Silly Season 2013 - 2014. Predicting the 2014 Grid

kals · PostPosted: Wed Oct 30, 2013 4:45 pm

Why would Hulk be going to McLaren? Who would you envisage he would be replacing?

RtN · PostPosted: Wed Oct 30, 2013 5:00 pm

He would be replacing Perez.

There is obviously a reason why McLaren have not taken Perez' option up for 2014. It was thought that Alonso was this reason, but that window appears to have closed, at least for 2014. And yet, there is still no sign that McLaren are ready to re-sign Perez. It could be that they are evaluating whether to put Magnussen in the car, although McLaren have again been quite explicit in stating that it would be too soon for Magnussen to move up.

So either they've changed their mind on Magnussen (which would be understandable), or they have been putting feelers out for other drivers. They have not been entirely impressed with Perez (India could have gone some way towards rectifying that) and the longer that the renewal process drags on, the more likely it is that they are looking at other drivers aside from those mentioned above. I believe Hulkenberg would be first in this queue.

kals · PostPosted: Wed Oct 30, 2013 5:25 pm

I'd be amazed (but not surprised) if McLaren dump Perez after a single season.

Gaara · PostPosted: Wed Oct 30, 2013 5:46 pm

They seem to think he should have out qualified Button more, at least that was the impression they gave not too long ago. I did read somewhere that out of 12 races they both finished, Perez was ahead only twice which was a couple of races ago. India isn't too late for Perez though, next year will be a make or break for him.

kals · PostPosted: Wed Oct 30, 2013 5:55 pm

Button showed in 2002 that if you're given a second chance, you can prove your worth. Grosjean has done the same this year.

kals · PostPosted: Wed Oct 30, 2013 11:07 pm

And that's entirely the point. McLaren have been so mediocre. Yet Perez seems to be getting it in the neck, whereas McLaren and Button seem to think their shit doesn't stink. That's hardly fair.

RtN · PostPosted: Wed Oct 30, 2013 11:16 pm

Because Button has been doing a better job. He's 60-33 ahead in points. As Gaara said, he is 10-3 ahead in terms of finishes.

Fish88 · PostPosted: Wed Oct 30, 2013 11:26 pm

Perez has the luck (or talent) to be excellent in races where tyre wear plays a major factor, in the other races he is pretty invisible. That's why there is now a sort of positive vibe around him after India. In terms of points he wasn't that much better than Kobayashi last year (Koba also had more point finishes).

kals · PostPosted: Thu Oct 31, 2013 1:46 am

RtN wrote:

Because Button has been doing a better job. He's 60-33 ahead in points. As Gaara said, he is 10-3 ahead in terms of finishes.

So? Button is vastly more experienced and knows how to deal with shitty cars. But using your logic...

In 2001 Button finished with 2 points whereas Fisi had 8.

In 2002 Coulthard finished on 41 points where's Kimi had 24.

...which means that because Kimi and Button were comprehensively beaten by their much more experienced team mates they deserved to be replaced?

No it didn't. Perez is no different.

RtN · PostPosted: Thu Oct 31, 2013 11:24 am

McLaren clearly had higher expectations for Perez than what he has delivered.

Regardless of what happens for next year, Perez was always going to be a short-term solution because of Magnussen and Vandoorne. McLaren got caught with their trousers down by Lewis and scrambled for who they thought was the best replacement at the time.

Mika Kimi · PostPosted: Thu Oct 31, 2013 11:34 am

Personally I don't think they'll ditch Perez after this year, but if he doesn't perform a lot better next year then he'll be out by 2015.

By that time Honda wants a big name and I feel they want to keep Jenson as well.

noikeee · PostPosted: Thu Oct 31, 2013 11:50 pm

I think Perez was a bit of a gamble, he looked brilliant at times with Sauber when he made the most of those alternate pit strategies, but anonymous/average at other times - it was a question of whether those flashes of brilliance indicated the potential to become a top driver or whether it was all due to circumstances.

I half-believed it actually... but it now does look like it was a lot due to circumstances. I think at best he could match Button's level sometime in the future given a couple years, but McLaren want more than that. He will not last long there - he looks like a slightly better Kovalainen. Talented but no top superstar and McLaren need a star.

Btw I do think they'll give Perez another year and the reason they've not committed to him yet is in vain hope Alonso still has the time to fall out spectacularly with Ferrari until the end of the season. And/or to see how Perez deals with a bit of extra pressure. At this stage I am now convinced Hulk is better than him but sadly I think Hulk may end up frozen without a seat, or at best somewhere in uncompetitive midfield machinery yet again.

Mika Kimi · PostPosted: Fri Nov 01, 2013 8:28 am

And what if McLaren doesn't continue with Perez, where will he end up? I agree he isn't the top superstar like the man he replaced at McLaren, but he certainly deserves a seat somewhere.

Cheeveer · PostPosted: Fri Nov 01, 2013 12:09 pm

Gutierrez was brought in too quickly IMO. Perez worked so well at Sauber that his move to McLaren has seemed like a step down. Competitively, Sauber's best option would be to retain him and Hulkenberg. But would they survive then? If Sauber could build on their current form, that'd be ideal. Then I could live with Maldonado going to Lotus, he's fast enough to warrant a place in F1, but he got to tone down the retardness. Teams should work together to keep Chilton out of the grid next year.

Fish88 · PostPosted: Sat Nov 02, 2013 2:20 pm

What I don't get about Maldonado to Lotus. He is sponsered by PVDSA (oil company) and Grosjean is sponsered by Total (oil company). How the hell do they want to fit 2 company's like that on one car.

RtN · PostPosted: Sat Nov 02, 2013 5:20 pm

Total and PDVSA don't really compete against each other and indeed still work together on the projects in Venezuela that used to be Total-owned until they were nationalised.

phil1993 · PostPosted: Sat Nov 02, 2013 9:08 pm

Sutil says he has signed a 2014 contract but isn't revealing which team (some reckon Sauber).

Whitmarsh hinted that Perez will be confirmed pretty soon.

Artur Craft · PostPosted: Thu Nov 07, 2013 11:51 am

phil1993 wrote:

Sutil says he has signed a 2014 contract but isn't revealing which team (some reckon Sauber).

bad journalist. One and a half day late

viewtopic.php?p=728584#p728584

Artur Craft · PostPosted: Fri Nov 08, 2013 6:39 pm

Well, jokes and teasing apart, I heard that the Russian/Sauber deal might not happen in the end with alleged delay on payments already.

In that case, Sauber would desperately need the paydrivers with the bigger cash. I wonder and fear who that would be.

Tobias · PostPosted: Fri Nov 08, 2013 6:52 pm

TBK-Light.com

Silly Season 2013 - 2014. Predicting the 2014 Grid

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