What If?

[Salamander]

IndyCar is still suffering a massive hangover from the split, and it's management is still prone to stupid decisions, even though they got rid of Brian Brainfart (in case you don't know who that is, he's the guy who thought going green on oval while it was raining was a good idea). Such as ending the season in August.

No wonder it was Danica who spun first.

Yes because controlling an IndyCar on slick tyres on a damp surface is something which requires skill and isn't a total crapshoot. At all.

[FMecha]

What if Ferrari actually raced the F50 GT in the FIA GT series?

[MrMG]

Here's one which could have been a big game changer:

What if Mansell hadn't crashed at Monaco in 1984? I seriously doubt Prost would have been waving frantically to have the race stopped if he was sitting in 2nd....

[takagi_for_the_win]

Here's one which could have been a big game changer:

What if Mansell hadn't crashed at Monaco in 1984? I seriously doubt Prost would have been waving frantically to have the race stopped if he was sitting in 2nd....

Supposing Prost would've stayed in second, he still would've won the title. Mansell wins earlier than the end of 1985, and as a result might well have been more competitive at the start of the season, not enough to challenge Prost but certainly enough to take points off Alboreto.

[pi314159]

Here's one which could have been a big game changer:

What if Mansell hadn't crashed at Monaco in 1984? I seriously doubt Prost would have been waving frantically to have the race stopped if he was sitting in 2nd....

Supposing Prost would've stayed in second, he still would've won the title. Mansell wins earlier than the end of 1985, and as a result might well have been more competitive at the start of the season, not enough to challenge Prost but certainly enough to take points off Alboreto.

You're forgetting that Lauda won the 1984 title. Prost won in 1985.

[Salamander]

Here's one which could have been a big game changer:

What if Mansell hadn't crashed at Monaco in 1984? I seriously doubt Prost would have been waving frantically to have the race stopped if he was sitting in 2nd....

Prost was never comfortable driving in heavy rain like that - and given his actions at the Australian GP some years later, I suspect he would've acted the same.

[MrMG]

I think the bigger question is would Senna have been able to pass both Prost and Mansell? IIRC Mansell was pulling away from Prost when he crashed. Would Bellof have passed all 3 of them? (Even though he'd later have the win taken off him).

[Bobby Doorknobs]

I think the bigger question is would Senna have been able to pass both Prost and Mansell? IIRC Mansell was pulling away from Prost when he crashed. Would Bellof have passed all 3 of them? (Even though he'd later have the win taken off him).

Senna's suspension was apparently within a few laps of collapse, so Bellof might not have had to worry about passing him. It's been a while since I last watched the race, but I think Senna was catching Prost at a quicker rate than Mansell had been pulling away earlier on. With Bellof going even quicker than Senna I think that yes, he could have won, even if Mansell was still in the race and it wasn't red-flagged.

[gnrpoison]

What If Enricco Bertaggia with his extra sponsorship would have been allowed to rejoin the team at the expense of Perry McCarthy and compete? Would Andrea Moda achieved another race start with a bit more funding?

[Frogfoot9013]

What If Enricco Bertaggia with his extra sponsorship would have been allowed to rejoin the team at the expense of Perry McCarthy and compete? Would Andrea Moda achieved another race start with a bit more funding?

A lot of the stupid antics Andrea Moda were infamous for wouldn't have happened, and they'd probably have made it to the end of the season. I'm not sure if they'd have made any more race starts though.

[gnrpoison]

What If Enricco Bertaggia with his extra sponsorship would have been allowed to rejoin the team at the expense of Perry McCarthy and compete? Would Andrea Moda achieved another race start with a bit more funding?

A lot of the stupid antics Andrea Moda were infamous for wouldn't have happened, and they'd probably have made it to the end of the season. I'm not sure if they'd have made any more race starts though.

Would have been interesting when Brabham and Fondmetal folded, if by automatically being in qualifying would Moreno be able to drag it onto the grid again?

[FullMetalJack]

What If Enricco Bertaggia with his extra sponsorship would have been allowed to rejoin the team at the expense of Perry McCarthy and compete? Would Andrea Moda achieved another race start with a bit more funding?

A lot of the stupid antics Andrea Moda were infamous for wouldn't have happened, and they'd probably have made it to the end of the season. I'm not sure if they'd have made any more race starts though.

Would have been interesting when Brabham and Fondmetal folded, if by automatically being in qualifying would Moreno be able to drag it onto the grid again?

Possibly, he'd have only had to have beaten one car. That would have been a very achievable feat if Paul Belmondo was still in the second March.

[watka]

I think the bigger question is would Senna have been able to pass both Prost and Mansell? IIRC Mansell was pulling away from Prost when he crashed. Would Bellof have passed all 3 of them? (Even though he'd later have the win taken off him).

Senna's suspension was apparently within a few laps of collapse, so Bellof might not have had to worry about passing him. It's been a while since I last watched the race, but I think Senna was catching Prost at a quicker rate than Mansell had been pulling away earlier on. With Bellof going even quicker than Senna I think that yes, he could have won, even if Mansell was still in the race and it wasn't red-flagged.

What we're forgetting is that this is Monaco, you know the place that Enrique Bernoldi managed to hold off David Coulthard for 35 laps. Entirely possible that Mansell/Prost could have held Bellof off and entirely possible that Bellof would crash out attempting to pass them.

[Bobby Doorknobs]

I think the bigger question is would Senna have been able to pass both Prost and Mansell? IIRC Mansell was pulling away from Prost when he crashed. Would Bellof have passed all 3 of them? (Even though he'd later have the win taken off him).

Senna's suspension was apparently within a few laps of collapse, so Bellof might not have had to worry about passing him. It's been a while since I last watched the race, but I think Senna was catching Prost at a quicker rate than Mansell had been pulling away earlier on. With Bellof going even quicker than Senna I think that yes, he could have won, even if Mansell was still in the race and it wasn't red-flagged.

What we're forgetting is that this is Monaco, you know the place that Enrique Bernoldi managed to hold off David Coulthard for 35 laps. Entirely possible that Mansell/Prost could have held Bellof off and entirely possible that Bellof would crash out attempting to pass them.

I'm not saying he would have won, just that he could have with that kind of pace.

[ibsey]

I think the bigger question is would Senna have been able to pass both Prost and Mansell? IIRC Mansell was pulling away from Prost when he crashed. Would Bellof have passed all 3 of them? (Even though he'd later have the win taken off him).

Senna's suspension was apparently within a few laps of collapse, so Bellof might not have had to worry about passing him. It's been a while since I last watched the race, but I think Senna was catching Prost at a quicker rate than Mansell had been pulling away earlier on. With Bellof going even quicker than Senna I think that yes, he could have won, even if Mansell was still in the race and it wasn't red-flagged.

What we're forgetting is that this is Monaco, you know the place that Enrique Bernoldi managed to hold off David Coulthard for 35 laps. Entirely possible that Mansell/Prost could have held Bellof off and entirely possible that Bellof would crash out attempting to pass them.

The Enrique Bernoldi v DC was in the dry. In the wet it is possible to pass at Monaco. Panis passed Brundle & irvine in 1996. Senna passed Lauda in 1984 and Bellof pulled off an amazing move on Arnoux in 1984. I tend to think that given he had a NA engine so better throttle response, he would have passed Prost & Mansell. Especially given that Prost was in the championship hunt so would have been more concerned with bagging whatever points he could. Mansell I have down as a fair driver so would have have given way had Bellof beaten him into a corner. Just my 2 cents though.

[mario]

I think the bigger question is would Senna have been able to pass both Prost and Mansell? IIRC Mansell was pulling away from Prost when he crashed. Would Bellof have passed all 3 of them? (Even though he'd later have the win taken off him).

Senna's suspension was apparently within a few laps of collapse, so Bellof might not have had to worry about passing him. It's been a while since I last watched the race, but I think Senna was catching Prost at a quicker rate than Mansell had been pulling away earlier on. With Bellof going even quicker than Senna I think that yes, he could have won, even if Mansell was still in the race and it wasn't red-flagged.

Senna had actually passed Prost by the time that the red flag was shown in the 1984 Monaco GP, but lost the position when the results were counted back to the previous lap.

If I am not mistaken, it was in passing Prost that Senna whacked a barrier with considerable force and damaged his suspension, so to a certain extent Senna actually benefited from the race being stopped at that point.

As for Bellof, well, it is one of those things where even if he had won, he'd have had the results stripped from him anyway given Tyrrell's disqualification later in the season, so it is actually kind of a moot point to discuss whether he would have won or not. Had the race run for longer then, with Prost likely to have had to withdraw with engine troubles, Senna breaking his suspension and Bellof being disqualified, I assume that it would be Arnoux who would have actually been awarded victory in the end.

[James1978]

I think the bigger question is would Senna have been able to pass both Prost and Mansell? IIRC Mansell was pulling away from Prost when he crashed. Would Bellof have passed all 3 of them? (Even though he'd later have the win taken off him).

Senna's suspension was apparently within a few laps of collapse, so Bellof might not have had to worry about passing him. It's been a while since I last watched the race, but I think Senna was catching Prost at a quicker rate than Mansell had been pulling away earlier on. With Bellof going even quicker than Senna I think that yes, he could have won, even if Mansell was still in the race and it wasn't red-flagged.

Senna had actually passed Prost by the time that the red flag was shown in the 1984 Monaco GP, but lost the position when the results were counted back to the previous lap.

If I am not mistaken, it was in passing Prost that Senna whacked a barrier with considerable force and damaged his suspension, so to a certain extent Senna actually benefited from the race being stopped at that point.

As for Bellof, well, it is one of those things where even if he had won, he'd have had the results stripped from him anyway given Tyrrell's disqualification later in the season, so it is actually kind of a moot point to discuss whether he would have won or not. Had the race run for longer then, with Prost likely to have had to withdraw with engine troubles, Senna breaking his suspension and Bellof being disqualified, I assume that it would be Arnoux who would have actually been awarded victory in the end.

Podium for Ghinzani!!!!

[Dj_bereta]

What if Magnussen wins the next race?

[Miguel98]

What if Magnussen wins the next race?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrTSQ1i0nhk

That will never happen. The McLaren won't make the race distance. But even if it, and Kevin won, Alonso would still be in the car for the next race. Button on the other hand...

[Normal32]

What if both van der Garde and Sutil get to race at Australia?

[Frogfoot9013]

What if both van der Garde and Sutil get to race at Australia?

Sauber are kinda screwed if that happens, as that will more than likely result in the loss of Banco de Brasil sponsorship, which would more than likely cripple the team.

[FullMetalJack]

Not quite sure if it has been asked, but i'm not searching through this thread to look.

What if Mark Webber never scored points on his debut, would his original three race deal have been extended?

[Nessafox]

Not quite sure if it has been asked, but i'm not searching through this thread to look.

What if Mark Webber never scored points on his debut, would his original three race deal have been extended?

Then Alex Yoong would have scored a point, so who would give a damn about Webber?

[AdrianBelmonte_]

What if both Manors make 1-2 in Australia?

[Bobby Doorknobs]

What if both Manors make 1-2 in Australia?

Then McLaren aren't the only ones with reliability issues.

[ibsey]

What if Honda carried on with the Spirit outfit in the mid 80's rather than supplying engines to Williams and then Mclaren. Success?

[novitopoli]

What if Lola hadn't been forced by sponsorship reasons to rush the development of its Formula 1 project in order to (try to) take part in the 1997 season, taking instead the necessary time to complete a competitive 1998 car?

[dinizintheoven]

What if...

Ferrari screwed up so badly in Melbourne that Seb and Kimi both quit the team on the spot, and their replacements were...

...Nico Hülkenberg and Will Stevens?

[dr-baker]

What if Lola hadn't been forced by sponsorship reasons to rush the development of its Formula 1 project in order to (try to) take part in the 1997 season, taking instead the necessary time to complete a competitive 1998 car?

Well, Lola had wanted to enter F1 with their own team in 1994 and 1996, as well as 1997. It all began after Scuderia Italia ran a Lola chassis in 1993 and Eric Broadley reckoned that Lola could have done a better job in-house. The only thing that was holding them back in each year was a lack of sponsorship. So it was hardly surprising that when a major global company came along with a radical proposal of sponsorship that they leapt at the chance. Admittedly, they probably could have done better with a larger run-up into a season with more time to prepare (see how well Stewart did in comparison). But if there were no sponsorship? I guess the project may never have happened and indefinitely on hiatus as it had been since the end of 1993.

[The Dutch Bear]

Given Toro Rosso's reliability issues during the Grand Prix, I started wondering: what if Toro Rosso had stayed with Ferrari rather than switching to Renault when the new engine formula started in 2014?

[Miguel98]

Given Toro Rosso's reliability issues during the Grand Prix, I started wondering: what if Toro Rosso had stayed with Ferrari rather than switching to Renault when the new engine formula started in 2014?

Either a) Red Bull would sell the team or b), which I think it's more likelly, Red Bull would become Toro Rosso aka Toro Rosso would merge into Red Bull, and we would have Red Bull-Ferrari now.

[gnrpoison]

What if Honda carried on with the Spirit outfit in the mid 80's rather than supplying engines to Williams and then Mclaren. Success?

Just noticed this had been unanswered so will give it a go.
First thing first with no Honda engine at the end of 1983, Williams will need something to partner up for in 1985 - 1987. Lets say they stick with the Ford Cosworth till 1985. I wonder if Renault do not give Lotus their turbo and infact start the Partnership in 1985. So Tyrrell and possibly Lotus lose out on Renault turbos?

For Spirit, I wonder if the extra income for the team but lack of established structure means that the engine takes longer to be a race winner or at all. If no success, a Honda exit before 1989? Nakajima maybe makes F1 debut earlier as a result (1985 or 1986perhaps). Spirit probably survive till the end of the eighties, but the knock on effect to Lotus and Tyrrell if Williams get the Renault Turbo is maybe Lotus fold earlier (say 1987) due to no competitive work engine deal and Tyrrell having to take worse engines when Turbos became mandoratory. I imagine JPS, Camel, Renault and Honda gave Lotus a help with finances and the successes meant they could survive after Chapman's death. Renault still pull out after 1986 so Williams if gained the turbos have a non turbo for 1987, who knows if they return in 1989. McLaren keep Porsche engines for longer as lack of power in 87 no longer an issue, perhaps Active suspension is not developed at all. Ferrari, Benetton, McLaren become main contenders in 87 while Williams perform strongly in 85 and 86.

On the driver front, I imagine no Mansell world champion as his career probably ends by being dropped by Lotus in 1984, no third world championship for Piquet who perhaps joins Benetton in 1986 instead of Fabi due to BMW link or stays at Brabham for 86 (does he suffer De Angelis accident?). No lap record for Rosberg in 1985 but is kept on at Williams till 1986, likewise Laffite probably stays and does not have his Brands Hatch crash and retires around 1988. If Senna chooses a Williams Renault after 84 perhaps no Senna to Lotus but De Angelis does not go to Brabham in 1986 as a result and does not die in testing crash. Warwick get to drive for Lotus, so no Dumfries in F1. Johansson does not leave McLaren, perhaps wins a race in 87 or 88. Alboreto stays at Ferrari longer and likewise does not see such a drop in his final years. Berger ends up at McLaren or Williams instead of Ferrari who perhaps end up with Senna and Alboreto. McLaren keep Prost and Johansson, Benetton Piquet and Boutsen, Williams Berger and Patrese maybe? Does Brabham stay stronger and not get sold be Bernie and maybe takes part in 1988? Therefore no Gordon Murray to McLaren as designer, Modena keeps the seat and does not go to Eurobrun, perhaps is partnered by Brundle.

[Dj_bereta]

Well, what if Honda stayed with McLaren for 1993 season and beyond?

and

What if Honda stayed with Tyrrell for 1992 season and beyond?

[ibsey]

At gnrpoison thanks for your detailed response

I didn't appreciate just how much F1 in the mid / late 1980's probably would have changed by Honda sticking with Spirit. Certainly food for thought there.

But how cool would it have been to see a powerful turbo engine like Honda in an awful chassis with a raw Nakajima behind the wheel. Fireworks is all I can say!

Well, what if Honda stayed with McLaren for 1993 season and beyond?

I think from memory Honda decided to go down the V12 route from 1991 onwards. I think this was a mistake by them and ultimately was a major factor in deciding to quit by the end of 1992, as it was becoming ever clearer that V10's were the way to go. So had they stuck with V12 for 1993 maybe a few more race wins were on the cards but no more titles and I still think Senna would have left for Williams in 94 with the same tragic consequences. Hakkinen being more competitive and winning a few races in 94 (like Spain, Germany or Monza) may have altered the outcome of that years WDC however.

If Honda went back to a V10 design post 1992 and assuming they were full behind the project then I think they could have been competitive again, allowing Senna to mount a more serious title challenge in 1993 and Hakkinen to challenge for the title in 1994.

What if Honda stayed with Tyrrell for 1992 season and beyond?

I don't think the would have done much with these since they were Honda's old V10's which IIRC Honda were no longer developing in favor of the V12's they were supplying Mclaren at the time. If Honda did decide to develop them (again with full backing from the money men in Japan) then unquestionable the engines would have been competitive. The question is whether Tyrrell would have sufficient funds to develop the chassis & overall package?

IIRC according to Murray Walker at the 1993 Spanish GP, Tyrrell had not developed their chassis very much since 1990. However having a competitive works Honda may have changed this i.e. resulting in better sponsorship and therefore more funds to develop the chassis & package?

[gnrpoison]

At gnrpoison thanks for your detailed response

I didn't appreciate just how much F1 in the mid / late 1980's probably would have changed by Honda sticking with Spirit. Certainly food for thought there.

But how cool would it have been to see a powerful turbo engine like Honda in an awful chassis with a raw Nakajima behind the wheel. Fireworks is all I can say!

Well, what if Honda stayed with McLaren for 1993 season and beyond?

I think from memory Honda decided to go down the V12 route from 1991 onwards. I think this was a mistake by them and ultimately was a major factor in deciding to quit by the end of 1992, as it was becoming ever clearer that V10's were the way to go. So had they stuck with V12 for 1993 maybe a few more race wins were on the cards but no more titles and I still think Senna would have left for Williams in 94 with the same tragic consequences. Hakkinen being more competitive and winning a few races in 94 (like Spain, Germany or Monza) may have altered the outcome of that years WDC however.

If Honda went back to a V10 design post 1992 and assuming they were full behind the project then I think they could have been competitive again, allowing Senna to mount a more serious title challenge in 1993 and Hakkinen to challenge for the title in 1994.

What if Honda stayed with Tyrrell for 1992 season and beyond?

I don't think the would have done much with these since they were Honda's old V10's which IIRC Honda were no longer developing in favor of the V12's they were supplying Mclaren at the time. If Honda did decide to develop them (again with full backing from the money men in Japan) then unquestionable the engines would have been competitive. The question is whether Tyrrell would have sufficient funds to develop the chassis & overall package?

IIRC according to Murray Walker at the 1993 Spanish GP, Tyrrell had not developed their chassis very much since 1990. However having a competitive works Honda may have changed this i.e. resulting in better sponsorship and therefore more funds to develop the chassis & package?

Cheers ibsey, I agree removing Honda engines from Williams, McLaren and Lotis in the late 1980s does open up a lot of interesting developments.

Regarding McLaren in 1994 and a Honda, would Prost have rejoined them if a competitve engine and package was still there? The interesting side is do we get Mercedes staying with Sauber as McLaren have an engine partner? Potentially Schumacher joining Sauber in 1996 instead of Ferrari due to previous history and bringing along Brawn etc. Perhaps Peugeot join Ligier in an all french affair for 1994 or even Larrousse keeping that team alive as they no longer are tied with McLaren. Does this mean with a full works engine program does Mugen just update the previous years engine for teams ala Tyrrell in 91.

Regarding Tyrrell, wasn't the deal, they recieved the 1990 title winning engines?, therefore they simply get the 1991 Honda V12s instead of an Ilmor perhaps rebadged as Mugen Honda. Perhaps Nakajima and/or Modena is retained so one of De Cesaris or Grouillard leaves F1 earlier. Modena gets a few more seasons rather then career ended by Jordan. Tyrrell potentially more competitive and get more points but even with a revised updated car I think they would be in the lower midfield. With a spare Ilmor engine deal do Sauber enter a year earlier in 1992?

[ibsey]

Regarding McLaren in 1994 and a Honda, would Prost have rejoined them if a competitve engine and package was still there? The interesting side is do we get Mercedes staying with Sauber as McLaren have an engine partner? Potentially Schumacher joining Sauber in 1996 instead of Ferrari due to previous history and bringing along Brawn etc. Perhaps Peugeot join Ligier in an all french affair for 1994 or even Larrousse keeping that team alive as they no longer are tied with McLaren. Does this mean with a full works engine program does Mugen just update the previous years engine for teams ala Tyrrell in 91.

Regarding Tyrrell, wasn't the deal, they recieved the 1990 title winning engines?, therefore they simply get the 1991 Honda V12s instead of an Ilmor perhaps rebadged as Mugen Honda. Perhaps Nakajima and/or Modena is retained so one of De Cesaris or Grouillard leaves F1 earlier. Modena gets a few more seasons rather then career ended by Jordan. Tyrrell potentially more competitive and get more points but even with a revised updated car I think they would be in the lower midfield. With a spare Ilmor engine deal do Sauber enter a year earlier in 1992?

I think Prost may have rejoined Mclaren in 1994 if they had competitive Honda engines. As he was going to do 1994 with Williams until Senna signed a contract with them. Struggling to answer if Prost would have continued to race in F1 after Senna's fatal crash however. I know in reality he said he wouldn't return F1 after Senna's death, but I think these are different circumstances (i.e. Prost was committed to a contract with Mclaren Honda). My gut feeling says I think he probably would have and then retired for good at the end of that season.

As an interesting aside I've heard it said that Senna didn't enjoy F1 as much after Prost left, and that Senna was not really motivated to beat the 'new generation' in 1994 without Prost on the grid.

I think a Peugeot engine in the 1996 Ligier or 1997 Prost would have been fantastic. I remember that Peugeots were amongst the quickest engines through the speed traps at that time, and the the Ligier / Prost chassis were basically a Benetton in dark blue. So with a capable driver like Panis they and Bridgestone tyres in 1997 they would have been a great package. Difficult to say if Panis would still have had his accident at Canada however. As he might not have had that knock to his suspension (IIRC on the 1st corner of the 1st lap) which ultimately caused his crash due to being in a more competitive position on the grid due to the more powerful peugeot engine.

Regarding Tyrrell, I've heard it said from a someone who was within the team at the time that Modena lost heart with the team halfway through 1991 and that is the reason he when off the boil after some good performances in the 1st half of the year, so I question whether he would have remained with Tyrrell in 1992? Also Tyrrell losing Havey Postlethwaite mid way through 1991 was another massive blow to them.

[GerhardTalger]

Wasn't it the case that Prost couldn't join McLaren as he technically still had a contract with Williams, but Prost didn't want to race in a team with Senna once more?

[ibsey]

Wasn't it the case that Prost couldn't join McLaren as he technically still had a contract with Williams, but Prost didn't want to race in a team with Senna once more?

It is true that Prost didn't want to race with Senna at Williams in 1994. I don't believe for a second that Prost was being a chicken for that Veto clause as he had no problems going up against multiple WDC before and actually recommended that Mclaren take on Senna for 1988.

I don't think Williams could have stop Prost from joining Mclaren in 1994. As in reality Prost was seriously considering joining Mclaren Peugoet and before announcing on French TV he wouldn't which then gave the drive to Brundle (all mentioned on the 1994 season review video).

[GerhardTalger]

What if Katayama would have signed for that 'top team' in 1995? Which top team would it have been?

I'd say he goes to Benetton in 95, because of Mild Seven and I can't see Williams interested in Katayama over Coulthard. This means Herbert never moves to Ligier in 1994 and retains his Lotus seat, thus Verstappen and Bernard just end their 1994 campaign. Salo wouldn't get his F1 break in 1994 because of this.

In 1995, Herbert joins Tyrell after Lotus folded. For who his teammate might have been, I'm not so sure. Probably a pay-driver in the league of Noda, but whoever it is, he's out without too much interesting results after a year. Katayama heavily underperforms at Benneton, scoring only a single podium finish and is replaced by Verstappen for the last five races, who scores two podiums, just enough for the constructors championship. Verstappen eventually signs at Sauber for 1996 (as Herbert stays at Tyrell), while Morbidelli is retained for 1996 at Arrows. Katayama finds shelter at Minardi.

In 1997, Katayama has another year at the back before stopping. Morbidelli gets the Sauber seat ahead of Larini next to Verstappen, who adds another podium to his record in that year. Herbert doesn't seem to get much more than the Tyrell seat, has to sit out 98 and eventually replaces Magnussen at Stewart, ending an uneventful career with a brilliant single victory at Der Ring.

The only other question is who is replacing Schumacher, with Salo out of the picture. It will be Luca Badoer probably. He scores some points and goes with Sauber in 2000. I'm not sure who would be in the picture for Toyota in 2002. Maybe Badoers replacement at Minardi, Sarrazin, doing a decent job in that car?

Anyway, it would impact Herberts career more than his own career, I guess. Maybe it's even profitable for Verstappen if Katayama is heavily underperforming.

[girry]

The said top team was Benetton, indeed