Chris2K Posted July 21, 2017 Report Share Posted July 21, 2017 Grosjean and Magnussen to stay at Haas for 2018. At least the bleep machine operator will be kept busy. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonM Posted July 22, 2017 Report Share Posted July 22, 2017 Good move on Haas' part, Grosjean is one of few top tier drivers not driving a top tier car. (Grosjean, Alonso, Perez, Hulkenberg) and keeping him locked down will get them a guy that can continue to grab good points going into the future. Also him staying on means that Gro thinks/feels Haas has a good plan for the coming few years in terms of becoming better. K-Mag has been unassuming, but he's been consistent and has been able to grab points for the team when the opportunities presented itself. And he's not been a liability on track, with his retirements coming from reliability rather than driver error. As a whole, if they can make a leap I can easily see Haas compete against Williams for the #5 spot next season, heck even this year really. For a team that debuted a year ago from humble beginnings, they have quickly engineered themselves into a great position on the grid. Right now all they're doing is exceeding expectations with every point they pick up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hugobomb Posted July 22, 2017 Report Share Posted July 22, 2017 Out of curiosity, what's Haas' budget like in comparison to the teams around them? Not looking to demean their achievements so far, because Jaguar/BAR showed it's possible to throw top 4 money at a team and get fuck all in return and Haas seem to be a very well run team and deserve the success they've had, just wondering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonM Posted July 22, 2017 Report Share Posted July 22, 2017 (edited) 48 minutes ago, hugobomb said: Out of curiosity, what's Haas' budget like in comparison to the teams around them? Not looking to demean their achievements so far, because Jaguar/BAR showed it's possible to throw top 4 money at a team and get fuck all in return and Haas seem to be a very well run team and deserve the success they've had, just wondering. Well it's ran by Gene Haas, and he's made clear coming into their first season that they're not going to be flipping every dime. But at the same time they have nowhere the budgets of the factory teams, nor Red Bull/McLaren. At the same time, Haas started out in a very strong position because Haas got his entire automation company behind him, which provides the team with their own factories to create cars and other parts for both the F1 cars and the Nascar team. As such they've been able to keep a lot of things in-house where other new teams have to toss their money at external suppliers for such things. Also, Gene Haas and Haas F1 used a loophole in the 2015 season where they struck a deal with Ferrari for engines (B-Spec in 2016, A-Spec 2017 and beyond) where they also got granted extensive wind tunnel and technological assistance from Ferrari. Since Haas wasn't an official team yet, they didn't have the restrictions as the other F1 teams. So they had free reign to test designs and the engine they were going to be using. Ferrari themselves got the advantage out of it that Haas passed on all that data gained, which in turn is probably one part of Ferrari's jump back to contendership. So Haas has come in with a significant advantage, both in knowledge and in resources. But their budget in 2016 (90 million dollars) only surpassed Manor and Sauber respectively. It is expected they have the same budget for this year, since F1's prize-payments are only paid after 2 years. They seem to have great amounts of growth in the past two seasons, and with them having an A-Spec Ferrari engine this year they also have the same power of the red. The relationship between Ferrari/Haas hasn't really extended though, and other than them babysitting Gutierrez for a season they have firmly chosen their own two drivers for this season and next season. And with Haas F1 being subject to the same testing restrictions as the other teams now, there's less to gain in a sattelite partnership, and Gene Haas is too ambitious to have his team be controlled by anyone other than him. Additionally, Ferrari doesn't put a great deal of stock in growing talent, since they have the financial capital and the prestige to attract anyone they want to. There's also rumour that if Ford/Cosworth makes a return to F1, Haas might be the go-to destination for a partnership. Due to the team's intimate knowledge of Ferrari's engine, and of course the American connection. And Haas would be a good choice to be a pseudo-factory team due to the in-house resources/facilities the team has at their disposal. Edited July 22, 2017 by Jasonmufc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddieG Posted July 23, 2017 Report Share Posted July 23, 2017 Not to forget the fact the Stewart Haas NASCAR team also use Ford. And yeah, Haas Stewart has been around since 2002, he knows how to keep a racing team afloat (and succesful, with 2 NASCAR championships) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taxation is Theft Posted July 24, 2017 Report Share Posted July 24, 2017 TBF, Stewart-Haas only switched to Ford this season. They were a Chevrolet team from 2004. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Lineker Posted July 24, 2017 Author Admin Report Share Posted July 24, 2017 Kubica officially doing the Hungary test. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katsuya Posted July 24, 2017 Report Share Posted July 24, 2017 4 hours ago, Lineker said: Kubica officially doing the Hungary test. So, no pressure on Palmer, but now whatever times he sets this weekend are in direct comparison with Kubica's... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hugobomb Posted July 24, 2017 Report Share Posted July 24, 2017 If Kubica is quicker (or even matches) than Palmer, then I can't see Kubica NOT being brought into the seat for Belgium. It would be the feel good story of the season. Plus getting shot of Palmer can only be a good thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FestiveJack Posted July 24, 2017 Report Share Posted July 24, 2017 Pfft, now that Palmer's burned his unlucky pants, he'll blow Kubica out of the water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Lineker Posted July 25, 2017 Author Admin Report Share Posted July 25, 2017 Quote Aston Martin could be interested in a future Formula 1 engine programme, depending on the outcome of the 2021 rules discussions. Aston CEO Andy Palmer attended a recent meeting of the FIA's engine working group. He says his firm could only justify an F1 involvement if a lid was kept on costs. Aston is currently a sponsor of Red Bull Racing, and is working with Adrian Newey on the Valkyrie road car project - which uses a Cosworth developed engine. "We sit on the periphery of F1, with the Valkyrie, and with Red Bull," Palmer told Autosport. "There's always that question, would you want to enter as a team? "Our major competitor is Ferrari, so in that sense there's a rationale in being involved in some way. "But for a company that's only just moved to making a profit we don't have the 350-400 million a year that you have to spend on F1. "If - and it really is the big if - there is a cap put on the number of people or the amount of money that you can spend on developing a new engine, and it's at a reasonable level, we have a good reason to study it. "At the moment there are lots of opinions, and it's still morphing into whatever the final idea will be." Palmer says the engine group's talks are "definitely going in the right way" but there is no clear consensus. "Clearly everybody accepts that you need more theatre in F1, you need more noise, you don't want to restrict too much of the performance, but you have to bring the costs of entry down," he said. "I don't think there's anybody in the room that disagreed with that. "But the debate is, 'How?' The FIA will say, 'Why don't you remove this?,' and half the crowd will say, 'No you can't do that.'" Although Aston has strong links with Cosworth through the Valkyrie project, Palmer said there was "no certainty" that Aston and Cosworth would work together on any F1 project. "We obviously have a good relationship with Cosworth, and if you're trying to create a relationship which says 'Valkyrie, F1, by the way when you buy your £150,000 Aston there's something in the bloodline,' then obviously it makes sense to try and bring it all together," he said. "That doesn't mean that we wouldn't consider for example Ricardo [supplier of the Valkyrie gearbox], who were at the meeting, or Ilmor, who were at the meeting. "We were all listening. We've talked about what might be with various parties, but we haven't decided. "Hopefully it will be clearer in September, and that will allow us to make a proper decision." Palmer hopes that Aston will provide technical support if an F1 project does progress, rather than simply badge someone else's engine. "I've never been a fan of just simple sponsorship. I always try to get some degree of authenticity, and the more authenticity the better really," he said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonM Posted July 25, 2017 Report Share Posted July 25, 2017 Red Bull - Aston-Cosworth? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Lineker Posted July 27, 2017 Author Admin Report Share Posted July 27, 2017 Quote Renault insists Robert Kubica will not race in Formula 1 this season and that his Hungaroring test is purely to evaluate his chance of a 2018 comeback. News Kubica will drive the current Renault next Wednesday fuelled speculation he could replace Jolyon Palmer as early as August's Belgian Grand Prix - a suggestion Renault managing director Cyril Abiteboul dismissed. "We continue to support Jo and there is absolutely no change of plan," Abiteboul told Autosport. "It is true that with Robert we feel we need to investigate a little bit further after all the tests we have done. "Obviously there have been the tests we did with the 2012 car, but also we have done other things - medical checks and simulator work that I don't really want to elaborate on. "We want to have a closer look about how realistic it would be for Robert to drive again in a modern F1 car, and possibly into a racing context. "The last opportunity to at least do the test in a modern F1 car was the Hungary test, and we are taking that opportunity. "But that is really something that is more medium to long term. "It is not a short-term plan and it is not a short-term option to do anything with our driver line-up." Abiteboul insisted a strong test performance from Kubica would not guarantee a 2018 seat. "Robert could be a candidate for 2018 but before we can really consider him as a candidate, we need to see how he will cope with cars with more downforce and with more power, because clearly the [2012] car he has been driving up until now is not representative," he said. "Frankly, even if he does well, it does not mean immediately that we will decide to go for him for 2018 because there is more we need to look into." He added that he had reassured Palmer over the implications of Kubica's test. "I told him that Robert is not an immediate threat," said Abiteboul. "Clearly we are looking at options for 2018, and Jo could be an option for 2018. That is in his hands. "What we are doing with Robert has nothing to do with what Jo does this weekend or even after the summer break. "But there will not be any replacement driver in Spa, as I've seen stories suggesting that too. "I can confirm that Jo will be driving in Spa and the plan is for him to drive until the end of the season." This weekend in Hungary, Palmer will get the new floor team-mate Nico Hulkenberg used at the British GP. Abiteboul believes Palmer needs to rebuild his confidence, but must "perform like any driver who makes it to F1 has to perform". "I am not going to take away the fact that there is pressure," he said. "It is a competitive environment and that is never going to go away. But it is not a short term pressure." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Lineker Posted July 28, 2017 Author Admin Report Share Posted July 28, 2017 Sauber have scrapped their proposed Honda engine deal and will renewed their contract with Ferrari - 2018 spec at that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Lineker Posted July 29, 2017 Author Admin Report Share Posted July 29, 2017 Looks as if Di Resta will have to stand in for Massa - who's ill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katsuya Posted July 29, 2017 Report Share Posted July 29, 2017 Yup, confirmed that di Resta will be in. No pressure on Stroll there at all then... Also, glad to see Sauber-Ferrari again. Hopefully gets Gio or LeClerc a spot in the team too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katsuya Posted July 29, 2017 Report Share Posted July 29, 2017 19th, could have been a lot worse for di Resta really. First time in 25 years there's no Brazilian driver on the grid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazz Posted July 29, 2017 Report Share Posted July 29, 2017 Brundle falls ill, Di Resta replaces him. Massa falls ill, Di Resta replaces him. Seb and Lewis need to be careful. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonM Posted July 29, 2017 Report Share Posted July 29, 2017 di Resta looked very good for a guy who only got 11 laps under his belt in that Q1 session. I can honestly see him have a decent showing tomorrow as he gets more used to the car and the track evolves. But if Stroll gets outrace by a reserve drive who hasn't driven F1 in 3 years... Yeah, he'll look like even bigger shit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Lineker Posted July 29, 2017 Author Admin Report Share Posted July 29, 2017 Ferrari front row lockout. Stonking pole lap from Seb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts