Button returning to F1?

Outcast · 13 Apr 2017 at 15:53

Reverse Driver ?

Is that like a driver who goes backwards really fast ? Fernando might lay claim to that with his career in F1

Mark365 · 13 Apr 2017 at 17:04

Blackvault said:
Yes I'd agree he's probably best best choice. But really McLaren should have an experience development driver or reverse driver. In my opinion their driver line-up should be:

Young Driver - 16yo in the Junior Formula
Development Driver - Someone like Button, with years of preferable F1 experience or Rob Bell or any of the McLaren GT factory drivers
Reverse Driver - Someone who has maybe won GP2 and hasn't fast tracked through the single seater forumlas.
Race Drivers - Ideal their ex reverse driver and someone coming towards the end of their career.

A good quote from Joe Saward.

If they would just open up testing and let these young guys get driving time. Everybody wins. Lots of young talent out there. I hope they get there chance.

howler · 13 Apr 2017 at 17:28

Surely it doesn't matter who drives the car given it is so slow, maybe get Valentino Rossi to drive it for the media hype!

Blackvault · 13 Apr 2017 at 20:53

Mark365 said:
If they would just open up testing and let these young guys get driving time. Everybody wins. Lots of young talent out there. I hope they get there chance.

I totally agree, the young drivers session at the end of the year is usually their only chance? Also doing testing and laps isn't really giving them race craft practise either.

What would be cool is a formula made up of these reverse/development drivers in F1.5 type cars to keep their race craft and skills honed.

Mark365 · 13 Apr 2017 at 21:33

Blackvault said:
I totally agree, the young drivers session at the end of the year is usually their only chance? Also doing testing and laps isn't really giving them race craft practise either.

What would be cool is a formula made up of these reverse/development drivers in F1.5 type cars to keep their race craft and skills honed.

Very cool idea. Have it running parallel with the F1 race calendar with maybe a Saturday race. Yes I know there is GP2 but a lot of those drivers are not linked to any of the F1 teams.

The_Abyss · 14 Apr 2017 at 07:22

andicole0 said:
Now Stoffel says he's missing Hungary to do Spa 24. Ref. drivers confetence on Sky.
Andi.

Do you have more details? I haven't seen this reported anywhere.

It would be madness for Stoffel to exit an F1 car at this stage of his career.

Edit: this is it. He's just messing around http://www.foxsportsasia.com/motors...m273363/thursday-fia-press-conference-part-1/

mrgubby · 14 Apr 2017 at 11:32

It looks official now

Armageus · 14 Apr 2017 at 11:42

mrgubby said:
It looks official now

just to clarify: Button for Monaco that is (not Stoffel for Le Mans

although don't think the driver line up is finalised - so who knows?)

http://www.crash.net/f1/news/244609/1/jenson-button-to-make-f1-return-in-monaco-gp.html

KiNgPiN83 · 14 Apr 2017 at 12:05

According to the sky guys in fp1 he's contractually obliged to race regardless. They just made it sound like he'd chosen to. Lol

mmj_uk · 15 Apr 2017 at 16:42

Alonso will do well to finish the Indy 500 without crashing after being involved in an increasingly dumbed down F1 for so long.

The_Abyss · 15 Apr 2017 at 22:20

KiNgPiN83 said:
According to the sky guys in fp1 he's contractually obliged to race regardless. They just made it sound like he'd chosen to. Lol

I'm sure there's plenty of PR spin going on. Boullier confirmed on Sky that Button was not obliged to drive, but was very willing to do so. On the other hand, they must be paying him £6 - £8 million a year for doing something more than the occasional fashion shoot and events where he pretends that he likes Chandon and whiskey.

this_is_gav · 15 Apr 2017 at 23:43

I can't believe he's turned down the opportunity to test next week, especially given that he's never driven a car with such speed for at least a decade.

He's obviously an extremely fit guy given his idea of relaxation, but nothing he does outside of F1 can prepare you for the strain the neck in particular goes through in the car.

I know they're saying that the upgrades on the car means it won't be the same come Monaco, but I guess more to the point is that Monaco isn't the same and has a fairly slow average speed with no really fast corners, and that general fitness will be sufficient, but I'm still surprised - why would you turn down the chance? In F1 data and experience is everything. It all just seems half-hearted.

FrankJH · 16 Apr 2017 at 23:03

this_is_gav said:
I can't believe he's turned down the opportunity to test next week, especially given that he's never driven a car with such speed for at least a decade.
.

Its probably fair to say the only person who can really judge is JB, after all he doesnt have much f1 experience does he

Its not like the extra speed this season is really going to be apparent either in the Honda or at Monaco

Outcast · 17 Apr 2017 at 10:50

JB probably knows he's going to be taking a 400 place Grid penalty at Monaco so Alonso has a fresh batch of engines !!

englishpremier · 17 Apr 2017 at 11:21

I doubt experience in the current cars matter much. He's a 'top' (obviously not on Ham, Alonso, Vettels level) driver, so should be able to drive pretty much anything within reason. He'll most likely do some sim work then have FP1 FP2 and FP3. That should be plenty. I think people massively overplay needing to some kind of special experience.

The_Abyss · 17 Apr 2017 at 18:12

Outcast said:
JB probably knows he's going to be taking a 400 place Grid penalty at Monaco so Alonso has a fresh batch of engines !!

Thankfully there's now a rule to prevent taking multiple engines in one weekend and then stockpiling them.

Glaucus · 17 Apr 2017 at 18:14

this_is_gav said:
I can't believe he's turned down the opportunity to test next week, especially given that he's never driven a car with such speed for at least a decade.
.

i doubt he wants to drive the dog of a car at all, but hes contacted so i expect doing as little as he can get away with.

KiNgPiN83 · 18 Apr 2017 at 00:02

I still don't know why he agreed to that contract. (Obviously there's the money side but i doubt he needs it!) He should've just did his triathlon stuff/other race series like WEC or something. They basically wanted to retain him in case Alonso walked this year but Alonso isn't going to because this year is about selling himself to get a drive for next year in a car that isn't terrible. Stoffel is hardly going to leave either so basically McLaren get Buttons services when needed on the cheap(Seemingly when their drivers decide they want to do other things instead of race the F1 car! Haha!). Apparently they have an option to sign him in 2018 but if they wanted him that badly they wouldn't have let him go for Stoffel anyway!!

Glaucus · 18 Apr 2017 at 00:12

perhaps it was to late for another series, perhaps hes using this year to see what else is available, who knows really.

The_Abyss · 18 Apr 2017 at 00:26

He's the highest paid driver in F1 in 2017. £6 million per race at the current rate!