F1 2019 - Teams and Drivers - Who goes where?!

Mr Jack said:
It'd probably be his best move, I think.

Incredible that his career has delivered so little over the last decade given his talent.
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It's generally been bad luck. He was forced to join Renault after the relationship with McLaren fell apart of course, and he was partly to blame for that, that's fair enough, but after that he made the correct decision to move to Ferrari, very nearly won a couple of world championships with them (one poor strategic decision stopped him in 2010, and Vettel was lucky to finish at Interlagos in 2012), but when he chose to leave Ferrari were in a terrible state - indeed behind Mercedes, Red Bull (despite all their PU problems) and Williams in the constructors. The move to McLaren was a risk because Honda was an unknown, but to be honest at the time it looked just as promising as the Ferrari drive.

Some compare Alonso's team choices to Alesi's decision to join Ferrari rather than turn his back on Williams for 1991, but at the time Ferrari was the easy choice - of course in hindsight it was a terrible decision but in a parallel universe Alesi probably would have been at least a one-time champion.

People like Horner of course know more than us about the whispers in the paddock, but the theory that Alonso is a toxic presence based on his situation at McLaren more than a decade ago is a bit of cop-out in my opinion. The reality is more likely that he (or probably Marko, using Horner as the megaphone) just wants to hire a second-rate or easy-going driver to partner Verstappen, and he knows Alonso could potentially undermine both Verstappen and the Red Bull young driver programme (not a given by any means of course, but it would have the potential to).
 
413x said:
He's been sub par at best
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He was much closer at Hungary, I still think there was a problem with his Chassis but when they eventually replaced it he was much closer. We'll see what happens but such a big number of in season changes would be unprecedented. And thus unlikely to happen.
 
Mr Jack said:
It'd probably be his best move, I think.

Incredible that his career has delivered so little over the last decade given his talent.
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I'm usually critical of his decision making but to be fair to him other than being in an RB or Merc over the last 8 years or so it was always going to be an uphill struggle for him.
 
All for the rumors of musical chairs before Belgium, especially if it sees Kubica given a chance to prove himself.

However, why the hell would McLaren want to help out Mercedes by taking Ocon? They might as well get Lando Norris in if they really want to mix it up (although I guess F2 commitments may compete)......
 
Talk that Norris hasn’t exactly set the world alight in tests, hence why the teams are going cold.
 
Norris has gone a bit cold in F2 too. A few races with off performances compared to where he was in the early races. Hungary was just plain odd - utterly dominant in the wet (a Senna or Schumacher level of performance) yet fell apart and was caught and passed rapidly when they changed to slicks.

If McLaren go for Ocon then it will simply be to get a known quantity and they don't feel Norris is ready (same reason Sainz went to Renault at this point last year). It's not about developing him for Mercedes (though Mercedes won't complain as McLaren aren't in a position to take points off them, and they get a more experienced driver), it's about getting a relatively proven and solid driver in.

Whether it's to partner Alonso or replace him we might find out today, if Alonso's tweet yesterday was anything to go by.
 
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this_is_gav said:
Norris has gone a bit cold in F2 too. A few races with off performances compared to where he was in the early races. Hungary was just plain odd - utterly dominant in the wet (a Senna or Schumacher level of performance) yet fell apart and was caught and passed rapidly when they changed to slicks.
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That was purely the set up they went for was much more wet focused than the rest. Allowed him to move up the field early on and get a gap, but completely compromised him when it dried out. But he has gone off the boil and hasn't improved at the rate some others have this year.
 
SoliD said:
That was purely the set up they went for was much more wet focused than the rest. Allowed him to move up the field early on and get a gap, but completely compromised him when it dried out. But he has gone off the boil and hasn't improved at the rate some others have this year.
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It must be very different to F1 then, as F1 cars don't tend to change their set up for rain much at all these days (just a tweak of the front wing for the different tyres and little else).

I remember when F1 cars had massive changes for wet running. Softer suspension to be a bit more forgiving, raised ride height to minimise aquaplaning, obviously maximum downforce and probably a shed load of other changes too.

Nowadays they strap on some wet tyres, tweak the front wing angle and send them on their way. The driver changes the engine map and diff settings and that's it.
 
Alonso will not race in F1 in 2019.

Fernando Alonso will not race in F1 in 2019, McLaren has announced.

Alonso said he made his decision several months ago.

“After 17 wonderful years in this amazing sport, it’s time for me to make a change and move on,” said Alonso in a statement. “I have enjoyed every single minute of those incredible seasons and I cannot thank enough the people who have contributed to make them all so special.

“There are still several grands prix to go this season, and I will take part in them with more commitment and passion than ever.

“Let’s see what the future brings; new exciting challenges are around the corner. I’m having one of the happiest times ever in my life but I need to go on exploring new adventures.

“I want to thank everyone at McLaren. My heart is with the team forever. I know they will come back stronger and better in the future and it could be the right moment for me to be back in the series; that would make me really happy. I have built so many great relationships with many fantastic people at McLaren, and they have given me the opportunity to broaden my horizons and race in other categories. I feel I am a more complete driver now than ever.

“I made this decision some months ago and it was a firm one. Nevertheless, I would like to sincerely thank Chase Carey and Liberty Media for the efforts made to change my mind and everyone who has contacted me during this time.

“Finally, I would also like to thank my former teams, team-mates, competitors, colleagues, partners, journalists and everyone I have worked with in my F1 career. And, especially, my fans all over the world. I am quite sure our paths will cross again in the future.”

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown paid tribute to Alonso, who twinned the team in 2015.

“Fernando is not only an outstanding ambassador for McLaren but also for Formula 1,” said Brown. “His 17 years in the sport, as arguably the pre-eminent driver of his generation and undoubtedly an F1 great, have added another layer to Formula 1’s rich history.

“There is a time for everyone to make a change and Fernando has decided the end of this season to be his. We respect his decision, even if we believe he is in the finest form of his career. Our open dialogue with Fernando has meant we could plan for this eventuality.”
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https://www.racefans.net/2018/08/14/alonso-will-not-race-in-f1-in-2019/
 
Think this season has shown that #bestchassisonthegridallhondasfault was a load of **** and that team isn’t gonna be competitive for a long long time.

Least he can go drive a decent motor in WEC or Indy and at have some fun :)
 
Sad to see Fred leave but he has deserved far better than the ** please don’t swear - EVH ** Mclaren have given him the last few years. Such a waste of his time.
 
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Psycho Ned said:
Think this season has shown that #bestchassisonthegridallhondasfault was a load of **** and that team isn’t gonna be competitive for a long long time.
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This. McLaren are in quite a lot of trouble now, it was only Alonso's considerable talent keeping them as far up the order as they have been. Presumably they were negotiating with Ricciardo as his replacement, but him signing for Renault has not left them with many (maybe any) options as far as top drivers go.

Hopefully now Alonso can go have fun doing something other than F1, maybe have another crack at Indy.
 
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