Silly Season and Pay - 2023/2024

[Ruslan]

Not much to talk about for the 2023 silly season. Because of multi-year contracts it looks like everyone is going to stay where they are at. The only two people are in any danger of moving, Schumacher and Latifi. They are in danger of moving out of F1. The other 18 drivers have secured their seat and will be driving for the same team in 2023 as they did 2022. The most stable silly season I have ever seen.

There was an article detailing the pay and contract duration of every driver in the field. See: http://www.gptoday.com/full_story/view/ ... vers_earn/

To summarize:

$40 million: Hamilton, Verstappen
$20 million: Norris
$17.8 million: Alonso
$15 million: Vettel, Ricciardo
$12 million: Leclerc
$10 million: Bottas, Stroll (?), Sainz, Perez
$ 6 million: Magnussen
$ 5 million: Gasly, Ocon, Russell
$ 2 million: Albon
$ 1 million: Zhou, Schumacher, Latifi
$ 0.75 K: Tsunoda

Contact expires (updates in bold):
2022: Zhou, Tsunoda, Vettel, Schumacher, Latifi
2023: Gasly, Magnussen+ (maybe 2024), Ricciardo, Hamilton, Stroll
2024: Bottas, Ocon, Leclerc, Sainz, Perez, Russell, Albon+
2025: Norris, Alonso
2026
2027
2028: Verstappen

So, no action for 2022/2023 silly season other than Schumacher or Latifi may be replaced with a rookie.

2023/2024 silly season is more interesting as Gasly and Ricciardo may be on the move.

2024/2025 silly season could be real interesting, especially as some drivers may be retiring (Alonso, Vettel, Hamilton).

But it will be unusually stable for the next two years.

[Kai-Star]

Ricciardo is in real danger. It's depressing following him this season. Even more so than last year.

It all depends on the 'out' clauses in their contracts.

Russell is due a pay rise.

[Ruslan]

Ricciardo is in real danger. It's depressing following him this season. Even more so than last year.

It all depends on the 'out' clauses in their contracts.

Russell is due a pay rise.

Ricciardo has a secure option on his contract for next year, that can be cancelled by him but not by McLaren. This has already been publicly discussed by McLaren. So, Ricciardo will be at McLaren next year regardless of performance.

[MonteCristo]

Don't be jealous of Ricciardo for getting rich by doing nothing at all.

He spent all his money on a fantastic contract lawyer.

[Everso Biggyballies]

OK this is one for the "Dunno/ I am not convinced" file....

Yeah, Mr.Herta, who had a test iwith McLaren this week, reckons he could be competitive in F1.....he tested last year’s McLaren MCL35M under the TPC [testing previous car] rules, running 162 laps of the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve across two days.

Although running the car on a track at which McLaren had data, thanks to the track hosting the 2020 and ’21 Portuguese Grands Prix, Herta said comparisons with the lap times of the team’s F1 regulars Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo last year would be difficult, citing winds strange to him tyres, unfavourable cooler weather (I thought Europe was in the grasp of a heatwave atm

IndyCar's Colton Herta says he feels he is quick enough for Formula 1

“It’s a little bit cooler today than it would have been on the race weekend.

“I was happy with the lap time but we’re on a little bit of a different tyre than we’d have had on a race weekend. And if you look back to the quotes from a lot of guys from a year ago, they would talk about how windy it gets here and how much that can change the car here from corner to corner.

“So as far as lap times, it’s kind of hard to say. I think the engineers will know from looking at the data whether you’re fast or not.”

However, when asked if he was confident he’d be competitive in F1, Herta replied: “Yes. i'm a professional driver. So yeah, I do think I’m fast enough.

“Whether they agree, I guess time will tell, and hopefully I can get more chances in the car and hopefully I can show it.”

He wants a crack at this years car in an FP1 now. Sounds a bit of a case of yeah I sat in the car and im fast enough and will show Lando a few tricks. No seriously though I think he needs a lot more work before I would let him out in FP1. Especially given its not all about him and McLarens first objective has to be to win the fight against Alpine in this years constructors. (currently tied on points for 4th). I just dont think e is going to do anything to boost McLarens chances by running an FP1. I guess on the Herta side though, McLaren have to run a rookie in two FP1 sessions at some stage.

“I think the first thing was, when I got off the pitlane speed-limiter, all the torque is pretty incredible,” he said. “Even when you’re at such low rpm, it still pulls. That was the biggest thing for me – the straightline speed, the acceleration, and the braking.

“Obviously the cornering speeds were higher than what you’d get in IndyCar, but it didn’t stick out to me as much as how impressive the acceleration was and how easy it is to have all this horsepower as soon as you put the throttle down.

Regarding cornering response, Herta admitted, “It is a completely different feel. The feeling you get from an IndyCar is very different because the lack of power steering, so the overall kickback in the wheel doesn’t really transcribe to what you get in a grand prix car.

It isnt going to happen in 2023 (that he gets an F1 seat) that is clear. Asked if Herta was a serious contender for a McLaren F1 seat in 2024, McLaren principal Andreas Seidl was a bit more circumspect, playing it all down: “The objective for this test today was, as Colton mentioned, to give him the chance to experience an F1 car for the first time and explore its performance.

"That was the focus and what comes next is something we take it step by step, we take our time as well. That's where we are. He did say he was impressed with his approach.

[erwin greven]

Although running the car on a track at which McLaren had data, thanks to the track hosting the 2020 and ’21 Portuguese Grands Prix, Herta said comparisons with the lap times of the team’s F1 regulars Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo last year would be difficult, citing winds strange to him tyres, unfavourable cooler weather (I thought Europe was in the grasp of a heatwave atm)

The whole week since last weekend it is very hot at Algarve. 31°C/88°F today.

[Star]

Ricciardo is in real danger. It's depressing following him this season. Even more so than last year.

It all depends on the 'out' clauses in their contracts.

Russell is due a pay rise.

Ricciardo has a secure option on his contract for next year, that can be cancelled by him but not by McLaren. This has already been publicly discussed by McLaren. So, Ricciardo will be at McLaren next year regardless of performance.

I just read something that said he will, he's committed to staying.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/62147938

[Ruslan]

Ricciardo is in real danger. It's depressing following him this season. Even more so than last year.

It all depends on the 'out' clauses in their contracts.

Russell is due a pay rise.

Ricciardo has a secure option on his contract for next year, that can be cancelled by him but not by McLaren. This has already been publicly discussed by McLaren. So, Ricciardo will be at McLaren next year regardless of performance.

I just read something that said he will, he's committed to staying.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/62147938

He ain't going to get $15 million a year anywhere else at the moment.

[Picci]

Well since he left RedBull he hasn’t exactly been at the forefront and the new rules don’t seem to have done him any favours. It could be he’s just struggling with this generation of cars. I think he has to swap with a driver from another team to truly understand what’s wrong with him. Putting a Herta or O’Ward won’t exactly solve McLaren’s problems but a Vettel may give them a deeper understanding.

[MonteCristo]

Yeah, Herta, O'Ward or Palou might have more potential. But without any of them having F1 experience (Herta's two days in last year's car doesn't really count...), it's a bit of a crapshoot.

[Star]

Well since he left RedBull he hasn’t exactly been at the forefront and the new rules don’t seem to have done him any favours. It could be he’s just struggling with this generation of cars. I think he has to swap with a driver from another team to truly understand what’s wrong with him. Putting a Herta or O’Ward won’t exactly solve McLaren’s problems but a Vettel may give them a deeper understanding.

I agree, you need a driver who can give you good, accurate and precise feedback on your car when you have problems and Vettel is one of the drivers known for doing exactly that.

[Everso Biggyballies]

I think I can see what is going through DannyRics mind right now. He knows despite all the smiles and I have a contract with McLaren and I intend to honour it regardless stance, he. is no good to McLaren.

He obviously also realises he cant get a handle on the car, whether it be because McLaren are (rightfully on form) tailoring the car to suit Lando who has had a string of handy results that he cannot match, especially in qualifying. It isnt suddenly going to click and the early Red Bull form is going to arrive, not in the foreseeable future and one would imagine not next year. His mind cant be in a good place. Equally McLaren are paying 15 million per year for little reward, and as we know from Brown's words earlier McLaren are losing patience, even if they say otherwise..

To me Danny's commitment to "I have a contract ill be there for '23" words I am starting to think that is a negotiating ploy. From all accounts he has this contract but McLaren want him out. They need to move on. Danny remembers well back in 2009 when Kimi Raikkonen went through the same thing with Ferrari who had a long time prior signed Alonso in the Paddock's worse kept secret. Nando was not getting anywhere at Renault, who had a very ordinary car, and he was at the end of a two year deal. Kimi had a iron clad two way contract, no options involved he was locked in for 2010. Kimi knew that, knew Ferrari had three drivers for two seats and his form was not good.... they even stopped developing the car mid year to design a new one for the arrival of Alonso. Kimi eventually got paid his full 25 million retainer to sit at home or at least not be in F1. Kimi stood fast and got the money, and went Rallying and NASCAR things.

Danny is I think on the same angle... 18 months ago he was openly talking of missing Australia, missing his family over the travelling etc. Not even a hint of that being the case now (yes I know Covid had a lot to do with him not being able to come home after Singapore or whatever, but with such a full calendar now he cant do that now anyway given the number of races. The I miss home line is not in line with the hard nose stance he is now taking. Even if it is in his heart.

Playing the I have a contract and im honouring it knowing that McLaren will likely start realising he isnt going to leave and ask to be released, and will need to pay him out. Maybe not the full 15 million as his contract is not quite so set in concrete its not so two sided as Kimi's, but with the stance he has to me its a clever negotiating opening card. McLaren now know he wont walk away, they are going to have to pay him to go away.

I suspect that McLaren will respond with a we will give you 7.5 to 'retire' with the deal to be 'Danny and McLaren mutually agreed.....
Danny will likely say no, and maybe settle for 10 million. Then he can spend his time in Aus, pushing his wine business and other side projects, and no doubt given his popularity and personality get a nice TV gig. Fly in fly out, for x meetings a year, no sponsor and other commitment's and would still command a very nice earn. He isnt short of a quid, and with a McLaren payout....

Anyway, you get the process. Bail out with a sackful of McLaren dollars and live the life he wants, still be involved in F1 and set up his future. He wasnt going to be that far of retiring anyway. His days of mega driver contracts are long gone, and im sure he doesnt want to become a journeyman.

Time will tell but thats my thoughts on this Im going no where talk. Its a clever opening card on a payout negotiation with McLaren.

[Star]

You could well be right about Danny Ric. @Everso Biggyballies and if it works, good for him, if it doesn't, well then he's in for another year of making the big bucks, even if he doesn't enjoy what he's doing. It just depends how keen McLaren are to part company with him, doesn't it?

[Ruslan]

Well, as there is really no silly season for 2023, I was kind of thinking today about who would taking the second seat at McLaren in 2024. It is a given that Lando Norris will hold one seat in 2024 and Ricciardo will have the other seat in 2023. There really is not a lot of good choices for 2024. Because of existing contracts and connections, most attractive options are not available. I gather driver pairings at Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, Alpine and Aston Martin will remain unchanged for the next two years. So, who is left:

Ricciardo (so far still needs to prove himself)
Gasly (will be available)
Albon

I think those are only real decent options. Maybe they will go with someone new?

[Everso Biggyballies]

Well, as there is really no silly season for 2023, I was kind of thinking today about who would taking the second seat at McLaren in 2024. It is a given that Lando Norris will hold one seat in 2024 and Ricciardo will have the other seat in 2023. There really is not a lot of good choices for 2024. Because of existing contracts and connections, most attractive options are not available. I gather driver pairings at Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, Alpine and Aston Martin will remain unchanged for the next two years. So, who is left:

Ricciardo (so far still needs to prove himself)
Gasly (will be available)
Albon

I think those are only real decent options. Maybe they will go with someone new?

Latifi is out of contract and Williams have said openly of late they do not need to have a pay driver so he is not a safe bet..
Albon in the other Williams seat is doing a great job and 'should' be safe but as mentioned not confirmed.
Oscar Piastri is supposedly promised an F1 drive this for 2023. (Williams keps being mentioned)
AFAIK Gasly is alrady confirmed until end 2023 at Alpha Tauri.
Tsunoda isnt, but last week Tost was saying he is doing all he needs to stay there.
Zhou is not confirmed but he brings more money in than any other driver and seems to be handy enough to stay on.
Schumacher is not confirmed but has had a turnaround of form and seems safer of late.
Alonso and Vettel are both wanted and AFAIK just trying to maximum what they sign for before actually signing.
Re Danny Ric Seidl (whose decision it is apparently,) has only yesterday said Danny is driving next year no question.