F1 2022 thread - see post 1 for rules

Ah, in that post you say he always gets 100% from the car and also he isn't the driver he was. What was he getting from the car before? More that 100%, presumably.

He was brilliant, and he's still very good but he's not getting 100% from the car. He's about level with Ocon at the moment, poor reliability at the start of the season aside. Still completely worth his place on the grid, but age has caught up with him and slowed him down and he's not going to get any faster.

I think the move to AM makes decent sense, but I doubt it will pay dividends in one or 2 years. Alpine has hit its ceiling. They have set a budget and they're sticking to it. They set their budget at about the level of the originally proposed cost cap. The final cost cap is significantly higher so they aren't going to compete for wins or championships. The renault engine programme is poor and never looks like being a top engine.

AM on the other hand, is investing massive money in the design and production side. That will take time to bear fruit, but AM has a far higher ceiling than Alpine in the medium term.

Alonso to AM shows another bad business decision by Stroll. Or at least that the priority is not making AM competitive.

No !! They're not going to replace him, are they, either next year or, probably, the year after. He's doing just about enough to hold on to the seat and is content to play second fiddle. Schumacher has done little to justify promotion up the grid.

Surprised by this. Alonso could be timing this kinda well with Dan Fallows taking the design reigns for AM next year fully after his leave from RB.

German media are reporting Alpine want Ricciardo on, and would still prefer for Piastri to get his feet wet at Williams.

..... silly season upon us

Alonso is hardly going to stick around more than two years is he ? Couldn't see another team signing when he's 43 or 44

It's really doubtful in general that such an old driver apild be performing well. But Alonso has had pretty good form in spite of his age. He's defying the odds. He's definitely not the aggressive monster he once was, bit still very respectable. I wouldn't rule him out.

I think interest and hunger is a big thing that changes as drivers get older. Vettel got old in his early-mid thirties. Hamilton is older than vettel and still has great form. I would say getting married and having children is one example of a big factor. Being a husband and a dad are big jobs. They take from the ruthless focus on being an f1 driver. Hamilton and Alonso don't have those additional parts of their lives.

Vettel said he never saw himself as primarily an F1 driver. He has lots of parts to himself such as husband and father. Alonso might be able to keep a very respectable level of performance for another few years. I'd be happy for him if he can.

I never support a driver staying on after their performance falls away just because they're a familiar name like kimi or Seb. But alonso is still well worth his place on the grid.

Alonso's exit means Alpine will undoubtedly be eager to sign the youngster who took F2 and F3 by storm, winning both championships as a rookie.

However, the delay in securing Piastri a seat could complicate things for the French squad.

AutoHebdo suggests that McLaren is interested in Piastri, with potential talks taking place between the two parties. Ricciardo's future with McLaren should be secure for the next 18 months, but everything is to play for when his contract expires at the end of 2023.

....

Stroll has had an unfair advantage in the opportunities he's had, but he has used that opportunity and has learned with experience and become a very solid driver over time, far better than he gets credit for.

He's not been able to show it recently because he's had arguably the worst car on the grid and one of the fastest drivers in the world as a teammate, but people forget he wasn't that far off Perez previously, earning a pole position and podiums in the process in a car that wasn't that amazing. Of his other teammates he matched Massa as a rookie, was far faster than Sirotkin, and he's also a champion in every open seater category he entered prior to F1. He's no Alonso sure, but he's also not a Mazepin or a Latifi.

Completely agree, and tbh when I was thinking of any possible exit strategy for Ricciardo I didn’t include Alpine because of how he left Renault.

Ricciardo gets a new car and a reboot for his career, McLaren get rid of him while getting a talented up and comer, Alpine get an experienced driver while they continue their car development and their preferred young driver gets a seat in F1.

The only losers would be any young McLaren drivers, but Piastri is a reserve driver for them this season anyway.

I'd argue Alpine are losers in that situation if they lose Piastri and end up with Ricciardo. Ocon has been around long enough for them not to need someone with more experience to partner him.

I read a good comment on twitter, Ricciardo and Alpine are awkwardly looking at eachother because everyone else they've shown interest in keeps telling them they'd make a good couple together.

They could be, but if they thought Piastri was ready then they would have announced him by now. I think they prefer experience at this point as they develop the car. There might still be engineers from his Renault days that felt he was a good influence while he was there.

And I think any deal between Alpine and McLaren for him would include right of first refusal for Alpine after the initial contract ends, because I agree they’d be mad to let him go permanently to have Ricciardo for a couple of years.

Couldn't disagree more. When Vettel had Covid and Hulkenberg came in to replace him, he ran dead last and a long way behind Stroll in both races. And we know Nico is a first class driver who produced great performances when stepping in for other drivers with covid last year.

The Aston is a terrible car with one fantastic and one decent driver in it. People who just look at the results and don't recognise the machinery the drivers have to work with might not see that, but we've plenty of evidence over the years that that is the case.

Not that I want to get dragged into a disscusion on Pay to drive and Paid Drivers . Pay to Drive guys have kept F1 teams alive .

They have always been in it . No body likes the stigma but some of the Greats started this way , and while the current batch are not greats of any sort they are better than some that went before . The Lance Stroll hate is just blown way over the top. He way too much focus on the money buying the seat. He has dragged that Aston into the points 4 times this season. would have been five only for the time loss after Dani Ricc put him out.

If the team have to pay someone thats less money on development. Aston may have money to play with but its still better to have the owners son in the car given that he can actually drive somebit .

I think the driver rating I linked earlier is pretty accurate this season over all and I would have above those that are currently below him. I even believe he will maybe end up ahead of Gasly with the way things are currently going for him .