Funny, as he cost Lewis a title, hopefully Bottas has been educated on the F1 points system, and how 2nd pays more points than third place.. He was not aware of this in 2021, kept getting 3rd places.. For Mercedes this was a strange strategy, but then I am not a TP.. I bet by the end of 2021 a certain TP felt like he was a TP salesman.. In a country that prefers bidets!!
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2025 Formula One Season Thread
- Thread starter The-Real-Deal82
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It is, however, what a brand new F1 team needs to develop the car.
Not sure old men with aching old bones and painful muscles is the right option, you want fresh new meat, fresh from the grinder of the system, you want 2 noobs fresh from F2, that are under 21, fit, strong that have no ideas of TP's with grudges and failing memories.. Bottas has been benched since the end of the season.. Tired.. You want two brand new guys..
This is the very reason why Sprints are so vital to F1, to keep the reserves match fit, there is nothing worse than being the benchwarmer then having to come on in a vital role, and you put it in the hedge, you are unsafe, it is stupid to take someone cold and then get them racing, he has no recent race miles.. Where as if you take 2 guys straight from F2, they have recent fitness, a keen eye, are ready, maybe faster, have new ideas... Bottas is hours away from 36.. Almost time to grab a F1 pension brochure and talk to a licensed broker!!!
This is the very reason why Sprints are so vital to F1, to keep the reserves match fit, there is nothing worse than being the benchwarmer then having to come on in a vital role, and you put it in the hedge, you are unsafe, it is stupid to take someone cold and then get them racing, he has no recent race miles.. Where as if you take 2 guys straight from F2, they have recent fitness, a keen eye, are ready, maybe faster, have new ideas... Bottas is hours away from 36.. Almost time to grab a F1 pension brochure and talk to a licensed broker!!!
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Starting any new program from scratch is already a very large challenge. Having experienced drivers means that there is one fewer variable to worry about. They have the knowledge of how a top-class team is run, and how such a team operates internally, and externally, within the paddock.
There are few, if any other options anyway, esp. if the desire is to have an American driver.
Herta already drives for TWG, and has garnered some F1 interest in the past, but is mired in 8th place in his own current series, and doesn't have a SL. Jak Crawford is seen as a possibility, and the next American Hope but still developing.
Cadillac is wise to try to first stand up on its own feet, and learn to walk, before worrying about how fast and long it can run.
No need to destroy the confidence of young drivers, but putting them in position to fail, because the team is under pressure and can't perform itself. We've already seen how the scenario plays out, and quite freshly.
There are few, if any other options anyway, esp. if the desire is to have an American driver.
Herta already drives for TWG, and has garnered some F1 interest in the past, but is mired in 8th place in his own current series, and doesn't have a SL. Jak Crawford is seen as a possibility, and the next American Hope but still developing.
Cadillac is wise to try to first stand up on its own feet, and learn to walk, before worrying about how fast and long it can run.
No need to destroy the confidence of young drivers, but putting them in position to fail, because the team is under pressure and can't perform itself. We've already seen how the scenario plays out, and quite freshly.
Actually there is a better way, more humane method of slow poison, V Bottas as DTP, and no that is not desktop printer, dep Team Principle.. Bigger $$ every month, and he gets to make the decisions, instead of being a lab rat..A kid 18, 19, 20, is young enough, fast enough, has the desire to compete and maybe push that 1%, we have seen drivers older on bigger contracts fail as they are just too old, Bottas is nigh 36, old by F1, old enough to be the kid at 18's dad.. Ouch..
So hire Bottas as the Dep TP, not as the meat in the seat, 2x F2 grads would be better than 2 pensioners that really should by now have at least a PHD, and decades of how to run teams, not be mules and having no say..
Bottas has been sitting idle for almost a year, what does he know of modern? He is outdated and old as a driver, mature is great in cheese, and as consultants, Bottas should start 2026 as his year 1 as a manager of drivers, not a simple meat in the seat..
So hire Bottas as the Dep TP, not as the meat in the seat, 2x F2 grads would be better than 2 pensioners that really should by now have at least a PHD, and decades of how to run teams, not be mules and having no say..
Bottas has been sitting idle for almost a year, what does he know of modern? He is outdated and old as a driver, mature is great in cheese, and as consultants, Bottas should start 2026 as his year 1 as a manager of drivers, not a simple meat in the seat..
"No need to destroy the confidence of young drivers"...
What happens when you finish in F3, you move to F2, then F1, or WEC, you are 17-20, you know nothing, you are still learning at a vast rate, and to have a new car, new regs, new team, new evertything, and 2 new drivers, better than having old and slow drivers that have to have the zimmer frame frunk.. We have seen this use of old with pensioners, and truly it is ugly, there is a time and a place...
AM would have won the title in 2025 if they had fired junior and the pensioner, had hired 2 guys from F3... Hired Alonso as the Team Driver Coach and had Stroll Jr as the Travel Advisor.. But no daddy hires to no hopers, and wonders why his team is just anchors for Max's yacht...
There is nothing wrong with youth.. 18-22, still way too young to do any sort of scarring, that comes later, in the 30's..or 40's and trust me you don't think Lewis has nightmares daily now after this last few races.. He had as much admitted that maybe he made a huge mistake.. He should have done the WEC, or management, but he chased the high and fell... When you are young, failing, falling is actually fun..
What happens when you finish in F3, you move to F2, then F1, or WEC, you are 17-20, you know nothing, you are still learning at a vast rate, and to have a new car, new regs, new team, new evertything, and 2 new drivers, better than having old and slow drivers that have to have the zimmer frame frunk.. We have seen this use of old with pensioners, and truly it is ugly, there is a time and a place...
AM would have won the title in 2025 if they had fired junior and the pensioner, had hired 2 guys from F3... Hired Alonso as the Team Driver Coach and had Stroll Jr as the Travel Advisor.. But no daddy hires to no hopers, and wonders why his team is just anchors for Max's yacht...
There is nothing wrong with youth.. 18-22, still way too young to do any sort of scarring, that comes later, in the 30's..or 40's and trust me you don't think Lewis has nightmares daily now after this last few races.. He had as much admitted that maybe he made a huge mistake.. He should have done the WEC, or management, but he chased the high and fell... When you are young, failing, falling is actually fun..
F2 drivers are going to be trying to get familiar with F1 machinery. They're not going to be able to provide the development feedback of two seasoned F1 drivers who already have a firm foundation and frame of reference to compare to and work from. Rookies also tend to have more accidents and you absolutely do not want to be spending your budget cap on repairing chassis when it could be spent on developing chassis in your first years on the grid.
Another aspect that LawVS makes in his latest video is that F1 today is as much about entertainment as it is engineering. While many old school fans hate it, "Drive to Survive" and "F1 the Movie" have brought in millions of new fans to the sport. And for those fans, Bottas and Perez are drivers they recognize. Few of them are going to know who the current crop of F2 drivers are (hell, I don't know any of them, really).
So having experienced and known former F1 drivers helps you not only develop the team, but also market it. Something a current F2 driver just cannot due.
And finally, Cadillac is using a Ferrari SF23 as their testing and development mule, and Bottas has experience with the powerplant in that car from his Alfa Romeo days.
Another aspect that LawVS makes in his latest video is that F1 today is as much about entertainment as it is engineering. While many old school fans hate it, "Drive to Survive" and "F1 the Movie" have brought in millions of new fans to the sport. And for those fans, Bottas and Perez are drivers they recognize. Few of them are going to know who the current crop of F2 drivers are (hell, I don't know any of them, really).
So having experienced and known former F1 drivers helps you not only develop the team, but also market it. Something a current F2 driver just cannot due.
And finally, Cadillac is using a Ferrari SF23 as their testing and development mule, and Bottas has experience with the powerplant in that car from his Alfa Romeo days.
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New regs, they start as if they are noobs, they cannot offer anything relevant other than it was like this or that.. I do see a point, but as drivers in a season, that is stupid, expensive and achieves very little.. Bottas is old, 36, has not raced in almost a year, so has no recent information, he might as well watch youtube tutorials..
He is not going to push the car to the same point, as he knows that point, and maybe yes, not crash, but that point is why AM and others are weeks behind MacLaren in 2025.. You have drivers their brains will not allow them to go that 0.x % faster where as a 19 yr old might.. On certain tracks that is the difference between 1st and 15th..
Will Cadillac be a 1 season donkey? 24 races of nothing but Q1 fails cause of old tired men draining them.. I wonder.. Or do you risk hiring a couple of young blokes fresh and faster straight from F2???
He is not going to push the car to the same point, as he knows that point, and maybe yes, not crash, but that point is why AM and others are weeks behind MacLaren in 2025.. You have drivers their brains will not allow them to go that 0.x % faster where as a 19 yr old might.. On certain tracks that is the difference between 1st and 15th..
Will Cadillac be a 1 season donkey? 24 races of nothing but Q1 fails cause of old tired men draining them.. I wonder.. Or do you risk hiring a couple of young blokes fresh and faster straight from F2???
Even if the formula changes are the most in a generation, it's still Formula One at the core. An experienced F1 driver is going to have a far better foundation to build from than a rookie F2 driver.
Bottas has evidently been very active in the background with simulator work at Mercedes to help develop the car and, as noted, he is already very familiar with Ferrari powerplant design philosophy.
On most tracks, that is the difference between finishing in any position and not finishing at all because you put it in the wall.
I think with Bottas and Perez, Cadillac has a decent chance of emulating Haas' inaugural year and finish 8th in the CC.
With two raw rookies? They're 11th.
Ferrari wish they had hired the bloke that came last in F2 in 2024, he might have done better than Lewis.. I don't think Lewis adds much to the team, if anything he makes things worse, yes yes, he has a viewpoint, and maybe the team would do better to listen to him, but there is no corporate that does what the staff, the grunts think is best...
The TP is the Lord of all he surveys, and his decisions are law, he will be obeyed or you can launch LinkedIn, and look for work.. I doubt 2 pensioners or has beens/never were, are a brilliant use of salary line items.. Should have wasted money on 2 noobs, and spent more on buying equipment or PHD's..
The TP is the Lord of all he surveys, and his decisions are law, he will be obeyed or you can launch LinkedIn, and look for work.. I doubt 2 pensioners or has beens/never were, are a brilliant use of salary line items.. Should have wasted money on 2 noobs, and spent more on buying equipment or PHD's..
This is an interesting article about next years car.
www.the-race.com
Breaking is going to be very different next year.
But then that is also going to affect tyre temperatures and probably the best lines through corners etc. It will be interesting to see which teams get it right and the drivers who can adjust quickest to the new style of driving.
The first hint of how 'extreme' F1 2026 designs will get
F1 2026 designs remain hidden away - but information provided to brake supplier Brembo by partner teams suggests there are some major "outliers" in play already
www.the-race.com
Breaking is going to be very different next year.
But then that is also going to affect tyre temperatures and probably the best lines through corners etc. It will be interesting to see which teams get it right and the drivers who can adjust quickest to the new style of driving.
Lewis sells far more Ferrari merchandise than Charles does or Carlos did. He also significantly increased fan interest in the team (thousands were not lining up along the fence at Mugello to see Charles or Carlos).
Even if his overall tenure with the Scuderia is a "failure" in terms of results, Ferrari got far more financially out of him then they would have an F2 rookie...even one who hypothetically won a WDC for them.
Driver salaries are not part of the cost cap, so whatever amount they are paying Bottas and Perez compared to two F2 rookies, it makes no impact on the spend for anything that falls under the Cost Cap. And Perez will almost assuredly be bringing a significant sponsorship package with him, and that will have an impact on everything that falls under the Cost Cap. Not sure what Bottas will bring in terms of cash, but he will be bringing a lot of social media cred with him and that is as good as cash in modern F1.
I notice that the article focussed on Brembo, but Carbone Industrie was the brake provider to the majority of F1 teams in 2024 (6 of 10) and I would presume they are still in the game next year... I am guessing all the teams submitted RFPs to both Brembo and Carbone Industrie.
What? They hired Lewis to flog ratty merch? What? You pay his rate just to flog a bit of crappy swag? What manner of kind of insane TP? Really? If they wanted money then FIAT should sell more cars? Why is FIAT not in the sport? We have a FIAT 500 Safety Car??
I wonder if Lewis knows he was only there for show, to sell ratty swag?? Man that has to be really awful being a GOAT [he is not, but..7 titles..] and the only thing you are there for is to sell swag.. That is basic slavery..
I know F1 is about swag, race Sunday, Sell Monday, that was for oil, petrol, cars, gloves, the Monday paper.. If you lived in France, pots and pans..F1 was always just a 2 hour long advert, but now using folks to sell ratty merch.. Low blow.. Man that is raw..
I never said it affected the cost cap, I just said waste of a line item on the bill.. And maybe it does not affect the cap, but trust me, the bean counters will riot over the cost of salaries when they have to explain to the PHD's why they cannot have more RAM in their laptops... Cause some meat in the seat at 36 keeps crashing cause he has slow reactions..
But this debate will only be valid in a year or so.. We will see if Lewis stays to sell more merch, or 2 pensioners help a team get into Q3 at least for 10 races of the year 2026...
I wonder if Lewis knows he was only there for show, to sell ratty swag?? Man that has to be really awful being a GOAT [he is not, but..7 titles..] and the only thing you are there for is to sell swag.. That is basic slavery..
I know F1 is about swag, race Sunday, Sell Monday, that was for oil, petrol, cars, gloves, the Monday paper.. If you lived in France, pots and pans..F1 was always just a 2 hour long advert, but now using folks to sell ratty merch.. Low blow.. Man that is raw..
I never said it affected the cost cap, I just said waste of a line item on the bill.. And maybe it does not affect the cap, but trust me, the bean counters will riot over the cost of salaries when they have to explain to the PHD's why they cannot have more RAM in their laptops... Cause some meat in the seat at 36 keeps crashing cause he has slow reactions..
But this debate will only be valid in a year or so.. We will see if Lewis stays to sell more merch, or 2 pensioners help a team get into Q3 at least for 10 races of the year 2026...
This is an interesting article about next years car.
The first hint of how 'extreme' F1 2026 designs will get
F1 2026 designs remain hidden away - but information provided to brake supplier Brembo by partner teams suggests there are some major "outliers" in play already
Breaking is going to be very different next year.
But then that is also going to affect tyre temperatures and probably the best lines through corners etc. It will be interesting to see which teams get it right and the drivers who can adjust quickest to the new style of driving.
I think we are going to see drivers have to downshift in areas they wouldn't just to keep their energy levels where they want them. Personally, I think it's going to be a significant relearn for drivers and their styles. Only time will tell. I'm just hoping it doesn't end up too similar to Formula E. I find that very uncompetitive.
I imagine there is going to be an even bigger difference between qualifying and race pace than there has been this year.
Ferrari S.p.A. makes more money from flogging that "ratty merch" than they do from selling automobiles.
Lewis knew what he was getting into. I expect he is the one who made the initial entreaty to John Elkann about joining the team. For him, it's probably a mix of fulfilling a childhood dream and the hope he'd be successful and it would be a fitting cap to his legacy.
I expect they'll also riot over some meat in the seat at 18 keeps crashing cause he lacks the skills and confidence to drive at the 10/10ths or 11/10ths you feel they should.
Yes, I am sure we'll all be writing our After Action Reports at the end of the 2026 season.
Having secured his fourth IndyCar championship yesterday, Spaniard Alex Palou is now being linked as a possible teammate to Max next year at Red Bull.
www.motorsportweek.com
Personally, I doubt it will happen. One, Palou is under contract with Chip Ganassi Racing and ol Chip is not going to let Alex go for cheap. Two, McLaren has a $30 million lawsuit against Palou for Breach of Contract and while I could have seen Horner signing him to annoy Zak Brown, Laurent Mekies seems to be more interest in fostering a spirit of détente between the two teams. And third, I do not see Red Bull wanting to put an IndyCar driver into the 2026 car with all the changes being made to the formula.
Red Bull eyeing F1 drive for IndyCar champion Alex Palou – report
Red Bull is eyeing a move for IndyCar champion Alex Palou to join Max Verstappen in the team's Formula 1
www.motorsportweek.com
Personally, I doubt it will happen. One, Palou is under contract with Chip Ganassi Racing and ol Chip is not going to let Alex go for cheap. Two, McLaren has a $30 million lawsuit against Palou for Breach of Contract and while I could have seen Horner signing him to annoy Zak Brown, Laurent Mekies seems to be more interest in fostering a spirit of détente between the two teams. And third, I do not see Red Bull wanting to put an IndyCar driver into the 2026 car with all the changes being made to the formula.
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Have you forgotten that Horner is no longer with Red Bull 🥹Having secured his fourth IndyCar championship yesterday, Spaniard Alex Palou is now being linked as a possible teammate to Max next year at Red Bull.
Red Bull eyeing F1 drive for IndyCar champion Alex Palou – report
Red Bull is eyeing a move for IndyCar champion Alex Palou to join Max Verstappen in the team's Formula 1
Personally, I doubt it will happen. One, Palou is under contract with Chip Ganassi Racing and ol Chip is not going to let Alex go for cheap. Two, McLaren has a $30 million lawsuit against Palou for Breach of Contract and while I could see Horner signing him to annoy Zak Brown, Laurent Mekies seems to be more interest in fostering a spirit of détente between the two teams. And third, I do not see Red Bull wanting to put an IndyCar driver into the 2026 car with all the changes being made to the formula.
The interesting part of Forumula E, is that the cars are essentially the same, and so it comes down to 'driver skill', and it demonstrates, in my view anyways, that there is little difference between the drivers abilities.