2021 F1 Driver ThreadFormula 1 

I hope he goes to another series. Pretty sure there are some good seats available in Formula E. Or (preferably) replace Ericsson at SPM in Indycar.
 
The motorsport media are continuing to run reports that it's Ocon to Renault, Hulk to Haas, Bottas to stay at Mercedes. This particular publication claims that Ocon/Bottas will be confirmed at Spa with Haas confirming Hulkenberg at Monza.

 
I see. I wouldn’t be surprised if Grosjean does a semi retirement. He has a full family to care for, so a departure for him seems more probable.
 
All of this is coming from mini changes and posts on certain drivers' social media pages. It all look like innocent statements are being turned into completely cryptic announcements by the media. Don't believe anything until an official announcement because you'll all get disappointed if nothing changes.
 
Jimlaad43
All of this is coming from mini changes and posts on certain drivers' social media pages. It all look like innocent statements are being turned into completely cryptic announcements by the media. Don't believe anything until an official announcement because you'll all get disappointed if nothing changes.
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Definitely agree. But there's little other F1 news during the summer break other than the usual mad driver rumours, and I did present all these theories as exactly that :)
 
TheElbows
Drivers are only getting younger. I don't know Norris' background, but we're talking about a sport where almost everyone (even the back runners) are from extremely wealthy backgrounds or circumstances. Remember the running jokes about Rosberg being German even though he spent his whole life Monaco or some such? Not many "normal" upbringings in these fields. :D
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Pretty much, Racing is the Rich Persons sport.

You have to be extremely lucky with sponsorship to get anywhere without being in a wealthy family.
 
Latest rumor from the F1 subreddit (Original article in Italian) is that Bottas stays at Merc despite Toto gunning for Ocon. Apparently Hamilton and the race engineers really like working with him, Hamilton calling him the ideal companion, and both parties resisted Toto's push.
 
Bottas is Not good enough to consistently Challenge Hamilton but not bad enough to be dropped by Bad performance, he is in the sweet Spot for a Number 2.

The only issue is when Hamilton Retires he probably isn't good enough to lead the team, if they go for potential rather then a clear 1st driver as his replacement.

The only drivers I think that are better then Bottas right now would be, Hamilton, Verstappen, Ricciardo and Leclerc(Vettel is on the downturn imo).
 
Mercedes will have had a decent amount of time to judge Ocon (maybe not in race circumstances), but I'd imagine it means they're looking for someone else younger. I think overall it's a really poor state of affairs for Ocon, so I hope he doesn't become the next "what could have been". At his age and at this stage...even a two year stint at a non-player like Renault more or less means he won't ever end up at a top tier team again.

Also, good for Bottas...but also bad. I would imagine he's perfectly aware that being considered "the perfect teammate" is essentially damning with faint praise. However, Bottas is probably pragmatic enough to know he's not a future World Champion and this is as good as it's going to get. He can stick around another year or two then go be top-dog at a mid/back of the pack team.

So what will be interesting is Mercedes going forward. Ferrari and Red Bull have a round in the chamber, and Mercedes doesn't (at least directly). I think it's fair to say that the off season, or more likely next year's silly season will be hugely contentious with drivers vying for the Bottas seat. At some point Mercedes' need to get the next generation started will overcome Hamilton's comfort with a co-driver.
 
TheElbows
Also, good for Bottas...but also bad. I would imagine he's perfectly aware that being considered "the perfect teammate" is essentially damning with faint praise. However, Bottas is probably pragmatic enough to know he's not a future World Champion and this is as good as it's going to get. He can stick around another year or two then go be top-dog at a mid/back of the pack team.
.
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This, pretty much. Unless there's a major shift in the performance hierarchy between teams within the next couple years, Mercedes is Bottas' best place to be winning races and, although incredibly unlikely, his best place to win the title. Plus, for Merc, Bottas is almost always a guaranteed podium, unless he has issues during the race.

Meanwhile, while I think Ocon is talented, I feel like it'd be another case of HAM vs. ROS, further pumping up Toto's blood pressure, amongst other issues.
 
In something called "In De Car" there's a car person called Daly, who is going to do a thing at Portland.

This is interesting because his team say he's replacing Ericsson who has been called to Spa for Alfa Romeo. The story hasn't fleshed out to the point where I can tell if that's a race drive or a reserve position. No Spa thread yet for this little bit of news that might not even be true/meaningful

EDIT: True, not meaningful. Ericsson is there as reserve.

 
TenEightyOne
In something called "In De Car" there's a car person called Daly, who is going to do a thing at Portland.

This is interesting because his team say he's replacing Ericsson who has been called to Spa for Alfa Romeo. The story hasn't fleshed out to the point where I can tell if that's a race drive or a reserve position. No Spa thread yet for this little bit of news that might not even be true/meaningful

EDIT: True, not meaningful. Ericsson is there as reserve.
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Raikkonen has a pulled muscle that needs to be assessed. Kimi believes he will be racing however.

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/raikkonen-pulled-muscle-spa-ericsson/4523360/
 
Hulckenberg gets booted out in favor of Ocon...staying in everyone's radar on the F1 grid did payoff for the Frenchman
 
FutureF1
I suspect it’s almost a done deal to have hulk at Haas now. He’s too good not to be on the grid next year
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He is a lot more consistent than Grosjean as well. I really hope he gets that spot and keep the dream of finally getting that first podium that has been so elusive to him after so many seasons in the sport!
 
I would absolutely not miss Hulkenberg if he disappeared (I not-so-affectionately refer to him simply as "the ghost"), but he'd be better in Haas than Grosjean for sure, so that's a fair swap.
 
Jimlaad43
Although Hulkenberg and Magnussen as team mates surely won't work too well...
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Not sure kmag would be an easy team mate for any one. I'm thinking hulk is a bit more restrained on publicly broadcasted radio messages!
 
Hulkenberg to Haas or Hulkenberg to Red Bull seems like the big question remaining over this silly season.

Apparently Horner said something about Red Bull "look[ing] external to [the current Red Bull stable]" which presumably means Hulkenberg. Honestly I would guess that with Hulkenberg now a free agent that'd mean that unless he gets snapped up by Haas or someone early on it'll be up to Albon and Kvyat to prove they're the better options.

I can't see Gasly back in the Red Bull any time soon.

Without being privvy to some of the internal politics of the teams and drivers which may of course sway things in directions we wouldn't expect, I'd be shocked to see anyone other than Hulkenberg or Albon in the second Red Bull seat next year. If Albon impresses at Red Bull in the next 9 races he'll probably be retained, but if he doesn't Hulkenberg would seem like the most sensible pick. A proven experienced driver who probably wouldn't quite usurp Verstappen but could still be trusted to get the job done. If neither of those worked out then Kvyat would seem like the obvious Plan C.

Unless they just hire Alonso or some curveball like that
 
I don't think Red Bull would touch Hulkenberg with a 10-foot pole. This is Red Bull, and they more or less have the ability to make an irresistable offer to anyone in the world, more or less. If it's outside of the current Red Bull machine, it's probably Patricio O'Ward or some other young talent that has appeared on their radar.

However, if they're doubling down on the Max train and have decided to shift their entire philosophy, maybe someone like Hulkenberg would make sense...I just don't see it happening. I think Hulkenberg ends up at Haas.
 
Yeah, but look on the bright side. Hulkenberg may not spin his car out in the pit lane or crash under a safety car, etc. That's a marked improvement for the Haas team. Though we'll see a 45% reduction in whiny complaints on the team radio.
 
I was actually a bit shocked at Perez signing a three year extension at Force India...he's an okay driver, but he must bring a ton of money for that team to go that route. I don't know how motivated they are to get back to the top of the midfield like they were a couple years back.
 

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