Inside Line: Let’s get this Silly Season started

As we approach the halfway mark of the 2017 Formula 1 World Championship, the Silly Season is worth taking a look at because there are some big uncertainties regarding who will drive what next year.

Here is a summary of the driver situation within each team, as well as speculative options – as incredible as they may be – sourced from the whispers and shout-outs in the paddock.

Mercedes

Despite noises about retirement, Lewis Hamilton will remain with the Silver Arrows outfit. There is simply no better team on the grid and although the Briton plays down his ambitions we all know he wants more titles.
Verdict: Likely to stay.

On the other side of the garage much is being made about Valtteri Bottas and the uncertainty of his one year contract. It would be incomprehensible if Mercedes did not extend the Finn’s deal, even if it’s for another year. He has ticked all the boxes as far as I am concerned.
Vercdict: Likely to stay.

Of course the World Champion team have two of the most desired cockpits in motorsport and inevitably specualtion is always rife, particularly since Nico Rsberg departed so suddenly and the one year deal struck with Bottas..

Believe it or not:

• Hamilton to leave Mercedes and join Ferrari with Vettel changing from Red to Silver;
• Verstappen to replace Bottas at Mercedes;
• Alonso to replace Bottas alongside Hamilton at Mercedes;
• Ocon to replace Bottas alongside Hamilton at Mercedes.

Ferrari

The situation with Sebastian Vettel is tricky at the moment. He did himself no favours in Baku. Last year he was told by his team to calm down and toe-the-line. He did for the first seven races, but the latest tantrum must have raised some eyebrows at Maranello.
Verdict: Likely to stay.

The question of Kimi Raikkonen’s retire,emt has rolled on ever since he made his comeback and simply won’t go away. The popular Finn is way past his peak, but has assumed and accepted his role as the number two driver in the team.
Verdict: Likely to stay but a huge queue of drivers are coveting his race seat.

Believe it or not:

• Hamilton to replace Vettel and slot in alongside Raikkonen at Ferrari;
• Ricciardo to replace Vettel at Ferrari should he depart;
• Verstappen to replace Raikkonen alongside Vettel at Ferrari;
• Giovinazzi to replace Raikkonen alongside Vettel at Ferrari;
• Perez to replace Raikkonen alongside Vettel at Ferrari;

Red Bull

If the team’s senior management is to be believed both their drivers are locked solid into contracts that will see them with the team at least until the end of 2018.

Daniel Ricciardo has been a good find for them and he delivers when all around do not. For the Aussie leaving the team would only make sense if Mercedes or Ferrari come calling. Word is he has a verbal agreement with Maranello to join them if Vettel decides to depart.
Verdict: Likely to stay.

Verstappen is the hottest property in Formula 1 and Red Bull know this. Of course they want to hod on to the precocious youngster, but if he is unwilling then asale to the highest bidder would be an option. It would be a hefty sum but nothing that would scare off Ferrari or Mercedes if they seriously wanted the Dutchman.
Verdict: He will go to Ferrari

Believe it or not:

• Verstappen to replace Raikkonen alongside Vettel at Ferrari;
• Ricciardo to replace Raikkonen Ferrari alongside Vettel;
• Sainz to be promoted to Red Bull if either Ricciardo or Verstappen depart.

Force India

Sergio Perez was a Ferrari development driver in his early years and indeed looked set for a Ferrari drive after his Sauber years, but he got greedy and jumped ship to McLaren. That lasted a season and since then he has built his reputation at Force India. Many feel he is ready for a move to Maranello.
Verdict: If no Ferrari deal he will stay.

Esteban Ocon is with the Silverstone based team thanks to Mercedes backing, who clearly have big plans for the talented young Frenchman. But it would be wise to keep him at Force India for at least another year as they shine the rough diamond.
Verdict: Likely to stay.

Believe it or not:

If Ocon departs Wehrlein to replace him even though he was overlooked last year.

• Alfonso Celis if either Ocon or Perez depart.
• A queue of wannabe F1 drivers waiting at the door

Williams

Felipe Massa ‘quit’ last year but returned to fill the cockpit vacated by Mercedes bound Valtteri Bottas. He has done a good job for the team, guiding Lance Stroll and doing a good job on track. He wants to stay at least another year.
Verdict: Likely to stay if Willimas don’t opt for an available big name….

Lance Stroll came of age at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, scoring his first top three finish after a mature drive. Many of his rivals have toiled away for years and never had the privilege of celebrating on the podium. Nico Hulkenberg springs to mind. Stroll has the funding which Williams craves and delivering now entrenches him in the team.
Verdict: He will stay.

Believe it or not:

• Alonso to replace Massa at Williams alongside Stroll;
• Bottas returns to Williams, if Mercedes do not extend, to replace Massa alongside Stroll.
• Wehrlein, backed by Mercedes, to Williams alongside Stroll.

Toro Rosso

The ethos of the junior Red Bull team was to develop young drivers for eventual promotion to the top tier energy drinks team. It worked with Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen, but failed with a host of others.

No Toro Rosso driver has spent more than three full seasons with the team. Thus one could surmise that both their current drivers will be elsewhere in 2018, however only Pierre Gasly in their junior programme is near ready for promotion to Formula 1.

Carlos Sainz is itching for a step up (or away) from Toro Rosso, but his paymasters are adamant that he is going nowhere. But again a big cheque might loosen the stranglehold on the Spaniard whose entourage (including rally legend Carlos Sainz) would not be missed in the pit garage.
Verdict: He will depart the team if a better offer comes along or break the three year tradition and stay.

The case of Daniil Kvyat is a curious one as there is no good reason for the Russian to be in the team after his demotion from the senior team. Obviously he has some powerful freinds in high places within the energy drinks organisation that keep giving him a lifeline. Another year at Toro Rosso would be a waste as he appears at a dead end in F1.
Verdict: He will depart.

Believe it or not:

• Pierre Gasly to step up if either driver departs.

Renault

The team constantly tell us that they are in the rebuilding process, but let’s be honest Rome was built faster. Hiring Nico Hulkenberg was a step in the right direction, but he is currently a one man show for them and needs help.
Verdict: He will stay.

As it stands Jolyon Palmer is unlikely to be in Formula 1 next year and by all accounts is still at Renault apparently because of a deal his father struck with the team a couple of years ago which they are honouring. Bad luck has not helped his cause, but in truth he has not impressed.
Verdict: He will depart.

Believe it or not:

• Alonso to return to Renault alongside Hulkenberg to replace Palmer;
• Sainz to replace Palmer alongside Hulkenberg;
• Ocon to replace Palmer alongside Hulkenberg;
• Grosjean to replace Palmer alongside Hulkenberg;
• Kubica will not return.

Haas

Romain Grosjean gets more and more miserable at Haas and the brake issue is a big bone of contention, and he is becoming increasingly vocal and beligerent about it. Haas management will tire of his constant rants. What was a happy union last year is turning sour with each race.
Verdict: He will depart to join Renault or shut up and deliver to stay with Haas, if they wish to keep him.

Kevin Magnussen is the opposite to Grosjean in his approach to racing. he too has problems with the brakes but keeps a lid on it. He is enjoying a good first year with the team, and is a calming influence amid the tantrums in the pit bay next to him. Word is he has a two year deal with the American team.
Verdict: He will stay.

The options:

• Giovinazzi to replace Grosjean at Haas alongside Magnussen.

McLaren

Amid the well documented turmoil McLaren are hardly a team that any top driver will aspire to and it is no surprise that Fernando Alonso is doing all in his power to engineer a move away from the beleagured. His desperation so intense that he has appointed the serial villain Flavio Briatore and the has been Bernie Ecclestone to lobby for him.
Verdict: He will leave the team.

Stoffel Vandoorne set the F1 scene alight last year with an impressive one-off debut at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Much was expceted of him this year, but he has simply not delivered. It is unfair to judge the young man who is sent to to a gun-fight with a knife every race weekend. He deserves another year with a better car (if mcLaren will ever have one again) before he is tossed on to the scrap heap of F1 drivers.
Verdict: Likely to stay

The options:

• Alonso quits F1 and moves to Indycar;
• Alonso quits McLaren and moves to: Mercedes or Ferrari or Force One or Williams or Sauber, Renault or Red
• Bull or Toro Rosso or China F1 Team;
• Sainz joins McLaren alongside Vandoorne;

Sauber

The Swiss team is in the state of revolution with Monisha Kaltenborn out the door and “a know it all but not been to many Formula 1 races” has taken her place. A switch to Honda power apparently provides the team with a financial windfall, perhaps at the cost of running at GP2 power levels. Time will tell how this episode ends.

Marcus Ericsson is reportedly the blue eyed boy of the team’s new investors. Althiugh he has no business in F1 if his performances up until now are anything to go by, money and the right connections do him no harm.
Verdict: He will stay

There is no doubt that Pascal Wehrlein is better than his current teammate, but it is also well known that Mercedes backed German does not rate highly on the charm stakes. After all Force India chose Ocon above him. But the Merc backing is likely to keep him in F1 next year, and the Ferrari powered Sauber option was a quick fix in the wake of Nico Rosberg’s departure and the musical chairs that ensued thereafter.
Verdict: Will leave the team for a Mercedes powered outfit

The options:

• Honda backed Nobuharu Matsushita to partner Ericsson in place of Wehrlein;
• Any pay driver alongside Ericsson to replace Wehrlein.

 

 

Read the full story at GRAND PRIX 247

Lauda: No one from McLaren has spoken to us

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Amid reports that McLaren are looking for an alternative engine supply as Honda struggle to make progress with their woefully ineffective power unit, Mercedes chief Niki Lauda claims that there has been no discussions with the Woking team.

Lauda told Sky Germany, “There is no agreement between Mercedes and McLaren regarding 2018. They still have a contract with Honda and I think it is right for them to choose what to do. No one from McLaren has spoken to us.”

“As one of the most important manufacturers in the world, it is Important for Honda to stay in F1,” insisted Lauda.

McLaren receive a substantial amount of funding from Honda and a change of engine suppliers will hit the team’s pocket. But at the same time they languish at the foot of the championship points table, damagaing the reputation of a team used to winning.

Their drivers Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne are constantly struggling with lack of pace and wretched reliability with no end in sight, the Spaniard often scathing in his criticism of the dire situation.

Ditching Honda is an option being seriously considered, although team chief Eric Boullier hinted at an unlikely scenario of the team leasing engines from an alternative supplier until Honda get their act together. Also suggesting that things are getting a tad desperate at Woking.

Lauda recalled last year’s comparable saga, “Think about Red Bull last year, we talked about something similar but in the end they stayed with Renault.’

“If anything, there may be a chance we’ll talk, but there is nothing concrete right now,” added Lauda who raced for McLaren between 1982 and 1985, winning the drivers’ championship with the team in 1984.

Read the full story at GRAND PRIX 247

Stewart: 'Provoked' Vettel made mistake in Hamilton Baku F1 clash

Three-time Formula 1 world champion Sir Jackie Stewart says Sebastian Vettel was "provoked" by Lewis Hamilton before their Azerbaijan Grand Prix clash, but feels the German made "a large mistake"
Read the full story at Formula 1 news - Autosport

Stewart says Provoked Vettel made mistake in Hamilton Baku F1 clash

Three-time Formula 1 world champion Sir Jackie Stewart says Sebastian Vettel was provoked by Lewis Hamilton before their Azerbaijan Grand Prix clash, but feels the German made "a large mistake"
Read the full story at Formula 1 news - Autosport

Ron Dennis a titan of modern Formula 1

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With his last vestige of influence over the team removed on Friday, it’s officially the end of an era for Ron Dennis and McLaren.  

Following off the back of the coup to remove him from his dual roles as chairman and CEO in November, and the excising of his Project Four designation from the name of the 2017 challenger, the last nail has been driven in with Dennis selling his stake in McLaren.

After 37 years overseeing everything from their racing to their road cars, Dennis is now about as welcome in Woking as the current Honda engine.

At the time of his removal in November, Dennis had pledged to use his “significant shareholding in both [McLaren] companies and my seats on both boards to protect the interests and value of McLaren and help shape its future” clearly unable to do so, he has instead decide to move on entirely.

One of the most accomplished careers in Formula 1 history, Dennis has been overseen ten driver’s and seven constructor’s championships since taking over in 1980 – the latter figure beaten only by Williams and Ferrari, the former unmatched. That said, his recent tenure with the team has been far less successful, more often making headlines for the wrong reasons.

Reassuming the CEO-position after a five-year break in 2014, Dennis’ second stint in charge was the antithesis of his extremely orderly, highly efficient persona.

Whether it was the promotion, demotion and eventual jettisoning of Kevin Magnussen, the disastrous renewal of the McLaren-Honda partnership, his subsequent refusal to allow Honda to supply customer engines, or the bizarre handling of Fernando Alonso’s crash in 2015 pre-season testing, the team continued to drift ever-farther away from its former glory.

Even behind the scenes, things were chaotic, with his ouster reportedly two years in the making after continued disagreements with fellow shareholders Mansour Ojjeh and Bahraini fund Mumtalakat, a last-ditch attempt to buy them out with Chinese investors falling through.

By no means do his recent failures overtake the tremendous impact he already had on the F1 landscape – the first things anyone is sure to mention when discussing Dennis is his creation of the late eighties Senna-Prost super-team, his partnership with Mercedes, and the signing of Lewis Hamilton – but there’s no denying his role in McLaren’s recent dramas.

With Dennis no longer looking over their shoulder and the ascendance of Zak Brown things have already changed, what with the Sauber-Honda deal for 2018, and the team’s foray back into Indycar with Fernando Alonso. Of course, the ultimate goal is to return the team to its standing as a race-winning F1 team – a goal that remains far off in the distance.

Is this the last we will hear of Dennis?

Probably not, but at 70 it most likely marks the end of his impact on the sport. Along with Frank Williams, he is undoubtedly one of the titans of modern F1, and deserves to be lauded as such.

No, it was not the ideal ending, but for a man as intractable and methodical as he was, the absence of a storybook “ride off into the sunset” seems somewhat fitting. In any case, there’s sure to never be another figure in F1 quite like Ron Dennis. 

Read the full story at GRAND PRIX 247

Toro Rosso car failures not allowing Kvyat to show F1 potential

Daniil Kvyat has asked his Toro Rosso Formula 1 team to improve the reliability of his car, suggesting a spate of failures have prevented him from showing his "full potential"
Read the full story at Formula 1 news - Autosport

What F1 history tells us about race bans and Vettel's FIA case

Rarely has an on-track incident generated such polarised views as Sebastian Vettel hitting Formula 1 title rival Lewis Hamilton under the safety car in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Read the full story at Formula 1 news - Autosport

Ron Dennis: My time at McLaren has come to an end

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Ron Dennis CBE has reached agreement with his fellow shareholders in McLaren Technology Group and McLaren Automotive to sell his shareholding in both companies.

Ron celebrated his 70th birthday on June 1st 2017, after 37 years at the helm of McLaren, and 51 years spent working in Formula 1 and other top-level motorsport series.

During his 37 years at McLaren, Ron led the team to 158 Grand Prix wins and 17 Formula 1 World Championships, managing some of the greatest drivers in the history of motorsport (including Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen and Lewis Hamilton, who all won World Championships under Ron’s management) as well as the world-renowned Le Mans 24 Hours race in 1995.

In 2004 Ron announced the launch of McLaren Applied Technologies, which focuses on applying motorsport-bred innovations and technologies so as to improve the performance and product innovation of blue-chip companies in a wide variety of industries.

In 2010 Ron oversaw the formation of McLaren Automotive, now one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high-performance sports cars.

On December 18th 1980, Ron merged Team McLaren (as it was then known) with his own company, Project Four, to form McLaren International, then valued at £3 million. Fewer than 100 people were employed by the new company at that time. In the 37 years since then, supported by the investment of TAG Group in 1984, Ron has presided over a period of remarkable and prodigious growth. The McLaren Group is today valued at £2.4 billion, had a combined turnover in 2016 of £898 million, and now employs more than 3400 people.

Ron Dennis CBE said, “I am very pleased to have reached agreement with my fellow McLaren shareholders. It represents a fitting end to my time at McLaren, and will enable me to focus on my other interests. I have always said that my 37 years at Woking should be considered as a chapter in the McLaren book, and I wish McLaren every success as it takes the story forward.

“Perhaps my greatest satisfaction is the Formula 1 team’s outstanding racing safety record, which is a tribute to the dedication and efforts of hundreds if not thousands of talented and conscientious employees whom I have had the privilege of leading.

“I will continue to consult for various companies and work with the UK Government’s Ministry of Defence Innovation Advisory Panel in helping to improve the technology, the culture and the organisations that together safeguard the UK’s national security.

“I will also continue to run my family’s charitable foundation – Dreamchasing – which focuses on mentoring and financing children and young people from all walks of life, so that they may aspire to and succeed in whatever their career dreams may be. It was working with Lewis Hamilton, whom I took under my wing when he was just 12 years old, and who became Formula 1 World Champion with McLaren in 2008, that inspired my idea to establish Dreamchasing as a charitable foundation.

“Now that my time at McLaren has come to an end, I will be able to involve myself in a series of other programmes and activities, especially those focused on public service. I will continue to indulge my passion for supporting contemporary artists and collecting their work, but most of all I will be driving new ideas and projects forward.

“Last but far from least, I wish McLaren well, and I send my greatest thanks and best wishes to my colleagues in all corners of its business, and at every level of seniority. Truly, they are the best of the best. And, well funded to succeed and grow, and led by an ambitious management team, McLaren is ideally poised to build on the successes that I am so proud to have contributed to during my time leading such a great British group of companies.”

Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa (Executive Chairman and Executive Committee principal) said, “I would like to pay tribute to Ron’s immense contribution to the McLaren success story over the past 37 years.

“As soon as he had taken over the running of the team in the late autumn of 1980, it was immediately clear that here was a man whose ambition to surpass the achievements of all previous Formula 1 team principals would not be checked. Together with Mansour Ojjeh of TAG Group, whom Ron soon introduced to McLaren and whose support has been invaluable to its success for a third of a century, Ron rewrote the record books in the 1980s and 1990s, winning Grands Prix and World Championships as a matter of apparent routine. But it was not routine: it was in fact the result of a lot of clever thinking and a huge amount of extremely hard work.

“That ethos remains at McLaren, and I am very proud now to be assuming the position of Executive Chairman, alongside Mansour, my fellow Executive Committee principal, who will continue to work with me to drive McLaren Group forward to new successes.

“There will be time in the near future to outline our plans, for the coming months and years will be an extremely exciting time in the story of McLaren. But now, today, it is appropriate that we pause to express our gratitude to Ron. So, on behalf of McLaren and all who sail in her, may I say three heartfelt words: thank you Ron.”

Read the full story at GRAND PRIX 247