Everso Biggyballies wrote: ↑6 years agowhen SFW or PH stated a monkey could have won in that car
That quote was made by James Hunt while commentating on the 1992 Japanese GP. It was never said by Head or Frank.
OK.It certainly sounds more James than Frank or Patrick, but my point remains re Paul di Resta (@John my bad putting in the 'l' to make PdlR, should be PdR!)
I am not at all convinced about Kubica's return being right. I would go with Paul in the absence of other more suitable candidates.
* I started life with nothing, and still have most of it left
“Good drivers have dead flies on the side windows!” (Walter Röhrl)
* I married Miss Right. Just didn't know her first name was Always
Given the choice of Massa, Kubica and DiResta, I think I would go with DiResta. As much as I would like to see Kubica back, I don't believe that he will be able to compete fully, he may have mostly recovered from his injuries, but he will always have a weakness, which will become very apparent in the tougher races like some of the street circuits.
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“We had the same car, same engine, same tyres and I beat him,” said Di Resta. “I don’t want to diminish Vettel’s achievement (this year), but he won the championship because he had the best car. He did his job, but another driver in the same car would probably have achieved the same results. I hope one day to have the same opportunity.”
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MonteCristo wrote: ↑2 years agoVettel: Not a fan at all on track. But off track, good guy.
All of which is fact, albeit in I think F3 in relation to his own achievments against Vettel as a teamate. He does not say that he himself would have achieved the same (F1 WDC title) results as Vettel, rather he leaves it as 'another driver in the same car'. Which is undeniable. As an example Danny Ric beat Vettel soundly in the same car, and even relatively untalented Mark Webber spent most of one season leading him in the title race, falling at the final hurdle.
* I started life with nothing, and still have most of it left
“Good drivers have dead flies on the side windows!” (Walter Röhrl)
* I married Miss Right. Just didn't know her first name was Always
I think it's how you read it and the perspective you're taking on the comments. What he says is true, in equal equipment he beat Vettel and at the time Vettel won the the F1 title in the best car. I don't read it as he's suggesting he's better than Vettel, I think the final sentence in the paragraph are the most telling.
But it also doesn't tell the full story about their season of F3. Vettel's title assault was distracted by doing F1 tests and Friday F1 practice sessions, plus part season in FRenault 3.5. Had Vettel had full focus on F3 only then perhaps DiResta wouldn't have won.
You can get extra value out of drivers though, in addition to their actual pace. Eg: setup and development feedback, which helps the other driver. No idea if Alonso provides that at an excellent level, but you'd assume he would.
But hopefully Vandoorne is a good driver who is also cheap, because heavens knows McLaren need him to be cheap to save some money after Honda pull their $100 million a year.
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Fernando Alonso will remain at McLaren in 2018 after signing a contract extension for next season.
The Spaniard was out of contract at the end of the year and said he would wait for McLaren to sort its future engine supplier before deciding where he would drive next season. With McLaren dropping Honda in favor of Renault power units in 2018, Alonso has now signed a one-year extension to remain with the team.
"It's fantastic to be able to continue my relationship with everybody at McLaren," Alonso said. "It was always where my heart was telling me to stay, and I really feel at home here. This is a fantastic team, full of incredible people, with a warmth and friendliness that I've never experienced elsewhere in Formula 1. I'm incredibly happy to be racing here.
"Just as important, McLaren has the technical resource and financial strength to be able to very quickly win races and world championships in F1. Although the last few years have not been easy, we have never forgotten how to win, and I believe we can achieve that again soon.
"The last three years have given us the momentum to plan and build for the future, and I'm looking forward to that journey. I'm excited for our future together – and I'm already working hard to make it a success."
Executive director Zak Brown added that Alonso's decision to stay at McLaren is a sign of his confidence in the team's ability to recover from three difficult years in partnership with Honda.
"I'm delighted to be able to confirm that Fernando will remain at McLaren," Brown said. "He has been a fantastic asset to the whole organization for the past three years, is an incredible individual and is one of the most accomplished and talented racing drivers of the modern era. It always made sense for us to continue our journey together.
"His commitment will allow us to further improve the attractiveness and potential of the wider Group, and will ensure we head into 2018 feeling increasingly confident that we'll be able to take a meaningful step forward. Fernando fully understands and buys in to the direction we are taking.
"Our shareholders have ambitious plans for the whole Group, and success within Formula 1 is a central pillar of that strategy. With Fernando, there is no doubt that we have a driver who can help us achieve our goal of winning again in F1 – and, believe me, we are all keen to do that."
In other news there are rumours circulating that Hartley is under consideration for a 2018 STR seat, to partner Gasly. As the story goes it is possible that he will race on with STR for a further race after Austin, so the team can assess his performance and potential.
