Hello,
It is almost halfway through the 2017 Formula 1 season which means silly season is almost upon us.
Let's kick things off and say who you think will be driving for which team in 2018.
Mercedes - Hamilton/Bottas
Red Bull - Ricciardo/Verstappen
Ferrari - Vettel/Leclerc
Force India - Perez/Ocon
Williams - Wehrlein/Stroll
McLaren - Alonso/Vandoorne
Toro Rosso - Sainz/Gasly
Haas - Grosjean/Magnussen
Renault - Hulkenberg/Kubica
Sauber - Ericsson/Giovinazzi
I'll give a quick recap of why I predicted the way I did. It's all light-hearted and is just my opinion
Mercedes - This pair seems fairly obvious to me for a number of reasons. Hamilton is signed on till 2018 and Bottas is a perfect fit within the team. Still slightly off pace than Lewis but he is definitely on par with Rosberg and pulling his weight for the team. Bottas will find his feet within the team over the coming years and he is showing improvement every race. The problem with Vettel/Alonso replacement is I can just foresee a teammate relationship being filled with drama. While it would be great entertainment for us fans, I doubt Toto will want to manage a team with massive personalities clashing; I think he had a handful with Lewis and Nico on rare occasions.
Red Bull - As with Mercedes, no change up for the Austrian team. Horner/Marko are happy with these two; RBR along with Haas are one of the only two teams on the grid where I personally can sense a great vibe from their teammate relationship and it can be hard to say who the better driver is. Both drivers keep each other honest and help push the other to new limits. They fight clean and respect each other. Red Bull know this and would be mad to give it up. Even in 2019, I can foresee them resigning Ricciardo, as long as he keeps the form he's had since he's entered the team in 2014.
Ferrari - Out of the top-tier teams, this is the only one that could cause a stir. There is already talks of Vettel getting his contract extended a further 3 years but so far, no talk of Kimi. This may upset Kimi fans but I can't see Ferrari keeping him on for 2018. Marchionne has even described him as a laggard, however, he is making progress, especially since that abysmal 2014 season but he is still playing second fiddle. He needs to deliver, pretty quickly. More frontrow starts, more out-qualifying Vettel and more podiums. A win would do wonders for him. With Kimi gone, I would like to see Charles Leclerc in a red suit for 2018. 2016 GP3 champion and is currently running away with this years Formula 2 (formerly GP2) championship. He is a very tactical driver and is part of this "Verstappen era" of rookies. It would be fresh and exciting to see a team like Ferrari go down a RBR route and really invest in their future. Skip the orientation team that is Haas and put him in a Ferrari. Not to mention, it would be an amazing partnership. I'm only 20% certain about this.
Force India - As much as I'd like to see Perez in a top-tier team (to be honest, I think he may get a Ferrari seat) I think he has been struck with the midfielder curse, along with Grosjean. I do hope Force India keep making progress because both of their drivers really deliver and I'm particularly surprised with Ocon. I was expecting Force India to be nipping on the heels of the Red Bulls this year but they seem to have cemented their place as "best of the rest" this year.
Williams - I'm unsure of Stroll's current contract but if it's only for this year then I can see Williams signing him on for next year as well. He is bringing in money for the team, something that Williams will not find hard to resist but the most important thing is he is showing signs of improvement. Still off the pace to Massa but the progress is showing. We should cut rookies a little bit of slack after all. I can't see Massa staying on for 2018. I'd be surprised if he did. He is probably thinking he has done his part for the team by helping them out while Lance finds his feet with the car and setting it up. With Felipe out, factoring in Mercedes being their engine supplier, I can see Toto giving Claire Williams the best rookie of 2016, Pascal Wehrlein. While he's not outstanding, he has definitely shown he is confident in the car. He has had some pretty nice battles with teammates and other cars and the only thing that is holding him back is his, apparently, rather poor attitude. I heard this was a factor in FI choosing Ocon over Pascal. Before he moves to Williams I think Toto will have to pull him off to the side for a brief chat and just remind him to step in line a bit. Feeling 50/50 about this.
McLaren - It's hard to say about this one. If Alonso doesn't renew for 2018, he could set off a chain of driver transfers but at this point, with my current predictions, I can't see other teams jumping at the bits to sign him. He'll give Honda one more chance in 2018 and the only way I can see him staying on for 2019 as well is if McLaren are consistently in the points, at least top 8 every race. Vandoorne is going nowhere soon. Definitely the better rookie over Stroll. He is still off the pace to Fernando but he is a rookie and he is up against one of the greatest drivers on the grid and again, he is showing signs of improvement. Getting into Q3 for the British GP is a promising sign from him and the team.
Toro Rosso - Sainz will stay on for next year, even though Horner has said he would let him go to a rival team if the offer was "the right amount", however, I can't see any team breaking their current driver line-up for Sainz. He is a very consistent, solid driver who drives the car to a respectable finish. As for Kvyat, I don't think I need to say a lot except for I think the sympathy is running low. He has never recovered from his demotion, all the opportunities he's had to prove himself were wasted. Even with Carlos in qualifying but his race results are quite poor to say the least. He was never an outstanding driver IMO and he isn't making it any easier for Red Bull to give him the boot at the end of the year. I'd be very surprised if they keep him on, especially with Gasly waiting in the wings and we know he is itching at the bits to get a seat.
Haas - Not much to say here. Both good drivers, the team are happy with them and Magnussen is proving to be a competent replacement for Gutierrez.
Renault - Hulkenberg is signed on for next year and Renault will be wanting him to stick around for a while; they are humping his leg at the moment. On one side of the garage we have a driver with years under his belt and is driving the pants off the car and on the other side we have, IMO, an incredibly mediocre driver, in terms of F1 standards. This driver disparity is huge; Jolyon is almost a whole second off the pace in qualifying compared to Nico, he hasn't scored any points (this argument of him finishing 11th a number of times is getting old, they would only amass to a total of, what, 3,4 points compared to Nico's current 26) and he has little to no confidence in the seat of an F1 car. I don't think he's cut out for the sport. I have nothing against him but I honestly think Kvyat has a higher chance of seeing the season out than Jolyon has. Like Kimi, he needs to deliver, fast. More Q3 appearances and most importantly, more points. Renault have a genuine 5th place car this year - they've made an even bigger improvement than McLaren did from 2015 to 2016, which was impressive as well. I'm very excited for Renault and am looking forward to them in the future. This was a master stroke for Nico; this is just like the jump for Lewis to Mercedes. With Palmer out, I can only see the other option being Robert Kubica making a comeback. I've heard he's even faster than test driver Sergey Sirotkin and it would be a great feel-good story for F1. A lot of people would like to see him behind the wheel again.
Sauber - What can I say, I don't care too much about this team. They haven't done anything to stand out and I get the feeling they're just filling up spots at this point. I don't mean any of that in a negative light and I think the more teams the better but they aren't going anywhere ala HRT. Ericsson will be signed on as long as Bank of Sweden stays around and I was feeling confident Antonio Giovinazzi would fill in but since Honda will more than likely be supplying them with engines next year, I'm not so sure now. Maybe Honda will throw in a Japanese pay-driver? It would be pretty cool if Honda made the best PU and Sauber were front-running team again haha. Ericsson for 2019 WDC!
It is almost halfway through the 2017 Formula 1 season which means silly season is almost upon us.
Let's kick things off and say who you think will be driving for which team in 2018.
Mercedes - Hamilton/Bottas
Red Bull - Ricciardo/Verstappen
Ferrari - Vettel/Leclerc
Force India - Perez/Ocon
Williams - Wehrlein/Stroll
McLaren - Alonso/Vandoorne
Toro Rosso - Sainz/Gasly
Haas - Grosjean/Magnussen
Renault - Hulkenberg/Kubica
Sauber - Ericsson/Giovinazzi
I'll give a quick recap of why I predicted the way I did. It's all light-hearted and is just my opinion
Mercedes - This pair seems fairly obvious to me for a number of reasons. Hamilton is signed on till 2018 and Bottas is a perfect fit within the team. Still slightly off pace than Lewis but he is definitely on par with Rosberg and pulling his weight for the team. Bottas will find his feet within the team over the coming years and he is showing improvement every race. The problem with Vettel/Alonso replacement is I can just foresee a teammate relationship being filled with drama. While it would be great entertainment for us fans, I doubt Toto will want to manage a team with massive personalities clashing; I think he had a handful with Lewis and Nico on rare occasions.
Red Bull - As with Mercedes, no change up for the Austrian team. Horner/Marko are happy with these two; RBR along with Haas are one of the only two teams on the grid where I personally can sense a great vibe from their teammate relationship and it can be hard to say who the better driver is. Both drivers keep each other honest and help push the other to new limits. They fight clean and respect each other. Red Bull know this and would be mad to give it up. Even in 2019, I can foresee them resigning Ricciardo, as long as he keeps the form he's had since he's entered the team in 2014.
Ferrari - Out of the top-tier teams, this is the only one that could cause a stir. There is already talks of Vettel getting his contract extended a further 3 years but so far, no talk of Kimi. This may upset Kimi fans but I can't see Ferrari keeping him on for 2018. Marchionne has even described him as a laggard, however, he is making progress, especially since that abysmal 2014 season but he is still playing second fiddle. He needs to deliver, pretty quickly. More frontrow starts, more out-qualifying Vettel and more podiums. A win would do wonders for him. With Kimi gone, I would like to see Charles Leclerc in a red suit for 2018. 2016 GP3 champion and is currently running away with this years Formula 2 (formerly GP2) championship. He is a very tactical driver and is part of this "Verstappen era" of rookies. It would be fresh and exciting to see a team like Ferrari go down a RBR route and really invest in their future. Skip the orientation team that is Haas and put him in a Ferrari. Not to mention, it would be an amazing partnership. I'm only 20% certain about this.
Force India - As much as I'd like to see Perez in a top-tier team (to be honest, I think he may get a Ferrari seat) I think he has been struck with the midfielder curse, along with Grosjean. I do hope Force India keep making progress because both of their drivers really deliver and I'm particularly surprised with Ocon. I was expecting Force India to be nipping on the heels of the Red Bulls this year but they seem to have cemented their place as "best of the rest" this year.
Williams - I'm unsure of Stroll's current contract but if it's only for this year then I can see Williams signing him on for next year as well. He is bringing in money for the team, something that Williams will not find hard to resist but the most important thing is he is showing signs of improvement. Still off the pace to Massa but the progress is showing. We should cut rookies a little bit of slack after all. I can't see Massa staying on for 2018. I'd be surprised if he did. He is probably thinking he has done his part for the team by helping them out while Lance finds his feet with the car and setting it up. With Felipe out, factoring in Mercedes being their engine supplier, I can see Toto giving Claire Williams the best rookie of 2016, Pascal Wehrlein. While he's not outstanding, he has definitely shown he is confident in the car. He has had some pretty nice battles with teammates and other cars and the only thing that is holding him back is his, apparently, rather poor attitude. I heard this was a factor in FI choosing Ocon over Pascal. Before he moves to Williams I think Toto will have to pull him off to the side for a brief chat and just remind him to step in line a bit. Feeling 50/50 about this.
McLaren - It's hard to say about this one. If Alonso doesn't renew for 2018, he could set off a chain of driver transfers but at this point, with my current predictions, I can't see other teams jumping at the bits to sign him. He'll give Honda one more chance in 2018 and the only way I can see him staying on for 2019 as well is if McLaren are consistently in the points, at least top 8 every race. Vandoorne is going nowhere soon. Definitely the better rookie over Stroll. He is still off the pace to Fernando but he is a rookie and he is up against one of the greatest drivers on the grid and again, he is showing signs of improvement. Getting into Q3 for the British GP is a promising sign from him and the team.
Toro Rosso - Sainz will stay on for next year, even though Horner has said he would let him go to a rival team if the offer was "the right amount", however, I can't see any team breaking their current driver line-up for Sainz. He is a very consistent, solid driver who drives the car to a respectable finish. As for Kvyat, I don't think I need to say a lot except for I think the sympathy is running low. He has never recovered from his demotion, all the opportunities he's had to prove himself were wasted. Even with Carlos in qualifying but his race results are quite poor to say the least. He was never an outstanding driver IMO and he isn't making it any easier for Red Bull to give him the boot at the end of the year. I'd be very surprised if they keep him on, especially with Gasly waiting in the wings and we know he is itching at the bits to get a seat.
Haas - Not much to say here. Both good drivers, the team are happy with them and Magnussen is proving to be a competent replacement for Gutierrez.
Renault - Hulkenberg is signed on for next year and Renault will be wanting him to stick around for a while; they are humping his leg at the moment. On one side of the garage we have a driver with years under his belt and is driving the pants off the car and on the other side we have, IMO, an incredibly mediocre driver, in terms of F1 standards. This driver disparity is huge; Jolyon is almost a whole second off the pace in qualifying compared to Nico, he hasn't scored any points (this argument of him finishing 11th a number of times is getting old, they would only amass to a total of, what, 3,4 points compared to Nico's current 26) and he has little to no confidence in the seat of an F1 car. I don't think he's cut out for the sport. I have nothing against him but I honestly think Kvyat has a higher chance of seeing the season out than Jolyon has. Like Kimi, he needs to deliver, fast. More Q3 appearances and most importantly, more points. Renault have a genuine 5th place car this year - they've made an even bigger improvement than McLaren did from 2015 to 2016, which was impressive as well. I'm very excited for Renault and am looking forward to them in the future. This was a master stroke for Nico; this is just like the jump for Lewis to Mercedes. With Palmer out, I can only see the other option being Robert Kubica making a comeback. I've heard he's even faster than test driver Sergey Sirotkin and it would be a great feel-good story for F1. A lot of people would like to see him behind the wheel again.
Sauber - What can I say, I don't care too much about this team. They haven't done anything to stand out and I get the feeling they're just filling up spots at this point. I don't mean any of that in a negative light and I think the more teams the better but they aren't going anywhere ala HRT. Ericsson will be signed on as long as Bank of Sweden stays around and I was feeling confident Antonio Giovinazzi would fill in but since Honda will more than likely be supplying them with engines next year, I'm not so sure now. Maybe Honda will throw in a Japanese pay-driver? It would be pretty cool if Honda made the best PU and Sauber were front-running team again haha. Ericsson for 2019 WDC!