2015 Silly Season Thread

[DanielPT]

F1 drivers push for better wet tyres.

I am just gutted that it had to happen a very serious accident until someone decided to do something about this. It has been identified in this forum as a problem long a go and is another issue with current F1 that had been put aside to make way to stupid gimmicks. True that Pirelli improved the tyre this year, but for too long have the wet tyres been worse than the intermediates causing the drivers to try and keep the latter even in full rain.

[solarcold]

Alonso is said to be close to signing for Lotus. I dunno

[DanielPT]

Lotus? Do they have money to even pay their staff (The Reverend excluded) ?

[Bobby Doorknobs]

Alonso is said to be close to signing for Lotus. I dunno

I think we can take that to mean Alonso could go literally anywhere, even:

Now who wouldn't want to see this?

[Aerond]

Alonso is said to be close to signing for Lotus. I dunno

Is said by who? Probably some twitter chap :p

Why would Alonso want to return to Enstone? He has nothing left to do there.

[tommykl]

Alonso is said to be close to signing for Lotus. I dunno

Is said by who? Probably some twitter chap :p

Why would Alonso want to return to Enstone? He has nothing left to do there.

Well, F1i magazine (usually known for clickbait titles and awful opinion pieces but the occasional accuracy) have stated that "personal sources" say that Alonso is in advanced talks with Lotus as a plan B in case his preferred move falls through...

[Normal32]

Alonso is said to be close to signing for Lotus. I dunno

Is said by who? Probably some twitter chap :p

Why would Alonso want to return to Enstone? He has nothing left to do there.

Well, F1i magazine (usually known for clickbait titles and awful opinion pieces but the occasional accuracy) have stated that "personal sources" say that Alonso is in advanced talks with Lotus as a plan B in case his preferred move falls through...

It could be a good move,since they have the most powerful engine...

[mario]

F1 drivers push for better wet tyres.

I am just gutted that it had to happen a very serious accident until someone decided to do something about this. It has been identified in this forum as a problem long a go and is another issue with current F1 that had been put aside to make way to stupid gimmicks. True that Pirelli improved the tyre this year, but for too long have the wet tyres been worse than the intermediates causing the drivers to try and keep the latter even in full rain.

That said, a certain issue is that the teams themselves are not contributing much towards the testing of wet weather tyres - when Pirelli asked the teams if they would participate in pre-season wet weather tests, they agreed to do so, but most teams only ran a handful of laps when wet weather actually hit the tracks and spent most of the time waiting for dryer weather.

Whilst it is certainly an area where Pirelli can make improvements, it is not an area where I'm expecting changes to take place overnight - when Michelin entered the sport, just look at how long it took them to produce a wet weather tyre that was actually any good, and that was in an era with unlimited testing.

[CoopsII]

If the BBC are to be believed Button is weighing up a move into Endurance racing should McLaren bin him and I think it would be a great move for the lad. A pity it reinforces the idea that Endurance racing is a haven for passed-it F1 drivers but there you go, it kind of always has been anyway.

[Sublime_FA11C]

Good news for Hulk: Force India retain Hulkenberg -Sky

Can i just make a wish? Nevermind giving Hulkenberg a top seat, someone please give Force India some money!

[DanielPT]

Good news for Hulk: Force India retain Hulkenberg -Sky

Can i just make a wish? Nevermind giving Hulkenberg a top seat, someone please give Force India some money!

Isn't it what Perez is doing in the other car? (It might have been at the start of the season, but he looks the better Force India driver in the second part of the season.

[Alextrax52]

Van der God also dropped a hint on Facebook in his congrats of the Hulk

"Congrats Nico Hulkenberg hope we can have some good battles next year like the old days"

[Bobby Doorknobs]

Van der God also dropped a hint on Facebook in his congrats of the Hulk

"Congrats Nico Hulkenberg hope we can have some good battles next year like the old days"

Either Giedo's being cocky or we can confirm one half of Sauber's line-up for next year.

[girry]

Giedo has a history of officially confirming drives that actually weren't drives. Would take his hints with a pinch of salt.

[mario]

Giedo has a history of officially confirming drives that actually weren't drives. Would take his hints with a pinch of salt.

Especially since, in some ways, Giedo's comments could be read as him wishing that he had a drive and could therefore compete on track with Hulkenberg rather than actually indicating that he will be driving for somebody next year.

[Nin13]

Even Button's manager has confirmed that they are looking to WEC as a option. So it should not be surprise if he leaves F1. Surprise will be if he still drives for Mclaren.

Looks like all set for Alonso and Magnussen at Mclaren and Vettel and Raikkonen at Ferrari. Imagine how upset Alonso will be if Mclaren are nowhere and Ferrari is title contenders

[AustralianStig]

Not sure how creditable this source is, but it claims that Audi are looking to join F1 in 2016! Could this be Red Bull's solution to their engine issues?

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/audi/89171 ... f1-in-2016

Finding it a little hard to believe that Audi would shelve their entire DTM and Le Mans budget though...

EDIT: Looking through the comments which are dismissing the article as pure speculation. Oh well...

[Frogfoot9013]

Not sure how creditable this source is, but it claims that Audi are looking to join F1 in 2016! Could this be Red Bull's solution to their engine issues?

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/audi/89171 ... f1-in-2016

Finding it a little hard to believe that Audi would shelve their entire DTM and Le Mans budget though...

EDIT: Looking through the comments which are dismissing the article as pure speculation. Oh well...

Autosport or it's not true.

[Dj_bereta]

http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1-co ... ry-report/

No surprise here, since Barrichello never give up of F1. Also, not a great loss in Brazilian tv coverage, since the main commentator hinders his and Burti work.

The biggest chance for Barrichello is if some teams run a third car. I don't think Mercedes will hire him in a third car, since Alonso want so badly a winning car now, but having Alonso, Hamilton and Rosberg in the same team could be a problem.

[Salamander]

Not sure how creditable this source is, but it claims that Audi are looking to join F1 in 2016!

It's claiming VW/Audi are interested in joining F1. So it's automatically bullshit.

[sswishbone]

I severely doubt Audi will leave Le Mans, especially considering it was the lobbying of both them and Porsche that got Nurburgring on the calendar in 2015. As another commenter has also stated, what does F1 give them that Le Mans doesn't? Audi may possibly get a superb development engine for future R8 road cars if they go through F1, staying with le Mans they'd get engines at that end plus the regular road engines.

I think, if anything, it is more likely Red Bull would back out of F1 to join up with Nissan's LMP1 project in the future... And I severely doubt that'll happen either!

[FMecha]

I severely doubt Audi will leave Le Mans, especially considering it was the lobbying of both them and Porsche that got Nurburgring on the calendar in 2015. As another commenter has also stated, what does F1 give them that Le Mans doesn't? Audi may possibly get a superb development engine for future R8 road cars if they go through F1, staying with le Mans they'd get engines at that end plus the regular road engines.

I think, if anything, it is more likely Red Bull would back out of F1 to join up with Nissan's LMP1 project in the future... And I severely doubt that'll happen either!

If anything, the GT Academy program is more likely to piggyback Nissan LMP1 rather than Red Bull.

[Ataxia]

Not sure how creditable this source is, but it claims that Audi are looking to join F1 in 2016!

It's claiming VW/Audi are interested in joining F1. So it's automatically bullshit.

Which means it's probably going to happen

[DemocalypseNow]

http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1-comeback-bid-ended-barrichello-commentary-report/

No surprise here, since Barrichello never give up of F1. Also, not a great loss in Brazilian tv coverage, since the main commentator hinders his and Burti work.

The biggest chance for Barrichello is if some teams run a third car. I don't think Mercedes will hire him in a third car, since Alonso want so badly a winning car now, but having Alonso, Hamilton and Rosberg in the same team could be a problem.

I both agree and disagree on certain points.

Certainly, Galvao doesn't shut his mouth, so what anyone else says becomes a bit irrelevant. But out of the supporting crew, Rubens is more valuable than Burti. Burti's main job seems to be to sit and translate the team radios that are broadcast in English - but almost the entire time his translations are not even close to being correct! The rest of the time of course, he can't get a word in edgeways because of Galvao's hogging all the time on the mic.

I think also Barrichello's problem is he's only valuable for a lower midfield team that wants an experienced hand to help in car development, showing the young drivers how to do certain things and so on - but these teams desperately need money to be able to afford the third car in the first place. From a purely logical perspective, the only move that would make much sense would be to either Force India or Lotus - both assume that the cheques brought by Sergio Perez and Pastor Maldonado respectively are large enough to cover any costs of running a non-pay-driver in a third car. That may well not be the case though, so his prospects are bleak.

This will open up the floodgates to GP2 drivers though - guys who previously couldn't get in on money alone, will now have a window open for them. Drivers like Rio Haryanto and Daniel de Jong, who really have no business being anywhere near F1, but seem to have a steady, healthy flow of cash, might get a look in at teams in the midfield. I'm sure top teams might start cherry-picking the best midfield team drivers for their third cars pretty soon...

[Aerond]

The news of Marussia not travelling to USA and Brazil open a whole new chapter on Silly Season I believe... There's going to be a load of shite going around as to who will drive third cars because I seriously doubt any of Marussia & Caterham will survive into 2015.

[mario]

I severely doubt Audi will leave Le Mans, especially considering it was the lobbying of both them and Porsche that got Nurburgring on the calendar in 2015. As another commenter has also stated, what does F1 give them that Le Mans doesn't? Audi may possibly get a superb development engine for future R8 road cars if they go through F1, staying with le Mans they'd get engines at that end plus the regular road engines.

I think, if anything, it is more likely Red Bull would back out of F1 to join up with Nissan's LMP1 project in the future... And I severely doubt that'll happen either!

I am similarly doubtful - whilst I can see a slight possibility of one of VW's subsidiaries making an F1 spec engine given that Porsche have stated they actively considered the option if the VW Group had vetoed their plans to return to the LMP1 field, the odds of such a move are rather unlikely. The possibility of a full blown works outfit, meanwhile, are even more remote...

[Zetec]

Ericsson will be driving for Sauber in 2015 and is rumoured to bring around 20 millions dollars of money for the seat! It's a big headline in the morning newspaper over here.

[TheFlyingCaterham]

Ericsson will be driving for Sauber in 2015 and is rumoured to bring around 20 millions dollars of money for the seat! It's a big headline in the morning newspaper over here.

Autosport or it didnt happen...

[AustralianStig]

Ericsson will be driving for Sauber in 2015 and is rumoured to bring around 20 millions dollars of money for the seat! It's a big headline in the morning newspaper over here.

Autosport or it didnt happen...

*Ring ring*
"Hello? Is this the record repair shop?"

[sswishbone]

Ericsson will be driving for Sauber in 2015 and is rumoured to bring around 20 millions dollars of money for the seat! It's a big headline in the morning newspaper over here.

Autosport or it didnt happen...

[dinizintheoven]

*Ring ring*
"Hello? Is this the record repair shop?"

That's a wasted joke on these youngsters here who wouldn't know what a broken record was if it crawled up behind them and bitnd them and bitnd them and bitnd them and bitnd them and bit*bzzzzzp*

[CoopsII]

Some drivers have come out with postive comments regarding three car teams..
http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2014/10/d ... -to-shine/
Is it just me or does this seem like a script they've been given to follow?

[Salamander]

Jenson Button disagrees.

[Bobby Doorknobs]

Two cars is the way it always has been and it is the way it works in Formula 1.

No Jenson, they haven't. BRM were regularly entering five cars a race in 1972.

[Zetec]

Smaller teams are trying to reduce the costs and still some people want three cars? Maybe I'm wrong, but a third car means one more race-engineer, more engines, more gearboxes, more transporters etc. therefore higher costs?

[DanielPT]

Smaller teams are trying to reduce the costs and still some people want three cars? Maybe I'm wrong, but a third car means one more race-engineer, more engines, more gearboxes, more transporters etc. therefore higher costs?

And less prize money. Because, you know, apparently those places occupied by third cars will be void (even if it didn't, it would still take the chance of smaller teams finishing up higher in the order and therefore winning more money). On top of this, try to explain to some layman that some of the cars that are supposedly racing and consequently wasting teams money and resources don't really count for nothing in the larger scheme except to screw rivals and slower teams. The guy who thought of this should be shot in the face and buried in several different places near the core of the earth with history books reminding that this nameless bloke is an example of how really dumb ideas should be dealt with.

Seriously, if they are going with third cars, at least make them count.

[Sublime_FA11C]

Two cars is the way it always has been and it is the way it works in Formula 1.

No Jenson, they haven't. BRM were regularly entering five cars a race in 1972. :ugeek:

Exactly. And an aditional benefit of having more cars per team is that in case of uneven performance due to chassis or engine design between constructors, the driver's championship is actually improved as there are more realistic contenders.

The costs of running extra cars are somewhat offset by extra sponsorship income, but the main draw would be a higher WCC points haul. That's the only way to justify running unsanctioned number of cars per team. A small team running only 2 or even 1 car would be handicapped in terms of scoring points but on the flip side, it would have lower running costs and if the car was any good, it could attract sponsorship or manufacturer support in order to run another car. That said, it's more likely the teams would be forced to run an equal number of cars. I'm not sure which i would prefer.

Having the opportunity to run just a single car would make it much easier for potential newcomers to attempt to join F1, as opposed to having to enter as a 3 car outfit. Plus there'd be a higher reject-factor. On the other end of the spectrum, letting any team run as many as 5 cars would make the WCC unbalanced and allow a team with deep enough pockets to brute force their way to a title. A development race could be replaced by a spending race. I don't know if it would be worth any teams time to run more than 3 cars though, but a part of me would like to see it happen.

There's no point to running a car that does not score points. Yes teams could be covered for the expenses, F1 as a whole makes entirely too much money compared to the amounts reinvested, but it would scream "These cars are only here to make up the numbers" without even pretending otherwise.

I'm not in favor of three car teams being used as a solution to a bigger problem. I'd rather see three car teams as an inovation or evolution of F1, and i'd like to see it implemented well. But it could also be a major step in the wrong direction.

EDIT - Champcars are a diffrent kettle of fish entirely, but they managed to field unlimited cars. Some teams ran only one car, most had two but they were allowed to have separate sponsorship and operated as a team within a team once racing was underway. And there were Penske cars, in McLaren-like Marlboro liveries with 3 cars on the grid. But they didnt really steamroll the opposition and definetly had higher costs. Champcars again, are a diffrent kettle of fish. The playing field was much more level, constructors didnt really "construct" nor invest in innovation nearly as much as F1. Cars were put together from chassis, engines and tyres available to all and in the end, the best package would have an upper hand, though driver skill and team competence still meant more than the packaging. The points also ran down further than 10th and there were extra points for pole and most laps led.

It's not something that would work in F1 though. It didnt exactly work for Champcars either, though their problems were more political. Politics, driver casualties and viewer dissatisfaction all helped kill it off, but for a while it was a very interesting championship and one example of how a multi-car team championship may be structured.

[DanielPT]

The costs of running extra cars are somewhat offset by extra sponsorship income, but the main draw would be a higher WCC points haul. That's the only way to justify running unsanctioned number of cars per team. A small team running only 2 or even 1 car would be handicapped in terms of scoring points but on the flip side, it would have lower running costs and if the car was any good, it could attract sponsorship or manufacturer support in order to run another car. That said, it's more likely the teams would be forced to run an equal number of cars. I'm not sure which i would prefer.

This "extra sponsorship income" argument in favour of 3 cars is a weak one IMHO. You don't need to look further below those racing in upper midfield to start seeing teams struggling to grab some meaningful sponsorship in order to realise that all bar those at the very front (or manufacturers) will have some issues getting that extra income.

[mario]

The costs of running extra cars are somewhat offset by extra sponsorship income, but the main draw would be a higher WCC points haul. That's the only way to justify running unsanctioned number of cars per team. A small team running only 2 or even 1 car would be handicapped in terms of scoring points but on the flip side, it would have lower running costs and if the car was any good, it could attract sponsorship or manufacturer support in order to run another car. That said, it's more likely the teams would be forced to run an equal number of cars. I'm not sure which i would prefer.

This "extra sponsorship income" argument in favour of 3 cars is a weak one IMHO. You don't need to look further below those racing in upper midfield to start seeing teams struggling to grab some meaningful sponsorship in order to realise that all bar those at the very front (or manufacturers) will have some issues getting that extra income.

Even relatively major teams have started to struggle for sponsorship - McLaren, as we know, have no title sponsor and have lost a number of large and small sponsors (such as Boss moving to Mercedes), whilst Ferrari have also lost a couple of sponsors in recent years too.

[Bleu]

If sponsoring just one car in the team is not allowed then I don't see sponsorship getting much bigger compared to extra costs.