It's only September and the 2018 grid is almost complete

[Everso Biggyballies]

Bottom post of the previous page:

McLaren announce it with humour!

[erwin greven]

Verstappen signed a contract untill 2020 at Red Bull.

[kals]

So that ends the potential of moving to Ferrari for 2019. So what does this mean for Dan? Does he stay or does he go?

[Everso Biggyballies]

So that ends the potential of moving to Ferrari for 2019. So what does this mean for Dan? Does he stay or does he go?

Well, RBR have already announced Daniel was a free agent, and his demand last month that RBR get their act together with a title challenge in 2018 or he is off was a bit of a sign things were not as rosy as appeared on the surface.
SInce then they have been suggesting to Max he should try to build RBR around him as Vettel did. Now Max has signed this extension RBR have got the one they seem to want most. I think he (Danny Ric) will certainly be watching how the future lays at RBR and potential suitors.

[kals]

Good points @Everso Biggyballies. I believe it was Horner who said Max should build RBR around him. Earlier I read that Ricciardo could be a potential for Mercedes in 2019. What could make the 2018/19 silly season more interesting is the respective performances at McLaren and Renault and how much more of a challenge they will put forward to the current top 3 teams.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Good points @Everso Biggyballies. I believe it was Horner who said Max should build RBR around him. Earlier I read that Ricciardo could be a potential for Mercedes in 2019. What could make the 2018/19 silly season more interesting is the respective performances at McLaren and Renault and how much more of a challenge they will put forward to the current top 3 teams.

Dont forget to throw in the Honda wildcard in terms of a possible RBR engine... if STR do well or better than hoped.

[Everso Biggyballies]

So that ends the potential of moving to Ferrari for 2019. So what does this mean for Dan? Does he stay or does he go?

Well, RBR have already announced Daniel was a free agent, and his demand last month that RBR get their act together with a title challenge in 2018 or he is off was a bit of a sign things were not as rosy as appeared on the surface.
SInce then they have been suggesting to Max he should try to build RBR around him as Vettel did. Now Max has signed this extension RBR have got the one they seem to want most. I think he (Danny Ric) will certainly be watching how the future lays at RBR and potential suitors.

More fuel to add to the Danny is expendable file.
What I did not realise (nor Danny for that matter) was that Max's engine penalty at the USGP was so that he could run the Renault 2018 development engine worth 0.2 secs/lap. Danny only found out about it when he was told by the media. Ricciardo was caught by surprise after qualifying when told that his team-mate had a slight performance advantage.

Red Bull have subsequently downplayed the fact.

Ricciardo's lack of knowledge about the engine situation prompted conspiracy theories about Red Bull favouring Verstappen, especially in light of the Dutchman's new long-term contract.

But the team says it never thought to mention the upgrade to Ricciardo because it did not believe there was a worthy performance gain from the new power unit. (What a load of bollocks says Everso)

"It is very difficult for us to measure what the difference is," said Red Bull boss Christian Horner. (Everso adds that Renault talk of 0.2secs, hardly intangible)
"Renault have only made one engine available to each team and Max was due a change here.

"So obviously it made logical sense for that to go in his car this weekend and take the [grid] penalty.

"The intention with Daniel, and it is still the intention, is to not to have to take a penalty between now and the end of the season."

Pushed on whether being open with Ricciardo was an attempt to keep the different spec hidden, Horner said: "The spec is so marginal. We cannot measure the difference.

"It is within a fuel flow meter, so it is the same."

Hmmmm. Why not tell him and let him find out from the media?

[MonteCristo]

DDDAAAANNNNN's been Palmer'ed .

[John]

Swiss magazine Blick (afaik, hardly a powerhouse when it comes to F1 news) claims that Sauber has opted for FWDC™ and Leclerc for 2018.

https://www.blick.ch/sport/formel1/out- ... 30501.html

[John]

Wehrlein and Kvyat join the mix for a Williams drive, as Lowe says a driver older than 25 is not a requirement.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Yeah they had said previously that markets with races where alcohol is against the law for under 25's someone like Di Resta would / could be used for PR appearances.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Brendon Hartley’s 2018 IndyCar contract with Chip Ganassi is understood to have included a clause which allowed him to compete in Formula 1 should the opportunity present itself..... so I guess that gives him the available if selected card for STR next year. Not that the Ganassi seat in the US is available any more.

[kals]

Sauber is close to firming up their 2018 line-up, it's a case of deciding between LeClerc and Giovanazzi for the first seat. The common consensus is that LeClerc has already been signed and it's possible that Ericsson will be the team mate.

What's new news is that Ferrari are attempting to persuade Haas to put Giovanazzi into a race seat for 2018, even though both Grosjean and Magnussen have contracts. So will Magnussen be dumped by a third team in three years?

[MonteCristo]

Sauber is close to firming up their 2018 line-up, it's a case of deciding between LeClerc and Giovanazzi for the first seat. The common consensus is that LeClerc has already been signed and it's possible that Ericsson will be the team mate.

What's new news is that Ferrari are attempting to persuade Haas to put Giovanazzi into a race seat for 2018, even though both Grosjean and Magnussen have contracts. So will Magnussen be dumped by a third team in three years?

Please be Grosjean. I'm sick of whinging about the whinging.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Sauber is close to firming up their 2018 line-up, it's a case of deciding between LeClerc and Giovanazzi for the first seat. The common consensus is that LeClerc has already been signed and it's possible that Ericsson will be the team mate.

What's new news is that Ferrari are attempting to persuade Haas to put Giovanazzi into a race seat for 2018, even though both Grosjean and Magnussen have contracts. So will Magnussen be dumped by a third team in three years?

Please be Grosjean. I'm sick of whinging about the whinging.

Im over both Grosjean and Magnussen.... I would be happy to see either go. Just no longer feel that Giovanazzi is the best bet. I guess the Ferrari link carries more weight than talent though. I would rather see LeClerc in a seat,

Will be interesting to see the difference a latest spec engine will make to Sauber and whether it makes their seat on par with a Haas.

[kals]

I liked Grosjean at Lotus, but at Haas he doesn't appear the same. Magnussen has gone down in my estimation also this year. He impressed at times at McLaren and while at Renault dragged some impressive performances out of a shitbox of a car.

The attitudes of both drivers have been less than impressive in 2017.