What If?

[dinizintheoven]

What if ALL the 24 drivers quit NOW, who would be the IDEAL replacements...

HWNSNBM takes over on roller skates and wins the championship. It doesn't matter who replaces the other cars.

Fix! Fix! Fix! Keep fixing until everything in the tool kit breaks!

Here comes James May to clean and sort the spanners...

[stupot94]

What if ALL the 24 drivers quit NOW, who would be the IDEAL replacements...

HWNSNBM takes over on Ice skates and wins the championship. It doesn't matter who replaces the other cars.

Fix! Fix! Fix! Keep fixing until everything in the tool kit breaks!

Here comes James May to clean, sort and name the spanners...

More Fixing on the James May quote and HWNSNBM

[AdrianSutil]

What if ALL the 24 drivers quit NOW, who would be the IDEAL replacements...

HWNSNBM takes over ballet pumps and wins the championship. It doesn't matter who replaces the other cars.

Fix! Fix! Fix! Keep fixing until everything in the tool kit breaks!

Here comes James May to sort, polish, categorise and name the spanners...

More Fixing on the James May quote and HWNSNBM

This could continue for a long time.

[mario]

This could continue for a long time.

Then how about something different?

Here is a potentially quite interesting scenario - Ferrari are known to have been quite interested in Kubica for some time now (or at least they were before Kubica's rallying accident). So interested have Ferrari been in Kubica that, following Felipe Massa's accident in 2009, Ferrari's preferred replacement for him was Kubica - but the contract that Kubica had with BMW Sauber contained a deliberately restrictive release clause that made it impossible for Ferrari to poach him mid season, hence why they turned to Fisichella.

So, the question is this - how different could the face of Formula 1 look had Kubica been allowed to switch from BMW Sauber to Ferrari in 2009?

[WeirdKerr]

This could continue for a long time.

Then how about something different?

Here is a potentially quite interesting scenario - Ferrari are known to have been quite interested in Kubica for some time now (or at least they were before Kubica's rallying accident). So interested have Ferrari been in Kubica that, following Felipe Massa's accident in 2009, Ferrari's preferred replacement for him was Kubica - but the contract that Kubica had with BMW Sauber contained a deliberately restrictive release clause that made it impossible for Ferrari to poach him mid season, hence why they turned to Fisichella.

So, the question is this - how different could the face of Formula 1 look had Kubica been allowed to switch from BMW Sauber to Ferrari in 2009?

Ok here goes (but first let me put out a disclaimer, i have had some very strong beer)

Ferrari get some frriends of theirs to offer the Quandt family a very nice offer they cannot refuse and simply buy BMW sack Quick Nick and Put Badoer and HWNSMBM in the BMW Sauber and Kubica goes to drive the Ferrari but only does has a few top 3 finishes ends up 3rd in the championship behind the brawn of button and red bull of vettel 23010 is completely dominated by the pole and he wins the wdc easily (alonso stayed at renault)..... but breaks leg in a skiing accident at ferraris anuall ski-ing nonsense and is replaced by alonso who inturn gets replaced by quick but boring....yawn

[Salamander]

This could continue for a long time.

Then how about something different?

Here is a potentially quite interesting scenario - Ferrari are known to have been quite interested in Kubica for some time now (or at least they were before Kubica's rallying accident). So interested have Ferrari been in Kubica that, following Felipe Massa's accident in 2009, Ferrari's preferred replacement for him was Kubica - but the contract that Kubica had with BMW Sauber contained a deliberately restrictive release clause that made it impossible for Ferrari to poach him mid season, hence why they turned to Fisichella.

So, the question is this - how different could the face of Formula 1 look had Kubica been allowed to switch from BMW Sauber to Ferrari in 2009?

I think he would've had a bit more difficulty scoring points in 2009 - the Ferrari that year was particularly terrible to just jump in and race with. He might've still done alright in the last couple of races. The big question here is whether or not they would bring Massa back once he had recovered. For the purposes of this scenario, I'll assume they'd keep Kubica on for 2010, with Massa taking what would've been Kubica's seat at Renault as Alonso joins Ferrari as well. I'm of the opinion that Alonso and Kubica would be able to keep things civil if they were teammates - they're friends, they respect each other, and I don't think either driver would do anything untoward to the other.

Given how well Kubica performed throughout 2010, and the Ferrari's reliability once the engines were sorted, I think he would've had a strong chance of taking the championship, with 4 wins (Australia, Germany, Belgium, Japan), though it would ultimately depend on how well he dealt with the relative lack of competitiveness in the early season, and how many points Alonso would take off of him. I'm not sure Ferrari would take the risk in allowing Kubica to compete in rallies as well, so he'd still be racing this year, but I doubt he'd have any more success in shutting Vettel down than anyone else has.

Massa would not excel to the level Kubica did in Renault, but I think being in a relatively low-pressure environment would aid his recovery - I'd say at this point Renault would still be ahead of Mercedes, with their lead driver now actually in the car. Nick Heidfeld's F1 career is over, and he goes to DTM or Le Mans or something and finds new and slightly boring ways of not winning there too.

[shinji]

This could continue for a long time.

Then how about something different?

Here is a potentially quite interesting scenario - Ferrari are known to have been quite interested in Kubica for some time now (or at least they were before Kubica's rallying accident). So interested have Ferrari been in Kubica that, following Felipe Massa's accident in 2009, Ferrari's preferred replacement for him was Kubica - but the contract that Kubica had with BMW Sauber contained a deliberately restrictive release clause that made it impossible for Ferrari to poach him mid season, hence why they turned to Fisichella.

So, the question is this - how different could the face of Formula 1 look had Kubica been allowed to switch from BMW Sauber to Ferrari in 2009?

Ok here goes (but first let me put out a disclaimer, i have had some very strong beer)

Ferrari get some frriends of theirs to offer the Quandt family a very nice offer they cannot refuse and simply buy BMW sack Quick Nick and Put Badoer and HWNSMBM in the BMW Sauber and Kubica goes to drive the Ferrari but only does has a few top 3 finishes ends up 3rd in the championship behind the brawn of button and red bull of vettel 23010 is completely dominated by the pole and he wins the wdc easily (alonso stayed at renault)..... but breaks leg in a skiing accident at ferraris anuall ski-ing nonsense and is replaced by alonso who inturn gets replaced by quick but boring....yawn

Back away from the keyboard...

[TomWazzleshaw]

Here's a question that popped up while reading Minrdi's interview with Stoddart:

What if Minardi did use Renault engines in 2001 as originally intended?

[ADx_Wales]

It was either the PSN or Telefonica backing that would have helped Minardi in getting the Supertech engines, once either PSN or Telefonica jumped ship the Supertech deal could not go through...

[Phoenix]

This could continue for a long time.

Then how about something different?

Here is a potentially quite interesting scenario - Ferrari are known to have been quite interested in Kubica for some time now (or at least they were before Kubica's rallying accident). So interested have Ferrari been in Kubica that, following Felipe Massa's accident in 2009, Ferrari's preferred replacement for him was Kubica - but the contract that Kubica had with BMW Sauber contained a deliberately restrictive release clause that made it impossible for Ferrari to poach him mid season, hence why they turned to Fisichella.

So, the question is this - how different could the face of Formula 1 look had Kubica been allowed to switch from BMW Sauber to Ferrari in 2009?

Kubica would have gone to Ferrari, scoring about 20 points or so, including a couple podiums, then he's kept for 2010 to partner Alonso, much for the chagrin of Massa and Brazil as a whole. Galvao Bueno dies of heart attack and is replaced by [insert Brazilian commentator here]. He challenges the Drivers Championship taking 3 or 4 wins, while Ferrari poaches the Constructors Championship from Red Bull and McLaren. In 2011 he does a good job to be mixed up with Webber, Alonso, Hamilton and Button, but wins no races.

As for Massa, he takes the Renault seat vacated by Alonso and performs very averagely, being kept at Renault for 2011 by default, where he struggles to score points and is shown the way by Petrov.

Heidfeld goes to piss off after 2009.

Here's a question that popped up while reading Minrdi's interview with Stoddart:

What if Minardi did use Renault engines in 2001 as originally intended?

If they had those Renault engines (when I read it I assumed they were the same turds that powered Benetton that year, but I'll assume they're Supertecs), the that'd mean that the budget would have been more or less decent. Alonso somehow manages to score, and Tarso Marques qualifies for all the races. Alex Yoong is still an embarrassment.

[Jman]

What if Ralf didn't happen?
What if Max didn't play with Nazi hookers?

[FMecha]

What if Ralf didn't happen?
What if Max didn't play with Nazi hookers?

(Welcome to F1R anyways - enjoy your stay, and don't spam)

1. I guess you mean that Ralf Schumacher didn't join F1 then. Perhaps Ralf may stuck in the DTM?
2. No libelous news from NotW.

Anyways: what if Eric van de Poele completely get the Tyrrell (test) seat in 1993?

[TomWazzleshaw]

What if Prodrive got the nod over Genii to buy the Renault team at the end of 2009?

[Klon]

What if Prodrive got the nod over Genii to buy the Renault team at the end of 2009?

Renault F1 would not exist anymore.

[Aerospeed]

What if Prodrive got the nod over Genii to buy the Renault team at the end of 2009?

The team is dreadful and is around where lotus is in 2010. Gets sold to Lotus, and we truly have a battle between Team Lotus and Lotus Racing... at the back of the field. Good laughs are had by all!

[FullMetalJack]

What if Scott Speed hadn't sucked in 2007? Where would Vettel be now?

[stupot94]

What if Scott Speed hadn't sucked in 2007? Where would Vettel be now?

He was backed anyway by Red Bull. So no change, just no result in USA 07 and China 07. And Webber would have won Japan 07

[DOSBoot]

What if Didier Pironi hadn't suffered career ending injuries at Hockenhiem in 1982?

[Phoenix]

What if Didier Pironi hadn't suffered career ending injuries at Hockenhiem in 1982?

He would have won the 1982 championship before being sacked for Ferrari at the eleventh hour after Enzo Ferrari felt guilty for what happened in San Marino, which led to Gilles Villeneuve's death. He then feels guilty about Villeneuve's death too, feels the sport is insecure and, after achieving the maximum goal of any F1 driver and seeing himself without a drive for next year, calls it quits. The rest goes like in real life.

[Jeroen Krautmeir]

What if Didier Pironi hadn't suffered career ending injuries at Hockenhiem in 1982?

I would....

...but then again I shouldn't.

[Aerospeed]

What if Eddie Irvine stayed at Ferrari after 1999? (And what would happen to Barrichello?)

What if Kimi Raikkonen stayed at Ferrari and was partnered with Alonso? (What happens to Felipe?)

What if Kimi Raikkonen stayed at Ferrari and was partnered with Massa? (What happens to Alonso?)

[FullMetalJack]

Beings as he's the man of the moment, i'm not sure if this has been asked before but:

What if Bruno Senna got the nod over Rubens Barrichello for 2009?

[Nessafox]

Beings as he's the man of the moment, i'm not sure if this has been asked before but:

What if Bruno Senna got the nod over Rubens Barrichello for 2009?

Rubens would still be whining, that's all i can tell you for sure.

[Klon]

What if Bruno Senna got the nod over Rubens Barrichello for 2009?

Neither WDC for Button nor WCC for Brawn. I can tell you so much.

[ADx_Wales]

What if Bruno Senna got the nod over Rubens Barrichello for 2009?

Neither WDC for Button nor WCC for Brawn. I can tell you so much.

I said in the Turkadipeantish edition of the Podcast that Senna made the mistake of going to sportscars in 2009 rather than the race seat at "Honda", because he could have won a couple of races...

[Faustus]

What if Bruno Senna got the nod over Rubens Barrichello for 2009?

Neither WDC for Button nor WCC for Brawn. I can tell you so much.

I said in the Turkadipeantish edition of the Podcast that Senna made the mistake of going to sportscars in 2009 rather than the race seat at "Honda", because he could have won a couple of races...

It wasn't his decision to go to sportscars rather than Honda/Brawn, is was Honda/Brawn that didn't take up the option they had on him.

[Bleu]

What if Benetton had not poached Michael Schumacher after one race with Jordan, and instead Schumacher would have stayed with Jordan until the end of 1993 for example?

[TomWazzleshaw]

What if Martin Brundle had driven the second Williams instead of Jean-Louis Schlesser at the 1988 Italian Grand Prix?

[dinizintheoven]

What if Martin Brundle had driven the second Williams instead of Jean-Louis Schlesser at the 1988 Italian Grand Prix?

He'd have seen Senna coming, given him plenty of room, clean sweep for McLaren. Then we'd never have heard the end of that from Ross Brawn during The Schumacher Years...

[Phoenix]

What if Martin Brundle had driven the second Williams instead of Jean-Louis Schlesser at the 1988 Italian Grand Prix?

Honestly, who knows? But he'd have been faster than Schlesser, that's for sure. He wouldn't have scored points, though.

[stupot94]

What if Martin Brundle had driven the second Williams instead of Jean-Louis Schlesser at the 1988 Italian Grand Prix?

Knowing the "history" between Senna and Brundle. His McLaren tries to mount the Williams and little F1 cars are made

Or if you want the serious answer

Senna wins

[stupot94]

What if the race team Life* (for some unknown reason against the forces of nature) qualified for a race then due to high rates of attrition won the race?

*(Use whichever reject team you want)

[Nessafox]

What if the race team Life* (for some unknown reason against the forces of nature) qualified for a race then due to high rates of attrition won the race?

*(Use whichever reject team you want)

then probably the universe would completely implode

[Klon]

Or if you want the serious answer

Senna wins

That is until two laps from the end, where Senna has to park on the side of the track after running out of fuel.

[Aerospeed]

What if the race team Life* (for some unknown reason against the forces of nature) qualified for a race then due to high rates of attrition won the race?

*(Use whichever reject team you want)

Gary Brabham gets a test seat at Williams and is promoted to second driver in 1992. Brabham wins WDC's in 1993 and 1996 with the team but leaves after 1997, to join McLaren, which is a team he "likes," and McLaren, wanting a former WDC, sacks Coulthard. Coulthard fades into obscurity. Brabham wins the 1999 WDC, and rides into the sunset... or something like that. In the meantime, people at F1 Rejects are talking about probably the greatest F1 Reject other than HWNSNBM to ever drive a car: Damon Hill.

[Phoenix]

What if the race team Life* (for some unknown reason against the forces of nature) qualified for a race then due to high rates of attrition won the race?

*(Use whichever reject team you want)

*blue screen with some menacing script*

[Londoner]

Here's one from many, many years back.

What if Alfa Romeo hadn't pulled out of F1 at the end of 1951?

Plus, what if the 1984/1985 Alfa Romeos were slightly more reliable, and if the engines didn't drink petrol as fast as they did?

[DanielPT]

Here's one from many, many years back.

What if Alfa Romeo hadn't pulled out of F1 at the end of 1951?

Plus, what if the 1984/1985 Alfa Romeos were slightly more reliable, and if the engines didn't drink petrol as fast as they did?

We are going to see what happens in this thread!

[DOSBoot]

What if Chris Amon took that Brabham offer, instead of hanging on to his own team in 1974?

[mario]

Here's one from many, many years back.

What if Alfa Romeo hadn't pulled out of F1 at the end of 1951?

Plus, what if the 1984/1985 Alfa Romeos were slightly more reliable, and if the engines didn't drink petrol as fast as they did?

To be honest, Alfa Romeo was in dire financial straights at the end of 1951 - bear in mind that the Alfetta 158/159 was originally a pre-WW2 voiturette class car that, by chance, could be modified relatively easily to the post war F1 regulations, and that the Alfa F1 team ran on a tiny budget whilst mostly using old parts (the engine blocks they were using in 1951 had originally been cast in 1937 - which gives you an idea of how scarce and expensive precision cast components were in the post war era).
As it was, Alfa Romeo had been nationalised, and the Italian Government, unsurprisingly, refused to bankroll the development of a new car (bearing in mind that the regulations had changed to Formula 2 specifications, making the 158/159 - which was already beginning to show its age at the end of 1951 - obsolete). So, the only way that, realistically, Alfa Romeo could have continued in Formula 1 would either have been for them to have retained their independence, or for a major change in the post war Italian Government, both of which are extremely unlikely (plus the cost of developing a car that complied to the new regulations would probably have bankrupted Alfa Romeo if it had been independent).

As for the 1980's turbo V8 concept, well, that was victim to the endemic politicking within the team at the time, and frankly what was left of the Alfa Romeo team by that point was in an utter mess. The 185T wasn't exactly promising material to be honest - Patrese was complaining before the season started that the car was a dog, as it was overweight and handled so poorly that it was ditched in favour of an updated version of the 1984 car (that performed only slightly better), so even with improved reliability it is unlikely that their results would have been that much better.

As for the engine, well, the only way that could have been more fuel efficient would have been for it to have been completely redesigned, as it was botched from the start - we're talking about an engine that was originally designed to use carburettors (it was originally equipped with a carburettor for each cylinder). Looking at it, Alfa Romeo would probably have been much better served if they had originally built a V6 or even the four cylinder unit that they were designing for Ligier (the engine would probably have still been weak, but perhaps at least they'd have had better fuel consumption).