2021 Silly Season

[F1Brits_90]

P1 mazapin apparently

Nobody knows how good Bottas is because he's racing against Hamilton. Yes he had a crap start yesterday which led to a bad race, but we've seen that from Verstappen and Ricciardo in the past too.

true but i made 2 points on out of 10 thread about bottas poor race

1 - Perez started 4th but fell so far back after his crash on opening lap in Portimao. he might as well started in pit lane. & came back to finish 4th in the racing point that is over second a lap slower. so what was wrong with bottas in the dominant car as to only recover to 8th (9th but for perez bad luck) is dreadful

2 - even in free air on new tyres in the best car. once he overtook Ocon. the gap to Riccardio was 4.7 seconds. when Perez's engine blew it was still 4.7 seconds.

 

[Johnny Carwash]

So Nikita Mazapin has got one of the Haas seats, is it because of his driving ability, or because his dad is a billionaire?

 

[F1Brits_90]

 

[F1Brits_90]

So Nikita Mazapin has got one of the Haas seats, is it because of his driving ability, or because his dad is a billionaire?

both i think. but the momey helped

 

[Il_leone]

Marzipan says he has a multi year contract is that not bitter sweet

 

[Il_leone]

So Nikita Mazapin has got one of the Haas seats, is it because of his driving ability, or because his dad is a billionaire?

Definitely the money because is he better than Callum Illott? Probably not

 

[P1]

Schumacher confirmed to Haas

https://www.bbc.com/sport/amp/formula1/55156088

 

[Il_leone]

Anyone routing for Marzipan to beat him then they would give Ferrari a reality check

 

[Greenlantern101]

Hmmm

George Russell: Bottas removes Mercedes from Instagram bio

Valtteri Bottas and George Russell have made changes to their Instagram bios.

www.express.co.uk

 

[The Pits]

He hasn't removed it from his twitter page yet though.

 

[Dartman]

I think after last weekend and if Lewis drives then a touch of face saving is in order, perhaps announce a Covid 19 positive and pop off home for Christmas

 

[Il_leone]

So for pulling a tit Mazepin will get a slap on the wrist because his Dad bankrolls Haas. I know it was a joke but very stupid of him to do that and post it and any other driver would be sacked but he wont because Steiner haas no balls too

 

[F1Brits_90]

fascinating, just heard on sky f1 coverage. that paddock whispers are that mercedes have tried for 2021 but williams have stead fast in the opinion they stuck to. that he has a 3 yr deal & they want him for 3 years

 

[gethinceri]

It’s just the next step, inviting Mercedes to add a nought.

 

[Il_leone]

Well not surprising just wonder how

It’s just the next step, inviting Mercedes to add a nought.

Or maybe give Williams Bottas plus a cut price on the engine deal ..maybe they just want free engines

 

[Galahad]

Some extraordinarily bad decisions through the paddock. You could argue

• Mercedes shouldn't have re-signed Bottas
• Ferrari have hired the wrong McLaren driver (again)
• Racing Point have retained the wrong driver, and are making a mistake with Vettel
• Renault shouldn't have re-signed Ocon, and while I'm prepared to give Alonso a chance, it could blow up in their faces
• Alfa could have shown a lot more imagination, at the very least

I was prepared to give Haas credit for finally dumping their useless pair, but based on the choice of replacements it seems Gene isn't really trying any more. Pity.

 

[The Pits]

I agree with all of that but the first point Galahad

While Bottas performance as a standalone has not set the world alight, the team have managed to win the WCC and WDC for 7 years on the bounce, so he has done enough to be kept on as a clear number 2 in all but name, knowing that the boat is unlikely to be rocked. The only time his performance is cause for concern is if Lewis leaves the top seat vacant for any reason. That being the case, a new superstar would need to be signed, and that might cause some issues on the Bottas front, but I'm not sure if we are there yet.

 

[F1Brits_90]

exclusive from Ted Kravitz. they believe Horner has persuaded matershitz into taking Perez. i think its good idea theyve got the best tyre conserver on the grid & will get them a big sponsor budget. strategy variable. if they get the car competitive by start of the season

Red Bull expected to confirm Sergio Perez for 2021 in 'coming week'

Red Bull are expected to confirm Sergio Perez as Max Verstappen's team-mate for 2021, perhaps as soon as the "coming week".

www.planetf1.com

 

[Galahad]

I agree with all of that but the first point Galahad

While Bottas performance as a standalone has not set the world alight, the team have managed to win the WCC and WDC for 7 years on the bounce, so he has done enough to be kept on as a clear number 2 in all but name, knowing that the boat is unlikely to be rocked. The only time his performance is cause for concern is if Lewis leaves the top seat vacant for any reason. That being the case, a new superstar would need to be signed, and that might cause some issues on the Bottas front, but I'm not sure if we are there yet.

A don't-rock-the-boat number two is lovely, but a luxury you can only afford if you have a reasonable car advantage over the field (read: Max Verstappen). Obviously it's very likely that Merc will be just as strong next season as they have for the past seven, but, if Red Bull up their game just a bit, Merc might regret not having a second driver who's a bit closer to Lewis in tight races. They haven't had nearly as many 1-2s this year as they should given their pace advantage.

 

[The Pits]

Also true Galahad , but I would worry if a 2016 scenario came about if there were more teams closer in performance terms. 2009 could have been very different if there were fewer teams in the mix at the end of the season.