[AtheK]

Originally Posted by Thalla

It doesn't seem fair that Yuki wasn't considered as Checo's replacement at Red Bull. He was certainly more deserving driver than Liam to get this seat.

Definitely, seems like the Honda contract expiring next year played a major role as well in the decision.

On the side note, if they had to get Lawson, they could have very well continued with Perez, he is better then Lawson and also would have got them all the sponsorship money. Now Lawson is even in more pressure, because entire world is baffled by this decision, let's see what he is made of.

Redbull does not seem like winning constructors championship anyway next year, would Max be able to get 5th, I doubt that as well. With new regulations from 2026, I see Max leaving Redbull for Mercedes. If that happens Redbull would have a Lawson and some other driver from the grid, probably that is when they will have no choice but go for Sainz.

Originally Posted by mayankk

2026, Max will be in Aston Martin.

I hope this ages well.

Quite possible as a replacement for Alonso, Stroll is anyway no threat. In Mercedes he will replace Russel for sure, Toto anyway is a big fan of Max and has been singing his praises, Mercedes will go all out to get him if he does decide to call it a time at red bull. All will be clear by mid season next year on how Redbull car is performing.

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by AtheK

With new regulations form 2026, I see Max leaving
Redbull for Mercedes.

2026, Max will be in Aston Martin.

I hope this ages well.

[volkman10]

Red Bull will not wait for the joint presentation in London to reveal its RB21.

- It will be possible to see what the new car looks like "at the end of January"
- The joint presentation will take place on February 18, with the ten teams on the grid
- Ferrari has already confirmed that it will hold a solo event on February 19 that will mark the beginning of the new era, with Lewis Hamilton.

Link:

[motorworks]

First up, Perez moving out of Red Bull is no surprise ! He has had an absolutely terrible season and simply does not deserve a drive at a top team like Red Bull. In fact, im not sure why Red Bull actually extended his contract by 2 years! They must have thought that he will continue to be the perfect wingman to Max!

Anyway, i do not think Liam Lawson is the right choice to be honest. He hasnt won F2 or F3 ( agree that not all great drivers win the lower series), but he seems to not have had a stellar series anywhere else too. And he also seems a bit hot-headed to me, banging wheels and taking unnecessary risks. I could be wrong, but the second seat should have ideally gone to Sainz. Some of the decisions at Red Bull always baffle me. In fact, i think they should have probably given Alex Albon a bit more time. He would have done far better than Perez. Anyway, Lawson has a task on hand, Red Bull may just be patient with him for the whole of next year, simply because they now lack serious options.

Just a quick question to all you guys, with 6
Rookies next year, do you foresee more incidents? Cause all of these guys would want to make a mark and im guessing they are going to be aggressive right off the blocks. This is once in a decade kind of a situation; with 6 new drivers, and I really hope we see some exciting talent come up!

[supermax]

Originally Posted by akash_v12

VCARB might as well bring in Hadjar from F2. Seems like quite a promising talent to me, and I don't see them promoting anyone else as of now.

Great call! I was a bit skeptical about Hadjar getting the nod, but it seems that RB/Redbull are slowly but surely reverting to the older tried-and-tested model of youngsters getting their shot with the B team, and then either getting kicked out or promoted, a rule that they ignored after their experiences with Gasly and Albon.

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Left field idea. Red Bull should put Hulkenberg in the second car. Solid and consistent without being spectacular, pretty much made-to-order for what they need.

This is actually a great idea, but the timing is all wrong. Hulkenberg should have got the drive instead of Perez in the first place, and I believe he'd have achieved way more than the Mexican, with Redbull. Makes little sense to bring in a near geriatric stable driver into Redbull now. They need somebody who can be consistently fast, and has the years and the ability to learn and improve while driving alongside Max and hopefully don the leader's role when Max bails for a more promising team, or just hangs up his boots after getting bored. This was the main reason why they were so interested, at least initially, in Colapinto, till his later mistakes led them to believe that he was still at least a season away from being a reliable driver.

Originally Posted by mayankk

The debt is paid, and goodbye Checo.
To what lengths are Hornr and Marko willing to go, to avoid putting anyone even half competitive in the RB seat? Even further to not put Tsunoda there?

At one point this year, the drivers market was so ripe to even take on Sainz. But no.

Sainz won't be the number 2 that Perez was willing to be, before he slipped all the way down the order, so Sainz is out. Tsunoda isn't just about the Honda politics; he's done plenty to show people that he's outright unstable. Not sure if you watched the race in which Tsunoda almost crashed into Ricciardo, post race, just because he was pissed off. He came so close to writing off both cars, and it wasn't even while racing! Any driver who is that unstable will always be a liability. Franz Tost is the man who really had faith in Tsunoda, but at the end of the day, Tsunoda is too much of a man-child to be taken seriously, despite being fast. He's good, but not great, and the fact that he's unstable just makes him a non-option.

Originally Posted by StarrySky

So I don't think RedBull themselves really believe Liam Lawson is an incredible talent. He is in the RedBull because (a) Ricciardo, who they originally brought in as back-up for Perez did not rise to expectations and (b) for some reason (maybe the Honda connection), they don't want to put Tsunoda in the RedBull.

Bingo. They really hoped that Ricciardo would rise up, but if you ask me, they should have taken a punt on him and put him into the Redbull directly after his famous test that he did so well in. Nobody will now ever know how that might have panned out, but he certainly didn't do well in the RB. As for Tsunoda, it's hardly "some reason". Check out my response above; he's a liability. Redbull don't care to play the role that Franz Tost did when it comes to molly-coddling and being a shrink+father-figure to the unstable Tsunoda. He's made a lot of progress for sure, but he's still a liability.

Originally Posted by Thalla

It doesn't seem fair that Yuki wasn't considered as Checo's replacement at Red Bull. He was certainly more deserving driver than Liam to get this seat.

This is not about deserving. It's about who can deliver and be reliable. Yuki has been there for so long and is only now coming to grips, and he's still not clear where to attack and where not to. His skirmish with Piastri in a race this year was both hilarious and sad to watch; Tsunoda had a tire advantage and was clearly faster, but pissed his chances goodbye by picking a wrong place to pass, making contact instead. Liam by contrast has so little race experience, but still held his own, even against Perez, and that spoke far more loudly in his favor than anything Tsunoda has displayed.

[volkman10]

Franco Colapinto becomes Alpine's reserve,

He joins us on a multi-year deal. Franco will be our Reserve Driver for 2025

[Aurora Zero]

Don't get me wrong I'm not a huge Lewis supporter or infact I don't support anyone at all in this sport. I'm a neutral fan, but I would definitely love to see Lewis in a Ferrari and him winning his 8th WDC and bringing back that victory that Maranello has been missing for so long.
Over-all it will be quite a season this year in my opinion

[RM Motorsports]

Fact or Fiction, but its interesting.

[justin.das]

Lewis's First Day at Ferrari

[aditya_reds]

Match made in heaven

[am1m]

Originally Posted by justin.das

Lewis's First Day at Ferrari

Originally Posted by aditya_reds

Match made in heaven

But why did he dress like Harry Potter for his first day at work at Ferrari?!

Needs to pick up some sprezzatura. Well, he's at the right place for that.

[justin.das]

Originally Posted by am1m

But why did he dress like Harry Potter for his first day at work at Ferrari?!

Needs to pick up some sprezzatura. Well, he's at the right place for that.

Maybe he is trying to cast a spell on his new team for a championship win! if it’s anything like Schumi’s iconic entrance, he’s off to a magical start. Sprezzatura takes time—Ferrari will work its charm soon enough!

[Nino]

Originally Posted by justin.das

Lewis's First Day at Ferrari
Attachment 2716379

This picture is a masterpiece in itself.

7 Windows with a door to the 8th.

but really the 9th

[justin.das]

Originally Posted by Nino

This picture is a masterpiece in itself.

7 Windows with a door to the 8th.

but really the 9th

I’ve never been this eager for an F1 season in the last 10 years! Even though there’s no guarantee of a title with a new championship driver—especially considering how previous championship-winning signings didn’t work out—the 2025 season looks promising with Lewis and Ferrari’s form

[Nino]

Originally Posted by justin.das

"the 2025 season looks promising with Lewis and Ferrari’s form

That's so true and Ferrari just nailed it on welcoming Lewis.




Compare Lewis's picture with this, Carlos Sainz's first day at Williams.

Lewis on his dazzling looking suit, in front of Enzo Ferrari's house, a F40 in the background and above all the picture of subtle geniousness as a symbolic gateway to announce his battle for his 8th championship with Ferrari.

Part of the itinerary for this week is also getting to see Lewis on his test run, assume its going to be crazy in Maranello. Doubting if we may get to see him in Red yet.