Should we work out early who we need to hate and who we need to love? Hulk is 10 years older than the youngest in that list so he's out. Bottas is Finish so we should probably love him. decisions decisions.
I hate Verstappen since he ultimately cost Hamilton the race today. I'm nailing my colors to the mast early!
Is Bottas part of the next generation? Same age as Ricciardo, only two years younger than Vettel and Hulkenberg.
He is in the 'intermediate' generation like Ricciardo or Hulk, so he may already be champion when he mixes with a grown Max and Sainz.
I'm gunning for Bottas/Hulk (if he ever gets a a top drive)/ and Verstappen for the years ahead. Big changes in lineups in the next 5 years, once Alonso/Button/Hamilton/Kimi retire. Sadly Jules would have been in there as well.
Something which is going largely unnoticed. Perez is completely thrashing Hulkenberg this year. Hulk has beaten him once in Australia, and since then Perez has always been ahead, even if he qualifies behind him! Is Hulk getting unmotivated? Is Perez actually showing his 2012 form but more consistently? I think Hulk's contract is up this year? If it is, I fully expect him to retire and move on to the WEC as he's always overlooked whether it's right or wrong.
He is too inconsistent for the top teams to now pick him. Against weaker teammates he has shone, but up against anyone with a bit of acknowledged driving talent and he doesn't look so great. Never been a huge fan of his, I think some people were too in love with him for (eventually) beating di Resta, and it took him a while to sort that out as well. New kids look far more exciting.
Think he has already peaked tbh. There was a lot of hype surrounding him a few years ago, after that pole in damp conditions. Perez has just outshone him.
I think Hulk and Grosjean have both missed their opportunity to get a big move now. A couple of seasons back they really shone, but nothing came up so I think that ship has sailed.
Not necessarily. If Ferrari axe Kimi after this year then they may have a chance. Who else would be in consideration?
I think Bottas is higher up the pecking order, and it sounds like Williams would let him go for a payoff, as they're publicly traded and couldn't really turn down the cash. Otherwise, Perez is arguably moving ahead of Hulk as the season progresses, as others have said, and Danny Ric might be tempted. Vettel will have the team fully built around him by then so might not feel so threatened.
Am I the only one who doesn't rate Bottas at all? So much to the extent that I don't think he'll ever get a win. His one lap pace is good, but he is terrible at starting and his race pace is worse than Massa's the majority of the time. He just reminds me of a bad Webber. Unless he gets a Merc like car I don't think he'll do anything in his career.
I think Grosjean and Perez are perhaps considered too much a loose cannon to get a top drive right now. Bottas is a safe pair of hands if that's what a team wants. Ricciardo's the only candidate I'd consider to be a championship winning driver. I can't see why any top team would want Verstappen right now, he'd be a liability short term and his ability to develop the car is surely limited given his lack of experience. I really want Hulkenberg to move to WEC, the series is really in the ascendancy right now and it would do it a world of good to have a driver of Hulkenberg's quality join it. I'd love to see Kubica there too some day, he's wasted in WRC.
Perez is a former Ferrari development driver, you never know what deal he may have made with the devil
