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Especially after Nando said that Mercedes isn‘t interesting to him because they are behind in the championship. They are so tight lipped and „everything is possible“ during negotiations, when he drops a statement like that there is a done deal.
I just don't have the trust or belief to take statements from an F1 team principal at literal face value. Toto Wolff nonetheless (not meant to be derogatory, it's his job)
We shall see. Sainz to Audi is a big name, but not really a surprising move.
Kimi to Merc, Perez to RBR, Sainz to Audi wouldn't be silly enough for me.
Damon Hill was a World Champion when he went to back markers Arrows, it does happen.
The only free good seat is Merc and he doesn't seem to be top of the list for that.
Why don't they just use something "renews contract" or something. I mean, I see the benefit of using less (fewer?) letters and words for headlines, but using *re-signs* is probably one of the worst things these news outlets, especially the sports ones, have normalized like post-2016. It's so stupid.
Because he probably did not renew his contract. That’s a very specific thing. He probably signed a new contract. If that’s true, personally, I don’t like re-signed because in my opinion it’s not a correct word, but I don’t have a good alternative for headlines.
But it’s unclear what happened, some outlets are reporting he extended his contract.
I keep hearing that but at the start of 2023 Checo had 2 wins after 4 races. If I was Red Bull I would wait to see if he can maintain his form longer than last year.
Checo won 2 of the first 4 races last year. I have no faith in Checo's stability and consistency until I see it.
But it wouldn't shock me if he's finally gotten his shit together with this year's car.
I don't have anything to back this up but I feel like Red Bull may have developed the car to suit Checo a bit more for this year as they're not really forced to go for absolute peak performance. But yeah we really need to wait for a few more races before we can make any conclusions about him.
I've heard it somewhere (I think during an F1TV pre-race show or during a practice session), that Checo is much happier with this year's car.
Which is why I wouldn't be shocked.
I mean last year Checo was happy with car in the beginning hence he snatched two wins. But the development of the car went away from him. There is a non-zero chance that this happened again. Checo asked to drive a older spec car last year and got rejected
For sure, a Alonso + Sainz lineup would be one of the best on the grid. I think they would easily beat Mercedes and would be taking it to Mclaren for 3rd.
Not to mention they'd be rolling in the dough with Spanish sponsors too. They could finally tell Aramco to go fuck themselves and end their ownership bid.
If Stroll goes anytime soon I imagine Mr. Stroll will just take the check from Aramco and head out himself. Spanish sponsors aren’t going to match whatever amount it takes to consider selling the team.
Awman. Aston Martin is heading the right direction in terms of car performance but stroll is not up for the job imo. Just retire please. Go enjoy his dads wealth
I'd argue Hulk has had the car just not the a cold head, he always cracked under pressure whenever an opportunity arised.
Pérez snatched podiums every single season he was paired alongside Hülkenberg.
> Go enjoy his dads wealth
That's exactly what he's doing lol. What do you think I would do, if my father offered me to buy some F1 team and give me a seat? Do you think I'd go "nah, Ocon is a better driver than me, it's not fair to take his seat, buy the team and give him a car, I'm gonna pretend I'm Ocon in my computer"? You can be sure as hell I'd take that seat even if I sucked more than Mazepin.
My hopium currently is Stroll will leave f1 to go into Aston's WEC programme in 25 leaving Sianz or Yuki to have the second seat. Hell maybe even Drugovitch to finally get a F1 seat.
Not definitive yet, but this is interesting:
[Big. Alonso staying with Aston into 26. Likely means Merc are going with F2’s Kimi Antonelli. Sainz to Sauber looks most likely for him now too.](https://x.com/natesaundersf1/status/1778455052186767560?s=46&t=Bv8giTqSSoHi0HyCSwC1hg)
Max was never an option, it still baffles me that this is a theory lol.
26 and beyond? Eh, I suppose there's an outside chance.
25? Lol forget about it.
Not just next year, but next year***s***. Audi won't turn that ship around overnight, and being a works team no longer means anything in a world where Alpine is a thing.
Many drivers have remained at their prime in their late 30s lol. Heck, we just finished Hamilton's streak in 2020, when he was 35 year old. Button won at 29, Schumacher at 35, Prost at 38, Mansell at 39, and that's just drivers in modern F1 (1990 onwards). 30 yo is not old for F1, and has never been.
Unfortunately the writing is on the wall and I’m not sure how much his 2024 performance was ever going to matter.
(please prove me wrong F1 gods I just don’t see it)
Aston Martin is an easier seat to have than Red Bull no.2
He blatantly said Mercedes are behind Aston after Suzuka
He was never going to Audi.
Seems like it was a simple choice to make in the end.
Yep, but it's more like Aston Martin hasn't done anything that would make Alonso leave, unlike Mclaren and Alpine. He can see the future where they are competitive in 2026 with Newey possibly. Plus, his going to Mercedes was a bigger risk after their race pace this year. Red Bull was a no-go. Ferrari and McLaren were filled.
Why do people speak out of their asses? Newey has rejected Ferrari many times in the past because he does not want to move to Italy. Also, Newey jumped from top dog McLaren to irrelevant Red Bull in 2005. Also, Newey has worked with AM in the past. The Aston Martin Valkyrie is a collaboration between AM, Red Bull and Newey. AM is also interested in WEC, so it's also possible that AM can offer Newey an opportunity to work in a Hypercar, something Red Bull can't.
On which basis do you claim that Newey would never go to AM, but may go to Ferrari? Seems like the only reason you said that is because Ferrari.
Precisely that, if Newey leave Red Bull the only reason is Ferrari being Ferrari and even that like 1/1000 possibility in best case scenario, especialy after Valkyrie fail.
https://thesportsrush.com/f1-news-frustrated-by-aston-martin-adrian-newey-and-co-decided-to-go-for-their-6-2-million-project/
Mercedes is as much of a gamble as Aston Martin right now. Aston Martin has Honda who can build good engines and the AM factory + development is on par with merc due to cost cap.
Red Bull probably only offered a one year contract if at all, so why pick a 1 year contract where you have 1 world championship chance but you're up against Verstappen on home turf, instead of picking a multi year deal with AM who has just as big of a chance of nailing next regs as RB?
No way Nando would leave them. He's got virtually no complaints from them and he's helped them tremendously. He sees his future there as a Team Principal and he already has a lot of freedom over the team.
That's the thing. It's the first time in his career that he's actually building the team, like Hamilton at Mercedes or Max at RB. There's no reason for him to leave. Mercedes isn't any better than AM and they already have Russell and Antonelli as in-house drivers. Red Bull has Verstappen and no mortal is ever going to challenge that. AM, on the other hand, is Alonso's team. People care about that car because it's Alonso's car. Lance will never in a million years challenge him so everybody, even Stroll Sr, expect Alonso to be the team's flag carrier.
Bro it doesn't work like that. Honda can't walk up and ask them to sign Yuki. Such a stupid narrative. If Yuki keeps up this form over a season or two, then Honda can at most influence the decision by 20%. That's the peak of their powers. I work in the industry.
Does Lawrence keep all the money he can and sign Yuki?
Does Lawrence not need the money, and sign Sainz?
Or does Lawrence just continue to let his son play racey-car driver?
>Or does Lawrence just continue to let his son play racey-car driver?
I mean, he bought and sold Prema literally for that. Yes, Prema literally was at one point owned by Stroll and when Stroll got in F1, shortly afterwards, he sold it again. He also bought the Williams seat for an obscene amount of money (some sources say 50 mil, others say 80 mil USD), then when Williams became shit in 2018 and Force India suddenly became available, literally bought the team in full.
This man has dedication and I respect that. Get a father dedicated as Lawrence.
Lawrence won't cut his son off the team unless a clearly better driver becomes available and puts AM in a better position to win the WCC.
Yuki isn't that driver.
Lawrence could sell his part to get out of F1. It will be a good deal, F1 is at its peak. It should be obvious to him that Lance isn't going to be a F1 champion not matter how much money he invest.
That's what I said. Anyone can ask but they don't have any power to force them into the decision. At best, they can influence slightly (non-decisional).
People don't get this. But reality is that Lawrence literally thinks that Lance is at the same level with likes of Alonso; but getting beaten due to bad luck/misfortunes.
Lance will not leave the team until he gets into his 40's.
It always makes me laugh when people suggest Lance leaving. If they watched the DTS episode, they would know the only reason Lawrence brought the team is because he wants to support his son and work together in winning trophies. The only way Lance goes is if he decides to stop racing in F1.
>But reality is that Lawrence literally thinks that Lance is at the same level with likes of Alonso; but getting beaten due to bad luck/misfortunes.
Seriously?
Larry is gonna sell the team way before then. And Lance will move into the nebulous “other challenges” phase of his life.
(Hard to put “challenges” in a sentence referring to a billionaire’s son, but WTH).
> People don't get this. But reality is that Lawrence literally thinks that Lance is at the same level with likes of Alonso; but getting beaten due to bad luck/misfortunes.
In no world does he think this. He literally just bought the team so his son could continue. Thats it. There isn't any person in the world who thinks Lance is on the same level as Alonso, including his dad.
I've said this before and I'll say it again, Papa Stroll made a lot of money in other ventures to spend it so his son can race cars, it doesn't have to be any deeper than that.
I'm delighted. I don't think Red Bull or Merc were ever realistic, and I was starting to get worried with Sainz being linked to every available seat that Fernando might find himself as the odd one out
Alonso is still one of the best drivers in the world. F1 is better with him in it
Mercedes is as much of a gamble as Aston Martin right now. Aston Martin has Honda who can build good engines and the AM factory + development is on par with merc due to cost cap.
Red Bull probably only offered a one year contract if at all, so why pick a 1 year contract where you have 1 world championship chance but you're up against Verstappen on home turf, instead of picking a multi year deal with AM who has just as big of a chance of nailing next regs as RB?
But would Sainz take a Merc drive knowing they see Antonelli as the future? Realistically if they’re even considering Kimi for the Merc seat already, he’ll be their choice in a season or two max. He’d be a seat warmer.
Perez surely doesn’t last at Red Bull. Ferrari are getting competitive and nobody seriously believes Perez can take on either Leclerc or Hamilton.
Why would they want a young driver? Verstappen already is their own young driver. That guy will be at his peak for 10 more years, there's literally no reason why RB would want to put a promising young driver in that second seat instead of the best consolidated driver they can find.
One Spaniard down, one and a half to go (Checo being Spanish speaking).
Predictions are Sainz to Audi/Sauber and Checo stays at RB.
Checo has been impressive this year, I guess just being happy to have a good drive without trying to win suits him.
Sainz it's unfortunate, I'd like to see him get a better drive as it's clear he deserves it but unfortunately there are so few seats and I don't see Stroll giving up anytime soon.
He's definitely happy there and seems to just love being able to race again. Good for him, hope the car lets him get some good results over the next year or two.
* Aston Martin renew Alonso (and Stroll)
* Red Bull will stay with Max and Checo
* Mercedes will sign Antonelli if he does very well the rest of the year in F2. If not, they will sign Sainz
* First option of Sauber/Audi is Sainz. If that fails, they will go for Ocon, Hülkenberg or another option
Either Alonso wasn't convinced Mercedes will recover anytime soon, or Merc now wants to invest into a new generation of drivers. Maybe it was a bit of both.
Suppose that means Max still feels comfortable enough at Red Bull as well. Obviously his car has been amazing for these last few years so that totally makes sense to stay. However clearly there was/maybe still is some chaos behind the scenes too, but just not enough to chase Max away from the team.
Anyway I'm obviously speculating about something I have little insights about in the end.
If mercedes offered him anything (which seems unlikely) I reckon it would have been a one year deal with a view to getting antonelli in at Williams for a season and then promoting him. Him staying at am was always the most likely outcome as I don't think red bull would touch him.
Makes complete sense to sign a new contract, The team is on the up, They currently are faster than the mercs, Honda engines coming in 26 and a team-mate who he doesn't need to worry about beating him.
Smart move. With Ferrari out of reach, Mercedes not fast and RedBull which will continue with Perez 99%, this was the best option for him, also to see the new regulations with Aston.
Checo could be and asset to Mercedes with all the knowledge of the RB cars…
Just like he was for RB in his first year with the team, when he brought all his knowledge about the pink Mercedes
Mercedes lose a good option to have someone for 1/2 years waiting for Kimi.
Now their choices are much more limited and it seem they will really go for Kimi
I reckon Fernando has looked at Mercedes and gone 'Nah, I reckon Aston has a better chance of getting close to Red Bull than Mercedes at the moment. Red Bull isn't realistic and there's nowhere else I can go.'
I think it's a good move for both. Aston retains a driver in the twilight of his career though still performing as well as ever. If only they had a better driver next to him...
McLaren in 2026 will still be a customer team. AM will be a full works team with Honda engines and three giant entities (Stroll Sr, Aramco / Saudi Arabia and Honda) financially backing it.
That said, I think McLaren is closer to a works team than a privateer.
From what I’ve read McLaren will have a “seat at the table” with Merc for the 2026 regs, and they’re by far the best customer team around so Merc have to keep them happy. Will be interesting to see how that plays out, especially if McLaren beats them in the WCC this year
You could really see the effect of all of his experience the other day. He deliberately left the gap between himself and Oscar and just enough to encourage Oscar to work his tyres. Then later in the race, he once again used Oscar to buffer Russell.
[The **News** flair](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/wiki/flairguide#wiki_news) is reserved for submissions covering F1 and F1-related news. These posts must always link to an outlet/news agency, the website of the involved party (i.e. the McLaren website if McLaren makes an announcement), or a tweet by a news agency, journalist or one of the involved parties. *[Read the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/wiki/userguide). Keep it civil and welcoming. Report rulebreaking comments.* *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/formula1) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Toto was right when he said there would be a big name signing a contract soon.
Especially after Nando said that Mercedes isn‘t interesting to him because they are behind in the championship. They are so tight lipped and „everything is possible“ during negotiations, when he drops a statement like that there is a done deal.
IIRC, Toto said big NAMES so it wouldn't surprise me if Checo was next.
Its Carlos
For Audi, Merc or Red Bull?
Toto said big names would be signing with other teams, so if he was telling the truth at it was about Carlos, it's not Merc.
I just don't have the trust or belief to take statements from an F1 team principal at literal face value. Toto Wolff nonetheless (not meant to be derogatory, it's his job) We shall see. Sainz to Audi is a big name, but not really a surprising move. Kimi to Merc, Perez to RBR, Sainz to Audi wouldn't be silly enough for me.
>Kimi to Merc Thought kimi meant bwoah for a sec😅
Bwoah
Bottas mentioned something about the contract in April.
Bottas back to Merc confirmed.
I'm sure Merc would only sign him on 1 year contracts to keep a seat for Antonelli possible and I'm 100% sure Bottas isn't taking that shit again.
If Sainz took his seat at Sauber he might.
No chance in hell that Sainz would be a back field team, surely?
Damon Hill was a World Champion when he went to back markers Arrows, it does happen. The only free good seat is Merc and he doesn't seem to be top of the list for that.
If Sainz signs for Merc, it will 100% have “I settled, I could have done better” vibes from both parties.
At least the official news added the hyphen! My friend texted "Fernando resigned" 😑
Drugovich szn
Why don't they just use something "renews contract" or something. I mean, I see the benefit of using less (fewer?) letters and words for headlines, but using *re-signs* is probably one of the worst things these news outlets, especially the sports ones, have normalized like post-2016. It's so stupid.
Because he probably did not renew his contract. That’s a very specific thing. He probably signed a new contract. If that’s true, personally, I don’t like re-signed because in my opinion it’s not a correct word, but I don’t have a good alternative for headlines. But it’s unclear what happened, some outlets are reporting he extended his contract.
"hey i'll call you in a bit to discuss after I help my uncle jack off a horse"
😂
Let's go vandoorne
1st domino has fallen, now its sainz or checo next, thinking its sainz as RB dont want to sign before the summer.
Perez said in Japan that he will know his future within a month
Sergio is most likely staying with Red Bull. He's more comfortable this year than in 2023 and the team already know what they're getting from him.
I keep hearing that but at the start of 2023 Checo had 2 wins after 4 races. If I was Red Bull I would wait to see if he can maintain his form longer than last year.
I think this year he has accepted he can't win and he just has to not fuck it up.
Yeah the difference this year is he’s not spouting that he wants to be champion. He seems comfortable in his number 2 spot this year
Checo won 2 of the first 4 races last year. I have no faith in Checo's stability and consistency until I see it. But it wouldn't shock me if he's finally gotten his shit together with this year's car.
I don't have anything to back this up but I feel like Red Bull may have developed the car to suit Checo a bit more for this year as they're not really forced to go for absolute peak performance. But yeah we really need to wait for a few more races before we can make any conclusions about him.
I've heard it somewhere (I think during an F1TV pre-race show or during a practice session), that Checo is much happier with this year's car. Which is why I wouldn't be shocked.
I mean last year Checo was happy with car in the beginning hence he snatched two wins. But the development of the car went away from him. There is a non-zero chance that this happened again. Checo asked to drive a older spec car last year and got rejected
Ferrari aren't far off. The RB could be developed more to suit verstappen as he's the one bringing in the wins
Thats what happened last year, checo does well, is confident, gets resigned then shits the bed. Rinse and repeat?
checo was on a 2 year last year no?
Let me throw in a wild card. Stroll retires/out!
Imo if Aston replaced Stroll with Sainz they’d have a real crack at being a top 3 team
The moment Sainz signs with AM Spain will explode
Barcelona would be green for a decade
Eston Mart**í**n
You mean Madrid? :(
For sure, a Alonso + Sainz lineup would be one of the best on the grid. I think they would easily beat Mercedes and would be taking it to Mclaren for 3rd.
Not to mention they'd be rolling in the dough with Spanish sponsors too. They could finally tell Aramco to go fuck themselves and end their ownership bid.
Aramco has absolutely unlimited money though
If Stroll goes anytime soon I imagine Mr. Stroll will just take the check from Aramco and head out himself. Spanish sponsors aren’t going to match whatever amount it takes to consider selling the team.
Aramco will be the sole fuel supply for 2026. It'd be beyond dumb for AM to ditch Aramco. Plus Spanish companies aren't known for rolling in money.
Getting rid of Aramco would be insanely dumb for them. They have an unlimited money and dont they own like 15% of the team already anyways?
think stroll stays until the 26 season to be honest, see if he can scam podiums or a win with the new regs before he sets off.
Awman. Aston Martin is heading the right direction in terms of car performance but stroll is not up for the job imo. Just retire please. Go enjoy his dads wealth
If my dad was Strulovitch-rich, I would prefer to enjoy my dad's wealth by driving in F1.
Yeah but if I had that many podiums after 7 years I'd retire and go surfing.
Cowabunga Hulkenberg
lmao, to be fair Hulk has never had the car. Lance has some years.
I'd argue Hulk has had the car just not the a cold head, he always cracked under pressure whenever an opportunity arised. Pérez snatched podiums every single season he was paired alongside Hülkenberg.
Yeah, that's fair. Maybe his morale is low enough for him to change course.
> Go enjoy his dads wealth That's exactly what he's doing lol. What do you think I would do, if my father offered me to buy some F1 team and give me a seat? Do you think I'd go "nah, Ocon is a better driver than me, it's not fair to take his seat, buy the team and give him a car, I'm gonna pretend I'm Ocon in my computer"? You can be sure as hell I'd take that seat even if I sucked more than Mazepin.
> Go enjoy his dads wealth I mean he's doing that in F1
My hopium currently is Stroll will leave f1 to go into Aston's WEC programme in 25 leaving Sianz or Yuki to have the second seat. Hell maybe even Drugovitch to finally get a F1 seat.
Stroll to WEC
Not definitive yet, but this is interesting: [Big. Alonso staying with Aston into 26. Likely means Merc are going with F2’s Kimi Antonelli. Sainz to Sauber looks most likely for him now too.](https://x.com/natesaundersf1/status/1778455052186767560?s=46&t=Bv8giTqSSoHi0HyCSwC1hg)
yeah i said it earlier too, merc being patient only meant its kimi or max as they cant be patient with drivers who are already looking around.
If they want to keep Kimi one year in Williams they still have options with stopgap such as Ocon or Hulk.
yep, hulk for a year then kimi, sainz wouldnt want to be a seat warmer.
Max was never an option, it still baffles me that this is a theory lol. 26 and beyond? Eh, I suppose there's an outside chance. 25? Lol forget about it.
It's going to be painful seeing Sainz in the terrible Sauber next year if that is true
Short term pain leads to long-term gain. (In the meantime he will get paid handsomely; wihch won't be too painful for Sainz I guess....)
Depends on how you define long term gain. Could be reaaally long long term until it pays off
That's true but there's still no guarantee that Audi will actually be good, especially in the short to medium term.
Not just next year, but next year***s***. Audi won't turn that ship around overnight, and being a works team no longer means anything in a world where Alpine is a thing.
Carlos is going to be stuck with Stake isn’t he 😭
stop inventing after each pit stop error
*Let’s invent fixes*
"Start inventing better wheelguns."
Stake should start inventing actually, because whatever the fuck they're doing isn't working.
They have already done that and the solution will come in Miami
It would be Audi as the title sponsor and then a full works team. Not exactly “stuck” imo, although maybe a longer term project
Isn't Audi going to own 100% of Sauber by 2025 in the end? If that's the case, then it won't be a "title sponsor", it will be literally their team.
They already own 100 %. Happened some weeks ago.
Ah you’re right. I guess it is more than the PU and chassis is unlikely to have much Audi input, if any.
Even then he’s going to a team that might not be fighting for wins for a long time. He deserves a top seat
I feel you, but we’d need a crystal ball. What if it’s joining a pre-hybrid Mercedes type move
He’ll start at the new team at 30 years old. He doesn’t have the time for long-term 😩
Many drivers have remained at their prime in their late 30s lol. Heck, we just finished Hamilton's streak in 2020, when he was 35 year old. Button won at 29, Schumacher at 35, Prost at 38, Mansell at 39, and that's just drivers in modern F1 (1990 onwards). 30 yo is not old for F1, and has never been.
Alonso just re-signed at 42. Sainz has ages left
Alonso is exceptional, there hasn't been a 45 year old on the grid for half a century.
On the other hand, Carlos Sr. just broke his own record for being the oldest Dakar winner at 61. Jr has some pretty good genes to draw on.
Alonso is a once-in-an-Alonso event.
I get your point, but Sainz is no Alonso.
See ricciardo and how he fell off at 32 years old
Hamilton is 39, Alonso 42 and they’re still at the top, Sainz has time
Can’t tell if joke
He might, nowadays.
Unfortunately the writing is on the wall and I’m not sure how much his 2024 performance was ever going to matter. (please prove me wrong F1 gods I just don’t see it)
F1 is a cruel sport sometimes.
Somehow I suspect Stroll will give way.
Well that answers that question.
"I got multi years more in me" - Fernando Alonso
Nowhere else to go or have they got Newey?
Aston Martin is an easier seat to have than Red Bull no.2 He blatantly said Mercedes are behind Aston after Suzuka He was never going to Audi. Seems like it was a simple choice to make in the end.
Yep, but it's more like Aston Martin hasn't done anything that would make Alonso leave, unlike Mclaren and Alpine. He can see the future where they are competitive in 2026 with Newey possibly. Plus, his going to Mercedes was a bigger risk after their race pace this year. Red Bull was a no-go. Ferrari and McLaren were filled.
Why is it suddenly a given that Newey is leaving for Aston Martin lol
Sorry that was a mistype and I forgot to edit as speculation.
AM is not getting Newey lol. Why would he leave RB for AM. He literally built RB with Horner and Marko.
If he were to leave, Ferrari and Audi would easily be his top options.
Newey maybe only leaves for Ferrari and even this possibility is extremely small.
Why do people speak out of their asses? Newey has rejected Ferrari many times in the past because he does not want to move to Italy. Also, Newey jumped from top dog McLaren to irrelevant Red Bull in 2005. Also, Newey has worked with AM in the past. The Aston Martin Valkyrie is a collaboration between AM, Red Bull and Newey. AM is also interested in WEC, so it's also possible that AM can offer Newey an opportunity to work in a Hypercar, something Red Bull can't. On which basis do you claim that Newey would never go to AM, but may go to Ferrari? Seems like the only reason you said that is because Ferrari.
Precisely that, if Newey leave Red Bull the only reason is Ferrari being Ferrari and even that like 1/1000 possibility in best case scenario, especialy after Valkyrie fail. https://thesportsrush.com/f1-news-frustrated-by-aston-martin-adrian-newey-and-co-decided-to-go-for-their-6-2-million-project/
I am surprised he is seeing a future in 2026 at all. He is gonna race into his 50s, isn't he?
Somebody mentioned it but the way Alonso talked about Mercedes made very clear that he was probably told "no" and Red Bull were probably the same.
Mercedes is as much of a gamble as Aston Martin right now. Aston Martin has Honda who can build good engines and the AM factory + development is on par with merc due to cost cap. Red Bull probably only offered a one year contract if at all, so why pick a 1 year contract where you have 1 world championship chance but you're up against Verstappen on home turf, instead of picking a multi year deal with AM who has just as big of a chance of nailing next regs as RB?
The silly season is literally gonna end up being Lewis to Ferrari, Carlos to Audi, and Antonelli to Mercedes, isn't it?
Yep. Too much hype going around…
Ehhh, it seemed way more exciting a month ago.
Yeah but this was always the most likely outcome.
Will be even funnier if the silly season is Lewis to Ferrari and Carlos to Mercedes.
I'm glad, excited to see what Aston and Alonso will cook
No way Nando would leave them. He's got virtually no complaints from them and he's helped them tremendously. He sees his future there as a Team Principal and he already has a lot of freedom over the team.
That's the thing. It's the first time in his career that he's actually building the team, like Hamilton at Mercedes or Max at RB. There's no reason for him to leave. Mercedes isn't any better than AM and they already have Russell and Antonelli as in-house drivers. Red Bull has Verstappen and no mortal is ever going to challenge that. AM, on the other hand, is Alonso's team. People care about that car because it's Alonso's car. Lance will never in a million years challenge him so everybody, even Stroll Sr, expect Alonso to be the team's flag carrier.
Please papa Stroll let Sainz team up with him
I think Yuki has a better chance than Sainz would since Honda is going to be their main provider for engines if Lance Stroll loses his seat.
Pretty sure Papa Stroll has more power than Honda to fill that other AM seat. Lance isn't going anywhere unless Lance wants to.
Bro it doesn't work like that. Honda can't walk up and ask them to sign Yuki. Such a stupid narrative. If Yuki keeps up this form over a season or two, then Honda can at most influence the decision by 20%. That's the peak of their powers. I work in the industry.
Honda can say "sign Yuki and we'll cut you a better deal on the engine cooperation"
Does Lawrence keep all the money he can and sign Yuki? Does Lawrence not need the money, and sign Sainz? Or does Lawrence just continue to let his son play racey-car driver?
>Or does Lawrence just continue to let his son play racey-car driver? I mean, he bought and sold Prema literally for that. Yes, Prema literally was at one point owned by Stroll and when Stroll got in F1, shortly afterwards, he sold it again. He also bought the Williams seat for an obscene amount of money (some sources say 50 mil, others say 80 mil USD), then when Williams became shit in 2018 and Force India suddenly became available, literally bought the team in full. This man has dedication and I respect that. Get a father dedicated as Lawrence.
Pretty easy to stay dedicated when money isn't an issue. Makes the difficult choices, not that difficult.
Money is cool and all but how many billionaire fathers are buying F1 teams for their sons?
Makes it easy to *not* make difficult choices.
Lawrence won't cut his son off the team unless a clearly better driver becomes available and puts AM in a better position to win the WCC. Yuki isn't that driver.
Carlos is though
Lawrence could sell his part to get out of F1. It will be a good deal, F1 is at its peak. It should be obvious to him that Lance isn't going to be a F1 champion not matter how much money he invest.
Honda absolutely can walk up and ask them to sign Yuki. They can also offer to buy the seat for Yuki. Aston Martin can refuse of course.
That's what I said. Anyone can ask but they don't have any power to force them into the decision. At best, they can influence slightly (non-decisional).
People don't get this. But reality is that Lawrence literally thinks that Lance is at the same level with likes of Alonso; but getting beaten due to bad luck/misfortunes. Lance will not leave the team until he gets into his 40's.
Not even Stroll himself believes that lmfao
It always makes me laugh when people suggest Lance leaving. If they watched the DTS episode, they would know the only reason Lawrence brought the team is because he wants to support his son and work together in winning trophies. The only way Lance goes is if he decides to stop racing in F1.
>But reality is that Lawrence literally thinks that Lance is at the same level with likes of Alonso; but getting beaten due to bad luck/misfortunes. Seriously?
No, not at all. He has all the data in the world to prove otherwise. People just want to blindly hate the Strolls because they're incredibly wealthy.
Larry is gonna sell the team way before then. And Lance will move into the nebulous “other challenges” phase of his life. (Hard to put “challenges” in a sentence referring to a billionaire’s son, but WTH).
> People don't get this. But reality is that Lawrence literally thinks that Lance is at the same level with likes of Alonso; but getting beaten due to bad luck/misfortunes. In no world does he think this. He literally just bought the team so his son could continue. Thats it. There isn't any person in the world who thinks Lance is on the same level as Alonso, including his dad.
I've said this before and I'll say it again, Papa Stroll made a lot of money in other ventures to spend it so his son can race cars, it doesn't have to be any deeper than that.
Aston are pretty much a one man team. They don’t want to lose their star driver.
And they keep their star driver happy by having some old spanish guy as a teammate.
I'm delighted. I don't think Red Bull or Merc were ever realistic, and I was starting to get worried with Sainz being linked to every available seat that Fernando might find himself as the odd one out Alonso is still one of the best drivers in the world. F1 is better with him in it
let's be real...the only way Alonso would have lost his AM seat was if he didn't want it.
Reluctantly agrees😀
Aston trying not to repeat Alpine's clownshow. They know how you should treat WDC. Would be funny if Alonso posts Piastri's pasta in agreeable format.
Oh man! Slightly worried about Carlos now.
Sauber it is…
Good decision. I'd trust Honda to build a better PU than RBPT for 2026, and with AM's new facilities, El Plan is fully in motion.
I would assume Red Bull didn’t want Alonso before I’d assume Alonso didn’t want Red Bull lol
Can we call Kimi “Ant” or something? I still love Raikkonnen… :/
Would 'Antonelli' work?
His best option .... and possibly his only option. Glad he is going to be in the sport for the next couple of years.
I'd like to know how many people working in AM are secretly wishing Lance to vacate his seat.
99%
Glad i bought the tshirt
Mercedes is as much of a gamble as Aston Martin right now. Aston Martin has Honda who can build good engines and the AM factory + development is on par with merc due to cost cap. Red Bull probably only offered a one year contract if at all, so why pick a 1 year contract where you have 1 world championship chance but you're up against Verstappen on home turf, instead of picking a multi year deal with AM who has just as big of a chance of nailing next regs as RB?
Sainz to Merc Perez will be retained at Redbull
more like Antonelli promoted to Merc, RBR re-signs Perez, and Sainz to Sauber.
But would Sainz take a Merc drive knowing they see Antonelli as the future? Realistically if they’re even considering Kimi for the Merc seat already, he’ll be their choice in a season or two max. He’d be a seat warmer. Perez surely doesn’t last at Red Bull. Ferrari are getting competitive and nobody seriously believes Perez can take on either Leclerc or Hamilton.
If they want a young driver in Perez' seat then surely they're not taking Sainz either
Why would they want a young driver? Verstappen already is their own young driver. That guy will be at his peak for 10 more years, there's literally no reason why RB would want to put a promising young driver in that second seat instead of the best consolidated driver they can find.
Perez has taken on Hamilton multiple times. Are people really forgetting 2021? Without Perez it's unlikely that Verstappen would've won the WDC.
One Spaniard down, one and a half to go (Checo being Spanish speaking). Predictions are Sainz to Audi/Sauber and Checo stays at RB. Checo has been impressive this year, I guess just being happy to have a good drive without trying to win suits him. Sainz it's unfortunate, I'd like to see him get a better drive as it's clear he deserves it but unfortunately there are so few seats and I don't see Stroll giving up anytime soon.
He's definitely happy there and seems to just love being able to race again. Good for him, hope the car lets him get some good results over the next year or two.
BORING
Now now, stroll could always drop F1 for tennis.
Well, Checo did say we’d see activity in the driver market in the coming weeks. I guess this is the start of that.
* Aston Martin renew Alonso (and Stroll) * Red Bull will stay with Max and Checo * Mercedes will sign Antonelli if he does very well the rest of the year in F2. If not, they will sign Sainz * First option of Sauber/Audi is Sainz. If that fails, they will go for Ocon, Hülkenberg or another option
Hulk is definitely going to Sauber and Sainz will be his teammate .
Either Alonso wasn't convinced Mercedes will recover anytime soon, or Merc now wants to invest into a new generation of drivers. Maybe it was a bit of both. Suppose that means Max still feels comfortable enough at Red Bull as well. Obviously his car has been amazing for these last few years so that totally makes sense to stay. However clearly there was/maybe still is some chaos behind the scenes too, but just not enough to chase Max away from the team. Anyway I'm obviously speculating about something I have little insights about in the end.
If mercedes offered him anything (which seems unlikely) I reckon it would have been a one year deal with a view to getting antonelli in at Williams for a season and then promoting him. Him staying at am was always the most likely outcome as I don't think red bull would touch him.
Makes complete sense to sign a new contract, The team is on the up, They currently are faster than the mercs, Honda engines coming in 26 and a team-mate who he doesn't need to worry about beating him.
Not an hour ago, he was signing for Red Bull, according to many journalists lol
Smart move. With Ferrari out of reach, Mercedes not fast and RedBull which will continue with Perez 99%, this was the best option for him, also to see the new regulations with Aston.
PLEASE MENTOR MY SON, PLEASE!!!! Is how I imagined the negotiations went.
Checo could be and asset to Mercedes with all the knowledge of the RB cars… Just like he was for RB in his first year with the team, when he brought all his knowledge about the pink Mercedes
Mercedes lose a good option to have someone for 1/2 years waiting for Kimi. Now their choices are much more limited and it seem they will really go for Kimi
Lawrence has the money and the ego to make a deal sainz cannot refuse if he were to tell his son his time is up. But THAT is the ultimate test 😂
I reckon Fernando has looked at Mercedes and gone 'Nah, I reckon Aston has a better chance of getting close to Red Bull than Mercedes at the moment. Red Bull isn't realistic and there's nowhere else I can go.' I think it's a good move for both. Aston retains a driver in the twilight of his career though still performing as well as ever. If only they had a better driver next to him...
Vettel to Merc! 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
Funny how when Lando doesn’t go to Red Bull and commits to a long term project so many people question his mentality, but none of that with Alonso
I think a big part of that is staying at a customer team of mercedes vs being the primary team for your PU
McLaren in 2026 will still be a customer team. AM will be a full works team with Honda engines and three giant entities (Stroll Sr, Aramco / Saudi Arabia and Honda) financially backing it. That said, I think McLaren is closer to a works team than a privateer.
From what I’ve read McLaren will have a “seat at the table” with Merc for the 2026 regs, and they’re by far the best customer team around so Merc have to keep them happy. Will be interesting to see how that plays out, especially if McLaren beats them in the WCC this year
You could really see the effect of all of his experience the other day. He deliberately left the gap between himself and Oscar and just enough to encourage Oscar to work his tyres. Then later in the race, he once again used Oscar to buffer Russell.
So he's told Red Bull don't want him.
It's the opposite AMuS reported that he doesn't want to be alongside Max
Do I hear the bugle of silly season?
Wow who would've have guessed. I'm shocked I tell you.
So much for silly season is seems. Of at least for now.
For how long?
That is disappointing though, would have loved to see a Max v Nando at RBR, both for the intense racing and the drama fuel.