2019 Driver Speculation

[Penfold]

  If I hadn't already seen Horner's comments about Alonso then that would've got my heart pumping.  Shame they won't leave Gasly where he is and give Nando a season against Max, for our entertainment if nothing else - I don't care what level of disruption it might cause to the inner workings of Red Bull!  Talking of Toro Rosso... Chuck Norris occasionally mentioned as a bargaining chip to help McLaren quickly prise away that engineer chap.

[Chrill]

Picking up Gasly ensures Hartley gets a second season at Toro Rosso, possibly alongside Chuck E Cheese.

Red Bull seriously needs to find some new talent. I still think they should consider Felix Rosenqvist for 2019.

[Penfold]

Alonso confident that sacrificing several FP1 sessions has helped McLaren grasp why the car is so shite, but that most of the gains from this work won't materialise until next year:

"There are some fixes for this year but let's say that 70% of the knowledge and the understanding of this car will be for next year's project because it requires time, three or four months' development and wind tunnel time et cetera. It's probably better to invest for next year.

"Sometimes it's good to go very deep into the problems and down in performance to understand the car. I see a much clearer and brighter future now with all the problems and all the understanding now."

So he sees a "clearer and brighter future"... surely quite a hint that he plans on being around next season.

[Matt]

Except, nope... He is leaving.

[Chrill]

Alonso is doing the McLaren version of leaving. A sabbatical, that is. Hakkinen and Button also went on sabbaticals.

So, is that a Vandoorne/Norris, Vandoorne/Sainz, or indeed Norris/Sainz for the McLaren team in 2019?

[Penfold]

So his version of a "clearer and brighter future" entails not driving for McLaren... at least not next year.

The man Alonso wants to emulate in terms of sabbaticals is Prost: left Ferrari (and F1) after a pretty awful 1991 campaign, sat around twiddling his thumbs for twelve months, then walked away with the '93 title courtesy of what is perhaps the most dominant car I've ever seen in the sport.  Sadly, none of the 'big 3' have any interest in hiring Fernando so any return depends on McLaren making great strides in the near(ish) future.

[Chrill]

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/sainz-replace-alonso-mclaren-gasly-red-bull-2019/3159148/

And his replacement may well be Spanish too.

Thus, a new table of sources and links.

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

Scuderia Ferrari:
5. Sebastian Vettel (link)
7. Kimi Raikkonen (link)
16. Charlec Leclerc (link)
14. Fernando Alonso (link)

Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Honda:
33. Max Verstappen (link)
55. Carlos Sainz (link)

Renault Sport Formula One Team:
3. Daniel Ricciardo (link)
27. Nico Hulkenberg (link)

Haas F1 Team:
20. Kevin Magnussen (link)
?. Pietro Fittipaldi (link)
?. Robert Kubica (link)

Sahara Force India F1 Team:
11. Sergio Perez (link)
18. Lance Stroll (link)
31. Esteban Ocon (link)
?. Nicholas Latifi (link)

McLaren F1 Team:
7. Kimi Raikkonen (link)
55. Carlos Sainz (link)
?. Lando Norris (link)
?. Nyck de Vries (link)
14. Fernando Alonso (link)

Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda:
94. Pascal Wehrlein (link)
?. Dan Ticktum (link)
?. Felix Rosenqvist (link) ^(Dutch)
?. Lando Norris (link)
?. Robert Kubica (link)

Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team:
2. Stoffel Vandoorne (link)
7. Kimi Raikkonen (link)
9. Marcus Ericsson (link)
16. Charles Leclerc (link)
?. Antonio Giovinazzi (link)

Williams Martini Racing:
18. Lance Stroll (link)
35. Sergey Sirotkin (link)
?. Oliver Rowland (link)
?. Robert Kubica (link)

[Chrill]

Also (and I have no sources yet for this), whispers claim Red Bull are heavily approaching Mercedes for Esteban Ocon. We'll see if anything comes out of that.

[Penfold]

He does need a new berth (we assume) and there's no room at Merc until Hammy retires or Bottas gets the boot.  Could be a good short-term move for all parties; well, perhaps not so great for Gasly, but then longer-term the Red Bull seat would still be there if he continues to perform at Toro Rosso.  Where else might Ocon end up... Williams (he hopes not!), Haas (Merc letting him go to a Ferrari B team?), McLaren (Sainz all but confirmed and I'm not sure they'll change both drivers, plus hopefully Lando Norris will get a drive in 2020 so only a one-year gap for Esteban to fill).

[Chrill]

I think O'Connor can hold onto his Force Stroll seat alongside Stroll.

[Penfold]

Even after Perez did the team's dirty work and pushed Force India (as then known) into administration?  Do you reckon the Mercedes link with Ocon will be the deciding factor?

[Chrill]

I think Perez, judging from interviews, is shopping for a new drive. Ocon, judging from interviews, isn't. That's all.

Sainz to McLaren is now confirmed:
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/sainz-to-race-with-mclaren-in-2019/3159457/

Unclear who will join him, but article mentions Norris, Vandoorne, and Ocon.

[Penfold]

It's like a round of musical chairs only the aim of this game is to avoid being sat on the Williams seat when the negotiations end.

[Chrill]

Who knows, Williams may yet do a Brawn for 2019. Nah, just kidding.

[Penfold]

Red Bull went the most likely route and promoted Gasly to the senior team.  Now to find Toro Rosso a second driver....

I see Lando Norris will be getting an FP1 session round Spa this weekend; is he being readied for a 2019 seat?