Soldato
Australian race is off 
Motorsport Off Topic Thread
- Thread starter Shimmy
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Man of Honour
Australian race is off
Yeah not too surprised on this one; always felt like a long shot them allowing it; wonder if we'll add another race onto the calendar; November 21st race around the Nurburgring would be a laugh!
Probably more likely we have another Asian/Middle East Race or a second USA GP; seems like Japan and Brazil are still massively at risk too though
I think only place for Russell is at Mercedes (the only place worth going)
Only other potential position would be mclaren if Riccardo has an exit clause or team boot him. But unlikely I feel.
Alpine, AM, are side steps at best and might ruffle mercs feathers.
I guess RBR is an option if they ditch perez. Now that would be a big big disturbance in the balance!
Russell in the rbr. Now that... That id love to see!
Only other potential position would be mclaren if Riccardo has an exit clause or team boot him. But unlikely I feel.
Alpine, AM, are side steps at best and might ruffle mercs feathers.
I guess RBR is an option if they ditch perez. Now that would be a big big disturbance in the balance!
Russell in the rbr. Now that... That id love to see!
Man of Honour
I'd have seen him at Aston potentially if Vettel's form hadn't picked up but he's generally outclassed Lance Stroll over the last 3-4 races now he's got to grips with the new car and Lawrence is unlikely to sack his son no matter how much potential Russell has.
I suppose we've seen Toto "loan" out drivers before (Ocon in particular) but there just doesn't seem to be a seat on the grid available in the mid-field for next season.
I can’t see McL getting rid of Ricciardo, knowing there’s a whole new car and set of regulations coming next year when they’ll have the chance to make a car more suited to his strengths. They’ll take the pain, if multiple double points scoring finishes is pain, and look to next year. It’s always a risk that you’re making a car that doesn’t really suit the new driver coming in and they can’t make something they’ll like while they drive for another team.
Soldato
I'd love to see Malaysia back on the calendar. Or, if we're going back to old tracks that F1 hasn't raced on in a while, Elkhart Lake/Road America would be awesome.
Associate
Could end up anywhere looking at the calendar, there's a two week gap either side of the aus gp. It was in November so got to imagine its going to be somewhere with a warm climate.
Soldato
Mercedes have all Russell’s measurements from his replacing Hamilton when he had Covid.
Soldato
Strange about the Australia race given that it is more than 4 months away.
It shows they don't expect to get on top of the small outbreak they have at the moment.
It shows they don't expect to get on top of the small outbreak they have at the moment.
Soldato
Aus are struggling to get vaccines aren't they?
That’s true, yes. But you don’t make the pedal box larger for George’s feet unless you're 100% sure he’s going to be in the car. If he’s not, they make it smaller. With the budget cap it’s important to know this.
Soldato
F1 has never raced at Road America, and the track modifications needed to get FIA Grade One status would be massive and ruin the track.
Soldato
Ah yeah, my bad. I thought they did at some point in the 70s. Still would be great to see as it's a fantastic track.
Soldato
You're probably thinking of Watkins Glen (also Grade Two) which held the race from the 60s to the 80s.
Agree. Riccardo would have to get much worse. And even then doubtful.
I bet they knew Ocon wasn't great. So no big deal on that one really.
Man of Honour
I think its just an abundance of caution to be honest; why risk opening up more to outsiders only for sport?
Soldato
The car doesn't suit either driver at the moment. Both of them have come out and said things to that affect. It's supposedly a very difficult car, with Noris coming out and saying he can't drive the McLaren the way he wants.
He’s doing very well despite it then! And it should be remembered a car to a drivers liking isn’t always a fast car.
Soldato
True enough, though I would add the caveat that an incredibly fast car is no bloody good if no driver can get comfortable with it.
More of a problem in The Old Days™, but there's a good passage in one of the Stirling Moss biographies where he talks about Engineers Cars vs Drivers Cars. He noted that a car like the Maserati 250F was designed without building any single driver's preferences into it, resulting in a car that drove with very few vices to work around. Cars like the Mercedes W196 and the Vanwall had the handling preferences of their respective designers baked in (Rudi Uhlenhaut was a driver who never got to race as he was too good of an engineer, Colin Chapman always one to reckon that he knew better than the drivers) and consequently might have been faster overall but were rather tricky to drive.