No predictions, just intrigue. The burning questions will be how well Ferrari gels with it's new young protege and the Red Bull Honda hookup. We know enough over time that it's the car more than the driver. So, the prospect of both Honda and the genius of Adrian Newey creating something special is fascinating. Don't get me wrong, I am still tifoso and all that that implies. I just want to see Mercedes moved down not just one notch, but two.
Obviously the Red Bull clan (Horner, Mateschitz and Marko) will try to justify their choice by claiming that Honda has made huge progress. They even ridiculed Renault, saying Honda has clearly overtaken them. Yet, after the last Brazilian GP, Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso-Honda engine) claimed that during the race, Estéban Ocon was going 15mph faster than him on the straights with his Mercedes-powered Force India. A difference in speed that some have calculated to be a 60hp deficit. So, there is no proof yet that Honda is at the same level as Ferrari and Mercedes. It would be interesting for the sport if Red Bull had the same power as its 2 rivals.
https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/11555071/f1-2019-mercedes-braced-for-tough-ferrari-and-red-bull-challenge
They’ll just add an extra bonus to their FIA ‘dirty tricks’ money to keep them a wheel rim or an oil burn ahead.... no problem
I couldn't figure out where to put this without starting a new thread so here it is: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/23/formula-one-f1-can-be-successful-in-the-us-saysmclaren-racing-ceo.html
https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/46318835 -- Formula 1: Esteban Ocon to be Mercedes reserve and test driver in 2019
Obviously Liberty is trying to make hay whilst the sun shines. They want to obtain growth by multiplying the events, but there will be "inflation" in the end, IMO. The problem with F1 is that the show isn't convincing anymore, leading to audience exodus. The product itself is becoming obsolete; a world series run with open-Wheel hybrid cars Under archaic traditions. The recipe is full of contraditions, expensive, unattractive and difficult to understand. But Liberty cannot dictate a new formula, and there is a tug-of-war between manufacturers and the FIA regarding the definition.
In all fairness, I think motorcycle racing is easier to regulate. But it's true that MotoGP seems to have played its cards right.
You may be right there. Bottas seems to have slowed down since Mercedes renewed his contract! I cannot see him driving for Mercedes beyond 2019.
Force India would be committing suicide if they do that. Perez will be the only one bringing points to the team probably.
The big question will be whether Ferrari will try to keep Vettel the #1 driver, or will they let Leclerc shine? I've noticed a couple races where Vettel-Ferrari didn't compare well against Leclerc-Sauber. When it's Vettel vs Leclerc with both in Ferraris, it'll come down to team support. I don't think Ferrari would be able to let them both "go for it". They've lost those scripts.
Vettel is now simply a driver. Just ask the team management on the pitwall lol. We have been told in public via the press that Charles is supposed to spend next year 'learning' from Papa Vettel. That will only last for so long until Charles potentially does what Ricci did to Vettel - simply out performs him. At that point the driver doing best gets the most support. Vettel has been been put on notice without question. The team is saying all the right things to him publicly about they support him etc, but after this year's meltdown and the team saying Vettel made more mistakes that they did, do the math. If Vettel does not start off strong and shows weakness and Charles begins to gain results and outpaces Vettel - well its been years for Vettel now, years. He has had his chance and did not make the most of it so far at all. Here is the difference between FA with a slower Ferrari and Vettel in a fast title winning capable car -> FA put them in a position to win with a slower car. Vettel ensured they did not win with a faster capable car. Yes Vettel has 4 titles and 4 times less capability overall as well. I think its a distinct possibility Vettel has 1 or 2 more years at most in F1. I do not see him going anywhere else if Charles pulls a 'Ricci' on him lol
It's not just a matter of driver. Support in the garage and on the pit wall also makes a difference. RB, and to a lesser extent Mercedes, have figured out how to support two leading drivers. Although Merc doesn't hesitate to sacrifice Bottle's race to have him serve as a rolling block. (RB might have tried that -- but Max doesn't follow team orders. ) Ferrari hasn't let both drivers go for the win since '07 with Kimi and Massa -- and the team/pits botched a lot of races. They tend to put their focus on one "package" at a time, and the other driver is left with table scraps. It was even worse in the Shumi era: the #2 driver was the "test mule" for Schumi. (Remember that one wet race where Massa was on the wrong tires the entire race -- so Schumi would know when to switch tires?) (And people point to that race to claim Massa "can't drive in the wet".) Leclerc may be competing with Vettel's leavings.
My prediction: Vettel and LeClerc will drive the 488 Pista in F1 and tie for world drivers championship 4 races before the end of the season.
You get ''support' when you provide results. Ricci made Vettel look less than 'stellar'. Vettel has done a good job showing that the last 2 years. He has been fully exposed as more than less than complete. He still lacks emotional control today lol. It could not be more apparent after Baku bashing LH and losing more than 1 race this year to poor tactical choices. Its not at all about the pitwall. Not this year and again Arrive made that clear as to who made the most mistakes and costly.
Ferrari won’t win jack unless they sort their strategy out. The end. If that’s resolved, then I think the vet / Le clerc driver pair is miles better than Ham / Bot, so a wcc is possible. The wdc won’t go to ferrari because vet and Le clerc will take points off each other all season thereby gifting Ham wdc 6. Redbull, full of optimism at the start of testing, will self destruct after lunching a ton of Honda metal before race 1. Max will spit out his toys in a big way and try to leave, but no one will have him as he’s basically a PR disaster and hasn’t grown up yet. McLaren will surprise everyone and replace redbull as number 3 team - but only due to better reliability. Or perhaps not... Everybody else - who cares. They just make up the numbers. Formala 1.5 will continue to exist.
