2014 Silly Season Thread

AustralianStig · Post by **AustralianStig** » 02 Dec 2013, 06:57

What convinced me of Maldonado's talent was the speed of which he got off the line in the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix.

Salamander · Post by **Salamander** » 02 Dec 2013, 08:49

AustralianStig wrote:What convinced me of Maldonado's talent was the speed of which he got off the line in the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix.

That's pretty good. :lol:

I'd put it in my signature if I had room.

TomWazzleshaw · Post by **TomWazzleshaw** » 02 Dec 2013, 11:33

Salamander wrote:
AustralianStig wrote:What convinced me of Maldonado's talent was the speed of which he got off the line in the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix.

That's pretty good. I'd put it in my signature if I had room.

Didn't stop me though

SgtPepper · Post by **SgtPepper** » 02 Dec 2013, 11:35

AustralianStig wrote:What convinced me of Maldonado's talent was the speed of which he got off the line in the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix.

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 02 Dec 2013, 11:47

SgtPepper wrote:
AustralianStig wrote:What convinced me of Maldonado's talent was the speed of which he got off the line in the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix.

Yay! Emma Watson laughing gif to the rescue!

Ben Gilbert · Post by **Ben Gilbert** » 02 Dec 2013, 12:17

What convinced me of Maldonado's abilities was his sheer confidence to go on the offensive, and to attack such luminaries as Hamilton and Perez.

CoopsII · Post by **CoopsII** » 02 Dec 2013, 13:03

What convinced me of Maldonado's abilities was his teeth.

roblo97 · Post by **roblo97** » 02 Dec 2013, 13:26

What convinced me about Maldoando's ability was this...

Aerospeed · Post by **Aerospeed** » 02 Dec 2013, 21:44

Ecclestone claims Alonso wanted to leave Ferrari, and his form suffered as a result. I'm questioning the validity that Alonso's form fell as a direct result of him wanting to go, but I think there's a pinch of truth in that Alonso did look like he wanted to leave at one point, given his media snafu with Montezemolo. I'm curious to know what everyone else thinks about this.

SgtPepper · Post by **SgtPepper** » 03 Dec 2013, 02:32

Aerospeed wrote:Ecclestone claims Alonso wanted to leave Ferrari, and his form suffered as a result. I'm questioning the validity that Alonso's form fell as a direct result of him wanting to go, but I think there's a pinch of truth in that Alonso did look like he wanted to leave at one point, given his media snafu with Montezemolo. I'm curious to know what everyone else thinks about this.

Alonso's performances did slide sightly I think, but only in comparison to his Herculean effort in 2012. I got the impression this year that he (like the rest of us) just wanted to sit this non-season out once the raw pace of the Red Bull was truly unleashed, and wait for the 2014 regulations to hopefully spice up the running order slightly. I think anyone would be feeling a bit dispondent after putting in a performance like that, and only losing out due to inferior machinery. In my mind the media snafu was simply venting frustration from having to continuously fight an uphill battle with what's given to him, despite being at a team with the 'history and pedigree' etc etc of Ferrari.

Is his contract with Ferrari until the end of 2014? If I were in his shoes, with my prime days dwindling, I'd want to see how the chips fall next year before extending anything too far - the rumours about Ferrari's weaker turbo engines might hold some water...or might be utter rubbish.

go_Rubens · Post by **go_Rubens** » 03 Dec 2013, 02:49

SgtPepper wrote:Is his contract with Ferrari until the end of 2014? If I were in his shoes, with my prime days dwindling, I'd want to see how the chips fall next year before extending anything too far - the rumours about Ferrari's weaker turbo engines might hold some water...or might be utter rubbish.

I believe his contract with Ferrari goes to the end of 2016, which means that Alonso originally wanted to finish his career at Ferrari. I hear of how he had an urge to leave Ferrari, but unless the contract is terminated or breached , I think he'll stay.

CoopsII · Post by **CoopsII** » 03 Dec 2013, 07:52

Aerospeed wrote:Ecclestone claims Alonso wanted to leave Ferrari, and his form suffered as a result. I'm questioning the validity that Alonso's form fell as a direct result of him wanting to go, but I think there's a pinch of truth in that Alonso did look like he wanted to leave at one point, given his media snafu with Montezemolo. I'm curious to know what everyone else thinks about this.

I think he got pissed off with Ferrari and F1 in general this year like Hamilton did with McLaren last year. Both drivers are at the point in their careers where race wins arent enough any more, its titles or nothing, and as titles were not an option they questioned why they were turning up each weekend. To the likes of me or Charles Pic it may seem a bit spoilt to have that attitude as driving these cars and having the chance to be a winner is but a dream but they are at a different level, they cant settle for that.

BigG80 · Post by **BigG80** » 03 Dec 2013, 11:01

Excellent insight there Coops and I think you are right on the money.

I think Alonso will most likely remain at Ferrari for the rest of his career. He's stated it so many times since signing for them including after the Montezuma spat that to announce he has signed anywhere else could really harm his marketability and fanbase.

In other words I'm not sure I believe these Alonso to McLaren 2015 rumours!

CoopsII · Post by **CoopsII** » 03 Dec 2013, 12:15

BigG80 wrote:I think Alonso will most likely remain at Ferrari for the rest of his career. He's stated it so many times since signing for them including after the Montezuma spat that to announce he has signed anywhere else could really harm his marketability and fanbase.

In other words I'm not sure I believe these Alonso to McLaren 2015 rumours!

Providing he still has youth on his side Alonso will be able to choose any team he likes, depending on availability.

Backmarker · Post by **Backmarker** » 03 Dec 2013, 12:35

Twitter folk are claiming that the Hulk will be signing his Force India contract in London today. Might be true, but I wouldn't expect to hear any actual announcements for a while.

Zetec · Post by **Zetec** » 03 Dec 2013, 13:55

Backmarker wrote:Twitter folk are claiming that the Hulk will be signing his Force India contract in London today. Might be true, but I wouldn't expect to hear any actual announcements for a while.

In swiss-newspaper about 2 weeks ago, they wrote that he signed for FI. Also yesterday they confirmed that Tom McCullough will follow him to Force India.

Post by **Ataxia** » 03 Dec 2013, 15:46

It's official, Hulkenberg has a 2014 seat. Phew.

Shizuka · Post by **Shizuka** » 03 Dec 2013, 15:46

Now they should get Perez, and we'd have the best intra-team war on our hands.

go_Rubens · Post by **go_Rubens** » 03 Dec 2013, 15:57

Ataxia wrote:It's official, Hulkenberg has a 2014 seat. Phew.

Glad we have that out of the way. [captainobvious]So, that leaves 6 potential seats now. [/captainobvious]

roblo97 · Post by **roblo97** » 03 Dec 2013, 15:59

Shizuka wrote:Now they should get Perez, and we'd have the best intra-team war on our hands.

If they do get him and the car is good, I reckon 4th or 5th in the WCC is on the cards.

go_Rubens · Post by **go_Rubens** » 03 Dec 2013, 16:01

roblomas52 wrote:
Shizuka wrote:Now they should get Perez, and we'd have the best intra-team war on our hands.

If they do get him and the car is good, I reckon 4th or 5th in the WCC is on the cards.

Then we (could) see the team that was formerly Jordan live up to big potential again. I like it.

SgtPepper · Post by **SgtPepper** » 03 Dec 2013, 16:28

Ataxia wrote:It's official, Hulkenberg has a 2014 seat. Phew.

After the travesty of Maldolan to Lotus, I would've considered an F1 boycott altogther if he went without a drive. It's still sad that there's such relief just from a driver of that calibre even remaining in the sport at all, rather than anger at him continuing to be stuck in the mid-field, but it's truly the world we live in. I would've liked to see him in a Mclaren (now there's a strong lineup!), and Magnussen in the Force India, but hey-ho.

And I miss Kobayashi.

Alextrax52 · Post by **Alextrax52** » 03 Dec 2013, 16:36

SgtPepper wrote:
Ataxia wrote:It's official, Hulkenberg has a 2014 seat. Phew.

After the travesty of Maldolan to Lotus, I would've considered an F1 boycott altogther if he went without a drive. It's still sad that there's such relief just from a driver of that calibre even remaining in the sport at all, rather than anger at him continuing to be stuck in the mid-field, but it's truly the world we live in. I would've liked to see him in a Mclaren (now there's a strong lineup!), and Magnussen in the Force India, but hey-ho.

And I miss Kobayashi.

Although we are miles away from the start of 2014 I'm looking forward to how many times Boullier will be forced to deny Lotus didn't take Pastor on for just his money especially if Pastor puts in more USA 2013 performances

Salamander · Post by **Salamander** » 03 Dec 2013, 16:44

Whereas I'm looking forward to you all having to eat your words when Pastor does decently enough for Lotus.

Post by **Londoner** » 03 Dec 2013, 16:45

Salamander wrote:Whereas I'm looking forward to you all having to eat your words when Pastor does decently enough for Lotus.

This.

Alextrax52 · Post by **Alextrax52** » 03 Dec 2013, 16:45

Salamander wrote:Whereas I'm looking forward to you all having to eat your words when Pastor does decently enough for Lotus.

I'll be fair to you we should all have a slice of ROTY for 2014 if that happens (Except you of course)

SgtPepper · Post by **SgtPepper** » 03 Dec 2013, 17:15

Salamander wrote:Whereas I'm looking forward to you all having to eat your words when Pastor does decently enough for Lotus.

However in all seriousness he might do 'decently enough', but going on all evidence, Hulk would do far, far better than 'decently enough.'

go_Rubens · Post by **go_Rubens** » 03 Dec 2013, 17:35

Freeze-O-Kimi wrote:
SgtPepper wrote:
Ataxia wrote:It's official, Hulkenberg has a 2014 seat. Phew.

After the travesty of Maldolan to Lotus, I would've considered an F1 boycott altogther if he went without a drive. It's still sad that there's such relief just from a driver of that calibre even remaining in the sport at all, rather than anger at him continuing to be stuck in the mid-field, but it's truly the world we live in. I would've liked to see him in a Mclaren (now there's a strong lineup!), and Magnussen in the Force India, but hey-ho.

And I miss Kobayashi.

Although we are miles away from the start of 2014 I'm looking forward to how many times Boullier will be forced to deny Lotus didn't take Pastor on for just his money especially if Pastor puts in more USA 2013 performances

So am I. Possible ROTR awards for Eric Boullier if he starts controversy in the media? And that's IF Maldonado is bad...

Salamander wrote:Whereas I'm looking forward to you all having to eat your words when Pastor does decently enough for Lotus.

I think he can actually do a fine job. He going to get a fresh start, which after USA I thought he desperately needed one as his relationahip with Williams went over the hill. I think this means he'll be more focused to do something good for Lotus, if not spectacular. He's a good enough driver, he just needs to get his head in the game, because in the final races for Williams, his head simply wasn't in the game. I will be unpopular and say Maldonado will be twice as good as this year.

Salamander · Post by **Salamander** » 03 Dec 2013, 17:50

SgtPepper wrote:However in all seriousness he might do 'decently enough', but going on all evidence, Hulk would do far, far better than 'decently enough.'

I disagree. Hulkenberg would not be able to match Grosjean IMO, and the best paydrivers on the market are Perez and Maldonado. And given Perez's contract situation, it's perfectly understandable that they go for Maldonado.

wsrgo · Post by **wsrgo** » 03 Dec 2013, 17:58

Salamander wrote:
SgtPepper wrote:However in all seriousness he might do 'decently enough', but going on all evidence, Hulk would do far, far better than 'decently enough.'

I disagree. Hulkenberg would not be able to match Grosjean IMO, and the best paydrivers on the market are Perez and Maldonado. And given Perez's contract situation, it's perfectly understandable that they go for Maldonado.

And on what do you base your opinion, my kind sir?

In my opinion, Grosjean would've been favoured by Boullier anyway, so Hulk is better off staying away from Lotus.

Shizuka · Post by **Shizuka** » 03 Dec 2013, 18:01

I think we should wait until the first races in 2014 are over.
Remember when last year Hamilton announced the move to Mercedes? Despite many of us thinking it will be a bad move for him, it turned out to be good as McLaren went for a 1980-ish disaster, and Merc had a decent year.
Grosjean will undoubtedly have number one status, because Boullier undoubtedly supports his driver, and Pastor will have to knuckle down to get attention, or else. Team Enstone always tended to have one driver fully supporting - it happened with Schumacher, Alonso and... let's admit it, Räikkönen possibly too.

This brings up an interesting situation: we'll have a car that could be either good or bad, a driver that found his spark again and managed to be the only driver to hold a candle to Vettel, and another one that goes out as a man on a mission: to prove his worth to himself, to the team, and to us, the viewers too.
And it could lead to some intra-team battling between the drivers as well: if we don't get the Hulk-Perez duo at SFI, this will be the team to watch. Kimi and Fernando are old enough to not go into this, especially with Alonso possibly on the way out (if 2014 don't end up as a year that is his, that will be the fifth season at Ferrari without a title won - that is without a doubt a reason to leave, and Montezemolo could knuckle down to say this is enough and throw him out himself!), to leave his seat to either a bloke named Bianchi, or... could be farfetched, but to the son of a chef.

Dj_bereta · Post by **Dj_bereta** » 03 Dec 2013, 18:45

Shizuka wrote:I think we should wait until the first races in 2014 are over.
Remember when last year Hamilton announced the move to Mercedes? Despite many of us thinking it will be a bad move for him, it turned out to be good as McLaren went for a 1980-ish disaster, and Merc had a decent year.
Grosjean will undoubtedly have number one status, because Boullier undoubtedly supports his driver, and Pastor will have to knuckle down to get attention, or else. Team Enstone always tended to have one driver fully supporting - it happened with Schumacher, Alonso and... let's admit it, Räikkönen possibly too.

This brings up an interesting situation: we'll have a car that could be either good or bad, a driver that found his spark again and managed to be the only driver to hold a candle to Vettel, and another one that goes out as a man on a mission: to prove his worth to himself, to the team, and to us, the viewers too.
And it could lead to some intra-team battling between the drivers as well: if we don't get the Hulk-Perez duo at SFI, this will be the team to watch. Kimi and Fernando are old enough to not go into this, especially with Alonso possibly on the way out (if 2014 don't end up as a year that is his, that will be the fifth season at Ferrari without a title won - that is without a doubt a reason to leave, and Montezemolo could knuckle down to say this is enough and throw him out himself!), to leave his seat to either a bloke named Bianchi, or... could be farfetched, but to the son of a chef.

Yeah, I really doubt Alonso continues if he can't have a car for fight for the title. Alonso seems to be bored and Montezemolo is aware of this.

If Alonso wants another title, he needs to get out of Ferrari.

andrew2209 · Post by **andrew2209** » 03 Dec 2013, 18:52

The problem with hiring Maldonado at Lotus is that if Grosjean reverts to his 2012 style, and Maldonado continues to drive the way he does, there could be a lot of crashes and interteam fighting.

Post by **mario** » 03 Dec 2013, 19:36

Ataxia wrote:It's official, Hulkenberg has a 2014 seat. Phew.

And once again, it seems that Eddie Jordan's predictions of a multi-year deal for Hulkenberg at Force India was indeed correct...

Dj_bereta wrote:
Shizuka wrote:I think we should wait until the first races in 2014 are over.
Remember when last year Hamilton announced the move to Mercedes? Despite many of us thinking it will be a bad move for him, it turned out to be good as McLaren went for a 1980-ish disaster, and Merc had a decent year.
Grosjean will undoubtedly have number one status, because Boullier undoubtedly supports his driver, and Pastor will have to knuckle down to get attention, or else. Team Enstone always tended to have one driver fully supporting - it happened with Schumacher, Alonso and... let's admit it, Räikkönen possibly too.

This brings up an interesting situation: we'll have a car that could be either good or bad, a driver that found his spark again and managed to be the only driver to hold a candle to Vettel, and another one that goes out as a man on a mission: to prove his worth to himself, to the team, and to us, the viewers too.
And it could lead to some intra-team battling between the drivers as well: if we don't get the Hulk-Perez duo at SFI, this will be the team to watch. Kimi and Fernando are old enough to not go into this, especially with Alonso possibly on the way out (if 2014 don't end up as a year that is his, that will be the fifth season at Ferrari without a title won - that is without a doubt a reason to leave, and Montezemolo could knuckle down to say this is enough and throw him out himself!), to leave his seat to either a bloke named Bianchi, or... could be farfetched, but to the son of a chef.

Yeah, I really doubt Alonso continues if he can't have a car for fight for the title. Alonso seems to be bored and Montezemolo is aware of this.

If Alonso wants another title, he needs to get out of Ferrari.

2014 may yet offer Alonso some hope, but if the suggestions that Ferrari's engine is weaker than their opponents is true, I think that they could potentially struggle unless reliability tips things in their favour.

Alonso may have become slightly disinterested in recent years, but to be blunt that is because Ferrari, simply put, are underperforming - for the past three seasons they have consistently struggled with aero calibration issues and inefficient development (repeatedly trying upgrades in practise sessions that were then dumped as they didn't work), set up issues, poor strategic decisions and numerous other mistakes that Alonso has had to deal with.
Yes, Alonso is not necessarily without criticism - there have been times when he's made occasional errors of judgement - but frankly the team has to admit to their own failings too, something which di Montezemolo is rather loath to concede.

As for Lotus, it is true that the Enstone outfit prefers to run a first and second driver (and yes, Kimi was officially the No. 1 driver at the team until he announced his departure, particularly when it came to developing new parts) and, as the incumbent, Grosjean will probably get priority. Whether Maldonado is able to cope with that is another matter...

RonDenisDeletraz · Post by **RonDenisDeletraz** » 03 Dec 2013, 22:03

Salamander wrote:
SgtPepper wrote:However in all seriousness he might do 'decently enough', but going on all evidence, Hulk would do far, far better than 'decently enough.'

I disagree. Hulkenberg would not be able to match Grosjean IMO, and the best paydrivers on the market are Perez and Maldonado. And given Perez's contract situation, it's perfectly understandable that they go for Maldonado.

Hulkenberg would beat Maldonado comfortably in the same equipment. I personally think he could beat Grosjean but unfortunately we will likely never know.

And anyway, Pastor is still a massive dickhead.

Alextrax52 · Post by **Alextrax52** » 03 Dec 2013, 22:13

eurobrun wrote:
Salamander wrote:
SgtPepper wrote:However in all seriousness he might do 'decently enough', but going on all evidence, Hulk would do far, far better than 'decently enough.'

I disagree. Hulkenberg would not be able to match Grosjean IMO, and the best paydrivers on the market are Perez and Maldonado. And given Perez's contract situation, it's perfectly understandable that they go for Maldonado.

Hulkenberg would beat Maldonado comfortably in the same equipment. I personally think he could beat Grosjean but unfortunately we will likely never know.

And anyway, Pastor is still a massive dickhead.

Well look at the GP2 2009 season when Hulk and Pastor were in the ART team to see how that went

DanielPT · Post by **DanielPT** » 03 Dec 2013, 22:28

Hulkenberg return to Force India might be McLaren B plan for 2015 in motion and Hulk's bet at the same time. In 2015 they almost certainly will be looking for a new driver as rumours suggest they want Alonso to drive again for them. If Hulkenberg performs accordingly, he might be in line to replace Button or even Magnussen if he fails miserably. It might be a gamble, but one which could for Nico. Even if this fails, he can always try Ferrari. The odds are good in that a space might open again in 2015.

Gerudo Dragon · Post by **Gerudo Dragon** » 03 Dec 2013, 23:15

Look on the bright side. Seeing Pastor being destroyed by Grosjean will be fun

IceG · Post by **IceG** » 03 Dec 2013, 23:39

Are the engines for 2014 frozen or can manufacturers continue development through the year?

If they are frozen then a really weak engine dooms the teams who use it to oblivion from the second race...

That could kick off a few in-year inter-team moves depending on how smart the performance clauses are.

go_Rubens · Post by **go_Rubens** » 04 Dec 2013, 00:11

IceG wrote:Are the engines for 2014 frozen or can manufacturers continue development through the year?

If they are frozen then a really weak engine dooms the teams who use it to oblivion from the second race...

That could kick off a few in-year inter-team moves depending on how smart the performance clauses are.

Development on engines will be allowed next year, and probably the next few years after that, and then they'll freeze them. Well, that's the most likely scenario anyway.