In the round-up: Red Bull team principal Christian Horner predicts few drivers will change teams for the 2021 F1 season.
What they say
Horner’s driver Max Verstappen is out of contract at the end of 2020, as are Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and others.
All the top guys are out of contract at the end of next year. [Verstappen’s] very happy in this team. We love having him within the team, he fits very well here.
It’s down to us to give him a competitive car next year. But I think ultimately when the music stops, I wouldn’t be at all surprised for everybody to end up remaining in the same seats.
Quotes: Dieter Rencken
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Comment of the day
Lewis Hamilton shouldn’t feel too disappointed at missing out on a New Year’s Honour, says JC:
On the plus side, not being on the list of 1,000 meant Hamilton’s home address wasn’t published to the internet by the inept government. So there’s that positive.
JC
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Journeyer, Naz3012, Rick and Liam Stroud!
If you want a birthday shout-out tell us when yours is via the contact form or adding to the list here.
JC
30th December 2019, 0:49
Thanks for the COTD :)
DB-C90 (@dbradock)
30th December 2019, 1:23
I kind of agree with Horner.
I doubt any driver will want to commit too early for 2021 and beyond until they get to see what teams have successfully transitioned to the new rules.
Be a headache though for team management as most will only want to sign on for a year so they have their options open for 2022.
Mind you, the big teams don’t seem to have a problem breaking contracts – be interesting to see if the costs associated with buying out a driver contract fall into “driver payments” (excluded) or running costs when it comes to budget caps.
RatSack
30th December 2019, 3:33
I have to disagree with Horner myself, more often than not I find his predictions are just wishful thinking e.g. of course he’d like it to stay the same, then they get to keep Verstappen.
Rumors about Hamilton moving to Ferrari are coming up frequently and I imagine Mercedes will be looking to bring in young talent to replace Bottas and future proof the team while bringing in an experienced driver to replace Hamilton. Red Bull all depends upon whether they make a car good enough to compete for championships next year to determine if they keep Verstappen.
If I had to predict team line ups for 2021, I think it would look like this amongst the current top 5 teams:
Mercedes: Russell, Ricciardo (Controversial call but they will be looking for an experienced driver to balance the team)
Ferrari: Hamilton, Leclerc
Red Bull: Verstappen, Albon (I think Red Bull will be competitive in 2020 and Verstappen will be retained)
McLaren: Sainz, Norris (Rock solid line up, can’t see it changing)
Renault: Ocon, Gasly (viva la France plus I cant see Red Bull ever giving him another shot)
If Red Bull is not competitive in 2020, I think Verstappen be in the Mercedes in 2020 and Ricciardo will stay at Renault.
Vettel and Bottas will be out or will go help some team in the lower midfield develop.
I’m sure in 12 months time I will laugh at how wrong I was.
kenji
30th December 2019, 5:27
I think Horner is trying to suggest, as he does again and again, that Verstappen is happy etc etc etc. in the vain hope that he stays with Red bull. Let’s face it, if he goes what will Red Bull do? I don’t yet see a possible challenger for them out side Ricciardo returning and that would be a very long bow! Ricciardo could be in some dilemma if what Abitaboul has publically stated, ‘he wants an Academy driver’ in ’21’. They paid a lot orf money for Daniel but failed massively to give him a decent car. Give him the car and he’ll win races for Renault. Albon is Horner’s only hope ATM and we have yet to see how he matches up over a full season. Personally i hope that Verstappen leaves but i very much doubt it. He’ll stay for an enlarged wedge.
Cristiano Ferreira
30th December 2019, 5:42
If Verstappen leaves for Mercedes I bet Red Bull will call Vettel back. I don’t know but i don’t see Ricciardo coming back.
Jere (@jerejj)
30th December 2019, 7:40
@Cristiano Ferreira Unlikely, though. The likelihood that Seb stops racing in F1 is higher than that he returns to RBR. It’s been 13 years since RBR last took a drive entirely from the outside, so I highly doubt they’d suddenly break the tradition of only taking drivers from the B-team.
DB-C90 (@dbradock)
30th December 2019, 6:23
Max might “want” to leave. Not so sure Merc or Ferrari would actually want him though.
Ferrari can’t handle 2 roosters in the hen house and Mercedes if given the choice probably don’t want to go back to the animosity that existed there in the Hamilton/Rosberg era.
GechiChan (@gechichan)
30th December 2019, 7:43
@dbradock Max and Charles in the Ferrari? That’s madness… Don’t get me wrong, I would love to see that madness, but the team would probably implode after a few races.
ColdFly (@)
30th December 2019, 8:52
If Hamilton moves to Ferrari (which I would love to see), then Mercedes has to try and get Verstappen. All the others would be 2nd choice or merely future potential. @dbradock.
I don’t see this as rock-solid as you do, #RatSack.
Sainz had a very ‘solid’ season but he is not yet at the level of HAM/VER/LEC/RIC IMO. And I think that Norris and Russell have more potential and will start outshining him over the next couple of years.
If McLaren wants to play with the big boys, then they need a big boy behind the wheel.
Todfod (@todfod)
30th December 2019, 11:13
@coldfly
Agree. If McLaren makes gains on the big three, they’ll want a big time driver in there who can maximise results. Don’t get me wrong, both Norris and Sainz are pretty solid drivers, but they are great for McLaren’s current phase of rehabilitation. Once McLaren starts eyeing podiums and wins, they’d want an Alonso-esque driver in their line up. My guess is Ricciardo to McLaren in 2021. You heard it here first ;)
James
30th December 2019, 14:12
I think you might be on to something here. The one I would disagree with would be Sainz and Norris at McLaren. If Norris continues to build on his quali speed with more consistent race performances, which should come with experience, Sainz might need somewhere to go. My bet would be Haas to join Magnussen – or another driver – while Vettel takes the seat at McLaren. Vettel would love the history of being in a McLaren Mercedes, then he’d get beaten by Norris, as he has done already by Ricciardo and Leclerc.
erikje
30th December 2019, 15:15
i would forget the Renault prediction.. in 2021 there will be no Renault in the field.
That would mean the options for Ricci are very limited.
klenji
30th December 2019, 21:32
@ erikje….That’s an interesting comment! Do you have any evidence at all to support your definitive statement?
Becky
1st January 2020, 14:04
Thank you for owning to the fact that you can be wrong,because am sure Hamilton is not leaving mecedes
rsp123 (@rsp123)
30th December 2019, 8:45
If Honda continue with their prevarication about staying in F1, Red Bull will start looking for another engine. That alone will make the driver contracts provisional. Max would be a top target for Ferrari in such circumstances (is there any doubt that Vettel is in his last season or two?).
Also, with Daddy Stroll looking to buy Aston Martin, Red Bull could soon be short on support. How long will Red Bull remain in F1? Neither of their squads is a legacy team.
All in all, I think there could be a great deal of off-track activity in the next year.
ColdFly (@)
30th December 2019, 9:02
What is a legacy team besides Ferrari? @rsp123.
Probably McLaren and Williams.
Mercedes is a rererebranded BAR.
Alpha Tauri has more ‘team years’ on the clock than Mercedes or even Renault.
anon
30th December 2019, 13:54
@rsp123, however, Verstappen has indicated that he is not happy about the prospect of having to partner Leclerc – if Leclerc is at Ferrari for the next five years, then the prospect of Verstappen going to Ferrari seems low in the near future.
@coldfly, it should be noted that the team currently branded as “Mercedes” has actually been known as Mercedes for longer than it was known as BAR (ten seasons as Mercedes, against seven as BAR) – and BAR itself was just a rebranding of the existing Tyrrell team.
With regards to “team years”, it also depends if you only count continuous participation, or allow for discontinuous periods of involvement – if you allow for discontinuous involvement, then Renault has been around for longer in the sport than Toro Rosso/Alpha Tauri as a team (whilst Renault did also have an extended period of partial involvement as just an engine supplier).
Oconomo
30th December 2019, 14:18
@anon
“however, Verstappen has indicated that he is not happy about the prospect of having to partner Leclerc”
Could you back this claim up with a source, because I can’t find anything on this subject confirming this.
The only thing Max has said considering partnering Leclerc is that he believes it is unlikely for a team doing that, and, coming to teammates, he stated multiple times he doesn’t care who it is.
ColdFly (@)
30th December 2019, 14:41
#anon, yes I probably should have included Tyrrell and Toleman.
I guess the (more or less) legacy teams are:
1950 Ferrari
1966 McLaren
1968 Tyrrell, Bar, Honda, Brawn GP, Mercedes
1978 Williams
1981 Toleman, Benneton, Renault, Lotus, Renault
1985 Minardi, Toro Rosso/Alpha Tauri
1991 Jordan, Midland, Spyker, Force India, Racing Point
1993 Sauber, BMW, Sauber/Alfa Romeo
1997 Stewart, Jaguar, Red Bull Racing
2016 Haas
erikje
30th December 2019, 15:17
well that’s an interesting vision not backup-ed with any factual information.
Robbie (@robbie)
30th December 2019, 16:28
I suspect @anon is taking some license with alleged quotes from Max, from a recent interview with Dutch media entity Ziggo Sport. Full disclosure Ziggo also sponsors Max.
The interview was in Dutch and there is translation to consider. I find anon is choosing his wording carefully to make it as though Max fears Leclerc as a teammate. Of course the much more plausible or clear interpretation is that Max would have to be at Ferrari if he were to beat a teammate named Leclerc, and the prospect of being in disarray at team order land doesn’t appeal to Max whatsoever. On any other team? Sure, no problem.
From what he and we have all witnessed, why would Max go to a team where he just headed both drivers in the WDC, where CL would be the engrained veteran, and Max would risk orders that favour CL ala what we all just saw happen for SV and then for them both back and forth. Why would he fear the driver who, when they have had their tussles, Max has prevailed, unless it is that he fears being sucked into the Ferrari way, in reality.
And since Ziggo Sport sponsors Max, would he really have said to them, and they really have published, that he fears Leclerc? Haven’t we already seen signs Max would have his lunch? Where would a fear suddenly come from?
Pat
30th December 2019, 5:10
I don’t speak vietnamese but at the tail end of the video it sure looks like a bunch of houses are in the way of the track?
Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
30th December 2019, 5:33
While it’s true that many of the drivers current contracts expire at the end of next season, I’m not quite sure if it is correct to say they’ll be out of contract at the end of next season because mostly those affected will have their 2021 season contracts sorted out before the 2020 season ends.
Jere (@jerejj)
30th December 2019, 7:52
The title is a bit misleading and contradicting to what he actually said/implied. “I wouldn’t be at all surprised for everybody to end up remaining in the same seats.”
– Nevertheless, relatively old quotes from further than a few days back earlier in the month.
BTW, the aerial track footage is from the latter half of November, though, so why did it appear on a round-up only now?
erikje
30th December 2019, 15:19
since we lost the fanatic stamp its often the case.
Todfod (@todfod)
30th December 2019, 11:09
This is just wishful thinking on Horner’s part. If Verstappen fails to win the title in 2020, he will be ready to leave for either Mercedes or Ferrari at the drop of a hat. Jos has already made it clear that winning the title is Max’s highest priority and that there’s no loyalty towards any team in that decision.
I think Hamilton might be considering a move, and Vettel is more likely than not going retire at the end of 2020.. or it’s highly doubtful he’ll be at Ferrari in 2021. If one seat opens up at either Ferrari or Mercedes is when the musical chairs begins, and I really doubt Max will want that Red Bull chair if Ferrari or Mercedes are available.
Mayton
30th December 2019, 12:30
Agreed. Wishful thinking. Dont see Max going to Ferrari though. Dont see them taking him either. Lewis they will take and he will surely go if he gets his 7th at Merc in 2020.
Todfod (@todfod)
30th December 2019, 13:02
You don’t see Ferrari wanting to hire the best driver in F1 today? You don’t see Mercedes taking an interest in the Hamilton of tomorrow?
Let’s face it … Max is #1 on every team’s Wishlist. Lewis is ageing, and he won’t be as valuable as he is now in a couple of seasons time
Robbie (@robbie)
30th December 2019, 15:45
@todfod I don’t think Max is hanging his hat on whether or not they win the Championships next year. Is anybody really expecting that? Hopeful, sure. Possible, perhaps. Likely? No, respectfully Mercedes is still the benchmark and it would certainly be one of the more historic feats if RBR usurped them next year. Of course it would be wonderful, but from where we stand today nothing suggests anything definitively other than Mercedes is and will be the team to beat and all others have to prove otherwise. That’s all we know for sure. Can one really imagine, at this moment, an RBR team that will be shocked if they don’t come out faster than LH/Merc next year?
So I think Max is still going to be loyal to RBR through 2021 minimum. Jos may say there is no loyalty (would like to see his exact wording) but as we all know, a driver has to be loyal to a team for a good enough stretch to have them gel and try to be the WCCers and thus the WDCers. Then, successful or not, when that stint of loyalty has had it’s day, a driver moves on and gives his loyalty to another team for a stretch.
No I don’t see Max leaving ‘at the drop of a hat’ when things are only just building where he is…at home. Things seem to be only getting better and better at RBR with how well Honda have been doing, but they have more work to do, and I don’t think anyone is expecting that they will have done all the necessary work in just this one off-season. It’s a longer term project than that, and I’m envisioning an awesome Honda Pu by 2021 to go along with an incredible Newey car off their clean slates, and the best driver on the grid in Max, there to start off the wholly new chapter on the right foot.
I doubt LH is going anywhere, unless after 2021 things have happened such that he is no longer in the necessary car, or it is just time (post-TW perhaps?) and he does go to Ferrari. As a 36 year old I’m not convinced he’d want to start anew though, but of course if they are the new benchmark, who knows right? Maybe he’d go five more years after 2021 for all I know. He’d only be 41. Mind you F1 should be more challenging from 2021 too. Today I lean towards LH finishing his career at Mercedes.
Would Ferrari or Mercedes want Max? Of course they would. But Max would have to want them too. If I’m right, and I have said all along what Horner is saying here…little driver movement through 2021, they can all see the lay of the land with the new cars and formulate their futures from there, having not risked leaving the very team that may be the one to be on for 2021’s revolutionary new chapter.
I also wonder if indeed Max were to consider Mercedes at some point, he and we would have to appreciate (and he likely already has) it wouldn’t be exactly the same team as it has been with LH. If LH is gone that might mean TW is too, and who know who else, and there’s the concept that dynasties have their day. Compared to building one at home with RBR, joining one that may have peaked after next year…?
And I really don’t think Max is enamoured with Ferrari’s constant team order game. This season if any would have been a turnoff to him to see their nonsense get in the way of racing and results. Not Max’s style. He just wants to go out there and beat his teammate and all others fair and square, and doesn’t need a teammate (that will usually be behind him anyway) to be ordered to stay out of his way. Nor will he be on a team to get out of another driver’s way. Things would have to start to sour at RBR, and Ferrari would have to look at lot sweeter, for Max to consider them.
Bottom line for me…Max might already be on the team to beat in 2021, and if Liberty and Brawn have their way and the teams and the racing is closer and more challenging for the drivers, what better place to be than in a car and on a team that have as good a chance as anyone, and are family, where you’re engrained and have been through the process of designing and building said revolutionary car.
DB-C90 (@dbradock)
31st December 2019, 3:33
Pretty much summed it up @robbie. I don’t see any major movement either until at least the end of 2021.
The big issue will be how well RBR hit the ground in 2021. I doubt they’ll mess it up like they did in 2017 when the rule changes then seemed so suit them yet they initially turned out a dog. If they start well, the combination of Max and Newey will be pretty formidable.
Todfod (@todfod)
31st December 2019, 5:48
@robbie
You’ve got some fair points.. but 2020 will actually dictate how things pans out. The performance of Red Bull Honda in 2020 will decide Max’s movement to another team. If Red Bull make little to no progress (if they don’t take more wins and podiums in 2020 as compared to 2019), then I fully expect Max to move. Let’s face it, Red Bull in 2018 and 2019 were similar in performance. Sure, it’s their first season with Honda, but if they don’t make a clear step forward in 2019, I just can’t see Max sticking around there regardless of the 2021 roulette.
At the end of the day Max wants to fight for a championship NOW. He isn’t going to wait around for years for Red Bull and Honda to get it right. So despite your long comment explaining everything, I’ll have to disagree. If Red Bull are clearly 3rd best again in 2020, Max is gone.
Robbie (@robbie)
31st December 2019, 12:13
@todfod I just don’t see the impatience you would portray Max to have, as you said yourself they have only had one season as RBR/Honda so far. And after the great season they just had considering a first season with Honda, I don’t see why Max would be thinking a Championship is ‘years’ away as you suggest to try to enforce your argument. So he either wins more or wins it all next year, or the alternative is that even with the new regs coming he’ll be so distraught, with so little faith in the team for the revolution coming, that he’ll leave? Nah, just can’t see it.
And I don’t see where Max will go, as I believe Horner when he says there will be little driver movement for 2021. So we agree to disagree as I don’t think Max is hinging everything on 2020, nor do I think he’ll have a better more suitable available option for 2021. I can’t see him wanting to go to Ferrari nor they wanting him right now, so your hypothesis hinges on LH leaving Merc after 2020, as I doubt they would have Max replace VB and put him beside LH.
Then there’s the reality that for 2021 it’s a clean slate anyway, so, little from 2020’s performances will translate other than wrt p.u.(s) which shall have converged even more in another two years.
No, Max is staying put and happily so.
JohnH (@johnrkh)
30th December 2019, 12:54
I think Hamilton’s move to the red cars is overstated, at this point in time the Merc is still the best overall package. Reliability, speed, track to to tack performance, team management.
So if Hamilton wins again next yr that will give him 7 WDCs, so would Hamilton be happy to equal schumacher or he has set himself the target to beat him? Also what is Wolff and Merc going to do? If Merc/Wolff move on after 2020 would Hamilton go to Ferrari and start the building process again..I really don’t think so.
Why would Verstappen move away if RB/honda can give him a competitive car? I really doubt he would go to Ferrari as I do not see them sideling Leclerc to satisfy Verstappen Snr. He is in a team that places him firmly as the lead driver, that would not happen at Ferrari or Merc.
Also Merc have two young talented drivers both available in 2021 so would they need Verstappen, probably not.
Ricciardo may have an option for Ferrari in 2021 which would certainly work out well for both I think if true.
But anyway we’ll see in around 8 months or so.
kenji
30th December 2019, 13:34
i would say that Verstappens chances of a drive at Ferrari are, ATM, nil. I do think that Hamilton will stay at Mercedes where he stands the best chance of winning a seventh or even an eighth WDC, He wants that last win at all costs. He would be desperate to exceed Shumachers’ total. To risk that possibility by changing teams is, i believe, not an option That then leaves Verstappen at Red Bull. For the sake of F1 i certainly hope that Ferrari can take the 2020 title. The sport/business needs that more than ever. What could be a bigger turn off than to have Mercedes/Hamilton win again!!!
erikje
30th December 2019, 15:21
as always with Ferrari.. words are only a collection of letters.. Big words are made up of the same letters in capital, that’s it.
If they think VER will offer them a chance on a title every option is open.
kenji
30th December 2019, 21:49
@ Erikje….I wouldn’t so certain that your boy is such a ‘hot shoe in’. Horner is a very weak individual when it comes to driver management and his pre ’21 presumptions are prime evidence of that. Verstappen is so arrogant that i very much doubt that Ferrari would be willing to put up with that attitude at all. Nothing is clear yet but once Hamilton re signs then we’ll see where the others fit in to the jigsaw puzzle.
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
30th December 2019, 16:35
We know Horner far too well. The good thing of knowing Horner this well is that we can extrapolate what a high level competent team thinks of f1. When Horner says that last perhaps fallacious line he shows that according to the team there is no better driver than Max Verstappen. I would agree.
Mog
30th December 2019, 20:45
Or does he mean no better driver for RBR than Max?
Max is the right age and has the right fan engagement. He’s marketable. Perfect for the drinks companies goals in F1. I’m not saying he’s talent-less, but RBR like to hype their drivers because that’s how they market their drinks. Knowing Horner, this is exactly why he made the comment with the logical inference you have derived.
And in any case, all the other good drivers in F1 are tied up the other teams and RBR can’t recruit from those without breaking their policy of only accepting drivers from Alpha Tauri.
I’d agree – Max is the best fit for RBR at this point in time. But i’d contest he’s the best driver in F1. One of the best, granted.
Robbie (@robbie)
31st December 2019, 12:21
RBR doesn’t need to hype Max. His exciting performances speak for themselves. Put him in a WCC car and the rest will be history.
socksolid (@socksolid)
30th December 2019, 18:15
I think lots of people are understating how much vettel has power about whether he stays at ferrari or quits or moves to other team. The key factor here is not what ferrari does but how well vettel drives in 2020. If vettel drives really well then ferrari simply has no reason to get rid of him. If that happens then hamilton won’t go to ferrari and max won’t go anywhere either. It is all in the hands of vettel now.
ColdFly (@)
30th December 2019, 18:41
That’s an overstetement, @socksolid
If it were really in Vettel’s hand, and for him to decide, then he would’ve ‘driven really well in the last few seasons’. I don’t buy it that he deliberately performed poorly these last seasons just to show off in 2020 to extend his contract.
And even if Vettel drives really well. It still depends on how well(er) Leclerc performs. If Leclerc is at the same or higher level and they don’t play along well then Ferrari will keep Leclerc notwithstanding the nice words in Italian by Vettel.
socksolid (@socksolid)
30th December 2019, 23:27
If vettel does well in 2020 and wants to continue then I don’t see why ferrari would want to change things. When I say drives well I mean that vettel needs to drive better than leclerc. Vettel clearly needs to raise his game but I don’t think vettel leaving after 2020 is a done deal yet and I do believe vettel’s 2020 season will be the decisive factor. I don’t think anybody has said that vettel has been driving poorly just to show off in 2020… where does that come from?
ColdFly (@)
31st December 2019, 8:15
“Sarcasm is my only defense.”
@socksolid
Glad you clarified that Well is not Good enough and needs to be Better than Leclerc as well, and confirm Vettel hasn’t driven Well recently.
Well, that explains it Better and it’s Good to see we agree ;)
anon
31st December 2019, 12:00
@socksolid, as Vettel has already driven for Ferrari for four seasons, Ferrari will already have a reasonable picture of what they think Vettel’s potential performance is going to be like to draw upon.
Given that contract negotiations in F1 tend to take place over an extended period of time, I would not be surprised if it was the case that Ferrari have already come to an initial decision on whether they want to renew Vettel’s contract and how long they might offer to renew his contract for.
That’s not to say that I think 2020 is irrelevant, as his form in 2020 may result in Ferrari reflecting on that initial decision and both sides will, no doubt, change their approach to how they approach the talks – it’s just that I don’t think it is going to be quite as significant as you suggest it will be.
Todfod (@todfod)
31st December 2019, 5:53
@socksolid
If he performs well, he still won’t be able to match Leclerc (or the future potential of Leclerc) , and would most likely cause disharmony within the team. He’ll be going against the one rooster philosophy that Ferrari have always had. So, if the team atmosphere is similar in 2020 as it was in 2019, he won’t be offered a drive by Ferrari.
However, I think if Vettel performs like how he has over the past 3 seasons in 2020, then he should have a drive at Ferrari as a #2 driver. Then it’s up to him to take that role… So… you’re right… it is in Vettel’s hands.
ColdFly (@)
31st December 2019, 8:21
I doubt Ferrari will trust him to be as complacent as Raikkonen.
@todfod
Agree with your ‘single rooster’ claim. But if Leclerc is still on his learning curve at the end of next year (but better than Vettel) then I won’t be surprised if Hamilton can join them for a couple of seasons. But maybe that’s just wishful thinking.
I’ve always said that the best time for Ham to join Ferrari is now; Vettel not performing, and Leclerc still too inexperienced to carry the team.
Robbie (@robbie)
31st December 2019, 15:08
I don’t agree that much necessarily revolves around what SV does next year. Or more importantly, what he will be doing for 2021. I think that whatever SV does next year, he will either still be at Ferrari in 2021, or he won’t be (lol like that’s a real stretch of the imagination). If he is still there then obviously nothing changes at Ferrari. If he isn’t, I don’t believe that automatically means LH will take his seat, nor Max. I think they will hire CL a number 2 if SV leaves the team, and I think LH and Max are wanting to stay where they are at least through 2021 and likely beyond.
That said of course it will still be very interesting to see what happens at Ferrari this year. Obviously they’ve had to have their meetings regarding team orders and racing each other and touching each other. But I don’t see much changing in terms of their behaviour other than they will have to, or should try to, not contact each other on the track. If I’m Binotto that’s their only team order…race each other but no contact allowed. No team orders to swap spots unless of course one driver is on another strategy or is just obviously faster in identical car/tire settings. We’ve seen that team orders can make a mess of things just as easily as sort things, and they can also be ignored, so I wouldn’t even use them. They may have started last season assuming that SV would be the clear rooster and CL the compliant newbie on the team, but they quickly saw that they had two roosters on the team (perhaps two 3/4 roosters), so now I think they have to be treated as two roosters ala LH/NR and just let them settle it on the track, but cleanly whenever at all possible.
F1oSaurus (@)
30th December 2019, 19:01
Horner sounds a tad desparate.
kenji
1st January 2020, 1:29
@ F1osaurus…That’s because he is. Unless Albon can both match Verstappen and beat him regularly then where do Red Bull go if Verstappen leaves? Their juniors are not WDC material ATPIT. It’s not beyond the realms of possibility that they may have to try and lure Ricciardo back. Would he return? I very much doubt it but stranger things than this have happened in the past. On the balance of probability it would appear that Renault will struggle to to be in the game. To do so will mean one massive leap forward in 2020 and it’s my opinion that that will not happen. Their already limited resources, when measured against what the other top teams invest, would surely rule out any ’20 giant leap. 2020 is going to be a fascinating year from what the driver movement might or might not be…then there is the racing!!!! All that aside, nothing would make me happier than to see DR wearing red. He and Leclerc would be an exciting and dynamic pairing.