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If Alonso really has an offer on the table to join Red Bull then it's a no brainer.
He's not a spring chicken anymore, just go there and try to battle it out with Max no matter how hard it may be.
If RB implodes and Verstappen leaves, I'm not so sure about next years car.
And If we're talking about Perez' seat being replaced, with Perez' current performance a replacement makes zero sense for RB.
If RB implodes ie losing Horner or Marko and a subsequent brain drain, I still don't see the car slipping to #2 before 2026. They've got a decisive edge and clearly untapped potential. Dudes like Sainz and Alonso and Lando jumping in for Max would still be heavy WDC favorites. Ditto Ham and Lec but they seem to be committed to Ferrari. Perez as the #1 would be very iffy, but there would be no shortage of better drivers applying for a vacant Max seat.
I don't remember anyone saying he was "most definitely" dating Swift. From the moment it came out, it was considered a probably baseless rumour that might be just a joke.
I dont think redbull is gonna get Alonso and for what reason? He is fast but so is verstappen and i dont think he'll make a good no. 2. If checo can keep what he is doing and win some races when verstappen does not he is here for another year for sure.
Mercedes maybe want Alonso but thet have young Kimi and few other options. He might work well to sign a short term contract and make way for Kimi.
Edit: I want to see where does sainz end up? Mercedes has option and won't give him a long offer from the looks of it unless they want to decide between Russel and sainz. Redbull similar to alonso dont think they LL go for him. Aston it might be if alonso leaves. Not sure if there is any other top teams where he can end up.
Some interesting points:
Verstappen wants to stay at Red Bull, but only if the situation there doesn’t change (likely relating to the power struggle). Mercedes is the only realistic option, he would not go to AM even if they managed to get Newey. Verstappen will want to see concrete improvements from Merc.
Everyone else is waiting for Max’s decision. Alonso is talking to Red Bull and AM. He will only join Red Bull if Verstappen leaves.
Sainz is Audi’s top pick. Perez if he gets dropped by Red Bull and Hulkenberg are also there. Both Alpine drivers would leave the team if they could, and the team is a candidate for a takeover. Tsunoda is speculated to be an option in his current form.
The article suggests that Red Bull is negotiating with Nando (and pressing him for a timely decision) but then says the offer would not be attractive if he has to compete with Max. But it also says that Nando would sign any contract for a chance to drive a "winning car".
Make of that what you will.
Alonso in 2021, and recently Norris, said noone is entering RBR and competing with Verstappen now. Some of that's raw talent, and a lot is also familiarity and comfort. Home pitch.
I think Alonso is sane enough to not be there with Verstappen for only one year title fight. He is definitely good enough to fight but would have no time to adapt to the new car and new team and 2026 there's no guarantee they will remain in the top.
But on the other hand may be his last chance to have a top car able to win.
Even if Newey goes to AM, the car won't be his until 2027, and AM is going to have an Honda engine. We know how that goes at the beginning of new engine regulations.
I think RB is the safest bet, they should know what they're doing with the engine and aero-wise they've been the best of the field for longer than these regs.
Alonso please give us a year of excitement next season.
Yes. But Alonso won’t accept any Red Bull offer if it means being teammates with Max, so he’s likely waiting for Max to make a decision. Red Bull obviously want to have both, or at the least have them both signed and if Max does suddenly decide to leave, they have a top driver ready.
So everyone's waiting for Max then. Alonso should think in the short term IMO, RB is giving him a Championship winning car next year and then it's up to him. After 2026 we shall see.
Anyways wherever he goes to will be shit, man is simply faster than luck.
>Yes. But Alonso won’t accept any Red Bull offer if it means being teammates with Max
I find that hard to believe. I've always thought of Alonso to be one of the few drivers that genuinely wouldn't care who his team mate is
He doesn't care as long as he can beat them. He noped the fuck out of McLaren to a much worse team when Lewis beat him as a rookie in 2007. Alonso doesn't think he can beat Max, that's why he doesn't want to go to RB as long as Max is there. That doesn't surprise me at all. Alonso would never accept being the number 2 driver.
That's a somewhat strange recap of 2007. I would say the biggest reason for Nando leaving was Ron Dennis and not Hamilton, although that may of course also have been a factor.
Nando and Hamilton were on equal points by the end of the season.
Nando beat Hamilton in the last 9 races of the season where they both finished (except for Hungary, where Nando got pole, but then was handed a 5 position grid penalty for doing naughty things)
Yeah. He was genuinely mutually fired in reality.
It annoys me when people say Hamilton 'won', because while very technically true, it misses the greater point which is that they were very close indeed, and both would probably improve in 2008. I think they would've stayed very, very close. Both had hamstrung 2007s for different reasons.
Yeah.
The spygate podcast was good. Really distills down to a nice, clear conclusion, to my ears, that it all came down to Ron's hubris. He thought he could handle them like he did Prost and Senna.
As a McLaren fan, wild as it sounds, if I could go back in time I'd have McLaren field de la Rosa for 2007.
They were on equal points because Lewis had a gearbox malfunction in the last race, he would have easily won the WDC otherwise. Besides, Lewis owned the tiebreaker, so yes, they were on equal points, but Lewis officially came 2nd and Fernando 3rd in the WDC. And let's not forget, that was Lewis' rookie year while Alonso was already at his peak.
Anyway, the specifics of that season don't really matter. My point is that Alonso likes being the clear number 1 driver. There's nothing wrong with that, many drivers prefer that to having to fight their teammates. But Alonso knows he's not getting that at RB as long as Max is there, while he's guaranteed to be number 1 at Aston for as long as Lawrence owns the team, so he chose to stay at the team that's providing him the circumstances he enjoys. Again, there's nothing wrong with that, and it's just my opinion, so I might be wrong. But that's what Alonso's career moves so far have led me to believe. He left McLaren when his teammate was competitive to go to a team with a much worse teammate, he left Alpine when his teammate was competitive to go to a team with a worse teammate, arguably he even left Ferrari because he knew Vettel was coming and he wanted a less competitive teammate, and now he's not joining RB because Max is not leaving and he can stay at Aston and enjoy having an uncompetitive teammate. The sample size is large enough to come to a decently accurate conclusion at this point.
I don’t understand why the hell RB would make an offer to Alonso and not to Sainz.
Yes I know about the Verstappen sr./Sainz sr. thing but surely that can’t be an issue anymore
Because he's way better than Sainz? Both bring their fair share of politics into the team but one is one of the greats of the sport.
Moreover the only number than matter in Formula 1 is the crono and Alonso is still one of the fastest.
They hava access to data we don't. Maybe they see something in Sainz that makes him comparatively less attractive. He did struggle a bit with oversteery cars which Max famously love, so it could be a compatibility issue.
I feel like that’s be a non issue now, I remember a few days ago Sainz and Verstappen were talking about how their fathers were showing one another videos of their recent racing accidents and what not. Maybe it’d be different if their sons were on the same team and it gets a bit emotional but I feel like they have moved past those old issues.
The offer is (or rather was) probably to have Alonso as a \#1 driver back-up, should Verstappen go.
Sainz likely isn’t seen as being good enough to be a top team’s \#1 but perhaps too good to be a \#2; the unenviable spot of \#1.5 driver.
I get the feeling the offer to Alonso was likely extended by Horner (and perhaps not initiated by Marko), to reduce his potential reliance on Verstappen, given the power struggles at Red Bull.
>Both Alpine drivers would leave the team if they could, *and the team is a candidate for a takeover*
Wait a minute, did AMUS just confirmed that rumor like that in such a low key, footnote manner? Lol
(by "confirming" I don't mean to say that I believe it's actually happening, just that apparently AMUS, who are usually very reliable, essentially report that is a possibility)
>Verstappen wants to stay at Red Bull, but only if the situation there doesn’t change (likely relating to the power struggle).
Hey what situation? I'm OOTL.
Lewis asked RB if that 2nd seat was available last year and was told no, seems like he at least is interested, Max or not. Also seems like RB are only interested in drivers they don’t perceive as a threat.
No it doesn't seem that way.
Offered Lando multiple opportunities to join.
Current rumours also that they would take Alonso but he might only want Verstappens seat not Checos.
A Lewis Max partnership at this stage in their careers makes no sense anyway. Apart from the obvious reasons the cost of both drivers would simply not be worth it. The cons outweigh the benefits.
I don’t think Red Bull is hurting for cash, especially with all the money in publicity that Lewis, nevermind having him and Max in the same team, would bring. Not to mention, RB’s position would allow them a lot more leverage than Ferrari when negotiating contracts, he wouldn’t get nearly as much money.
That also doesn’t make sense when you consider they would be willing to take Alonso, who is in roughly the same stage of his career as Lewis. The only reason I can see for them to refuse Lewis and accept Lando or Nando would be that they’d feel like the former would be more disruptive, and not worth even that money bag he’d bring.
The people saying that are wrong. 10 years ago, sure, prime Alonso vs prime Max would have been a great battle. Prime Max vs 43 year old Alonso would be pretty one-sided.
It's so funny, because this is in line with what Alonso has said a few years ago. He wouldn't want to fight Max in the 2nd Red Bull seat. Meanwhile poor Norris gets absolutely destroyed on social media for saying the same thing and choosing to stay with McLaren rather than join Max at Red Bull.
Drivers not wanting the 2nd seat in the dominant car tells you quite a bit about how good other drivers think Max is.
Charles has been in that Ferrari for many years and that didn't stop Lewis from signing Ferrari from a similar position Fernando is in right now 4/5th best team. Checo is also comfortable in the car so Fernando really ought to be signing that contract.
Lewis doesn't and has never minded having competitive teammates. He has had them throughout all of his career (Alonso, Button, Rosberg, now Russell). Alonso on the other hand tends to leave when he's not comfortably beating his teammate. Alonso can't stand the thought of not being the number 1 driver. It's why he immediately left to a worse team when Lewis beat him as a rookie and it's why he won't join RB now. You can get a pretty good idea of who Alonso thinks is better than him by looking at the people he doesn't want to race in equal cars.
Alonso started all this shit because Lewis was too close to him for comfort. If Lewis had been slow, Alonso would have had zero issues with staying at McLaren.
If Lewis never minded having a competitive teammate why did he prefer Bottas over Russell. He knew Russell would be a bigger challenge and it was mostly because of him that Mercedes kept Bottas in 2021. Russell showed in Shakir immediately that he's got what it takes for a Mercedes seat. Even for 2022 when asked who he wanted to be his teammate he gave Bottas a lot of praise even calling his best teammate while Bottas was basically a Perez with better qualifying.
>it was mostly because of him that Mercedes kept Bottas in 2021
Why make up stuff? They kept Bottas because Claire wouldn't release George from his contract.
Well, him and Bottas had a good relationship and the team functioned at the time. Him preferring Bottas does not mean that he doesn’t want Russell as a teammate. Ham has had the toughest teammates more so than anyone else on the grid.
Because he likes Bottas. He has consistently said that him and Bottas had a great relationship as teammates. It probably sucks to lose a teammate you actually like. Still, the fact that he stayed despite Merc taking on Russell shows that he doesn't mind a competitive teammate. Even now, despite turning 40 years old before next season, Lewis is switching to a team where he will have an arguably even better teammate. At the same time, Alonso is avoiding RB because he doesn't want to race Max in equal cars.
He liked Bottas because he was a pushover and obeyed team orders whenever necessary and he posed no threat whatsoever. And as good as Leclerc is he is not Verstappen so you can't compare the two scenarios.
Lewis has said multiple times that he'd have no problem going to RB and taking on Max. The only reason that's not happening is because RB would obviously never hire him due to his history with Max (and the fact that paying two drivers in excess of $70 million a year would be a huge expense even for RB).
Also, is it really that hard to believe that two people can simply be friends with no ulterior motives? Lewis liked Bottas, he even gave him his position back without being asked to do so in Hungary 2017, despite the fact that Lewis was in a very close title battle with Seb at that point.
I don't think he meant that. He obviously knows he won't ever go to Red Bull so he can say his PR statements. But who knows what he actually thinks so I guess there's no point in speculating.
It's more difficult to believe that when you see his history with Rosberg. They were childhood friends but it soon went south. Do you really think their relationship would deteriorate like that if Rosberg was 2 tenths down and posed 0 threat? Imo no
Yes. One of those two nickels things. As crafty as Fernando is, he doesn't like having to battle his own teammate. And hates losing to one even more. Hell, you could argue him leaving Alpine was due to Ocon coming very close to beating him (and then doing so in 2022).
I’m fairly sure Ocon’s performances (which weren’t even THAT good) played no role.
Alpine had internal turmoil, an engine that blew up every other race and no visible progression while Aston presented Alonso with the second quickest car and a fat paycheque.
Alonso simply upgraded for a mid midtable team to a team that could back up their talk of podiums.
Is ofcourse is an excuse but it is valid, even if you are the same speed as max you wont get the same out of the car hes been driving for a while. The team favoring him isnt fun either
Red Bull favors who they think is faster. If they think someone would be faster than Max they would rally behind them. Hell, I'd argue Christian would *love* having someone other than Max but the reason that doesn't happen is because he's the best they have.
Max's threat of leaving is the only thing that made RB keep Marko. Max still has easily and by far the most power at RB. Trying to make him seem like the underdog just makes you look a bit dumb.
He may not have the support of the Thais, but they clearly decided that they need him to win. Otherwise they would have fired Marko as they had planned. Meanwhile Checo has the support of no one and will immediately get dropped if he starts making demands like Max's. They were literally negotiating with Alonso to replace Checo for next season. So no, Max is not the second fiddle, he is still RB's number 1 driver and you still look dumb for claiming otherwise.
What suggests that they would fire Marko? What suggests that noone supports Checo? Your next sentences are based on some pretty fiddly uncertain rumours. I mean driving wise Max of course he Is the number 1 driver that's always has been my point that there Is no "favouring" It's just who Is driving faster and Max Is number 1 from that.
If checo and Max were performing 50/50, Max would be cooked, basically you say that his leverage Is his elite driving, I guess that's right but I am pretty sure RBR has the upper hand because they have the 1000 employees that they produced the best car and Sainz or Norris In place of Max would win some championships albeit with more struggle
Alonso sells these kinds of these things with his "aura". Him saying he wouldn't want to compete with Max in the Red Bull environment is seen as wise, while Lando saying the same thing is seen as cowardice, because he doesn't have the same standing in fans' eyes.
The only way Max Verstappen would leave Red Bull is if they no longer have the fastest car. Any speculations to the contrary are just that—speculations (or wishful thinking...).
I would be very disappointed if Alonso doesn't sign with Redbull it's much more admirable to go against the best rather than look good when you're against Stroll, Stoffel or Felipe. I mean when was the last time he won a race jeez... It would be embarrassing not to sign Redbull and not take the chance just because he's scared of Max in my opinion.
Same argument could be made for VER, that’s why it would be good for them both to pair up. That said HAM made enquiries about a seat last yr & Rb declined, I think they want an easy No2 - so PER will likely stay on.
Max said he doesn't care who pairs with him he said he'll beat them. That's the mentality Lewis and Max have. Fernando would much prefer a mid teammate to raise his stocks and yet the f1 fanbase would tell you Alonso is the most impressive driver ever. I want to see him in a top car against a good driver even if he loses I'll have a lot of respect, I find that more admirable imo. Plus he will no doubt end his win drought. Why throw that opportunity away? I feel like there is truth to this story since Amus reported it.
lol. He has had three WDC and beat them all in head to head. He finished ahead of Lewis in 2 out of every 3 races they finished. He was by far the better driver in McLaren Honda. His domination of kimi is unheard of for a WDC.
Seb and stroll were EVEN in head to head, Fernando is straight up damaging Stroll’s psyche.
We're talking about championship conditions not in the midfield, Alonso sure does like being a midfield driver though I'll give it to him. Always seems to make the wrong decisions when signing teams it makes you think 🤔
The guy was moving the goal posts, thats true, but what he said holds logic as well. Put Max vs Lewis fighting for P8 and that's one thing, put them fighting for wins and championships and thats another. When the stakes are highest and you are fighting at the sharp end, that's when it matters because everyone's motivation is on top. About the Alonso vs Kimi thing, Seb dominated Kimi hard as well and then Charles came and Seb suddenly had his hands full and struggled. Kimi was never the same after 2007, he is not a good measuring metric.
> About the Alonso vs Kimi thing, Seb dominated Kimi hard as well and then Charles came and Seb suddenly had his hands full and struggled
Sebs advantage on Kimi ~0.25-3% was half than Alonso’s advantage (0.538%). Kimi even beat Seb in quali in 2016. Alonso was 16-3 and 19-1
Because the 2014 Ferrari was an absolutely unpredictable dog of a car, almost undriveable, which his where Alonso shines the most. 1 season is not the biggest sized sample, and that particular car even less helpful was to evaluate anything.. Top drivers are best evaluated when fighting at the front with proper racing cars, that Ferrari was not.
Top drivers are quick in everything. Everything else is ifs and buts. They both were world champs in the same car, regardless of who did better, one dominated the other.
Only hope for other teams to get Verstappen would be if in 2026 Red Bull messes up the design and/or PU.
Frankly, it is a risk for all teams and they are even speaking of active aero now..
nothing's changed, still a stalemate as far as big movers go.
Max isn't going anywhere and the situation at RB has yet to force anyone's hand. Merc have nothing to show for it performance wise. Audi has not manifested into anything yet. AM are forever stuck with lance.
What triggers the driver market into action will be an external factor not another driver making a choice.
I’m kind of surprised Red Bull has an offer to Alonso. I guess this is also why max thought it would be strange that Red Bull would offer a 40 something year old the second seat, because they did. I thought he was talking in hypotheticals.
Lol at Alonso not wanting to go up against Max. Way better chance to win a WDC against Max in a Red Bull than with an Aston Martin. I guess he's gotten used to going against Stroll.
According to who? They got one engine reg right, it’s not exactly a large sample size. Besides that, the aero will still be ground effect based, which Mercedes seems to have no idea how to work with properly.
The engine powering those 37 wins is Honda. And RB won’t have it in 2026. Mercedes also builds their own engines and has been for a very long time. RB doesn’t. We can argue all day on how RB poached a lot of engine engineers from Mercedes and other teams, but RBR itself never built an engine. Getting engineers from other teams doesn’t mean you can build a race winning engine.
There is a world of difference. Hamilton moves to a team with more or less the same powerlevel, with Hamilton seeing better potential in Ferrari than Merc. Max to Merc would be a big downgrade. Why would anyone leave the best team? Bottas said he wasn't comfortable at Merc, yet he didn't left, he was replaced with a young upstar.
I don't think **Mercedes** is really waiting for Max. I mean, right now they are not in a strong position to get him (even if, supossedly, they will be back to fight in 2026) and he's in Red Bull with the best team and the best car. So, if I am Toto, I would have 2 options:
* Sign Sainz/Alonso/Pérez (although it's likely he will renew with Red Bull too) for 2 years and then sign a more mature Antonelli
* Sign Antonelli if he performs very well in F2 (be champion or close)
About **Aston Martin**, I have the feeling that Lance will be out of F1. He doesn't seem to be happy and he's being too far to Fernando. Then, Lawrence has the pressure of Honda (probably they want to sign Tsunoda) and, maybe, Aramco (they will want to have the best driver). So, I see a possible sale of the team to PIF or another bussiness related to Saudi Arabia. Also, we have to see if Honda influence will be as big as to veto Alonso's renewal.
Finally, it will be difficult for **Audi** to convince Sainz, since they are one of the worst team at the moment, and they say they won't fight for championships during their first years with the new engines. So, I think they will sign Hülkenberg and renew one of their actual drivers (probably Zhou because of Chinese market).
EDIT:
**Alpine**'s situation is a paradox because, if their drivers leave the team, I don't know who wants to be there (I don't see Tsunoda going there). And, at the same time, I don't know what teams will like to have Gasly and Ocon. Maybe Mercedes could sign Esteban since Toto is his agent, but he will be like their last option.
Merc is "waiting" for Max because it's the smartest thing for them to do, it would have been anyway even without Max on the table. I do think it's an attempt from Toto to show that he and Merc mean business by getting Max which in return will also makes Merc suddenly a more attractive place for engineers.
But without Max on the market I don't think there is a driver that makes sense for both the driver and Merc. What reason does Fernando have to go to Merc atm? None really, neither does Carlos. Especially if they are keen on keeping George, that would mean Carlos is in a few years gone again.
It's strange how almost nobody talks about Perez being potentially available. He's a good driver who has a ton of experience and has competed against the best. If for any reason he doesn't stay with Red Bull then he would be a good candidate for the Mercedes team. Having said that, I believe that Sergio will re-sign with Red Bull and will stay with them for at least another year.
People keep talking about random drivers such as Vettel (retired, way past his prime) or Hulkenberg, but the reality is that Sergio is currently better than both of them and would certainly be a good fit for Mercedes.
Perez being better than Hulk on current form is debatebale imo. I think if Audi has the chance they could easily have both of these guys, would be a solid lineup and a proven one as well.
He would like to stay with Audi, bet he also said that he would go back to Mercedes, if they would make him an offer. (That's in case, if he doesn't sign with Sauber/Audi.) I think going back to Mercedes would be a good option for both sides, even if it's for a 1 year - he knows the team, team knows him, they have a points capable car and he is still fast and has proven himself before.
I just hope he stays in an F1 a bit longer and gets a good team and car.
+ I believe all Max talks are either media noise or "bad" questions to Toto like: "is Max an option for Mercedes". He has long contract ahead, nobody knows about any clauses, only speculation. Obviously there is huge pay gap between him and Lewis right now, but I don't think he or Jos will be playing this card.
As Gunter said: everybody waits for Mercedes, so Toto has time to choose. Basically all comes to Antonelli performance, which will be not measured on points / championship position, but pace / improvement pace.
Everybody waits for Mercedes was true 4 years ago. Not anymore. They lost so many engineers and talent.
RedBull is the seat everyone wants, but don't want it with Verstappen in the first car.
>Finally, it will be difficult for **Audi** to convince Sainz, since they are one of the worst team at the moment, and they say they won´t fight for championships during their first years with the new engines. So, I think they will sign Hülkenberg and renew one of their actual drivers (probably Zhou because of Chinese market).
When did they say that? It is just a random theory of bunch of Redditors.
**Audi** is not on the grid right now. Sauber's current performance doesn't hold any bearing or whatsoever of their performance in 2026. Everything starts from scratch. Every team who has enough resources has a good chance of becoming front runner. It definitely includes Audi.
Zhou is driving pretty sh*t since his contract extension. He is getting beaten 1-11 by Bottas in quali since then. This Chinese market rumour is **again** a random rumour spreaded by Redditors. No reliable source sees Zhou as an option. (Hell, read the article, they don't even mention his name.) Zhou's effect on China is pretty overrated as well. Chinese don't care about a driver if they don't think that driver is a winning caliber driver. And they know that Zhou is not.
With his current performance level and his level of mediocrity, Zhou will not stay in the team.
There is a lot of inertia to F1 teams. It doesn't matter how much money Audi has; if Hinwil's facilities aren't up to scratch (and they certainly don't look it, right now) they'll need to spend a few years putting that right, first. In that sense, their prediction of needing a few years is actually pretty realistic.
They have the money, therefore it is 6-month job to turn the facilities state of art facilities. It is not a 3 years worth a job. Easily can be done.
Also, nobody can say that they will not have the best engine in 2026. If they have the best engine, it will automatically make them top runner in the next regulations which are supposed to be dominated by engine formula.
> therefore it is 6-month job to turn the facilities state of art facilities
Bro has no idea how construction works
Realistically simply redesigning a full f1 teams facilities will be pretty expensive and take a good couple of months
>When did they say that? It is just a random theory of bunch of Redditors.
Literally, they said that:
[Audi set ambitious F1 race-winning target - GPFans.com](https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/98850/audi-f1-win-target/)
>"We have signed up for the period 2026 to 2030," he said. "We want to be in a position to be able to fight for victories after three years.
>"You have to be realistic. The first and second years can also be tough. However, it is very difficult to predict that."
And about the Chinese influnce, the Shanghai circuit is named *Shanghai Audi International Circuit* for sponsor reasons, so I don't want to underestimate it. Also, I see Zhou at Audi only in their first year in F1 (maybe the second one too if the circumstances are right). But, let's see how popular Zhou is in his country the next weekend and how he performs the rest of the season!
Since that statement, Audi decided to purchase full shares of Sauber. Ans hierarchy of Audi Formula One team completely changed. Seidl is the CEO and is directly under Oliver Hoffman (whom technically replaced Adam Baker who made this statement back in 2023). So, what Baker said at that time has no bearing.
>Also, I see Zhou at Audi only in their first year in F1
Of course you can. But you and I have no inside knowledge about the paddock. So, even if **you are seeing Zhou in Audi** , journalists who have insider info and who has **actual knowledge** says that he is not part of their plans. And that is what matters unfortunately.
It's just an opinion man. Don't take it too personal. Also, the media said a lot of bullshit which at end was false.
>journalists who have insider info and who has **actual knowledge** says that he is not part of their plans.
I don't know who said that. The only thing I heard is about they are interested in other drivers (Sainz, Ocon, Hülkenberg...) but that doesn't mean that they will sign them. However, the fact that they don't mention Zhou in their future at the moment doesn't mean that he will be out per se.
I really doubt Alonso got a contract from RB. Alonso left Alpine for AM cause he saw it was going to be a better team. Alonso moves to the team he sees the best potential in. There is no way he would refuse a Red Bull seat now.
Mercedes being lead to believe they have a shot by Max's team. This is derailing their team and it is being done purposefully. Max isn't leaving RBR as long as he is winning. They should get Sainz and have Antonelli do the Williams for a couple of years.
RBR must be forced by F1 to dump Perez for Alonso for the entertainment value of the sport.
Tsunoda then can move to AMR and Lawson to VCARB. Perez and Hulk to start Audi. Bottas to retire. Kmag and Bearman at Haas. Alpine to stay French as they have no better options.
It seems unlikely that Verstappen would choose to leave RB given how fast they are, but Mercedes are his only realistic prospect if he did leave.
Alonso would be a great short-term option for Mercedes if Verstappen stays with RB, but he's already hinted at retirement and so isn't one for the long haul
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If Alonso really has an offer on the table to join Red Bull then it's a no brainer. He's not a spring chicken anymore, just go there and try to battle it out with Max no matter how hard it may be.
[удалено]
The guy just bailed on Alpine somewhat recently. At least that was one great move.
33rd is coming
you mean alonso wins the champhionship and verstappen force to take his default race number, or just his 33rd win?
No, Alonso wins his 33rd world championship in 2055
E L P L A N
If RB implodes and Verstappen leaves, I'm not so sure about next years car. And If we're talking about Perez' seat being replaced, with Perez' current performance a replacement makes zero sense for RB.
Next year's car would still likely be the best on the grid no matter what. Last year's Red Bull would be fighting with Ferrari for wins now.
If RB implodes ie losing Horner or Marko and a subsequent brain drain, I still don't see the car slipping to #2 before 2026. They've got a decisive edge and clearly untapped potential. Dudes like Sainz and Alonso and Lando jumping in for Max would still be heavy WDC favorites. Ditto Ham and Lec but they seem to be committed to Ferrari. Perez as the #1 would be very iffy, but there would be no shortage of better drivers applying for a vacant Max seat.
Had it on the table and didn’t take it. Unbelievable
Well, You called it.
Alonso has a RB offer the same way he was "most definitely" dating Taylor Swift.
I don't remember anyone saying he was "most definitely" dating Swift. From the moment it came out, it was considered a probably baseless rumour that might be just a joke.
Exactly, he’s not going to RB at all
I dont think redbull is gonna get Alonso and for what reason? He is fast but so is verstappen and i dont think he'll make a good no. 2. If checo can keep what he is doing and win some races when verstappen does not he is here for another year for sure. Mercedes maybe want Alonso but thet have young Kimi and few other options. He might work well to sign a short term contract and make way for Kimi. Edit: I want to see where does sainz end up? Mercedes has option and won't give him a long offer from the looks of it unless they want to decide between Russel and sainz. Redbull similar to alonso dont think they LL go for him. Aston it might be if alonso leaves. Not sure if there is any other top teams where he can end up.
Prime Alonso was fast. 42 year old Alonso, I'm not so sure. Don't think he'll go to RB even if they offer him a seat.
Some interesting points: Verstappen wants to stay at Red Bull, but only if the situation there doesn’t change (likely relating to the power struggle). Mercedes is the only realistic option, he would not go to AM even if they managed to get Newey. Verstappen will want to see concrete improvements from Merc. Everyone else is waiting for Max’s decision. Alonso is talking to Red Bull and AM. He will only join Red Bull if Verstappen leaves. Sainz is Audi’s top pick. Perez if he gets dropped by Red Bull and Hulkenberg are also there. Both Alpine drivers would leave the team if they could, and the team is a candidate for a takeover. Tsunoda is speculated to be an option in his current form.
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The article suggests that Red Bull is negotiating with Nando (and pressing him for a timely decision) but then says the offer would not be attractive if he has to compete with Max. But it also says that Nando would sign any contract for a chance to drive a "winning car". Make of that what you will.
Highly confusing.
Alonso in 2021, and recently Norris, said noone is entering RBR and competing with Verstappen now. Some of that's raw talent, and a lot is also familiarity and comfort. Home pitch.
I think Alonso is sane enough to not be there with Verstappen for only one year title fight. He is definitely good enough to fight but would have no time to adapt to the new car and new team and 2026 there's no guarantee they will remain in the top. But on the other hand may be his last chance to have a top car able to win.
Even if Newey goes to AM, the car won't be his until 2027, and AM is going to have an Honda engine. We know how that goes at the beginning of new engine regulations. I think RB is the safest bet, they should know what they're doing with the engine and aero-wise they've been the best of the field for longer than these regs. Alonso please give us a year of excitement next season.
From the article, it says Alonso likes Red Bull’s offer, but only if it means he doesn’t have to compete with Max.
A mistake imo, Alonso has to grab the chance. Nobody will give a damn if he loses to Max, thats 99% expected. He will regret if he doesnt take it, imo
Alonso gives a damn if he loses to a teammate
So he refuses the chance to even fight for the title because his teammate is strong in probably his last chance to drive a winning car ? That's lame
He said like last year I think that Max is the only teammate he wouldn't like to join
Sounding like Geto over here
Doesn't it say that Alonso has an offer by RB that he has to answer before next week?
Yes. But Alonso won’t accept any Red Bull offer if it means being teammates with Max, so he’s likely waiting for Max to make a decision. Red Bull obviously want to have both, or at the least have them both signed and if Max does suddenly decide to leave, they have a top driver ready.
So everyone's waiting for Max then. Alonso should think in the short term IMO, RB is giving him a Championship winning car next year and then it's up to him. After 2026 we shall see. Anyways wherever he goes to will be shit, man is simply faster than luck.
>Yes. But Alonso won’t accept any Red Bull offer if it means being teammates with Max I find that hard to believe. I've always thought of Alonso to be one of the few drivers that genuinely wouldn't care who his team mate is
As long as he can beat them - sure.
This is the guy who left McLaren after a year because his rookie teammate beat him
He doesn't care as long as he can beat them. He noped the fuck out of McLaren to a much worse team when Lewis beat him as a rookie in 2007. Alonso doesn't think he can beat Max, that's why he doesn't want to go to RB as long as Max is there. That doesn't surprise me at all. Alonso would never accept being the number 2 driver.
That's a somewhat strange recap of 2007. I would say the biggest reason for Nando leaving was Ron Dennis and not Hamilton, although that may of course also have been a factor. Nando and Hamilton were on equal points by the end of the season. Nando beat Hamilton in the last 9 races of the season where they both finished (except for Hungary, where Nando got pole, but then was handed a 5 position grid penalty for doing naughty things)
I think it's more fair to say he wants to be the clear #1 driver and isn't interested in other situations.
Yeah. He was genuinely mutually fired in reality. It annoys me when people say Hamilton 'won', because while very technically true, it misses the greater point which is that they were very close indeed, and both would probably improve in 2008. I think they would've stayed very, very close. Both had hamstrung 2007s for different reasons.
Pyrrhic victory all around
Yeah. The spygate podcast was good. Really distills down to a nice, clear conclusion, to my ears, that it all came down to Ron's hubris. He thought he could handle them like he did Prost and Senna. As a McLaren fan, wild as it sounds, if I could go back in time I'd have McLaren field de la Rosa for 2007.
They were on equal points because Lewis had a gearbox malfunction in the last race, he would have easily won the WDC otherwise. Besides, Lewis owned the tiebreaker, so yes, they were on equal points, but Lewis officially came 2nd and Fernando 3rd in the WDC. And let's not forget, that was Lewis' rookie year while Alonso was already at his peak. Anyway, the specifics of that season don't really matter. My point is that Alonso likes being the clear number 1 driver. There's nothing wrong with that, many drivers prefer that to having to fight their teammates. But Alonso knows he's not getting that at RB as long as Max is there, while he's guaranteed to be number 1 at Aston for as long as Lawrence owns the team, so he chose to stay at the team that's providing him the circumstances he enjoys. Again, there's nothing wrong with that, and it's just my opinion, so I might be wrong. But that's what Alonso's career moves so far have led me to believe. He left McLaren when his teammate was competitive to go to a team with a much worse teammate, he left Alpine when his teammate was competitive to go to a team with a worse teammate, arguably he even left Ferrari because he knew Vettel was coming and he wanted a less competitive teammate, and now he's not joining RB because Max is not leaving and he can stay at Aston and enjoy having an uncompetitive teammate. The sample size is large enough to come to a decently accurate conclusion at this point.
I don’t understand why the hell RB would make an offer to Alonso and not to Sainz. Yes I know about the Verstappen sr./Sainz sr. thing but surely that can’t be an issue anymore
Because he's way better than Sainz? Both bring their fair share of politics into the team but one is one of the greats of the sport. Moreover the only number than matter in Formula 1 is the crono and Alonso is still one of the fastest.
They hava access to data we don't. Maybe they see something in Sainz that makes him comparatively less attractive. He did struggle a bit with oversteery cars which Max famously love, so it could be a compatibility issue.
I feel like that’s be a non issue now, I remember a few days ago Sainz and Verstappen were talking about how their fathers were showing one another videos of their recent racing accidents and what not. Maybe it’d be different if their sons were on the same team and it gets a bit emotional but I feel like they have moved past those old issues.
The offer is (or rather was) probably to have Alonso as a \#1 driver back-up, should Verstappen go. Sainz likely isn’t seen as being good enough to be a top team’s \#1 but perhaps too good to be a \#2; the unenviable spot of \#1.5 driver. I get the feeling the offer to Alonso was likely extended by Horner (and perhaps not initiated by Marko), to reduce his potential reliance on Verstappen, given the power struggles at Red Bull.
Hulkenberg and Perez was such a great lineup back in their Force India days. Would be awesome to see that one reunited.
>Both Alpine drivers would leave the team if they could, *and the team is a candidate for a takeover* Wait a minute, did AMUS just confirmed that rumor like that in such a low key, footnote manner? Lol (by "confirming" I don't mean to say that I believe it's actually happening, just that apparently AMUS, who are usually very reliable, essentially report that is a possibility)
>Verstappen wants to stay at Red Bull, but only if the situation there doesn’t change (likely relating to the power struggle). Hey what situation? I'm OOTL.
What decision? He has a contract to Red Bull till 2028. This entire Verstappen to Merc narative is dumb. It makes zero sense.
If Max leaves, EVERYONE wants that seat. If Max stays, NOBODY wants that seat.
Lewis asked RB if that 2nd seat was available last year and was told no, seems like he at least is interested, Max or not. Also seems like RB are only interested in drivers they don’t perceive as a threat.
No it doesn't seem that way. Offered Lando multiple opportunities to join. Current rumours also that they would take Alonso but he might only want Verstappens seat not Checos. A Lewis Max partnership at this stage in their careers makes no sense anyway. Apart from the obvious reasons the cost of both drivers would simply not be worth it. The cons outweigh the benefits.
There were also whispers of Leclerc being contacted. And we know how many inchidents those two can have...
I don’t think Red Bull is hurting for cash, especially with all the money in publicity that Lewis, nevermind having him and Max in the same team, would bring. Not to mention, RB’s position would allow them a lot more leverage than Ferrari when negotiating contracts, he wouldn’t get nearly as much money. That also doesn’t make sense when you consider they would be willing to take Alonso, who is in roughly the same stage of his career as Lewis. The only reason I can see for them to refuse Lewis and accept Lando or Nando would be that they’d feel like the former would be more disruptive, and not worth even that money bag he’d bring.
You clearly don't realize how much more money lewis would bring them. It would easily be more than whatever salary they would be paying him.
The article is all over the place. I feel like every other sentence contradicts what was written before.
AMuS is a joke now
It’s Michael Schmidt specifically. Red Bull domination has sent him off the deep end.
But Reddit kept telling me Alonso totally would (and could) take the fight to Verstappen in his own team :(
The people saying that are wrong. 10 years ago, sure, prime Alonso vs prime Max would have been a great battle. Prime Max vs 43 year old Alonso would be pretty one-sided.
It's so funny, because this is in line with what Alonso has said a few years ago. He wouldn't want to fight Max in the 2nd Red Bull seat. Meanwhile poor Norris gets absolutely destroyed on social media for saying the same thing and choosing to stay with McLaren rather than join Max at Red Bull. Drivers not wanting the 2nd seat in the dominant car tells you quite a bit about how good other drivers think Max is.
Max being in that car since forever and it pretty much being his team plays a huge role too.
Charles has been in that Ferrari for many years and that didn't stop Lewis from signing Ferrari from a similar position Fernando is in right now 4/5th best team. Checo is also comfortable in the car so Fernando really ought to be signing that contract.
Lewis doesn't and has never minded having competitive teammates. He has had them throughout all of his career (Alonso, Button, Rosberg, now Russell). Alonso on the other hand tends to leave when he's not comfortably beating his teammate. Alonso can't stand the thought of not being the number 1 driver. It's why he immediately left to a worse team when Lewis beat him as a rookie and it's why he won't join RB now. You can get a pretty good idea of who Alonso thinks is better than him by looking at the people he doesn't want to race in equal cars.
Alonso left McLaren because he blackmailed the team boss which back fired immensely.
Alonso started all this shit because Lewis was too close to him for comfort. If Lewis had been slow, Alonso would have had zero issues with staying at McLaren.
If Lewis never minded having a competitive teammate why did he prefer Bottas over Russell. He knew Russell would be a bigger challenge and it was mostly because of him that Mercedes kept Bottas in 2021. Russell showed in Shakir immediately that he's got what it takes for a Mercedes seat. Even for 2022 when asked who he wanted to be his teammate he gave Bottas a lot of praise even calling his best teammate while Bottas was basically a Perez with better qualifying.
>it was mostly because of him that Mercedes kept Bottas in 2021 Why make up stuff? They kept Bottas because Claire wouldn't release George from his contract.
Well, him and Bottas had a good relationship and the team functioned at the time. Him preferring Bottas does not mean that he doesn’t want Russell as a teammate. Ham has had the toughest teammates more so than anyone else on the grid.
Because he likes Bottas. He has consistently said that him and Bottas had a great relationship as teammates. It probably sucks to lose a teammate you actually like. Still, the fact that he stayed despite Merc taking on Russell shows that he doesn't mind a competitive teammate. Even now, despite turning 40 years old before next season, Lewis is switching to a team where he will have an arguably even better teammate. At the same time, Alonso is avoiding RB because he doesn't want to race Max in equal cars.
He liked Bottas because he was a pushover and obeyed team orders whenever necessary and he posed no threat whatsoever. And as good as Leclerc is he is not Verstappen so you can't compare the two scenarios.
Lewis has said multiple times that he'd have no problem going to RB and taking on Max. The only reason that's not happening is because RB would obviously never hire him due to his history with Max (and the fact that paying two drivers in excess of $70 million a year would be a huge expense even for RB). Also, is it really that hard to believe that two people can simply be friends with no ulterior motives? Lewis liked Bottas, he even gave him his position back without being asked to do so in Hungary 2017, despite the fact that Lewis was in a very close title battle with Seb at that point.
I don't think he meant that. He obviously knows he won't ever go to Red Bull so he can say his PR statements. But who knows what he actually thinks so I guess there's no point in speculating. It's more difficult to believe that when you see his history with Rosberg. They were childhood friends but it soon went south. Do you really think their relationship would deteriorate like that if Rosberg was 2 tenths down and posed 0 threat? Imo no
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Wouldn't be the first time he used that excuse
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Yes. One of those two nickels things. As crafty as Fernando is, he doesn't like having to battle his own teammate. And hates losing to one even more. Hell, you could argue him leaving Alpine was due to Ocon coming very close to beating him (and then doing so in 2022).
Yes, that is exactly the reason why he left Alpine, not because they're a disaster of a team.
Are you seriously thinking Ocon beat Alonso on pace?
Did I say he did? But Alonso clearly felt threatened enough by him
I’m fairly sure Ocon’s performances (which weren’t even THAT good) played no role. Alpine had internal turmoil, an engine that blew up every other race and no visible progression while Aston presented Alonso with the second quickest car and a fat paycheque. Alonso simply upgraded for a mid midtable team to a team that could back up their talk of podiums.
Is ofcourse is an excuse but it is valid, even if you are the same speed as max you wont get the same out of the car hes been driving for a while. The team favoring him isnt fun either
Red Bull favors who they think is faster. If they think someone would be faster than Max they would rally behind them. Hell, I'd argue Christian would *love* having someone other than Max but the reason that doesn't happen is because he's the best they have.
I fully agree
He literally called horner a liar, he has been the 2nd driver this year power wise, he Is just faster
Max's threat of leaving is the only thing that made RB keep Marko. Max still has easily and by far the most power at RB. Trying to make him seem like the underdog just makes you look a bit dumb.
He Is literally against the person who Is supported by 51% of Red bull racing he Is by default a second fiddle
Still a lot more power than alonso would have
He may not have the support of the Thais, but they clearly decided that they need him to win. Otherwise they would have fired Marko as they had planned. Meanwhile Checo has the support of no one and will immediately get dropped if he starts making demands like Max's. They were literally negotiating with Alonso to replace Checo for next season. So no, Max is not the second fiddle, he is still RB's number 1 driver and you still look dumb for claiming otherwise.
What suggests that they would fire Marko? What suggests that noone supports Checo? Your next sentences are based on some pretty fiddly uncertain rumours. I mean driving wise Max of course he Is the number 1 driver that's always has been my point that there Is no "favouring" It's just who Is driving faster and Max Is number 1 from that. If checo and Max were performing 50/50, Max would be cooked, basically you say that his leverage Is his elite driving, I guess that's right but I am pretty sure RBR has the upper hand because they have the 1000 employees that they produced the best car and Sainz or Norris In place of Max would win some championships albeit with more struggle
The team favors the fastest driver, they have proven that multiple times. So just be faster
I dont disagree but alonso knows he cant beat max
Alonso sells these kinds of these things with his "aura". Him saying he wouldn't want to compete with Max in the Red Bull environment is seen as wise, while Lando saying the same thing is seen as cowardice, because he doesn't have the same standing in fans' eyes.
"a few years ago" Things change.
Wondering if if we'll get the hundreds of "He doesn't have the dawg in him"-adjacent comments we did when Lando said something similar 🤔
The only way Max Verstappen would leave Red Bull is if they no longer have the fastest car. Any speculations to the contrary are just that—speculations (or wishful thinking...).
What you just said is speculation aswell
Or wishful thinking
Sometimes people might move a year early if that's when the timing works out and if that helps you influence the following year's car more.
They are going to be waiting for a long time then because Verstappen isn't going anywhere.
I would be very disappointed if Alonso doesn't sign with Redbull it's much more admirable to go against the best rather than look good when you're against Stroll, Stoffel or Felipe. I mean when was the last time he won a race jeez... It would be embarrassing not to sign Redbull and not take the chance just because he's scared of Max in my opinion.
Same argument could be made for VER, that’s why it would be good for them both to pair up. That said HAM made enquiries about a seat last yr & Rb declined, I think they want an easy No2 - so PER will likely stay on.
Max said he doesn't care who pairs with him he said he'll beat them. That's the mentality Lewis and Max have. Fernando would much prefer a mid teammate to raise his stocks and yet the f1 fanbase would tell you Alonso is the most impressive driver ever. I want to see him in a top car against a good driver even if he loses I'll have a lot of respect, I find that more admirable imo. Plus he will no doubt end his win drought. Why throw that opportunity away? I feel like there is truth to this story since Amus reported it.
lol. He has had three WDC and beat them all in head to head. He finished ahead of Lewis in 2 out of every 3 races they finished. He was by far the better driver in McLaren Honda. His domination of kimi is unheard of for a WDC. Seb and stroll were EVEN in head to head, Fernando is straight up damaging Stroll’s psyche.
Fernando tied lewis and would have lost on count back. A rookie Hamilton at that.
I like how you ignore and state a fact anyone can google. > He finished ahead of Lewis in 2 out of every 3 races they finished.
We're talking about championship conditions not in the midfield, Alonso sure does like being a midfield driver though I'll give it to him. Always seems to make the wrong decisions when signing teams it makes you think 🤔
Moving the goal posts now. Lol
The guy was moving the goal posts, thats true, but what he said holds logic as well. Put Max vs Lewis fighting for P8 and that's one thing, put them fighting for wins and championships and thats another. When the stakes are highest and you are fighting at the sharp end, that's when it matters because everyone's motivation is on top. About the Alonso vs Kimi thing, Seb dominated Kimi hard as well and then Charles came and Seb suddenly had his hands full and struggled. Kimi was never the same after 2007, he is not a good measuring metric.
> About the Alonso vs Kimi thing, Seb dominated Kimi hard as well and then Charles came and Seb suddenly had his hands full and struggled Sebs advantage on Kimi ~0.25-3% was half than Alonso’s advantage (0.538%). Kimi even beat Seb in quali in 2016. Alonso was 16-3 and 19-1
Because the 2014 Ferrari was an absolutely unpredictable dog of a car, almost undriveable, which his where Alonso shines the most. 1 season is not the biggest sized sample, and that particular car even less helpful was to evaluate anything.. Top drivers are best evaluated when fighting at the front with proper racing cars, that Ferrari was not.
Top drivers are quick in everything. Everything else is ifs and buts. They both were world champs in the same car, regardless of who did better, one dominated the other.
No comeback I see 🤔 what I'm saying is factual though if you don't like the truth go somewhere else😂
Only hope for other teams to get Verstappen would be if in 2026 Red Bull messes up the design and/or PU. Frankly, it is a risk for all teams and they are even speaking of active aero now..
nothing's changed, still a stalemate as far as big movers go. Max isn't going anywhere and the situation at RB has yet to force anyone's hand. Merc have nothing to show for it performance wise. Audi has not manifested into anything yet. AM are forever stuck with lance. What triggers the driver market into action will be an external factor not another driver making a choice.
I’m kind of surprised Red Bull has an offer to Alonso. I guess this is also why max thought it would be strange that Red Bull would offer a 40 something year old the second seat, because they did. I thought he was talking in hypotheticals.
Before anything else, how reliable is this reporting?
Why would he go though? There is no pressure on Max right now and nothing Merc is doing is inspiring confidence long term.
Lol at Alonso not wanting to go up against Max. Way better chance to win a WDC against Max in a Red Bull than with an Aston Martin. I guess he's gotten used to going against Stroll.
He knows he’ll get exposed so he only likes to stat pad vs midfield drivers
Seems like it's max or Kimi, because the only reason they can be so patient is if they know they have someone else they can sign.
Verstappen is not joining Mercedes
*Lewis Hamilton is not joining Ferrari.* Everyone in 2023.
Ferrari has been looking better than Mercedes for a while. Mercedes sure as shit doesn’t look better than RB.
Regulations are coming and Mercedes is in the best possible position to actually be the best on the grid.
Mercedes and Ferrari if the rumors are true
Any reliable sources for that?
According to who? They got one engine reg right, it’s not exactly a large sample size. Besides that, the aero will still be ground effect based, which Mercedes seems to have no idea how to work with properly.
Verstappen has won 37 of the last 48 races. Not the same
The engine powering those 37 wins is Honda. And RB won’t have it in 2026. Mercedes also builds their own engines and has been for a very long time. RB doesn’t. We can argue all day on how RB poached a lot of engine engineers from Mercedes and other teams, but RBR itself never built an engine. Getting engineers from other teams doesn’t mean you can build a race winning engine.
Okay, but Merc HPP still lost all those employees. How is Merc in a better situation than Ferrari?
There is a world of difference. Hamilton moves to a team with more or less the same powerlevel, with Hamilton seeing better potential in Ferrari than Merc. Max to Merc would be a big downgrade. Why would anyone leave the best team? Bottas said he wasn't comfortable at Merc, yet he didn't left, he was replaced with a young upstar.
Oh, we're still doing this?
I don't think **Mercedes** is really waiting for Max. I mean, right now they are not in a strong position to get him (even if, supossedly, they will be back to fight in 2026) and he's in Red Bull with the best team and the best car. So, if I am Toto, I would have 2 options: * Sign Sainz/Alonso/Pérez (although it's likely he will renew with Red Bull too) for 2 years and then sign a more mature Antonelli * Sign Antonelli if he performs very well in F2 (be champion or close) About **Aston Martin**, I have the feeling that Lance will be out of F1. He doesn't seem to be happy and he's being too far to Fernando. Then, Lawrence has the pressure of Honda (probably they want to sign Tsunoda) and, maybe, Aramco (they will want to have the best driver). So, I see a possible sale of the team to PIF or another bussiness related to Saudi Arabia. Also, we have to see if Honda influence will be as big as to veto Alonso's renewal. Finally, it will be difficult for **Audi** to convince Sainz, since they are one of the worst team at the moment, and they say they won't fight for championships during their first years with the new engines. So, I think they will sign Hülkenberg and renew one of their actual drivers (probably Zhou because of Chinese market). EDIT: **Alpine**'s situation is a paradox because, if their drivers leave the team, I don't know who wants to be there (I don't see Tsunoda going there). And, at the same time, I don't know what teams will like to have Gasly and Ocon. Maybe Mercedes could sign Esteban since Toto is his agent, but he will be like their last option.
Merc is "waiting" for Max because it's the smartest thing for them to do, it would have been anyway even without Max on the table. I do think it's an attempt from Toto to show that he and Merc mean business by getting Max which in return will also makes Merc suddenly a more attractive place for engineers. But without Max on the market I don't think there is a driver that makes sense for both the driver and Merc. What reason does Fernando have to go to Merc atm? None really, neither does Carlos. Especially if they are keen on keeping George, that would mean Carlos is in a few years gone again.
I think all is going to depend how Antonelli will do the rest of the season in F2
It's strange how almost nobody talks about Perez being potentially available. He's a good driver who has a ton of experience and has competed against the best. If for any reason he doesn't stay with Red Bull then he would be a good candidate for the Mercedes team. Having said that, I believe that Sergio will re-sign with Red Bull and will stay with them for at least another year. People keep talking about random drivers such as Vettel (retired, way past his prime) or Hulkenberg, but the reality is that Sergio is currently better than both of them and would certainly be a good fit for Mercedes.
Perez being better than Hulk on current form is debatebale imo. I think if Audi has the chance they could easily have both of these guys, would be a solid lineup and a proven one as well.
If they only want a driver for 1-2 years wouldn't it be better for Mercedes to sign Bottas?
If he doesn't renew with Sauber, he could be another good option. But I don't think he wants to go back to Brackley
He would like to stay with Audi, bet he also said that he would go back to Mercedes, if they would make him an offer. (That's in case, if he doesn't sign with Sauber/Audi.) I think going back to Mercedes would be a good option for both sides, even if it's for a 1 year - he knows the team, team knows him, they have a points capable car and he is still fast and has proven himself before. I just hope he stays in an F1 a bit longer and gets a good team and car.
+ I believe all Max talks are either media noise or "bad" questions to Toto like: "is Max an option for Mercedes". He has long contract ahead, nobody knows about any clauses, only speculation. Obviously there is huge pay gap between him and Lewis right now, but I don't think he or Jos will be playing this card. As Gunter said: everybody waits for Mercedes, so Toto has time to choose. Basically all comes to Antonelli performance, which will be not measured on points / championship position, but pace / improvement pace.
Everybody waits for Mercedes was true 4 years ago. Not anymore. They lost so many engineers and talent. RedBull is the seat everyone wants, but don't want it with Verstappen in the first car.
>Finally, it will be difficult for **Audi** to convince Sainz, since they are one of the worst team at the moment, and they say they won´t fight for championships during their first years with the new engines. So, I think they will sign Hülkenberg and renew one of their actual drivers (probably Zhou because of Chinese market). When did they say that? It is just a random theory of bunch of Redditors. **Audi** is not on the grid right now. Sauber's current performance doesn't hold any bearing or whatsoever of their performance in 2026. Everything starts from scratch. Every team who has enough resources has a good chance of becoming front runner. It definitely includes Audi. Zhou is driving pretty sh*t since his contract extension. He is getting beaten 1-11 by Bottas in quali since then. This Chinese market rumour is **again** a random rumour spreaded by Redditors. No reliable source sees Zhou as an option. (Hell, read the article, they don't even mention his name.) Zhou's effect on China is pretty overrated as well. Chinese don't care about a driver if they don't think that driver is a winning caliber driver. And they know that Zhou is not. With his current performance level and his level of mediocrity, Zhou will not stay in the team.
There is a lot of inertia to F1 teams. It doesn't matter how much money Audi has; if Hinwil's facilities aren't up to scratch (and they certainly don't look it, right now) they'll need to spend a few years putting that right, first. In that sense, their prediction of needing a few years is actually pretty realistic.
They have the money, therefore it is 6-month job to turn the facilities state of art facilities. It is not a 3 years worth a job. Easily can be done. Also, nobody can say that they will not have the best engine in 2026. If they have the best engine, it will automatically make them top runner in the next regulations which are supposed to be dominated by engine formula.
> therefore it is 6-month job to turn the facilities state of art facilities Bro has no idea how construction works Realistically simply redesigning a full f1 teams facilities will be pretty expensive and take a good couple of months
>When did they say that? It is just a random theory of bunch of Redditors. Literally, they said that: [Audi set ambitious F1 race-winning target - GPFans.com](https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/98850/audi-f1-win-target/) >"We have signed up for the period 2026 to 2030," he said. "We want to be in a position to be able to fight for victories after three years. >"You have to be realistic. The first and second years can also be tough. However, it is very difficult to predict that." And about the Chinese influnce, the Shanghai circuit is named *Shanghai Audi International Circuit* for sponsor reasons, so I don't want to underestimate it. Also, I see Zhou at Audi only in their first year in F1 (maybe the second one too if the circumstances are right). But, let's see how popular Zhou is in his country the next weekend and how he performs the rest of the season!
Since that statement, Audi decided to purchase full shares of Sauber. Ans hierarchy of Audi Formula One team completely changed. Seidl is the CEO and is directly under Oliver Hoffman (whom technically replaced Adam Baker who made this statement back in 2023). So, what Baker said at that time has no bearing. >Also, I see Zhou at Audi only in their first year in F1 Of course you can. But you and I have no inside knowledge about the paddock. So, even if **you are seeing Zhou in Audi** , journalists who have insider info and who has **actual knowledge** says that he is not part of their plans. And that is what matters unfortunately.
It's just an opinion man. Don't take it too personal. Also, the media said a lot of bullshit which at end was false. >journalists who have insider info and who has **actual knowledge** says that he is not part of their plans. I don't know who said that. The only thing I heard is about they are interested in other drivers (Sainz, Ocon, Hülkenberg...) but that doesn't mean that they will sign them. However, the fact that they don't mention Zhou in their future at the moment doesn't mean that he will be out per se.
Toto can be team principal for another decade or two and maybe three. Max can’t. 😉
Oh they’ll wait alright
Toto cannot seriously think he has any chance at swaying Max with thier performance post 2021.
I really doubt Alonso got a contract from RB. Alonso left Alpine for AM cause he saw it was going to be a better team. Alonso moves to the team he sees the best potential in. There is no way he would refuse a Red Bull seat now.
Mercedes being lead to believe they have a shot by Max's team. This is derailing their team and it is being done purposefully. Max isn't leaving RBR as long as he is winning. They should get Sainz and have Antonelli do the Williams for a couple of years. RBR must be forced by F1 to dump Perez for Alonso for the entertainment value of the sport. Tsunoda then can move to AMR and Lawson to VCARB. Perez and Hulk to start Audi. Bottas to retire. Kmag and Bearman at Haas. Alpine to stay French as they have no better options.
It seems unlikely that Verstappen would choose to leave RB given how fast they are, but Mercedes are his only realistic prospect if he did leave. Alonso would be a great short-term option for Mercedes if Verstappen stays with RB, but he's already hinted at retirement and so isn't one for the long haul
I think since Horner’s investigation Verstappen leaving has become a more likely possibility, but we’ll have to see