Clicky

Jump to content

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Silas Talbot

Mclaren And Raikonen -- Champions 2014

Recommended Posts

Thought I'd drop in and mention a crazy idea I've had brewing all year. Okay, first off:

McLaren's crummy performance

McLaren ended the 2012 season with arguably the fastest car. Suddenly they come out of the gate with a complete redesign that barely makes it into the points in the first third of the season. Why? Well, with Hamilton gone, they have no fantasy about challenging for the championship in 2013 with Button and Perez. So they are using this entire year as development/test for their 2014 car because of the major shakeup in regulations coming.

With 2014 as the last year with the Mercedes engine, they also realize they are going to have to be very strong in that season and in 2015 with Honda or likely feel a financial pinch in sponsorships and prize money that could hurt them for a decade.

McLaren are going to need a strong driver to realize these ambitions next year. But who is on the market with that kind of talent?

Kimi's Silly Season Tapdance

What's really happening with Kimi is a three-way negotiation with Ferrari and McLaren that has been playing out over the past several months. The press is being used, as always, as a tool in this negotiation.

McLaren want Raikkonen. Ferrari want Button. Ferrari and Kimi are both floating stories that they are interested in making a deal as a bargaining position with McLaren.

Raikkonen will be wearing ORANGE in 2014, and McLaren will be challenging for the championship.

Maybe this is all just in my imagination. But if not... you heard it here first!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Earlier on Saturday, McLaren’s Jenson Button was quoted by Brazil’s Totalrace: “I heard an interesting rumour today.

“Someone told me about Fernando going to McLaren. I don’t know if it will happen – he didn’t exactly leave McLaren in a good way [in 2007],” he added. “Let’s wait and see.”

After Saturday’s events, Eddie Jordan also smells a rat.

“Fernando’s not a happy boy,” the ex Formula 1 team owner said on British television BBC. ”We could be watching something unfold here that we were not expecting.”

Taken from here:

http://grandprix247.com/2013/09/07/alonso-youre-really-idiots-mamma-mia-guys-massa-is-too-far-away/

Ricci to RBR was just the warmup. The real fireworks are yet to come.

Either Kimi goes to Ferrari, McLaren, stays at Lotus or leaves F1.

Alonso either stays at Ferrari, moves to McLaren or goes back to Lotus.

Button, either moves to Ferrari or stays at McLaren.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

:lol: Any move involving McLaren would be fun. Alonso and Pérez sounds like a dream to me, and I think a lot of us expected it to happen at Ferrari, instead. Räikkönen returning would be great, as well.

Still, you have to be gambling on the Honda engine to go there. Everyone seems convinced that McLaren and Honda will dominate from 2015 onward, but I'm not really sure what the basis is for that beyond our wishes (and, as a Honda fan, I certainly do wish for that). McLaren themselves want to downplay 2014, with a focus on designing a car around the Honda for 2015. That makes sense, I suppose.

You also have the Kevin Magnussen issue. McLaren want him in F1 (not at McLaren, of course) next year; they'll try to place him wherever they can. Button sort of fits in better with a long-term plan of Pérez and Magnussen (and then van Doorne), as it's always assumed (maybe wrongfully) he would retire earlier (perhaps after 2015 with Honda). Then again, it's possible Pérez is not part of any long-term plan with them. Button's quote seemed to imply that he would stay at McLaren, too; that's what Button's always saying.

Räikkönen, however, is the king of personal grooming products. Unilever have passed on the opportunity to brand the Lotus with Klondike, seemingly the perfect fit for Räikkönen, or with Hellmann's Mayonnaise, something so wrong it would be right, and instead have used Räikkönen to sell shampoo and deodorant. Gillette, a McLaren partner, happen to be in that business. Replace the chrome with white, the red with a nice blue, get Gillette and Telmex/América Móvil branding all over it...hmm...

It's a fun possibility, to have movement at McLaren. I'm not ready to believe it, but I like that there are rumors out there.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'd love to Honda to win again in F1. However I think times have changed so much since they were last in F1, and more so when they last partnered McLaren.

The biggest obstacle for them... engine freezes which I personally HATE. It's the most pathetic artificial rule in F1 I know of. So if you get your engine up and going how you want it before the freeze, you'll have several years of dominations and legs up on people, if not, you never get the chance to play catch up. It should be removed. At least make them able to produce a new/tweaked engine each year, and then let the have one update during the season, where they can choose to play that card and use it from that point on.

F1 is losing it's soul with this BS. Frozen designs on engines, sealed gearboxes... heck they might as well put monkeys in suits and pop them in the driving seats, while the drivers steer the car via remote control from the pitwall.

I'd be happy if Kimi went to McLaren to be honest, but they are nowhere near the strength of the team they were when he was last years. No Newey, no Ron Dennis, no Paddy Lowe. Not good. Kimi/Button would be nice. Perez can take his Telmex $$ to another team, maybe even Ferrari.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thought I'd drop in and mention a crazy idea I've had brewing all year. Okay, first off:

McLaren's crummy performance

McLaren ended the 2012 season with arguably the fastest car. Suddenly they come out of the gate with a complete redesign that barely makes it into the points in the first third of the season. Why? Well, with Hamilton gone, they have no fantasy about challenging for the championship in 2013 with Button and Perez. So they are using this entire year as development/test for their 2014 car because of the major shakeup in regulations coming.

With 2014 as the last year with the Mercedes engine, they also realize they are going to have to be very strong in that season and in 2015 with Honda or likely feel a financial pinch in sponsorships and prize money that could hurt them for a decade.

McLaren are going to need a strong driver to realize these ambitions next year. But who is on the market with that kind of talent?

Kimi's Silly Season Tapdance

What's really happening with Kimi is a three-way negotiation with Ferrari and McLaren that has been playing out over the past several months. The press is being used, as always, as a tool in this negotiation.

McLaren want Raikkonen. Ferrari want Button. Ferrari and Kimi are both floating stories that they are interested in making a deal as a bargaining position with McLaren.

Raikkonen will be wearing ORANGE in 2014, and McLaren will be challenging for the championship.

Maybe this is all just in my imagination. But if not... you heard it here first!

Interesting but unfortunately many believe Ferrari will announce Kimi has joined the Scuderia shortly. I feel it is unlikely that Alonso will put up with that. Lotus can't afford Nando and the Hulk is their very best bet unless they can prise Jenson away from McLaren. That would leave a berth at Macca for Alonso. Alas, they appear to have lost their way - and their key staff. Nando and Kimi at Maranello has all the makings of a disaster and McLaren could indeed be the Kimster's next move. Button could be Ferrari's real target. Who knows? We all will soon enough.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...