2019 silly season thread

[Antonov]

Bottom post of the previous page:

Good on Stoffel, hopefully he gets appreciated in his new role and somehow finds his way back to F1 in the future.

Exactly this.

[John]

Wehrlein has joined the career (F1-wise) dead end that is Formula E, to replace Rosenqvist/Heidfeld at Mahindra, alongside D'ambrosio.

So that leaves who left in the running for the last STR seat? Hartley?

[kals]

Apparently Alexander Alvin will take that seat. And officially both Racing Point Force India seats plus a Williams seat has yet be announced, although we expect no surprises with the former.

[John]

Apparently Alexander Alvin will take that seat. And officially both Racing Point Force India seats plus a Williams seat has yet be announced, although we expect no surprises with the former.

Who?

Edit: Oh, you mean Albon?

[kals]

Lol yeah, damn iPhone autocorrect

[John]

Get your squeak on.

[Everso Biggyballies]

I thought Albon had a contract with Nissan for Formula E.... partnering Buemi. Only announced within the last month.
https://nissannews.com/en-US/nissan/usa ... ownloading.

Edit: I just read STR / Red Bull are in current 'discussions' with Nissan.
So maybe Albon will become the first Thai in F1 since Prince Bira. (Or does he class as Brit #4 in F1 2019)

[kals]

I thought Albon had a contract with Nissan for Formula E.... partnering Buemi. Only announced within the last month.
https://nissannews.com/en-US/nissan/usa ... ownloading.

Edit: I just read STR / Red Bull are in current 'discussions' with Nissan.
So maybe Albon will become the first Thai in F1 since Prince Bira. (Or does he class as Brit #4 in F1 2019)

Correct he does. Irony that STR / Red Bull are having to negotiate with a Renault affiliated company here...

One a separate note I was unaware that while Albon races under a Thai license he is actually half English. I knew I'd heard his second name before but I thought it was just coincidence. Turns out his father is Nigel, who ran a privateer Renault 19 in the 1994 BTCC

[Picci]

Is Albon F1 material though? He didn't exactly shine in GP2 did he. OK he wasn't crap but I would think that someone like Nyck de Vries would stand a better chance.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Kubica wont go away, and now has extra money from a Polish sponsor to help his cause and get the second Williams seat over Sirotkin.

Sport Express, a Russian daily, reports that Polish oil company PKN Orlen is prepared to pump $10 million into the current Williams reserve driver's sponsorship coffers for 2019.

I am getting bored with this Kubica comeback story. He could do nothing to help the team correct a bad car last year despite his 'vast experience' (from another era)

[MonteCristo]

Is Albon F1 material though? He didn't exactly shine in GP2 did he. OK he wasn't crap but I would think that someone like Nyck de Vries would stand a better chance.

*shrug* They were stupid enough to go with Hartley - and bring back Dani Kvyat, so why not?

[John]

Is Albon F1 material though? He didn't exactly shine in GP2 did he. OK he wasn't crap but I would think that someone like Nyck de Vries would stand a better chance.

*shrug* They were stupid enough to go with Hartley - and bring back Dani Kvyat, so why not?

*shrugs*

He's ahead of Lando in the standings though. Sitting second so far.

[John]

Wrong thread.

[MonteCristo]

Is Albon F1 material though? He didn't exactly shine in GP2 did he. OK he wasn't crap but I would think that someone like Nyck de Vries would stand a better chance.

*shrug* They were stupid enough to go with Hartley - and bring back Dani Kvyat, so why not?

*shrugs*

He's ahead of Lando in the standings though. Sitting second so far.

For the team that delivered GP2 titles to Valsecchi and Palmer (I'll see myself out).

[John]

Is Albon F1 material though? He didn't exactly shine in GP2 did he. OK he wasn't crap but I would think that someone like Nyck de Vries would stand a better chance.

*shrug* They were stupid enough to go with Hartley - and bring back Dani Kvyat, so why not?

*shrugs*

He's ahead of Lando in the standings though. Sitting second so far.

For the team that delivered GP2 titles to Valsecchi and Palmer (I'll see myself out).

Ah, championship pedigree through and through.

Don't close the door, I'll follow you.

[Everso Biggyballies]

More of a 2020 Silly season topic really, but rumours abound that Vettel may be out of Ferrari a year early (end 2019) if he does not come up with the goods in 2019.

Vettel could leave Ferrari after 2019 - report
2018-10-18
Sebastian Vettel's future at Ferrari is suddenly in doubt.

That is the claim of Luigi Perna, a respected correspondent for the respected Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Perna said that with Vettel's title hopes in tatters despite having a match for Mercedes' car this year, the German is losing support and isincreasingly "isolated" at Maranello.

He suggested that if Vettel also fails to win in 2019 with the best car, termination clauses in his contract could lead to his exit before the 2020 season.

Ferrari team boss Maurizio Arrivabene said at the Festival dello Sport event earlier this week: "I am sure that sooner or later he will bring the title back here."

https://gpguide.com/News.aspx?articleId ... ByZXBvcnQ=