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The most mysterious F1 driver hirings ever thread.


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#1 Rasputin

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 16:27

I think Ferrari going for Ivan Capelli in 1992 was pretty mysterious;

 

Capelli_ACI_thumb400x275.jpg



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#2 sopa

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 16:29

For me it is about salary. It is not about so much that Eddie Irvine and Ralf Schumacher got signed up by Jaguar and Toyota, but they got a huge salary for that one, making them among top 3 best paid drivers in the sport! Also it looks like Raikkonen is getting paid a lot again by Ferrari, which would also be mysterious...



#3 Mart280

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 16:30

Frank dropping Hill and getting Frentzen, never understood that one.

#4 DarthWillie

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 16:42

Mansell and McLaren, was never ever going to work.



#5 Henri Greuter

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 16:43

Frank dropping Hill and getting Frentzen, never understood that one.

 

BMW (German company) to supply the engine from 2000 on, making the future partner happy.

Besides that . Frank Williams always preferred to see other drivers they had hired taking the title because that proved that everyone could become champon in a Williams and proved that the team was the best. Frank preferred the WCC ofer the WDC anytime for a long time. So rather in five years time have 4 different drivers in a Williams for champ than one five times, as long as it came with 5 WCCs!  That was Frank Williams kind of thinking.

Story goes that he was far more disappointed about Williams ending up only 4th in the WCC of 1982 than he was happy about Keke being champion, as well as being little disappointed about Carlos Reutemann loosing the title in a race won by the only driver he appears to have been close with: Alan Jones and that victory securing the WCC title for Williams.

 

In that light, the strangest deal I can think off:  Senna going to Williams. About the only driver who'se superiority had caused Williams to invest in technology that enables lesser drivers than Senna to beat him and put Williams in the spotlights again.

Senna would have become the only champ because of being himself instead of being a driver in a Williams.

I still can't work it out why he ever wanted that, he must have received lots of sponsorship money and swallowed a lot of pride to let it happen.

 

Henri


Edited by Henri Greuter, 21 May 2015 - 16:47.


#6 Myrvold

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 16:43

I think Ferrari going for Ivan Capelli in 1992 was pretty mysterious;

I think that was partly because he is Italian, and partly because he did do some very good efforts in the Leyton House machine.

 

For me it is about salary. It is not about so much that Eddie Irvine and Ralf Schumacher got signed up by Jaguar and Toyota, but they got a huge salary for that one, making them among top 3 best paid drivers in the sport! Also it looks like Raikkonen is getting paid a lot again by Ferrari, which would also be mysterious...

Mid-Grid teams, with loads of money, trying to get big names, or drivers that have fought hard for a championship, no matter how you look at it, Irvine wasn't that far off Coulthard in 98, and he did fight for the title in 99. However, he was going to leave Ferrari anyway, so that could be an argument to give him less money. RSC was a big name at the time, and Toyota wanted a big name, and already used way to much money. Not that mysterious.

 

Frank dropping Hill and getting Frentzen, never understood that one.

 

That was IIRC, due to Sir Frank feeling that Hill "lost" the championship in 95, or that he didn't perfom like he should. It was decided very early on. But apparently something he have kinda regretted since? (or was that Mansell?)



#7 mzvztag

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 16:46

For all their reputation as "racers" (which probably mean they don't know how to do anything else), Patrick Head and Frank Williams were always horrible in drivers' management.

 

I am first to agree that the drivers should not be trated like primadonnas, but they went into another extreme, often to the decrimental effect to the team.


Edited by mzvztag, 21 May 2015 - 16:48.


#8 PayasYouRace

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 16:48

I think Ferrari going for Ivan Capelli in 1992 was pretty mysterious;

 

 

 

Capelli had done some great stuff in the Leyton House Marches.

 

BMW (German company) to supply the engine from 2000 on, making the future partner happy.

Besides that . Frank Williams always preferred to see other drivers they had hired taking the title because that proved that everyone could become champon in a Williams and proved that the team was the best. Frank prefeerd the WCC ofer the WDC anytime for a long time. Story goes that he was far more disappointed about Williams ending up only 4th in the WCC of 1982 than he was happy about Keke being champion, as well as being little disappointed about Carlos Reutemann loosing the title in a race won by the only driver he appears to have been close with: Alan Jones and that victory securing the WCC title for Williams.

 

In that light, the strangest deal I can think off:  Senna going to Williams. About the only driver who'se superiority had caused Williams to invest in technology that enables lesser drivers than Senna to beat him and put Williams in the spotlights again.

Senna would have become the only champ because of being himself instead of being a driver in a Williams.

I still can't work it out why he ever wanted that, he must have received lots of sponsorship money and swallowed a lot of pride to let it happen.

 

Henri

 

I think Senna to Williams is a lot simpler than that. Williams wanted the fastest driver, and Senna wanted the fasted car.

 

 

That was IIRC, due to Sir Frank feeling that Hill "lost" the championship in 95, or that he didn't perfom like he should. It was decided very early on. But apparently something he have kinda regretted since? (or was that Mansell?)

 

Damon improved a lot in 1996 but it was too late. The team missed his testing abilities and work ethic in 1997.



#9 KWSN - DSM

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 16:52

Capelli was highly rated before he joined Ferrari, I do not think the signing was that weird or mysterious.

 

* Hector Rebaque for Brabham 1980

* Danny Sullivan for Tyrrel 1983

* Lella Lombardi March 1975

 

:cool:



#10 Rasputin

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 16:58

Colin Chapman opting for fat Aussie Dave Walker in 1972, kicking out the sideburn swede. Walker didn't score a point, while team-mate Fittipaldi took the WDC.

 

Dave-Walker_thumb.jpg



#11 Rasputin

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 17:00

Capelli was highly rated before he joined Ferrari, I do not think the signing was that weird or mysterious.

 

Yeah...

 

tumblr_nfkb4xOJoM1slfnhho1_500.jpg



#12 Henri Greuter

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 17:06

Capelli was highly rated before he joined Ferrari, I do not think the signing was that weird or mysterious.

 

* Hector Rebaque for Brabham 1980


:cool:

 

Money fot the team and Piquet was by then already showing off his inability to cope with team mates close to his level who could attract some attention of the team's away from him.

If you talk about an early example of a driver who wantend total foacus of the team on him and lap dogs for temmates, Piquet is a very good candidate for being one of the first.

 

Henri



#13 FerrariV12

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 17:13

I think Ferrari going for Ivan Capelli in 1992 was pretty mysterious;

 

 

 

Capelli had some strong races in 1990 and particularly 1988. In hindsight Newey probably played a bigger part in those performances but he didn't really have the big reputation at the time. So yeah Capelli was considered an up and comer, not maybe on the same level as Alesi in the Tyrrell, but he was a calculated punt rather than a complete shot in the dark.

 

Although if they were going for an Italian in the car I wonder if Morbidelli would have made a better fist of it. He was very impressive standing in for Prost at Adelaide '91, sixth in the wet, and actually third on the road before the race was stopped and back-dated a lap or two (he'd passed Patrese, then Mansell and Berger both binned it). Plus he had experience of working with the team as a test driver already.

 

 

 
Other examples I'm trying to think of... Brabham - and I mean when they were still very much a leading team, had some strange #2 hires down the years, Robarts, Zunino, Rebaque, Hesnault. Perhaps a strategy of one ace (Reutemann/Piquet) backed up by a pay-driver to balance the books and to hell with the WCC, although the fact they had some #2s ranging from competent to very good in their own right (Pace, Watson, Piquet himself when joining alongside Lauda, Patrese, Fabi) in the intervening years, suggests it wasn't a consistent train of thought.


#14 Kalmake

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 17:15

In that light, the strangest deal I can think off:  Senna going to Williams. About the only driver who'se superiority had caused Williams to invest in technology that enables lesser drivers than Senna to beat him and put Williams in the spotlights again.

Senna would have become the only champ because of being himself instead of being a driver in a Williams.

I still can't work it out why he ever wanted that, he must have received lots of sponsorship money and swallowed a lot of pride to let it happen.

 

Henri

It was Renault who wanted Senna. Prost explains this in the longer version of the Senna movie. IIRC Prost was mostly paid by Renault as well.



#15 chunder27

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 17:18

Sainz and McRae at Subaru was never oging to work for one!

 

Johnny Dumfries for Lotus when pay drivers were not as common as they are now.

 

Putting Badoer in the Ferrare when was it?  That was an effortlesly poor decision even mid season.

 

And the endless obsession with rubbish South Americans like Bernoldi, Burti, Rossett.

 

Inoue at anywhere he drove, Nakajima at Lotus even though he was a lovely chap,



#16 GoldenColt

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 17:20

Mercedes hiring Michael Schumacher at the end of 2009. It was never going to get even close to the Ferrari-years and it was never going to fulfill all the expectations. 



#17 KWSN - DSM

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 17:21

Yeah...

 

 

 

Won Italian F3 championship

Won Monaco F3

Won European F3 championship

Won F3000 championship

 

Several good races and seasons, I really can not see this one being especially mysterious.

 

:cool:


Edited by KWSN - DSM, 21 May 2015 - 17:22.


#18 Rasputin

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 17:23

Michael Andretti at McLaren, must have been Marlboro's doing?

 

487.jpg



#19 Gilles4Ever

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 17:24

We have the winner 



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#20 Rob G

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 17:36

Bruno Giacomelli coming out of a nearly decade-long retirement to trundle around in the Life has to be near the top of the list.



#21 Watkins74

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 18:53

Frank dropping Hill and getting Frentzen, never understood that one.

 

I seem to recall at the time that insiders on the Mercedes sports car team rated HHF as quick as Schumacher when they were teammates. Some people thought that would transfer over to F1 in top equipment.



#22 Henri Greuter

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 18:56

 

 

Johnny Dumfries for Lotus when pay drivers were not as common as they are now.

 

 

Lotus wanted Derek Warwick but Senna blocked that move because he didn't want any risk the focus of the team being switched off from him, prolaiming Lotus couldn't keep two cars competitive. And of course, Warwick as one of the best british drivers of the moment in one of the supposedly british top team, patriotism withn Lotus could work against him so he blocked that move and that is why Dumfries got in: an acceptable lap dog with the right pasport to make JPS hapy enough but o dnger for Senna.

 

Henri



#23 Frank Tuesday

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 19:04

I seem to recall at the time that insiders on the Mercedes sports car team rated HHF as quick as Schumacher when they were teammates. Some people thought that would transfer over to F1 in top equipment.

Hill was never going to be as good as Schumacher.  On the contrary, HHF compared very favorably to MS in Group C, and has some quality showings in the Sauber.  Why stick with someone you know isn't good enough when you have another option that might be?  HHF turned out to not be a challenger to MS, but they had JV, so Hill was redundant, anyway.


Edited by Frank Tuesday, 21 May 2015 - 19:05.


#24 Force Ten

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 19:08

I think that was partly because he is Italian, and partly because he did do some very good efforts in the Leyton House machine.

 

Mid-Grid teams, with loads of money, trying to get big names, or drivers that have fought hard for a championship, no matter how you look at it, Irvine wasn't that far off Coulthard in 98, and he did fight for the title in 99. However, he was going to leave Ferrari anyway, so that could be an argument to give him less money. RSC was a big name at the time, and Toyota wanted a big name, and already used way to much money. Not that mysterious.

 

 

That was IIRC, due to Sir Frank feeling that Hill "lost" the championship in 95, or that he didn't perfom like he should. It was decided very early on. But apparently something he have kinda regretted since? (or was that Mansell?)

Nope, Hill.



#25 garoidb

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 19:14

Money fot the team and Piquet was by then already showing off his inability to cope with team mates close to his level who could attract some attention of the team's away from him.

If you talk about an early example of a driver who wantend total foacus of the team on him and lap dogs for temmates, Piquet is a very good candidate for being one of the first.

 

Henri

 

Are you saying he couldn't cope with the threat from Ricardo Zunino? Or that he had difficulties with Niki Lauda?

 

I find it preposterous that someone could claim that Piquet was dictating terms to Bernie Ecclestone at any stage, let alone 1980. If he had that much influence, why did he allow Bernie to shackle the team with Pirellis in 1985?

 

This is pure bile.



#26 Force Ten

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 19:16

Hill was never going to be as good as Schumacher.  On the contrary, HHF compared very favorably to MS in Group C, and has some quality showings in the Sauber.  Why stick with someone you know isn't good enough when you have another option that might be?  HHF turned out to not be a challenger to MS, but they had JV, so Hill was redundant, anyway.

Nobody was going to be as good as Schumacher and the reason for dumping Hill for Frentzen was even dumber than their Group C distant memories. It was called Jean-Cristophe Bouillion that was Williams test driver back in the day whilst being a teammate of Frentzen in Sauber.  Now, Bouillion, the crafty fella, was posting laptimes at testing that were not that far of their main guy's times and at the same time he was absolutely destroyed by Frentzen on GP weekends. So Frank made a calculation worthy of Autosport Bulletin Board: Bouillion is 2 tenths off Hill, Frentzen is a second faster than Bouillion, ergo, Frentzen is 8 tenths faster than Hill! Get me his manager presto!



#27 garoidb

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 19:18

In the spirit of the thread, Eddie Irvine to Ferrari in 1996 seemed mysterious to me from the perspective of his abilities and performance. Maybe it was something to do with Marlboro connections?



#28 ensign14

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 19:18

Frank dropping Hill and getting Frentzen, never understood that one.

 

Frentzen was on a par with Schumacher in F3 and sportscars and was very much a comingman.  At the end of 1995, when the decision was made, Hill looked a spent force, psychologically shattered, chasing his own backside and humiliated by Schumacher.  I certainly didn't see Hill's 1996 season coming; the one sign of hope was his field-slapping display at Australia, and I wonder how much confidence that gave him in the off-season.

 

In the same way Capelli had looked extremely good before Ferrari wrecked his career - he came within an ace of winning a GP for March.  Dumfries was a British F3 champion in an era when that was a genuine yardstick.  And Dave Walker looked an obvious choice for 1972 given his astonishing F3 run.  Who could have foretold that he wouldn't score a point in a Championship-winning car?

 

For me, the really mysterious ones are:

 

-Francois Hesnault.  Ligier snapped him up for 1984 but he hadn't even looked good in French F3.  If they wanted a French driver, they had the Fertes, Streiff, Fabre, even Pierre Petit would have been better shots.  And, after a year in F1 in which he did the thick end of nothing, he somehow ended up in a Brabham, in which he achieved even less;

 

-Tyrrell signing up Zunino for 1981.  Seriously?;

 

-Sauber's drivers last year.  Just...no;

 

-the whole Esteban Tuero affair.  Far too young to get into F1, and far too little record of note.  Yet he didn't disgrace himself, and would have been worthy of another go.  But too much too young.  Quitting F1 at that first juncture showed he should never have been chosen in the first place;

 

-Hector Rebaque at the Race of Champions in 1983.  Non-title race, Brabham have an entry, the opportunity to give a go to an up and comer to see what he can do?  No, give the drive to a past-it Mexican who was as fast as erosion on his best days;

 

-Michael Bartels for Lotus in 1992.  I remember writing to someone saying that if Lotus really wanted a German driver for a German GP, why not go for Schumacher?  Prescient e14.  But Bartels had the best equipment in most formulae and ballsed it up.  4 DNQs.  Even Philippe Adams did better;

 

-Adrian Campos.  One of the worst F1 drivers ever to have started a race.  Had no pedigree of which to speak yet got a Minardi, did nothing with it, got thrown out and his replacement scored a point first time out.

 

The funny one was Alex Soler-Roig, whose dad was a top surgeon in Spain and so Sausage Roll used to get drives regularly at the Spanish GP.  And made Campos look like Alonso.

 



#29 ensign14

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 19:22

Michael Andretti at McLaren, must have been Marlboro's doing?

 

Made eminent sense at the time. Mikey had just come off an astonishing CART season, it was a very strong formula at the time, why not try him out? Carl Haas tried to get him in a Beatrice.  The problem wasn't his skill; Andretti was going through domestic problems and showed the bare minimum of commitment.  Had he done what his dad did back in the day and moved wholesale to Europe it might have been better.
 

Bruno Giacomelli coming out of a nearly decade-long retirement to trundle around in the Life has to be near the top of the list.

 

He was allegedly paid £30k per race.  Truly mind-boggling.  Although I wonder whether he saw a brass lira.



#30 garoidb

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 19:25

Hill was never going to be as good as Schumacher.  On the contrary, HHF compared very favorably to MS in Group C, and has some quality showings in the Sauber.  Why stick with someone you know isn't good enough when you have another option that might be?  HHF turned out to not be a challenger to MS, but they had JV, so Hill was redundant, anyway.

 

There was a story that HHF had been considered for Senna's seat after Imola but declined after Wendlinger's accident at Monaco 94 (the next race), staying loyal to his team in their time of need. The feeling was that this, in addition to his driving potential, impressed Frank and the Williams team. 

 

I don't know if Williams were that in love with JV either. They probably thought he would put Damon away, but Damon regrouped from 1995 and delivered. JV had a contract for 1997, though, and Damon didn't. HHF was signed a year in advance IIRC, so someone else's contract would have had to be broken in order to keep Damon. 



#31 garoidb

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 19:30

Made eminent sense at the time. Mikey had just come off an astonishing CART season, it was a very strong formula at the time, why not try him out? Carl Haas tried to get him in a Beatrice.  The problem wasn't his skill; Andretti was going through domestic problems and showed the bare minimum of commitment.  Had he done what his dad did back in the day and moved wholesale to Europe it might have been better.

 

I hadn't realised Mario moved to Europe - when did he do that?



#32 Fatgadget

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 19:31

This thread has the benefit of hindsight for sure! :D

#33 Force Ten

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 19:31

There was a story that HHF had been considered for Senna's seat after Imola but declined after Wendlinger's accident at Monaco 94 (the next race), staying loyal to his team in their time of need. The feeling was that this, in addition to his driving potential, impressed Frank and the Williams team. 

 

I don't know if Williams were that in love with JV either. They probably thought he would put Damon away, but Damon regrouped from 1995 and delivered. JV had a contract for 1997, though, and Damon didn't. HHF was signed a year in advance IIRC, so someone else's contract would have had to be broken in order to keep Damon. 

Well Frank made decisions that did not go in any way he expected two years in a row. Jacques was there to blow Hill away. He didn't. Then Frentzen-the-Schumacher-beater finally replaced Hill to show everyone what's what. Jacques absolutely nuked him and he was driving arguably worse than he did against Hill the previous year. Funny how human beings refuse to behave the way you anticipate them to.


Edited by Force Ten, 21 May 2015 - 19:34.


#34 Atreiu

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 19:42

Why did Williams go for Hill in the first place? They had Prost and a sure WDC/WCC season ahead. Why not get a younger driver? It had worked fantastically for Benetton even before 1993 began.

 

McLaren and Montoya... what did Ron see in JPM? They are nothing alike and don't fit in the same team.



#35 KWSN - DSM

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 19:43

Michael Andretti at McLaren, must have been Marlboro's doing?

 

 

 

I am afraid to appear as getting after you, but Michael were a proven winner and Champion, from the holy grail of F1 the much wanted 'US Market' and topping of with being the son of Marion, not a real mystery.

 

:cool:



#36 maverick69

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 19:47

I know some former Williams guys who felt sorry for HHF when he came in for his regular bollockings. Apparently, he was "too nice".

 

Meanwhile, JV lorded it about -  then jumped at the baccy money.



#37 garoidb

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 19:49

Why did Williams go for Hill in the first place? They had Prost and a sure WDC/WCC season ahead. Why not get a younger driver? It had worked fantastically for Benetton even before 1993 began.

 

They tried to sign Mika Hakkinen but he was tied to Lotus IIRC. Damon was doing well as their test driver, and being the son of Graham Hill wouldn't have hurt either. Mark Blundell had been their previous test driver and there was some suggestion of Martin Brundle being signed. Would they have been a lot better? I think Riccardo Patrese signed for Benetton in the belief that Nigel would stay alongside Alain Prost. 



#38 SealTheDiffuser

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 19:50

MSC



#39 DutchQuicksilver

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 19:50

Renault hiring Jacques Villeneuve for three races back in 2004, what was that all about?

 

117792.jpg


Edited by DutchQuicksilver, 21 May 2015 - 19:52.


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#40 Jackmancer

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 19:59

Sauber hiring Sutil. That was one F1 driver who had nothing to prove, scored no points.



#41 Myrvold

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 20:01

Sainz and McRae at Subaru was never oging to work for one!

 

Putting Badoer in the Ferrare when was it?  That was an effortlesly poor decision even mid season.

 

And the endless obsession with rubbish South Americans like Bernoldi, Burti, Rossett.

 

Nakajima at Lotus even though he was a lovely chap,

 

Sainz & McRae, well, it's not mysterious to want to have the best drivers though. It happened again at Ford, and then again at Citroën, so it can't be that bad.

 

Badoer got it as a "thanks for your loyality, and we don't have any other idea who should drive this POS". I'm quite sure if it had been the year before he'd actually have a good chance to show results!

Bernoldi was a Red Bull guy. The fact that Peter Sauber chose Kimi Raikkonen instead of Bernoldi, sent the relationship between RB and Sauber downhill (we all know how Helmut Marko is...). Burti came through due to connections with Jackie Stewart, and then it sorta just happened, he did beat Button in F3 in 99 though. Rosset was seen as some of a talent, not amazing, but more than good enough for the lower F1 teams, especially with money as well. It wasn't that strange.

Nakajima wasn't mysterious. It was Honda.
 

Mercedes hiring Michael Schumacher at the end of 2009. It was never going to get even close to the Ferrari-years and it was never going to fulfill all the expectations. 

They wanted a WDC, they wanted a German (they ended up with two), Schumacher kinda wanted back after the Ferrari 2009 thing. It wasn't mysterious at all.

 

Nope, Hill.

 

Thanks! :)

 

Why did Williams go for Hill in the first place? They had Prost and a sure WDC/WCC season ahead. Why not get a younger driver? It had worked fantastically for Benetton even before 1993 began.

He was their test-driver, with other drivers contracted to other teams, and Hill being a good tester, hard worker, quite fast. It wasn't mysterious at all.



#42 Myrvold

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 20:02

This thread has the benefit of hindsight for sure! :D

Yup, and also some degree of "why did that happen", and not so much actual mysterious signings.



#43 chunder27

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 20:05

Schumacher at Mercedes in the Gr C days.

 

If you wnat to hear an interesting perspective watch that superb one on one interview with Derek Warwick on youtube, further proof of the mans determinaion to succedd at any cost and why in my mind he can never be among the greats.



#44 Rasputin

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 20:13

This thread has the benefit of hindsight for sure! :D

Correct, which is the very point of it all.



#45 blackhand2010

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 20:24

Renault hiring Jacques Villeneuve for three races back in 2004, what was that all about?

 

117792.jpg

 

I'd completely forgotten about that.

With good reason...

 

And why did Sauber then hire him for 2005...?



#46 SonJR

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 20:31

I'd completely forgotten about that.

With good reason...

 

And why did Sauber then hire him for 2005...?

Attention and exposure.



#47 KWSN - DSM

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 20:32

Attention and exposure.

 

A former WDC is rarely a bad buy, except we have seen that it can be something less than stellar on occasion.

 

:cool:



#48 Force Ten

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 20:32

I'd completely forgotten about that.

With good reason...

 

And why did Sauber then hire him for 2005...?

Especially, why did they hire him and then told "shut up and drive" when he had ideas about setup that he felt he needed to go faster.



#49 Clatter

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 20:33

BMW (German company) to supply the engine from 2000 on, making the future partner happy.

Besides that . Frank Williams always preferred to see other drivers they had hired taking the title because that proved that everyone could become champon in a Williams and proved that the team was the best. Frank preferred the WCC ofer the WDC anytime for a long time. So rather in five years time have 4 different drivers in a Williams for champ than one five times, as long as it came with 5 WCCs!  That was Frank Williams kind of thinking.

Story goes that he was far more disappointed about Williams ending up only 4th in the WCC of 1982 than he was happy about Keke being champion, as well as being little disappointed about Carlos Reutemann loosing the title in a race won by the only driver he appears to have been close with: Alan Jones and that victory securing the WCC title for Williams.

 

In that light, the strangest deal I can think off:  Senna going to Williams. About the only driver who'se superiority had caused Williams to invest in technology that enables lesser drivers than Senna to beat him and put Williams in the spotlights again.

Senna would have become the only champ because of being himself instead of being a driver in a Williams.

I still can't work it out why he ever wanted that, he must have received lots of sponsorship money and swallowed a lot of pride to let it happen.

 

Henri

Disagree there. 

 

Williams didn't go out head hunting Senna, it was the other way round. Senna actively sought the Williams seat as that was where the best car was. Without the best car he wasn't winning the WDC.



#50 Force Ten

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Posted 21 May 2015 - 20:33

Attention and exposure.

Yeah, Sauber offered Hill oodles of money for driving for them in 1998.