Nico Hulkenberg, Daniel Ricciardo, 2018

Hulkenberg will give Ricciardo a “hard time” at Renault – Perez

RaceFans Round-up

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In the round-up: Nico Hulkenberg’s former team mate Sergio Perez predicts he will prove a challenging benchmark for Daniel Ricciardo at Renault next year.

What they say

Perez predicted Ricciardo will find more competition in the midfield:

Ricciardo to Renault, it’s quite an interesting one. To be someone like him in the midfield will just show how strong the midfield is at the moment. If things stay the same for next year and the midfield is so close together he’s going to enjoy a lot of competition.

It will be interesting to see him with Hulkenberg as well because I think he’s going to have a hard time there with Nico.

Quotes: Dieter Rencken

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Comment of the day

Toto Wolff needs to look at Ferrari’s promotion of Charles Leclerc and Antonio Giovinazzi to see what to do with his junior talents, says Sumedh:

This is what you do with your junior drivers. Ferrari finally doing what Red Bull perfected few years ago (although they went overboard and fired all of their junior drivers later).

Kudos to Ferrari and Sauber for taking a punt on Giovanazzi. I am not going to read much into the two races he already had. I mean, Vandoorne beat Button to the points in his one-off race and Vettel lost to Nick Heidfeld in his. And look what happened to both their careers after that.

A clean slate for Giovanazzi next year and a good benchmark in Raikkonen to measure against.
Sumedh

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On this day in F1

  • 25 years ago today Alain Prost won his fourth and final title, Michael Schumacher took his second grand prix win and Lola started their last race

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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57 comments on “Hulkenberg will give Ricciardo a “hard time” at Renault – Perez”

  1. I’m expecting 100% for Ricciardo to destroy Hulkenberg, one of those 8-2 style Ricciardo ahead mid-season review graphs.

    If the graph goes the other way around I’m seriously afraid Ricciardo might just leave the sport in a couple of years, without even coming close to a WDC based off some interviews he’s given :( There’ll be simply no chance for a #1 seed drive in the future if he doesn’t have his trademark consistency and punchy late braking on full display to put the Renault where it doesn’t belong on the odd occasion. He’ll need to be head and shoulders above the midfield rabble.

    Perez obviously believes the 3 are roughly on par, but the way I see it, Ricciardo is an echelon above. With Renault paying so much to secure his drive their full force will be behind him. Only time will tell.

    1. @skipgamer The reminder of Ricciardo’ punchy late braking only makes Perez prediction more true. I can’t see Renault chassis could cope with that distinct style.

      1. Both the Hulk or Ricciardo are definitely good drivers and they will probably push each other to greater heights than would be the case without this combination …. and it’s gonna be great to watch.
        One area where Ricciardo will have it over the Hulk is that he is a “winner” and winning takes a special talent. I can’t see him jumping from Red Bull to Renault without some inside knowledge of what they have planned for the next couple of years. That should bode well for both drivers …. the question then is who will be the winner between the two and can either be a winner overall.
        My money would be on D. R. Sorry Hulk, but best of luck and if proven wrong, I will be cheering the loudest.

        1. Hulk will win the duel.

          1. dream on pal ;)

    2. @skipgamer, I hope you’re right, but keep in mind that all drivers like to talk up the speed of their partners as, win or lose, it makes them look better, and it’s a fairly safe bet that Hul will still be decent.

      1. @hohum

        Exactly! This is Perez’s way of saying I could match the Hulk and Ricciardo might not, so Perez > Ricciardo. He’s been saying the same sort of nonsense for years and talking himself up.

        1. out of his 3 years together with Hulkenberg he did finish 2 of them ahead though

          1. @johnmilk actually, that’s very misleading – Hulk’s career at Force India far outshines Perez’s podiums. Perez’s career was nearly over at Force India – he was something like 1 second slower and he was nearly out of F1 when the VJM08b miraculously made him faster than Hulk. But Hulk actually adapted to a car that obviously didn’t suit him to the tune of 1+ seconds and beat Perez in the deficit which is actually the only time we’ve seen that ever in Formula one.

            I suspect that if we had to look at drivers capable of overcoming such a handicap, only Hamilton, Senna, Clark, and Fangio might have been capable of such a feat.

          2. @freelittlebirds Well that’s all absolute rubbish you’ve just come out with there. Perez was clearly slightly ahead of Hulknnberg from the middle of 2014 onwards. That, by the way, was in the VJM07…

          3. Not to forget hulk has carried a weight dis advantage all his career which will end next year

        2. @todfod Well it’s not really nonsense is it, he did prove to be fairly conclusively a small step ahead of Hulkenberg.

          1. @tflb

            Well that’s all absolute rubbish you’ve just come out with there. Perez was clearly slightly ahead of Hulknnberg from the middle of 2014 onwards. That, by the way, was in the VJM07…

            Maybe get your facts right.

            Hulk and Perez were very evenly matched at Force India. In fact, the Hulk did out qualify and outrace them in their 3 seasons together. Maybe this article will refresh your memory – https://www.racefans.net/2017/01/09/perez-vs-hulkenberg-result-three-years/

            So yes, a lot of Perez’s claims are nonsense. When I first mentioned ‘nonsense’ I meant the way Perez constantly talks himself up to the media. His convoluted logic of I could match Hulk and Hulk would give Ricciardo a hard time, so in turn, Perez > Ricciardo is absolute tosh. Just the kind of rubbish you would expect from a driver who is insecure about his future in F1.

          2. @todfod I did get my facts right. That article shows to me that Hulkenberg had a better start, and then Perez had the upper hand from there on in. Only a little bit though. I do think Hulk is very good, and Perez as well. I think you’re being a bit cynical, Perez was asked about it and gave his opinion, that Hulk is good. I don’t see this as talking himself up, but as an observation and opinion, and an appreciation of Hulkenberg’s talent. Or are opinions not allowed in your world?

          3. @todfod Alonso does the same sort of comments to the press, doesn’t seem to annoy you as much

          4. @johnmilk

            Alonso does the same sort of comments to the press, doesn’t seem to annoy you as much

            This comment is hardly worth the effort of replying, but I’ll bite.

            Alonso actually has the substance to back up his claims. When Alonso claims to be better than someone, there’s a 99.99% chance he’s factually accurate.

    3. Next year will be also the year that weight doesn’t count that hard anymore and since Hulk, Max were the heaviest of the driver field i expect some more 1 lap performance.

      1. A point I was also thinking of making.
        The Hulkenburg/Ricciardo match up next year will (perhaps along with Vettel/Leclerc) be the most interesting one of the season.

    4. Can’t wait to see Danny finally end the career of the most overrated driver since Sutil.

      1. Lol Sutil was not overrated. Everyone knew he was useless.

    5. @skipgamer You’re right, it’s why I think Ricciardo risked too much, not only is he counting on the Renault being equal or better than the Red Bull within a year or two, he’s counting on beating his team mate convincingly. Less on either front, and he could lose a WDC winning car for good. Ironically his move also opened up spaces for new talent in F1 too, so those top places (e.g. at Red Bull) will be even more competitive.

      1. @david-br
        I am not sure he is relying on Renault being better than Red Bull in the next two years but looking at 2021.
        Its fair to say both Renault or Red Bull wont win in the next two years, unless something drastic happens. So he waits and sees if Renault picks up to the top teams or sees what Lewis or Seb do in 2021 and takes one of their spot.
        It will cost him in the next two years in results but may be worth the punt.

        1. @garns You could be right about 2021, but that’s a long way off, the rest of this season plus two full seasons for other contenders to emerge for top team places, including for Lewis and Seb’s berths. Still, maybe Renault can emerge strongly from the formula changes. It’s now probably his best chance for a serious WDC challenge at some point in his career.

          1. @david-br
            Yes that’s true, there is a heap of young talent on the grid ATM in Max, Charles, Esteban & Pierre (its pretty exciting really) and they may make Dan ‘too old and too slow” in the next two years, or Dan might be good enough.

            Daniel is my favourite driver and I do think he can beat anyone on the grid in an equal car, maybe except Max (I feel dirty). Skill or team? Maybe both.

            So if he thinks the same (as it seems) take a chance, if he doesn’t win a WDC he will be a VERY wealthy 35 yo sitting somewhere on a beach! Half his luck :)

  2. Too bad about Miami. It would be a great place for an F1 race; but bringing motor racing back to Bayfront Park always seemed to be a bit of a stretch to me. Considering the amount of apartment buildings and commercial activity there, putting on a big event like that in an area like that is difficult, to say the least. I went there for the first time in 7 years only last week and I was reminded how exotic and hedonistic Miami is- it’s the only American city I’ve been to other than New Orleans where I felt like I was in a foreign country (in Miami’s case, the Caribbean).

    But F1 shouldn’t give up on Miami. There have been races in Tamiami Park, and there’s always the Homestead-Miami roval (that would need serious upgrades, of course).

  3. F1 needs new teams. Badly. To see a well funded driver drop out of the sport and others with heaps of talent sat on the sidelines is telling.

    At one time F1 didn’t see the need for new teams, but since Liberty Media have taken over things have improved.
    I’m not sure who the well funded driver is that’s dropping out of F1 is, maybe it’s Esteban Ocon. I wasn’t aware he had good funding behind him, but if he has then I’d be surprised to see him without a car at the start of next season.

    1. I’m not sure who the well funded driver is that’s dropping out of F1 is

      @drycrust I think it is Ericsson.

  4. @drycrust Ericcson is a well funded driver and while not entirely dropping out he has been relegated to the 3rd car,

  5. Thanks for the Birthday shout out @racefans algorithm

  6. So now, Joe Saward joins his much maligned ‘bottom-feeders’ by reporting rumours.
    Best laugh I’ve had for ages… lmao… :) :)

  7. While having a laugh… why do I think of Fred and Barney when I look at the heading photo…?

  8. How about a a commentator line-up of di Resta and tin of spam?

    Sorry Paul, I like you really. :P

  9. I really hope it’s the case when sq gets denied but weeks later turns out to be true.
    Crofty has some qualities but they are overshadowed by things a commentator just shouldn’t have, like bias, being unprepared and unability to understand and have an overview of the on track action.
    His bias for LH and against everything else, and his other antics did not bother me, as I don’t live in the UK, but from this year, he is the voice of the F1 TV Pro, so he has a reach in international markets and his these things are unbearable, unprofessional, and just horrid sometimes.
    I would be glad to see him getting the boot.

    1. This!!!

      I can’t stand David Croft, the rest of the Sky team are fine, but he honestly makes me want to throw things at the TV at times. He looks for scandal and controversy where there is none and his blind bias toward Hamilton and obvious bias against Ferrari are appalling and blatant.

      Thankfully Sky have gradually given him less and less involvement in their broadcasts over the years to the point where he is pretty much confined to the session commentary. Even his ‘Ask Crofty’ segment at the end of a race has been whittled down to a 30 second opinion piece. For the love of god, Please don’t ask Crofty!!

      He completely lacks understanding of what is going on in the race.

      1. The thing that irks me the most about David Croft is that he’s always looking for a way to make the conversation about himself.
        To be fair though, his commentary is much more informed and passionate than Jonathan Legard, and less biased than James Allen.
        Martin Brundle on the other hand is an international treasure. I’ve learned so much from him about the experience of driving and watching Formula 1. He knows what he’s on about, can express himself eloquently and with good humour, and after all these years his passion for the sport is still plain to see. He was the voice of Formula 1 the moment Murray Walker hung up his mic.

  10. @keithcollantine
    It would be very nice if the headlines are a touch more objective – and not just “hot one liners”.

    I think RaceFans is a place where objectiveness has always won and I’m a bit frustrated recently seeing a good number of overstated or badly cited headlines.

    1. There was nothing wrong with this headline. It was fairly objective. A headline has to be a summary and a decently enticing one. Sometimes a quote works. It would have been really drab to have a “Perez discusses the Ricciardo-Hulkenberg line up at Renault” There was nothing click bait-ish or misleading about this one.

      1. Maybe the headline could have been “ricciardo caught not smiling”

  11. He might be giving him a hard time, but by not crashing into his own teammate…

  12. Crofty is a horrendous commentator. He doesn’t do the one thing his role requires him to do: call the action that is happening on track. He shouts and screams when anything interesting happens and fills quieter moments with baseless, ranting drivel.

    1. @geemac: Agree. But his insightful ‘what we had for breakfast’ banter with Ted makes paying the Sky fee each month to watch such riveting entertainment almost like it was almost worth it. Almost. But not quite.

    2. For a moment it got me happy to hear that Sky were considering dropping him, because of exactly that @geemac. Although recently he has had a few moments where he in turn corrected Brundle who was starting off into a rant (about tyres? Or probably about engine penalties or something) too.

      Shame about Ch4 not getting live races anymore, they are far more pleasant to have watching a race since they focus on the action on track more than tweets, and rants and Ted’s sometimes crazy theories.

      1. Peter Waters (@)
        26th September 2018, 23:18

        That is why I stopped subscribing to Sky, I could not stand the bad commentating on the races. I have been watching Channel 4 although, not ideal because of the lack of all live broadcasts. Still at least I save the subscription fees:)

    3. It is precisely his rabid shrieking that stops me having anything to do with any coverage featuring him.

    4. I’ve been finding him increasingly cringeworthy as he starts shouting “will he go for it this time!?!” when anyone with a pair of eyes can see the car behind is way too far – or any number of similar examples. In his defence though, I imagine the word comes down from on high to add extra spice. Thing is I’ve been finding Brundle less enjoyable as well, and that’s really too bad. I think that in their effort to attract a new audience Sky have been dumbing down the commentary for a while now and it’s not serving anyone well.

  13. Thanks for putting in the article about where we are with those hypercar rules. Not that it gives the clarity that i’d wish for, but at least it gives a bit of an overview of who is serious currently.

  14. Shame that Croft isn’t going. I’m really not a fan.

    I find him silly, especially when he’s paired with Anthony Davidson. I find the matey play bickering with Ted Kravitz tiring. I think he tries to over analyse everything, which can make an already complex sport over complicated. I’d just like to hear him commentate on what he sees in front of him and stop trying to work out every possible outcome of every situation.

  15. I understand that comments sections are inherently biased towards negativity, such is human nature. However I’m going to stand up for Crofty, I don’t mind his hyperactivity, personally I spend at least half a race watching on my feet (unless it’s dull one) and talking at the T.V! Of course aspects of his style ‘matey style’ grates (John Motson) aside I can’t think of a regular sports commentator who doesn’t!

    1. I tend to agree I do find Crofty entertaining, even if some times trying to liven up a boring race. I find it funny when he asks Brundle technical questions that he really should know after doing this for so long, not sure if he doesn’t know of just kindly asking Martin to share his expertise. I have found a few more biased comments coming through though, there was a race a while ago (maybe Austria) in practice he kept making anti-Daniel comments for no reason. The first 2 I thought, ok, after a few more I started to get a little cranky.

      I have said before we only get Sky here but how do F1F’s think their coverage compared to Webber, DC & co at C4?

      1. The thing about commentating is you need to cater for a wide range of audiences – some who may not know about technical thing x, or sporting rule y. So Crofty takes the role of asking these questions on behalf of newer viewers who might be interested. That’s just commentating 101.

  16. e-Racing365: A bit disappointed. He should be given a drive at STR. He’d be a better option for that than someone like Kvyat.

    Motorsport Week: Unsurprising.

    I agree with the COTD.

    1. @jerejj I think age is also a factor. Vandoorne will be 27 at the start of next season, so it’s very unlikely indeed that he could be the future for Red Bull. I’d much rather have him than Hartley though, who has been nothing but a disappointment so far.

  17. It’s funny, when Croft was on BBC radio everyone was clamouring for him to be given the TV role. But then it was Legard on TV at the time so anything was an upgrade I suppose! Personally I think the best commentating team was Brundle and Coulthard in the last year of full BBC coverage.

    Regarding Hulkenberg and Ricciardo – I do think Hulk will have the edge in that one. I’ve never rated Ricciardo as highly as some and if people finally start just not leaving him a gap when he does his late moves then he’ll look very silly and very average very quickly.

  18. The only person Hulkenberg can give a hard time is himself; by consistently failing to score podiums.

  19. Ricc is history, he only doesn’t know it yet.

    1. Such an ignorant thing to say. If Renault comes good in the coming years, he will be in the best position to capitalize as has Lewis in the Mercedes. If Lewis had stuck with McLaren the same could be said of him now. Hindsight is 20/20, F1 now has become about foresight.

      Sticking with RedBull would have been a worse decision, given the talented Max Verstappen will call the shots there for the foreseeable future, and he has proven he really isn’t one to give anyone, even his teammate, a fair battle.

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