn't really consider giving Gasly another shot, especially since it'll have been 1.5 years since his last race with the team. This would mean Alpha Tauri would most likely start with Albon and Tsunoda next season, which would be a fun young driver combo to watch. I'd imagine if Albon gets demoted he'll likely leave for another team when his contract is finished, but now I'm getting too far into the "what if" game.
Completely separate note, if things line up the way many expect them too, its possible that like half the grid would be under 24 next season, which is pretty nuts.
I thought Gasly didn't vibe well with the pretty cutthroat RBR culture, which was one of the reasons he did poorly. He does well at AT because the team seems to have a more supportive culture.
I first want to say how glad I am to find other people on this site who are interested in F1, secondly I think Albon has been dealt bad cards and just had a lot of bad luck. It was the same case with Gasly last year. RB revolves around Verstappen, which I get, but they do not back a second driver ever. Happened when Danny Ric came, and Vettel left. Happened to Danny Ric with Verstappen and he left. They need to back their second driver and put him in a car that at least kinda suits him and not just Verstappen.
My prediction is that Albon will stay until 2021, just due to the massive amount of changes in 2022 there is no reason to change for '21. I also don't think Gasly will stay under the RB umbrella. With so many seats open and the amount of uncertainty in 2022, I think he will take the gamble and go for another team. I would love to see hulk back, but like Frozen said he's old, and now is the changing of the guard to the young exciting talent. But hey when has any prediction in F1, except hamilton winning, gone right.
Yeah, basically RBR needs a Bottas who reliably scores points.
I've been very MIA but I do have an F1 thread which was live prior to the Russian GP if you're interested.
I've been a huge Albon proponent since his Toro Rosso days (boy could carve a field) but I hate saying that I think he should go from an RBR point of view. They're a top three team with one competitive driver and one midfield driver. I think seeing Hulk in the seat could be exciting for fans but at this point RBR need a known quantity of a driver who can achieve podiums without stepping on Max's toes. And I think you're right on Gasly - he has been relegated to the junior or sister team whatever you want to call AT and could see himself hitting a ceiling there very soon. Rumor has it he is looking at Renault for '22 after Ocon's contract is up which could be a solid move for him, especially if the cost caps truly level the playing field which remains to be seen.
I'm backing Ocon to have a breakout year in '21. He was out of the game for the whole of 2019 and is still competitive against Danny Ric this season
Eh never really liked Ocon, I appreciate his humble upbringing but his driving seems overly aggressive. Granted I'm pretty new to F1, but I think it says something that he basically got salty that Gasly got better than he did, and that one of his only friends in the paddock is Stroll.
Is he though? Ric has largely outqualified him and outraced him throughout the season barring some tech issues or one-off times he's been ahead for awhile. I think he's a solid midfield driver but I'm not sure how he'll stack up against Alonso next season. I'm a bit biased of course given Alonso was the driver who got me into F1 back in 2010 so I've always supported him but that being said I'm doubtful that Ocon will stack up in a meaningful way. I could be wrong but some drivers have that feel of being race winners (or even champions) such as Max or Leclerc (when he's not in that dreadful car Ferrari put together this season) and even Ricciardo and I just don't really get that feeling from Ocon - but that's just my gut talking. Still respect the guy
Yeah wanna drop your thread here? I was planning on creating new ones for every GP
first of all, let me just say how happy i am to see f1 content making a comeback on WSO. Been a long couple weeks
not (entirely) albon's fault hes doing shit in the 2nd redbull - look how shit Gasly/Kyvat was when they were in that no.2 seat. Agree that he's not performing well esp quali pace and tyre management, but the talent's there, his confidence is just totally fucked akin to Gasly. In fact Albon's been doing a mega job since 2nd half of 2019, just that clearly his confidence took a nosedive, maybe from when Hamilton shunted him (again) in Austria or otherwise, guess we'll never really know
I don't think RB should bump up Gasly again...he's in a good place right now, with a team that has his back, bumping him back to RB#2 and it'll be back to square one. RB needs a webber, someone with experience who can perform under pressure as a de facto #2 (and is a good team player, voluntarily or otherwise) - closest thing we have is probably Hulkenberg but due to political/monetary reasons it probably won't be him. maybe Checo but even though he brings the money but IMO he will probably go to a team where he can be the lead driver - history has proven he is not a good no.2 driver, much less at a place like RB so heavily skewed towards the lead guy aka Max
Why political? Big slap on Helmut Marko's face if they ended up needing outside help and puts the RB academy program in jeopardy. I dont think that's something RB will risk, especially when the car's not 100% competitive yet. I think likely scenario is Albon gets another year (2021 is a throwaway year for any team not named Mercedes, let's be honest here) while Horner/Marko evaluate all three of Gasly/Albon/Tsunoda
p.s. can I just say, Helmut Marko is still legendary in terms of spotting racing talent, but not so good (anymore) in terms of managing it.....Max is a generational talent obviously but at some point throwing all your weight behind him becomes detrimental to the team
I agree on the whole political point, but RBR strikes me as a team that wants to do anything to win. If they have to swallow the hard truth that their development program isn't the best, I think they will get over it and pick a steady #2.
maybe and that's probably what theyre deliberating right now - cuz the whole "sell" of the RB academy was that if you did well there's a clear path to becoming the next Sebastian Vettel. Realistically yes they need a steady hand since its clear that the juniors are getting crushed in the 2nd car. But will RB commit a 2-year or even 3-year contract with a veteran? Will Hulk or Checo sign a one-year deal?
side note, If I was Marko I'd keep Albon for another year, see how 2021 goes, then snap up Bottas the moment Merc drops him for Russell
also...any predictions on whether Williams sack Russell for Perez? Odds that Giovinazzi stays on (reported by italian media)? Mick and Mazepin at Haas?
Id be shocked if Russell loses his seat - not only due to his on-track performances but it seems like the Williams team really likes him. Id imagine its more likely he chooses to leave than the other way around (Merc 2022?).
Im not personally a huge Gio fan so I wouldn't mind him being replaced by a Mick. I think if AR was dead set on letting Gio go, it would make more sense for Mick's development to see him there than in the Haas. At least there he can try and push for points at certain circuits whereas at Haas he'd be competing for 18th with the Williams. Mazepin makes a little more sense to me there as I'd probably give Mick the edge between those two, so at least he'd get a seat. Really surprised Ilott isn't getting a look for the Haas seat - 2nd in F2 and a Ferrari boy.
Also, I'd like to take the chance to applaud the fact that we're finally seeing the end of Kmag and RG. Never been a fan of either, although I'll give them respect for their 4th a few years back.
New ownership. Russell was in line for the Merc seat next to Hamilton but Claire refused to let him go - but now new owners can exercise the "change of ownership" clause and could rather sign someone like Checo long-term ($$$) than keep Russell on loan for another year
Gio's future is determined by Ferrari not Alfa, I think the key question is whether Ferrari want to keep him on retainer as their reserve driver - or if they wanna roll the dice for another Ferrari junior aka Schwartzman/Ilott. Also Mazepin is 99.9% getting that seat lol. Money talks
wheeeeey 92 wins for Hammy!
also yet another super drive from Leclerc - P4 what a legend
Leclerc is a legend. Strong drives as well from Russell and Perez; both showing they still got it. Fucking rights hammy takes it home. Legendary shit
Never was a big Hamilton fan, but I think he deserves props from all fans, nonetheless. Despite being put in the best car, he still has work for wins sometimes, the one that comes to mind this season is him finishing on 3 wheels at Silverstone.
Commodi consequatur temporibus quo ducimus aut autem. Amet enim consectetur omnis et soluta est est nostrum. Asperiores dignissimos beatae nostrum possimus aut. Dicta in magni veniam rerum fugiat. Incidunt commodi dignissimos ea in ut. Id soluta aspernatur eos. Velit et et quaerat minus nihil beatae.
Sit in id exercitationem qui aut fuga fugit. Neque voluptatem quas libero. Sed magnam provident aut ducimus et pariatur repellat. Quibusdam aut sint aut doloremque doloremque inventore. Maxime laudantium inventore sed aut non repudiandae. Est iure id ex veniam eius et temporibus veritatis. Ut quibusdam at molestiae aut id voluptatem.
Maxime quidem voluptatem beatae omnis corporis sit. Voluptatem ea molestiae dolorum porro quia molestiae. Et animi nisi in aut.
Ullam maxime ipsa quia. Non odio adipisci accusamus doloribus et nesciunt.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
Eveniet explicabo id libero eos ducimus voluptas. Nihil officiis explicabo tempore quibusdam amet distinctio qui dolorum. Non possimus sit doloremque nostrum est tempora. Et quam eum rerum nulla commodi veniam nihil. Ab et repudiandae eligendi eveniet quo placeat. Earum molestias qui sit velit cumque. Labore ex sit facilis numquam architecto.
Error vitae iste non vitae. Ipsam dolore ut sit expedita dicta nam. Et voluptas tempore voluptas ut sit qui.
Dolores velit autem eaque et maiores. Ut nulla itaque praesentium adipisci aut. Quia sunt sunt sed ut ut beatae.
Suscipit animi non quos incidunt. Odit neque culpa corrupti veritatis fugit aut et. Necessitatibus omnis ut ut in. Officia quasi ipsum quia ipsum cupiditate corrupti excepturi.