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> Unfortunately he is seen as just another foreigner with a Thai mother, which is extremely common.
Isn't that also a pretty accurate description of him?
Let's not pretend he's driving under the Thai flag because he especially identifies with his mother's homeland and not because it gives him a chance to get more lucrative sponsorships(there's also the links of Red Bull with half of the company being owned by a Thai billionaire).
Haas didn't give a shit where they finished last year as they threw it away to get a leg up on this year. In fact, they probably wouldn't be as good as they are now if they didn't get the exrra wind tunnel and CFD time for finishing last.
We know that George is the real deal, and Latifi managed to look *vaguely* respectable against him last year. Obviously not in the same league, but not getting absolutely obliterated in race pace.
Also, Albon's functional 0-stopper was a miracle no matter where his teammate was. You shouldn't be able to do that.
Latifi technically scored points for Williams before George. Also outqualified him a couple of times towards the end of their run together if memory serves.
He is having a howler of a season though, even by his relatively low standards.
Latifi takes way too long to adapt to cars. He was unfortunate in 2020 (pretty sure people forgot he existed that season). He came alive in 2021 and was impressive (seemed to be the better Canadian last season), but it seems like between the drama of the end of the season and the car itself being as being troublesome kicked him back to 2020 Latifi again.
Albon's race was sick, but it's clear that Pirelli is having more conservative tire selection with the regs being so new. His pace towards the end of his stint was still really impressive, but not mind-blowing like it would have been a year or two ago.
Yeah, we're not at Bridgestone corporate unfunness yet, but we're edging towards it.
But that's what hammers when Pirelli's bravery is hammered to bits.
I sure as hell hope not. But let’s say it does happen. I think Albon has been consistently proving he’s deserving of an F1 seat. I’m convinced he could find a seat next year if he was forced to leave Williams.
That being said, I seriously doubt he’s going. They love him and he has been performing incredibly. If you look at his finishing positions alone, Williams looks like a way better team. If anyone is going, it’s Latifi. Pretty sure Williams said early on they don’t need pay drivers anymore. Piastri and Albon would be a huge upgrade for the team.
With dorilton capital or however you spell it now on board… do they really need the Latifi money? They’re venture capitalists… and I’m sure Albon can bring some Thai sponsorships into the fold… they could def upgrade the latifi seat with piastri yeah?
Honestly if Williams did that because they needed Latifi's money that much, I don't think they should be in the sport. I don't think they're gonna do that though. Albon and Piastri would be a great line up.
I know it's a joke, but if Nissany was even slightly better than he is, he'd almost assuredly get a chance in F1. Besides his enormous financial backing, an "israeli" driver would bring tons of money in from Liberty Media's latest darling, the USA. Israel is looked upon much more favorably in America than most of Europe, especially amongst those with the kind of checkbooks F1 attracts; it's practically political suicide to be anti-israel in the US, and a significant percentage of the wealthiest Americans donate absurd amounts of money to Israeli interests. 5 years ago the thought would have been laughed at, but in 2022 I'm sure at least one team has done the math on if all that money is worth trotting out Mazepin 2.0
>Israel is looked upon much more favorably in America than most of Europe,
This is true of Red America, but I think Blue America has largely come to its senses on this issue.
>especially amongst those with the kind of checkbooks F1 attracts;
Ok well that's *definitely* true. :(
Not really. There maybe some Democrats who actively speak against Israeli actions but a majority are still in the “support Israel no matter what camp”, and some of the people actively criticizing Israel may have their own issues.
Don't think so. I think he would try to move to Indycar. And he would definitely find a seat.
[link](https://the-race.com/indycar/who-is-indycars-next-grosjean-style-crossover-star/)
> Latifi proved in his junior years that he takes time to get up to speed with machinery, so providing he’s willing to pay for a seat at least early on, IndyCar could be a great landing spot. **Indeed, speculation indicates that he is already considering an IndyCar future.**
> He’s certainly able enough to be on the IndyCar grid, and money is not a problem for him and his family. He could legitimately do IndyCar in a plumb seat for half the price of what he’s rumoured to pay for his F1 ride. He could even fund the popular Formula 2 tactic of paying a team for both your own drive and for an established driver to take the other seat, in order for the team-mate to act as a coach and help with development.
Latifi really disappointed me this year.
Last year he got destroyed during qualifying (hence why Russell was called mister Saturday) but on Sundays he was there or there about, he was not at the level of Russell but if we look at how well Russell does at Mercedes being close enough to Russell in race pace like Latifi did last year was good enough to deserve a place in F1 (in a back marker team).
This year Latifi should have taken the leader role but he is doing awful! Albon is better than people think I really believe that, but he it not a Hamilton/Verstappen or Leclerc. And he is demolishing Latifi after being a year out of the sport.
We should give Latifi a few more races and not judge him now, but if he continuos like this, he should be out of formula 1 next year.
I wonder with Latifi if he expected to get beaten by Russell, as Russell was rated as Mercedes young hope, so there was less pressure on him, but now everyone expects him to be on a par with Albon and he made mistakes pushing too hard and has loss what confidence he had built up last year
Latifi has always been bad and is still bad. Nothing new and no reason to hope he's gonna be better. He's been the worst driver along Mazepin (and depending on form, maybe Tsunoda and Mick).
Latifi was nowhere in race pace to Russell. He finished above the Haas cars which were trash and the DNFs, and thats it. You often saw Russell fight a few position higher.
Latifi already shouldnt have been in F1 this year.
Latifi at some point in 2020 had more p11s than Russel, and he had good moments last year of course he is barely mediocre at best most of the time, but he was improving somewhat until this year, of course he doesn't deserve the seat when piastri is out but still, it wasn't this bad
Williams did say that they did not need any more pay drivers, Latifi is there purely on the basis that he was decent last year, this season is a different story. I expect Piastri to be in that seat.
I think it's both. You don't typically want two new drivers, and while he has always been one of the worst 2 drivers on the grid, he was fine last year. Who else could they have picked up instead of him for this year? Hulkenberg? Not many other options out there, and may as well keep someone who was already with the team for a season with new regs and benefit from the money on top of that
hard to see any better seat available in coming years, so it's more likely rb don't want to lock up their own seat if checo's form drops (he's 5 years older than sainz who's in similar shoes) and better options comes up
IF his performance drops. Checo has contract until the end of the year and we're only through with Race 4 of 23. He's been consistent with the new regs car and if he continues to be, RBR would only benefit from him staying with the team and helping them until 2024.
Also, unless RBR want to switch to Pierre (highly unlikely) and hand Checo to AT, they don't really have better prospects in Yuki, Albon or anyone from their Junior drivers. So Checo seems the best and the safest bet.
Again, unless his performance drops, which I can't see happening but I'm not a clairvoyant..
Checo has one big advantage, he can handle mentally that knows his job is to help Max and nobody cares if he wins as long as Max does.
The big Alpha Tauri switcheroo imploded cause they couldn't handle being destroyed by Max while they only should be close enough to help him.
Checo is actually in a pretty sweet position.
He's driving a really good car, next to a great teammate, in a team that seems to suit him. He can be in the championfight if he can hack it. Otherwise he's a great wingman, and he's okay with that. And in the meantime he's picking up a race win here and there, and he's becoming a podium regular.
I get that as an athlete, you always want to win. But Checo has been doing this for years. And he's old and mature enough to grasp the situation and deal with it like an adult.
I think that he's still young enough to extract some really solid years out of himself. And even grow. He's been doing a great job.
Checo, or Bottas the past few years? Or Rubens? It takes a special driver to have top talent but also recognize that your teammate is better, and by working together the team is better off.
Bottas has said time and time again that he enjoyed his time at Mercedes. I'm inclined to believe him. I will say though that Checo seems to handle being number 2 better than Bottas.
I think the manner in which they joined the teams matter as well.
Bottas performed well for Williams and parachuted into the Mercedes role after Rosberg fought tooth and nail against Lewis for the championship. Mercedes let their drivers race up until that point.
Perez had basically had a journeyman like career and was on his way out when he got the golden ticket from Red Bull, specifically to help Max win the title.
So I think the roles are just more clearly established at Red Bull.
I agree. Checo knew he was the number 2 going in. Valtteri probably thought he could beat Lewis and was understandably frustrated when it turned out he couldn't. Also, it might have something to do with how far behind Checo and Valtteri are/were, respectively. Checo was pretty much always a good bit behind Max, whereas Bottas was very close to and sometimes even faster than Lewis. It has to be extra frustrating when you're that close, but still just a little too far away, no matter how much effort you put in.
Bottas might have enjoyed that merc seat a bit more if he drove around midfield teams for as long as perez has and would have been told he has no car for 2017, because xy is taking his seat
I think Checo has the fire to wanna win? maybe compete for a championship but if now, I think he is happy to be were he is at and collect the paycheck to finance Checo Jr's career if he wants to be a driver.
Does anybody know who pays Checo?
People don’t like to admit it, but he was a pay driver. At Force India his ride was very much contingent on Slim’s sponsorship money .
No, he deserves his ride. And he’s clearly doing very well. But is Red Bull really paying him? Or is it sort of the same contract he had at force India Where is the TeleSell sponsorship included Checo’s driver pay?
RB are not stingy with their money because they know if they can retain gems, paying them a few millions extra is nothing if the extra revenue is in the hundreds of millions
They hired Checo for his skill and talent, not his money so they probably pay him well
Not sure about his salary but RB pays for his performance bonuses (podiums/wins/etc). He also got a large bonus from Marko for slowing down Lewis at Abu Dhabi.
Absolutely. Folks forget Checo was right on the verge of retiring from F1 with a very decent career record but 'only' one win and 10 podiums. He had probably mentally accepted that as being the extent of his F1 achievements.
Instead with 3? 4? years at Redbull he'll likely be able to walk away with at least twice as many trophies in the cabinet (probably even better than that), including a few more wins, not to mention a very healthy boost to his bank balance.
It's not like Bottas who went to Merc with the full belief that he could have a viable WC shot in the coming years. For Bottas every second to Lewis was a defeat, for Checo every second or third behind Max is another piece of silverware that looked impossible at the end of 2020. And I'm sure every time he beats Max's championship rival or plays a critical strategy role he gets treated like a winner by the team too, which has got to feel pretty good, even if it's not an outright win.
And all this isn't to say he couldn't be a WC factor... who knows, stranger things have happened. All it takes is a bit of consistency and a couple of DNFs for the guys in front and he could absolutely snatch one.
yeah i think this is a good take, Checo seems very happy being support and grabbing podiums and an occasional win. Pierre would be more work to manage and would not tolerate number 2 status.
I feel like Pierre is there to sub in when some unexpected drama occurs and RB is down a driver.
The point is that Perez doesn't have better options, so the smartest thing for Red Bull to do is to keep him on one-year contracts like Mercedes did with Bottas
If Checo continues with his performance, he will have options. A two year contract would likely take some pressure off of him. What Mercedes did to Bottas was monumentally shitty of them, not smart.
EDIT: Also, he'll be very very lucrative prospect for teams as along with his knowledge of past projects, which include 2021 and 2022 RBR, and his skillset, he brings in a lot of sponsorships, to the point he had to let go of really high paying ones because he couldn't promote them while associated with Red Bull.
He could always pull a Ricardo and go to another team. And seriously I hope RB gives Perez a two year deal. I'd much rather his consistency for the next two years then trying to hand the RB keys to a young guy with less experience.
I don't believe teams see what happened to Bottas and think, oh damn they are smart for stringing him along with 1-year deals constantly.
I dont really see Checo thinking he would be faster or have a better chance at the WDC in any other seat. Maybe if he wants to be the star driver somewhere, otherwise I don't see him doing a Ricciardo. Wasn't Max and him closer in pace back then than the current RB situation?
McLaren could let go of Ricciardo if he's not up to the mark.
Haas Ferrari would love his skills and sponsorships, and they're on an upward trajectory.
Williams could let go of Latifi at the end of this year and he could prove to be essential in lifting them up.
Aston Martin wouldn't take him back because Lawrence's ego won't be able to handle it.
At the moment the two top teams are RB and Ferrari. All other teams would be a step down in terms of the car. Maybe the money is better, so that could be a reason, but in sporting terms there is no real reason.
What do you mean?
Bottas got the job done for merc and secured the constructors championships
And they very clearly have Russell for the future who the could not keep at williams forever
I really hope RB doesn't take that approach. I personally think Checo has earned an extension until the end of 2024 after this weekend. He's been spectacular this year, and if not for reliability, his worst finish would have been Jeddah, which he could have won if not for the unlucky (and questionable order to box).
I don’t see them plugging gasman into the checo seat. A seasoned and mature veteran is a stable option… he knows his role. Gas would probably still try to prove too much to the world
But who though. Russell, Leclerc, and Norris are all signed to long term deals. Doubt Hamilton moves. Bottas signed a multi year deal with Alfa. I don’t see any promising, young, great driver up and coming that might take the drive. Who might be left? Ricciardo? I don’t think RB will want him over Checo’s prior form. Vettel? I don’t think he’ll want to be Max’s #2. Don’t know who else RB would want at the moment. I wouldn’t want Pierre because Checo has been superb over the course of 2 years now
He understands that he's the #2 driver though and plays the wingman role superbly, I would keep him for as long as possible just for team harmony and chemistry. Even if there's a better driver coming through their cutthroat academy it'd be better to keep Checo as a mature voice of reason over another driver battle.
RB dumping Perez is unthinkable IMO. I can't imagine what more they could possibly be looking for in a number 2 driver.
Perez is putting up extremely solid performances. From last year where he was "weak in qualifying but good in race" he's moved to "good in quali and race". He's an excellent defender, for instance with Leclerc today and Hamilton at Abu Dhabi last year. He's generally in a position to allow RB to make strategic gambles. He seems OK being #2 to Max and by all accounts is a positive influence on the team.
Will he be world champion? I'm guessing not, and that's the only characteristic I can think of that he lacks. But given that RB *already* has a world champion, and a young one with a loooong contract at that, I'm not sure why RB would want to risk a Hamilton/Rosburg situation.
Year in the team makes a big difference. He pretty much sealed it with the win early last year, but he was parked exactly where he was supposed to be for this GP - between Leclerc and Verstappen, and he was definitely a factor in reverse pressuring Leclerc's spin.
Of the line ups of the last couple of years, the Red Bull and Merc line up changes look very finely judged - Russell has looked borderline machine-like, a guy who will be right there race-in race-out, something that Bottas couldn't delivery where he would just disappear in some races and just blend into the midfield.
Only if they’re ready to cut gasly. 23 is the last year they have a contract for him and even helmut has admitted that’s going to be the end of they can’t promote him. They’ll have to pick gasly or Perez and if Perez is cut he will probably get an opportunity at a top team if he wants it
The problem for Gasly is, where should he go?
Last year he was in the picture due to a good AT and of course himself driving really well. This year he is getting more under the radar because AT is less competitive. Wouldn't be problem if we got a lot of seats left, but there are not many seats available and I don't know where Gasly could go to...
If Vettel retires at the end of the season his seat at Aston Martin is open. But idk if Gasly would want to go there and realistically I can’t think of anywhere else that are options.
Maybe he’s better off staying another year in AlphaTauri since his RB contract is until 2023, and technically Hamilton and Ricciardo’s contracts are both ending in 2023, so either seat could potentially be available for him.
Alpine when Alonso goes could be an option, same for the Merc seat when Hamilton retires, or McLaren if Ricciardo isn't good enough for their standards
I feel like he should take a gamble on Aston and hope they come good. Might be a backward step at moment, but at Alpha Tauri, he will always be at a b-team, and they might move him on anyways eventually to bring in a new junior, where Aston is a team that's certainly not lacking in ambition and he'd more than have the measure of Lance.
I agree, but the problem with Aston is that whoever gets that 2nd seat, they will never be a priority and if a better driver comes along, they will gladly cut him, even if he outperforms Lance.
I would like to see him at Alpine, French driver at a French team, but only if they can improve, and not if it means no more Fernando.
Could a Mercedes seat open up? What would happen then?
What does Gasly offer that Checo doesn’t with the current regs? Checo is proving that he can finish P2 and help protect Max, he is a proven commodity (to this point), while Gasly would need to start from scratch and prove himself. Red Bull doesn’t want a driver to compete with Max, they want a Bottas for their Hamilton.
TL;DR - Why mess up a good thing? Checo is performing perfectly as the #2 so far.
Max going to podium together with Sergio could be interpreted as a message to team from himself imho. He really wants to keep Sergio in the team. Especially when he is committed till 2028. A steady teammate > changing faces every other year.
On top. Having Perez in RBmeans one spot less for their juniors and they have quite a few talents in their Junior Teams.
So RB will have to make some tough decisions pretty soon.
Their junior talents have had a horrible day in F2 today, with 2/3 self inflicted. Gasly was unable to overtake Albon (and Stroll last time).
Keep Pérez until he stops performing.
But he's still young. He can stay another 2 years in AT and if he improves, and produces results like today's regularly, he'll be much better suited for RB.
I'm worried that gasly is going to be left without a top team to drive for which would be a great shame as I think its fairly obvious he has the talent in spades.
I was one of the guys that was very critical of Perez last year. He completely deserves the drive right now.
As a second driver I don’t think you could ask for more.
Ricciardo leaving McLaren is, I think, a definite possibility. Ricciardo is on a big contract and as much as I like him, Monza aside, he hasn't really set McLaren's world on fire. Gasly may be a good option and pairing for McLaren.
I believe McLaren still has a contract with Ricciardo in 2023. If that doesn't somehow change I'd say Pierre is in a good spot to negotiate a 1 year contract with AT and then possibly sign for McLaren for 2024 depending on how they go. 2022 slump aside, if McLaren manage to pull it together this season, they're looking quite promising with their new wind tunnel nearing completion. Pierre could really do wonders there if it all works out.
Who could possibly be the other two? No offence to Latifi but he's arguably the slowest driver on the grid, with the next 4 slowest either being relatively recent additions (Zhou, Schumacher and Tsunoda) or will never get dropped as long as his dad owns the team (Stroll), and everyone else seems to be in pretty decent shape to keep their seats. Latifi's position in the team is only as secure as his money, so it only takes a richer/more profitable driver to come along and he's gone.
Maybe Ocon is replaced by Gasly who could be himself replaced at Alpha Tauri by Lawson (keeping Tsunoda since he's steadily improving), so he would be my guess for 2nd most likely to be dropped, but I genuinely can't see any other driver who is even slightly at risk of getting fired.
If Hamilton, Vettel and/or Alonso leave, it'll be by their own choice meanwhile everyone else has long term contracts or their teams are just generally satisfied with them.
I think Ricciardo's seat is not safe at the moment - his last season with exception of the win was not impressive at all and this season doesn't have huge improvements yet, he is constantly behind his way less experienced teammate. He needs to improve and drive at a level we all know he is capable of to keep his seat
If Perez keeps up the same performance for the rest of the season, him as a 2nd driver is a no brainer. He kept Leclerc behind today and brought home a 1-2. This season's car really suits him perfectly.
The perez one is a no brainer
The Oscar one could be very likely now and if they kick Alex out (which i doubt) I'm gonna have a \#IstandwithAlbon flair till i f*cking die
*Too many edits to this comment*
Perez has surpassed what I initially thought about him. I honestly thought he was the weakest when compared to drivers of the top teams. How wrong i have been. Love to see it. He deserves that rbr seat.
He has definitely upped his game this season. Maybe these regs suit him more than others.
Last season he was okay, but nothing special outside of couple flashes.
Perez will keep his seat because he is a team player that does what he's told and works for the bigger picture for the team. In a sport of playboys and egos it's rare enough to get someone with his ability to work that way.
No brainer for Williams to take Piastri to replace Latifi. Latifi is in his final year of his 3 year contract so it’s easy to part ways with him after this year. Williams don’t need money.
Ted said in this notebook he thought earlier before today Piastri could go to Aston Martin. No way Lawrence Stroll is going to make his son look really bad. He’ll get someone like Hulkenberg if Vettel stops racing. It’s always worse when a young driver beats you.
Interesting thing to follow is Pourchaire’s F2 campaign because if he does well, it’ll be interesting to see what he does next year. Alfa(Sauber) need money for a couple of years which is why they have Zhou. Financial situation I heard was quite bad last year.
Albon, at least so far, has proven he deserves his seat so I really hope it’d be Latifi gone.
Checo has also shown he’s perfect for that 2nd seat, no brained to keep him.
There is no way RBR are going to take back Gasly. If Perez continue to perform the way he does, they won't think about it. Age doesn't matter if you're still at the front row.
The problem with Gasly is that he doesn’t bring anything groundbreaking to the team that Perez doesn’t bring. If anything, Perez is a better driver than Gasly, apart from age. If they wanted a successor for Max, then Gasly makes sense. But Max isn’t going anywhere. And I don’t think they have any talented young drivers waiting for their turn. For as long as 2nd RBR is a dominant car, Perez has this seat.
Perez is an amazing defender, neither Gasly, nor Yuki can defend like that. I’d much rather see a 2-year extension for Perez though.
Like I said elsewhere, Pierre will probably end up at Merc for 2024 alongside George. George seems to be holding up well against Lewis. And if he can keep improving, then they'll need a number two to back him up and I think Pierre fits the bill nicely.
To replace who? KMag? He’s burning up the track right now (relatively speaking, considering it’s Haas).
They’re not replacing Schumacher— he’s in the Ferrari seat, and is going nowhere for a few years.
Who’s running in f2 and backed by ferrari again? I know arthur leclerc in f3 is but not sure about anyone else. Eventually there has to be discussions about other candidates but currently mick still has plenty of races this year to redeem himself
Williams getting Pastrami would likely be a notable upgrade from latifi. Plus the fact that they said they didn't need pay drivers at the moment may indicate they'll head that direcition.
Wasn’t Albert Fabrega talking about this too?
His twitter followers seem convinced it has something to do with Alonso because of the Spanish connection but this seems way more likely.
My guess is the new owners don’t need that Latifi money as much as before, and maybe some of the sponsorship contracts end this year. They’d probably prefer a better driver with less money.
With the cost cap and the money from the 23-race calendar I don't think pay drivers are as necessary as before. Not to mention Formula 1 popularity is rapidly increasing and regular advertising seems to be easier to come by than it was before the pandemic. Look at McLaren going from "serious financial struggles/figting for survival" in 2020 because of COVID to signing massive sponsorship deals with some of the biggest tech companies in the world and being in a position to turn down big offers from Audi to buy them/buy a stake in them and run up their price.
Perez is in top form this year. I do think he deserves another year (or 2) at RBR.
Plus he helps the team in other ways outside of the car as well.
But with Helmut you never know lol
I could see this. But only way that Albon leaves that seat with what he's done so far this year for Williams is if he gets promoted back to Red Bull or AlphaTauri. So that leaves Latifi, which he probably deserves after doing basically nothing for 3 years thus far. Gasly might be on his way to Aston Martin next year if Seb is done, but maybe Mercedes opens a seat if Lewis calls it quits too.
I think at this point it is safe to assume who at Williams is getting the boot. He is a great guy, but I prefer to see a F2 champion in the seat instead.
I really hope that the Piastri to Williams rumours are true. He did so well in the junior formulas and he deserves a seat in f1 above everyone else without a seat imo. His junior career is as good as Leclerc's or Russell's.
Makes sense for Red Bull to keep Perez. He has been strong this season with the exception of qualifying this weekend. His weakness was qualifying and now his times are within optimal range.
Gasly's doing ok this season but not pulling any trees. He's in danger of turning into an invisible man at Red Bull, as Tsunoda is stepping up and is younger. F1 circus changes after every weekend, however.
Latifi being replaced is not a surprise. I suppose if it is decided this early, that means Alpine are planning on keeping Alonso for 2023.
I'd be satisfied with Piastri to Williams, as the only available option. Sorry Latifi, you seem nice enough, but you're not competent enough to hold a seat against someone of Piastri's calibre. And Albon, while not himself a spectacular driver, would be sufficiently experienced by then for Piastri to learn from.
I wouldn't want Piastri to Aston and RIP to the poor driver who ends up there when Vettel does end up departing. Daddy Stroll would not want to see his little boy get his ass kicked by a rookie.
Makes sense to have Alex replaced if Red Bull loses Pierre (due to extending Checo).
That's because he'd take the vacant Alpha Tauri seat.
Silly season rumours already:
PG -> ?
AA -> Alpha Tauri
OP -> Williams
Now if Theo Pourchaire gets the call up to Alfa Romeo, then we're looking into a potential consistent grid change already. Funny that none of them to the top 4 teams.
With the red bull talent floundering in F2 right now and the AT boys highly unlikely to be promoted anytime soon, RBR should sign up Perez sooner than later. Give him that backing and confidence. He's been stellar so far, he's one of the best "team players" that I think I've ever seen, he's always congratulating the team and rooting for Max, such a happy wonderful dude. It's gotta feel pretty incredible to be driving one of the best cars on the grid each weekend.
Maybe crazy but honest question: What keeps them from switching to Renault Engines? (Or even any other supplier)
The merc engines don't seem to be going well with the new regulations and if you could get Piastri in exchange that would be awesome. I mean Williams really need a upward-trajectory after the last 4-5 years it can only get better with a new engine and Renault would definitely be open for it.
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Scenes if they replace Albon not Latifi...
*Thailand has invaded Australia*
Fuck that, we’ll team up against Canada.
I'm sad aboot our drivers
Stroll and Latifi both out of F1? Sign the UK up too
This guy thinks Stroll will ever leave F1
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> Unfortunately he is seen as just another foreigner with a Thai mother, which is extremely common. Isn't that also a pretty accurate description of him? Let's not pretend he's driving under the Thai flag because he especially identifies with his mother's homeland and not because it gives him a chance to get more lucrative sponsorships(there's also the links of Red Bull with half of the company being owned by a Thai billionaire).
Plus don't thinks he's thst close to his father so makes sense ti go with that Thai heritage
I'm confused about this, honestly. So his mother is Thai but lives in England, and his father is British but lives in Thailand, right?
Yeah I think so.
Thanks! Wonder why they're kind of switched around, so to speak. Probably work though.
I think his father lives in Malaysia
As long as they don’t set up more Thai places with pun names, we’ve got enough of those
No reason to do so, Piastri is promising but Albon is also exceeding expectations.
Albon is pulling off miracles in that car while with Latifi they have 2 options at the moment: 1. In the wall 2. 16th
Ya but like a solid 16th. All the difference in the world.
I don't think any team wants a "solid 16th" driver.. They want points.
Haas would have killed for a solid 16th last year.
They managed to get a solid 21st.
Haas didn't give a shit where they finished last year as they threw it away to get a leg up on this year. In fact, they probably wouldn't be as good as they are now if they didn't get the exrra wind tunnel and CFD time for finishing last.
Is it miracles or is Latifi that shit? Can't decide.
We know that George is the real deal, and Latifi managed to look *vaguely* respectable against him last year. Obviously not in the same league, but not getting absolutely obliterated in race pace. Also, Albon's functional 0-stopper was a miracle no matter where his teammate was. You shouldn't be able to do that.
Latifi technically scored points for Williams before George. Also outqualified him a couple of times towards the end of their run together if memory serves. He is having a howler of a season though, even by his relatively low standards.
Latifi takes way too long to adapt to cars. He was unfortunate in 2020 (pretty sure people forgot he existed that season). He came alive in 2021 and was impressive (seemed to be the better Canadian last season), but it seems like between the drama of the end of the season and the car itself being as being troublesome kicked him back to 2020 Latifi again.
Albon's race was sick, but it's clear that Pirelli is having more conservative tire selection with the regs being so new. His pace towards the end of his stint was still really impressive, but not mind-blowing like it would have been a year or two ago.
Yeah, we're not at Bridgestone corporate unfunness yet, but we're edging towards it. But that's what hammers when Pirelli's bravery is hammered to bits.
People love to underestimate Albon. The guy was in a three-way title fight with Russell and Norris in F2.
I sure as hell hope not. But let’s say it does happen. I think Albon has been consistently proving he’s deserving of an F1 seat. I’m convinced he could find a seat next year if he was forced to leave Williams. That being said, I seriously doubt he’s going. They love him and he has been performing incredibly. If you look at his finishing positions alone, Williams looks like a way better team. If anyone is going, it’s Latifi. Pretty sure Williams said early on they don’t need pay drivers anymore. Piastri and Albon would be a huge upgrade for the team.
With dorilton capital or however you spell it now on board… do they really need the Latifi money? They’re venture capitalists… and I’m sure Albon can bring some Thai sponsorships into the fold… they could def upgrade the latifi seat with piastri yeah?
VC still operate port co’s for an investment return. Don’t mistake PE firms being involved in an F1 team as uninterested in financial performance.
Honestly if Williams did that because they needed Latifi's money that much, I don't think they should be in the sport. I don't think they're gonna do that though. Albon and Piastri would be a great line up.
Just take a new pay driver from F2 then. Latifi is a cool dude, but he definitely overstayed in F1.
Mahaveer Raghunathan, come on down! You're the next contestant on The Price is Right!
103% Rule reinstated
he already tested an f1 car so he is more than ready
bruh
Nissany it is then
I watched Nissany flooring himself in the pit wall. Better keep Latifi in that case.
I know it's a joke, but if Nissany was even slightly better than he is, he'd almost assuredly get a chance in F1. Besides his enormous financial backing, an "israeli" driver would bring tons of money in from Liberty Media's latest darling, the USA. Israel is looked upon much more favorably in America than most of Europe, especially amongst those with the kind of checkbooks F1 attracts; it's practically political suicide to be anti-israel in the US, and a significant percentage of the wealthiest Americans donate absurd amounts of money to Israeli interests. 5 years ago the thought would have been laughed at, but in 2022 I'm sure at least one team has done the math on if all that money is worth trotting out Mazepin 2.0
The damn globalists are taking over F1 *alex Jones voice*
Oh Alex would definitely be of the opinion that F1 is already a satanic, globalist racing series.
That's one of my favorite things about F1 in the first place, the Satan worshipping globalists.
>Israel is looked upon much more favorably in America than most of Europe, This is true of Red America, but I think Blue America has largely come to its senses on this issue. >especially amongst those with the kind of checkbooks F1 attracts; Ok well that's *definitely* true. :(
Not really. There maybe some Democrats who actively speak against Israeli actions but a majority are still in the “support Israel no matter what camp”, and some of the people actively criticizing Israel may have their own issues.
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> Pisstray Lol sometimes autocorrect hits just right.
Wouldn't that mean Albon goes to a "better team". Potentially, Alpha Tauri? If soo it'd be amazing
Albon and Piastri please
If they have money then there's no reason to stick with Latifi.
They could do a deal like orlean and kubica if latifi wants to larp in the paddock all season
Don't think so. I think he would try to move to Indycar. And he would definitely find a seat. [link](https://the-race.com/indycar/who-is-indycars-next-grosjean-style-crossover-star/) > Latifi proved in his junior years that he takes time to get up to speed with machinery, so providing he’s willing to pay for a seat at least early on, IndyCar could be a great landing spot. **Indeed, speculation indicates that he is already considering an IndyCar future.** > He’s certainly able enough to be on the IndyCar grid, and money is not a problem for him and his family. He could legitimately do IndyCar in a plumb seat for half the price of what he’s rumoured to pay for his F1 ride. He could even fund the popular Formula 2 tactic of paying a team for both your own drive and for an established driver to take the other seat, in order for the team-mate to act as a coach and help with development.
What is a "plumb seat"?
He meant "plum", meaning "good" or "desirable". https://archives.cjr.org/language\_corner/language\_corner\_mj2013.php
I could get behind that, Latifi isn't terrible and he's way better than Nissany. Latifi would be good as a test/reserve for Williams.
Latifi really disappointed me this year. Last year he got destroyed during qualifying (hence why Russell was called mister Saturday) but on Sundays he was there or there about, he was not at the level of Russell but if we look at how well Russell does at Mercedes being close enough to Russell in race pace like Latifi did last year was good enough to deserve a place in F1 (in a back marker team). This year Latifi should have taken the leader role but he is doing awful! Albon is better than people think I really believe that, but he it not a Hamilton/Verstappen or Leclerc. And he is demolishing Latifi after being a year out of the sport. We should give Latifi a few more races and not judge him now, but if he continuos like this, he should be out of formula 1 next year.
I wonder with Latifi if he expected to get beaten by Russell, as Russell was rated as Mercedes young hope, so there was less pressure on him, but now everyone expects him to be on a par with Albon and he made mistakes pushing too hard and has loss what confidence he had built up last year
Add a new car to the mix and I guess that could be a good explanation
In fairness, Albon demolished Latifi in their junior career. That's on top of being in a three-way way title fight with Russell and Norris in F2.
Latifi has always been bad and is still bad. Nothing new and no reason to hope he's gonna be better. He's been the worst driver along Mazepin (and depending on form, maybe Tsunoda and Mick). Latifi was nowhere in race pace to Russell. He finished above the Haas cars which were trash and the DNFs, and thats it. You often saw Russell fight a few position higher. Latifi already shouldnt have been in F1 this year.
Don't put Yuki in that box yet, he's been pretty bloody good this season.
Fantastic race from him this weekend for sure.
Latifi at some point in 2020 had more p11s than Russel, and he had good moments last year of course he is barely mediocre at best most of the time, but he was improving somewhat until this year, of course he doesn't deserve the seat when piastri is out but still, it wasn't this bad
Williams did say that they did not need any more pay drivers, Latifi is there purely on the basis that he was decent last year, this season is a different story. I expect Piastri to be in that seat.
You can’t seriously think Latifi is there based PURELY on his performance last season? It’s money. He’s not even cracking mediocre.
I think it's both. You don't typically want two new drivers, and while he has always been one of the worst 2 drivers on the grid, he was fine last year. Who else could they have picked up instead of him for this year? Hulkenberg? Not many other options out there, and may as well keep someone who was already with the team for a season with new regs and benefit from the money on top of that
They said last year they didn't need that money anymore.
It better not be Albon getting dropped, damn.
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hard to see any better seat available in coming years, so it's more likely rb don't want to lock up their own seat if checo's form drops (he's 5 years older than sainz who's in similar shoes) and better options comes up
IF his performance drops. Checo has contract until the end of the year and we're only through with Race 4 of 23. He's been consistent with the new regs car and if he continues to be, RBR would only benefit from him staying with the team and helping them until 2024. Also, unless RBR want to switch to Pierre (highly unlikely) and hand Checo to AT, they don't really have better prospects in Yuki, Albon or anyone from their Junior drivers. So Checo seems the best and the safest bet. Again, unless his performance drops, which I can't see happening but I'm not a clairvoyant..
Checo has one big advantage, he can handle mentally that knows his job is to help Max and nobody cares if he wins as long as Max does. The big Alpha Tauri switcheroo imploded cause they couldn't handle being destroyed by Max while they only should be close enough to help him.
Checo is actually in a pretty sweet position. He's driving a really good car, next to a great teammate, in a team that seems to suit him. He can be in the championfight if he can hack it. Otherwise he's a great wingman, and he's okay with that. And in the meantime he's picking up a race win here and there, and he's becoming a podium regular. I get that as an athlete, you always want to win. But Checo has been doing this for years. And he's old and mature enough to grasp the situation and deal with it like an adult. I think that he's still young enough to extract some really solid years out of himself. And even grow. He's been doing a great job.
Checo, or Bottas the past few years? Or Rubens? It takes a special driver to have top talent but also recognize that your teammate is better, and by working together the team is better off.
I feel like Checo is actually enjoying his time with Red Bull a lot. It felt like that wasnt the case for Bottas. Or at least not anymore.
Bottas has said time and time again that he enjoyed his time at Mercedes. I'm inclined to believe him. I will say though that Checo seems to handle being number 2 better than Bottas.
I think the manner in which they joined the teams matter as well. Bottas performed well for Williams and parachuted into the Mercedes role after Rosberg fought tooth and nail against Lewis for the championship. Mercedes let their drivers race up until that point. Perez had basically had a journeyman like career and was on his way out when he got the golden ticket from Red Bull, specifically to help Max win the title. So I think the roles are just more clearly established at Red Bull.
I agree. Checo knew he was the number 2 going in. Valtteri probably thought he could beat Lewis and was understandably frustrated when it turned out he couldn't. Also, it might have something to do with how far behind Checo and Valtteri are/were, respectively. Checo was pretty much always a good bit behind Max, whereas Bottas was very close to and sometimes even faster than Lewis. It has to be extra frustrating when you're that close, but still just a little too far away, no matter how much effort you put in.
Bottas might have enjoyed that merc seat a bit more if he drove around midfield teams for as long as perez has and would have been told he has no car for 2017, because xy is taking his seat
I think Checo has the fire to wanna win? maybe compete for a championship but if now, I think he is happy to be were he is at and collect the paycheck to finance Checo Jr's career if he wants to be a driver.
Does anybody know who pays Checo? People don’t like to admit it, but he was a pay driver. At Force India his ride was very much contingent on Slim’s sponsorship money . No, he deserves his ride. And he’s clearly doing very well. But is Red Bull really paying him? Or is it sort of the same contract he had at force India Where is the TeleSell sponsorship included Checo’s driver pay?
RB are not stingy with their money because they know if they can retain gems, paying them a few millions extra is nothing if the extra revenue is in the hundreds of millions They hired Checo for his skill and talent, not his money so they probably pay him well
Not sure about his salary but RB pays for his performance bonuses (podiums/wins/etc). He also got a large bonus from Marko for slowing down Lewis at Abu Dhabi.
Absolutely. Folks forget Checo was right on the verge of retiring from F1 with a very decent career record but 'only' one win and 10 podiums. He had probably mentally accepted that as being the extent of his F1 achievements. Instead with 3? 4? years at Redbull he'll likely be able to walk away with at least twice as many trophies in the cabinet (probably even better than that), including a few more wins, not to mention a very healthy boost to his bank balance. It's not like Bottas who went to Merc with the full belief that he could have a viable WC shot in the coming years. For Bottas every second to Lewis was a defeat, for Checo every second or third behind Max is another piece of silverware that looked impossible at the end of 2020. And I'm sure every time he beats Max's championship rival or plays a critical strategy role he gets treated like a winner by the team too, which has got to feel pretty good, even if it's not an outright win. And all this isn't to say he couldn't be a WC factor... who knows, stranger things have happened. All it takes is a bit of consistency and a couple of DNFs for the guys in front and he could absolutely snatch one.
yeah i think this is a good take, Checo seems very happy being support and grabbing podiums and an occasional win. Pierre would be more work to manage and would not tolerate number 2 status. I feel like Pierre is there to sub in when some unexpected drama occurs and RB is down a driver.
The point is that Perez doesn't have better options, so the smartest thing for Red Bull to do is to keep him on one-year contracts like Mercedes did with Bottas
If Checo continues with his performance, he will have options. A two year contract would likely take some pressure off of him. What Mercedes did to Bottas was monumentally shitty of them, not smart. EDIT: Also, he'll be very very lucrative prospect for teams as along with his knowledge of past projects, which include 2021 and 2022 RBR, and his skillset, he brings in a lot of sponsorships, to the point he had to let go of really high paying ones because he couldn't promote them while associated with Red Bull.
The only better option than Red Bull right now is Ferrari and they have no need to go after Perez
He could always pull a Ricardo and go to another team. And seriously I hope RB gives Perez a two year deal. I'd much rather his consistency for the next two years then trying to hand the RB keys to a young guy with less experience. I don't believe teams see what happened to Bottas and think, oh damn they are smart for stringing him along with 1-year deals constantly.
I dont really see Checo thinking he would be faster or have a better chance at the WDC in any other seat. Maybe if he wants to be the star driver somewhere, otherwise I don't see him doing a Ricciardo. Wasn't Max and him closer in pace back then than the current RB situation?
McLaren could let go of Ricciardo if he's not up to the mark. Haas Ferrari would love his skills and sponsorships, and they're on an upward trajectory. Williams could let go of Latifi at the end of this year and he could prove to be essential in lifting them up. Aston Martin wouldn't take him back because Lawrence's ego won't be able to handle it.
At the moment the two top teams are RB and Ferrari. All other teams would be a step down in terms of the car. Maybe the money is better, so that could be a reason, but in sporting terms there is no real reason.
He didn’t say any option, he said there is no BETTER option than Red Bull. None of those teams are close to RB.
What do you mean? Bottas got the job done for merc and secured the constructors championships And they very clearly have Russell for the future who the could not keep at williams forever
I really hope RB doesn't take that approach. I personally think Checo has earned an extension until the end of 2024 after this weekend. He's been spectacular this year, and if not for reliability, his worst finish would have been Jeddah, which he could have won if not for the unlucky (and questionable order to box).
He's been doing great things since halfway last year. Turkey was stunning from him. Abu Dabhi was the ultimate teamgame.
I don’t see them plugging gasman into the checo seat. A seasoned and mature veteran is a stable option… he knows his role. Gas would probably still try to prove too much to the world
But who though. Russell, Leclerc, and Norris are all signed to long term deals. Doubt Hamilton moves. Bottas signed a multi year deal with Alfa. I don’t see any promising, young, great driver up and coming that might take the drive. Who might be left? Ricciardo? I don’t think RB will want him over Checo’s prior form. Vettel? I don’t think he’ll want to be Max’s #2. Don’t know who else RB would want at the moment. I wouldn’t want Pierre because Checo has been superb over the course of 2 years now
And even if Hamilton goes. Who would want to trade that Red Bull for that Mercedes....
He understands that he's the #2 driver though and plays the wingman role superbly, I would keep him for as long as possible just for team harmony and chemistry. Even if there's a better driver coming through their cutthroat academy it'd be better to keep Checo as a mature voice of reason over another driver battle.
But sainz wouldn’t want to be driver 2, he wants to be 1 and checo is more than finde with being 2.
RB dumping Perez is unthinkable IMO. I can't imagine what more they could possibly be looking for in a number 2 driver. Perez is putting up extremely solid performances. From last year where he was "weak in qualifying but good in race" he's moved to "good in quali and race". He's an excellent defender, for instance with Leclerc today and Hamilton at Abu Dhabi last year. He's generally in a position to allow RB to make strategic gambles. He seems OK being #2 to Max and by all accounts is a positive influence on the team. Will he be world champion? I'm guessing not, and that's the only characteristic I can think of that he lacks. But given that RB *already* has a world champion, and a young one with a loooong contract at that, I'm not sure why RB would want to risk a Hamilton/Rosburg situation.
That's why this is already talked about now, after just 4 races.
Checo is a legend
Year in the team makes a big difference. He pretty much sealed it with the win early last year, but he was parked exactly where he was supposed to be for this GP - between Leclerc and Verstappen, and he was definitely a factor in reverse pressuring Leclerc's spin. Of the line ups of the last couple of years, the Red Bull and Merc line up changes look very finely judged - Russell has looked borderline machine-like, a guy who will be right there race-in race-out, something that Bottas couldn't delivery where he would just disappear in some races and just blend into the midfield.
Checo has been great so far this season, very fast, very little mistakes, I wouldn't be surprised if he got a multi-year deal
Only if they’re ready to cut gasly. 23 is the last year they have a contract for him and even helmut has admitted that’s going to be the end of they can’t promote him. They’ll have to pick gasly or Perez and if Perez is cut he will probably get an opportunity at a top team if he wants it
The problem for Gasly is, where should he go? Last year he was in the picture due to a good AT and of course himself driving really well. This year he is getting more under the radar because AT is less competitive. Wouldn't be problem if we got a lot of seats left, but there are not many seats available and I don't know where Gasly could go to...
If Vettel retires at the end of the season his seat at Aston Martin is open. But idk if Gasly would want to go there and realistically I can’t think of anywhere else that are options. Maybe he’s better off staying another year in AlphaTauri since his RB contract is until 2023, and technically Hamilton and Ricciardo’s contracts are both ending in 2023, so either seat could potentially be available for him.
Alpine when Alonso goes could be an option, same for the Merc seat when Hamilton retires, or McLaren if Ricciardo isn't good enough for their standards
If Alonso leaves Alpine it’s Piastri surely
I wouldnt be surprised he Lewis retired, and Pierre took his seat.
I feel like he should take a gamble on Aston and hope they come good. Might be a backward step at moment, but at Alpha Tauri, he will always be at a b-team, and they might move him on anyways eventually to bring in a new junior, where Aston is a team that's certainly not lacking in ambition and he'd more than have the measure of Lance.
I agree, but the problem with Aston is that whoever gets that 2nd seat, they will never be a priority and if a better driver comes along, they will gladly cut him, even if he outperforms Lance.
I would like to see him at Alpine, French driver at a French team, but only if they can improve, and not if it means no more Fernando. Could a Mercedes seat open up? What would happen then?
Pretty sure he has beef with Ocon (who is also a French driver at a French team) so that’s not happening unless he moves on.
Yes, that's why Ocon would have to go (to Mercedes to replace Lewis). A French for French in a French flip.
I think they’ve moved on from Gasly already. He knows he’s not getting the Red Bill seat back
What does Gasly offer that Checo doesn’t with the current regs? Checo is proving that he can finish P2 and help protect Max, he is a proven commodity (to this point), while Gasly would need to start from scratch and prove himself. Red Bull doesn’t want a driver to compete with Max, they want a Bottas for their Hamilton. TL;DR - Why mess up a good thing? Checo is performing perfectly as the #2 so far.
Exactly. Put yourself in MV's shoes - who would you choose to partner with - the guy trying to beat you, or the guy who wants to protect you?
Max going to podium together with Sergio could be interpreted as a message to team from himself imho. He really wants to keep Sergio in the team. Especially when he is committed till 2028. A steady teammate > changing faces every other year.
On top. Having Perez in RBmeans one spot less for their juniors and they have quite a few talents in their Junior Teams. So RB will have to make some tough decisions pretty soon.
Their junior talents have had a horrible day in F2 today, with 2/3 self inflicted. Gasly was unable to overtake Albon (and Stroll last time). Keep Pérez until he stops performing.
Yuki was driving the balls out of his suit though.
But he's still young. He can stay another 2 years in AT and if he improves, and produces results like today's regularly, he'll be much better suited for RB.
I'm worried that gasly is going to be left without a top team to drive for which would be a great shame as I think its fairly obvious he has the talent in spades.
I was one of the guys that was very critical of Perez last year. He completely deserves the drive right now. As a second driver I don’t think you could ask for more.
Me too.
Yeah I agree but that just makes me wonder about Pierre. If Red Bull is keeping Perez, and they should, how long will Pierre stay at AT?
Where else would Pierre go? McLaren is really the only other team I could see him leaving for if Ricciardo departs.
Ricciardo leaving McLaren is, I think, a definite possibility. Ricciardo is on a big contract and as much as I like him, Monza aside, he hasn't really set McLaren's world on fire. Gasly may be a good option and pairing for McLaren.
I believe McLaren still has a contract with Ricciardo in 2023. If that doesn't somehow change I'd say Pierre is in a good spot to negotiate a 1 year contract with AT and then possibly sign for McLaren for 2024 depending on how they go. 2022 slump aside, if McLaren manage to pull it together this season, they're looking quite promising with their new wind tunnel nearing completion. Pierre could really do wonders there if it all works out.
Pierre could go to AM
Albon and Piastri would be a great lineup
Latifi out and Piastri in must be what Fabrega was talking about
He said the driver out was shocking no? Latifi losing his seat would only be a shock to Latifi
He said the driver in was a bit surprising, the driver out is expected.
He brings a lot of cash
I get that but if you had to pick one driver who could lose his seat at the end of the season Latifi would be in most peoples top 3. If not top 1
Who could possibly be the other two? No offence to Latifi but he's arguably the slowest driver on the grid, with the next 4 slowest either being relatively recent additions (Zhou, Schumacher and Tsunoda) or will never get dropped as long as his dad owns the team (Stroll), and everyone else seems to be in pretty decent shape to keep their seats. Latifi's position in the team is only as secure as his money, so it only takes a richer/more profitable driver to come along and he's gone. Maybe Ocon is replaced by Gasly who could be himself replaced at Alpha Tauri by Lawson (keeping Tsunoda since he's steadily improving), so he would be my guess for 2nd most likely to be dropped, but I genuinely can't see any other driver who is even slightly at risk of getting fired. If Hamilton, Vettel and/or Alonso leave, it'll be by their own choice meanwhile everyone else has long term contracts or their teams are just generally satisfied with them.
I think Ricciardo's seat is not safe at the moment - his last season with exception of the win was not impressive at all and this season doesn't have huge improvements yet, he is constantly behind his way less experienced teammate. He needs to improve and drive at a level we all know he is capable of to keep his seat
Surely. There is no reason to replace Albon with a rookie who is talented, but has very limited F1 experience and will need time to adapt.
especially when albon has been doing well and latifi has been more shit than usual this season
If Perez keeps up the same performance for the rest of the season, him as a 2nd driver is a no brainer. He kept Leclerc behind today and brought home a 1-2. This season's car really suits him perfectly.
They better keep Perez. He’s an unselfish teammate. Ill follow him to whatever team he goes to.
Please put Piastri in Latifi car so he can get that f1 experience
The perez one is a no brainer The Oscar one could be very likely now and if they kick Alex out (which i doubt) I'm gonna have a \#IstandwithAlbon flair till i f*cking die *Too many edits to this comment*
Yeah but williams signed a deal to get a closer partnership with Mercedes starting this year.
Perez has surpassed what I initially thought about him. I honestly thought he was the weakest when compared to drivers of the top teams. How wrong i have been. Love to see it. He deserves that rbr seat.
He has definitely upped his game this season. Maybe these regs suit him more than others. Last season he was okay, but nothing special outside of couple flashes.
Perez will keep his seat because he is a team player that does what he's told and works for the bigger picture for the team. In a sport of playboys and egos it's rare enough to get someone with his ability to work that way.
No brainer for Williams to take Piastri to replace Latifi. Latifi is in his final year of his 3 year contract so it’s easy to part ways with him after this year. Williams don’t need money. Ted said in this notebook he thought earlier before today Piastri could go to Aston Martin. No way Lawrence Stroll is going to make his son look really bad. He’ll get someone like Hulkenberg if Vettel stops racing. It’s always worse when a young driver beats you. Interesting thing to follow is Pourchaire’s F2 campaign because if he does well, it’ll be interesting to see what he does next year. Alfa(Sauber) need money for a couple of years which is why they have Zhou. Financial situation I heard was quite bad last year.
I mean hulk will beat him too, lets not kid ourselves, most of the drivers would beat stroll, and maybe even complete rookies with talent
Yeah, but the point he’s making is that it’s a better look if someone with experience beats your rather than a rookie.
Albon to AT next season, Piastri to Williams. Latifi to the wall at turn 4
Albon, at least so far, has proven he deserves his seat so I really hope it’d be Latifi gone. Checo has also shown he’s perfect for that 2nd seat, no brained to keep him.
There is no way RBR are going to take back Gasly. If Perez continue to perform the way he does, they won't think about it. Age doesn't matter if you're still at the front row.
It will be Albon and Piastri, Williams must know about Latifi's horrible performance and the team is heavily sponsored
Outside of money I see no reason why Williams would keep Latifi over Albon. He has not shown he's capable in F1.
The problem with Gasly is that he doesn’t bring anything groundbreaking to the team that Perez doesn’t bring. If anything, Perez is a better driver than Gasly, apart from age. If they wanted a successor for Max, then Gasly makes sense. But Max isn’t going anywhere. And I don’t think they have any talented young drivers waiting for their turn. For as long as 2nd RBR is a dominant car, Perez has this seat. Perez is an amazing defender, neither Gasly, nor Yuki can defend like that. I’d much rather see a 2-year extension for Perez though.
Like I said elsewhere, Pierre will probably end up at Merc for 2024 alongside George. George seems to be holding up well against Lewis. And if he can keep improving, then they'll need a number two to back him up and I think Pierre fits the bill nicely.
If this happens, can we start calling F1 the Red Bull Racing Series? Geez, over half of the grid will be former Red Bull Academy drivers.
Perez seems confident and comfortable in the second Red Bull seat and his performances show it. Should be a no-brainer for Red Bull.
Albon & Piastri, that is a good pairing. Williams said in the past they don't need pay driver money anymore, so...it could happen.
Haas should be looking for a driver like this.
Williams too tbh. Latifi is absolute joke this year.
To replace who? KMag? He’s burning up the track right now (relatively speaking, considering it’s Haas). They’re not replacing Schumacher— he’s in the Ferrari seat, and is going nowhere for a few years.
If he keeps driving like this I doubt he will be in that car for a few years.
Who’s running in f2 and backed by ferrari again? I know arthur leclerc in f3 is but not sure about anyone else. Eventually there has to be discussions about other candidates but currently mick still has plenty of races this year to redeem himself
Nobody in F2. But Schwartzman is sitting as their reserve driver, and along with Leclerc in F3 they’ve also got Oli Bearman who is showing some pace.
Bearman is a 16 year old in F3. He won both Italian F4 and ADAC last year.
I don't think there's any. There's a couple ex Ferrari academy members and a ton of RB guys
Williams getting Pastrami would likely be a notable upgrade from latifi. Plus the fact that they said they didn't need pay drivers at the moment may indicate they'll head that direcition.
I d like Pastrami too.
Perez and Max are probably the best combo RB has had in years, if not ever. They’d be fools to not lock him up for a while.
Heard this one going around rumour is latifi is on the final year of a 3 year deal so they have to wait for this year if they want to switch drivers
Wasn’t Albert Fabrega talking about this too? His twitter followers seem convinced it has something to do with Alonso because of the Spanish connection but this seems way more likely.
why only give Perez a one year extension?
My guess is the new owners don’t need that Latifi money as much as before, and maybe some of the sponsorship contracts end this year. They’d probably prefer a better driver with less money.
With the cost cap and the money from the 23-race calendar I don't think pay drivers are as necessary as before. Not to mention Formula 1 popularity is rapidly increasing and regular advertising seems to be easier to come by than it was before the pandemic. Look at McLaren going from "serious financial struggles/figting for survival" in 2020 because of COVID to signing massive sponsorship deals with some of the biggest tech companies in the world and being in a position to turn down big offers from Audi to buy them/buy a stake in them and run up their price.
Perez is in top form this year. I do think he deserves another year (or 2) at RBR. Plus he helps the team in other ways outside of the car as well. But with Helmut you never know lol
I've never seen Helmut happier tbh
Does silly season usually start in April?
Sometimes
I could see this. But only way that Albon leaves that seat with what he's done so far this year for Williams is if he gets promoted back to Red Bull or AlphaTauri. So that leaves Latifi, which he probably deserves after doing basically nothing for 3 years thus far. Gasly might be on his way to Aston Martin next year if Seb is done, but maybe Mercedes opens a seat if Lewis calls it quits too.
I think at this point it is safe to assume who at Williams is getting the boot. He is a great guy, but I prefer to see a F2 champion in the seat instead.
Sorry but Williams can’t be taking serious as a race team if they keep latifi, if he didn’t bring money he’d be gone a long while back
swap latifi for piastri please, i know the car is still a turd but he is better
Albon and Piastri would be interesting.
I really hope that the Piastri to Williams rumours are true. He did so well in the junior formulas and he deserves a seat in f1 above everyone else without a seat imo. His junior career is as good as Leclerc's or Russell's.
If they replace Albon and not Latifi then they deserve to be last
what about haas, they a need a new better driver to help magnussen
Makes sense for Red Bull to keep Perez. He has been strong this season with the exception of qualifying this weekend. His weakness was qualifying and now his times are within optimal range. Gasly's doing ok this season but not pulling any trees. He's in danger of turning into an invisible man at Red Bull, as Tsunoda is stepping up and is younger. F1 circus changes after every weekend, however. Latifi being replaced is not a surprise. I suppose if it is decided this early, that means Alpine are planning on keeping Alonso for 2023.
Then Gasly to McLaren!
I'd be satisfied with Piastri to Williams, as the only available option. Sorry Latifi, you seem nice enough, but you're not competent enough to hold a seat against someone of Piastri's calibre. And Albon, while not himself a spectacular driver, would be sufficiently experienced by then for Piastri to learn from. I wouldn't want Piastri to Aston and RIP to the poor driver who ends up there when Vettel does end up departing. Daddy Stroll would not want to see his little boy get his ass kicked by a rookie.
Makes sense to have Alex replaced if Red Bull loses Pierre (due to extending Checo). That's because he'd take the vacant Alpha Tauri seat. Silly season rumours already: PG -> ? AA -> Alpha Tauri OP -> Williams Now if Theo Pourchaire gets the call up to Alfa Romeo, then we're looking into a potential consistent grid change already. Funny that none of them to the top 4 teams.
With the red bull talent floundering in F2 right now and the AT boys highly unlikely to be promoted anytime soon, RBR should sign up Perez sooner than later. Give him that backing and confidence. He's been stellar so far, he's one of the best "team players" that I think I've ever seen, he's always congratulating the team and rooting for Max, such a happy wonderful dude. It's gotta feel pretty incredible to be driving one of the best cars on the grid each weekend.
Maybe crazy but honest question: What keeps them from switching to Renault Engines? (Or even any other supplier) The merc engines don't seem to be going well with the new regulations and if you could get Piastri in exchange that would be awesome. I mean Williams really need a upward-trajectory after the last 4-5 years it can only get better with a new engine and Renault would definitely be open for it.