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2018 Driver Speculation

Started by Chrill, March 22, 2017, 01:15:31 AM

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Penfold

Why would he.

Back to speculating on 2018 drivers: If Sauber run Ericsson & Leclerc next year, where does that leave Wehrlein?  I'd thought a Force India berth might open up with Perez taking Kimi's space at Ferrari, but who knows if that's a realistic proposition.
"I like beating and punching."
- Chrill (28/09/2018)

Chrill

"It is becoming apparent Ericsson is not, after all, joining Ferrari Ganassi for 2019 2020."
- Chrill, 28 Sep 2018 8 Oct 2019

Penfold

Instead of Stroll?  Not sure Williams could afford it.
"I like beating and punching."
- Chrill (28/09/2018)

Chrill

#78
I should do another "predicted lineup" for 2018. With all the new constellations, Sauber-Ferrari for example.

We know Haas has confirmed their pairing, and we know Ferrari wants both Leclerc and Giovinazzi in F1 next year according to this:
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/ferrari-sauber-junior-team-marchionne-937321/

If Ferrari does invest heavily in Sauber, then Ericsson will need to find another drive despite his Swedish backers.

The topic also implies that Ferrari will be looking at bringing more customer teams into its group over the years to come. With good old Stefan GP looking to set up an Italian team, could that be shaped into an Alfa Romeo F1 Team?
"It is becoming apparent Ericsson is not, after all, joining Ferrari Ganassi for 2019 2020."
- Chrill, 28 Sep 2018 8 Oct 2019

Penfold

Or perhaps Ferrari will have to pick one of those two guys for 2018 so that Sauber's owners keep a Swede in a racing suit.

F1 seems at risk of becoming a small number of big teams and a bunch of obedient junior outfits used as test beds for young drivers.  Is it a positive if Ferrari (or anyone else) ends up with multiple teams on the grid all singing from the same song sheet in dealings with F1's owners?
"I like beating and punching."
- Chrill (28/09/2018)

Chrill

Well, is it a negative? I mean, half the grid won't be allowed to win, but at least the grid will be populated with different cars and drivers. I dont mind the Red Bull/Toro Rosso setup, but I wouldnt want a setup with 3-4 teams playing along with the same major player.
"It is becoming apparent Ericsson is not, after all, joining Ferrari Ganassi for 2019 2020."
- Chrill, 28 Sep 2018 8 Oct 2019

Penfold

Isn't that where Ferrari could be heading?  Haas, Sauber, and one more customer (perhaps badged as Alfa like you suggest) brings us to four teams under the Prancing Horse roof.

Anyway, what a wasted opportunity if Liberty rejigs F1's financial model to encourage new entrants and all we get are two or three new customer teams - surely Renault & McLaren each need one?
"I like beating and punching."
- Chrill (28/09/2018)

Chrill

#82
Mercedes would usurp Force India. Ferrari would go for Sauber + Alfa Romeo. Red Bull would maintain Toro Rosso. McLaren would need a new one. Renault would need a new one.

Only independent left would be Williams, unless also incorporated into the Mercedes fray. That would mean we reach 13 teams on grid, but all belonging to the big 4. Shameful.

EDIT: YES I AM GOING TO MAKE A 2019 DRIVER SPECULATION WHERE I ASSUME THAT ALFA ROMEO, MCLAREN B TEAM AND RENAULT B TEAM ARE ON THE GRID.
"It is becoming apparent Ericsson is not, after all, joining Ferrari Ganassi for 2019 2020."
- Chrill, 28 Sep 2018 8 Oct 2019

Penfold

#83
Big 5 - Merc, RB, Ferrari, McLaren, Renault.

And yes, shameful.

EDIT: I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR 2019 THREAD.
"I like beating and punching."
- Chrill (28/09/2018)

Chrill

#84
2019 Grid, with 3 new entrans. Teams ranked in order of position in the 2018 Constructors Championshion.

This list is created with a lot of imagination and very little connection to reality. It's also worth mentioning many of the drivers on the 2017 grid are old and may have retired by 2019.

Red Bull Racing:
1. Max Verstappen
3. Daniel Ricciardo

Scuderia Ferrari:
5. Sebastian Vettel
11. Sergio Pérez

Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport:
44. Lewis Hamilton
77. Valtteri Bottas

Renault Sport Formula One Team:
4. Robert Kubica
27. Nico Hülkenberg

McLaren Honda Formula 1 Team:
2. Stoffel Vandoorne
55. Carlos Sainz, Jr.

Force India F1 Team:
12. George Russell
94. Pascal Wehrlein

Sauber Ferrari F1 Team:
20. Kevin Magnussen
97. Charles Leclerc

Scuderia Toro Rosso:
10. Pierre Gasly
22. Richard Verschoor

Williams Martini Racing:
9. Marcus Ericsson
31. Esteban Ocon

Haas F1 Team:
9. Romain Grosjean
96. Pietro Fittipaldi

Scuderia Alfa Romeo: (Ferrari B team)
36. Antonio Giovinazzi
99. Marcus Armstrong

China F1 Racing Team: (Honda B team)
31. Lando Norris
95. Nyck de Vries

Nissan Formula One Team: (Renault B team)
17. Sergey Sirotkin
65. Enaam Ahmed

I tried giving everyone good numbers, but when I couldn't find one that carried relevance I gave them the number of their birth. Leclerc 97, Fittipaldi 96, Armstrong 99, de Vries 95 :)

I desperately wanted to include Mick Schumacher but he's not impressive enough. I also wanted to put Joel Eriksson in F1, but he will go down like Rosenqvist - a great driver without money.

Let's discuss these B teams:

For Ferrari, I considered Sauber as a B team and Alfa Romeo as a B team too. This makes 4 seats. I grabbed a more experienced driver for Sauber, which meant Magnussen due to his Ferrari ties via Haas. They have ousted Ericsson.

Leclerc and Giovinazzi are nobrainers. Marcus Armstrong is a Ferrari affiliated driver from New Zealand, currently winning the Italian F4 championship and doing really well in ADAC Formula 4 too.

Next up is Honda, where Matushita is left to rot outside F1 because he is not fast enough. Alonso has retired, which means McLaren is racing with the (now fairly experienced) Vandoorne alongside superstar Carlos Sainz, drafted in from Red Bull after yet another season at Toro Rosso in 2018. For their B team, Lando Norris is guaranteed a seat. Nyck de Vries is getting old (24 by 2019), but racing quite fast and therefore got a seat.

For Renault, surely Sirotkin is now worthy of a seat at the newly founded Nissan F1 Team. Since Kubica has replaced the ever deteriorating Jolyon Palmer, and Hulkenberg is staying put, there is no room at the top team yet. He is joined by a British driver currently doing the rounds in the British Formula 3 championship, Enaam Ahmed. This 17-year old Brit is Muslim. How is that for marketing?

At Mercedes, Lewis is entering his final season in Formula 1. George Russell (Force India) and Esteban Ocon (Williams) are both knocking on the door, with Wehrlein's star fading after a weak 2018 campaign at Force India. Marcus Ericsson, courtesy of money, has found his seat at Williams where he replaces Felipe Massa after the Brazilian races on through 2018.

Red Bull keeps their lineup intact, with a very encouraging return to form in 2018 which saw Verstappen win 12 out of 21 races on his way to the world championship title. Impressive. At Toro Rosso, obviously both Sainz and Kvyat are gone. Gasly is finally making his debut and his team mate is Richard Verschoor, former (2016) F4 champion and current (as of 3 August, 2017 :p ) 3rd place as a rookie in the Toyota Racing Series.

The only team I have not mentioned yet is Haas. While their form slumped in 2018, they still maintained Grosjean for another year. He is joined by a driver with a famous name rather than a proper racing career. Pietro Fittipaldi makes his F1 debut. Currently Fittipaldi is 2nd in the Formula Renault V8, formerly known as Formula Renault 3.5, so his nomination isn't that farfetched.
"It is becoming apparent Ericsson is not, after all, joining Ferrari Ganassi for 2019 2020."
- Chrill, 28 Sep 2018 8 Oct 2019

Penfold

I like it.  Interesting mix of new blood and old.  Now we just need three new teams for 2019, which may be pushing it.
"I like beating and punching."
- Chrill (28/09/2018)

Matt

Then we need three new teams in 2024 to replace the three new teams from 2019 that failed and went bankrupt.

Chrill

Quote from: Matt on August 03, 2017, 07:56:07 AM
Then we need three new teams in 2024 to replace the three new teams from 2019 that failed and went bankrupt.
No Sir we do not, since these are all backed by the big ones. The only issue would be if a team like Red Bull or Renault would pull out. That would take down 2-3 teams  :P
"It is becoming apparent Ericsson is not, after all, joining Ferrari Ganassi for 2019 2020."
- Chrill, 28 Sep 2018 8 Oct 2019

Matt

And Honda is well-known for their commitment to owning F1 teams long-term.

Chrill

Ok, so you may have a point..
"It is becoming apparent Ericsson is not, after all, joining Ferrari Ganassi for 2019 2020."
- Chrill, 28 Sep 2018 8 Oct 2019