Formula 1 Discussion - And favourite driver?

[SargonF00t]

I'm definitely expecting Max to try and make the jump to a new team ready for the new regs (even though he's still on contract). I'm pretty certain he could ring any TP and tell them he's driving for them next season. I still expect it will be Merc due to his prior links to the team and Toto along with the fairly clear picture who'll be coming out on top of the new rules.

Has any team ever lost so many high profile team members and recovered within 5 years?

Dan Fallows(admittedly may be a dud)
Adrian Newey
Rob Marshall
Jonathan Wheatley

Red Bull are going to go into the wilderness for a few years at least, so Max would be wasting his time staying with them.

Whilst Mercedes seems like the most logical choice, if he goes there, he could still find himself in a situation where McLaren still have a faster car, as it will have the same engine as Mercedes.

 

[JoseRaulChupacabra]

I'm kinda loving how temperamental the current iteration of cars are. It gives an rpg like feel when certain cars perform better in certain conditions and might have created a greater mix up of winners had McLaren not nailed tyre wear.

With how many races are this season, Max can still technically win this, but of course, Red Bull would have to perform a miracle with their car or the orangebois tangle up and double DNF, which I want to happen for reasons of kino.

 

[A.P. Hill]

If Max goes to Mercedes and takes Osama's seat, the beef is going to get sizzling hot. If there's not at least one intentional crash, I'm going to be disappointed.

 

[skunt]

I'm kinda loving how temperamental the current iteration of cars are. It gives an rpg like feel when certain cars perform better in certain conditions

i want to make an "except ferrari" joke but finishing 3rd and 4th in austria is probably their best race of this season. then again maybe that is the punchline...

 

[Balr0g]

In terms of points it was the 2nd most sucessful Ferrari weekend. the best was Monaco so far when Leclerc got 2nd place and Hamilton in 5th place. And now comes silverstone. Expect a lot of LH cult whining should Hamiltons podium streak break

 

[Coccxys]

Has any team ever lost so many high profile team members and recovered within 5 years?

Dan Fallows(admittedly may be a dud)
Adrian Newey
Rob Marshall
Jonathan Wheatley

Lots of teams seem to do it as they peak, partially because people know its downhill from here and partially because being in a team that is riding high means big money being offered to move.

Mercedes lost
James Vowles (Strategy Director)
Mike Elliott (Chief Technical Officer)
Jerome D'Ambrosio (Driver Development Director)
Loic Serra (Performance Director)
Gioacchino Vino (Chief Aerodynamicist)

Over the last 5 years.

The exodus of Ferrari people following their Schumacher peak was what lead to spygate.

It's pretty common in this game. I would expect Red Bull to have a period in the mid field before the pendulum eventually swings back. They looked utterly done in 2014 after a period of dominance and you probably wouldn't have expected 2023 to happen back then. You wouldn't have expected mclaren to come back after the "GP2 engine" days. Even Williams had a bit of a resurgence 2002-2004 and now Claire has finished driving it all into the ground we may get to see them rise again of the Merc engine is the clear best.

I just hope that Aston and Audi get their shit together then we can have an Alonso win and a Hulk podium.

 

[Balr0g]

True. No team can hold the top forever. Mercedes had a very long run (2014-2021 if we go by constructors) and it took a severe rule change to break their dominance. Same goes kinda for Red Bull as the change to hybrid engines was something Renault couldn't handle properly. And never forget often junior designers leave to get a better position elsewhere and often they usher in changes at other teams.Next year will be very interesting to see if the engines are really the most important thing or if something else is more important. After all ground Effect is still part of the game

 

[Coccxys]

I think with the loss of MGU-H and an increased amount of the power coming from battery the engines are going to be a major factor for at least a couple of seasons until others catch up.

The other changes like
- Movable aero (X and Z mode, no more DRS)
- Targeted cut of 30% aero from current

- 100 mm narrower front wing​

- much flatter floor​

- massively reduced diffuser power​

- Narrower tyres (25 mm front, 30 mm rear)
- 200 mm shorter and 100mm narrower car with a 150 mm narrower floor
- 30 kg cut in weight limit

Will mean a total redesign with very little of this year's knowledge or design being able to be carried over.

They even stated they have made a lot of the rules to purposely lower the reliance on ground effect to avoid having to run super stiff set ups and suffering porpoising. So I'm not so sure we will be still in ground effect and we'll probably be heading back to wing dominated aero.

 

[The Grognard]

I'd bet that whoever figures out what the meta in active aero use is will be the ones who dominate for a few years, much in the same way that Merc figuring out that committing to a split turbo design meant their engine was going to be the dominant one.

 

[Coccxys]

I'd bet that whoever figures out what the meta in active aero use is will be the ones who dominate for a few years, much in the same way that Merc figuring out that committing to a split turbo design meant their engine was going to be the dominant one.

It's definitely going to be a bigger factor but it's rather disappointing how restrictive they're being over the design of two modes and that they're going to dictate where each mode is used on a given track rather than leaving it up to the driver and teams.

Z mode is the standard and to be used in corners, X mode is the low drag and can only be used in designated (straight) parts of the track.

 

[quaawaa]

It's definitely going to be a bigger factor but it's rather disappointing how restrictive they're being over the design of two modes and that they're going to dictate where each mode is used on a given track rather than leaving it up to the driver and teams.

Z mode is the standard and to be used in corners, X mode is the low drag and can only be used in designated (straight) parts of the track.

Formula 1 is just a reflection of European culture, which is currently being smothered by busy-body bureaucrats who hate fun. As long as they're in charge, we're never going to see real innovation like fan cars or six-wheeled cars like we saw in the 1970s. We can't even have engine choices because of "muh climate" (despite a fleet of private jets and cargo ships following the teams around) or tire choices because the FIA believes that enormous degradation makes for good races and no one who makes a quality tire wants their brand associated with F1's crap.

F1 should just drop the Constructor's Championship and become a spec series. It's not like there'd be any difference in car development.

 

[Coccxys]

I'm ok with a lot of the rules being restrictive because that drives innovation.

I'm just annoyed the movable aero became another restricted use 2 mode thing. It was an interesting concept when they suggested it and something like a fully adjustable system that can be changed on the fly like the brake balance and differential setting would be much more interesting.

 

[Eadred]

Alpine supposedly approached Mercedes to get Bottas to drive for them.

 

[Kyria the Great]

Id honestly love to see a less restrictive regs aside from a cost cap as racing is most fun when engineers are allowed to go hog wild. It is a huge reason late 70s to early 90s in racing in almost every series was awesome despite the cars objectively being slower by today's standards.

 

[LiveFromNS]

Don't think anbyone had posted or commented about this recent bit of news.

Luca di Montezemolo: Ex-Ferrari boss joins McLaren board​

Jun 28, 2025, 09:48 AM ET

Former Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo has joined the board of historic rival McLaren, a move that would have been unimaginable not so long ago.

A filing with Companies House by Abu Dhabi-owned McLaren Group Holdings, which controls Woking-based sportscar maker McLaren Automotive, registered Montezemolo as a director on June 27.

The 77-year-old Italian joined Ferrari in 1973 as founder Enzo Ferrari's assistant and became team manager in 1974, a year before the late Austrian triple champion Niki Lauda secured his first title.

He also presided over the Formula 1 team during a golden era when Michael Schumacher won five of his career seven titles between 2000-2004 and served as chairman of both Ferrari and parent FIAT.

McLaren and Ferrari, the two oldest and most successful teams in Formula 1 history, have been rivals for decades and were involved in a notorious 'Spygate' scandal that erupted in 2007.

British-based McLaren were stripped of all their championship points and fined a record $100 million over a dossier of stolen Ferrari technical documents found in the possession of McLaren's chief designer.

Both Ferrari and McLaren are under different management now, with Montezemolo resigning his roles at the Italian luxury sportscar maker in 2014 and focusing on other business interests.

CYVN, majority-owned by the government of Abu Dhabi, created McLaren Group Holdings in April after completing its acquisition of McLaren Automotive.

The group includes a non-controlling stake in McLaren Racing, the Formula One team whose majority shareholder is Bahrain's Mumtalakat and which operates completely independently.

Paul Walsh, executive chairman of McLaren Racing, is also one of the nine directors of McLaren Group Holdings, while McLaren team principal Andrea Stella previously worked for Ferrari.

McLaren are the reigning Formula 1 constructors' world champions while Ferrari last won a title in 2008. Seven-time world champion Jungle Bunny, who took his first title for McLaren in 2008, is now driving for Ferrari.

News of Montezemolo's new role was greeted with some amazement in Italy.

"Montezemolo-McLaren: What a slap in the face to Ferrari," sports newspaper Tuttosport said in a headline.

ANSA news agency quoted Montezemolo as saying his heart "is and always will be red" and his new role was on the automotive side and did not involve Formula 1.

 

[Balr0g]

I guess the main question will be who will blink first and focus on 2026. I would have bet it would be Aston Martin as they have Newy now but it seems he has been forced to devote some of his time to the 2025 car considering how they slowly have caught up with the midfield. Of course his car might be hobbled by the Honda engine they use from 2026 onward.. Lookinf forwards to "F2 engine" radios from Alonso

 

[Nobunaga]

Ferrari can still win, they just need a once in a lifetime discount ice age driver, a car that won't shit itself, a good engine, good mechanic's that aren't braindead, optimal weather conditions and a good circuit for all these conditions.
Trust the plan!

 

[CEO of Autism]

devote some of his time to the 2025 car

I expect any development on this year's car to double as a test for next year regs. That goes for every team still doing updates.

 

[Pee Cola]

...however, the real reason I want Piastri to win is because of how mad it would make people. Lando fangirls, British pundits, Lando himself. The tears would be delicious.

... and us Aussies would happily use those tears to wash down our celebratory Vegemite sandwiches.

If Stroll gets kicked and Alonso or maybe even a guy like hulkenberg gets in the second seat

The only way Max will end up at AM is if Alonso retires for good this time, thus leaving Daddy Stroll to shop for a new
babysitter. Lance will never be thrown out of that seat; he'll have to rage quit before a second seat opens up there.

I'm definitely expecting Max to try and make the jump to a new team ready for the new regs (even though he's still on contract). I'm pretty certain he could ring any TP and tell them he's driving for them next season.

Zac Brown would probably decline as he seems happy enough with his current lineup and AM is most likely off the table (see above), but pretty much everyone else from Toto to Guenther would bend over backwards to get Max into one of their cars next season.

 

[A.P. Hill]

I guess the main question will be who will blink first and focus on 2026. I would have bet it would be Aston Martin as they have Newy now but it seems he has been forced to devote some of his time to the 2025 car considering how they slowly have caught up with the midfield. Of course his car might be hobbled by the Honda engine they use from 2026 onward.. Lookinf forwards to "F2 engine" radios from Alonso

I wouldn't think the engine would be the problem. Honda has proven itself to be reliable and competitive with Red Bull. I think the window licker who's using that engine would be the bigger problem. He can make any engine a GP2 engine.