Silly Season, the unmissable
By tradition the so-called Silly Season of the drivers’ market coincides with the summer break period during which the most imaginative theories on the drivers’ market are developed, and it often happens that one of these apparently unrealistic theories comes to fruition with the resumption of the championship. This year the drivers’ market has had a completely unusual but decidedly crackling.
After a season, the first in the history of F1, in which at its start all the drivers were confirmed in their seats from the previous season, the fireworks began already in February with the announcement of the transition of Lewis Hamilton in Ferrari for the 2024 season. An event that predictably started a domino effect in the drivers’ market that seems to have calmed down with the recent news of the transfer of Carlos Sainz to Williams in 2025 on a two-year contract.
However, there are still four steering wheels to be assigned for next season. of Formula 1. This opens a Silly Season perhaps in a minor key but still with something to say.
Musical Chairs Game in Red (Racing) Bull(s)
It thundered so much that it (didn’t) rain. Confirmation by Sergio Perez for the rest of the season is just the latest of the many incomprehensible acts of the psychodrama that sees the Mexican driver as the protagonist, confirmed for two years despite poor results and then rightly questioned until arriving at an equally unexpected reconfirmation by the team, which also openly criticized his performances, until the end of the current season. The statement commenting on Perez “Enough with the speculation now..” It is not clear who it was addressed to. It is difficult to blame the media for once, given that they are none other than Horner and Marko criticize his performances disappointing Checo at every race. Perez’s confirmation, which at this point must be taken seriously until further notice, is so incomprehensible that his explanation could find fertile ground in the rumours of pressure from Liberty Media to keep the Mexican driver in his place at least until his home Grand Prix (October 27) in order not to ruin the advance ticket sales. This theory is full of holes, first of all because Liberty Media cares little about ticket sales, the proceeds of which go to the organiser, and because in any case Red Bull risks, by doing so, losing the constructors’ world championship and with it its employees will lose a significant bonus. It is difficult to believe that Liberty Media is willing to cover these costs in favour of Red Bull. More likely that at the Anglo-Austrian team there is no certainty of having guarantees of a replacement who is able to do better, and immediately, than Perez. Not even Daniel Ricciardo evidently convinced, with the aggravating factor of the evident managerial confusion in a team divided into internal currents that struggles to find shared decisions and therefore decides not to decide. A wait-and-see attitude that however risks having negative effects that go beyond the missed constructors’ title.
Daniel Ricciardo’s position is increasingly difficult to interpret, as is his future. At the beginning of the season he was asked to constantly stay in front of Tsunoda to convince but that was not the case at all. The Japanese driver was confirmed in Racing Bulls but he has never been a serious candidate to partner Max Verstappen, neither in this nor in a future season. Whether it is his temper tantrums during the race weekend and/or his performances (good this year anyway) that have not convinced is known only at Red Bull. Returning to Ricciardo, a confirmation for next season seems really meaningless at this point.. Also because Red Bull has two young drivers that it “must” house as soon as possible. The first is Liam Lawson who was very convincing at the end of last season as a replacement for the injured Ricciardo, and who seems to have the right to leave the Red Bull family if he is not offered a contract for 2025 by September. The second is the Frenchman Isaac Hadjar who is peremptorily winning the Formula 2 title with his Campos in Red Bull livery. Hadjar has proven to be very fast so much so that he has won so far as many as four feature racesalthough he lacks a rather hot temper that finds an outlet in frequent team radio complaints towards his team. A characteristic that seems to unite many Red Bull drivers from F1 onwards. If Lawson were to be assured the second seat in Racing Bulls for next season, alongside Tsunoda, Hadjar would be left with the role of third Red Bull F1 driver. If Lawson were to be released, or even surprisingly promoted to replace Perez, the French driver probably has the path clear for his entry into F1 alongside the Japanese.
Audi, the revolution that came late
At Audi, perhaps too late, they decided to undertake an organizational revolution that finally casts more encouraging prospects for the future. The current Sauber (future Audi) is constantly sailing in the rear, marking the sad record of still being the only team with zero points in the standings. A situation that does not make it attractive for any driver with ambitions of victory in the short term. The change at the top that saw the entry into the team of Mattia Binotto first, in the role of Chief Operating / Technical Officer (in practice solely responsible for the Audi F1 project) and the current Red Bull Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley as team principal has boosted the stock of the future team of the House of the Rings. A change that was necessary given the poor performances offered by Sauber that the top duo Seidl / Hoffmann (among whom there was probably no great harmony of views known for months) could not reverse. Now Sauber-Audi, which lost the deal to win Carlo Sainz, must run for cover to find the second driver to flank the already announced Nico Hulkenberg. The hypotheses on the plate are limited to names that are not top-notch. The most probable solution is theConfirmed by Valtteri Bottas for at least another season, which would give stability to the team by confirming a driver with undoubted experience. Much more unlikely seems the confirmation of Zhou or the enlistment of Kevin Magnussen leaving Haas to reform with Hulkenberg the current driver pairing of the American team. Another “fresher” name among the candidates to partner Hulkenberg is that of Theo Pourchaire2023 F2 champion and Sauber Academy driver who saw his current IndyCar season with the Arrow McLaren team come to an abrupt end, but was called back to the same team to replace the injured Alexander Rossi in the Toronto race. Another young driver who could win the Audi steering wheel is the aforementioned Liam Lawsonif Red Bull fails to secure one of its steering wheels for next season. Still at Audi, speaking of theoretical but curious scenarios, there is also Perez’s hypothesis in Sauber Audi from next year in the event that Red Bull finally decides to drop the Mexican driver at the end of the season. After all, Perez, who began his career at Sauber, would be an experienced name that could give rise to a marriage of convenience between the German company, looking for an experienced driver to help it grow, and the Mexican who could stay in F1 with a top-level brand.
Alpine and Mercedes, knots already resolved
At Alpine, the second driver to be paired with Pierre Gasly it now seems certain to respond to the name of Jack Doohan. The Australian son of art and third driver of the transalpine team is certainly the best choice Alpine that has many other problems than the line up for next season. The stormy situation within the organization of the team on which Flavio Briatore has already begun shock therapy, sees as ideal the enlistment of a driver of a certain value and well-liked by the team, not least by the new team principal Oakes who managed the Hitech team with which Doohan raced. The Australian, despite being a debutant in F1 except for a few test sessions and FP1, definitively won the competition of Mick Schumacher which has no choice but to continue its collaboration with the French team in the WEC. Alpine’s efforts are actually aimed at ensuring survival in 2026 through the adoption of the new Mercedes power unit. A combination that seems like heresy to many but which would not be a novelty in an F1 that already sees Aston Martin-Mercedes today and Aston Martin-Honda tomorrow. The costs for the development of a new power unit according to the 2026 technical regulations are now unsustainable for the French company which must also invest huge resources in the development of a new single-seater according to the new regulations that also introduce, among the many technical innovations, active aerodynamics.
Lastly the Mercedes will announce Kimi Antonelli alongside George Russell, barring any unlikely surprises such as Verstappen’s arrival at the last minute. Fascinating scenario but one that loses strength as the weeks go by. The Italian driver has now convinced Mercedes that has already had him carry out several days of testing with its “old” Formula 1 cars this season. A clear sign of an interest that goes well beyond a simple theoretical possibility. Kimi in this second part of his Formula 2 season has definitely “unlocked” by winning a sprint race first at Silverstone and a feature race in Budapest. Given the growth in performance of Mercedes this season, the Italian will immediately be called upon to test his character if the German team were to immediately give him a competitive car at least for stage victories.
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