Soldato
Whatever anyone's opinion it is a fact the lifetime ban was overturned, which means he has every right to be there. Maybe there will be a backlash, but maybe there won't, but certainly Flavio does give a ff what people think.
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Motorsport Off Topic Thread
- Thread starter Shimmy
- Start date
Caporegime
That a court bizarrely overturned his ban doesn't make Alpine's decision to bring him back into the sport okay. Why Alpine thing soiling their brand with his stink is a good idea I have no idea. I hope their sponsors all walk.
Associate
Not really, there is precedent for this alrwdy
Back when this team were Lotus, they used Mercedes engines
Caporegime
When it was Lotus, it wasn't owned by Renault.
Soldato
It was owned/controlled by Genii Capital IIRC.
I can see them maybe siding with Honda who are making a full return in 2026 to power Aston Martin.
Honda will like it as they will have a 2nd team to get data from. Would also be cheaper than the Ferrari or Merc option and the RBPT/Ford option would be an unknown with Ford being new to the game.
Honda will like it as they will have a 2nd team to get data from. Would also be cheaper than the Ferrari or Merc option and the RBPT/Ford option would be an unknown with Ford being new to the game.
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Soldato
I can see Max joining Merc....
I think no matter what the outlook seems like for new regs I think most drivers agree you’d be mad to leave a winning team?
I can’t see it happening at all. But it’d be fun to see everything get mixed up.
Associate
Antonelli hasn't exactly looked like a future superstar in F2 this season. Yes it's been a big step up but most elite tier prospects standout in their debut season regardless. Look at Leclerc in F2, yes he was a year older but he dominated the entire season and looked levels ahead of everyone. I feel like it would have been the same with Max had he not gone straight to F1.
Still, his results pre F2 are exceptional so certainly not going to rule him out as a future star based on just over half an F2 season.
Still, his results pre F2 are exceptional so certainly not going to rule him out as a future star based on just over half an F2 season.
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Soldato
I can see it happening. Esp with Newey jumping ship.I think no matter what the outlook seems like for new regs I think most drivers agree you’d be mad to leave a winning team?
I can’t see it happening at all. But it’d be fun to see everything get mixed up.
Other teams are catching up fast.
Caporegime
I think he's been better than it appears. He skipped F3 entirely, unlike everyone else on the grid, which not only means that he's got less experience in faster cars but also that's he not raced at many more of these tracks than other drivers and he's the youngest driver on the grid. Even so, he's up there in the upper half of the points, and until the last, admittedly dire, weekend he'd shown improvement each weekend. Qualifying better, scoring at least as many points as before, in each weekend. That's rare among the scattergun results produced by many F2 drivers. Also, while F2 is a spec series so the team makes less difference than in F1, there is a still a significant team factor particularly in how well they set up the cars. His teammate in the Prema is Oli Bearman, who we saw earlier this season is skilled enough to jump into an F1 car at short notice and pick up points, and he's been absolutely thrashing him: 8-2 in race finishes.
It's really only if you expect him to be winning everything that he hasn't performed. I still think we'll see him picking up regular wins by the end of the season.
But that's always going to happen after a few years of regs. I doubt RB are surprised. They're still not losing are they?
Soldato
Not yet but this year is a very different year for them. No outright domination...
Soldato
Max is 80 plus points ahead of everyone else. 2nd place norris has only won one race...
People need to calm down
Soldato
Its a discussion buddy. Nowt else...
A couple of DNF’s after a first corner pile up and the pressure will be on though. Let’s see how the points are at the break.
Associate
- Joined
- 2 Feb 2009
- Posts
- 725
From your mouth to the racing gods in the sky please
Caporegime
Helmut Marko seems to be saying that Lawson will be getting one of the seats for next year, presumably DR's. Translated from an Austrian outfit, he said:
After his stand-in performance last year, Lawson certainly deserves a seat, imo.
The Racing Bulls suddenly had three drivers for two cockpits in the coming season. While Yuki Tsunoda's contract has now been extended following strong performances, the decision for the last free spot will be made between Daniel Ricciardo and simulator and reserve driver Liam Lawson. While the experienced Australian is highly regarded by Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, Helmut Marko is fully committed to the young New Zealander.
According to the man from Graz, the decision seems to have already been made. "The shareholders have made it known that it is a junior team and we have to act accordingly," said Marko before the Austrian Grand Prix. With Ricciardo, a lot is still open after missing out on promotion to the "first team". "The goal was that he would be considered for Red Bull Racing with exceptional performances. That seat now belongs to Sergio Perez, so that plan is no longer valid." It is therefore more than questionable whether the 34-year-old Australian will stay with the Racing Bulls next season. "We have to put a young driver in there soon," said Marko for the Racing Bulls, and when asked, explained: "That would be Liam Lawson."
According to the man from Graz, the decision seems to have already been made. "The shareholders have made it known that it is a junior team and we have to act accordingly," said Marko before the Austrian Grand Prix. With Ricciardo, a lot is still open after missing out on promotion to the "first team". "The goal was that he would be considered for Red Bull Racing with exceptional performances. That seat now belongs to Sergio Perez, so that plan is no longer valid." It is therefore more than questionable whether the 34-year-old Australian will stay with the Racing Bulls next season. "We have to put a young driver in there soon," said Marko for the Racing Bulls, and when asked, explained: "That would be Liam Lawson."
After his stand-in performance last year, Lawson certainly deserves a seat, imo.
RBR need to have someone in their pipeline that can grow into the 2nd seat i.e. replace Perez, which they currently don't have. Could risk it with RIC but I think Lawson is the better overall package between RIC, PER and TSU.
Caporegime
Yeah, they seem to have completely stalled their pipeline. Yuki is there despite the fact that they're clearly never going to put him into the Red Bull, Pérez is a stopgap, De Vries failed, DR is seat-blocking for a season and a half; and meanwhile they've got a stack of talent piling up in other Formulas - as well as more they've already abandoned.