I agree, they need experience and given there are no options available to them with that, because they turned them all down (Sainz, Alonso etc etc), giving Ricciardo the seat makes sense if they just won’t promote Tsunoda for being a Honda guy. Neither Red Bull or Danny Ricc can lose if they agreed a deal until end of season. Danny gets his final chapter in the top team, he can’t be worse than Lawson, and Red Null buy some time to assess the options for the future.
Or, they can change the management, change the team philosophy and actually start caring about these young men that they have been piling on the pyre. Does their failure rate in young drives say more about the individuals or the team?
Agree, Horner and Marko have this obsession of “if you’re fast enough, you swim”- they don’t seem to realise there needs to be time to learn the craft at the top.
I didn’t really understand this opinion, can you expand on your reasoning? From my perspective the plank is used to control the ride height, so it’s a performance limiting feature and contributes to safety - it seems absolutely valid to regulate it and enforce it strictly the same way that the weight, flexible bodywork or dimensional rules are? If there’s something to come out of this weekend IMO, it’s that the weight rules are a bit bizarre. Leclerc can replace a broken part that he raced all race without, but gets weighed with tyres in a state that he only had at the end of the race (for better or worse - because on all likelihood he picked up some rubber on the way back to the pits and probably finished the race even more underweight). Having said that, I do see how what we have makes sense and I’m not sure I’d change it. If I did I guess I’d go for defining a standard weight for a set of wheels and tyres, weigh cars without them and let tyre wear be a pure performance/strategy tradeoff.
The tyres and plank were introduced for safety, I think following the fateful weekend when Ayrton and Roland were killed. If it is for safety, and is successful in that objective, then I accept the rules.
Dutch press seem to think the Red Bull Switch is a done deal. It was never the right decision to promote Lawson after 11 middling performances at the junior team, but to then dump him this quickly verges on cruelty. Management at the team appears to be utter chaos, don't those dominant 1-2s at the start of 2024 feel like more than 12 months ago? Good look to Tsunoda, though I'd say he needs a miracle.
He’s a little pocket rocket is Yuki- he might bin it a couple of times along the way but he’ll be fun whilst it lasts at Red Bull! Hope he goes well he’s been a real find. Hes one of the very few who I think will enjoy qualifying in that Red Bull but like I say he’ll be right on the limit! He does genuinely seem to have a turn of pace so I’d expect him to do some occasional brilliance and some occasional madness!!
Until someone comes along and takes the chalice and beats Max on a regular basis. I do wonder if we are witnessing the downfall of Red Bull just before they become a proper manufacturer?
In the same way that Ferrari/Bennetton didn’t need someone to beat Schumacher, I don’t see that RedBull need someone to beat Max (and you’ll be waiting a long time for that person to come along). RedBull need to find their Irvine/Barichello but in a situation where the grid is much closer. I think the more likely scenario is that we might be reaching the point where it’s best for RedBull / Verstappen to part ways and to start over in a new situation that might work out better for them both.
Max is the only thing keeping Red Bull out of the midfield right now. Lose him and a decline becomes a collapse. I'd be surprised if Mercedes don't make him another offer.
I agree. If there’s one driver who has a good overview of where all the 2026 Engine Programmes are, it’s Max. Paddock rumours indicate Mercedes are ahead again and I’m sure he knows more, I’m equally sure he’s well aware of Honda’s progress and he will obviously know where RBPT are, Ferrari, I’m split on whether they’d be talking to him yet. There’s a good chance he has his pick of seats, but it will be a fairly late decision (after the summer break) to allow the car programmes to progress first. RedBull will likely have to rebuild, similar to how they did in 2015 once Vettel left, which might be no bad thing for them, realistically they need a few years experience to do engines and being a full constructor well and then see if they can come back with a 3.0 version of themselves, probably focussed around Arvid Lindblad.
Max to Merc would be interesting. Horner could also be needing or possibly wanting to change job. Sometimes leaving at the top of your career, on your own terms is best. We are seeming to be entering an era of Corporates, rather than passion. Not sure that is a good thing. Trump and his tarrifs might also dent the corporate bonus In the US for some teams, e.g. Ferrari, Audi, Mercedes, Aston Martin etc.
I can see Max leaving RBR at the end of the season , and leaving F1 . He has said before that he doesn’t see himself in F1 for too long .
