Was really hoping someone closed the gap to RB but that clearly doesn't seem to be the case, based on this race. The race had a few good spots with Alonso vs Sainz and then Hamilton but the race for p1 being over by lap 5 was a bummer. Maybe I'm not a mature enough f1 fan yet to care much about p10 being the best battle with 3 laps to go.
RB about to go on a Merc style run until 2026. Alonso would have been able to keep up with Leclerc if he didn’t get tagged in the beginning.
Even if they do that, they are so far behind Red Bull that it’ll take years to catch up. There’s a reason why it took 8 years for Red Bull to reclaim the WDC. The hybrid engine and the rear suspension/chassis of the previous regs were Mercedes’ wheel house, ground effect is Red Bulls.
Merc fans mad over Red Bull while coming off of *checks notes* 8 straight constructors championships is a take.
I’m just stating the obvious. The Alonso/Merc/Ferrari battle was fun, and I hope it will continue, I’m just under no allusion that anyone is near Red Bull or will be for the foreseeable future. Such is life in Formula 1
I mean, this is kind of what F1 is, at least for the last 10 years or so. Red Bull/Vettel rattled off like 4, then Merc had its run and now a new Red Bull run. It’s the nature of the sport. Some one absolutely nails the new set up (in relation to other teams) and then they blow the field away til regulations re-set things.
I thought that was a pretty solid start to the season. RB is going to run away with it again but the rest of the grid is going to be fun to watch especially when upgrades are introduced
Lol sorry but Danny ain’t getting a top drive ever again. Charles getting a good start on fresh tires hampered Checo’s race, it happens. Although Max was in cruise mode, Perez still finished 10 seconds behind even after dealing with the Ferrari.
They were both in cruise mode for the last third of that race. I maybe hopeful, but Checo finishes much closer if Charles on new softs doesn’t blitz the start. This is a pointless convo because Perez is just what RB want. The Bottas to their Hamilton, who actually has race craft.
Bottas had a similarly lopsided record with Lewis and Merc dumped him for someone faster when the competition tightened up. That said, with the way things looked today with the other competitors I think Perez is fine. I just disagree with the idea that they can't do any better than him or that he's exactly what they want. I think it's much more the case that currently his performance gap isn't an issue because their car is so much better than the competition.
Ahh yes the guy that couldn't get a seat on the grid this year is going to take Checo's seat. Of course.
Is Ferrari going to let him go? He finished 2nd in points last year. Even if they do, he's a 1 for some team.
I wasn't actually being serious, but I think he's the only one on the grid that could hang with max in an equal car currently.
Doubt Charles ever leaves Ferrari without being pushed out. Why would someone willingly leave the biggest/most important team?
I don't know, but I have to imagine Lando at least isn't enjoying wasting his career away in the midfield. And really that goes for any good driver who's in a non-RB car. Maybe Max is too good for a teammate to beat him. But to me their car is so far ahead of the pack these days that the only chance anyone has to beat him is to have that car as well.
I can't see any of the 3 party's that would be involved (Charles, Max, RB) in that hypothetical want Charles with RB. Charles, I imagine wants to be viewed and treated as a clear 1 driver on any team he's on. He wouldn't be that on RB. Max I don't think would want someone that would demand the car to be a certain way to their liking and not just be happy being a bridesmaid. It would be two alpha personalities and with them knowing each other their whole lives I'm sure Max could see that coming. RB...why mess with the successful formula? It's proven as long Max is able to win races at a >50% clip then you don't need someone in that other seat who's going to potentially upset the locker room. Get a decently talented driver who's just happy cashing checks, ok with being second fiddle, yet values being on a winning team more than anything.
I agree I don’t see it happening. Weirdly enough I think Charles is the only other person on the grid that likes Max’s over steer set up. I think Charles would be more likely to end up at Merc than RB down the line. That being said I don’t see it happening any time soon
The car is going to be built for Max. I feel like you're overlooking that. Anyone going in has to know they are clearly #2 and things will be catered to Max, and deservedly so. He's Lewis, everyone else will be Bottas. Maybe someone like Lando signs up for that but I doubt it. Checo is perfect for the role. He finished 3rd in point, 3 out of 2nd, last year. How much of an upgrade would they be getting? And I don't even like Max.
The cars are built to go as fast as possible and then the drivers give feedback to make it go faster. The goal is speed, not driver ease of use. Adrian Newey's book and Norris/Ricciardo's complaints about the McLaren are a couple of easy counters to the idea that cars are built for drivers. Second, re: the Max/#2/Lewis/Bottas stuff, we literally have George Russell who replaced Bottas, teaming with one of the greatest drivers ever and he performed really well last season, even compared directly to Hamilton. So the implication that somehow being anything less than the clear #1 means you're gonna get screwed by the team just isn't something that's based on reality. Third, what you're describing with what RB has in Perez is very literally what Merc had with Bottas. And we all saw them show him the door and replace him with someone who could perform closer to Lewis. So not only is the "what they have is good enough" idea rebuffed by recent history in an almost identical situation, it also goes against the nature of the sport which is regularly defined my performance at the margins. (Again though I think Perez is fine right now cause the competition just looks so much slower) Also I think it's just as likely with these top drivers for them to want the star treatment as it is for them to think they can beat anyone else in the same car, whether that teammate is Max or Lewis or whoever else. I just don't think you become a top driver in this sport by being unwilling to go up against the other top drivers.
Mercedes needed a successor to Lewis when he retires. George is that. Max isn't going anywhere anytime soon. We aren't going to agree on this and I'm not going to derail the thread further. If Checo stays top 3 while Max is winning titles, I don't see them making a change. I think you're underrated Checo a good bit.
Just so you know this is the F1 thread so it's perfectly okay to have discussions about F1 things in here; it's not at all a derailment to do so.