Bit harsh on both of them as they could only get drives with back of the grid teams. It's not like they crashed every race and looked so out of their depth they should never have been in F1. Am sure there are 'worse' drivers out there with cash who can't get a drive because they genuinely are both rubbish and would be dangerous in an F1 car. Most countries are littered with average pay drivers that have graced F1 over the years. Only Bianchi really shone out of anyone who drove for HRT/Caterham/Marrusia.
Ricciardo? but my problem with Stevens and Chilton is they don't have good records, Stevens record is even worse than Chiltons with a massive 5 race wins in 8 years
Ricciardo didn't really do much with HRT, he was just there for an F1 taster prior to going over to Torro Rosso which was already guaranteed for him. A fantastic junior record doesn't always add up to a decent F1 driver. Many hotshots have failed when they reached the top. Stevens record has to be compared to who he was racing with around him. He had decent competition, so not like he could only muster the odd podium against a crappy Auto GP grid or some crap like that. How can Stevens be judged though? Only against his teammate at the moment and he has shown he is much quicker than him, but how good is Mehri as a yardstick? He stacked up well against Kobayahsi at Abu Dhabi and held off Alonso for a bit in the race as well. I'm going to reserve judgement on him until Manor get their 2015 car with 2015 spec Ferrari engine.
The fact is that Motorsport in all classes is expensive, top level karting in Europe is circa 250k and to run in the British Championships on a competitive budget would be crica 60k - Entry single seater racing is 150k. The amount of multiple champions and very good drivers that drop of the scene at 16 is criminal IMO. The fact is that it is realistically out of reach for the vast majority and British teams seem to be absent in their support. RB have supported numerous drivers across multiple classes, regardless of their talent or success that is a positive.
I'm sure Red Bull would continue to sponsor drivers on their way through, but in terms of the F1 team their reputation is taking a battering because of the petulant squabbling between Horner/Helmut & Renault as well as their constant whinging whenever they don't win. Even when Vettel was winning titles, there criticism of Renault as always there. Why would Renault want to continue with a team that takes all the credit for winning, yet puts any failure publicly at Renault's door? Must be a PR disaster for them at the moment. Hope Renault pull the plug on them.
Red Bull has done a lot of good for F1 over the years, both by showing that a "nobody" can decimate the big boys, and for giving talent a chance over money alone. They have undoubtedly lost there way a little recently but I feel it can be fixed. The grid would be poorer without them, especially if they can go back to their past ways.
An interesting thing came up that may or may not explain some of their issues For years, Red Bull have ran their cars with rake and the theory was that they were "bending" the floor or at least running it so low at one point that the plank was wearing but was reinforced by the metal on the skid blocks to the point they didn't wear beyond the limit. This year, with the introduction of the softer metal that has created the sparks, this is impossible to get that effect from the floor. Might suddenly explain why last year, even with an underpowered Renault they were able to be around WIlliams and sneak the odd win but this year they are around the Toro Rosso's and seem to have lost a huge chunk of downforce.
Is this just a re-hash of old news or is Red Bull still at it? If supposedly there has been no talks when why is Marko so sure that Audi would get into bed with Red Bull? Especially after seeing how they handle themselves Red Bull say they will quit F1 unless Audi join forces with them Red Bull say they will pull out of Formula 1 if either they cannot get a competitive engine or Audi do not join forces with the team. Red Bull are frustrated with partner Renault's failure to master the hybrid engines introduced into F1 last year. Motorsport adviser Helmut Marko said Red Bull were interested in doing a deal that would see Audi enter F1. "If we don't have a competitive engine in the near future, then either Audi is coming or we are out," said Marko. But he denied Red Bull had already been in formal talks with the German company, which is part of the Volkswagen Group. Marko told BBC Sport: "There are so many rumours. Officially there was no request or talks. The VW Group first has to sort out who will be the new chief of support, who will run the brand of VW, and when they have sorted all these things maybe then they can think about what they are doing in motorsport. "I was on the phone but not to the people you think." Like all teams, Red Bull have a contractual commitment to race in F1 until 2020. They also have a contract with Renault at least until the end of the 2016 season. Marko's remarks are a reference to a power struggle taking place at the very top of the VW Group, which also has Porsche, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Skoda and Seat among its brands. Ferdinand Piech, who had led the German giant for more than 20 years, resigned as chairman last month. The 78-year-old was a staunch opponent of any of VW's brands entering F1, partly because of his personal antipathy towards F1 commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone. Uncertainty continues to surround the senior management of Audi as a replacement for Piech has not yet been announced. His two nieces were appointed to the board to replace him and his wife, who resigned at the same time. Senior sources in the German car industry believe Audi chairman Rupert Stadler is keen on an F1 entry, but that idea was vetoed in January by Piech. The team had further trouble with their Renault engines at the Spanish Grand Prix last weekend. Reliability problems mean Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo has already used four engines this season - which is as many as each driver is allowed to use throughout the year. Red Bull, whose other driver Daniil Kvyat has also suffered engine failures, know it is inevitable they will be hit by grid penalties for using extra engines. Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, by contrast, have used only one engine for all five races so far. Marko said: "I hope the reliability issues are solved pretty soon because it is really depressing how much we are losing on the straights." He added: "Renault see the problems themselves and we have to try and find out these problems together. It is not only reliability, it is also that we did not run most of the practice sessions because of other issues. It is also a quality problem. "
Unbelievable disloyalty from Red Bull. To be honest, there is a lot more than just power issues with their car this year. I get the frustration, but what guarantees are there that Audi will bring a top engine? Ferrari took a hammering in their first year, Honda are even worse. They'd still be playing catchup with Audi and also they'd be against a reborn Ferrari and Honda (perhaps) mastering innovative technology in their engines themselves.
Red bull are locked into competing until 2020 anyway, so unless they can find a buyer they can moan all they like.
Here in New Zealand, they love their reality TV. So let's pitch a new plot... Wife Until recently, this Austrian beauty had the world in her hands. She was youthful, she was sleek, she wore great figure-hugging clothes, and although there were other women yearning to take her crown, she kept seeing off all-comers. But in the last couple of years, she's let herself go. She still wears haute couture, but her designer has changed and the clothes just don't work on her like they used to. She's not quite so sleek or athletic, but she seems oblivious to that. Her attitude has changed too. She used to be vibrant, fun-loving, cheeky, rebellious, and was a breath of fresh air. She won lots of fans. But now that she's not at the pinnacle any more, she's turned sour. She doesn't see any of her problems as being her own fault. She bitches and she schemes and she tries to get unfair advantages over the other models. But she mainly bitches about her husband, throwing **** at him publicly and openly looking around for someone new. Husband Until a couple of years ago, things were looking great for this Gallic charmer. He was with the world's most desirable woman, she was great to be with, and he was at the top of his profession. But then he got hit by a multiple whammy... The rules at work suddenly changed, and everyone had to do things differently. Everyone had to rip up what they'd been doing, and start with a clean sheet. Husband has a lot of history in this field, and he put in a lot of effort, but a German guy at work had some game-changing technical ideas, and suddenly that guy is sweeping all before him. Husband has now become just another guy in the office, busting a gut trying to get his stuff working. Meanwhile, his wife is on his back the whole time, bitching at him while he's doing everything he can to succeed for his own personal pride, and to provide everything that his wife demands. The trouble is, she's let herself go but she doesn't accept that she's not what she used to be. So, as well as busting a gut trying to get himself back to the top and relive his previous glories, he also has to deal with media questions about his wife's latest insults dragging his reputation through the mud. And now her promiscuous overtures to a handsome stranger... Handsome stranger There's another man in the plot. He works in a slightly different field from the husband, but there are definite parallels. Handsome stranger (another Bavarian) is successful in his own field. He is polished and suave. He's occasionally considered expanding into the field that Husband works in, but there have been other things getting in the way. Suddenly this Austrian married woman is smiling at him and flirting very publicly, even telling the world that she'd happily dump her hard working husband to be with him. He knows of her husband, and respects him. The Husband has a good reputation and a lot of past successes, and he doesn't seem to deserve what she's been doing to him. Suddenly, Handsome stranger finds himself thrust into the middle of this whole thing. He didn't ask for it, but he's suddenly found himself being dragged into someone else's soap opera. It's unfortunate, because he'd quite like to branch out into this field. But, from his experience in his own (similar) field, he knows he can't expect to be successful from day 1. It's going to be hard work, and the other guys have been doing it a lot longer than him, so he'll have to really fight to get there. He's confident he can do it, but should he do everything himself, or should he get a partner? A partner would be good, but he'd need someone he can trust, and who has the same values. The last thing he needs is to be watching his own back. Would a partnership with Austrian Wife be a smart move, or a disaster? How long would the honeymoon last? How long before he's in the same position as current Gallic Husband, seeing his own reputation dragged through the mud because his petulant wife has tantrums when things don't go her way, and she always blames everyone else? Would it be better to just buy her out completely, employing all of her maids, assistants etc, and then be able to do everything himself? Would she even want to sell, or would she insist that she's part of the package? These characters are fictitious. Any resemblance to... blah blah blah
A pony would be no good. It will have even smaller horse power...............................*creeps out the door*
Nice work, Mr.B. If you were to send that to 'the wife', it might even raise a smirk with little Jack in the corner - but only if he thinks he's out of range of big brother's beady eye...
I do find it very strange that Red Bull are saying that unless Audi buy them or Torro Rosso they will quit!!! Surely that is not a way to get the best price for your team? They still have next year with Renault. Plus looking at Honda 18 months isn't enough time to make a competitive new power unit. If I were Audi I would look at more of a back marker team. Then they would not be expected to win straight away. Maybe Force India, as they do seem to have had good results in the past with their small budget so with extra budget (or even some budget) they would probably do well.
Can anyone tell me why Red Bull couldnt get their act together and now threatening to get out of F1? They received quite a lot more money than Mercedes even though Mercedes won both titles. Ferrari, Red Bull paid more prize money than Mercedes please log in to view this image © Octane Photographic 13 May 2015 by GPT Staff Tweet Ferrari received by far the largest prize money payout last year, $164 million (£104m), despite finishing just fourth in the Constructors' Championship. Meanwhile champions Mercedes took home the third largest payment, $126m (£80m), which was $30m (£19m) less than Red Bull, which also finished behind the Brackley-based outfit in 2014. Williams was the big loser though. Despite finishing third, it was paid the fifth highest amount, behind even McLaren which scored just 181 points to Williams' 320. This is due to the unique prize money stucture which doesn't only reward success, but status within the sport. Ferrari, the oldest team, is therefore considered the most important. Formula One Management takes the total revenue and distributes 65 per cent of it amongst the teams. However whilst 50 per cent of that is distributed based on their finishing position, the remaining 15 per cent is split between five teams; Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes, McLaren and Williams. This is weighted differently though depending on pre-negotiated terms with Bernie Ecclestone. Ferrari took home a $97m (£62m) 'premium' on top of its $67m (£43m) performance payout. Mercedes was awarded $92m (£58m) for winning the championship, but its 'premium' came to just $34m (£22m), giving it a total which is $38m (£24m) shy of Ferrari's total. The remaining five teams receive no 'premium' and solely rely on their performance payments, of which Sauber received the least at $44m (£28m). # Team Total ($m) Performance ($m) Premium ($m) Position 01 Ferrari 164 67 97 4 02 Red Bull 156 82 74 2 03 Mercedes 126 92 34 1 04 McLaren 98 63 34 5 05 Williams 83 73 10 3 06 Force India 60 60 - 6 07 Toro Rosso 54 54 - 7 08 Lotus 51 51 - 8 09 Marussia 48 48 - 9 10 Sauber 44 44 - 10
Sauber has been a loyal competitor in the sport for over 22 years yet doesn't get a premium. Surely they deserve a small cut. Is it not a suprise that all the teams who don't get a premium are the teams with financial problems?
