2014 Silly Season Thread

good_Ralf · Post by **good_Ralf** » 13 Sep 2013, 22:40

I'm wondering how many people will describe Lotus' 2013 as poor. They started strongly with that 'easy' win in the Melbourne opener, but they amazingly haven't won a single GP since and that win could be their only one. Their form has slowly dipped across the year, the regular podiums becoming occasional podiums and now minor points finishes by the looks of things. I think one of the reasons Raikkonen has gone to Ferrari is that he hoped that Lotus would have delivered a title-winning car but instead has had inconsistency that is hardly his fault at all. The fact that the team claimed they had the speed to win in Monza suggests desperation.
Lotus are slim on cash, they can't find a way to bring Grosjean truly back to life and they have lost Raikkonen, James Allison and this Beer bloke.
If Hulk were to join the team now he might be making a big mistake. If Lotus can dominate in 2014 that would be a miracle.

Aerospeed · Post by **Aerospeed** » 13 Sep 2013, 23:04

If anyone can dominate in 2014 it would be nothing short of a miracle - the new chassis regs should be challenging for everyone.

watka · Post by **watka** » 13 Sep 2013, 23:06

There doesn't seem to be that much development on the Lotus at all does there? Although I suspect that Kimi's move in motivated by money rather than the car. Sure, Ferrari look in much better shape to be competitive next year, but we all know Kimi does like the hassle of the big corporate teams and he will also have Alonso getting irate. The fact is, Ferrari can offer him a higher salary than anyone else and the way Lotus are supposedly going he might not have got a salary at all there.

Perhaps its an extreme illustration but we know that Kimi likes to model himself on James Hunt. Hunt was pretty satisfied with only winning one title and I get the impression that Kimi is the same. If he's getting paid enough, he'll race. If he beats Alonso, it's an added bonus.

Saying all that, Kimi is still one of my favourite drivers!

wsrgo · Post by **wsrgo** » 14 Sep 2013, 01:50

mario wrote:
wsrgo wrote:
mario wrote:[EDIT] It looks like it has not just been Kimi that Ferrari have signed up from Lotus - having secured Allison's services earlier this year, it has just been announced that Lotus's head of aerodynamics, Derk de Beer, is also moving to Ferrari as well. Whilst it may be a positive step for Ferrari, it is probably going to be another blow to the competitiveness of Lotus if they keep on losing their most senior staff to other teams.

What happened to Loic Bigois?

Loic Bigois was working for Mercedes but was signed by Ferrari in 2012 (I think that he is possibly working on the current car, though cannot be entirely certain that is the case).

Well, I think he was hired as chief aerodynamicist in 2012, relieving Nicolas Tombazis of his dual role so that he could focus on being a chief designer. I have no idea when the next guy was hired, and now that guy has been replaced by Drinking Beer.. :lol:

go_Rubens · Post by **go_Rubens** » 14 Sep 2013, 04:24

watka wrote:There doesn't seem to be that much development on the Lotus at all does there? Although I suspect that Kimi's move in motivated by money rather than the car. Sure, Ferrari look in much better shape to be competitive next year, but we all know Kimi does like the hassle of the big corporate teams and he will also have Alonso getting irate. The fact is, Ferrari can offer him a higher salary than anyone else and the way Lotus are supposedly going he might not have got a salary at all there.

Perhaps its an extreme illustration but we know that Kimi likes to model himself on James Hunt. Hunt was pretty satisfied with only winning one title and I get the impression that Kimi is the same. If he's getting paid enough, he'll race. If he beats Alonso, it's an added bonus.

Saying all that, Kimi is still one of my favourite drivers!

Could be another reason he left in 2009 right there. Too much PR, plus being happy with only 1 championship.

Shizuka · Post by **Shizuka** » 14 Sep 2013, 05:55

good_Ralf wrote:I'm wondering how many people will describe Lotus' 2013 as poor. They started strongly with that 'easy' win in the Melbourne opener, but they amazingly haven't won a single GP since and that win could be their only one. Their form has slowly dipped across the year, the regular podiums becoming occasional podiums and now minor points finishes by the looks of things.

So, basically it's 2011 all over again, but with a win.

TheBigJ · Post by **TheBigJ** » 14 Sep 2013, 08:45

Shizuka wrote:
good_Ralf wrote:I'm wondering how many people will describe Lotus' 2013 as poor. They started strongly with that 'easy' win in the Melbourne opener, but they amazingly haven't won a single GP since and that win could be their only one. Their form has slowly dipped across the year, the regular podiums becoming occasional podiums and now minor points finishes by the looks of things.

So, basically it's 2011 all over again, but with a win.

That's still better than McLaren...

Shizuka · Post by **Shizuka** » 14 Sep 2013, 09:31

McLaren's 2004 at least had a major improvement, but this year is pretty much written down now, given this interview he gave to Sky.

rachel1990 · Post by **rachel1990** » 14 Sep 2013, 09:55

Shizuka wrote:McLaren's 2004 at least had a major improvement, but this year is pretty much written down now, given this interview he gave to Sky.

Its still a disgrace if they don't get a podium this year.

watka · Post by **watka** » 14 Sep 2013, 11:26

go_Rubens wrote:
watka wrote:There doesn't seem to be that much development on the Lotus at all does there? Although I suspect that Kimi's move in motivated by money rather than the car. Sure, Ferrari look in much better shape to be competitive next year, but we all know Kimi does like the hassle of the big corporate teams and he will also have Alonso getting irate. The fact is, Ferrari can offer him a higher salary than anyone else and the way Lotus are supposedly going he might not have got a salary at all there.

Perhaps its an extreme illustration but we know that Kimi likes to model himself on James Hunt. Hunt was pretty satisfied with only winning one title and I get the impression that Kimi is the same. If he's getting paid enough, he'll race. If he beats Alonso, it's an added bonus.

Saying all that, Kimi is still one of my favourite drivers!

Could be another reason he left in 2009 right there. Too much PR, plus being happy with only 1 championship.

Plus ENORMOUS pay-off.

Alextrax52 · Post by **Alextrax52** » 14 Sep 2013, 11:46

rachel1990 wrote:
Shizuka wrote:McLaren's 2004 at least had a major improvement, but this year is pretty much written down now, given this interview he gave to Sky.

Its still a disgrace if they don't get a podium this year.

As I said those Mclaren hats made the team look French in my view. Appropriate considering the guillotine that has appeared over them.

wsrgo · Post by **wsrgo** » 14 Sep 2013, 13:15

I know this isn't a part of the Silly Season per se...seeing as there isn't a WSR thread

Sergey Sirotkin finished 3rd at Hungaroring, holding off Stoffel Vandoorne for the final podium spot.

As you were.

CoopsII · Post by **CoopsII** » 14 Sep 2013, 16:28

wsrgo wrote:Sergey Sirotkin finished 3rd at Hungaroring, holding off Stoffel Vandoorne for the final podium spot.

He's the new Pierluigi Martini.

Zetec · Post by **Zetec** » 17 Sep 2013, 09:05

Anybody else heard the rumour, that Vettel will drive for Ferrari 2016? There is a interview here in switzerland with Webber, and he claims that. That is also the reason, that Raikkönen only has a contract for 2 years.

RonDenisDeletraz · Post by **RonDenisDeletraz** » 17 Sep 2013, 10:11

Zetec wrote:Anybody else heard the rumour, that Vettel will drive for Ferrari 2016? There is a interview here in switzerland with Webber, and he claims that. That is also the reason, that Raikkönen only has a contract for 2 years.

The Vettel to Ferrari rumours have been circulating around for a while now, but it keeps getting postponed. I am very skeptical about it.

CoopsII · Post by **CoopsII** » 17 Sep 2013, 11:44

eurobrun wrote:
Zetec wrote:Anybody else heard the rumour, that Vettel will drive for Ferrari 2016? There is a interview here in switzerland with Webber, and he claims that. That is also the reason, that Raikkönen only has a contract for 2 years.

The Vettel to Ferrari rumours have been circulating around for a while now, but it keeps getting postponed. I am very skeptical about it.

I think you can say Vettel could go anywhere by then.

SgtPepper · Post by **SgtPepper** » 17 Sep 2013, 12:00

Zetec wrote:Anybody else heard the rumour, that Vettel will drive for Ferrari 2016? There is a interview here in switzerland with Webber, and he claims that. That is also the reason, that Raikkönen only has a contract for 2 years.

The Vettel to Ferrari rumours often circulate and never amount to anything. I'm highly doubtful he would ever have the balls, unless Newey struggles to design dominant turbo cars (which is highly unlikely, the man clearly knows what he's doing).

I seem to be in a minority that thinks the 2014 regulations will not deliver as much of a disturbance to the status quo as everyone suspects.

watka · Post by **watka** » 17 Sep 2013, 13:55

It is unusual for a champion to talk about breaking records the way that Vettel does. Most drivers shy away when reporters ask them about statistics and records but its clear that Vettel is not so shy and the amount of times we have heard Rocky (his race engineer) on the radio telling him to slow down and not go for the fastest lap is silly.

My point is that Vettel would only go to Ferrari is they could offer him a better car than Red Bull, which right now is not the case. Perhaps this may come true in the future, but I don't think Vettel would ever move there for the sentimental reason of driving for Ferrari (ala Alesi) or for money.

Zetec · Post by **Zetec** » 17 Sep 2013, 15:00

SgtPepper wrote:I seem to be in a minority that thinks the 2014 regulations will not deliver as much of a disturbance to the status quo as everyone suspects.

Well, I'm with you. If you read trough the 2014 regulations the biggest changes are engine related. And the engines are actually quite specified, what is allowed and what not. So I think the difference between Mercedes, Renault and Ferrari will not be that big. Aero-wises: lower nose, position of the exhaust outlet. So I think there will be still the same teams winning races and the same teams at the back. In the midfield there will be to normal position variation like every year.

Yannick · Post by **Yannick** » 18 Sep 2013, 11:41

Congrats to Kimi Raikkonen for landing the 2nd Ferrari seat.

Now where does that leave Team GenII Capital Racing? They are quite unpredictable when it comes to their driver decisions, having hired two comeback drivers last time around and having had a successful run with them. It is likely they will keep the Man Without Vowels, RMN GRSJN, for consistency's sake. But they are a team owned by financial investors. Hence, they love pay drivers who can make them some money. Who is the best currently available driver who bring a big cheque?

I doubt Nico Hülkenberg would fit that description. Adrian Sutil will certainly never drive for them. Is Checo's McLaren contract still running? How much money would Jenson Button bring? My guess is Button would be the favourite for the GenII Capital seat, unless some dark horse like a returning Vitaly Petrov comes in with a big cheque. After one year out of F1, are there still chances for Kobayashi, if he could bring such a big cheque? I guess one could always dream ;-)

Post by **Londoner** » 18 Sep 2013, 13:12

A typo, or something much bigger? You decide.

andrew2209 · Post by **andrew2209** » 18 Sep 2013, 18:57

Maldonado announced as teammate to Grosjean. Pictures of the drivers arrival at the Enstone base have just been released http://piximus.net/media/23260/massive- ... -uk-55.jpg

OK, that isn't true

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 18 Sep 2013, 22:13

andrew2209 wrote:Maldonado announced as teammate to Grosjean. Pictures of the drivers arrival at the Enstone base have just been released http://piximus.net/media/23260/massive- ... -uk-55.jpg
OK, that isn't true

Oh dear...

good_Ralf · Post by **good_Ralf** » 18 Sep 2013, 22:20

dr-baker wrote:
andrew2209 wrote:Maldonado announced as teammate to Grosjean. Pictures of the drivers arrival at the Enstone base have just been released http://piximus.net/media/23260/massive- ... -uk-55.jpg
OK, that isn't true

Oh dear...

It was a good joke while it lasted...

Zetec · Post by **Zetec** » 19 Sep 2013, 07:23

Zetec wrote:I still have a felling, that we won't see the current driver lineup at McLaren next year.
I mean why haven't they extended Button's contract yet? You would do it, if you were confident to have the right driver onboard.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/109941

Well, what's going on at McLaren?

Salamander · Post by **Salamander** » 19 Sep 2013, 09:28

I think McLaren are seriously considering giving one of their seats to Kevin Magnussen. I don't know why everyone's saying Perez is unsigned though, he has s contract for 2014 last time I checked.

RonDenisDeletraz · Post by **RonDenisDeletraz** » 19 Sep 2013, 09:40

Salamander wrote:I think McLaren are seriously considering giving one of their seats to Kevin Magnussen. I don't know why everyone's saying Perez is unsigned though, he has s contract for 2014 last time I checked.

I just can't seem to shake the feeling that he will do the same as his dad in F1. He has been quite epic in FR3.5 but for some strange reason I still have my doubts about him.

GwilymJJames · Post by **GwilymJJames** » 19 Sep 2013, 10:37

Kimi has said that the reasons for him leaving Lotus are purely financial - he hasn't been paid.

It would not surprise me to see Lotus off the grid - or at least under new management - in 2014.

CoopsII · Post by **CoopsII** » 19 Sep 2013, 10:40

GwilymJJames wrote:Kimi has said that the reasons for him leaving Lotus are purely financial - he hasn't been paid.

Too busy paying Joey From Friends to make cringe-worthy un-funny sketches than pay the star driver :roll:

Zetec · Post by **Zetec** » 19 Sep 2013, 11:17

Salamander wrote:I think McLaren are seriously considering giving one of their seats to Kevin Magnussen. I don't know why everyone's saying Perez is unsigned though, he has s contract for 2014 last time I checked.

Yes, and Button said he has a contract for 2014 too. And he's still waiting if McLaren wants him in 2014.
Massa on the other hand says, that he's only in talks with competitive teams, using the plural form. So, I can see him at McLaren if Lotus gives Hülkenberg the seat.
And choosing between Perez and Button I think we all know, who has to leave the team.

eagleash · Post by **eagleash** » 19 Sep 2013, 13:45

A number of posters have mentioned that Kimi's motivation for moving to Ferrari is money & that Lotus are struggling financially. There are comments currently appearing on Twitter (from not very reliable sources) that he has either not received bonus payments he was promised by Lotus or some claim that he has not been paid at all.
There is apparently an interview with him on BBC Radio 5 Live at 9.30 PM (UK) this evening (Thurs 19th Sept.).
Don't suppose we'll learn very much though.

takagi_for_the_win · Post by **takagi_for_the_win** » 19 Sep 2013, 15:43

CoopsII wrote:
GwilymJJames wrote:Kimi has said that the reasons for him leaving Lotus are purely financial - he hasn't been paid.

Too busy paying Joey From Friends to make cringe-worthy un-funny sketches than pay the star driver

Not to mention paying Avicii shedloads for a half-arsed (and utterly shite) two minute long 'song'.

Backmarker · Post by **Backmarker** » 19 Sep 2013, 16:10

GwilymJJames wrote:Kimi has said that the reasons for him leaving Lotus are purely financial - he hasn't been paid.

A team where drivers don't get paid, you say?

Post by **mario** » 19 Sep 2013, 17:27

Zetec wrote:
SgtPepper wrote:I seem to be in a minority that thinks the 2014 regulations will not deliver as much of a disturbance to the status quo as everyone suspects.

Well, I'm with you. If you read trough the 2014 regulations the biggest changes are engine related. And the engines are actually quite specified, what is allowed and what not. So I think the difference between Mercedes, Renault and Ferrari will not be that big. Aero-wises: lower nose, position of the exhaust outlet. So I think there will be still the same teams winning races and the same teams at the back. In the midfield there will be to normal position variation like every year.

There are a few more changes related to the aero that you've missed off - the front wing is being made slightly narrower, the beam wing at the rear is now banned and the size of the rear wing elements will be modified too (although I do not have the details to hand right now). Still, the changes being made for 2014 are certainly smaller than in 2009, so the main focus is probably going to be, in the shorter term, the impact that the new drivetrains have on cooling and internal airflow requirements.

As for the difference in performance of the engines, it's probably unlikely that any one engine will be dominant compared to the others. Racecar Engineering did recently repeat some of the earlier claims about those engines though - the Mercedes engine supposedly being a bit more powerful, but that performance coming at the expense of reliability, Renault having slightly less power but otherwise a quite strong and reliable engine and Ferrari lagging behind in terms of power and possibly reliability too.
However, any differences are likely to be fairly short lived given the signs that the FIA will once again slowly freeze the engines as time goes on - the only outfit that could throw a bit of a curveball in there would be Honda given that they will not be entering the sport until a year after their rivals.

eagleash wrote:A number of posters have mentioned that Kimi's motivation for moving to Ferrari is money & that Lotus are struggling financially. There are comments currently appearing on Twitter (from not very reliable sources) that he has either not received bonus payments he was promised by Lotus or some claim that he has not been paid at all.
There is apparently an interview with him on BBC Radio 5 Live at 9.30 PM (UK) this evening (Thurs 19th Sept.).
Don't suppose we'll learn very much though.

Autosport are quoting Kimi as saying that the issues were indeed financial:

"The reasons why I left from the team are purely on the money side, and the things I haven't got, my salary," said Raikkonen. "That is an unfortunate thing."

When asked if there was anything Lotus could have done in the end to convince him to stay, he said: "There were a lot of things, I am sure they know what there are.

"It is hard to say which way it would have gone if it would have happened, but I am very happy [with my decision]."

AUTOSPORT understands that while Raikkonen has received his basic salary, the issue is over performance-based bonus payments.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/109956
By the looks of things, those suggestions of a financial dispute are indeed right - Boullier did confirm that Kimi was paid in arrears earlier this season and it does seem that those issues are still not entirely solved.

Salamander · Post by **Salamander** » 19 Sep 2013, 17:33

Zetec wrote:
Salamander wrote:I think McLaren are seriously considering giving one of their seats to Kevin Magnussen. I don't know why everyone's saying Perez is unsigned though, he has s contract for 2014 last time I checked.

Yes, and Button said he has a contract for 2014 too. And he's still waiting if McLaren wants him in 2014.
Massa on the other hand says, that he's only in talks with competitive teams, using the plural form. So, I can see him at McLaren if Lotus gives Hülkenberg the seat.
And choosing between Perez and Button I think we all know, who has to leave the team.

Except when Perez was signed, the contract was described as a multi-year deal. As in, more than one year. And he still has a ton of Telmex money, and McLaren are looking for a new title sponsor...

Honestly, I think dropping Button for Magnussen could be a very shrewd move. Their 2014 is likely not to be a title-winning one anyway as they'll be in a lame duck situation with Mercedes. It might be best to write it off as a development year in preparation for the switch to Honda.

go_Rubens · Post by **go_Rubens** » 20 Sep 2013, 01:56

good_Ralf wrote:If Hulk were to join the team now he might be making a big mistake. If Lotus can dominate in 2014 that would be a miracle.

I was just thinking about this, and I think he may not be making that big of a mistake, but it could be since he seems to have a history of making big mistakes or got the sack when he shouldn't have (Sauber 2013 and Williams 2010 respectively). So who knows.

I think the safest bet for Nico is to get a reserve role for next season seeing as he lost out on the Ferrari seat and even if McLaren dump one of their drivers, which is not very likely right now, he may not get it in favor of someone else. Even if he got a McLaren drive under the most unlikely of circumstances, McLaren most likely will not be the best next year either, as Merc and McLaren are not really working that well together, and Honda is coming in in 2015. So next year as other people have pointed out, next year will be development for the team. They will likely maintain the same lineup. So, Hülk may already be out of luck.

IceG · Post by **IceG** » 20 Sep 2013, 07:26

Alonso to Mclaren - this from the UK's Daily Mail: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/formul ... lonso.html

Post by **kevinbotz** » 20 Sep 2013, 07:44

IceG wrote:Alonso to Mclaren - this from the UK's Daily Mail: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/formul ... lonso.html

The Silly Season has well and truly begun.

CoopsII · Post by **CoopsII** » 20 Sep 2013, 07:47

IceG wrote:Alonso to Mclaren - this from the UK's Daily Mail: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/formul ... lonso.html

...the astonishing admission...

Just shows how stoopid the the journalist is. All the teams would sign Alonso

if they could

so its hardly astonishing. I mean I know its the Daily Mail and its printed for idiots but even so....

Post by **Londoner** » 20 Sep 2013, 09:25

Sky Sports News have picked up the Alonso to McLaren rumours.

Though if they're using the printed version of horseshit known as the Daily Fail as their source, that more or less invalidates their story. :lol: