Topics

First Driver: Lewis Hamilton
Second Driver: Nico Hulkenberg
* Kimi Räikkönen



AUS - Lewis Hamilton *
BHR - Carlos Sainz *
CHN - Daniel Ricciardo *
AZE - Alexander Albon *
ESP - Romain Grosjean *
MCO - Antonio Giovinazzi *
CAN - Lance Stroll *
FRA - Lando Norris
AUT - Daniil Kvyat
GBR - Nico Hülkenberg
DEU - Kimi Räikkönen
HUN - Pierre Gasly
BEL - Sebastian Vettel *
ITA - Charles Leclerc *
SGP - George Russell *
RUS - Robert Kubica
JPN - Sergio Perez
MEX - Kevin Magnussen
USA - Max Verstappen
BRA - Valtteri Bottas
ARE - Valtteri Bottas

I've just watched the first episode of the Netflix documentary series about Formula 1. It's real good. Episode 1 focuses on the Australian GP, with Ricciardo as a home driver and the crazy weekend for Haas. After Magnussen retired after the pit stop, I was cheering for Grosjean despite knowing full well he'd do the exact same next lap! Oh stupid.

Longing for the 2019 season to begin now.

This does not start well for Williams:
https://www.racefans.net/2019/02/17/williams-will-not-run-on-first-day-of-testing/

[Bold = Confirmed]

Yup. Hey guys.

So, this is where a drivers table will go. Later.

Later is now. All the drivers currently with a team will be linked to them for the time being.

As always:
Bold = Confirmed
Italics = Connected/Rumoured

Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport:
44. Lewis Hamilton (link)
77. Valtteri Bottas (link)

Scuderia Ferrari:
5. Sebastian Vettel (link)
16. Charles Leclerc (link)

Aston Martin Red Bull Racing:
23. Alexander Albon (link)
33. Max Verstappen (link)

McLaren F1 Team:
4. Lando Norris (link)
55. Carlos Sainz (link)

Renault F1 Team:
3. Daniel Ricciardo (link)
31. Esteban Ocon (link)

SportPesa Racing Point F1 Team:
11. Sergio Perez (link)
18. Lance Stroll (link)

Scuderia Alpha Tauri Honda:
10. Pierre Gasly (link)
26. Daniil Kvyat (link)

Alfa Romeo Racing:
7. Kimi Räikkönen (link)
99. Antonio Giovinazzi (link)

Haas F1 Team:
8. Romain Grosjean (link)
20. Kevin Magnussen (link)

ROKiT Williams Racing:
63. George Russell (link)
?. Nicolas Latifi (link)

I think Renault is looking at 2021, but that is a very very long term indeed.

Quite like Swedish politics. We had an election six weeks ago and we have no clue who won!

There's often talk of reducing the number of practices, adding a second race on Saturday, and whatnot. I've done some thinking, let me know what you think about this:

Friday:
60 minutes free practice
60 minutes free practice for third drivers only

Saturday:
Current-style 3-step elimination qualifying
40 minute race for third drivers only, using a reverse grid based on the average qualifying time of the regular two drivers

Sunday:
Current-style 90 minute race

This would give drivers less practice, give third drivers more experience, and provide audiences with roughly the same amount of ontrack action.

Now, I don't understand the British laws well enough to fully comprehend this, but it seems that Sergio Perez is behind a group that has now put Force India into administration over unpaid wages.

https://www.racefans.net/2018/07/27/perez-behind-legal-proceedings-force-india-administration-over-4m-debt/

Not a great way to keep the team afloat, surely. Remains to be seen if he's even driving the car on Saturday.

OK, so you all know how Lewis and Mercedes have been on the verge of agreeing terms for a contract extension for more or less half a year by now? Well...

1) Lewis has appeared the weaker Mercedes driver lately. In fact, he has only outpaced Bottas in Australia.
2) The Mercedes of last year was rightly called a diva. Their 2018 car does not appear that way but still carries that label.
3) Mercedes and Lewis has not yet announced a contract
4) Lewis has appeared less upbeat and less prominent in press conferences this year (my own opinion)

Has Bottas raised his game THAT much, or is Lewis simply not performing on his peak level? Is the reason for the contract delays Lewis and his uncertainty as to how long he wishes to continue racing in F1? Or is the car really not good enough, and this annoys Lewis? I mean, there are some weaker rumours picking up speed that he will be going head to head with Vettel next year. In the Ferrari. Oh boy. No decent sources for this one yet.

My theory is this: Lewis Hamilton is bored of F1. He doesn't like the new cars and their inability to follow other cars. He is satisfied with four world championships. He bested the great Ayrton Senna.
He could even be retiring after this season.

What's your take on the Mercedes-Lewis non-deal?

(I'm sure they will announce a contract extension within an hour of me posting this)

First Driver: Lewis Hamilton
Second Driver: Fernando Alonso



Third Drivers:
AUS - Kevin Magnussen
BHR - Kimi Raikkonen
CHN - Nico Hulkenberg
AZE - Esteban Ocon
ESP - Stoffel Vandoorne
MCO - Pierre Gasly
CAN - Charles Leclerc
FRA - Lewis Hamilton
AUT - Valtteri Bottas
GBR - Romain Grosjean
GER - Sergio Perez
HUN - Brendon Hartley
BEL - Sebastian Vettel
ITA - Sergey Sirotkin
SGP - Carlos Sainz
RUS - Lance Stroll
JPN - Marcus Ericsson
USA - Fernando Alonso
MEX - Max Verstappen
BRA - Daniel Ricciardo
ARE - TBA

[https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dnPSeVbYFM6KP0SW2SPGzJch7KAiLuaUvD4hpSWSHek/edit?usp=sharing]

We are gearing up for that. This topic will see us rating drivers from 1-10. Here is the document:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dnPSeVbYFM6KP0SW2SPGzJch7KAiLuaUvD4hpSWSHek/edit?usp=sharing

It's a very sexy document with lots of pretty formulas. The only drawback is that, in the comparisons page, the "who rates them higher?" function will only show one name even if two people offer the same rating. There's room for 2 more people, but many more is welcome. It's fairly easy to plug more people into the document!

Please guys, join us for this!

Mercedes:
Lewis Hamilton - /10
Valtteri Bottas - /10

Ferrari:
Sebastian Vettel - /10
Kimi Raikkonen - /10

Red Bull:
Daniel Ricciardo - /10
Max Verstappen - /10

Force India:
Sergio Perez - /10
Esteban Ocon - /10

Williams:
Lance Stroll - /10
Sergey Sirotkin - /10

Renault:
Carlos Sainz Jr - /10
Nico Hulkenberg - /10

Toro Rosso:
Pierre Gasly - /10
Brendon Hartley - /10

Haas:
Romain Grosjean - /10
Kevin Magnussen - /10

McLaren:
Fernando Alonso - /10
Stoffel Vandoorne - /10

Sauber:
Marcus Ericsson - /10
Charles Leclerc - /10

This is always a bit of fun. How will the Australian GP finish, who will score points?

I'll have a go:

1. Hamilton
2. Vettel
3. Bottas
---
4. Ricciardo
5. Magnussen
6. Hulkenberg
7. Sainz
8. Vandoorne
9. Grosjean
10. Hartley

DNFs:
Raikkonen
Verstappen
Alonso
Sirotkin
Leclerc

Volkswagen is entering an all-electric car into Pikes Peak this year, with eyes on using this knowledge to build an all-electric challenger for the WRX series from 2020 onwards:
https://www.motorsport.com/hillclimb/news/electric-pikes-peak-car-key-to-volkswagen-motorsport-future-990457/?s=1

Electric dreams, gentlemen.

[44. Lewis Hamilton]

I'm bored. There isn't even any speculation yet. This topic is merely meant to wind you up.

Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport:
44. Lewis Hamilton (link)
77. Valtteri Bottas (link)

Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow:
5. Sebastian Vettel (link)
16. Charles Leclerc (link)

Aston Martin Red Bull Racing:
10. Pierre Gasly (link)
33. Max Verstappen (link)

Renault F1 Team:
3. Daniel Ricciardo (link)
27. Nico Hulkenberg (link)

Rich Energy Haas F1 Team:
8. Romain Grosjean (link)
20. Kevin Magnussen (link)

McLaren F1 Team:
4. Lando Norris (link)
55. Carlos Sainz (link)

Racing Point F1 Team:
11. Sergio Perez Mendoza (link)
18. Lance Stroll (link)

Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team:
7. Kimi Raikkonen (link)
99. Antonio Giovinazzi (link)

Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda:
23. Alexander Albon (link)
26. Daniil Kvyat (link)

Williams Racing:
63. George Russell (link)
88. Robert Kubica (link)

So I figured this could be a fun new topic. Have any of you driven some cars in real life?


I got to drive a Lamborghini Gallardo LP-560 a while back which was absolutely incredible. I'm now looking at a F1 package from the same company. It would be:

Warm-up and preparation in a Formula Renault car
3 times 6 laps in a 2006 2007 Williams F1 car, literally a chassis driven by Nico Rosberg.

That's 18 laps of Formula 1. It'd set me back a neat 2,200 pounds or 2900 USD. But that's definitely worth it to me.

Not all teams have dedicated reserve drivers. Let's assume that one driver from every single team is injured in the next race, all missing one single race weekend thereafter. How would that look? Which drivers would be drafted by each team?

For some teams, I can't see a clear pick and so I've written two or more drivers. Help me! Which are likelier?

Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport:
George Russell /
Nico Rosberg

Red Bull Racing:
Sébastien Buemi

Scuderia Ferrari:
Antonio Giovinazzi /
Charlec Leclerc

Force India F1 Team:
Alfonso Celis Jr

Williams Martini Racing:
Paul di Resta

McLaren Honda Formula 1 Team:
Jenson Button

Scuderia Toro Rosso:
Pierre Gasly

Haas F1 Team:
Esteban Gutierrez /
Charlec Leclerc

Renault Sport Formula One Team:
Sergey Sirotkin

Sauber F1 Team:
Felipe Nasr /
Nobuharu Matsushita

Others who could be drafted in by desperate teams:
Jean-Eric Vergne
Kamui Kobayashi
Sam Bird
Rio Haryanto
Pastor Maldonado
Alexander Rossi
Roberto Merhi

Yup. We've had our first race. Time to provide an opinion on the drivers!

Copy the below to fill in your own digits if you're too lazy to make a template.

Code Select Expand


Mercedes:
Lewis Hamilton - /10
Valtteri Bottas - /10

Red Bull:
Daniel Ricciardo - /10
Max Verstappen - /10

Ferrari:
Sebastian Vettel - /10
Kimi R?ikk?nen - /10

Force India:
Sergio Perez - /10
Esteban Ocon - /10

Williams:
Felipe Massa - /10
Lance Stroll - /10

McLaren:
Fernando Alonso - /10
Stoffel Vandoorne - /10

Toro Rosso:
Pierre Gasly - /10
Brendon Hartley - /10

Haas:
Romain Grosjean - /10
Kevin Magnussen - /10

Renault:
Nico H?lkenberg - /10
Carlos Sainz Jr - /10

Sauber:
Marcus Ericsson - /10
Pascal Wehrlein - /10

Chrill - Australia:


Mercedes:
Lewis Hamilton – 6/10
Valtteri Bottas – 7/10

Red Bull:
Daniel Ricciardo – 5/10
Max Verstappen – 8/10

Ferrari:
Sebastian Vettel – 10/10
Kimi Räikkönen – 7/10

Force India:
Sergio Perez – 8/10
Esteban Ocon – 8/10

Williams:
Felipe Massa – 8/10
Lance Stroll – 5/10

McLaren:
Fernando Alonso – 8/10
Stoffel Vandoorne – 5/10

Toro Rosso:
Carlos Sainz Jr – 8/10
Daniil Kvyat – 7/10

Haas:
Romain Grosjean – 8/10
Kevin Magnussen – 3/10

Renault:
Nico Hülkenberg – 7/10
Jolyon Palmer – 4/10

Sauber:
Marcus Ericsson – 5/10
Antonio Giovinazzi – 8/10

Right. Simple enough. I want to know your opinion on this.

[44. Lewis Hamilton]

Could I create this topic any sooner? I'll get back to you.

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

Scuderia Ferrari:
5. Sebastian Vettel (link)
7. Kimi Raikkonen (link)

Aston Martin Red Bull Racing: (link)
3. Daniel Ricciardo (link)
33. Max Verstappen (link)

Sahara Force India F1 Team:
11. Sergio Perez (link)
31. Esteban Ocon (link)

Williams Martini Racing:
18. Lance Stroll (link)
35. Sergey Sirotkin (link)

Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda: (Honda)
10. Pierre Gasly (link)
28. Brendon Hartley (link)

Renault Sport Formula One Team:
27. Nico Hulkenberg (link)
55. Carlos Sainz Jr. (link)

Haas F1 Team:
8. Romain Grosjean (link)
20. Kevin Magnussen (link)

McLaren F1 Team: (Renault)
2. Stoffel Vandoorne (link)
14. Fernando Alonso (link)

Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team: (link)
9. Marcus Ericsson (link)
16. Charles Leclerc (link)

First Driver: Lewis Hamilton
Second Driver: Nico H?lkenberg



Third Drivers:
AUS - Marcus Ericsson
CHN - Felipe Massa
BHR - Sergio Perez
RUS - Stoffel Vandoorne - Missed
ESP - Nico H?lkenberg
MCO - Jenson Button
CAN - Esteban Ocon
AZE - Lance Stroll
AUT - Kevin Magnussen
GBR - Lewis Hamilton
HUN - Fernando Alonso
BEL - Kimi Raikkonen
ITA - Romain Grosjean
SGP - Max Verstappen
MYS - Jolyon Palmer
JPN - Carlos Sainz
USA - Valtteri Bottas
MEX - Sebastian Vettel
BRA - Daniel Ricciardo
ARE - Pierre Gasly