Giovanazzi out, Zhou in
- Thread starter Quartz
- Start date
Commissario
Another one paying to drive? I wonder if he'll be any better than Mazepin.
Soldato
Currently 2nd in F2 but in the mix with 4 or 5 other drivers. Can't judge someone until they are in the machinery but he did come behind Mazepin in 2019 >_<
Man of Honour
Will be interesting to see how Zhou does; he's looked genuinely quick at times in F2 and won a few races (more than Mick); but its only this year he's really fighting for the title.
Big move though severing ties with Alpine but realistically I don't think there's a seat there for anyone in 2023 if Alonso stays fast and wants to keep going.
Big move though severing ties with Alpine but realistically I don't think there's a seat there for anyone in 2023 if Alonso stays fast and wants to keep going.
Soldato
F1 needs more young, hungry drivers. Time for several of the old school drivers (many of whom I've supported over the years) to retire and let the youngsters rejuvenate the sport.
Raikonnen (already gone), Alonso, Vettel, Ricciardo, Hamilton and maybe Bottas all need to go.
Raikonnen (already gone), Alonso, Vettel, Ricciardo, Hamilton and maybe Bottas all need to go.
Soldato
I disagree completely. Alonso has drive, just needs a car that isn't garbage. Ricciardo, really? :| Bottas, I'd like to see what he can do NOT in a Mercedes now.
Hamilton is still constantly fighting for WDCs, why the hell would we want him to retire now? (And I'm far from a fan).
Vettel, I'm not sure. Out of Red Bull, I think he's a great personality, but I dunno if he's the same person on the track now.
The sport's rejuvenation needs to come from cars that aren't giant, ugly air disruptors. Designed for current race tracks, or with a move to tracks that work with them.
Living in China, I'm excited to see what Zhou does. Hopefully gets the place a bit more F1 crazy.
Hamilton is still constantly fighting for WDCs, why the hell would we want him to retire now? (And I'm far from a fan).
Vettel, I'm not sure. Out of Red Bull, I think he's a great personality, but I dunno if he's the same person on the track now.
The sport's rejuvenation needs to come from cars that aren't giant, ugly air disruptors. Designed for current race tracks, or with a move to tracks that work with them.
Living in China, I'm excited to see what Zhou does. Hopefully gets the place a bit more F1 crazy.
Commissario
I wonder if he'll be as bad as Ukyo Katayama, he was another pay driver wasn't he? Always seemed to be right at the back of the grid and getting lapped during races.
I am not 100% sure that's fair on poor Ukyo!! His performances in F1 may be more down to his machinery than his own skill. He did win his class at LeMans, with a second place overall finish, had a couple of amazing F1 qualifying performances, and some simply terrible luck with mechanical failures, not to mention keeping his painful back cancer secret during his final year(s?) He is far and away better than most "Pay" drivers were and will be
Looking at Zhou's racing record, its certainly credible, not stellar, but solid. However, as we know, previous performance is not always an indicator of future success!
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Man of Honour
Nah this guy is better than that! Katayama had little pre-F1 pedigree outside Japan although he spent his time at Tyrrell, Minardi and Venturi so I don't think Senna would have avoided being at the back in those tractors!
Soldato
Didn't do so bad considering the cars he was driving, and the fact that he had cancer during his career. Finished in the points a few times during the '94 season.
Sure you're not thinking of Taki Inoue, who holds the distinction of being one of the few F1 drivers in history to get clattered by the medical car?
Soldato
F1 need more competitive cars. Makes no odds who is driving when 80% of the teams are simply making up the numbers.
Deleted member 651465
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Deleted member 651465
F1 are desperate to have a Chinese driver on the grid. If he's half-decent and not Mazepin levels of suck then it'll be a nice money maker for them.
Caporegime
Zhou's not a pay driver in the style of Mazepin, Stroll, or Latifi. His family, while certainly comfortable, aren't billionaires paying for their boy to drive. Instead, he's backed by big sponsors, much more in the line of Pérez. I see him as more of a Latifi figure, his record will look similar - taking several seasons to land a 2nd place in F2 - and I expect to perform similarly: an unremarkable but reliable performer rather than an embarrassment to the grid like Mazepin.
Will make it 3 next year, not something new.
Max Chilton's entry a few years back was an embarrassment.
Soldato
He wasn't that bad. We've got it good at the moment. For pay drivers look at the mid-90s. 1994 had 46 (FOURTY-SIX!) different drivers across the season, coming and going as soon as their wallets dried up.
Soldato
People have very rose tinted glasses when it comes to pay drivers in F1. The pay ones now are vastly superior to the ones before that you mentioned in the 90s.
Stroll is terrible - Perez finished 4th in 2020, yet lost his seat.
Irrespective of coming up through the ranks, being funded all the way does not IMO by default provide credibility.
Soldato
Super licence points system these days means you need to at least have some talent and racing pedigree before you can buy your way into an F1 drive, back in the 80s/90s almost anyone with the cash who fancied a go could get themselves a back of the grid drive for a couple of races.