REDBULL 2007: Confirmed Webber/Coultard

I am excited about this actually. I am a huge Webber fan and even if he does not end up in a car that is as outright fast as the McLaren he is atleast in what seems to be a fairly reliable machine.

 

Don't worry, the Webber reliability jinx will still happen.

 

Agree. I think it is a good move.

Pete

 

I must have been watching another Webber for some time now. IMHO he has always been one of the worst whiners and excuse-makers of all the drivers. After nearly every interview I conclude that he really thinks he is awesome and that it must only be everyone else's fault that he is not WC.

 

He has had what, 9 retirements now this season? Maybe you're Buddha himself, but I'd be getting pretty pissed at this point too. He has kept the car off the walls and out of other's sidepods this season, and still can't even finish a race. He was fast as all hell in Monaco (as usual), which gets a lot of credit in my book.

He's akin to Damon Hill, and has a chance to be a Mansell. He'll never be a Senna, Prost, Schumi, but the Mansell-Piquet battles were epic and I'm happy to see Webber get a decent ride. We just need a Piquet now...

 

Not a Damon Hill by a long shot. Hill was a test driver, not a racer. Webber is exactly the opposite.

 

Yes, the once-famous Williams team seems to be on the way down. The partnership with BMW hasn't be fruitful, with each partner blaming the other, and ending up in accrimonious divorce. Now Williams is again a private team, who has to pay for engines, and with limited resources. With the arrival of new manufacturer teams (Toyota, BMW), it will be difficult to climb out of the pit.

I suspect that Frank Williams & Patrick Head are not easy guys to work for. Is it a coincidence that the association with 3 different manufacturers fell through: Honda, Renault, now BMW?

They also have the habit of falling out with their drivers: Rosberg, Jones, J. Villeneuve. Three drivers who won WDC with William didn't see their contracts renewed at the end of the Season: Mansell, Hill and Prost. Even maybe Nelson Piquet. Rather strange, no?

 

I was thinking in terms of accomplishments. In a (really) good car Webber could compete with FA, KR, etc. who are in in slightly lesser cars.

 

Excellent Avatar.

By the way, I think that Webber tends to shine more in qualifying with Mechanical Grip than he does on the faster more Aero circuts.

 

Senna's the man. He really is the epitome of talent and hardwork, with some thickheadedness thrown in for good measure.

Makes sense with MW. Next year will be the put up or shut up. Red Bull will have a complete package to offer, so no excuses.

 

I don't really see how Red Bull is supposed to offer a more complete package than Williams of 2005. Is there any reason to think they will?

Did Webber not 'put up or shut up' then?

 

RBR is a team still in the building process and they're taking the steps to build a winning team; just give them time. Williams has been going down since the end of the 2003 season. No idea what next year will bring for Williams with Toyota power. Somehow I feel it won't change anything.

 

I don't disagree with anything you said. The assumption that Red Bull will have a complete package (measured relative to other teams) in 2007 seems a bit premature.

F1 now isn't like F1 even 3 years ago. Full factory efforts by BMW, Honda, Toyota, Renault, Ferrari, & Mclaren (I guess?) seems to have made it even more competitive than previously. A realistic goal for Red Bull is for them to be the 5th fastest team, anything beyond that would be a smashing success. Not to understate how good Newey is -- but I have my reservations.