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I can’t see a situation where Lindblad isn’t in an F1 seat next season. Certainly not when Lawson isn’t showing anything special.

If Liam continues to underperform, then yes, he could be dropped. But if his form is starting to turn around, keeping him in his seat for 2026 and giving Lindblad another year in F2 (with plenty of FP1 appearances between both Red Bull and Racing Bulls) might not be a bad idea.


I just can’t see Max staying more than 1yr. The new RBPT/Ford is going to miss the mark by allot. Even with Max’s talent that won’t help a dog of a PU.

Mercedes and Honda will have the best PU’s out of the gate in 2026.

I admit I have heard little to nothing about the PUs, so are we sure the Red Bull/Ford unit is a dog or is that just the assumption around the paddock and pundits? Red Bull Powertrains has been around in one form or another since the late 2010s when they were trying to salvage their Renault hybrid PSUs, after all, so it's not like this is a true rookie effort.
 
If Liam continues to underperform, then yes, he could be dropped. But if his form is starting to turn around, keeping him in his seat for 2026 and giving Lindblad another year in F2 (with plenty of FP1 appearances between both Red Bull and Racing Bulls) might not be a bad idea.




I admit I have heard little to nothing about the PUs, so are we sure the Red Bull/Ford unit is a dog or is that just the assumption around the paddock and pundits? Red Bull Powertrains has been around in one form or another since the late 2010s when they were trying to salvage their Renault hybrid PSUs, after all, so it's not like this is a true rookie effort.

Just allot of chatter on Engine Tech Forums, and my knowledge of Ford in general terms.
 
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As for RB 2026 power units, yes they are well behind in development and currently not doing well, heard from a trusted source but won't say what the issue is just in case I am not meant to. And we believe that is one of the reasons Horner has gone, the RB engine plant was his baby, he invested a lot into it. Morale also isn't the best. I could go on but won't.
Sadly I think next year they may be mid fielders, but you never know.
 
Great interview with Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger, two of my favourite F1 drivers:


Great.

They touch a bit about the team structures of today compared to the team managers they had (Ken Tyrrell, Jean Todt, Flavio Briatore, etc).

Edit: Definitely don't crash your team manager's Lancia Ypsilon company car before the F1 test. :)
 
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I saw a report that Max’s private jet flew into Sardinia and Toto Wolff’s jet also flew in and then out 5 hours later. I think poor George is going to get dumped.
Or they are just exploring options. Let’s face it when George sits down to discuss a new contract, he doesn’t have the upper hand when it comes to salary negotiations! Poor guy. Maybe we should have a whip round for him?
 
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I saw a report that Max’s private jet flew into Sardinia and Toto Wolff’s jet also flew in and then out 5 hours later. I think poor George is going to get dumped.

FR24 data indicated that Max’s Falcon left Sardinia approximately 20 min after Toto. Max was heading from Monaco at departure. Returned to Monaco on the home leg. The big unknown is whether or not Raymond was with him. I think Max is more removed from Jos these days than people may believe.

I think it was “I’ll be available in 2027 if you get the W17 correct.” George needs to decide on the 1+1 he rejected.
 
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Why would Minimum move to a low rank team like Mercedes? I wonder how many Russell allies will tolerate Minimum, look at Lewis across in the Mario Kart Donkey team, no one likes him, give him the most vague of replies, ignore his suggestions.. You think Minimum is going to enjoy his session in Mercs?
 
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Why would Minimum move to a low rank team like Mercedes? I wonder how many Russell allies will tolerate Minimum, look at Lewis across in the Mario Kart Donkey team, no one likes him, give him the most vague of replies, ignore his suggestions.. You think Minimum is going to enjoy his session in Mercs?
Everybody loves a winner, they will 'love' him (insert any childish name you like) when he wins.
 
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Oh, car 44's meat in the seat won in China, ok, it was the cheap seats fake race, but still, he found no love after.. You know Minimum is not going to be the next best thing since air fryers..
 
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FR24 data indicated that Max’s Falcon left Sardinia approximately 20 min after Toto. Max was heading from Monaco at departure. Returned to Monaco on the home leg. The big unknown is whether or not Raymond was with him. I think Max is more removed from Jos these days than people may believe.

I think it was “I’ll be available in 2027 if you get the W17 correct.” George needs to decide on the 1+1 he rejected.
I think George should accept a 12 month contract at this point if its offered and hope to get his signature on an Aston Martin contract for 2027, if Lewis doesn't get there first lol. Mercedes are rumoured to have the best powertrain to 2026 spec, so if George does really well there in 2026 (if he is there), it might be a difficult decision for Toto as to who partners Max (if he goes there). It is amazing how well a driver can perform when they are either after an extension, or advertising themselves to a potential new team, ask Carlos.
 
Why would Minimum move to a low rank team like Mercedes? I wonder how many Russell allies will tolerate Minimum, look at Lewis across in the Mario Kart Donkey team, no one likes him, give him the most vague of replies, ignore his suggestions.. You think Minimum is going to enjoy his session in Mercs?

I think Max and Toto would have a symbiotic relationship. They are more alike than we see. I think it would work. I also no longer believe winning another WDC is the priority for Max. Internally he is looking for the greatest financial opportunity to further verstappen.com. His driving skill is the resume to land the interview. I’m fine with that.
 
I think Max and Toto would have a symbiotic relationship. They are more alike than we see. I think it would work. I also no longer believe winning another WDC is the priority for Max. Internally he is looking for the greatest financial opportunity to further verstappen.com. His driving skill is the resume to land the interview. I’m fine with that.
Nothing is a given in F1 and those of us here who have followed the sport for decades can appreciate that even the best drivers on the grid can face problems. If you had said to me at the end of 2006 that Fernando Alonso would never win another World Championship, I would have called you mad. Same if you'd said he would be racing in 2025 and not have won a race for 12 years! Max and Lewis may never win another title, you just never know and when you're a multiple World Champion and still enjoy racing, the high salary cushions the blow some what.
 
Nothing is a given in F1 and those of us here who have followed the sport for decades can appreciate that even the best drivers on the grid can face problems. If you had said to me at the end of 2006 that Fernando Alonso would never win another World Championship, I would have called you mad. Same if you'd said he would be racing in 2025 and not have won a race for 12 years! Max and Lewis may never win another title, you just never know and when you're a multiple World Champion and still enjoy racing, the high salary cushions the blow some what.

I agree. I think Max knows this as well. I still believe his heart is being pulled toward SRO GT3 more and more.

Personally, I’d love to see Max and Lewis go to the WEC, as well as other endurance events.
 
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I think Max and Toto would have a symbiotic relationship. They are more alike than we see. I think it would work. I also no longer believe winning another WDC is the priority for Max. Internally he is looking for the greatest financial opportunity to further verstappen.com. His driving skill is the resume to land the interview. I’m fine with that.

I really don't see Toto and Mercedes supporting Max driving anything other than their F1 car while he is under contract. Red Bull, on the other hand, has proven they're okay with that.


I also see the lead article on the MacRumors front page is Apple TV+ looks to land the Formula One broadcast rights for the US.
 
I really don't see Toto and Mercedes supporting Max driving anything other than their F1 car while he is under contract. Red Bull, on the other hand, has proven they're okay with that.


I also see the lead article on the MacRumors front page is Apple TV+ looks to land the Formula One broadcast rights for the US.

Strong reasons for Max to stay at Red Bull.
 
Stay at Red Bull? Max would be better of driving the catering team bus from the hotel to the track than drive for Red Bull.. What is the delay in revealing the worst secret in F1?
 
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Autoevolution is reporting that Sergio Perez is expected to sign a deal with Cadillac F1 following the Austrian Grand Prix. Per LawVS, their sources for this are within Perez's new management team.


Valteri Bottas and Mick Schumacher are said to be the other two drivers being considered for the other seat. My money would be on Bottas, but chatter continues that Bottas will replace Colapinto at Alpine either this year or for 2026 and Michael Andretti (who is serving as a "talent scout" for Cadillac) has noted he would like a "younger talent" to pair with "a seasoned professional" and Sergio + Nick would check that box.
 
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Reports are that one of Laurent Mekies first changes as the new Red Bull Racing team principal is making changes to the pre-race weekend processes so that the simulation team has a better grasp of potential setup going into FP1 and FP2 rather than the current plan of using FP1 and FP2 to get a feel for how the car is handling and then crash-course overnight on Friday to get a usable setup ready for FP3 and then tweak that for qualifying. Max has said to have been a critic of the earlier process as it means he is often "at sea" during Friday and has to dig deep to make progress on Saturday in FP3 and Qualifying.
 
Um, he thinks that is a good idea? Ok, the old Daddy Chris way, did not work, so Minimum never won a single race? Ok, right I think Daddy MickyMouse might find his idea is about as useful as a tanning station on a submarine..

Minimum maybe should be in hospital, for the mentally unwell, he has clearly forgotten he has won at least 1 race using Daddy Chris's method.. Often at sea.. I doubt Minimum has been at sea, or on a cruise.. Yes, on a green track, that last saw action a year ago, I wonder how the sim team is going to provide data?

That is like trying to describe the taste of a cake from just looking and smelling it.. Yes it might smell like choc mint, but...

I am waiting to hear the radio from Minimum about Daddy MickyMouse's new ideas.. Or just how long into the next weekend before we hear of his new team with Daddy Totto??
 
Max's ability to pull off a "miracle lap" in Q3 to secure pole often requires a setup that penalizes him in the race. He has five poles, but converted only two to wins because they were at tracks where you cannot pass so pole was going to win by default.

On tracks where you can pass - Jeddah, Miami and Silverstone - Max fell back and he finished off the podium at Miami and Silverstone.
 
So Daddy MickyMouse's plan is better? We will see, and I am sure he will not be around for Christmas 2025.. I am surprised Minimum has not flown the coop, what is he waiting for? More of the same useless he has endured? His guru car designer has gone.. So who is going to build the car? He is staying for 2026? Some intern building the 26 car?

There seems to be a lot of faulty wiring in the various craniums over at Red Cows..
 
So Daddy MickyMouse's plan is better? We will see, and I am sure he will not be around for Christmas 2025.. I am surprised Minimum has not flown the coop, what is he waiting for? More of the same useless he has endured? His guru car designer has gone.. So who is going to build the car? He is staying for 2026? Some intern building the 26 car?

There seems to be a lot of faulty wiring in the various craniums over at Red Cows..

I have a beautiful herd of Red Angus behind me on a hill currently. Beautiful Red Cows. More marbled as well…..
 
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