2017-2018 Silly Season

It's early but I think there will be a lot of movement over winter driven by the seats at Ferrari, Renault and McLaren. Any predictions? These are the ones with potential for movement.

Kimi: Ferrari or retire
Bottas: multi-year contract at Merc
Ricciardo: RB or Ferrari
Perez: Force India or Ferrari or Renault
Massa: Williams
Stroll: bye
Sainz: RB or STR or Renault or McLaren
Kvyat: bye, replaced by Gasly
Grojean: Haas or Renault or McLaren
Palmer: bye
Wehrlein: Williams or Force India
Alonso: McLaren-Mercedes or Renault or retire

 

The musical chairs will start when Ferrari decide what to do with Kimi.They will have to line up a replacement in advance,if the car is still good then Max or Ricci would be my choice,Perez/Hulk/Grosjean not quite in the top tier.

If RBR can't improve then their drivers would be open to jump ship.
Vettel going nowhere.
Lewis and Bottas going nowhere.

 

Ferrari: Vettel-Riccardo
Mercedes: Hamilton-Bottas
Red Bull: Verstappen-Sainz
Williams: Stroll-Wehrlein
Renault: Alonso-Hulkenherg
Brabham (Force India): Perez-Ocon
McLaren: Vandoorne-Grosjean
Haas: Giovinazzi-Magnussen

 

Ricciardo is over rated. No way he's going to Ferrari. That seat should go to Hulkenberg.

Ham and Vet will stay where they are. Bottas gets another year.

Kimi, Massa, Kvyat and Palmer exit stage left.

Stroll should be fired immediately, but will survive another year as they need papa strolls charity contributions.

Max stays at RB due to contract complications with any move to Ferrari.

Alonso goes to Renault. Partnered by Grosjean.

Sainz gives up on an RB seat and goes to McLaren just in time for their engine to become the class of the field.

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stroll should be fired immediately but will survive another year as they need papa strolls charity contributions.

Yup.

 

HUlkenberg will stay put at ranault...he's well tied up, if not he would have been behind a merc this year....If Kimi leaves ferrari as got 2 chances, Perez or Ricci...both are good, Ricci seems a bit out of form lately, but can be very good, as for Checo, he's one of the most solid drivers in f.1, fast too.

 

Oh, Alonso as 2 options, retire or renault, to replace the useless Palmer..unless he wants to get another fat check and keep driving a Mclaren...

 

Stroll will stay for as long daddy pays the bill. Williams might increase it if they blame him for losing 4th in the championship.

Palmer out.

Can see Wehrlein happening at Williams.

Hopefully a seat for Leclerc, hopefully at Haas.

 

Can see a Stroll - Wehrlein swap. Move money to Sauber

Ocon to Renault

No change at Mercedes

Ferrari......uncertain

 

Not sure, Honda will pay for a driver at Sauber, Sauber won't want stroll, especially when chance of points will be slim at best...They need 1 decent driver in there.

Wehrlein may well be stuck where he is unless Perez moves, or he manages to get Massa's seat. I think the latter is more likely.

 

PS agree that this will be Kvyat's final year in STR, and unlikely to move elsewhere...It's a shame as he had such potential. He had a good race yesterday that made up a lot, but Sainz has shown to be the stronger driver almost always. He's been unlucky with his car, undoubtly...However, I can see him end up racing for Ferrari in GT2/3 with Kaspersky sponsorship. Sportscar racers can earn a decent wedge, more than lower end (of the grid) F1 drivers.

 

What if papa stroll buys Sauber? If I am not wrong the current sauber owner is some sort of private equity/vultur fund so these guys would be happy to get their return ASAP.

 

Nope, Sauber will be in Honda's hands now...they don't need Strolls momey, they want to develop the engine and maybe promote some japanese youngster....I also think that if Palmer is fired (and he will be unless Renault guys are crazy) and iF Alonso doens't end up there, Ocon will be on their list...with one more year in the bag he would be perfect to partner the Hulk...but Renault also have Grosjean in high regard, so he could have a chance.
Massa will stay at williams if they give him the chance, and if he leave sthey need a good driver there...Pascal could be an option becaus eogf Merc ties...but even if he's a good sunday driver, he's not very fast...he barely outqualifyes Eriksson.

 

> > > It's an interesting idea but also the worst team to buy...IMO they lost so many good people since Monisha has been at the helm, to rebuild it, with Honda engines no less, will take YEARS. They'll trundle at the very back for a long time IMO. Haas, STR, Mclaren (jeez still feels weird talking about them as backmarkers!) are all in far better shape for the future. Sauber is in dire straights IMO. If buying a team today, only Force India truly makes sense (STR isn't for sale).

Yep I agree, I think that Honda will eventually buy Sauber.

 

Barring some rash of unreliability, Kimi's fate probably solely rests on whether or not the team wins the championship.

 

Probably not as decisions are made by september at latest, normally. It's rare for actual driver moves to happen later than that, especially with top teams.

If Kimi retires this season, it'll be between Perez and Ricciardo IMO.

 

True.

If it's not neck and neck by contract time and Ferrari are trailing, Marchionne will send him home.

 

Honda's most recent effort as an entrant ended badly(for them not for Brawn), I don't think that they will repeat the experience.

 

Red Bull expect to retain Ricciardo, Verstappen | PlanetF1 : PlanetF1

 

+1

Apparently Mallya want $210M for it, but his associate says that he would sell for $150M.

 

Plus a Get Out of Jail card.

 

Force India is amazing. That team has punched above their weight for some many years now. Look when they took over in 2008 from Midland/Spyker. Team was a backmarker and they have worked their way up to the front (yes I know they used to be Jordan)

 

+1....lean and mean when compared to the other budgets of the top 3

 

So, let's buy the team. I'm good for $150. Now we need another million guys like me!

 

I'm in.