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- CiaranGTR94
TBH I think Webber's only got 2/3 seasons left before he retires.
The '13 driver transfer discussion/speculation thread op updated 16/10
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TBH I think Webber's only got 2/3 seasons left before he retires.
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- Ardius_
Webber's future at Red Bull depends on when Red Bull find their 2nd young star. Seeing as Hulkenburg only has a 1-year contract, it makes sense..meanwhile Red Bull can still monitor Ricciardo and Vergne.
I hate this situation with Red Bull having their fingers in all the pies including 2 different races teams...but I do want to see Hulk in a top car because he has impressed. But I do feel sorry for any prospective driver on the Red Bull programme because its pretty cut-throat - I think its just the expectations that it builds..it only leads to very harsh criticism whereas other drivers (like Hulk!) can make a name for themselves but not suffer the bad image of being visibly dropped by Red Bull.
I think its to do with how public Red Bull/Helmut Marko go about their business. I get the sense that if Alguesuari (for example) had been dropped by any other team, it wouldn't be seen in quite the same light as when Red Bull drop drivers. Possibly also because most other teams usually drop drivers for financial reasons or simply because better contracts or drivers appear.
Its better to leave quietly than disgraced.
And yeah, I hate conflicts of interest like this:
Ideally I'd like to see Toro Rosso sold to a decent buyer and run independently again. I hate seeing this team ham-strung by Red Bull, even if they are kept alive.
I hate this situation with Red Bull having their fingers in all the pies including 2 different races teams...but I do want to see Hulk in a top car because he has impressed. But I do feel sorry for any prospective driver on the Red Bull programme because its pretty cut-throat - I think its just the expectations that it builds..it only leads to very harsh criticism whereas other drivers (like Hulk!) can make a name for themselves but not suffer the bad image of being visibly dropped by Red Bull.
I think its to do with how public Red Bull/Helmut Marko go about their business. I get the sense that if Alguesuari (for example) had been dropped by any other team, it wouldn't be seen in quite the same light as when Red Bull drop drivers. Possibly also because most other teams usually drop drivers for financial reasons or simply because better contracts or drivers appear.
Its better to leave quietly than disgraced.
And yeah, I hate conflicts of interest like this:
Ideally I'd like to see Toro Rosso sold to a decent buyer and run independently again. I hate seeing this team ham-strung by Red Bull, even if they are kept alive.
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^^
Oh. GOD.
Could someone please explain me why, during all these years, all the opinions I've read were among the lines of "Ferrari are ****, they're dictators, play dirty, whine and complain and use their influence to change the results" and "Red Bull are super duper nice, giving everyone equal chances" and all that ****.
PLEASE. Amuse and entertain me.
Oh. GOD.
Could someone please explain me why, during all these years, all the opinions I've read were among the lines of "Ferrari are ****, they're dictators, play dirty, whine and complain and use their influence to change the results" and "Red Bull are super duper nice, giving everyone equal chances" and all that ****.
PLEASE. Amuse and entertain me.
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Sometimes, I think Red Bull are very conscious of the way they are received by fans, and try a little too hard to change things. For instance, when they entered the sport, they were the party team; for instance, in Monaco the Red Bull post-race party was the place to be.
But theyve gradually shed that image, and some of the decisions they have taken like blaming Webber for the crash in Turkey and swapping the front wings at Silverstone have made them unpopular. Those incidents might have happened two years ago, but they went a long way towards setting up a reputation for them among fans. And reputation is like tar; it sticks to everything, and its difficult to get off. There are other, little things that have contributed, too. People got fed up with Vettels finger-pointing pretty quickly in 2011, and it was never fun when we had a tight and tense qualifying session, only for him to emerge at the last minute and cruise around half a second faster than everyone else.
All in all, I think that when Red Bull leaves the sport, history will remember them as being one of the most polarising teams in Formula 1. And I think that they are conscious of this, and so are taking pains to try and turn that reputation around. I dont think that they are overly-concerned with their reputation, but in this day and age of public relations, theyd probably like a bit more positive publicity, so they try and make an effort. The only problem is that its probably the one thing theyre not very good at. Helmut Marko might say that their drivers are equal, but I bet most people still remember him getting stuck into Jaime Alguersuari for momentarily impeding Vettel during a Friday free practice session in the race after Vettel had secured his second title.
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- GTP_Tyrrell
I think the only thing they do care about is their image, and they're prepared to spend millions promoting it by any means necessary. Hence why they're plastering their name everywhere in motorsport and other "xtreme" sports, specifically popular teams. Alguersuari and Buemi are good consistent drivers, certainly capable of winning races in the right machinery. But they're a bit conservative aren't they? So they got rid of them, money is absolutely no issue so just dispose of drivers willy nilly. I'm very surprised Vergne is still there tbh.
As it stands they've got a young hotshot in Vettel who perfectly fits the image of being young, fast and charismatic. Great, just what they need. Mark Webber is in some ways, the exact opposite. Older and somewhat wiser, but still able to make an attacking move. He also does a lot of biking, which is extreme and rad. He is a bit too old and slow though, which is not down with the kids, so Vettel gets the limelight/parts/attention.
I'm a tad surprised they didn't buy HRT too. But then again, I'm sure their public relations department mulled it over in depth and decided that might be too much. "Roten Stier" does have a nice ring to it though. But then again, it sounds a bit like rotten, which can't be.
Anyway, how did I end up here?
As it stands they've got a young hotshot in Vettel who perfectly fits the image of being young, fast and charismatic. Great, just what they need. Mark Webber is in some ways, the exact opposite. Older and somewhat wiser, but still able to make an attacking move. He also does a lot of biking, which is extreme and rad. He is a bit too old and slow though, which is not down with the kids, so Vettel gets the limelight/parts/attention.
I'm a tad surprised they didn't buy HRT too. But then again, I'm sure their public relations department mulled it over in depth and decided that might be too much. "Roten Stier" does have a nice ring to it though. But then again, it sounds a bit like rotten, which can't be.
Anyway, how did I end up here?
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- Ardius_
Oh theres more than that, theres also the physical assault on Scott Speed by Franz Tost too..and the "fired by text" for Sebastien Bourdais.
Plus Helmut Marko repeatedly trying to announce drivers retirement plans for them - he does it with Webber every year but before that he did it with Coulthard too.
Its obvious enough that they don't really care what the fans think, otherwise they wouldn't go so public with some of this stuff.
I don't want to see Red Bull gone from the sport, but I would like to see Toro Rosso run independently because any driver that goes there is basically screwed currently. I mean sure they get their F1 chance...but they are humiliated in the process.
I also feel like its 10 F1 teams and then Toro Rosso...because Toro Rosso will never be "allowed" to compete for the WDC or WCC. That in itself is a farce.
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Yeah, I'd like to see Toro Rosso change ownership as well. For one, they are the only team that cannot compete with anyone else on the grid - even HRT could have theoretically developed a good car and become competitive. Toro Rosso, on the other hand, lose their people to Red Bull the minute they start showing promise.
Secondly, it gives Red Bull an unfair advantage. If a Red Bull car falls down the order for whatever reason (as Vettel did in Abu Dhabi), then they get two free passes. Imagine if Alonso had been leading the race in Brazil and was set to become champion, only for one of the Toro Rossos to move over for Vettel at the last corner, giving him the position and the points he needed to become World Champion.
Secondly, it gives Red Bull an unfair advantage. If a Red Bull car falls down the order for whatever reason (as Vettel did in Abu Dhabi), then they get two free passes. Imagine if Alonso had been leading the race in Brazil and was set to become champion, only for one of the Toro Rossos to move over for Vettel at the last corner, giving him the position and the points he needed to become World Champion.
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The grapevine also says that Senna will race for Force India, or leave Formula 1 entirely to race in DTM.
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- MRT_Cinnamon
De la Rosa is the new Ferrari's test pilot and Di Resta accused Perez for buying Mclaren's seat
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- Kimky
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Di Resta seems a bit bitter because he lost the two seat he was looking for. Now he's stuck on an average team, guess it can be a bit frustrating.
I'm happy for De la Rosa, even if its only as a test pilot it must be quite exciting and better than nothing.
Also Ferrari is trying to get Bianchi in a F1
I'm happy for De la Rosa, even if its only as a test pilot it must be quite exciting and better than nothing.
Also Ferrari is trying to get Bianchi in a F1
That's good for De La Rosa, probably his last sniff of f1 though...I like Di Resta but he has had a strong whiff of bitterness since he became resigned to the fact he's going to be with FI for another year. I can't see how his side of the garage is going to be motivated to help a driver that doesn't really want to be there because he thinks he's better than the team.
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- MRT_Cinnamon
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- astrosdude91
Typical "I'm better than the other drivers and I deserve the top drives, not them" attitude that Di Resta flaunts around all the time.
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Di Resta is nowhere near being a top driver. Based on what he has done so far in F1, he should consider himself lucky his own seat isn't under threat, never-mind looking at better drives. If he doesn't improve this year, I wouldn't be surprised to see him out of the sport in the same manner as Kobayashi.
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- gdwest1
I just thought of something. IF 2 more teams drop out (Not likely, but you never know with Lotus and FI) the Concorde Agreement allows 3 car teams, right?
So lets say FI drop out because of some legal bit. Red Bull could easily "Loose funding" for Torro Rosso, and run a third, good car instead. A bit of a stretch, but still... I wouldnt put it past them.
Di Resta is just upset he didnt get the seat and Perez did. And since Vodafone are supposed to be leaving soon, it may have been that McLaren wanted some secure sponsorship funding.
So lets say FI drop out because of some legal bit. Red Bull could easily "Loose funding" for Torro Rosso, and run a third, good car instead. A bit of a stretch, but still... I wouldnt put it past them.
Di Resta is just upset he didnt get the seat and Perez did. And since Vodafone are supposed to be leaving soon, it may have been that McLaren wanted some secure sponsorship funding.
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Paul di Resta likes to claim that McLaren took Sergio Perez before him because they felt Perez was "more marketable", but looking back over some of the comments that Martin Whitmarsh made while Lewis Hamilton's future was being decided, Hamilton was the team's first choice, while Perez and Nico Hulkenberg were second and third (or third and second, depending on who you talk to), which makes di Resta the fourth choice at best.
I seriously doubt that di Resta was given much consideration at a replacement for Hamilton. I would be very surprised if his name wasn't taken off the list of potential drivers the same day it was added. He doesn't have what it takes to compete at the top level, and he doesn't fit McLaren's image of a unified team - on the one hand, he has said that he is looking for a top seat in 2014, but has also said that whoever drives the second Force India should put the teams ambitions before their own.
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- Ardius_
Yeah right. I remember people brought up the same argument when Button was rumoured/announced for McLaren (as a reason why they wouldn't hire him).
Why on earth does nationality even matter at all? McLaren are out to win. Yes they have sponsors who want certain things but do you honestly believe a guy like Ron Dennis is going to bend to a sponsor's will? (Ok, Martin Whitmarsh is a bit weaker but still..)
Maybe if we were talking about a midfield or backmarker team...but even then its about the money not the nationality (from the team's perspective).
Di Resta didn't get the McLaren gig for the same reason Hulkenburg didn't and Perez did - he hasn't shined particularly consistently yet.
Perez scored 3 podiums last year and has had several standout races in his 2 years in F1. Sure he has had the car to do it but thats motorsport.
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More mind-numbing banalities from Paul di Resta:
The implication being that his lacklustre performances were because of team orders, and that now he can race against Hulkenberg unmolested, he can prove that team principals were wrong to put their faith in Hulkenberg rather than him.
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- mrvajj
What a load of garbage. Di Resta seems to be doing everything in his power to ensure that he is the most unpopular man in F1.
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Rumours on Twitter - none of them from particularly reliable sources - claim that Force India is on the verge of collapse in light of Vijay Mallya's financial problems. It will be interesting to see how this plays out – I’m suprised there haven’t been more serious questions asked about how Mallya can afford to run a Formula 1 team when his airliner is a billion dollars in debt, or how he can find the time to follow the championship from race to race when his companies are in crisis.
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- mrvajj
prisonermonkeys
Hasn't a certain Mr J. Saward been more-or-less predicting this for months?
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I wouldn't know - I don't read his blog.
Anyway, here's a source. I don't know if it an be considered reliable or not, but the gist is that the team is facing collapse because Mallya could be forced to give up control of the team. Bernie Ecclestone is supposedly working on a "rescue" package, with Colin Kolles and Flavio Briatore both mentioned in conjunction with it.
Anyway, here's a source. I don't know if it an be considered reliable or not, but the gist is that the team is facing collapse because Mallya could be forced to give up control of the team. Bernie Ecclestone is supposedly working on a "rescue" package, with Colin Kolles and Flavio Briatore both mentioned in conjunction with it.
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- MRT_Cinnamon
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That's just quoting the same source as the one I posted above.
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- pj-gm
- PJwasHere876
Would this mean that they might have to go for a conservative, pay driver lineup to save themselves? If Colin Kolles is involved, it might seem possible. di Resta is more or less safe if you ask me, but unless Ferrari will lend a hand (a new engine deal?) and get Bianchi in a seat in return, it's between Sena or Kobayashi, and maybe Clos can slot in as a reserve driver to add a few extra funds.
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Force India are believed to be considering Sutil and Bianchi for the second seat.
I wouldn't be surprised if some of the things we've been hearing over the past few months could be building towards a take-over. Colin Kolles was known to be trying to put together an entry of some kind, but most people linked him to HRT. The Brabham family have recently re-acquired the rights to use the "Brabham Cars" name. Ferrari are pushing to get Jules Bianchi a seat.
There's been a whole lot of movement behind the scenes, so I think 2013 could see a reimagined Brabham team led by Colin Kolles with Jules Bianchi supplying Ferrari engines.
I wouldn't be surprised if some of the things we've been hearing over the past few months could be building towards a take-over. Colin Kolles was known to be trying to put together an entry of some kind, but most people linked him to HRT. The Brabham family have recently re-acquired the rights to use the "Brabham Cars" name. Ferrari are pushing to get Jules Bianchi a seat.
There's been a whole lot of movement behind the scenes, so I think 2013 could see a reimagined Brabham team led by Colin Kolles with Jules Bianchi supplying Ferrari engines.
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