Motorsport Off Topic Thread

Dup said:
They're a safe pair of hands between them, lots of experience alongside world champions and marketable in their own right. A sensible start to their brand in F1.
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I feel like you've hit the nail on the head with this line, it's a very sensible line up and I think the best way to kick things off for Cadillac.
 
Equally it should be an interesting match up between the two. Personally I think Bottas has the edge but suspect it'll largely depend on who can settle in the car quickest. Something to watch other than the title race.
 
t2na said:
I feel like you've hit the nail on the head with this line, it's a very sensible line up and I think the best way to kick things off for Cadillac.
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Seems like quite a sensible pairing. Obviously Perez has the marketing appeal for the Americas and both have won grand prix and driven alongside two of the greatest drivers so have lots of experience and knowledge.

From BBC Sport: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/articles/cedv43dpnqlo. So Cadillac are saying we could have gone for a younger driver but we want to get established and have known quantities. The fact that Bottas and Perez have both driven some of the most dominant cars of the last few years and so should be able to spot any issues with the new Cadillacs and help them get developed seems why they were chosen over a younger driver who hasn't got the experience of recent top cars.

"Dan Towriss, chief executive officer of GM's partner TWG Motorsports, said Cadillac had considered signing a young and up-and-coming driver before confirming this line-up.

"Their experience, leadership and technical acumen are what we need," Towriss said. "We're humbled by their belief in us and this project."
 
Interesting story about some guy who is attempting to attend every single F1 race this season on a budget of £20,000, using only his 28 days of annual leave.

www.bbc.co.uk

Dutch Grand Prix: Meet man trying to go to all 24 F1 races on £20K budget

Brandon Burgess is challenging himself to attend every Formula 1 race in 2025 on a £20,000 budget and only using 28 days' annual leave.
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk
 
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Colton Herta confirmed as Cadillac's "reserve" driver and he's left the Andretti Indycar team (replaced by Will Power) so presumably he is indeed moving into F2 next season in an effort to get that F1 super license for 2027.
 
chrismscotland said:
Colton Herta confirmed as Cadillac's "reserve" driver and he's left the Andretti Indycar team (replaced by Will Power) so presumably he is indeed moving into F2 next season in an effort to get that F1 super license for 2027.
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Bold move. Not sure it's a smart one. Also aren't both Bottas and Perez on two year contracts? So he can't get into F1 until 2028?
 
the-evaluator said:
Doesn't seem like a smart move to me. I thought he'd be better placed at a top Indycar team in a race seat that test (only, not test & reserve) driver at the arse end of the F1 grid.
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Doing well in F2 would get him the Superlicense points he needs, give him experience racing on tracks F1 uses, and knowledge of the similarish Pirelli tyres F2 uses. I can see the idea, but I think it's wildly risky. There's no certainty he'll do well in F2 and anything less than top two will be seen as a failure. Meanwhile if he does win, he's still looking at 2027 on the sidelines.
 
Mr Jack said:
Doing well in F2 would get him the Superlicense points he needs, give him experience racing on tracks F1 uses, and knowledge of the similarish Pirelli tyres F2 uses. I can see the idea, but I think it's wildly risky. There's no certainty he'll do well in F2 and anything less than top two will be seen as a failure. Meanwhile if he does win, he's still looking at 2027 on the sidelines.
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He only needs to finish top 8 in F2 if what I've read elsewhere is correct; in that he'll have 36 points at the end of next season based on what he has right now (there's 1x due to drop off from 2023). But agree if he doesn't smash that series it'll be seen as a failure.

Top 8 would get him 6 Points which makes the magic 40 needed for F1 - he can also get a single point if he does more than 100KM in an FP1 session; Cadillac could use him for the 4x mandatory "Rookie" sessions - not sure if they're allowed to do that for more sessions or if its limited - its always been sold as a 2 session "mandatory minimum".

I guess its entirely possible that at least one of Perez or Bottas contract isn't a fixed 2 year contract but possibly an option / performance dependent, etc - although my money would be on Bottas for that; they've seemed really keen on having Perez with his South American profile.
 
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chrismscotland said:
He only needs to finish top 8 in F2 if what I've read elsewhere is correct; in that he'll have 36 points at the end of next season based on what he has right now (there's 1x due to drop off from 2023). But agree if he doesn't smash that series it'll be seen as a failure.
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Yeah, he's five points off, and Cadillac can top it up with practice sessions if they want (there's no limit on that, other than the impact it has on their main drivers and lost time to test/develop their car).

I guess its entirely possible that at least one of Perez or Bottas contract isn't a fixed 2 year contract but possibly an option / performance dependent, etc - although my money would be on Bottas for that; they've seemed really keen on having Perez with his South American profile.
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Yeah, we all now F1 contracts are "soft" but I'd be surprised if they didn't stick with the line up for a couple of years unless one of them badly underperforms. If they were up for bringing in a rookie so soon, wouldn't they be doing it already?
 
Mr Jack said:
Yeah, he's five points off, and Cadillac can top it up with practice sessions if they want (there's no limit on that, other than the impact it has on their main drivers and lost time to test/develop their car).



Yeah, we all now F1 contracts are "soft" but I'd be surprised if they didn't stick with the line up for a couple of years unless one of them badly underperforms. If they were up for bringing in a rookie so soon, wouldn't they be doing it already?
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Maybe but I do think they're mad keen on an "American" driver; frankly there doesn't seem to be a decent one available that could just walk into the team Day 1(although I'd give them £10 to take on Logan Sergant for a laugh)
 
GravyMonster said:
I thought that was the standard prize when you win the F2 championship?
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It certainly feels like that, doesn't it? Eight champions, four of whom got an immediate seat (Leclerc, Russell, Mick, Bortoleto), two who got there eventually (Piastri and de Vries), and two who look unlikely to ever grace the grid (Drugovich and Pourchaire). Not as bad as I expected, tbh.
 
Mr Jack said:
It certainly feels like that, doesn't it? Eight champions, four of whom got an immediate seat (Leclerc, Russell, Mick, Bortoleto), two who got there eventually (Piastri and de Vries), and two who look unlikely to ever grace the grid (Drugovich and Pourchaire). Not as bad as I expected, tbh.
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When you do the same against GP2, 11 champs, 3 didnt make it. Which isnt bad really.
E: actually, 20% of everyone who raced in GP2, made it and raced in F1, which I think is pretty good.
 
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sidimmu said:
When you do the same against GP2, 11 champs, 3 didnt make it. Which isnt bad really.
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Similar ratio, and similar circumstances: all of the 3 who didn't make it won after many seasons in GP2 just like in F2. Huh, just noticed that fully half of the F2 champions won it in their first season.

E: actually, 20% of everyone who raced in GP2, made it and raced in F1, which I think is pretty good.
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That's wildly higher than I would have guessed. Neat. I wonder what the stat for F2 is? Probably ignoring new entries from this season and last.
 
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