2015 Silly Season Thread

CoopsII · Post by **CoopsII** » 19 Nov 2014, 10:29

DanielPT wrote:Dragging the decision to generate more headlines is one thing but this is another all completely. Haven't McLaren figured out that people just assumed they would sign Alonso and Magnussen and moved on to more interesting stuff like Caterham?

I do think it's another sign of Ron Dennis-esque arrogance to believe people still give a crap about this. In the 80s and 90s the McLaren driver line-up was a big deal, but I don't think it is any more. I mentioned in another thread it appears McLaren are living in a bubble where they believe they are still integral to F1 but their results of late, in my opinion, put them firmly in the camp where Williams have been for about ten years, namely Historic Team On Its Arse, previous members include Tyrell and Lotus.

Post by **Bobby Doorknobs** » 19 Nov 2014, 11:12

Maybe McLaren are waiting for Godot the announcement of their title sponsor before announcing their drivers.

James1978 · Post by **James1978** » 19 Nov 2014, 12:57

Well Lotus is now closed to Button too with confirmation of Grosjean's re-signing. Might Toro Rosso want him rather than Vergne to partner Verstappen? Unlikely though it does make some sense!

Collieafc · Post by **Collieafc** » 19 Nov 2014, 14:18

mario wrote:After all, if Button wants to look at options in other series, such as sportscar racing, he can't afford to wait for too long to make the switch - at this rate, it might be the case that McLaren's prospective drivers make their minds up for them by making their own decisions...

Maybe thats McLarens intention? If it indirectly forces a driver out, they can turn round and say it was the drivers choice and reduce the chance of them looking like the bad guys - or thats the theory anyway.Regardless, with an announcement in December, it shifts the onus from the team back to the driver.

Post by **mario** » 19 Nov 2014, 19:06

CoopsII wrote:
DanielPT wrote:Dragging the decision to generate more headlines is one thing but this is another all completely. Haven't McLaren figured out that people just assumed they would sign Alonso and Magnussen and moved on to more interesting stuff like Caterham?

I do think it's another sign of Ron Dennis-esque arrogance to believe people still give a crap about this. In the 80s and 90s the McLaren driver line-up was a big deal, but I don't think it is any more. I mentioned in another thread it appears McLaren are living in a bubble where they believe they are still integral to F1 but their results of late, in my opinion, put them firmly in the camp where Williams have been for about ten years, namely Historic Team On Its Arse, previous members include Tyrell and Lotus.

I wouldn't say they are quite at that level yet, since they are showing some signs of rebounding in the closing part of this season (at least in Button's hands).

Mind you, if I was to draw an analogy with one of those teams, it could perhaps be said that McLaren are looking a bit like Williams did in the early 2000's. The parallels are there - a strong competitor that had started to decline a bit due to a long standing partnership with their engine supplier coming to an end (Renault in Williams's case, Mercedes for McLaren), resulting in reduced investment into the team and a tailing off of technical support.

In that instance, both outfits were also aiming to establish a relationship with a new manufacturer (BMW and Honda respectively) which they intend to leverage to increase investment and change the image of the team as they seek to establish a new identity, whilst utilising the fact that there is a period of relatively limited regulation changes following a major shift in the regulations (in Williams's case the slightly earlier shift to narrower track widths and the change in engine regulations this time around) which they hope to use as a period of consolidation and development.

Collieafc wrote:
mario wrote:After all, if Button wants to look at options in other series, such as sportscar racing, he can't afford to wait for too long to make the switch - at this rate, it might be the case that McLaren's prospective drivers make their minds up for them by making their own decisions...

Maybe thats McLarens intention? If it indirectly forces a driver out, they can turn round and say it was the drivers choice and reduce the chance of them looking like the bad guys - or thats the theory anyway.Regardless, with an announcement in December, it shifts the onus from the team back to the driver.

It would also have the convenient side effect that McLaren would potentially not have to pay compensation for breach of contract, since it would be the drivers who were breaking the contract rather than the team.

Captain Hammer · Post by **Captain Hammer** » 20 Nov 2014, 10:27

Ferrari have (finally) confirmed Alonso will be replaced by Vettel.

Backmarker · Post by **Backmarker** » 20 Nov 2014, 10:32

Captain Hammer wrote:Ferrari have (finally) confirmed Alonso will be replaced by Vettel.

Autosport or it blah blah blah

CoopsII · Post by **CoopsII** » 20 Nov 2014, 10:34

Backmarker wrote:
Captain Hammer wrote:Ferrari have (finally) confirmed Alonso will be replaced by Vettel.

Autosport or it blah blah blah

If anybody genuinely needs to check that link for confirmation they must be stupid.

Paul Hayes · Post by **Paul Hayes** » 20 Nov 2014, 10:35

Colour me stunned!

Captain Hammer · Post by **Captain Hammer** » 20 Nov 2014, 10:44

Ferrari have the worst business model since Weyland-Yutani's "capture murderous alien, something something something, profit" approach.

Because what could possibly go wrong when you keep your criminally-underperforming driver and let your good driver go?

Post by **Bobby Doorknobs** » 20 Nov 2014, 11:55

Captain Hammer wrote:Ferrari have the worst business model since Weyland-Yutani's "capture murderous alien, something something something, profit" approach.

Because what could possibly go wrong when you keep your criminally-underperforming driver and let your good driver go?

Because you can't have two roosters in the same henhouse. Just like the way modern F1 fans don't have the attention span for 90-minute races and young drivers are a waste of time. :roll:

This decision was more than likely made when Luca was still in power anyway so I'm praying this will change.

Sublime_FA11C · Post by **Sublime_FA11C** » 20 Nov 2014, 12:22

Who is the fastest driver in F1 that Vettel will not balk at being his teammate?

Stale (as good as he is) Alonso out, fresh German with a burning desire to lead Ferrari to glory Vettel in. The other seat is up to Vettel to decide as per usual Ferrari logic, and Kimi is the most likely driver to bag points yet not get in the way of Vettel's supremacy. Even if he doesn't manage to score much, he is a good choice for the marque and good for team harmony. Unless he beats the crap out of Vettel on track, but in that case Ferrari still end up with a contender.

CoopsII · Post by **CoopsII** » 20 Nov 2014, 12:31

Captain Hammer wrote:Ferrari have the worst business model since Weyland-Yutani's "capture murderous alien, something something something, profit" approach.
Because what could possibly go wrong when you keep your criminally-underperforming driver and let your good driver go?

They could crash land on a prison planet staffed with British actors and have a CGI alien that looks incredibly dated?

James1978 · Post by **James1978** » 20 Nov 2014, 12:37

In that sense, I actually thought Irvine was a better #2 for Schumi than Rubens was, despite Rubens being the #2 driver in the years Schumi won the championship. I think Kimi fits in that sense as he's thick-skinned and not likely to let it bother him.

That said I'd have loved to see a clash of the titans with Alonso staying there with Vettel.

Post by **Miguel98** » 20 Nov 2014, 18:26

Sublime_FA11C wrote:Who is the fastest driver in F1 that Vettel will not balk at being his teammate?

Stale (as good as he is) Alonso out, fresh German with a burning desire to lead Ferrari to glory Vettel in. The other seat is up to Vettel to decide as per usual Ferrari logic, and Kimi is the most likely driver to bag points yet not get in the way of Vettel's supremacy. Even if he doesn't manage to score much, he is a good choice for the marque and good for team harmony. Unless he beats the crap out of Vettel on track, but in that case Ferrari still end up with a contender.

But the thing is... How much time will it take before Ferrari makes a car that fights for the title? 2, 3 years?

Post by **mario** » 20 Nov 2014, 18:45

Simtek wrote:
Captain Hammer wrote:Ferrari have the worst business model since Weyland-Yutani's "capture murderous alien, something something something, profit" approach.

Because what could possibly go wrong when you keep your criminally-underperforming driver and let your good driver go?

Because you can't have two roosters in the same henhouse. Just like the way modern F1 fans don't have the attention span for 90-minute races and young drivers are a waste of time. This decision was more than likely made when Luca was still in power anyway so I'm praying this will change.

Alonso has now said that he had already given Ferrari an indication that he was thinking of leaving last year, suggesting that perhaps the decision was not Ferrari's to make.

There are also some rumours that, in fact, it is Mattiacci who wanted to drive Alonso out and to install Vettel in his place - partially because Alonso seems to have objected to the changes that Mattiacci wanted to force on Ferrari, and therefore driving Alonso out was a way for him to stamp his authority on the team. In that instance, Vettel, as a complete outside, fitted the bill that Mattiacci wanted - a high profile and successful driver who would also not object if he changed the management of the team.

After all, Alonso was pointedly praising Domenicali's efforts earlier this season when he was forced out, whilst Luca is also known to have dealt directly with Alonso and been somewhat close to him - given that Marchionne has not hidden his desire to force Luca out (and showed Luca utter contempt during Luca's farewell speech to the staff at Ferrari) and Mattiacci's close association with Marchionne, I would not rule out the possibility that this is also linked to the much wider changes at Ferrari and Luca's demise.

good_Ralf · Post by **good_Ralf** » 20 Nov 2014, 18:50

Miguel98 wrote:But the thing is... How much time will it take before Ferrari makes a car that fights for the title? 2, 3 years?

To be honest it will be an indefinite number of years before Ferrari return to the forefront. Some years ago people would have been giving the same answer and here we are and Ferrari are still doing crap. Every year of late they've been saying - "This year we will finally deliver" - only for it explode in their faces, the 2011 car lacked ultimate pace, the 2012 car is infamous for being so slow it was only Alonso's driving that made it look good, in 2013 they started well but a number of factors e.g. the Pirellis, development issues, errors from the team and drivers saw them fall back to their average performance level and 2014 has been another pathetic year.

I don't see how Vettel, despite being a good team leader, can transcend the car, he's a good driver but not the best all-round, he has struggled with the new breed of racing car and it is unclear as to whether Raikkonen has anything left in him to do good as well. The team say they have learned from their mistakes but it hasn't shown in recent times and frankly, I can't see them building a legendary machine anytime soon.

Sublime_FA11C · Post by **Sublime_FA11C** » 20 Nov 2014, 19:34

Vettel faces an interesting challenge. He wants to build a super succesfull team around him and emulate Schumacher that way, but he has never done so before. He fell into place in Red Bull and was the perfect driver for the team but the team was organised by Mateshitz/Horner with Horner mainly concerning himself with giving Newey room to work, something Newey was concerned about when weighing up a possible jump to Ferrari.

Vettel, and to a lesser extent Newey, were both worth placating (and paying) because they ultimately delivered. Vettel isn't a dummy, he clearly belives that Ferrari will organise the team that combines their deep pockets with a driver who is capable of delivering. Question is how long *will* it take... because Red Bull is super organised compared to Ferrari, but with Mattiacci backed by Marchionne not pulling punches it looks as if organisational problems can be solved. That leaves aero/car development and even if Vettel can't transced the car, he can guide development and maybe, who knows, maybe he can signal to Newey that Ferrai is a more desirable enviroment and serious about making an offer that is hard to refuse. If Newey is not part of the equation, then someone who could hold a candle to him would be what Ferrari need, and they can certainly afford the price.

Kimi is looking to retire in the next two years, Vettel can wait out 2 possibly even 3 years if it takes, as long as he is the next Ferrari champion. His influence, desire to return to winning, finger waving ways and salary will give Mattiacci the motivation he needs to sort out the rest. That's the goal anyway...

DanielPT · Post by **DanielPT** » 21 Nov 2014, 10:22

mario wrote:I wouldn't say they are quite at that level yet, since they are showing some signs of rebounding in the closing part of this season (at least in Button's hands).

Mind you, if I was to draw an analogy with one of those teams, it could perhaps be said that McLaren are looking a bit like Williams did in the early 2000's. The parallels are there - a strong competitor that had started to decline a bit due to a long standing partnership with their engine supplier coming to an end (Renault in Williams's case, Mercedes for McLaren), resulting in reduced investment into the team and a tailing off of technical support.

In that instance, both outfits were also aiming to establish a relationship with a new manufacturer (BMW and Honda respectively) which they intend to leverage to increase investment and change the image of the team as they seek to establish a new identity, whilst utilising the fact that there is a period of relatively limited regulation changes following a major shift in the regulations (in Williams's case the slightly earlier shift to narrower track widths and the change in engine regulations this time around) which they hope to use as a period of consolidation and development.

I must admit that, looking at McLaren these days, the Honda relationship reminds me more, much more, of the Williams-Toyota relationship. I hope I am wrong. Honda has a much better record in the sport after all (and yes, that Brawn was an Honda chassis powered by Mercedes).

Backmarker · Post by **Backmarker** » 21 Nov 2014, 10:31

DanielPT wrote:I must admit that, looking at McLaren these days, the Honda relationship reminds me more, much more, of the Williams-Toyota relationship. I hope I am wrong. Honda has a much better record in the sport after all (and yes, that Brawn was an Honda chassis powered by Mercedes).

What about the McLaren-Honda relationship reminds you of Williams-Toyota? To me they're very different: McLaren is the works team, Williams was a customer competing against Toyota's works team; McLaren probably won't get Honda's equivalent of Kazuki Nakajima dumped upon them either.

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 21 Nov 2014, 12:04

Backmarker wrote:McLaren probably won't get Honda's equivalent of Kazuki Nakajima dumped upon them either.

You never know, we might see a third McLaren with Takuya Izawa at the wheel... :shock:

DanielPT · Post by **DanielPT** » 21 Nov 2014, 12:15

Backmarker wrote:
DanielPT wrote:I must admit that, looking at McLaren these days, the Honda relationship reminds me more, much more, of the Williams-Toyota relationship. I hope I am wrong. Honda has a much better record in the sport after all (and yes, that Brawn was an Honda chassis powered by Mercedes).

What about the McLaren-Honda relationship reminds you of Williams-Toyota? To me they're very different: McLaren is the works team, Williams was a customer competing against Toyota's works team; McLaren probably won't get Honda's equivalent of Kazuki Nakajima dumped upon them either.

Unfortunately not, McLaren probably won't get the Honda's equivalent of Kazuki Nakajima. But somehow, I feel like McLaren status is more Williams post BMW (as BMW jumped ship to go into their own team much like Mercedes did except Mercedes still supplied Williams) rather than post Renault. I mean McLaren have been fighting Force India, which are a smaller operation with the same engine. And Williams themselves have been going better with their switch to Mercedes rather than McLaren. Also, the rumours stating that the Honda engines are lacking strikes to me as a similar effort, at the moment, akin to that of Toyota and not like BMW which had a powerful albeit thirsty engine. Finally and probably most important is that the reason that McLaren current woes are because of the team and not because of the engine. When Renault left and Williams got an old engine you could say at the time they went down thanks to the engine. You could not say the same when BWM left for Toyota. In this case the problems were still there and no new engine could solve that. In the end is a question of feeling rather than anything else. I hope to be proven wrong in the seasons to come.

Post by **Londoner** » 21 Nov 2014, 17:27

More sabre-rattling from Horner

DanielPT · Post by **DanielPT** » 21 Nov 2014, 17:42

East Londoner wrote:More sabre-rattling from Horner

So Horner is still "concerned" about the costs so he suggests to avoid more development costs by scrapping previous development costs while at a same time adding a few more development costs. He also expects that in the end the engines will be cheaper. Looks legit.

Row Man Gross-Gene · Post by **Row Man Gross-Gene** » 21 Nov 2014, 18:09

DanielPT wrote:So Horner is still "concerned" about the costs so he suggests to avoid more development costs by scrapping previous development costs while at a same time adding a few more development costs. He also expects that in the end the engines will cheaper. Looks legit.

I like the way your mind works.

Sublime_FA11C · Post by **Sublime_FA11C** » 21 Nov 2014, 19:34

Will McLaren kick a second driver to the curb in two years? If he is Ron Dennis' "baby" then papa Dennis sure as hell doesn't act like it. At this point Magnussen may be more like a puppy that's grown a little bigger and the kids aren't interested in it any more.

Or Dennis has learned his lesson and is not showing so much enthusiasm towards Magnussen as a way of placating Alonso, who threw a fit last time Ron loved his "baby" a little too much.

Post by **mario** » 21 Nov 2014, 20:06

Row Man Gross-Gene wrote:
DanielPT wrote:So Horner is still "concerned" about the costs so he suggests to avoid more development costs by scrapping previous development costs while at a same time adding a few more development costs. He also expects that in the end the engines will cheaper. Looks legit.

I like the way your mind works.

Sadly, I do not like the way that Horner's mind works - the only upside is that most people are seeing straight away through his utterly transparent attempts to force the field back in his direction.

After all, it's not surprising that he is picking on the idea of a standardised energy recovery system given that is the one area where Mercedes is believed to be particularly dominant. It's also quite marked how Renault themselves are not complaining about the engine development regulations in the way that Horner is - perhaps because they are the ones who have to pay for the engine development and then hand over the fruits of their development to Horner for free...

Sublime_FA11C wrote:Will McLaren kick a second driver to the curb in two years? If he is Ron Dennis' "baby" then papa Dennis sure as hell doesn't act like it. At this point Magnussen may be more like a puppy that's grown a little bigger and the kids aren't interested in it any more.

Or Dennis has learned his lesson and is not showing so much enthusiasm towards Magnussen as a way of placating Alonso, who threw a fit last time Ron loved his "baby" a little too much.

I think that there is perhaps another aspect to McLaren's indecision over their driver line up, because McLaren do have a bit of a difficult decision to make.

Magnussen has shown potential over the course of this season in terms of raw pace, but at the same time also been ragged and somewhat inconsistent in terms of performance. Button, as has been his weakness, hasn't been the best in terms of qualifying and outright qualifying speed, but over the course of this season he has been the more consistent and higher performing driver, and on balance the difference in points represents that fact fairly well.

From McLaren's point of view, they have a problems - in the short term, Button is likely to be the driver who would score more points given his experience and race craft, but Magnussen's longer term career potential is likely to outweigh that of Button. The team is essentially having to wager on whether the short term pain they might take from keeping Magnussen, who would probably not score as heavily as Button might and could therefore cost them in a tight WCC battle, could be repaid in the longer term by stronger future performances from him - which is a difficult decision to weigh up.

Sublime_FA11C · Post by **Sublime_FA11C** » 21 Nov 2014, 20:43

Button will allways claim that his car setup goals are race trim and not qualy pace. His results more or less support this.

The real bitch about the McLaren decision is how do they *not* keep Magnussen? He's the talked up, hyped up, prodigal, superquick, agressive future McLaren star. He can't be shelved for a year in another team, he can't be partnered with Alonso because he will ruffle his feathers, and he can't be dropped based on performance unless McLaren want to admit they were wrong about him, and frankly, there isn't enough evidence that Kevin can't cut it. Melbourne was clearly a long long time ago...

And you bet Magnussen will go for Alonso's blood if he gets retained, because being outperformed by Button in his rookie year was excusable but unless he beats Alonso in a way Alonso has never been beaten before, then his McLaren career is over just like Perez' was once they figured where his ceiling is.
So how the hell do McLaren intend to pair Kevin and Fernando? These two will be exactly like the Red Bull young drivers with careers at stake. I know Alonso is better but he is also keen on dominating his teammates and that is counterproductive to Magnussen's progress who was not described as a guy who is to sit and learn for a number of years. And you don't bring Alonso in just to throw another young McLaren up-and-comer at him.

No wonder both Alonso and Magnussen want Button as a teammate. Safe and just fast enough to embarrass a teammate who isn't on top of their game. But no long term threat.

Nessafox · Post by **Nessafox** » 21 Nov 2014, 23:38

Why wouldn't McLaren keep Magnussen one year as a test-driver ... like Renault did with Alonso in 2002? In my opinion that would make perfect sense. Give Button one last year, please Honda by running Button ánd Alonso, and Magnussen can learn from watching two former world champions close.
As much as Magnussen has potential, he's too inexperienced in this developmental phase Honda is in.

And secretly i'm hoping that Mclaren will dump Magnussen 'because they see more future in Vandoorne'

Sublime_FA11C · Post by **Sublime_FA11C** » 22 Nov 2014, 07:22

I see the decision as a vote of confidence on Magnussen. If he's not retained, he's effectively not good enough. A test role is a demotion at this point in his career, and it would stall his development. Williams kept Bottas in that role for one year but that was before he was a bona fide F1 driver with a podium finish no less.

"Ifs and buts" but had McLaren retained Perez, Magnussen could have been made to wait for one extra year or given a seat in Force India or backmarker team for 2015. Kicking Perez out for Alonso is a no brainer because Sergio is much closer to his ceiling and is older than Kevin.

I'm seriously doubting all the hype that was heaped onto Magnussen pre 2014... seems designed to sell him onto the public (and Honda, and sponsors) as McLaren's version of Vettel. It's not that Magnussen isn't good enough, it's just that Ron talks up Kevin, talks up Honda's engine, talks up the whole team as being the best most professional outfit... and what's the result? Kevin is ok, but is he's a Vettel clone he'd be retained and locked to a multi year contract (see Bottas, Valteri; Williams), McLarens chassis and aerodynamics have allowed them to just barely beat Force India while spending about 5 times more money in the process. All that remains is for the Honda engnie to bomb and McLaren can finally take their rightfull place in F1 as a has-been outfit but with the budget and mentality of Ferrari.

And speaking of Ferrari, they have their own brushes with delusions of grandeur, but Vettel had a choice for 2015. Ferrari or McLaren-Honda.

I also doubt that dumping Magnussen would please Vandoorne much. Young drivers need more than a year to develop and being kicked out in favor of grid dinosaurs doesn't make McLaren look like a rosy career choice. If Kevin is dropped now, he is not going to find a seat easily if at all!

LellaLombardi · Post by **LellaLombardi** » 22 Nov 2014, 09:29

Given the cloud that Alonso left McLaren under last time, plus the fact that he's only wanting to go there to keep driving until a Mercedes seat comes up, I don't think he will have much influence (or not as much as he would maybe like) over Ron Dennis anymore. So I don't think Ron cares whether or not Magnussen may be a threat to him.

I can't imagine Ron having the shots called by any driver. It's never happened before and it backfired when Alonso tried it.

As great a driver as Alonso is, his main weakness is that he has made a lot of poor career choices over the years, and that is the main reason for him having only two titles.

Captain Hammer · Post by **Captain Hammer** » 22 Nov 2014, 09:55

LellaLombardi wrote:he's only wanting to go there to keep driving until a Mercedes seat comes up

There has never been any evidence of that. As near as I can tell, it's little more than an internet rumour trying to create a narrative to explain the delay in his announcement. And part of it is feeding into the tensions at Mercedes, with the talk of Hamilton walking away if he didn't win the title.

IceG · Post by **IceG** » 22 Nov 2014, 13:25

Sky are reporting a rumour that Ross Brawn is returning to Ferrari...

Post by **mario** » 22 Nov 2014, 14:23

Captain Hammer wrote:
LellaLombardi wrote:he's only wanting to go there to keep driving until a Mercedes seat comes up

There has never been any evidence of that. As near as I can tell, it's little more than an internet rumour trying to create a narrative to explain the delay in his announcement. And part of it is feeding into the tensions at Mercedes, with the talk of Hamilton walking away if he didn't win the title.

Mercedes have certainly made clear in the past that they want to hold onto a Rosberg-Hamilton pairing for the longer term if they can. They have already secured Rosberg's services for the next few years and, although Hamilton has postponed his contract talks until after this season (mainly because Hamilton has left his former management team), they don't need to rush given that he is already on their books for 2015 and shown a strong interest in extending his contract.

Furthermore, Alonso has said that he was already in talks with Luca about leaving Ferrari in 2013 - it was only because Luca persuaded him not to go that he stayed on for 2014 (which perhaps explains why Luca's departure seems to have sealed Alonso's departure as well), indicating that Alonso's move has been aiming to line up a seat at another team long before Mercedes's upturn in form.

IceG wrote:Sky are reporting a rumour that Ross Brawn is returning to Ferrari...

As they pointed out, though, it is hardly the first time that such rumours have come about - we will see what happens, but I am not sure if the move is because some journalists believe it will happen or if the rumour is what they are hoping will happen.

Post by **mario** » 22 Nov 2014, 17:42

On a separate note, it is interesting to see that Alonso is taking a parting shot at Mattiacci over some of the comments that Mattiacci made about his commitment and the suggestion from Mattiacci that they wanted a younger driver for the future:

"I heard the comments and I don't think they were very good," said Alonso, who will start Sunday's race 10th, alongside Raikkonen on the fifth row.

"If he tried to mean that I was not motivated, he arrived at Ferrari too late. He's only been here for a few months and has not seen the five years that I've spent here and how I've fought every single race.

"Probably I was too old when he tried to renew me until the Monza race, and he kept pushing, and pushing and having talks, and even in the last moment we had a lot of phone calls and e-mails that I still have in my computer. Probably at that time I was not so old, but when I took my decision I guess he had to find another driver."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/116899

Captain Hammer · Post by **Captain Hammer** » 22 Nov 2014, 19:55

IceG wrote:Sky are reporting a rumour that Ross Brawn is returning to Ferrari...

They're also reporting that Stoffel Vandoorne may be under consideration at McLaren, and that Button will buy and drive for Caterham with Pharell Williams in the second seat (yes, I know it's fake, but I'm trying to help Brundle's rumour get back to h8m).

Sublime_FA11C · Post by **Sublime_FA11C** » 22 Nov 2014, 20:05

Those are weak rumors, Hamilton returning to McLaren is the big news. He only really left to score one trophy for himself because Ron wanted to keep his 2008 cup.

Salamander · Post by **Salamander** » 22 Nov 2014, 20:19

Captain Hammer wrote:
IceG wrote:Sky are reporting a rumour that Ross Brawn is returning to Ferrari...

They're also reporting that Stoffel Vandoorne may be under consideration at McLaren

He isn't. Eric Bouiller has said it's very likely that he'll stay to mop up GP2 next year.

Post by **tommykl** » 22 Nov 2014, 20:29

Salamander wrote:
Captain Hammer wrote:
IceG wrote:Sky are reporting a rumour that Ross Brawn is returning to Ferrari...

They're also reporting that Stoffel Vandoorne may be under consideration at McLaren

He isn't. Eric Bouiller has said it's very likely that he'll stay to mop up GP2 next year.

If the second half of this season is a sign of things to come, I think 2015 will be WINSLOL of proportions never seen in GP2 history. And I'm not just saying that because Vandoorne is Belgian

Captain Hammer · Post by **Captain Hammer** » 22 Nov 2014, 21:00

Salamander wrote:
Captain Hammer wrote:
IceG wrote:Sky are reporting a rumour that Ross Brawn is returning to Ferrari...

They're also reporting that Stoffel Vandoorne may be under consideration at McLaren

He isn't. Eric Bouiller has said it's very likely that he'll stay to mop up GP2 next year.

Not according to Ron Dennis (by way of Martin Brundle).