2014 / 2015 Silly Season. Drivers Market.

[F1Yorkshire]

Juan Carlos of Spain has confirmed Alonso's move to McLaren

http://www.marca.com/en/2014/11/23/en/more_sports/1416766808.html

 

[cider_and_toast]

If the Royals know what's going on then why was Prince Harry in the Mercedes Pit ?? Hamilton to McLaren as well ???

 

[Il_leone]

well another Spanish press said Sainz Jr will get the STR drive because he is bringing another Spanish sponsor to that team

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As for Alonso looks like he was right to leave Ferrari and the mess that Mattaci could not resolve. The new team principal at Ferrari is from Phillip Morris so does that mean Marlboro want to be the title sponsor for Ferrari

Any update on Santander's position with Ferrari or are they diverting sponsorship back to Mclaren for whom Button is a popular figure for marketing in the UK

 

[rufus_mcdufus]

The new Ferrari TP is mates with Bernie. Mattiacci was not making himself popular with Bernie so they got someone who will.

 

[Bill Boddy]

You've got to get your priorities right, haven't you?

 

[P1]

There were some idiotic rumors going round of HAM to McLaren for 2016. However at this point that is pretty much impossible. If they are not sure they can afford Button + Alonso, there is no way they can afford HAM + Alonso.

 

[F1Yorkshire]

Vergne has confirmed he's not racing for Toro Rosso next season.

 

[cider_and_toast]

Given the number of oportunities available, I think his best hope would be for a testing contract (for how little they're worth these days!) with one of the bigger teams. I've said it before and I'll say it again, they're must be more to it than just results that has kept him out of a race seat.

 

[Greenlantern101]

Maybe he's a prick.

 

[cider_and_toast]

While I wouldn't put it quite like that, that thought really has crossed my mind.

 

[Mephistopheles]

isit cuz e' is french?

 

[Titch]

Is it just me, or does anyone else feel that the highly paid F1 superstars should take a greater part in developing the cars. They are ultimately going to be the drivers, so they know what they want under their backsides and how it should feel for them.
I know they do this when the season starts, but isn't that a bit like shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted? Always playing catchup. Part of their salary should be months spent with the team in development.

 

[Kewee]

I think you'll find the team would tell them to piss off and come back when they're ready to do their fine tuning and ultimately make the final development set up to best suit each of their drivers. Regardless of their skill as development drivers, and if you read interviews with Ross Brawn and Ron Dennis, they both indicate that Schumacher and Alonso are the best they've experienced, neither driver is an engineer however and designers need to be left alone to do what they do best.

 

[cider_and_toast]

Would have thought Ron Dennis would have picked Senna over Alonso but things change over time I guess.

 

[Kewee]

Why on earth would Dennis choose Senna over Alonso, McLaren want to win titles, not provide a seat in one of their cars so a driver can go through a learning curve, with no guarantee he'll be top draw at the end of his apprenticeship.

 

[Mephistopheles]

Lewis Hamilton is on record saying that he isn't interested in developing the car or doing PR work all he wants to do is turn up at the weekends and race he said build me a fast car and I'll drive it quickly and win which kinda blows in the face of all those fans of his that reckon he is a good car developer, when blatantly he isn't interested in that side of the sport or indeed anything to do with it other than driving..

Edit

And for anyone that does not believe that he said this I will try and dig up the interview for you, it was about the same time as when he announced he was going to leave McLaren to drive for Mercedes.

 

[cider_and_toast]

Kewee, keep your shirt on, I meant the late, great, Ayrton Senna. Not his young nephew Bruno. Ayrton Senna, the man who could provide car peformance feedback to Honda engineers that matched the figures they were seeing on their (rather big and expensive for the time) computers in the 80's. I would have thought, given their working relationship, if you would have asked Ron Dennis who was the best driver for feedback, car setup and development, he would have said Senna not Alonso.

 

[Kewee]

I never heard Dennis make comments on Senna as a development driver though I'm sure he would have been very good. He did however have nothing but praise for Alonso when he worked with the engineers in 2007. He had nothing but good to say about Alonso, so much so you were left wondering how everything turned out so badly.
Your first comment on choosing Senna over Alonso was confusing. I assumed since Ayrton is no longer with us you must have been referring to Bruno.

 

[cider_and_toast]

Ok. To me there is only one Senna

 

[Jen]

. I assumed since Ayrton is no longer with us you must have been referring to Bruno.

Ayrton is always with us, for good or bad!