Formula 1

[DarloRich]

Perez aside anyone of those drivers can win given the best car. The rules are static for next year so it will depend on who can develop the best and fastest.

 

[357]

Bottas and Zhou will both leave Sauber at the end of this season.

 

[DarloRich]

Bottas and Zhou will both leave Sauber at the end of this season.

20 year old rookie Gabriel Bortoleto in

Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto has been signed to drive for the Audi-owned Sauber team next year.

The 20-year-old, who is leading this year’s Formula 2 championship, will partner German veteran Nico Hulkenberg.

The decision means that Sauber's current drivers, Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, will not be in F1 next season.

Sauber sign Brazilian rookie Gabriel Bortoleto for 2025 season

Gabriel Bortoleto, 20, will make his Formula One debut for the Audi-owned Sauber next season.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[357]

20 year old rookie Gabriel Bortoleto in

And The Hulk!

 

[HST43257]

So the F1 grid of 2025 will contain at least 5 rookies (in terms of full seasons)

Antonelli (Mercedes)
Lawson (Red Bull or VCARB)
Bearman (Haas)
Doohan (Alpine)
Bortoleto (Sauber/Audi)
Colapinto (VCARB, if Red Bull match the steep asking price and Lawson is promoted)

with at least one more expected in 2026, with Tsunoda expected to leave VCARB and the potential for Isack Hadjar or Arvid Lindblad or take that seat

 

[JD2168]

So the F1 grid of 2025 will contain at least 5 rookies (in terms of full seasons)

Antonelli (Mercedes)
Lawson (Red Bull or VCARB)
Bearman (Haas)
Doohan (Alpine)
Bortoleto (Sauber/Audi)
Colapinto (VCARB, if Red Bull match the steep asking price and Lawson is promoted)

with at least one more expected in 2026, with Tsunoda expected to leave VCARB and the potential for Isack Hadjar or Arvid Lindblad or take that seat

I can see Lindblad ahead of Hadjar if he has a good F2 campaign in 2025. Christian Horner seems quite excited by him whilst it seems quiet on Hadjar.

In other news Ferrari junior Robert Schwatzman will drive for Prema in INDYCAR in 2025.

 

[HST43257]

In other news Ferrari junior Robert Schwatzman will drive for Prema in INDYCAR in 2025.

Won’t serve his 5s penalty for a while!

 

[D365]

I do wonder where the challenge to Verstappen will come in 2025:

• Piastri - too many "missing" weekends now, I had high hopes for him

It’s easy to forget that this is Piastri’s second season. Verstappen and even Hamilton were still developing as drivers before they became regular front-runners in 2018-19 and 2013-14 respectively.

 

[Tetchytyke]

• Norris - possibly but gut says he's missing that last bit needed to be a champion
• Piastri - too many "missing" weekends now, I had high hopes for him
• Leclerc - Fast but cracks under pressure
• Hamilton - past it, I think Ferrari will rue letting Sainz go
• Russell - just not champion material

This is the first season Norris has had a front-running car and even then only for half a season. It’s impossible to tell what he’d be like if he had the lead or had started level pegging with Verstappen. When you start 60 points behind you’re playing catch up.

A crash suits Verstappen more than it suits Norris. And we all know the FIA will cheerfully indulge Verstappen when he does have that crash. I also think such a large gap makes you over-drive the car, we saw that in Brazil where he was simply asking too much of the car for the conditions. That’s something all drivers will do sometimes- Leclerc crashed several times by overdriving the Ferrari by trying to make the interior car stick with the Red Bull. Ultimately you can’t drive at 95% and settle for second if you’re 60 points behind and that’s where the mistakes happen.

Same with Piastri, it’s only his second season in F1. I do think Piastri will reach a higher level than Norris but he’s not there yet.

Russell and Hamilton? You can’t tell given their car what they’re capable of. I’d say Russell and Hamilton have maximised what they can get from the car. I certainly don’t think Hamilton is past it. I also don’t particularly rate Sainz, he’s a solid number two but he’s never going to win a title or mount a serious title challenge.

 

[dcbwhaley]

As much as I despise Verstappen, you have to admit that was a championship winning drive.

I do wonder where the challenge to Verstappen will come in 2025:

• Perez - next joke please (!)
• Norris - possibly but gut says he's missing that last bit needed to be a champion
• Piastri - too many "missing" weekends now, I had high hopes for him
• Leclerc - Fast but cracks under pressure
• Hamilton - past it, I think Ferrari will rue letting Sainz go
• Russell - just not champion material

He won because he got a free pit stop to change tyres.
It is ridiculous that they can work on the cars during a red flag.
Red flag means that the race is suspended and that should include supending work in the garage

 

[357]

He won because he got a free pit stop to change tyres.
It is ridiculous that they can work on the cars during a red flag.
Red flag means that the race is suspended and that should include supending work in the garage

Unfortunately all teams and drivers agree to race by there rules, and a big part of F1 success comes from the team outside the car doing the strategy. All the teams know this, and you should listen to the radio of some drivers such as George who had been telling the team they want to stay out but were pitted anyway.

You're also forgetting that by the end of the race he was almost a full pit stop ahead of the next driver.

 

[DarloRich]

Unfortunately all teams and drivers agree to race by there rules, and a big part of F1 success comes from the team outside the car doing the strategy. All the teams know this, and you should listen to the radio of some drivers such as George who had been telling the team they want to stay out but were pitted anyway.

You're also forgetting that by the end of the race he was almost a full pit stop ahead of the next driver.

Agreed - but the point that the rules shouldn't allow this activity is a fair one.

 

[JamesT]

Agreed - but the point that the rules shouldn't allow this activity is a fair one.

I believe the argument is that if a race has been red-flagged, cars may have driven over debris etc. Therefore it's a safety issue to allow teams to pre-emptively change tyres whilst in the pits red-flagged.

 

[DarloRich]

I believe the argument is that if a race has been red-flagged, cars may have driven over debris etc. Therefore it's a safety issue to allow teams to pre-emptively change tyres whilst in the pits red-flagged.

start from the pit lane at the rear of the safety car chain if there is a problem. Same as any time in the race

 

[Tetchytyke]

I believe the argument is that if a race has been red-flagged, cars may have driven over debris etc. Therefore it's a safety issue to allow teams to pre-emptively change tyres whilst in the pits red-flagged.

Put them to the back of the field then. We'll soon see how many of these tyre changes are for safety reasons.

The rules are the rules and I don't blame any team for using them tactically to their advantage. But the rules are silly and should be changed.

Now that refuelling isn't a thing I'd go even further and go back to how it used to be: shut the pit lane during a safety car or VSC period. There's a reason why Le Mans shuts the pit lane when there's a full course yellow.

 

[66701GBRF]

I believe the argument is that if a race has been red-flagged, cars may have driven over debris etc. Therefore it's a safety issue to allow teams to pre-emptively change tyres whilst in the pits red-flagged.

That is fine, but it should be change to the same tyre compound. Though I will admit that doesn't necessarily work in the wet conditions where the weather might be changeable and they are more limited on the amount of inters and wets they have.

 

[gswindale]

It's been quite an eventful day today in the f1 world.

Niels Wittich has stepped down as Race Director with immediate effect. Rui Marques will take over for the remainder of the season - making a step up f4om F2.

Alpine have now confirmed that from 2026 they will be a Mercedes customer team - ditching their own engine plan and taking up the supply that Aston Martin would have had if they hadn't switched to Honda.

Talking of Aston Martin, Dan Fallows has stepped down as Technical Director of the F1 team but will remain with the wider Aston Martin group.

It has also been announced that the F1 2025 liveries will all be unveiled at a single event to be held in London on 18th February as part of the 75th anniversary of the F1 world championship.

 

[DarloRich]

Talking of Aston Martin, Dan Fallows has stepped down as Technical Director of the F1 team but will remain with the wider Aston Martin group.

that is a strange one - they brought him in from Red Bull with a great fanfare

 

[Tetchytyke]

that is a strange one - they brought him in from Red Bull with a great fanfare

They probably can't afford to keep him in the F1 team- only the three top earning technical staff are exempt from the cost cap.

 

[JD2168]

Carlos Sainz has been given permission by Ferrari to drive for Williams in the post season test at Abu Dhabi.

 

[D365]

Carlos Sainz has been given permission by Ferrari to drive for Williams in the post season test at Abu Dhabi.

Conversely, I was reading that Lewis Hamilton won’t be driving for Ferrari, which is reportedly due to an extended farewell tour for/with Mercedes.

 

[HST43257]

Conversely, I was reading that Lewis Hamilton won’t be driving for Ferrari, which is reportedly due to an extended farewell tour for/with Mercedes.

A run for Arthur Leclerc I hope?

 

[DarloRich]

A run for Arthur Leclerc I hope?

Surely Bearman?

 

[66701GBRF]

'pinto the punter punts into the wall again.

 

[357]

Max has secured the championship.
An interesting race. Well worth watching if you didn't wake up for it.

 

[dcbwhaley]

'pinto the punter punts into the wall again.

Do you mean Chrashopinto.?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 24 Nov 2024 ==

Max has secured the championship.
An interesting race. Well worth watching if you didn't wake up for it.

Yes. Well worth getting up at five o'clock.
Despite Russel leading from lights out to chequered flag the action and strategy behind him was excellent viewing.
And NB's grid walk was excruciatingly amusing..

And I deny that MV has "won" four championships. He has won three and had one handed to him by an outrageous breach of the rules

 

[357]

And I deny that MV has "won" four championships. He has won three and had one handed to him by an outrageous breach of the rules

I'm sure he and the team are heartbroken by this news. That evening was an embarrassment for the sport but isn't nearly as embarrassing as comments like this.

This is the 2024 season, next year is the 2025 season, and many fans are still in the 2021 season.

 

[David M]

I'm sure he and the team are heartbroken by this news. That evening was an embarrassment for the sport but isn't nearly as embarrassing as comments like this.

This is the 2024 season, next year is the 2025 season, and many fans are still in the 2021 season.

Notice the Hamilton fan boys never mention Timo Glok.

 

[Darandio]

Notice the Hamilton fan boys never mention Timo Glok.

I'm nobody's fanboy but the two situations aren't even remotely comparable.

 

[Lampshade]

Notice the Hamilton fan boys never mention Timo Glok.

Why would they?