The Silly Season Is Silly And May Get Sillier

"SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie" (sidewaysondirt)
08/13/2015 at 10:20 • Filed to: f1, silly season

Posting mostly for the fun of it. It would be nice, and I’ve been seeing more rumors that Ferrari might keep The Kimi for one more year. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , and it’s generally wise to listen to him. Obviously this is a pretty outside chance, I can’t find any trace of Deiter Rencken’s claim they’re citing, and it’s probably all bullshit, but the weirdest twist in the silly season rumor game is that while Ferrari want Bottas, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Supposedly, Bottas was offered a one year contract, which he did not agree to. If that is true, it would confirm my theory that because of Massa’s resurgence at Williams, Ferrari are now unsure if Bottas is really as good as he’s supposed to be. While I don’t put much weight in silly season rumors, I do have fun speculating and watching the possibilities, and if it’s true that Ferrari are only looking for a one year drive before re-evaluating and Bottas will only sign multi-year, there emerges another contender for the red car should Ferrari decide that they aren’t going with either Finn. Ferrari want experience and speed. They also want someone who is willing to drive for one year. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , but should the pieces fall into place correctly, the only driver on the grid that meets their requirements is Jenson Button. McLaren is a mess, Alonso’s a twat who’s being paid about ten times as much as him, and he may or may not have a drive next year after loyally sticking with his team through three progressively dismal seasons and doing very well against teammates that were supposed to decimate him. Should Jenson end his career in red, there’s a chance for one last win to go out on a high, and I think that he deserves that at this point.

DISCUSSION (12)

wiffleballtony > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
08/13/2015 at 10:27

Admittedly I am no expert in this area but I don’t see the reason, need or hurry to ditch a former world champion who has been doing a better job than his car has been doing. Aside from his spin out in Canada, which may have been the car, Kimi has been doing as well this season as could be expected in the wake of Mercedes domination.

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
08/13/2015 at 10:31

I really just want one of the better teams to give Hulkenburg a seat. He’s got a lot of skill, and is the only driver also during any endurance racing too (not really a factor in this, but it’s cool). Given the right car I think he could easily be a consistent contender in the top 5.

ceanderson920 > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow
08/13/2015 at 10:36

I like the Hulk too, but the only thing is that Ferrari have said they don’t want two Germans in racing seats. I am guessing it has to do with the politics of Ferrari and Italy.

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > ceanderson920
08/13/2015 at 10:48

I think F1 politics are one of the primary reasons other drivers, that I’d consider less talented than Hulkenburg, have been given seats over him.

ceanderson920 > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow
08/13/2015 at 10:52

I really do hope he goes somewhere other then a mid pack team and he actually has a car that he can at least get on the podium with.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow
08/13/2015 at 10:55

Well, that and money.

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
08/13/2015 at 10:55

Kinja'd!!!

JB at Ferrari: minds asploded!!

What if Ferrari brought Massa back.......

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > ceanderson920
08/13/2015 at 11:05

Me too. He’d definitely make the podium in a better car.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > wiffleballtony
08/13/2015 at 11:08

Kimi’s doing better than last year, but he’s been comprehensively destroyed by Seb like he was by Alonso last year. Last year he had a good excuse considering that he went back to Ferrari on the back of two very successful seasons at Enstone, the car was shit, and the car was designed for the opposite of his driving style. This year’s Ferrari is the second best car on the grid, and ocasionally the best such as in Malaysia. Kimi has made it to the podium one time partly by luck, crashed into Alonso at Austria, made a bad call on tires in Britain, spun at Canada (using the same settings as the not-spinning Seb), couldn’t get past Marcus fucking Ericcsson in qualifying in Malaysia, and gets separated from Seb in the race even when things are going right. I love Kimi and want to hear him mumbling at people as much as anyone, but if I were the team principle at Ferrari, I wouldn’t even be seriously considering keeping him for next year when there are cheaper and seemingly better talents knocking at the door.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet
08/13/2015 at 11:10

Oh, I didn’t think of that one! While technically possible, I don’t think that there’s a way in hell Massa would go even if offered #1 status. He was visibly an entirely different person within a few races at Williams. That being said, the schmucks who made his post-2008 life at Ferrari a living hell are gone now, so who knows. I’d slot that one below JB to Ferrari in order of likeliness.

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
08/13/2015 at 11:19

In order of likeliness:

1. mumbles

2. younger mumbles (who doesn’t want to deal - you gotta pay to play, bubba)

3. Jenson Button (could F1’s darling and most dashing gentleman of a bygone era truly abandon the British cause of Queen and Country for Green and History?)

4. Felipe Massa (burn my once, shame on me; burn me twice, shame on you; “I can confirm now that I am faster than my old teammate and my new teammate and my replacement. AKA - forever on the doorstep of greatness but always actually being the doormat for someone else to stand on)

5. Nico Hulkenberg (more talented than many of the drivers currently in premier team cars, but lack of heavy hitting sponsors and that pesky national affiliation)

6. Max Verstappen (but a wee lad on the grad, has been performing well in what used to be a strong midpack car, but now thanks to Christian Horner’s mouthpiece suffers at every twist and turn of the course; his father’s management will likely prevent any shitty deals than another team may offer him)

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet
08/13/2015 at 11:38

I’d swap Massa and Hulk, but otherwise that’s about how it looks for me. I don’t think that Verstappen has a chance for 2016. RBR’s contracts are generally bulletproof. Seb only got out last year because of a performance clause, which the cynic in me thinks might partially explain his poor form last year.