JasonM Posted September 11, 2017 Report Share Posted September 11, 2017 48 minutes ago, MadJack said: I'm not overly familiar with how the rules have changed over the past few years, what's changed that's impacted Red Bull's model? The Renault (still) has a power gap compared to the Ferrari and Mercedes engine, which means that on most tracks they're at an inherent disadvantage because they simply can't go as fast as most of the grid on the straights. They compensate it greatly by having a car which is amazing in corners, and as such they're super competitive on the few kinds of tracks that downright favor downforce/handling over speed, but those races are few and far between, so they're firmly the 3rd best team, best of the rest, but not pacey enough to really be threatening to the Mercedes or Ferrari drivers. Honda is even worse right now, but at the same time they're a supplier who can only supply one team (First McLaren, next year Toro Rosso), so Red Bull are figuring they can at least see what Honda does, and maybe if they get competitive they'll go with Honda as a supplier instead of Renault. Since for Toro Rosso the results aren't interesting anyways, it's a low-risk investment for Red Bull, as they feel confident they don't need Sainz in the future. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Posted September 11, 2017 Report Share Posted September 11, 2017 On the other hand, Honda might somehow get their shit together working with Toro Rosso between now and 2021, and then Red Bull could make Honda their works engine partner going forward when the new regulations get set. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Lineker Posted September 13, 2017 Author Admin Report Share Posted September 13, 2017 Bottas kept on at Mercedes for 2018. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazz Posted September 14, 2017 Report Share Posted September 14, 2017 Renault have told Red Bull they will not supply them with engines past 2018, so RB will be forced to use Honda engines from 2019, since there is absolutely no chance Mercedes or Ferrari will supply them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Lineker Posted September 14, 2017 Author Admin Report Share Posted September 14, 2017 Just a holdover until Porsche or someone else enter the series in 2021, although they are partners in Moto GP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Posted September 14, 2017 Report Share Posted September 14, 2017 4 minutes ago, Lineker said: Just a holdover until Porsche or someone else enter the series in 2021, although they are partners in Moto GP. Problem is, if the Honda engine is still donkey by 2019, no way Red Bull can convince Ricciardo & Verstappen to stay with them for two years of trawling around the back of the grid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Lineker Posted September 14, 2017 Author Admin Report Share Posted September 14, 2017 I see them both moving on regardless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Lineker Posted September 14, 2017 Author Admin Report Share Posted September 14, 2017 I can smell another van der Garde/Sauber legal battle scenario... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Lineker Posted September 15, 2017 Author Admin Report Share Posted September 15, 2017 Reigning Formula 1 Nico Rosberg has joined Robert Kubica's management team to help progress Kubica's return to racing in Formula 1 in 2018, Autosport has learned. Kubica's F1 career stalled after he suffered life threatening injuries in a rally crash in 2011, but he has been pushing to return to the grand prix grid next season and twice tested with Renault this year. Renault admitted it was evaluating Kubica for a race seat in 2018, but after a promising run in a '12 Lotus at Valencia in June, results from a further outing in a '17 car at the post-Hungarian GP test proved inconclusive and the team has instead opted to take Carlos Sainz Jr from Toro Rosso. But Kubica's manager, Alessandro Alunni Bravi, told Autosport during the recent Italian GP that Kubica now has "no doubts he can drive an F1 car without limitations" and that he has interest from other F1 teams for next season. Now Rosberg, who retired unexpectedly at the end of last season after beating Lewis Hamilton to win the world championship for Mercedes, will join forces with Bravi to bolster Kubica's quest to return to F1. Kubica told Autosport: "It's fantastic to be working on this with Nico. We've known each other since we were kids and he is, and will be, a great asset in my F1 comeback." Rosberg suggested earlier this year that he would like to remain involved in racing, "maybe as a counsellor or in a management capacity", and has chosen to throw his support behind Kubica, whom he has known since they were teenaged rivals in international karting. Rosberg said: "Robert and Lewis are the fastest I ever raced against. Therefore, I am thrilled to join forces with Robert on his journey back to racing in Formula 1." With Mercedes recently re-signing Valtteri Bottas and McLaren expected to retain Fernando Alonso now it has secured a switch from Honda to Renault engines for 2018, Kubica's options for a 2018 race seat appear limited. Force India has yet to confirm Sergio Perez, though it recently said a deal to retain him alongside rookie Esteban Ocon was "close" to being completed. Assuming that deal gets done, the only remaining race seats would be at Williams (alongside Lance Stroll), Toro Rosso, which traditionally runs young Red Bull drivers, and Sauber. Red Bull is expected to promote 2016 GP2 champion Pierre Gasly to Sainz's vacated STR seat after impressive displays in Japanese Super Formula this season, so would have to block that move or dump incumbent Daniil Kvyat to make space for Kubica, who has driven Red Bull's simulator during his recuperation. Sauber is widely expected to promote Ferrari junior and Formula 2 points leader Charles Leclerc to F1 next year, after signing a new Ferrari engine deal, so would have to deny Leclerc or dump Marcus Ericsson, whose sponsors have invested heavily in the team, to make space. Renault made a bold attempt to grab Daniel Ricciardo from Red Bull for the 2018 Formula 1 season as part of the deal to cancel Toro Rosso's engine contract. Multiple sources with good knowledge of the situation have revealed the Ricciardo bid happened during the complicated negotiations that allowed McLaren and Toro Rosso to swap their Honda and Renault engine supplies for next year. Renault has been on the hunt for a new team-mate for Nico Hulkenberg next year, and sensed a good opportunity to get one of Red Bull's roster in exchange for letting Toro Rosso switch to Honda. Although Red Bull has ultimately agreed to release Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz Jr for 2018 - on the proviso that he could be brought back for the following year if he is needed - it has emerged he was not the only driver Renault targeted during talks. Sources have revealed that at one stage, as discussions reached a crunch point for the engine changes to go ahead, Renault made a bid to get Ricciardo instead. Ricciardo's form against Max Verstappen makes him one of the key players in the future driver market, especially with his contract at Red Bull coming to an end after next year. But with Red Bull well aware of Ricciardo's strengths and having no interest in letting him go, in the end Renault gave up its pursuit and focused efforts on Sainz instead. Red Bull gave its blessing for Sainz to move to Renault, although there has been no official confirmation of the news, nor a final decision on when Sainz will make the team switch. Renault has been pushing to get Sainz in the car as early as possible - potentially from the Malaysian Grand Prix - with his place at Toro Rosso then taken, at least in the short term, by Red Bull junior and 2016 GP2 champion Pierre Gasly. But Renault's current driver Jolyon Palmer is standing firm over the contract he has in place, and unless the two parties reach a compromise deal and agree to part ways there is no way open for Sainz to be slotted in. Palmer was in a defiant mood in Singapore on Thursday when asked about his future situation, and the prospect of losing his seat from Malaysia. "I have a contract. I've got seven more races this year," he said. "There have been suggestions for the past 35 races that I might not be at the next one, or in the next few, so this is nothing new for me. "It's water off a duck's back now." The Singapore Grand Prix will stay on the Formula 1 calendar until at least 2021 thanks to a fresh four-year agreement. The new deal was announced by F1 on Friday, with the Singapore GP promoters, the Singapore Tourism Board, and Liberty Media combining to keep the championship's first night race on the calendar for another four years. "The Singapore Grand Prix is a signature Formula 1 race and therefore we are very pleased that it will continue to feature on the calendar for a further four years," said F1 chairman and CEO Chase Carey. "The first ever night race in this sport is one of the most thrilling events of the year, taking place against the stunning backdrop of Marina Bay. "The Singapore Grand Prix, the Singapore Tourism Board and the Singapore Government have all done an excellent job of making this an event that involves the whole city. "We are looking forward to offering our continued support to make the next four years even more spectacular and exciting." According to the announcement the event has delivered a "year-on-year plus 19%" improvement in ticket sales, with Singapore's Minister for Trade and Industry S Iswaran emphasising the importance of the race for the city. "The F1 Singapore Grand Prix has generated significant benefits for our economy as well as the Formula 1 franchise," Iswaran said. "With its global viewership and media coverage, the race has reinforced Singapore's image as a vibrant and innovative city to a wide international audience. "It has also created good opportunities for Singaporeans and the local business community. "We look forward to the continued support of all Singaporeans as we work with Formula 1, Singapore GP, and all stakeholders, to ensure the F1 Singapore Grand Prix remains an event that we can all be proud of." Although no figures for the new race fee were revealed, Iswaran said the overall cost of the event had come down to S$135 million per year - 60% of which came from government contributions. It has been reported that the previous cost was S$150. This weekend's race will be Singapore's 10th grand prix, with the event having made its debut on the calendar in 2008. Although there had been talk in the past of the track layout being changed to take in a different area of the city, Iswaran said that no plans for any such alteration were being considered at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Lineker Posted September 15, 2017 Author Admin Report Share Posted September 15, 2017 Quote Motor racing-McLaren split from Honda and switch to Renault SINGAPORE, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Former champions McLaren will swap their Honda engines for Renault ones at the end of the Formula One season after calling time on a troubled three-year partnership marked by frustration and failure. The split, announced at the Singapore Grand Prix on Friday, ends hope of recreating the magic of the late 1980s and early 90s when the British-based team and Japanese manufacturer were dominant together. Honda will stay in Formula One, replacing Renault as engine supplier to Red Bull-owned Toro Rosso whose Spanish driver Carlos Sainz moves to the French team on loan for the 2018 season. "For a combination of reasons our partnership has not flourished as any of us would have wished," McLaren executive director Zak Brown said in a statement. "It is certainly not for the want of effort on the part of either Honda or McLaren, but the time has come to move ahead in different directions." (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ed Osmond) REUTERS DONE DEAL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Lineker Posted September 15, 2017 Author Admin Report Share Posted September 15, 2017 Aston Martin? Audi? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonM Posted September 15, 2017 Report Share Posted September 15, 2017 *Red Bull-Trabant hype intensifies* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FestiveJack Posted September 15, 2017 Report Share Posted September 15, 2017 Red Bull-Lada incoming. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2K Posted September 15, 2017 Report Share Posted September 15, 2017 Here's the rest of the quote: Quote “We have a relationship with a motor manufacturer already and you haven’t got to be a rocket scientists to work out what that is.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Posted September 16, 2017 Report Share Posted September 16, 2017 Aston Martin then, surely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazz Posted September 16, 2017 Report Share Posted September 16, 2017 Nah, it's NASA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katsuya Posted September 16, 2017 Report Share Posted September 16, 2017 I'd assume Porsche, given that Porsche said they were interested in joining in 2021. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Posted September 16, 2017 Report Share Posted September 16, 2017 49 minutes ago, Katsuya said: I'd assume Porsche, given that Porsche said they were interested in joining in 2021. He said it wasn't Porsche or Honda though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2K Posted September 17, 2017 Report Share Posted September 17, 2017 It's Singapor-ing with rain and the start is carnage! And Fernando got such a good start as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazz Posted September 17, 2017 Report Share Posted September 17, 2017 Seb played himself. Max had nowhere to go between the two Ferraris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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