2016 Silly Season Thread

Backmarker · Post by **Backmarker** » 02 Aug 2015, 18:44

So are there any engine suppliers that might consider joining the sport? Cosworth, AER and Zytek could do it, for cheap, but Cosworth's recent engine programme doesn't suggest that Red Bull should have confidence that it would make them competitive.

Post by **mario** » 02 Aug 2015, 20:11

Backmarker wrote:So are there any engine suppliers that might consider joining the sport? Cosworth, AER and Zytek could do it, for cheap, but Cosworth's recent engine programme doesn't suggest that Red Bull should have confidence that it would make them competitive.

Out of those outfits, the only one which would be in a position to start a program within F1 in reasonably short order would be Cosworth. They produced a prototype powertrain back in 2014, but that project has been on ice due to a lack of funding given that Cosworth could not find enough customers to support their development program. Without either a major injection of capital from Red Bull or from a manufacturer wanting to partner with Cosworth, I expect that program will not really go anywhere.

As for the other suggested names, Zytek currently already has a presence in F1 as a component supplier to Mercedes (they've been working with Mercedes to develop their hybrid drive system for a number of years). However, whilst they did express an interest in expanding out to a full powertrain back in 2013, there does not seem to have been any action on that front.

Fetzie · Post by **Fetzie** » 02 Aug 2015, 20:28

mario wrote:
Backmarker wrote:So are there any engine suppliers that might consider joining the sport? Cosworth, AER and Zytek could do it, for cheap, but Cosworth's recent engine programme doesn't suggest that Red Bull should have confidence that it would make them competitive.

Out of those outfits, the only one which would be in a position to start a program within F1 in reasonably short order would be Cosworth. They produced a prototype powertrain back in 2014, but that project has been on ice due to a lack of funding given that Cosworth could not find enough customers to support their development program. Without either a major injection of capital from Red Bull or from a manufacturer wanting to partner with Cosworth, I expect that program will not really go anywhere.

As for the other suggested names, Zytek currently already has a presence in F1 as a component supplier to Mercedes (they've been working with Mercedes to develop their hybrid drive system for a number of years). However, whilst they did express an interest in expanding out to a full powertrain back in 2013, there does not seem to have been any action on that front.

Zytek may well have some kind of NDA or competition exclusion clause in their contract with Mercedes though. Typically that kind of thing would be effective for two years after the companies splitting ways.

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 02 Aug 2015, 20:32

mario wrote:
Backmarker wrote:So are there any engine suppliers that might consider joining the sport? Cosworth, AER and Zytek could do it, for cheap, but Cosworth's recent engine programme doesn't suggest that Red Bull should have confidence that it would make them competitive.

Out of those outfits, the only one which would be in a position to start a program within F1 in reasonably short order would be Cosworth. They produced a prototype powertrain back in 2014, but that project has been on ice due to a lack of funding given that Cosworth could not find enough customers to support their development program. Without either a major injection of capital from Red Bull or from a manufacturer wanting to partner with Cosworth, I expect that program will not really go anywhere.

As for the other suggested names, Zytek currently already has a presence in F1 as a component supplier to Mercedes (they've been working with Mercedes to develop their hybrid drive system for a number of years). However, whilst they did express an interest in expanding out to a full powertrain back in 2013, there does not seem to have been any action on that front.

What happened to PURE? Did they have a V6 turbo hybrid design in the end? Would somebody be able to take those designs and work with them?

Post by **Bobby Doorknobs** » 02 Aug 2015, 20:38

dr-baker wrote:
mario wrote:
Backmarker wrote:So are there any engine suppliers that might consider joining the sport? Cosworth, AER and Zytek could do it, for cheap, but Cosworth's recent engine programme doesn't suggest that Red Bull should have confidence that it would make them competitive.

Out of those outfits, the only one which would be in a position to start a program within F1 in reasonably short order would be Cosworth. They produced a prototype powertrain back in 2014, but that project has been on ice due to a lack of funding given that Cosworth could not find enough customers to support their development program. Without either a major injection of capital from Red Bull or from a manufacturer wanting to partner with Cosworth, I expect that program will not really go anywhere.

As for the other suggested names, Zytek currently already has a presence in F1 as a component supplier to Mercedes (they've been working with Mercedes to develop their hybrid drive system for a number of years). However, whilst they did express an interest in expanding out to a full powertrain back in 2013, there does not seem to have been any action on that front.

What happened to PURE? Did they have a V6 turbo hybrid design in the end? Would somebody be able to take those designs and work with them?

They suspended their engine programme back in mid-2012 due to a lack of funding. I'm not sure how far they got with the design.

Backmarker · Post by **Backmarker** » 04 Aug 2015, 17:29

In Autosport Bottas has said that he is probably going to have to do back exercises for the rest of his career following his accident this season. While it seems that he's managing it pretty well at the moment, I wondered whether it might affect his prospects with regards Ferrari.

Jan Magnussen · Post by **Rob Dylan** » 04 Aug 2015, 19:43

Backmarker wrote:In Autosport Bottas has said that he is probably going to have to do back exercises for the rest of his career following his accident this season. While it seems that he's managing it pretty well at the moment, I wondered whether it might affect his prospects with regards Ferrari.

Hmm, I hope it doesn't hinder him at all. That really would be a shame for someone with such a promising career.

Raikkonen also talked of back injuries he sustained in 2001 which briefly "caused him to be unable to compete for Lotus in late 2013" when he "got surgery to help the issue" (it was all pretty vague at the time as I recall). I don't recall the incident when it happened, and I've only ever heard the issue mentioned by Kimi or anyone when it "caused him" to leave Lotus. Was there any more light shed on what the injury was and if Raikkonen also has to do regular exercise to help keep himself healthy?

Post by **Bobby Doorknobs** » 04 Aug 2015, 19:53

Rob Dylan wrote:
Backmarker wrote:In Autosport Bottas has said that he is probably going to have to do back exercises for the rest of his career following his accident this season. While it seems that he's managing it pretty well at the moment, I wondered whether it might affect his prospects with regards Ferrari.

Hmm, I hope it doesn't hinder him at all. That really would be a shame for someone with such a promising career.

Raikkonen also talked of back injuries he sustained in 2001 which briefly "caused him to be unable to compete for Lotus in late 2013" when he "got surgery to help the issue" (it was all pretty vague at the time as I recall). I don't recall the incident when it happened, and I've only ever heard the issue mentioned by Kimi or anyone when it "caused him" to leave Lotus. Was there any more light shed on what the injury was and if Raikkonen also has to do regular exercise to help keep himself healthy?

It was believed to be in the lower back region in the general vicinity of the wallet. He should be fine as long as he remains in an environment where he can keep his wallet full, though I imagine this problem could become more serious in retirement.

Apart from that I have no idea...

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 04 Aug 2015, 20:48

Rob Dylan wrote:
Backmarker wrote:In Autosport Bottas has said that he is probably going to have to do back exercises for the rest of his career following his accident this season. While it seems that he's managing it pretty well at the moment, I wondered whether it might affect his prospects with regards Ferrari.

Hmm, I hope it doesn't hinder him at all. That really would be a shame for someone with such a promising career.

I do worry. In theory it could go some way in explaining why he has gone from being dominant over Massa to simply being on a par with him.

Post by **mario** » 04 Aug 2015, 21:26

Simtek wrote:
Rob Dylan wrote:
Backmarker wrote:In Autosport Bottas has said that he is probably going to have to do back exercises for the rest of his career following his accident this season. While it seems that he's managing it pretty well at the moment, I wondered whether it might affect his prospects with regards Ferrari.

Hmm, I hope it doesn't hinder him at all. That really would be a shame for someone with such a promising career.

Raikkonen also talked of back injuries he sustained in 2001 which briefly "caused him to be unable to compete for Lotus in late 2013" when he "got surgery to help the issue" (it was all pretty vague at the time as I recall). I don't recall the incident when it happened, and I've only ever heard the issue mentioned by Kimi or anyone when it "caused him" to leave Lotus. Was there any more light shed on what the injury was and if Raikkonen also has to do regular exercise to help keep himself healthy?

It was believed to be in the lower back region in the general vicinity of the wallet. He should be fine as long as he remains in an environment where he can keep his wallet full, though I imagine this problem could become more serious in retirement.

Apart from that I have no idea...

Perhaps Lotus were advising him to sit on his wallet for cushioning, as Sir Frank Williams once told Alan Jones to do, with Kimi suffering from the same issue that Jones did - a lack of anything to put in his wallet.

That said, whilst we joke about it, it is true that Kimi has been suffering from back problems for a long time, especially at the bumpier circuits. During the 2013 Singapore GP, Kimi was suffering from severe back pains during the practise sessions, to the point where he was taken to a local hospital for medical checks and the possibility was raised that Kimi would have to withdraw from that race on medical grounds.

Now, during the Singapore GP, it was stated that Kimi's problems were related to a heavy accident he had all the way back in 2001 when, during a test session for Sauber at Magny Cours, he spun off at Chateau d'Eau and the back of the car was rammed into a concrete wall at high speed.

Now, although at the time he was not badly injured and was discharged relatively quickly, he never fully recovered and suffered from problems ever since. Furthermore, I believe that those problems became worse after his heavy crash in the 2004 German GP, when he spun backwards into a barrier at high speed after his rear wing failed. Officially, his back problems later in the year were a continuation of those issues from Singapore.

Biscione wrote:
Rob Dylan wrote:
Backmarker wrote:In Autosport Bottas has said that he is probably going to have to do back exercises for the rest of his career following his accident this season. While it seems that he's managing it pretty well at the moment, I wondered whether it might affect his prospects with regards Ferrari.

Hmm, I hope it doesn't hinder him at all. That really would be a shame for someone with such a promising career.

I do worry. In theory it could go some way in explaining why he has gone from being dominant over Massa to simply being on a par with him.

This might be though of as a little controversial, but I don't think that Bottas was dominating Massa before his injury. Looking at the relative form of the two drivers in 2014, I actually think that the two drivers were reasonably closely matched that year and that Bottas's final finishing position in the WDC flattered him.

Whilst Bottas did score more points than Massa, Massa was taken out of more races (for example, in the Australian and British GP's) - it's been pointed out that, in the races where both drivers finished, Massa actually spent more laps ahead of Bottas and had a higher finishing position than Bottas on more occasions.

If anything, I would say that it is not so much that Bottas has got worse - I don't think he had that much, if any, real performance advantage over Massa to begin with. Rather, I think that it is Massa has lifted his form, such that he has scored significantly more points this year (he'd scored just 30 points over the first 10 races in 2014), which means that the relative form of the two drivers is more even this year.

Jan Magnussen · Post by **Rob Dylan** » 05 Aug 2015, 14:11

mario wrote:all the stuff that mario just said

I agree with this opinion pretty much all the way. I know Massa has his haters on this forum due to him being pretty outspoken about other drivers, but he had a lot of missed opportunities and bad luck in the first half of last year, with first-lap crashes and a possible podium at Canada. Comparing their results from this season so far, neither Bottas nor Massa seem to have any kind of real advantage over each other, but have taken points off of each other on a race-by-race basis. I'm not sure how much Bottas's accident or injury has affected his performance, but I'd say that Massa's first half of the season has been far better than last year's, giving him a headstart against his teammate and a bit more of a chance at beating him.

Post by **Londoner** » 06 Aug 2015, 21:02

Italian media are apparently reporting that McLaren will announce next month that Stoffel Vandoorne will be replacing Button from 2016 onwards.

Backmarker · Post by **Backmarker** » 06 Aug 2015, 21:11

East Londoner wrote:Italian media are apparently reporting that McLaren will announce next month that Stoffel Vandoorne will be replacing Button from 2016 onwards.

Good. Vandoorne is a talent. 2nd in his rookie season of Formula Renault 3.5, 2nd in his rookie season of GP2 (a series which increasingly favours experienced drivers), absolutely dominating his second season. I do feel for Kevin Magnussen, who had a solid enough debut season in F1, and now seems to have little hope of a seat.

EDIT: That said, Button probably doesn't deserve to lose his seat. But he's not getting any younger, he's expensive compared to Vandoorne, and doesn't bring sponsorship like Alonso does. If he does lose the seat, a presenting role on Top Gear, a book-end at Williams, or off to the WEC?

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 06 Aug 2015, 21:25

East Londoner wrote:Italian media are apparently reporting that McLaren will announce next month that Stoffel Vandoorne will be replacing Button from 2016 onwards.

The way you put it gives it more credence than it actually has.

When one says "Italian media," you expect it to mean some combination of Gazzetta dello Sport, Corriera della Sport, Autosprint et al. Instead this rumour comes courtesy of "Italia Racing", a source known the world over for...errr, nothing.

Crazy headline grab attempt, nothing else to it. The website got their 15 minutes, we can move on now.

Jan Magnussen · Post by **Rob Dylan** » 06 Aug 2015, 21:57

I assume if they don't want him for their main team, do you reckon McLaren will try and buy Magnussen's way into somewhere like Haas? One thing I've learned over the years is that - generally - regardless of where you're driving, if you've got a seat somewhere for a year you can get yourself attention and are more likely to get a seat somewhere better the following year. When people like Alguersuari were turning down offers at Marussia and HRT, they were turning down a definite opportunity to race in Formula 1 for another year, and instead they end up standing at the sidelines for years while the sport passes them by. Getting Kevin into a seat anywhere would be better than having him stand at the sidelines yet again for a seat.

novitopoli · Post by **novitopoli** » 07 Aug 2015, 00:14

Looks like van der Garde finally managed to find a cockpit:

https://twitter.com/GvanderGarde/status ... 8049615872

Backmarker · Post by **Backmarker** » 07 Aug 2015, 07:02

novitopoli wrote:Looks like van der Garde finally managed to find a cockpit:

https://twitter.com/GvanderGarde/status ... 8049615872

1989 Coloni C3?

Waris · Post by **Waris** » 08 Aug 2015, 03:42

Rob Dylan wrote:I assume if they don't want him for their main team, do you reckon McLaren will try and buy Magnussen's way into somewhere like Haas? One thing I've learned over the years is that - generally - regardless of where you're driving, if you've got a seat somewhere for a year you can get yourself attention and are more likely to get a seat somewhere better the following year. When people like Alguersuari were turning down offers at Marussia and HRT, they were turning down a definite opportunity to race in Formula 1 for another year, and instead they end up standing at the sidelines for years while the sport passes them by. Getting Kevin into a seat anywhere would be better than having him stand at the sidelines yet again for a seat.

Manor need to get Honda engines and become a McLaren B-team already, fighting against the Ferrari B-team (Haas). Can you imagine a Vandoorne/Magnussen lineup? When (if) the Honda engine comes good, they might actually be able to show how they rate compared to Alonso and Button.

Although sadly it seems Honda is not going to supply another team for at least another year...

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 09 Aug 2015, 13:15

So it looks like Esteban Gutiérrez Gutiérrez is a lock-in for one of the two Haas seats. I'm sure Ferrari will be doing them a solid and offsetting some of the engine cost in exchange...

Big question marks over the other seat. Der Hülk seems to be right at the top of Gene's shortlist, but would he really settle for the Ferrari B-Team? Would he rather take a works Porsche contract? And who else is on this shortlist? He mentioned experienced drivers becoming available, is he going to try and persuade someone like Raikkonen or Button, who both look to be on their way out of their respective teams, to spearhead their effort? Or will we see a comeback from perennial veteran replacement drivers Nick Heidfeld or Pedro de la Rosa? That must be it! Why else would Nick not renew his Venturi deal? Because he's about to sign with Haas for 2016!

Post by **Ataxia** » 09 Aug 2015, 13:56

Biscione wrote:That must be it! Why else would Nick not renew his Venturi deal? Because he's about to sign with Haas for 2016!

Please, Gene, make this happen.

Post by **Bobby Doorknobs** » 09 Aug 2015, 14:00

Ataxia wrote:
Biscione wrote:That must be it! Why else would Nick not renew his Venturi deal? Because he's about to sign with Haas for 2016!

Please, Gene, make this happen.

Why do I keep reading that as Gené?

But yes, please make this happen!

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 09 Aug 2015, 14:13

It's a slightly boring choice, but yeah, why not?

Post by **tommykl** » 09 Aug 2015, 15:30

Biscione wrote:Or will we see a comeback from perennial veteran replacement drivers Nick Heidfeld or Pedro de la Rosa?

I believe Nigel Mansell still hasn't announced his retirement...

Salamander · Post by **Salamander** » 09 Aug 2015, 16:46

tommykl wrote:
Biscione wrote:Or will we see a comeback from perennial veteran replacement drivers Nick Heidfeld or Pedro de la Rosa?

I believe Nigel Mansell still hasn't announced his retirement...

I also believe that Emerson Fittipaldi did a race towards the end of last year at least...

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 09 Aug 2015, 18:56

Salamander wrote:
tommykl wrote:
Biscione wrote:Or will we see a comeback from perennial veteran replacement drivers Nick Heidfeld or Pedro de la Rosa?

I believe Nigel Mansell still hasn't announced his retirement...

I also believe that Emerson Fittipaldi did a race towards the end of last year at least...

Only a few days ago, Juan Manuel Fangio rose from his grave...

Jan Magnussen · Post by **Rob Dylan** » 10 Aug 2015, 10:30

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/120277
Apparently the "Strategy" "Group" are looking at increasing opportunities for overtaking. Because there is simply not enough overtaking!

CoopsII · Post by **CoopsII** » 10 Aug 2015, 13:14

Biscione wrote:Only a few days ago, Juan Manuel Fangio rose from his grave...

Bernie has put a request in to see if they borrow him for some photos on the grid at Belgium. You know, drum up a bit of interest.

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 10 Aug 2015, 20:21

Bring back Ferenc Szisz, I say!

Post by **Ataxia** » 10 Aug 2015, 23:48

Biscione wrote:
Salamander wrote:
tommykl wrote:I believe Nigel Mansell still hasn't announced his retirement...

I also believe that Emerson Fittipaldi did a race towards the end of last year at least...

Only a few days ago, Juan Manuel Fangio rose from his grave...

...and promptly became a daytime TV hero.

Klon · Post by **Klon** » 13 Aug 2015, 10:57

Rob Dylan wrote:http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/120277
Apparently the "Strategy" "Group" are looking at increasing opportunities for overtaking. Because there is simply not enough overtaking!

That is what people get for thinking MotoGP is good racing. Y'all only have yourself to blame.

Post by **Bobby Doorknobs** » 14 Aug 2015, 18:07

Two teams have failed to gain an entry for 2016-17. The identities of the teams have not been revealed, but it is understood ART is neither of them, interestingly. It can also be understood that one of them was probably Stefan GP, as usual

But unfortunately, it now looks like no new teams will be entering the sport for at least two more years.

f1andrea · Post by **f1andrea** » 14 Aug 2015, 18:42

Simtek wrote:Two teams have failed to gain an entry for 2016-17. The identities of the teams have not been revealed, but it is understood ART is neither of them, interestingly. It can also be understood that one of them was probably Stefan GP, as usual But unfortunately, it now looks like no new teams will be entering the sport for at least two more years.

very sad. I always hope for a new team coming into f1. I don't know if again Stefanovic tried to enter in F1, but I don't think so even if their website is still alive and still report "Please, be patient. Work in progress"...I'm very curious to know the two names!!!

Backmarker · Post by **Backmarker** » 14 Aug 2015, 20:49

Simtek wrote:Two teams have failed to gain an entry for 2016-17. The identities of the teams have not been revealed, but it is understood ART is neither of them, interestingly. It can also be understood that one of them was probably Stefan GP, as usual But unfortunately, it now looks like no new teams will be entering the sport for at least two more years.

Definitely Stefan, the man doesn't understand the word 'No'. Maybe the other was Forza Rossa? It needed the backing of the corrupt Prime Minister of Romania, which would usually get Bernie's approval, but he has actually been charged with corruption.

Waris · Post by **Waris** » 14 Aug 2015, 20:56

Speaking of Stefan, has anybody seen this?

This article from back in 2010 now has a comment on it, posted last year, by Boris Zonjic, a Serbian designer who did some work for Stefan between 2010 and 2013, and apparently was never properly paid. The article that he links to is in Serbian, but with Google Translate and a bit of imagination you can read it quite easily (it helps when you realize "Dad" is Tata Motors and "Wolf" is Vuk). http://blog.axisofoversteer.com/2010/03/stefan-gp-update-to-update.html

(and yes, I imagine the other failure must've been Forza Rossa, since that's the only other team we've been hearing about possibly joining F1 apart from ART.)

Edited to add: I tried posting this several times but I kept getting an SQL error. Now I finally realized why: Boris Zonjic's last name has a special character in it, the c with an accute accent, which apparently isn't supported by the forum software, but when I changed it to a regular c it was posted just fine. Perhaps the board administrators could have a look at that.

Post by **Bobby Doorknobs** » 14 Aug 2015, 21:24

Waris wrote:Edited to add: I tried posting this several times but I kept getting an SQL error. Now I finally realized why: Boris Zonjic's last name has a special character in it, the c with an accute accent, which apparently isn't supported by the forum software, but when I changed it to a regular c it was posted just fine. Perhaps the board administrators could have a look at that.

Ah yes, that exact thing happened to me when I started the 2015 Launch Thread earlier this year. I tried posting it several times before realising the same problem you have, only in my case it was Zoran's name that caused the problem. Due to this, several duplicate threads were created with no posts in them, which were thankfully deleted with the help of Nuppiz

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 15 Aug 2015, 21:00

How would we feel if, alongside Zoran Stefanovic's bid, the other bid had come from our friend from the good old US of A, Don Pentecost?!

f1andrea · Post by **f1andrea** » 16 Aug 2015, 08:44

Waris wrote:Speaking of Stefan, has anybody seen this?

This article from back in 2010 now has a comment on it, posted last year, by Boris Zonjic, a Serbian designer who did some work for Stefan between 2010 and 2013, and apparently was never properly paid. The article that he links to is in Serbian, but with Google Translate and a bit of imagination you can read it quite easily (it helps when you realize "Dad" is Tata Motors and "Wolf" is Vuk). http://blog.axisofoversteer.com/2010/03/stefan-gp-update-to-update.html

(and yes, I imagine the other failure must've been Forza Rossa, since that's the only other team we've been hearing about possibly joining F1 apart from ART.)

Edited to add: I tried posting this several times but I kept getting an SQL error. Now I finally realized why: Boris Zonjic's last name has a special character in it, the c with an accute accent, which apparently isn't supported by the forum software, but when I changed it to a regular c it was posted just fine. Perhaps the board administrators could have a look at that.

interesting, but this article doesn't speak too much about f1 projects..anyway, I always supposed that Stefanovic is a really strange figure..

Waris · Post by **Waris** » 16 Aug 2015, 16:13

dr-baker wrote:How would we feel if, alongside Zoran Stefanovic's bid, the other bid had come from our friend from the good old US of A, Don Pentecost?!

If you ask me, Zoran himself is starting to sound more and more like Don Pentecost...

Shizuka · Post by **Shizuka** » 19 Aug 2015, 15:33

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/120364

Massa part 2 folks.

Post by **Bobby Doorknobs** » 19 Aug 2015, 16:01

Shizuka wrote:http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/120364

Massa part 2 folks.

I suppose it makes sense, given that as long as they have a great driver like Vettel in one car it doesn't matter who's in the other car so long as they deliver decent if not spectacular results, which is what Kimi's been doing.