F1 2022 thread - see post 1 for rules

The Race podcast mentioned that when Ricciardo was asked about his future over the weekend he mentioned that they'd discuss in the summer. Whereas previously he has said he had a 3 year deal. So it's a little unclear what his contractual situation is, but if he continues like he is, I can't see him in the seat next year. Would that be him out of F1 I wonder? He's been a massive disappointment though.

Bit of useless non-race info..

People are a bit miffed with the Singapore GP at the moment as it has just announced Marshmello, Westlife and Green Day as performers for the nightly concerts over the race weekend. Unusual for one big headliner not be named as part of the initial announcement of acts. The concerts are included in your ticket price.

As a Irish woman in my mid-30's I love the nostalgia of Westlife but expectations were very high for the first race back post-Covid.

I don't think Ricciardo will be in a McLaren next season. McLaren will make big savings with him off the pay roll and could poach the likes of Gasly, Piastri, Ocon or De Vries from other teams.

I think a lot of contracts have performabce based get-out clauses after year 2, or options for a third year. They might be able to drop him if he's not competitive enough with his team mate depending on whatever metrics they might havebinnthe contract. Pure speculation about Ricciardo's contract, but these clauses exist.

It is strange that Danny Ric , never adapted to the Car .

Most drivers who changed teams and Engines took some time to get use to it . Vettel for example using a Mercedes engine for the first time with Aston took 5-6 races to get up to speed.

Bottas this year moving to a Ferrari after years with Mercedes power ( williams and Mercedes) Adapted really fast.

Danny Ric is 2 years in and Monza is the only race where he seemed like himself . With Redbull he was a demon around Monaco , He does need to bring it together there .

Jacques Villeneuve. Had a great rookie season, won in 97, but as soon as 98 he was playing third fiddle to McLaren and Ferrari. Then there was the BAR fiasco. He was never in contention after that, and was only ever on the podium again due to attrition.

Vettel was then beaten in 2 seasons by Leclerc who was also very inexperienced. Vettel went on a dramatic slide and has arreted the slide but stayed at a low level.

I don't hink Ric is bad as we know he was very good. But it's not about potential nota about their actual pace. Ricciardo has been at a very average level of pace for a while now. It didn't really start at mclaren. He wasn't great at Renault but we assumed the Renault was crap. Maybe the car was better than we thought and he was failing to get the speed from it.

He chose to leave RB for big money elsewhere. Maybe when a fella has earned $40m over 2 years, their priorities change. I wouldn't be surprised of motivation is a part of his problem at the moment. He's set for life. Most normal people would take the foot off the pedal once they realise they're completely financially set for life. World Champions like Hamilton don't, but maybe Ricciardo is just a bit more human than those guys.

Isn't Monaco practice meant to be today?

Yeah FP in Monaco used to be Thursday. Never made any sense to me.

Bernie Ecclestone arrested for carrying a gun in Brazil. Pretty bizarre.

I would also carry a gun with me in Brazil...

Fair point but maybe it was a case of him feeling more secure with it, last line of defense.

Have you seen the size of the gun, it must've looked like a 45 magnum in Bernie's hands

They’re the same size as last year aren’t they? From what I remember the minimum wheelbase increased but the majority of teams were above that anyway.

Not that they aren’t stupidly oversized, but it’s nothing new for this year. I’m looking forward to seeing how they manage as I understand the ground effect is more dependant on speed to generate aero than before, so they should have limited grip around Monaco. Which is no bad thing if it makes them more challenging to drive.

Mercs porpoising again