Motorsport Entries/Rumours that never came to be

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Liquid
Damon Hill was close to signing for McLaren in 1998. McLaren approached him and he turned them down; reasons range from a performance-based deal but the more likely reason is that Hill, as the then-current champion during 1997 negotiations, wanted to be a clear number one, which McLaren couldn't promise.

Ron Dennis apparently really wanted to get rid of David Coulthard despite Coulthard outperforming Mika Häkkinen in 1997 and winning two races. After the Hill negotiations failed, McLaren retained Coulthard.

I've always been a big defender of Damon Hill and it's interesting to speculate what he could have done with the dominant MP4/13 even as a nominal 'equal' to Häkkinen.
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Interesting indeed, Hakkinen was very fast but Coulthard could match him on his best days and I think Hill had a higher performance peak than Coulthard. He also outdrove the Arrows and at times the Jordan so one would be forgiven for speculating that Hill could have comfortably chalked up another 2 world titles, maybe even 3 in 2000.
 
I wouldn't go so far as to say he'd win two more titles. Possibly 1998 if he was the team leader. Coulthard won three races across 1998-99 and Hill certainly could have matched it as a minimum and I think could have won more.
 
Mattylatvala
Coulthard Is the most overrated driver ever and hill won just bc of the car
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Whilst I agree Coulthard was a little overrated, the 2nd statement is true of almost every champion, it's very difficult (and endlessly debatable) to find a WDC who didn't have the best car.

The arguments for that focus on Keke Rosberg in 1982 which I think is the most widely accepted example of WDC not in the best car, Hamilton in 2008 as Ferrari were generally viewed as having the superior package, same again with 2018 although that one is more debatable as it ebbed and flowed and Mercedes pretty much always had the superior PU during that period and possibly 2021, but again it ebbed and flowed so it's difficult to say one car was clearly better.
 
Liquid
Damon Hill was close to signing for McLaren in 1998. McLaren approached him and he turned them down; reasons range from a performance-based deal but the more likely reason is that Hill, as the then-current champion during 1997 negotiations, wanted to be a clear number one, which McLaren couldn't promise.

Ron Dennis apparently really wanted to get rid of David Coulthard despite Coulthard outperforming Mika Häkkinen in 1997 and winning two races. After the Hill negotiations failed, McLaren retained Coulthard.

I've always been a big defender of Damon Hill and it's interesting to speculate what he could have done with the dominant MP4/13 even as a nominal 'equal' to Häkkinen.
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I'm curious to as what team everyone would have liked to have seen Damon Hill drive for in 1997 as the reigning World Champion?

As far as I know, he was linked to the following:
  • Ferrari (albeit on the condition he would have to be Schumacher's #2)
  • Benetton (possibly with Alesi going to Jordan)
  • Jordan (I know he eventually joined them for 1998)
  • Ligier/Prost (Flavio Briatore had hoped Damon would join them)
  • Stewart
Any others I've missed out?

Also, as well as McLaren, he received offers from Prost and Sauber for 1998.
 
Thought I brought this up, but apparently I've never posted in this thread.

The Chrysler 300 entry that never was.
www.v8sleuth.com.au

HOW CHRYSLER SPARKED GRM’S VOLVO SUPERCARS DEAL

GARRY Rogers Motorsport’s groundbreaking deal to bring Volvo into V8 Supercars for 2014 was triggered by rival interest from Chrysler, Rogers has
www.v8sleuth.com.au www.v8sleuth.com.au

Mazda 3 TCR :(
autoaction.com.au

MAZDA 3 TCR CANNED

After committing to the worldwide TCR touring car formula late last year, Mazda has scrapped its program | Auto Action
autoaction.com.au autoaction.com.au
 
An obvious example would be Group S in the World Rally Championship after the tragedies that blighted the 1985 and 1986 seasons.

Screenshot_20260814_191510_YouTube.webp

This here is an example of how the Metro 6R4 would have looked under the Group S regs.
 
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Ralf Schumacher tried, and failed, to secure a Force India drive for 2008 in a 2007 test the newly formed team put on with drivers such as Adrian Sutil, Giancarlo Fisichella and Vitantonio Liuzzi. Schumacher was the slowest in the test and it proved to be his final drive in an F1 car.

He had also pursued drives at Toro Rosso and even McLaren, enquiring about the seat vacated by Alonso.
 
Renault Spider V6 GT1.

What happens when you stick a roof on a Renault Spider, chuck in a twin turbocharged 3 liter V6 and bring it up to GT1 spec?

You fail to qualify for the 1996 Le Mans 24 hours, but hey, you look cool doing it.
FB_IMG_1787823183030.webp
 
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