2016 Silly Season Thread

Post by **Londoner** » 24 Apr 2015, 19:26

With it being nearly a third of the year gone already, and the 2015 thread still inexplicably open (the pedantic bastard inside of me is constantly bitching about this

) , I feel it's time to open the new silly season thread.

The Hulk is considering his future, and he feels it may not be in F1

If he has competitive runs for Porsche at Spa and Le Mans in the next two months, I reckon that'll be the end of Hulkenberg's F1 career, as surely a competitive, well-funded manufacturer seat in the WEC will be far more attractive than plugging away in the midfield.

SuzukiSwift · Post by **SuzukiSwift** » 24 Apr 2015, 19:39

I predict McLaren will have a working engine in 2016.

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 24 Apr 2015, 20:01

SuzukiSwift wrote:I predict McLaren will have a working engine in 2016.

I reckon it may take that long before the smoke clears from all the exploding 2015 Renault engines...

Post by **mario** » 24 Apr 2015, 21:23

dr-baker wrote:
SuzukiSwift wrote:I predict McLaren will have a working engine in 2016.

I reckon it may take that long before the smoke clears from all the exploding 2015 Renault engines...

When you think about how troubled McLaren's pre-season testing was, it's actually somewhat remarkable that it should be Renault who have had the most engine failures this season. Ricciardo is already onto his fourth engine, and although the teams seem to have given approval for a fifth engine for practise sessions, it's basically a question of how few engine penalties Red Bull can get away with...

Their season so far has been something of a disaster - the upgrade packages have only made the engine worse, there are major design flaws (see the piston issues that lead to the blowouts in China and Bahrain) and there seems to be internal confusion within Renault over whether to try and boost their involvement in F1 or to axe their program.

Bad though McLaren and Honda's situation is, at least there have been signs of clear improvements in performance, albeit from a very low base. You really can't say the same about Renault - to be honest, you sense that Red Bull aren't where they are because of their strengths, but because those below them have simply been suffering from even bigger setbacks.

East Londoner wrote:With it being nearly a third of the year gone already, and the 2015 thread still inexplicably open (the pedantic bastard inside of me is constantly bitching about this ) , I feel it's time to open the new silly season thread.

The Hulk is considering his future, and he feels it may not be in F1

If he has competitive runs for Porsche at Spa and Le Mans in the next two months, I reckon that'll be the end of Hulkenberg's F1 career, as surely a competitive, well-funded manufacturer seat in the WEC will be far more attractive than plugging away in the midfield.

It certainly would be tempting, and it would probably mark the first point in several years when a driver in F1 has seen the WEC as a parallel career path rather than something to do after F1, as was the case with Webber.

It could depend to a certain extent on what Kimi does - we know that Ferrari have expressed an interest in Hulkenberg in the past, so he might stand a chance there if Kimi's contract wasn't renewed. It would probably represent his best chance at moving up into one of the big teams (indeed, it may be his only real chance).

AndreaModa · Post by **AndreaModa** » 24 Apr 2015, 21:44

Whilst Renault's issues are somewhat comical, and give some relief to Honda with the troubles they've had, I fear that all this negativity surrounding the Renault engines is leading to only one outcome. Unless costs drop significantly, I can't see them sinking money into another team and if performances don't pick up this year (and I doubt they will) then surely the only way they'll be heading is for the exit.

So ultimately what we'll have had is a new manufacturer come in, only for one of the existing ones to leave.

IceG · Post by **IceG** » 25 Apr 2015, 23:35

I'll just leave this here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-32468360

Post by **Bobby Doorknobs** » 26 Apr 2015, 00:16

IceG wrote:I'll just leave this here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-32468360

#AudiF1Confirmed

mrfakeboullier · Post by **mrfakeboullier** » 26 Apr 2015, 21:03

Simtek wrote:
IceG wrote:I'll just leave this here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-32468360

#AudiF1Confirmed

Really? If I was the new chairman of VAG then I'd stay in WEC, as it's still more road relevant and the Audis have been bulletproof mechanically since the start of WEC, which allows for more marketing relevance, especially considering the issues Renault and Honda have had. Also, I believe their WEC budget is about £5 million, when in F1 that wouldn't get you under 1007%

Post by **Bobby Doorknobs** » 26 Apr 2015, 21:31

mrfakeboullier wrote:
Simtek wrote:
IceG wrote:I'll just leave this here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-32468360

#AudiF1Confirmed

Really? If I was the new chairman of VAG then I'd stay in WEC, as it's still more road relevant and the Audis have been bulletproof mechanically since the start of WEC, which allows for more marketing relevance, especially considering the issues Renault and Honda have had. Also, I believe their WEC budget is about £5 million, when in F1 that wouldn't get you under 1007%

It was a joke

The chances of VW entering F1 have only gone from "not a hope in hell" to "Maybe, but is it really worth it?", the way I see it. Though I think you'll find their WEC budget is estimated to be quite a bit more than £5 million. It's more like £80 million to make a low estimate. But yes, WEC is looking like a better place than F1 for Audi or indeed any manufacturer really.

Dj_bereta · Post by **Dj_bereta** » 26 Apr 2015, 21:42

East Londoner wrote:With it being nearly a third of the year gone already, and the 2015 thread still inexplicably open (the pedantic bastard inside of me is constantly bitching about this ) , I feel it's time to open the new silly season thread.

The Hulk is considering his future, and he feels it may not be in F1

If he has competitive runs for Porsche at Spa and Le Mans in the next two months, I reckon that'll be the end of Hulkenberg's F1 career, as surely a competitive, well-funded manufacturer seat in the WEC will be far more attractive than plugging away in the midfield.

For the next year, I predict Mercedes, Ferrari, Mclaren and maybe Williams (if get bored with Massa, but Lynn is the potential replacement) and Red Bull (never hire someone outside of junior team since 2007) seats close for 2016 season.

Force India will never be a winning team in actual F1, so, I predict Hulk leaving F1 after the end of this year.

Francis23 · Post by **Francis23** » 26 Apr 2015, 22:21

Dj_bereta wrote:
East Londoner wrote:With it being nearly a third of the year gone already, and the 2015 thread still inexplicably open (the pedantic bastard inside of me is constantly bitching about this ) , I feel it's time to open the new silly season thread.

The Hulk is considering his future, and he feels it may not be in F1

If he has competitive runs for Porsche at Spa and Le Mans in the next two months, I reckon that'll be the end of Hulkenberg's F1 career, as surely a competitive, well-funded manufacturer seat in the WEC will be far more attractive than plugging away in the midfield.

For the next year, I predict Mercedes, Ferrari, Mclaren and maybe Williams (if get bored with Massa, but Lynn is the potential replacement) and Red Bull (never hire someone outside of junior team since 2007) seats close for 2016 season.

Force India will never be a winning team in actual F1, so, I predict Hulk leaving F1 after the end of this year.

I really hope that doesn't happen, Hulk would arguably be the best driver never to get a podium...

Alex Rossi and The Hulk to Haas next year, you heard it here first (assuming Hulk doesn't move to the WEC)

Salamander · Post by **Salamander** » 26 Apr 2015, 22:26

Francis23 wrote:I really hope that doesn't happen, Hulk would arguably be the best driver never to get a podium...

Pierluigi Martini would beg to differ...

Nessafox · Post by **Nessafox** » 26 Apr 2015, 22:40

Salamander wrote:
Francis23 wrote:I really hope that doesn't happen, Hulk would arguably be the best driver never to get a podium...

Pierluigi Martini would beg to differ...

The best non-drinkable driver without a podium!

Klon · Post by **Klon** » 27 Apr 2015, 09:47

This wrote:
Salamander wrote:
Francis23 wrote:I really hope that doesn't happen, Hulk would arguably be the best driver never to get a podium...

Pierluigi Martini would beg to differ...

The best non-drinkable driver without a podium!

Jean-Éric Vergne called.

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 27 Apr 2015, 10:36

Klon wrote:Jean-Éric Vergne called.

I think he might have dialled the wrong number then.

FullMetalJack · Post by **FullMetalJack** » 27 Apr 2015, 13:07

Klon wrote:
Salamander wrote:
Francis23 wrote:I really hope that doesn't happen, Hulk would arguably be the best driver never to get a podium...

Pierluigi Martini would beg to differ...

Jean-Éric Vergne called.

Whilst I will admit that he is good, and should still be in F1, let's not get carried away.

Best driver that's a reject? He'll be up there. He did match Ricciardo when they were teammates don't forget.

Aguaman · Post by **Aguaman** » 27 Apr 2015, 13:13

The Hulk was at Stuttgart for Porsche for the tennis there along with Mark Webber. So make what you want out of that.

Post by **mario** » 27 Apr 2015, 15:55

Aguaman wrote:The Hulk was at Stuttgart for Porsche for the tennis there along with Mark Webber. So make what you want out of that.

That's not really that surprising - he Tweeted recently that he was having his seat fitting ahead of the 6 Hours of Spa (which is next weekend), so you would expect him to be at Porsche's main facilities for that.

If I'm not mistaken, I think he also had to take part in one of the ACO's mandatory test sessions to qualify for a licence; I think that Porsche therefore gave him seat time in their recent test session to ensure that he could pass the ACO's licence requirements.

Klon · Post by **Klon** » 27 Apr 2015, 16:18

FullMetalJack wrote:Whilst I will admit that he is good, and should still be in F1, let's not get carried away.

I'd take him over Hülkenberg any day of the week. Literally any day.

UncreativeUsername37 · Post by **UncreativeUsername37** » 27 Apr 2015, 18:38

Klon wrote:
FullMetalJack wrote:Whilst I will admit that he is good, and should still be in F1, let's not get carried away.

I'd take him over Hülkenberg any day of the week. Literally any day.

Even Saturday?

Francis23 · Post by **Francis23** » 27 Apr 2015, 20:17

Klon wrote:
FullMetalJack wrote:Whilst I will admit that he is good, and should still be in F1, let's not get carried away.

I'd take him over Hülkenberg any day of the week. Literally any day.

To be fair Martini's last drive was a year before I existed, and whilst he and JEV are talented I think that Hulkenberg has consistently ground out a lot of points in average cars (2012-13) in particular, and that's why i've always rated him

Salamander · Post by **Salamander** » 27 Apr 2015, 20:19

Francis23 wrote:
Klon wrote:
FullMetalJack wrote:Whilst I will admit that he is good, and should still be in F1, let's not get carried away.

I'd take him over Hülkenberg any day of the week. Literally any day.

To be fair Martini's last drive was a year before I existed, and whilst he and JEV are talented I think that Hulkenberg has consistently ground out a lot of points in average cars (2012-13) in particular, and that's why i've always rated him

You can say the same for Martini and JEV. I've never seen Martini drive either, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate the fact that he was responsible for 16 of their 38 points scored ever (31 if you don't count the 2005 USGP).

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 27 Apr 2015, 20:26

Best rejects drivers? HWNSNBM and Max Chilton, surely?

And don't call me Shirley!

Francis23 · Post by **Francis23** » 27 Apr 2015, 20:41

Salamander wrote:You can say the same for Martini and JEV. I've never seen Martini drive either, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate the fact that he was responsible for 16 of their 38 points scored ever (31 if you don't count the 2005 USGP).

That's fair enough, I just have an admiration for The Hulk as a driver. Actually, come to think about it, if Raikkonen calls it a day at the end of this year then JEV (being their 3rd driver) and Hulk may end up in battle for the Ferrari seat (both deserve it). Should that happen then whoever doesn't may end up at Haas, but then it equally wouldn't surprise me if Gutierrez somehow got the drive

dr-baker wrote:Best rejects drivers? HWNSNBM and Max Chilton, surely?

And don't call me Shirley!

I change my mind, HWNSNBM is the best driver never to get a podium

Post by **Bobby Doorknobs** » 27 Apr 2015, 22:05

Francis23 wrote:I change my mind, HWNSNBM is the greatest driver of all time and our true lord and saviour

Fixed.

Post by **tommykl** » 27 Apr 2015, 22:17

Simtek wrote:
Francis23 wrote:I change my mind, HWNSNBM is the greatest driver of all time and our true lord and saviour

Fixed.

In fact, Biscione should change the time and date to reflect this. Today, it is the 27th April 36, not 2015!

GerhardTalger · Post by **GerhardTalger** » 28 Apr 2015, 09:08

Salamander wrote:

You can say the same for Martini and JEV. I've never seen Martini drive either, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate the fact that he was responsible for 16 of their 38 points scored ever (31 if you don't count the 2005 USGP).

Even though I do think the guy deserved more than a Minardi seat, he was there at the best times one could be at Minardi. They were actually 8th in 1993, when Martini didn't score a single point for them. But apart from that, he did a very fine job in 1989, 1991 and 1994.

You could argue that Fittipaldi did a nice job there (and I really do thing C. Fittipaldi was one of the more decent drivers never to score a podium), but he scored 5 points in 16 races for the team while Martini scored 16 out of 106 races.

But it's hard to compare different seasons - it's not fair to compare Heidfeld and Frentzen based on their Jordan seasons, really. At least Martini has been unbeaten by this teammates over the course of the years, so that looks strong enough. Hulkenberg had more problems with that.

But I do think Hulkenberg will be out of F1 next year.

watka · Post by **watka** » 28 Apr 2015, 12:44

Was just thinking about Hulkenberg's time at Williams and how he was replaced by Maldonado, despite the Hulk's potential for flashes of brilliance. Still to this day, it encapsulates Hulkenberg's problem; I believe that now most teams would still probably take Maldonado over Hulkenberg, as his talent isn't quite enough to get over the lure of drivers with more sponsorship than him. I can forsee Bottas having similar problems in years to come.

Post by **Ataxia** » 28 Apr 2015, 13:22

watka wrote:Was just thinking about Hulkenberg's time at Williams and how he was replaced by Maldonado, despite the Hulk's potential for flashes of brilliance. Still to this day, it encapsulates Hulkenberg's problem; I believe that now most teams would still probably take Maldonado over Hulkenberg, as his talent isn't quite enough to get over the lure of drivers with more sponsorship than him. I can forsee Bottas having similar problems in years to come.

£30M seems to be enough to take a driver who can't score in a good car over a driver who CAN score in a...how would Ron Dennis put it...sub-optimal ground vehicle. Sad, ain't it?

I wish Hulkenberg had got that Ferrari seat in 2014, I really do...

Klon · Post by **Klon** » 28 Apr 2015, 13:24

watka wrote:Was just thinking about Hulkenberg's time at Williams and how he was replaced by Maldonado, despite the Hulk's potential for flashes of brilliance.

That didn't happen without reason, though: Hülkenberg could have stayed at Williams had Barrichello not wiped all of Oxfordshire with him in 2010. So yeah, that is the issue: Hülkenberg's brilliance is confined to mere flashes. Actual top drivers show it race in, race out.

GerhardTalger · Post by **GerhardTalger** » 28 Apr 2015, 13:50

Klon wrote:
watka wrote:Was just thinking about Hulkenberg's time at Williams and how he was replaced by Maldonado, despite the Hulk's potential for flashes of brilliance.

That didn't happen without reason, though: Hülkenberg could have stayed at Williams had Barrichello not wiped all of Oxfordshire with him in 2010. So yeah, that is the issue: Hülkenberg's brilliance is confined to mere flashes. Actual top drivers show it race in, race out.

Well, the only reason was money, for all we know. If Barrichello DID get replaced by the almighty Bruno Senna - and he was replaced by him, you know more than enough about the state of the team.

In no way Maldonado is better than Hulkenburg, and he did show that in GP2. I'm more and more thinking that his win is a Gethin-like fluke.

Dj_bereta · Post by **Dj_bereta** » 28 Apr 2015, 18:03

GerhardTalger wrote:
Klon wrote:
watka wrote:Was just thinking about Hulkenberg's time at Williams and how he was replaced by Maldonado, despite the Hulk's potential for flashes of brilliance.

That didn't happen without reason, though: Hülkenberg could have stayed at Williams had Barrichello not wiped all of Oxfordshire with him in 2010. So yeah, that is the issue: Hülkenberg's brilliance is confined to mere flashes. Actual top drivers show it race in, race out.

Well, the only reason was money, for all we know. If Barrichello DID get replaced by the almighty Bruno Senna - and he was replaced by him, you know more than enough about the state of the team.

In no way Maldonado is better than Hulkenburg, and he did show that in GP2. I'm more and more thinking that his win is a Gethin-like fluke.

Maldonado's sole win wasn't a fluke. He defeated Alonso, in his home race, in similar conditions, fair and square. Defeating Alonso in these conditions certainly isn't a fluke.

Hulk had the chance of his maiden win, but he threw it in the trash can with two spins.

Backmarker · Post by **Backmarker** » 28 Apr 2015, 18:11

Given his testing role, Martin Brundle to Force India?

Post by **mario** » 28 Apr 2015, 19:31

GerhardTalger wrote:
Klon wrote:
watka wrote:Was just thinking about Hulkenberg's time at Williams and how he was replaced by Maldonado, despite the Hulk's potential for flashes of brilliance.

That didn't happen without reason, though: Hülkenberg could have stayed at Williams had Barrichello not wiped all of Oxfordshire with him in 2010. So yeah, that is the issue: Hülkenberg's brilliance is confined to mere flashes. Actual top drivers show it race in, race out.

Well, the only reason was money, for all we know. If Barrichello DID get replaced by the almighty Bruno Senna - and he was replaced by him, you know more than enough about the state of the team.

In no way Maldonado is better than Hulkenburg, and he did show that in GP2. I'm more and more thinking that his win is a Gethin-like fluke.

I think that the point is that, at the time, Williams had the choice of either getting rid of Rubens or getting rid of Hulkenberg in order to accommodate Maldonado.

It's not that Williams necessarily thought that Maldonado was better than Hulkenberg, rather that Rubens was considered to be of higher value to the team that Hulkenberg and therefore they were happier to sacrifice him rather than Rubens. When you're an aspiring young driver, it's a bit galling that a team thinks that a 37 year old veteran is a better long term bet for them than you are, which is effectively what Williams were saying at the time.

GerhardTalger · Post by **GerhardTalger** » 28 Apr 2015, 22:00

mario wrote:I think that the point is that, at the time, Williams had the choice of either getting rid of Rubens or getting rid of Hulkenberg in order to accommodate Maldonado.

It's not that Williams necessarily thought that Maldonado was better than Hulkenberg, rather that Rubens was considered to be of higher value to the team that Hulkenberg and therefore they were happier to sacrifice him rather than Rubens. When you're an aspiring young driver, it's a bit galling that a team thinks that a 37 year old veteran is a better long term bet for them than you are, which is effectively what Williams were saying at the time.

That was sort of my point. At least Maldonado proved to be somewhat decent by that one win, unlike Bruno Senna.

That's more than The Hulk has shown.

Collieafc · Post by **Collieafc** » 28 Apr 2015, 22:22

The longer he floats in the midfield, the harder it will be as well for Hulkenberg - he may already be in danger of this (at 48 seconds in), especially as the likes of Verstappen, Bottas etc continue to attract the spotlight.

Post by **Ataxia** » 28 Apr 2015, 22:31

GerhardTalger wrote:
mario wrote:I think that the point is that, at the time, Williams had the choice of either getting rid of Rubens or getting rid of Hulkenberg in order to accommodate Maldonado.

It's not that Williams necessarily thought that Maldonado was better than Hulkenberg, rather that Rubens was considered to be of higher value to the team that Hulkenberg and therefore they were happier to sacrifice him rather than Rubens. When you're an aspiring young driver, it's a bit galling that a team thinks that a 37 year old veteran is a better long term bet for them than you are, which is effectively what Williams were saying at the time.

That was sort of my point. At least Maldonado proved to be somewhat decent by that one win, unlike Bruno Senna.

That's more than The Hulk has shown.

Yeah, producing the goods week in, week out means he's not decent...wait, what?

We're talking about a guy who was consistently good last year. Fine, he didn't reach the heights of, say, his teammate who bagged 3rd at Bahrain (it's an oft-neglected fact that Hulkenberg had energy-harvesting problems that evening; he'd have fought for that podium otherwise), but all of the other results that Perez drew praise for were results that were Hulkenberg's bread and butter.

I don't really know what more Hulkenberg can do to prove himself in the cars he's had. His rookie year was hit-and-miss, but most are anyway. He beat Di Resta at Force India, demolished Gutierrez at Sauber and easily had the edge on Perez last year. What more do you want, him to slide under the table and stroke your bollocks?

Post by **Bobby Doorknobs** » 28 Apr 2015, 23:45

According to Autosport, next year's Australian GP won't be until the beginning of April, making it F1's latest season start since 1988, and it will be held back-to-back with Shanghai. F1 deprivation is going to get quite serious this year...

Francis23 · Post by **Francis23** » 29 Apr 2015, 01:30

Ataxia wrote:What more do you want, him to slide under the table and stroke your bollocks?

Glad you agree with me about Hulk, even though that's a bit extreme

Simtek wrote:According to Autosport, next year's Australian GP won't be until the beginning of April, making it F1's latest season start since 1988, and it will be held back-to-back with Shanghai. F1 deprivation is going to get quite serious this year...

So does that mean the Malaysia GP is being axed then? No, surely not... :cry:

CoopsII · Post by **CoopsII** » 29 Apr 2015, 07:40

Dj_bereta wrote:Maldonado's sole win wasn't a fluke.

Well, it was sort of. In fact, it was quite a bit. Actually, if you don't believe that win was a fluke then you'd probably have to believe the pit fire after wasn't a fluke either as both incidents haven't happened again nor do they appear likely to.