Booo! to Force India

thepharcyde · 12 Dec 2013 at 19:10

andicole0 said:
PS Oops forgot about Max Chilton who has a bob or too as well

Nice rich daddy and his ties with Marussia has helped immensely just like his brother. Look at the likes of both Matt Neal and Andrew Jordon in BTCC who have all come from nothing to where they are now albeit with help from their Dad's but they perform to match.

This is what I hate about motorsport in general.

Duke · 12 Dec 2013 at 19:16

I don't think Di Resta would have gone much further than a midfield team - he was hardly setting the world on fire. Time to see without so much pressure again whether Perez can perform.

Emlyn_Dewar · 12 Dec 2013 at 21:09

Of all the drivers in F1, Chilton is the one who needs to get out. That Marussia will never achieve anything, but Chilton is just a waste of a seat.

Deathwish · 12 Dec 2013 at 21:52

Force India Honda in 2015 then?

Skeeter · 12 Dec 2013 at 22:03

Honda need to find someone to pay them for engines, if McLaren are getting them for free!

The_Abyss · 13 Dec 2013 at 00:10

I don't think that F1 in 2014 or later will be a poorer place without Di Resta. It is sad to see another British driver go but F1 is about far more than a flag (unless you're Sauber or Torro Rosso of course

).

I think comments about pay drivers are overly simplistic. Most drivers bring some sponsorship to the team, some more than others and some in different ways. Heck, Alonso is effectively a pay driver with his Santander sponsorship.

Indy500 · 13 Dec 2013 at 00:55

The_Abyss said:
I think comments about pay drivers are overly simplistic. Most drivers bring some sponsorship to the team, some more than others and some in different ways

Alonso's talent was evident long before he attracted Santander (Euro Open by Nissan title, and winning a race in F3000 at the age of 19, placing 4th overall in his debut season). Charles Pic's mother owning a large truck fleet is completely different. Where are the F1 offers for Robin Frijns and Robert Wickens, for example?

F1 as a sport will lose its status as a so-called pinnacle if it continues to ignore talent in favour of $$$. The Racing Steps Foundation, providing one of the best driver schemes out there, are starting to position upcoming drivers (like Jack Harvey) for an Indycar career instead - http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/111453

The_Abyss · 13 Dec 2013 at 02:14

Indy500 said:
Alonso's talent was evident long before he attracted Santander (Euro Open by Nissan title, and winning a race in F3000 at the age of 19, placing 4th overall in his debut season). Charles Pic's mother owning a large truck fleet is completely different. Where are the F1 offers for Robin Frijns and Robert Wickens, for example?

F1 as a sport will lose its status as a so-called pinnacle if it continues to ignore talent in favour of $$$. The Racing Steps Foundation, providing one of the best driver schemes out there, are starting to position upcoming drivers (like Jack Harvey) for an Indycar career instead - http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/111453

Indeed, but my comment was that most observations on pay drivers are too simplistic.

Look at the sponsorship that Alonso commands now yet, whilst he remains one of the top drivers on the grid, he's not been able to deliver another championship since hitting the big time sponsors' bucks. That may or may not be down to him, but the point is that there are many kinds of 'pay drivers', including those that bring more than their own worth and those that may bring less.

Duke · 13 Dec 2013 at 07:59

Moses said:
Di Resta has always struck me as someone who's entirely decent, but who hasn't shown amazing talent. Obviously it sucks for him that pay drivers may be edging him out of the sport... but on the other hand it hardly looks as though he's been robbed of a chance of a title, or anything like that...

He has sponsorship too iirc.

Guerrilla · 13 Dec 2013 at 09:43

No disrespect to Di Resta but even if the money situation was taken away I would still probably go for Perez.

I think Di Resta had that season where his name was being linked to top teams and that was likely his only chance to move upwards, he is probably now better off going back to DTM or off to Indycar.

You could say it's a shame but he has had 4 years in F1 which is more than many get chance. That said he is a better driver than many that will be on the grid next year.

danmck · 14 Dec 2013 at 15:46

Di Resta was the only reason i watched it this season