F1 2022 thread - see post 1 for rules

Not really all that often. He usually beat bottas fair and square. And he usually beat the opposition too so they only occasionally had to put bottas on a slower strategy to interfere with the opposition.

I think Mercedes were always prepared with lots of parts so I never heard about them giving Hamilton the new front wing, or whatever new part, and leaving bottas with the older part. That kind of thing happens with less well resourced teams. Hamilton was clearly the priority driver but it rarely actually manifested because it wasn't needed.

Whoever was advising Piastri has done a terrible job. The tweet is only acceptable if you’re 100% sure that you’re out of contract and have another preferred option.

Now it looks like he’s publicly turned down a seat in a mid tier F1 team because he’s had his head turned, and it’s not a great look. If he does go to McLaren he’ll be under immense pressure right from the off, too. They’ve just let go a proven driver because he couldn’t perform, and presumably will have to pay through the nose to get him too.

Ah, it was a gamble to have autonomy in his career moves for the next few years. Not to mention the money and work conditions he could negotiate outside the Alpine contract.

His options were to muck about at Williams for a year or 2 depending on how long Alonso stayed on. Low wages and probably second dibbs on everything's from strategy to mechanic team when he gets to Alpine in 2024 or 2025. Or negotiate a move to jump straight into a mclaren next year, on more money and with potentially equal status to Norris.

He had to take the gamble. It might pay off yet and he might get everything he wanted. I don't begrudge him the ambition to avoid tooling around in a heap of scrap for a year or 2. The talk of loyalty is total fairytale stuff. Its not real life, it's sport and business and loyalty doesn't really exist (or certainly isn’t mandatory) in either. He was right to look out for number 1.

Well, that's how it turned out but Alpine weren't trying to get him into the Alpine for next year. They were trying to get him into the williams and Piastri was trying to get himself into the Mclaren. And there is a huge difference between those two cars.

Alpine offered him the Alpine seat after Alonso announced he was leaving and he believed he was out of contract. But that's the part which is in dispute so we'll have to wait and see what the ruling is.

It's not just about the Willians/Alpine vs Mclaren. It's also about the ability negotiate his pay working conditions which probably really only exists with mclaren and not if he just extends the Alpine contract.

There was a lot at stake and it was a gamble.

And there is a huge difference between those two cars.

Ye the Williams is quicker lol at least one was in Spa and got into Q3.

It was a stupid tweet, not sure how anyone could see it any other way.

The way I see it, Alpine were stringing Alonso on and would only give him a 1 year contract when he wanted two. They did this to give themselves the option of Alonso or Piastri for 2024. They were stringing Piastri along with a chance of a drive in 2024 too, but he could have ended up at Williams for 2023 and 2024. In the end they have looked to pissed off both drivers and lost both.

He was about to sign for mclaren. Mclaren needed to know he wasn't looking to string them along. He had to publicly say he wasn't driving for Alpine. I doubt he primarily intended to humiliate Alpine, it was mostly about stating his position and committing to mclaren.

Not to mention that, as far as Piastri was concerned, Alpine announced him as thier driver outside the terms of the contract. So he was well within his rights to make his position clear. Well find out who was right when the ruling is made.

I'm not saying he will, but many drivers have worked themselves up the lower leagues with equally impressive records as Piastri has yet withered when it comes to getting their seat in formula 1. Again it might not happen, but there's an element that he might not be the F1 driver that is hoped for due to the pressure

Think Piastri’s F3 and F2 performances eclipsed both of them in fairness but seats are not always performance alone.

It makes you think how many drivers in the past were protected from silly impulse due to lack of social media.

I wonder how much the recent rule change with the floors has to do with Max's outlandish pace, if there is a link?

There as a rumour doing the rounds too that one or both of the RB’s were running with the new floor for the two races before the summer break! It doesn’t seem to have impacted performance in anyway from what we’ve seen

With Hamilton destroying his engine by crashing into Fernando last weekend does that mean he will take grid penalties this weekend??

FYP

Yes I would say it is possible.

I said if he's without a seat - I didn't say he would be without a seat. But if he is without a seat, it will be entirely his own fault, and by definition it will be because he tried to break his contract.

Happy for gasley is this is true. He showed great development since the red bull disaster. This season hasn't been brilliant but I think he has great potential.

Hope the deal goes through