2021 F1 Driver ThreadFormula 1 

I’ve been looking around many online discussions about this topic and I’m honestly surprised at how much Giovinazzi is being slept on. I know he’s not the best driver, but everyone else that seems really popular in the rumourmill would not be happy with the clear number one status Charles has at the moment. Giovinazzi in the other hand I think would be completely on board with being the second driver if it meant fulfilling his lifelong dream of driving for Ferrari.

About Seb actually going, I remember hating him with all my being during his Red Bull dominance, but I warmed up to him as his time with Ferrari went on. It’s sad to see him walk away without a championship with the squad, but it’s partially his and Ferrari’s fault that things never really gelled. Vettel was a good driver for sure, but he made his fair share of stupid mistakes and of course, the famous “sBinallas”.

So I’m sad to see Vettel go, but I’m first and foremost a Ferrari fan over a Vettel fan, so I’m looking towards the future more with Leclerc.
 
MikeV27
I'm 50/50 on Vettel going to McLaren or retiring.
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I'm thinking he's out. I think he's looking for a 5th WDC, not a mid-fielder ride. Of the top 3 teams, I could see him back at RedBull in 2022 if Albon doesn't get it together. Vettel, in my opinion, is better than anyone in the Redbull driver pool (aside from Max, of course).
 
Renaults press release on Ricciardo really sounds bitter doesn't it? Its just a "Yeah, bye".

Not really a fan of that operation at the moment.
 
Rossell2
Renaults press release on Ricciardo really sounds bitter doesn't it? Its just a "Yeah, bye".
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Yeh, it was also a tad redundant...

Renault F1 Team
discussions held with Daniel Ricciardo concerning a renewal of his contract beyond the end of 2020 have not been successful.
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The fact that McLaren confirmed Ricciardo will drive for them from 2021 hinted that this might be the case.
 
With those quick placement at Ferrari and McLaren, I think Vettel will retire after this season cause I can't see him going to Renault. I think Red Bull already said they won't be taking him back. So his only option is if Merc drop Bottas and I don't see that happening either since he's shown great performance last year and keep a certain harmony within the team alongside Lewis.
 
I get the feeling that Renault is in the very unique situation where they have a good amount of talent that could potentially fill their vacancy, but nobody outside of their own organization is convinced of their performance.

Rumor mill has it that Renault has been in talks with Alonso for quite a few weeks, but Alonso has been asking for guarantees that Renault can't promise. If Vettel were to stay in F1, which I really hope he does, Renault is probably going to be his best bet if he wants to have a chance in a potentially competitive car. While it'd be cool to see Lawrence Stroll sign a fat check to put Vettel in the Racing Point/Aston Martin, it's probably unlikely since I don't see Stroll removing Lance to fill the seat. Both teams would be a noticeable step-down in terms of performance, though. Of course, there's also Nico Hulkenberg returning to Renault, but that's probably the least-possible outcome.

There's also the potential dark horse possibility of Toto signing on Vettel in place of Bottas. While extremely, hilariously unlikely, that'd be an exciting announcement.

I do think that the biggest winner here is probably Danny Ric. I think his career would've ended with lackluster performances at Renault, which would've been a shame given his talent. While a bit cutthroat, Vettel shaking things up was probably a Godsend to him. Also, McLaren proved last year that they are now the team to beat within the midfield and, at least in testing, have shown to have not lost any of their speed. With McLaren on a full upward trajectory, Danny Ric will do nothing but help the team go higher. While I'm very happy for Carlos, I do believe that Danny is a faster driver than him, and can probably do a bit more to further lead the team.

Plus, Danny can now pester Lando as much as he wants about Lando's hair care.
 
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I don't really see Vettel going to Renault unless he just wants to help develop. Same for Alonso - it would be just to get back on the grid. They don't have much to gain, except money. :D
 
andrea
He just signed his death warrant.
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After reading Binotto's statement in a news article earlier about why they chose Sainz over anybody else, I just have to agree with you. It seems like not only was Sainz cheap but the way Binotto talked about him, it just feels like he will play the perfect support role for Leclerc. He is the perfect teammate/team player and can be expected to bring in championship points on a consistent basis. Ferrari is going to back Leclerc 100%
 
mustafur
Surely thats confirmation that this years renault is garbage.
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In a Sky F1 Vodcast yesterday, Zak Brown said that the Sainz and Ricciardo deals have been going on as far back as the winter off season and was why they were completed so quickly.

So it's possible that even during last season, something may not have sat right with Ricciardo at Renault.

As a McLaren fan and with Ricciardo being my favourite current driver I'm really looking forward to it.
 
Dan Hill
In a Sky F1 Vodcast yesterday, Zak Brown said that the Sainz and Ricciardo deals have been going on as far back as the winter off season and was why they were completed so quickly.

So it's possible that even during last season, something may not have sat right with Ricciardo at Renault.
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Or were Ferrari in talks with Sainz already? Ricciardo wasn't satisfied with Renault's performance. Seeing the performance of McLaren vs Renault, he had regrets.
 
ROAD_DOGG33J
Or were Ferrari in talks with Sainz already? Ricciardo wasn't satisfied with Renault's performance. Seeing the performance of McLaren vs Renault, he had regrets.
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I think Zak Brown said something about knowing Sainz had interest from Ferrari and gave permission for him to talk to them. The interview is on Sky Sports F1 YouTube for anyone who wants to watch it. It's about 50 minutes long but the Zak Brown bit is right at the start and he isn't there for the entirety of it.
 
What a difference a week makes. I find it crazy that people are signing contracts without even having a baseline of how this (which will also be the next) year's cars perform. Also as someone has said earlier, there's going to be lots of awkward moments in the Ferrari/McLaren/Renault garage if this season gets underway :lol:

I agree Sainz is going to play a supporting role Leclerc, but I feel it's not going to be as one sided as Schumi-Rubens for example. Maybe more like Hakkinen-Coulthard.

Danny Ric knew he made a mistake leaving RB, so this is making the best of the worst situation. With the incoming Mercedes engine, I do feel McLaren is going to be fighting for wins again, but WDCs are still unlikely as long as the factory Mercedes team is still around. So pretty much back to square one for Danny.

If I'm Vettel, I would just retire after this season. Even if he gets a Mercedes seat it's unlikely he will consistently beat Lewis over a season so not much point. And I don't see him as someone who will pootle around in a midfield team in his last years like Kimi. Get a win or two this year, and retire with dignity intact. He's already Ferrari's 3rd most successful driver by wins (only 1 behind Lauda), so he's got nothing to prove really.

I wouldn't want to see Alonso back with Renault either. It will just be McLaren 2.0. Better focus on Indy, Dakar and other racing series to cement his status as the modern day Andretti/Moss/Hill. Hulk should come back, only because I love seeing Cyril Irritable swallow his own words :lol:
 

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