2682 replies to this topic

[alpiner]

Ja se nadam da je Sainz realna opcija za Renault.  Koliko sam razumeo njegov ugovor sa RB-om nije zacementiran pa ne mogu da ga ucenjuju

 

Matori Sainz je izjavio da neće dugo čekati i propuštati dobre prilike. Ovo potpisivanje Palmera na godinu dana ide u prilog mojim nadanjima. Taman da Sr i Jr  procene situaciju

[alpiner]

Magnussen: I turned down Renault's offer for 2017

Kevin Magnussen insists it was his decision to leave Renault and commit to Haas, after claiming an offer he had to remain at the team showed its lack of commitment to him.

Renault announced on Wednesday that it was retaining Jolyon Palmer for 2017, with Magnussen now set to finalise a Haas contract over the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend.

Magnussen revealed at Interlagos on Thursday that he could have stayed at Renault if he wanted, but what was offered to him did not give him the faith that the outfit really wanted him.

"It was my decision," said Magnussen about whether he chose to leave Renault or not. "I had an offer but not a good enough offer that I could take it."

Asked whether that was simply because a one-year contract did not give him the stability he was after, Magnussen said: "It was more the feeling of commitment from Renault's side really. If they had committed to a longer contract I would probably have looked at it much more seriously.

"It was more the feeling of them not committing, taking so long and offering the drive to so many drivers. I think at one point, the Pope had an offer I heard! It was a bit messy so better for me to leave."

He added: "It really is a lot about the feeling I had with the management here. If I had felt more commitment and decisiveness then it would maybe have been different. But I am happy with the way it turned out at the end of the day."


Renault surprised

It is understood that Renault's informal offer to Magnussen was made ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix, and was prior to the Dane beginning to firm things up with Haas.

Team principal Fred Vasseur was surprised that Magnussen claimed Renault did not give him the impression of being committed to him.

"We spoke about the future a couple of times in the season, but if he has the feeling that I was not committed then it is strange for me," Vasseur told Motorsport.com.

"We spoke about contracts but at some stage we also spoke with Jo. But I had to speak to him on the sporting side to know exactly what was happening on track, and at the same time to build up an agreement."

Haas form

Magnussen said he would be sad to leave Renault at the end of the season, but believed that Haas could deliver a step up in terms of results for him.

"I think it could be better," he said about Haas's prospects in 2017 against Renault. "I hope it will be better. I think it will be competitive, that is my feeling.

"I am looking for a place for me to excel and to prove my worth and do a good job, and have a good time. I think I can have that next year."

http://www.motorspor...utm_content=www

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

Erikson ostaje sa Zauberom jos jednu sezonu, zvanicno potvrdjeno.

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

The seats that are left…
November 23, 2016 by Joe Saward

 

I read a story today suggesting that Manor driver Pascal Wehrlein has emerged as the leading candidate for Sauber’s second Formula 1 seat in 2017. Maybe I’m off the pace, but this is not the story I am picking up.

Yes, Wehrlein is in the frame, but it will require Mercedes to stump up cash at a level that they are unlikely to agree to. Sauber is not interested in engine deals and just wants finance. The logic of this may elude Mercedes, but it is part of a three-year recovery plan that the Swiss team has formulated. The 2017 season is all about getting points early on through reliability, hence the engine choice of a 2016 Ferrari, while others struggle to get newer 2017 engines right, and then as solid a financial year as possible, whilst preparing for something better in 2018, recruiting new staff, investing in facilities and so on. What that something is remains to be seen, but clearly there is long-term thinking going on that looks beyond the survival mode in 2017. The story also suggested that all is well between the team and Felipe Nasr and that the problem comes because of his sponsors, but again that is not what I am seeing. I see a relationship which is anything but happy, which is a shame because it would be best for both sides if they could stay together. Maybe they will sort it out. Felipe’s performance in Brazil was very good for everyone and pethaps it will help to build bridges, but as of now I don’t see anything being fixed. Nasr is pretty short of choices but for the relationship to continue Sauber needs to believe more.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff and Sauber’s Monisha Kaltenborn did meet to discuss Wehrlein in Brazil, but by all accounts it was not a very productive meeting. Obviously, Wehrlein would like to move into a more stable environment than Manor (which is now out of the top 10 and thus worth less than before in any sale), but he doesn’t seem to have many choices. Mercedes will help the team on power unit costs, but it is not going to get into any junior team scenario, although this has been discussed. Mercedes does not need to do this, but still wants to find Wehrlein a berth, as it still believes, despite the recent Force India setback, that he is potentially a top driver. The value of junior teams is that they provide top teams with cheap talent, but this only works if the development process doesn’t cost too much. Thus if Mercedes wants Wehrlein to continue to develop, it must either pay what Sauber wants, or it must find someone to buy Manor and guarantee its stability. Investing in an F1 team is still a gamble but it is one that super-rich people can, perhaps, see value in. The problem is not the purchase price but rather the running costs and as sponsorship is difficult thesr days, it is B2B strategies, pay-drivers and junior team money that keep these operations afloat. The most likely scenario is a deal with Esteban Gutierrez, who has money to spend but has already been at Sauber and is not in demand there. Thus a Gutierrez and Wehrlein pairing makes sense at Manor, with Jordan King perhaps supported by his sponsors as third driver, going to all the F1 races and getting immersed in the sport, in preparation for 2018. if this doesn’t happen, Wehrlein could end up as Mercedes third driver and sit out the year. The bad news is that with Mercedes cutting back to six cars in DTM there are no spaces there, and indeed several drivers are going to lose out there as there are not enough cars to go around and Edoardo Mortara has already been signed to join the party. there has slso been talk of Antonio Giovinazzi being signed by Mercedes, but there really is no room for him, unless there is some bloodletting at HWA. I expect Giovanazzi to turn up somewhere in F1 next year, in a third driver role.

So who goes to Sauber? The man who seems most likely at the moment is Rio Haryanto, but he must come up with cash, rather than promises. He did a surprisingly good job against Wehrlein at Manor earlier this year, but dropped out as the Ocon Express passed through on the main line. This is Haryanto’s last chance because if he fails to deliver money twice the F1 world will shutter up for him in the future. The Indonesians have been through an educational process in the last 12 months and must now either put up, or shut up. Haryanto is a nice prospect for the country and so they should jump on his bandwagon. Right now, it is a seller’s market in terms of F1 seats, so there is no great need to hurry and so we shouldn’t expect any rapid announcements, unless people hit the financial targets being requested.

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

Felipe Nasr's chances of staying in F1 next year have nose-dived.

Amid the economic situation in Brazil, the Sauber driver's sponsor, Banco do Brasil, has announced its withdrawal from the sport.

"Banco do Brasil recognises Felipe Nasr's talent and is proud to be the sponsor responsible for his entry into formula one," it announced.

"But due to budget constraints and marketing strategies, it was necessary to review the investment in the category at this time," Banco do Brasil added.

In Abu Dhabi, Nasr denied his sponsorship issues are related to his struggle to hang onto his Sauber seat.

"I do not think about this option," he said when asked about the possibility of exiting F1 after two seasons.

And when asked if his manager Steve Robertson is in talks with Manor about the only other vacant cockpits for 2017, he told Globo Esporte: "I don't know.

"He'll be here this weekend so you can ask him."

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

Toto Wolff says it would be better if Pascal Wehrlein got another "year or two" to develop at a midfield team before stepping up at Mercedes.

The German camp is currently weighing up its options in the wake of world champion Nico Rosberg's shock decision to quit the team and F1.

In a perfect world, a top driver like Fernando Alonso or Sebastian Vettel would get the job as Lewis Hamilton's new teammate.

On British television, team boss Wolff agreed that Mercedes must consider a driver of Spaniard Alonso's calibre.

But he also told the German news agency DPA: "We respect the contracts that the drivers have with other teams.

"We would not want our drivers to just jump when the next opportunity comes along. For that situation the contracts are there, and we respect that," said Wolff.

"We have a pretty good understanding of what the contractual situations are, and we have also talked with many drivers in the past few days to understand their contractual situation if we did not know already," he added.

However, a more realistic scenario is that Valtteri Bottas - who is managed by Wolff - is bought out of his Williams contract, possibly in exchange for a discounted engine bill for the British team or the loan of a driver like Wehrlein.

Wolff admitted: "Of course it is possible to find an amicable solution with another team and another driver where there is an agreement on both sides.

"I would not rule it out," he said.

But perhaps even more likely is that Mercedes will simply promote Wehrlein, even though Wolff said it would be a slightly early call for the 2016 Manor rookie.

"If I had my Christmas wish, it would be for a year or two in a midfield team for him," he said.

"But I have to find a good compromise Christmas list instead, and perhaps, as Nico has taken a courageous decision, we must take a courageous decision as well," added Wolff.

 

Verlajn (ili Okon, koji od njih dvojice se vec pokaze bolji) se sprema kao zamena za Hamiltona jednog dana, sada je jos uvek zelen. Veliki je rizik da ga gurnu odmah u vatru, mozda se pokaze kao pun pogodak kao sa Maksom, mozda mali bude potpuno sagoreo...

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

The case for Pascal Wehrlein
December 7, 2016 by Joe Saward

 

It’s exhausting just trying to keep up with all the latest daft theories about who will drive the second Mercedes next year, and it seems to me that the choices are becoming fewer with each passing day. Valtteri Bottas was the obvious candidate, for me at least, but it seems that it would be rather complicated to extract him from Williams, not just in terms of funding, but also because of other contracts that the team has, which require him (or someone similar) to be there next year.

So why all the fuss about Mercedes and Fernando Alonso? Well, Toto Wolff was not lying when he said that one must consider a driver like Alonso. Of course you must. So, let’s consider him: great driver, under contract to McLaren. End of story. It doesn’t hurt Fernando to be seen as the target and Mercedes has nothing to lose from a bunch of screaming headlines. The underlying message here is “Fernando wants to drive our car” which is a positive message for Mercedes. When he isn’t allow to, then it will be those mean spoil sports at McLaren and Honda who have stopped it happening…

But, figure this as well. If Fernando Alonso were to have a pixie with magic dust to sprinkle on the right people and make them release him, what would be the message next year were he to drive around in a Mercedes and win some races? The message would be: Fernando Alonso is brilliant. If a relative nobody gets into the second Mercedes and does well, the message is “Mercedes Benz gives you wings” (to borrow a phrase from another sponsor). Which story will sell more Mercedes road cars?

This means that the focus now seems to have switched to the question of whether Pascal Wehrlein is ready to do the job. We know that Pascal is quick, but he is obviously not yet perfect or else Force India would have gone for him, rather than Esteban Ocon. He’s a good qualifier and does great work at the start of races but he has tended to do less well in terms of race strategies. This is pretty normal for a youngster and it takes time to learn. Does he suit what Mercedes really wants for 2017? It needs a driver who can deliver solid results, so that it can maintain a strong challenge in the Constructors’ Chanpionship which, of course, is what pays the bills. This year the team collected an impressive 765 points, almost 300 more than runner-up Red Bull Racing. There were 19 wins in 21 races. It was a steamroller. One assumes that the team will still be pretty competitive next year but there is no doubt that Ferrari and Renault have been working hard on engine development in order to push up the number of horses they have available. This is logical. If they can get closer to the Mercs in terms of oomph, then the aerodynamics and vehicle dynamics can then kick in. Without the horsepower, nothing is going to happen…
So, what Mercedes probably needs is not two stars fighting each other, but rather one star being supported by a solid driver so that the team will be in the fight if the others do catch up. It is a risk whatever happens, but I am beginning to feel that the drive will end up with Wehrlein because the team will save a lot of money on salaries and if it does not give the youngster the chance, it will also undermine the young driver programme, which is designed to create cheap replacements for the stars of today. With an opportunity to use a youngster, and a German one at that, Mercedes may simply conclude that Wehrlein has to be the right choice.

Time will tell, but I think this is what will now happen. That might pop a few balloons in the weird world of fan speculation, but it will probably tick the right boxes in Stuttgart. The worst case scenario is that Wehrlein will be beaten by others. The best case is that he will sometimes beat Lewis Hamilton. The middle assessment is that he will finish second to Hamilton a lot. Who could really expect more of him than that? The money saved on Rosberg’s contract will be useful one way or another.

So let’s see, but don’t get too excited about Alonso and Uncle Tom Cobbly. This may end up being an internal promotion.

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

It is becoming clearer and clearer that Pascal Wehrlein will join Mercedes as Lewis Hamilton's new teammate in 2017.

Following new world champion Rosberg's shock decision of a week ago to retire, F1 has been a hotbed of rumours when it comes to his replacement.

The headline rumour has been all about Fernando Alonso.

"People always think of Fernando when a top car is free," Flavio Briatore, who is still involved with the Spaniard's management, told La Gazzetta dello Sport journalist Andrea Cremonesi on Friday.

"But we have a contract, and we will respect that," he insisted.

Briatore is referring to Alonso's McLaren-Honda deal for 2017.

Former F1 driver turned German language pundit Marc Surer told Speed Week on Friday: "Maybe he (Alonso) has a clause that he can get out of his contract if Mercedes calls.

"But the management is now clearly saying that Alonso will not leave McLaren. So this is probably the case," Surer said.

Mercedes team chairman Niki Lauda is quoted by Blick newspaper as insisting: "Mercedes will break no contracts!"

And Marca, a Spanish sports daily, quoted a Mercedes source on Friday as revealing that, true to the strongest speculation, Mercedes junior Pascal Wehrlein will get Rosberg's seat.

"It is a specific request from Hamilton, who has vetoed the possibility of any top driver coming," the source reportedly said.

But earlier, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff had denied that Hamilton would have a big say in the call.

Wolff now tells Blick, the Swiss newspaper, that: "We now have only three names on our list.

"If Nico had informed us earlier, it would be easier now. But perhaps we need to take a courageous decision."

Roger Benoit, the veteran Swiss correspondent, claims the three drivers on Wolff's list are Wehrlein, Alonso and a driver he manages, Finn Valtteri Bottas.

But even Bottas is under firm contract at Williams, with Wolff saying: "We do not want to create a big disturbance anywhere.

"Our plan had been to send Pascal to Sauber for one or two years to further develop. The (Sauber) team will be much better next year than it was in 2016."

One interpretation is that Wehrlein will now be a stopgap solution for Mercedes in 2017, with Wolff admitting that for 2018, "the situation looks simpler. There are many good drivers still without a contract".

"It is important that the second driver can help the team in the development of the car. That was Rosberg's great strength," he added.

 

Znaci, najverovatnije Verlajn na godinu dana pa onda koga vec ulove od ovih kojima istice ugovor nakon naredne sezone (Alonso, Fetel...). Jedini problem sa ovom pricom je to sto ce Verlajn od potencijalne buduce zvezde i zamene za Hamiltona da zavrsi kao Kovalainen.

 

Ja i dalje verujem da bi za sve zainteresovane najbolja varijanta bila da Mercedes ponudi mesto Masi za godinu dana a onda neka vijaju vec koga hoce za 2018. Verlajn tako dobija vremena da se normalno razvije i onda moze dugorocno da im bude koristan. No, na kraju krajeva, ko jebe Verlajna kad imaju i Okona, a tu je i mali Strol koji ako se pokaze u Vilijamsu moze da dobije "ponudu koja se ne odbija"...

Edited by Rad-oh-yeah?, 09 December 2016 - 19:08.

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

Pastor Maldonado says he is working on his return to formula one.

With a controversial driving style, the 31-year-old raced for Williams and Lotus until 2015, when his sponsor PDVSA struck trouble amid the Venezuelan oil crisis.

But Maldonado said at an event at Colombia's Autodromo de Tocancipa: "I'm talking to some teams and I'm quite optimistic."

The FIA released its provisional 2017 entry list recently showing vacancies only at Sauber and Manor, but Nico Rosberg's shock retirement could be set to shake up the driver market.

Maldonado said: "Unfortunately, some situations pushed me out of formula one and, as you know, getting back in through the front door is never easy.

"At first it was hard to accept not being in formula one, but since I saw the performance of Renault I would say I was fine. Now I am discussing again with some teams and hope to be on the grid in Australia.

"Obviously I do not exclude other categories, but my intention is to be in F1," he insisted.

 

Evo ga kandidat za Mercedesa!

[romantik]

Kako bih voleo da vidim njega u toj zveri. Da razbuca Hamiltona u Monte Karlu i meni dosta!

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

Mercedes will wait until the new year to announce who will replace Nico Rosberg for the 2017 Formula 1 season.

Rosberg announced his retirement just five days after winning the world championship at Abu Dhabi, leaving Mercedes with little time to secure a new team-mate for Lewis Hamilton, and a small pool of viable prospects from which to choose.

Mercedes reserve driver Pascal Werhlein and Williams' Valtteri Bottas are both among those on the shortlist, although Williams chief technical officer Pat Symonds said that his team will be doing all it can to ensure that it retains the Finn for next year.

According to reports, Mercedes offered Williams a discounted engine deal and Wehrlein in exchange for Bottas' signature, but were turned down. Toto Wolff, Mercedes team principal, is also part of Bottas' management group.

Rosberg's championship-winning seat is one of four still vacant for the 2017 season, along with one space at Sauber and both cars at Manor.

 

Losing Valtteri Bottas to Mercedes "would have a heavy impact" on Williams, according to its chief technical officer Pat Symonds.

Mercedes is searching for a replacement for Nico Rosberg following the German's decision to retire following his world championship victory in Abu Dhabi, and Williams has already been approached over the possibility of releasing Bottas. While RACER understands the first offer from Mercedes was turned down, further talks are expected to take place as Toto Wolff would like to finalize the driver line-up before the holidays.

Amid the Mercedes interest, Symonds says the fact Williams has already replaced the experienced Felipe Massa with 18-year-old Lance Stroll makes it vital that Bottas not leave as well.

"We will have Lance Stroll as a rookie with no experience in F1," Symonds told Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport. "Keeping Bottas will be crucial. Losing him would have a heavy impact on the team.

"People often underestimate the importance of continuity in a team. The driver is the final element needed between the engineers and the data. You can replace one with another, but you need to have a reference point. This will be especially true in a season in which they change the rules."

Williams slipped from third in the constructors' championship in 2014 and 2015 to finish fifth last season, which will result in a reduction in prize money. Should Bottas be allowed to leave, Pascal Wehrlein has been linked with a move but only brings one year of F1 experience and at 22 would leave Williams with a very young driver line-up, to the concern of title sponsor Martini.

Felipe Nasr is a more experienced candidate for a potential seat at Williams, with the Brazilian having completed two years at Sauber following a year as Williams reserve driver in 2014. However, Nasr's personal sponsorship from Banco do Brasil has been reduced amid cost-cutting measures from the bank.

Williams approached Jenson Button about returning to the team where he started his career earlier this year, but the 2009 world champion opted to take a year off racing in F1 while acting as a McLaren-Honda ambassador and is not expected to return.

[alberto.ascari]

Williams in 'advanced' talks with Felipe Massa over F1 comeback

 

Felipe Massa is in "advanced talks" with Williams about reversing his decision to retire and return to the team in 2017 if Valtteri Bottas moves to Mercedes, according to a report in L'Equipe.

Bottas' place at Williams suddenly looks in doubt as he has emerged the favourite to replace Nico Rosberg, who retired from F1 less than a week after winning his first world title. Massa stepped away from F1 after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, his 250th career start, but could be back in white overalls for 2017 if the team loses Bottas.

Though Williams refused to comment on the news of Mercedes' approach for Bottas, the L'Equipe report suggests the team is preparing a contingency plan if the Finn does depart. Technical chief Pat Symonds has said Bottas' experience is crucial for Williams in 2017 as it has signed 18-year-old Canadian Lance Stroll.

Massa's extensive experience would make him a perfect candidate to replace Bottas and would solve the potential dilemma Williams would face in a driver market thin on available candidates.

The report goes on to state Williams will be given a £8.4 million discount on its power unit supply by Mercedes if it releases Bottas from his contract to join the world champions.

 

 

 

http://www.espn.co.u...comeback-report

Edited by alberto.ascari, 15 December 2016 - 18:00.

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

Ovo su vec porekli i Masa i Vilijams.

[alberto.ascari]

E do qrtza!

[alpiner]

Williams open to letting Finn join Mercedes

Williams have admitted for the first time that they would consider letting Valtteri Bottas join Mercedes in 2017.

Mercedes want the Finn to replace Nico Rosberg, who retired after winning the world title last month.

Deputy team principal Claire Williams told BBC Sport the team would let Bottas leave "if an experienced, credible alternative was available".

Williams suggested Felipe Massa could return, despite retiring at the end of this season.

"I'm delighted to see that a team like Mercedes lists Valtteri as a potential replacement for Nico," Williams said.

"We have always known Valtteri is one of the sport's key talents and are proud that the championship leaders recognise this.

"However, Williams has its own ambitions and we must always ensure we give our team the best opportunity to move forward. Any changes would only be made if Williams remains in a strong position to compete and develop in 2017.

"If we did allow Valtteri to leave, we would only do this if an experienced, credible alternative was available, such as someone like Felipe Massa, for example.

"Whatever we decide, it must be in the best interests of this team."

Williams, who finished fifth in the championship in 2016, have rejected Mercedes' first offer for Bottas, but talks are ongoing.

The team are playing hardball with Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff because he is in a difficult position having to find a driver to replace Rosberg when all the leading names are under contract.

However, it is a sensitive situation because Williams use Mercedes engines and they wish to keep a good relationship with the German manufacturer.

And now Mercedes have expressed an interest, Bottas is keen to take up the opportunity to join a front-running team.

Williams need an experienced driver for 2017 to partner the 18-year-old Canadian rookie Lance Stroll, who is making his debut and is said to be bringing financial backing worth as much as £20m.

Re-employing Massa could be a good solution for Williams - the 35-year-old has the speed and experience to provide a benchmark for Stroll and the team, and to ensure they remain in a strong position in the constructors' championship.

Massa scored 76% of the points of Bottas over their three seasons together and was an average of only 0.142secs slower in qualifying.

Although Massa announced his retirement from F1 in September, he made it clear he wanted to continue racing. So a seat at Williams could be a good opportunity for him.

And it could provide a benefit for Williams because the team could use the money it saves on the engine fee and Bottas' salary to fund technical developments and boost their competitiveness in future years.

Sources say Massa made his announcement only after he realised that Williams were going to keep Bottas and sign Stroll and that he was unable to find a similarly competitive car elsewhere.

Wolff's first offer to Williams for Bottas was for a reduction of €10m (£8.4m) in their engine bill.

It is considered likely that Williams will hold out for a figure much closer to the full amount - €17m (£14.2m) - to release the 27-year-old.

They are aware that Mercedes have money available for the deal because they no longer have to fund Rosberg's salary - which was set to be in the region of $22m (£17.6m) for each of the next two years.

Additionally, but in a separate deal, Mercedes executive director (technical) Paddy Lowe is poised to join Williams in a senior management role.

Mercedes are set to replace him with the former Ferrari technical director James Allison.

http://www.bbc.com/s...rmula1/38335169