2021 F1 Driver ThreadFormula 1 

I was actually a bit shocked at Perez signing a three year extension at Force India...he's an okay driver, but he must bring a ton of money for that team to go that route. I don't know how motivated they are to get back to the top of the midfield like they were a couple years back.
Why are you shocked, let's be honest he is Still above that team in ability.

I don't think Red Bull would touch Hulkenberg with a 10-foot pole. This is Red Bull, and they more or less have the ability to make an irresistable offer to anyone in the world, more or less. If it's outside of the current Red Bull machine, it's probably Patricio O'Ward or some other young talent that has appeared on their radar.

However, if they're doubling down on the Max train and have decided to shift their entire philosophy, maybe someone like Hulkenberg would make sense...I just don't see it happening. I think Hulkenberg ends up at Haas.

How attractive is Redbull to anyone outside their driver Program.

Any driver that isn't part of it knows they will be treated second fiddle even if they somehow beat their golden boy, Helmut Markos ego can't handle a driver that he didn't pick beating his choice.
 
How attractive is Redbull to anyone outside their driver Program.

Any driver that isn't part of it knows they will be treated second fiddle even if they somehow beat their golden boy, Helmut Markos ego can't handle a driver that he didn't pick beating his choice.

There's not that many F1 seats or top teams, so I would think an RB seat is still pretty attractive.
 
Yeah, I think Red Bull is plenty attractive...I mean look at Ferrari. By all rights that team/place/manufacturer is a nightmare. It still remains one of the most coveted seats/ sets of coveralls a driver can wear.

I think most drivers would absolutely put up with the risks to jump into a race-winning F1 car.
 
There's not that many F1 seats or top teams, so I would think an RB seat is still pretty attractive.

I agree. Only two seats have won races in 2019, Mercedes and Red Bull Honda. On the face of it you have more chance of a win with RB right now than with Ferrari.
 
I predict Vettel will retire this or next year if he don´t improve massively (I highly doubt) I have hard time imagine him accepting being the official number 2 driver
 
I was actually a bit shocked at Perez signing a three year extension at Force India...he's an okay driver, but he must bring a ton of money for that team to go that route. I don't know how motivated they are to get back to the top of the midfield like they were a couple years back.
This doesn’t make sense. He was their best driver when they were at the top of that midfield group. His podiums have been the highlight of that team’s half decade. He’s the most successful driver that team has had. He was an integral part of their success at the start of the hybrid era, and he continues to pull the majority of the weight on the driver’s front.

He also gets along well with Lance, even praising his abilities, saying that Stroll’s race pace is better than Hulkenberg’s. In the tussles with Ocon, Perez was (iirc) always on the side of doing what is best for the team (whereas Ocon was more interested in doing what was best for himself, for purposes of proving his merit to the F1 paddock).

If Perez went to another team, it would only be to go sideways....Haas, or Alfa. I don’t think he’s interested in Renault, having turned them down once before. Now that Renault have Ricci and Ocon, I don’t think they’re interested in him. He’s not going to get signed by the big 3, or even McLaren who seem very happy with Sainz/Norris.

I can’t think of another driver on the grid who would fit into the RP dynamic better than Perez. RP have their young guy (Stroll), they need a vet to help them develop the car. Kimi, content at Alfa. Hulkenberg...RP have alllll the data they could possibly need to compare Hulk vs Perez. Grosjean...nothing to say, should have been out of F1 3-4 years ago. Magnussen could maybe fit in ok at RP, but whether he can develop a car the way Perez can, while getting along with / helping Stroll, is a complete unknown.

To me, Perez and RP are the best fit for each other, and give each other the best shot of success over the next 3 years.
 
Has there ever been 2 Canadians in F1 at the same time before?

The most obvious pairing is Gilles and Jacques Snr. They both entered the 1981 Canadian and Caesers Palace Grands Prix although L'oncle Jacques DNQed on both occasions.

Al Pease (that Al Pease) and Eppie Wietzes both competed at the 1967 Canadian Grand Prix too. Before the 1980s it was quite common for local drivers from that country to enter their home GP.
 
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THe most obvious pairing is Gilles and Jacques Snr. They both entered the 1981 Canadian and Caesers Palace Grands Prix although L'oncle Jacques DNQed on both occasions.

Al Pease (that Al Pease) and Eppie Wietzes both competed at the 1967 Canadian Grand Prix too. Before the 1980s it was quite common for local drivers from that country to enter their home GP.
Never for a full season though I guess, eh? That would be kind of cool to see. Latifi seems like he’s been in F2 for an eternity.
 
Time for Hülkenberg to join the Formula E graveyard for midfield F1 drivers.

Grosjean must have a lot of money cause he has been finished as a driver for about five years now.
 
If Latifi doesn't take a place at Williams - with a report of Kubica in talks with Audi at DTM - that could potentially be an opening (but I don't think he'd be so coy about that as an announcement, if his Instagram story is anything to go by).
 
My shocked face.

Meh_Face.jpg


Is there anyone other than Latifi who would end up there, or is that a foregone conclusion?
 
Hulkenberg could wind up at Williams if he doesn't wind up at Ferrari, Red Bull, or Alfa Romeo and really wants to stay in F1 but only if he can bring a budget
 
Hulkenberg couldn't join Haas, as he is taking Vettel's Ferrari seat... ;)

As sarcastic a statement as this is...I hold a very unpopular opinion in that I think there's a very small chance it could happen. I feel Hulk's consistency and experience make him a solid #2 driver to Lec in the same way Bottas plays second fiddle to Hamilton. Similar to how Kimi aided Vettel in '18. Ferrari need that strong consistent player back, and I think Hulk fits the job description. But like I said, super slim chance.
 
Since Hulk doesn't bring any money, his only real option is as a veteran driver...a dedicated second driver (see also: Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari, etc.). Oddly there's a stronger chance of him ending up at Ferrari or something than a lower team in need of cash.

I don't believe we'll see Hulk in F1 next year (I admit, I would barely notice whether he was there or not).
 
I am personally glad to see Haas retain Grosjean for 2020, given that they were retaining Magnussen. I personally would have dropped both drivers, or maybe kept Grosjean and booted Mag, but keeping Mag and dropping Grosjean doesn't make sense if you look at things beyond the championship standings.

Afaik, both have the same number of points finishes, are two of the closest average qualifying gaps on the grid (albeit with one of the highest levels of variance), and Grosjean was outperforming Magnussen in races that both drivers finished. The two collisions are things that people will argue about until they were blue in the face as to who is responsible, but neither was free from blame. However, to Grosjean's credit is the fact that he has had these results while suffering more mechanical DNFs than Mag, and also had less incidents and near misses with other drivers on track. Grosjean also seems to have been the one to identify the incorrect direction they went with the 2019 car's development, and was the one who was willing to revert to the Melbourne spec to help the team gather data to confirm this (all the while qualifying well vs Magnussen).

That isn't to say that his season has been all rosy. The pitlane incident sticks out, as do the two incidents where both Haas drivers collided. I don't put a huge stock on the pit radio communications, as the race director largely shows us what will be entertaining, and Grosjean appears to have a great relationship with the garage. If there was a stronger F2 pack this year I could have seen both drivers dropped, but the combination of a weak F2 field and Hulkenberg likely demanding a higher salary than Grosjean would have been the icing on the cake for retaining him.

I must admit that I was genuinely surprised they did not drop him after his lackluster 2018, but I would have been thoroughly disappointed if he was removed after this year and Magnussen was retained. It feels like the two men share several traits, both positive and negative. Both are remarkably quick but inconsistent. That being said, it feels like Grosjean has spent this season conscious of the fact that people think he has poor racecraft, actively avoiding getting into messes with other drivers (to the point that I would actually say he has given up places he should have defended more, to his own detriment). Magnussen seems to be aware of the fact that he can do anything on track and the media will say "cor Kevin doesn't yield for anyone does he? Spirited defence there." The collision in Great Britain comes to mind, with people later saying "well they both had a major part in that, team mates should not be doing such things and especially not early in the race" while in the immediate aftermath the tune was instead "oh there goes Grosjean crashing into his team mate what an idiot doesn't he realise Magnussen won't yield so easy".

At the end of the day I like both drivers being on the grid as they can both pull performances that their car should not be able to achieve, and I like some inconsistent factors on the grid, lest every race become a processional. I think Haas made the best call that they could, but would not be surprised if 2021 sees two new drivers for the American team.
 
Motorsport.com are claiming an inside scoop: on Tuesday it will be announced that Hulkenberg is going to DTM.
It was that or Alfa and I don't think they plan on changing their line-up next year. Pretty ballsy of him to publicly say he doesn't even want to go to Williams.
 
He didn't have too many options. Going to Williams is a huge gamble and none of the front running teams had a door open. I would like to see Williams at least catch up to the back of the pack, but I remain doubtful.

DTM seems like a good choice for him, unless he really wanted to stick around in F1 at mid-back field.
 
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