The '14 driver transfer discussion/speculation thread

[Bram Turismo]

Sorry,but i dont agree...VDG has won a lot before GP2 ( he WAS champion in the formula series by renault!!!!!) and in GP2 he won several races and scored several polepositions...thats a fact! and doing those in classes where all cars a the same(ok,different teams,some better then others)has only to do with the talent he has!


Spy.

By that logic, Stoffel Vandoorne should've been driving Button's McLaren for a long time now. You can prove a lot in GP2 and fail miserably in F1, or you can be mediocre in GP2 and shine in F1. GP2 talent does not equal F1 talent.

 

[spyrrari]

By that logic, Stoffel Vandoorne should've been driving Button's McLaren for a long time now. You can prove a lot in GP2 and fail miserably in F1, or you can be mediocre in GP2 and shine in F1. GP2 talent does not equal F1 talent.

Sorry but i wrote that to reply to the "he is a payed driver" remark...on wich i didn't agree...

Where did i say that gp2 equals f1 talent?...

I think you misunderstood me Bram...



Spy.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

By that logic, Stoffel Vandoorne should've been driving Button's McLaren for a long time now.

Speaking of Vandoorne, McLaren are reportedly considering him for a 2015 seat. No word on who he might replace or if he might go to another team.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

McLaren's tardiness explained - they want Vettel or Alonso, and while they accept that neither of them are likely to be available in 2015, they are willing to wait until 2016 or 2017 if need be.

http://m.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/115604/mclaren-pushing-to-hire-vettel-alonso

 

[Pezzarinho17]

On the back of that news, I find myself yet again fixated on the start of next season... In the summer. It doesn't help that I am partial towards Manchester United as well, a real 2 year lull in my favoured teams performance!

 

[mustafur]

Sorry,but i dont agree...VDG has won a lot before GP2 ( he WAS champion in the formula series by renault!!!!!) and in GP2 he won several races and scored several polepositions...thats a fact! and doing those in classes where all cars a the same(ok,different teams,some better then others)has only to do with the talent he has!

I am certainly not saying he is top material,but to shuf him off as a payed driver is nonsense...sure i am biased as a Duthman,but i do think you are wrong here !


Anyways,i am hoping he gets this chance and Sauber make a good car...i really think he can surprise some people.



Spy.

ill tell you the secret on why certain drivers will not make it into f1 or get far.

the teams that hire on Talent look for two main things, Ability to win, and how quick they can adapt.

When a Driver wins his first season after 5 seasons in a category when his main competition is on their rookie year, they have an unsizable advantage on car knowledge that it doesn't really prove their talent.

It's the same thing in F1 and why it usually takes 2-4 years to see F1 future champions show their full talent.

 

[craigatm]

McLaren's tardiness explained - they want Vettel or Alonso, and while they accept that neither of them are likely to be available in 2015, they are willing to wait until 2016 or 2017 if need be.

http://m.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/115604/mclaren-pushing-to-hire-vettel-alonso

In that case they'd be wise to hold on to Button until the end of next year. With their recent lack of success, they'd do well to have at least one seasoned driver in the team.

I've got to admit though, I'm surprised they want Vettel. He's shown in the past four years that he can be utterly dominant when the car suits him down to the smallest detail. Mind you this year he's shown that he goes completely to pieces when the car isn't to his liking. Hardly the hallmarks of a great driver. So McLaren must be pretty confident of building a rocketship in the next two years...

Completely off-topic I've seen a headline on Autosport claming Verstappen has stated he 'drives like Alonso'. At first it seems a little stuck-up and misleading, until you read the article, and realize he's talking about his driving style. And when you watch onboard videos of him racing, you can see what he is on about. As does Alonso, Max really chucks the car into the corners.

 

[mustafur]

Alonso would be smart to wait out this Mercedes fued or see if Mclaren snatch Vettel.

He would be all over a Redbull or Mercedes seat quicker then he overtakes people from the start line.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

AMuS reckon that there is a loophole in Alonso's contract that could make him a free agent on Monday; apparently it has something to do with an obscure performance clause.

 

[SVT Cobra GT]

Max Verstappen's F1 career hasn't got off to a rosey start.

 

[dhandeh]

Never go full Maldondo'h.

But in all seriousness , it was Hamilton's fault.

 

[GTPorsche]

Conor Daly is out at Lazarus due to lack of funding (and being mediocre at best). He's looking for an Indycar ride next season anyway.

 

[Dotini]

There's new rumor of Vettel going to McLaren, and maybe Hamilton as well if MB can't control them better.

 

[mustafur]

There's new rumor of Vettel going to McLaren, and maybe Hamilton as well if MB can't control them better.

I can see it happening, Redbull have payed Vettel in the past with a base Salary then added a few million for each victory, with no victories this year his base wage is going to be quite low compared to what he could get elsewhere, compare that to the fact he is getting upstaged and losing favourability in the Redbull camp and it seems to point everything towards an exit.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Vettel has said that he has been approached, and that it is not the first time it has happened. And while his 2014 season hasn't been great, McLaren haven't been title contenders for years, even without Red Bull's dominance. There's a risk that he would be trading down.

Anyway, Mercedes are reportedly offering Lewis Hamilton a new deal, but he would have to take a pay cut (he is, however, earning significantly more than Nico Rosberg, so please contain your righteous fury). And Toto Wolff has warned that Hamilton and Rosberg are on the thinnest ice there is - if the feud continues, then the team won't hesitate to drop one or both of them.

 

[mustafur]

Those two can't be team mates for long, history has shown that its only going to get worse untill someone leaves.

I would give them 1 more year at most, as soon as they are not the fastest car someone will leave.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

The Telegraph is reporting that McLaren will keep Button and Magnussen for 2015, with an announcement expected in the coming weeks.

 

[Bram Turismo]

Oh darn, there go my hopes of seeing Stoffel taking over Jenson's seat

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Oh darn, there go my hopes of seeing Stoffel taking over Jenson's seat

As much as I would like to see Vandoorne in Formula 1, he was never going to replace Button. Not unless they got rid of Magnussen at the same time and brought in Alonso or Vettel. The investment from Honda is enormous and McLaren are usually pretty conservative - so taking a rookie alongside a driver with just one year's experience is too great a risk.

 

[GTPorsche]

Massa and Bottas have had their contracts extended for 2015.

Also, Sauber is being sold off to a Canadian billionaire, apparently. http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/e...lionaire-lawrence-stroll-to-buy-sauber-456286

 

[prisonermonkeys]

A Canadian billionaire who is (somehow) related to Lance Stroll, a fifteen year-old karter in the Ferrari Driver Academy ...

 

[GTPorsche]

Lance is his son.

 

[ShiftingGears]

I don't think Vettel to McLaren would be great for either party. McLaren is a step down, and they would probably think twice about hiring a driver who was faster than his teammate in every session and still lost 30 seconds to his teammate on race day. On a related note, does anyone else here not rate Sam Michael at all?

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Lance is his son.

I'll believe it when I see it. It wouldn't surprise me if Sauber is sold, but motorsport.com has never been the most reliable source.

 

[GTPorsche]

That's why I added in the "apparently".

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Possible driver line-ups if three-car teams are indeed on the way:

Mercedes - Hamilton, Rosberg, Bottas
Ferrari - Alonso, Bianchi, Raikkonen
Red Bull - Ricciardo, Kvyat, Vettel
McLaren - Button, Magnussen, Vandoorne
Williams - Massa, Nasr, Ocon
Toro Rosso - Verstappen, Sainz, Gasly
Force India - Hulkenberg, Perez, Juncadella
Lotus - Grosjean, Maldonado, Merhi

 

[GTPorsche]

How much does Mercedes pay Williams to take Bottas of their hands in this scenario?

 

[noshog]

Possible driver line-ups if three-car teams are indeed on the way:

Mercedes - Hamilton, Rosberg, Bottas
Ferrari - Alonso, Bianchi, Raikkonen
Red Bull - Ricciardo, Kvyat, Vettel
McLaren - Button, Magnussen, Vandoorne
Williams - Massa, Nasr, Ocon
Toro Rosso - Verstappen, Sainz, Gasly
Force India - Hulkenberg, Perez, Juncadella
Lotus - Grosjean, Maldonado, Merhi

I take it there is new talk of three car teams, I haven't seen any news, are there some new articles somewhere ?
Surely it's not going to happen as quickly as next year ?

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Adam Parr was talking about it on Twitter.

 

[Pupik]

I've heard about the possibility of three-car teams for twenty years now. Hasn't happened in almost thirty years, either. (Renault did it in 1985.) We'd probably have to get down to eight teams at the start of a season until this realistically happens, or shouts of "unfair" will appear.