planetf1.com

I guess the title says it all.

"I wish I was driving an F1 car" would be my guess.

I hope they still make that shampoo I really like.

"Can you taste liquid laxative in an Espresso?".

"Wonder what Tonya Harding & Jeff Gillooly are up to these days?"

"What the hell is FE Gen2 & why has Toto asked me to find out?"

"I spose i'd better go & introduce myself to Claire Williams"

" Maybe if I start hanging around outside the back of the Haas garage with a can of Rich Energy drink, I might get a gig there next year. Might duck down to shop later & buy a can".

" I know what i'll do. Might go & see Sky TV & offer my services as a pundit. Surely they could use the expert opinion of a former F1 driver".

All joking aside, I hope Ocon has some kind of plan B. He is not likely to get that Mercedes drive for 2020 and no matter how hot of a prospect you are, no driver can afford to take 2 years on the sidelines this early in their career. I'd imagine Haas or perhaps Toro Rosso might be the best bet for him. Getting onboard the Ferrari or Red Bull programs on some level might be his best alternative to his current Mercedes gig. I don't get the sense that Alfa is a likely destination but Haas have really been hamstrung by their driver lineup lately and should see him as an inexpensive upgrade.

sandman1347 wrote:All joking aside, I hope Ocon has some kind of plan B. He is not likely to get that Mercedes drive for 2020 and no matter how hot of a prospect you are, no driver can afford to take 2 years on the sidelines this early in their career. I'd imagine Haas or perhaps Toro Rosso might be the best bet for him. Getting onboard the Ferrari or Red Bull programs on some level might be his best alternative to his current Mercedes gig. I don't get the sense that Alfa is a likely destination but Haas have really been hamstrung by their driver lineup lately and should see him as an inexpensive upgrade.

Maybe Renault as well if hulk continues to struggle?

Altair wrote:

sandman1347 wrote:All joking aside, I hope Ocon has some kind of plan B. He is not likely to get that Mercedes drive for 2020 and no matter how hot of a prospect you are, no driver can afford to take 2 years on the sidelines this early in their career. I'd imagine Haas or perhaps Toro Rosso might be the best bet for him. Getting onboard the Ferrari or Red Bull programs on some level might be his best alternative to his current Mercedes gig. I don't get the sense that Alfa is a likely destination but Haas have really been hamstrung by their driver lineup lately and should see him as an inexpensive upgrade.

Maybe Renault as well if hulk continues to struggle?

I can't see Renault dumping Hulk.

I think Haas or STR will be the only possible destinations. It's a real shame because for more than half the teams on the grid he would be a certain upgrade.

mikeyg123 wrote:I think Haas or STR will be the only possible destinations. It's a real shame because for more than half the teams on the grid he would be a certain upgrade.

Haas should absolutely invest in better drivers as soon as possible. I honestly think they could be fighting RBR most weekends if they had equal drivers.

chocolate fudge cake.

Esteban has to be wondering whether he would be better off if Williams pitched Kubica out of the seat and gave it to him.

It would be a ride but the only thing he could meaningfully do is measure himself against George Russell.

Mort Canard wrote:Esteban has to be wondering whether he would be better off if Williams pitched Kubica out of the seat and gave it to him.

It would be a ride but the only thing he could meaningfully do is measure himself against George Russell.

I think he'd be better to wait it out for the season as surely Merc will release him at the end of the season if (when) they re-sign Bottas. He could then get himself into a Haas seat. Surely that's preferable than driving for Williams at the moment.

JN23 wrote:

Mort Canard wrote:Esteban has to be wondering whether he would be better off if Williams pitched Kubica out of the seat and gave it to him.

It would be a ride but the only thing he could meaningfully do is measure himself against George Russell.

I think he'd be better to wait it out for the season as surely Merc will release him at the end of the season if (when) they re-sign Bottas. He could then get himself into a Haas seat. Surely that's preferable than driving for Williams at the moment.

Yes, very likely. He can't go anywhere useful while contracted to Mercedes unless it's Valteri's seat. ...and that doesn't seem to be in the cards.

Still Toto knows he needs some young talent on the way up.

Mort Canard wrote:

JN23 wrote:

Mort Canard wrote:Esteban has to be wondering whether he would be better off if Williams pitched Kubica out of the seat and gave it to him.

It would be a ride but the only thing he could meaningfully do is measure himself against George Russell.

I think he'd be better to wait it out for the season as surely Merc will release him at the end of the season if (when) they re-sign Bottas. He could then get himself into a Haas seat. Surely that's preferable than driving for Williams at the moment.

Yes, very likely. He can't go anywhere useful while contracted to Mercedes unless it's Valteri's seat. ...and that doesn't seem to be in the cards.

Still Toto knows he needs some young talent on the way up.

As far as young talent; I think Toto Knows that Max is his guy for the future. The only caveat is that Max is a replacement for Hamilton; not Bottas. Whether it be 2021 or 2023; Max will eventually drive for Mercedes IMO.

sandman1347 wrote:

Mort Canard wrote:

JN23 wrote:

Mort Canard wrote:Esteban has to be wondering whether he would be better off if Williams pitched Kubica out of the seat and gave it to him.

It would be a ride but the only thing he could meaningfully do is measure himself against George Russell.

I think he'd be better to wait it out for the season as surely Merc will release him at the end of the season if (when) they re-sign Bottas. He could then get himself into a Haas seat. Surely that's preferable than driving for Williams at the moment.

Yes, very likely. He can't go anywhere useful while contracted to Mercedes unless it's Valteri's seat. ...and that doesn't seem to be in the cards.

Still Toto knows he needs some young talent on the way up.

As far as young talent; I think Toto Knows that Max is his guy for the future. The only caveat is that Max is a replacement for Hamilton; not Bottas. Whether it be 2021 or 2023; Max will eventually drive for Mercedes IMO.

And they have Russell as far as young talent goes within the Mercedes camp.

Haas or Toro Rosso.

Short-term, Haas is the best option. Even if it were just a one year contract, he goes up against KMag for a year and looks good, then maybe finds himself in a Renault for 2021, or perhaps fate even brings him back to Mercedes if a seat opens up there. Even if he leaves the Mercedes family it's not like that precludes him from returning there if he has the chance, particularly as he's obviously not going to leave them under a cloud or anything like that. Any departure would be amicable.

Long-term, perhaps Toro Rosso is the best choice. If Max were to leave then that opens up a seat that, right now, Ocon would be most qualified for if he were at Toro Rosso. However, I do wonder how much the incident with Max in Brazil might've damaged a potential move to the Red Bull family. If Red Bull are concerned that Max might be off then they're going to be doing everything they can to keep him happy. There is no love lost between Max and Esteban. As silly as it might sound, I could see them not signing Esteban simply to avoid upsetting Max because you know he's the kind of person who could - and I stress could, not would - let something like that factor in on any decision he makes regarding his own future.

"Damn it"

I forget stuff, does Toro Rosso have a track record for hiring non-Red Bull drivers? Based on the interviews with Marco I assumed they didn't, and as such TR would not be a viable option for drivers such as Ocon.

Lord Crc wrote:I forget stuff, does Toro Rosso have a track record for hiring non-Red Bull drivers? Based on the interviews with Marco I assumed they didn't, and as such TR would not be a viable option for drivers such as Ocon.

They hired Verstappen. He was the last. They've never really been in a position like this before. Honestly, I think had it not been for Merc they would've brought in Ocon for this season.

source: pinterest