Keith Tanner said:In reply to loosecannon :
It also coincided with the change to the hybrid cars. They're a lot more complex to drive. I think Danny adapted faster than Seb did.
This. Seb really never got hold of the hybrids, right to the end of his career.
I think about half the field should move on. Let the new young guys win or fail.
In reply to Streetwiseguy :
For some of the drivers, it would be great if they could get their chances. But some of the "pay for" drivers need to move on before they get their dad to buy a race team. How much behind is Williams because they had to put Sargent into that seat for no development?
In reply to Streetwiseguy :
Hamilton by far is the most popular driver on Social Media, and will be on the most popular team historically next year. Audi has rumored to court Vettel and is a popular driver. Hulk being german helps his stock with being picked up by Audi. While it would be nice for more then half field to move on, popularity, nationality, and sponsorship all play a role. While Calipinto has been impressive, so was Nyck De Vries with his one off race Williams scoring points. When he got a full time ride he looked terrible and didn't make it a full season. The same could be true to some of the other drivers moving up. Next year there are atleast 4 rookie drivers Kimi, Liam, Oliver, and Jack D. None of these drivers won a championship in F3 or F2. Oliver and Liam seem to be consistent, Kimi is defiantly a wild card and Jack will likely struggle as Alpine looks to be a very inconsistent car. I am sure Drugovich would be very upset in addition to the many other drivers jockying for a F1 ride, if calipinto got the Audi ride. Things just got worse for those in the feeder series as Indycar went to a charter system, there is a surplus of young drivers and nowhere to go, because neither series wants to open the door to new teams.
In reply to trigun7469 :
I understand, and agree. Trust me, being a Nascar fan, Michael Waltrip had a ride, for well over 400 races before he won something. But, loud, sponsor friendly, name...
Lewis still fights in the front half of the field lots of days, and has won a race this year. There's a dozen good reasons to keep him around until he is tired, or worn out, or demonstrably slower than his team mate. Checo. Sargent. Lance. Oops. That was supposed to be my inside voice.
I also have no problem with new guys getting axed when they can't do the job. Sargent, I presume, got a whole bunch more time based on his being American, and all the deep desire to make F1 a force in the US. What he did, though, was delay Williams improvement, cut into their spending budget, and make everyone look bad.
In reply to Streetwiseguy :
Think about what Sainz Jr. did wrong to lose his ride with Ferrari? Nothing, but the availability of Hamilton. Hamilton did win a race this year, but there is alot pressure with Ferrari, it will be interesting if he prioritizes his brand or his driving first. Checo has sponsorship and the ride next to Max without Newey is not necessarily sought after and has strings attached as being #2. None of the top drivers were seeking a ride with RB and most of the RB Jr. are being cast aside before even given the chance. Bottas going to Audi is probably the most boring decision that can be made.
I don't see any top drivers jumping at the chance to join the RB meat grinder as Max's teamate.
Horner is after Russel,I wouldn't think he'd leave Merc and the clear #1 seat to go to RB.
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