F1 2020

[Nickyyy]

Niki Lauda is a prime example

 

[DC.]

I guess people will react differently to it. Maybe that Lauda was a championship contender made it easier for him to get back in ASAP but with Romain currently having no drive for next year it’s hard to see the motivation there.

Only he will know if he wants to drive again and nobody will think anything less if he decides to call it a day.

 

[svensktoppen]

It was scary as heck but it was also a freak accident. Nobody knows yet how the car got caught in the barrier like that. Never mind split in two.

Changes will be made as soon as the investigation is concluded. Which will be well before the next race.

As above, nobody would think less of him or anyone else if they decided to quit after that accident.

But these guys are not wired like us or they wouldn't be there. They've diced and crashed and bounced back, from carting and through all the "lower" grades. It's what they do, it's why they are there, to drive on the limit.

That was properly scary though, I don't think anyone expected a crash like that in 2020.

 

[pablo]

what I mean for Grosjean in particular was he only has 2 races left in his F1 career. For most other drivers Id expect to see them back next season. Like the TT riders they are wired for it.

 

[da.murf]

Hamilton tests positive for COVID and out for this weekend. Lucky he’d tied up the championship early lol.

 

[Blackie]

Hamilton tests positive for COVID and out for this weekend. Lucky he’d tied up the championship early lol.

Yea I just read that lol. I wonder who’ll be driving his car this weekend?

 

[pablo]

If max can pull a win he would really benefit from the 25 points

 

[Petem86]

is hulkenburg involved with mercedes in some way, or did i just make that up? since he was racing for RP that time?

 

[da.murf]

Time to step up

George Russell into the merc..... would love to see if the hype is real

 

[svensktoppen]

Russel would be brilliant

Don't actually know who is reserve driver at Merc? Was Occon for a while but he is at Renault now, lol.

 

[pablo]

Time to step up

George Russell into the merc..... would love to see if the hype is real

would Williams not be a bit miffed?

 

[Robert]

Taken from sky news:

Mercedes will announce Hamilton's replacement later - their reserve drivers are former F1 pilots Stoffel Vandoorne and Esteban Gutierrez.

 

[Petem86]

from F1.com:

Mercedes reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne will travel to Bahrain after Formula E testing in Valencia on Tuesday, as was previously planned. However, the team have yet to confirm who will replace Hamilton, saying they will do so in due course.

 

[DC.]

Be interesting to see George Russell in that car this weekend. Maybe even next weekend too depending on how Hamilton gets on with the virus.

 

[KevM]

Perfect opportunity for Max to secure a well deserved 2nd in the Drivers. Bottas will likely secure a Pole, but Max will smoke him off the line, if it’s not raining

 

[Robert]

Perfect opportunity for Max to secure a well deserved 2nd in the Drivers. Bottas will likely secure a Pole, but Max will smoke him off the line, if it’s not raining

The dirty side of the track definitely had a severe disadvantage at the start 1st time round though. Either that or Bottas just had a really bad start and held up the traffic behind him.

 

[weeloaney]

Hamilton tests positive for COVID and out for this weekend. Lucky he’d tied up the championship early lol.

Dammit, was hoping he’d get the 100th pole this year.

tbh I’m surprised more drivers haven’t got it given the travelling they do and amount of people around them.

 

[Petem86]

lets be realistic here, hamilton is still going to with with tyres that are done....

"bono, i cant smell the tyres"

 

[Gambit]

Taken from sky news:

Mercedes will announce Hamilton's replacement later - their reserve drivers are former F1 pilots Stoffel Vandoorne and Esteban Gutierrez.

from F1.com:

Mercedes reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne will travel to Bahrain after Formula E testing in Valencia on Tuesday, as was previously planned. However, the team have yet to confirm who will replace Hamilton, saying they will do so in due course.

From BBC:

Mercedes have not said who will replace him but Belgian reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne - the former McLaren F1 driver - will travel to Bahrain as planned after Tuesday's Formula E test in Valencia.

Vandoorne, who raced for McLaren in 2017 and 2018, is the obvious option for Mercedes but the team are also expected to explore the possibility of using Williams driver George Russell.

The 22-year-old Briton is a Mercedes protege and is being prepared for a potential switch to the factory team in F1 at some point in the future.

As a result, Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff could be tempted by the idea of giving Russell a one-off drive - which could stretch to two races if Hamilton is not free of Covid before the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix the following weekend.

However, Russell is under contract to Williams until the end of next season and the British team would have to agree to release him temporarily before Mercedes could put him in Hamilton's car.

When Mercedes were exploring their contractual options for 2021 earlier this year, they asked Williams whether they would be prepared to release Russell for next season, to see where they stood prior to confirming Valtteri Bottas. Williams said at the time that they were not prepared to release him from his contract a year early.

Williams are last in the constructors' championship but only three points behind Haas and, as Russell is their lead driver who has comprehensively out-performed team-mate Nicholas Latifi this season, they may not be keen on releasing him.




id also like to see Russell given a chance

 

[svensktoppen]

The more interesting bit in that for me was that Mercedes are actively exploring swapping Bottas for Russel. I'm sure that would just be a question of money.

Might explain why Bottas has been so down of late, he hasn't come across as a happy puppy...

All speculation obviously but Russel at Merc would be brilliant

That said, I always thought Ocon was at the head of the line for a seat... Who knows, lol

 

[pablo]

Ocon hasnt really shone recently has he?

 

[Robert]

Hopefully Russell does get a go, but at the same time it would be a big shock for him to be thrown in at so short notice and making a balls of it could surely damage the chance of big opportunities in the future. Going from the back end of the grid to potentially the front is a lot of pressure in a car you have never driven.

 

[stevyg]

I'm surprised more drivers haven't gotten it too, F1 have done a great job to keep people healthy. Thankfully the championship wasn't decided by COVID. Would be nice to see Russell in the Merc, I'm sure he's chomping at the bit to get a drive just like everyone else.

 

[stevyg]

A bit of an ill timed announcement but Mazepin to drive for Haas.

 

[Nazor]

I’d say Vandoorne will get the nod. Makes most sense logistically and the fact the guy is their test driver who knows the car well.

Russell’s time will come.