54 replies to this topic

[aportinga]

So what are you looking forward to in F1 and other series this season?

 

F1...

 

1. Renault Pace and whether DR has a shot at some podiums.

2. Honda/RedBull - just about every aspect of that relationship should provide for a full season of interesting bits.

3. Ferrari woes - will they shudder more? Start strong and collapse again?

4. Kimi @ Sauber - any chance at all for Kimi to help Sauber move forward?

 

 

ICS...

 

1. What's the news coming out on Paul Tracy (Indy 500 run?)

2. Alonso + Indy

3. Austin race course - comparatively vs F1

4. Series sponsor?

 

WeatherTech - always many stories and many good tracks all around.

[HP]

F1 Aside of what you wrote. How all the teams are doing? Does McLaren and Williams find form again? Leclerc, Lando how will they do? Verstappen finally able to launch a championship campaign?

 

MotoGP Anyone else than Marquez winning the championship?

 

Alonso and the races in the States.

 

WRC. Anyone else than Ogier?

[Risil]

Can Indycar sort out their car for the oval races?

Who's going to sign up for the Le Mans "hypercar" class?

Is Nico Hulkenburg finally going to prove he belongs in the top drawer?

How will the new owners of Racing Point handle an F1 team?

Will any of MotoGP's "little three" (Suzuki, Aprilia, KTM) move to the front?

[noikeee]

Main story line in F1 for me is Leclerc, if things go well we might have a new top driver, in a Ferrari of all teams. It feels like a major generational change moment, with 3 of the 6 top seats now occupied by youngsters (Leclerc, Verstappen, Gasly), and a few new promising rookies all coming in at the same time into the sport as well (Russell, Norris, Albon, Giovinazzi who hasn't had a real debut season). But Leclerc could possibly be the big face of it, because he's in a seat that can potentially challenge for the championship; plus so far this new generation has been 100% all about Max Verstappen, and this will give a big clue on whether Max is the one and only new big thing, or if Charles pulls it off it will mean there's at least one other guy who will challenge Max properly in the future.

[sopa]

Main story line in F1 for me is Leclerc, if things go well we might have a new top driver, in a Ferrari of all teams. It feels like a major generational change moment, with 3 of the 6 top seats now occupied by youngsters (Leclerc, Verstappen, Gasly), and a few new promising rookies all coming in at the same time into the sport as well (Russell, Norris, Albon, Giovinazzi who hasn't had a real debut season). But Leclerc could possibly be the big face of it, because he's in a seat that can potentially challenge for the championship; plus so far this new generation has been 100% all about Max Verstappen, and this will give a big clue on whether Max is the one and only new big thing, or if Charles pulls it off it will mean there's at least one other guy who will challenge Max properly in the future.

 

I agree totally.

 

Leclerc v Vettel in Ferrari no less, is really the Big One.

 

We have quite a few new driver line-ups, but most of them won't matter much in the grand scheme of things. Ricciardo v Hulkenberg? Yeah, good, but they will be racing for 6ths, 7ths and 8ths and irrespective of who comes out on top, they will still be at best driving a Renault in 2020, so no definite long-term change there.

 

Leclerc, if he really is awesome, could challenge Hamilton for the championship. So irrespective of long-term prospects against Verstappen, we would have a major gamechanger in F1 pretty much straightaway, which will have long-term implications in the sport as well.

[sopa]

 

MotoGP Anyone else than Marquez winning the championship?

 

WRC. Anyone else than Ogier?

 

In Moto GP it feels like Marquez needs to injure himself or really fall a lot to knock himself out of the championship. If someone could genuinely challenge Maq over the season in terms of sheer performance it would be quite a story-line.

 

On the other hand in WRC it really looks tense. Ogier has kept winning championships, but with each season they have come harder and harder. Particularly Tanak/Toyota combo looks really well positioned to knock him off the perch, as long as they could only keep finishing rallies without issues! Can they do it? We will find out.

[metz]

The RK comeback at Williams...

Will Honda make the jump forward?

Will Renault finally join the top teams?

Who will McLaren blame this year?

[danmills]

Kubica

Leclerc

Honda at Red Bull

 

I'm also going to put a wide bet Kimi will get a shock podium somewhere in the Sauber.

Edited by danmills, 12 January 2019 - 18:06.

[Nonesuch]

In F1 Ricciardo v. Hülkenberg and Leclerc v. Vettel are the two interesting stories. One being a match of two of drivers often put in different tiers, which should hopefully illuminate just how big those differences are. The other a classic generational fight - and what better place to have it than at Ferrari. Ferrari should always have the most interesting line-up.

 

In WEC, I'm looking forward to a return to Sebring - and of course whether the ACO/FIA will bring back some of the pre-2018 GTE rules. The GTE is being hamstrung by over-regulation. While still fun, the 2018 Le Mans race in GTE was one of the least interesting in years because of it.

 

In Indycar, will Rossi take his strong form into the new year - and if he does, can anyone challenge him!? It'll also be interesting to see if the car folks can get a better handle on the ovals, which weren't the highpoint of the last season. I'm also really hoping we see Newgarden have a better run; when he's on it he's great, but he seemed to disappear in a lot of races last year.

 

In ELMS, will someone emerge to defeat G-Drive Racing? The racing will be fun regardless, but a proper championship fight will be a big plus.

 

 

 

Edited by Nonesuch, 12 January 2019 - 18:53.

[pRy]

- Will LeClerc out perform Vettel? I suspect he will.

- Will Redbull start to dominate F1 again? I suspect they will.

[garoidb]

Main story line in F1 for me is Leclerc, if things go well we might have a new top driver, in a Ferrari of all teams. 

 

 

I agree totally.

 

Leclerc v Vettel in Ferrari no less, is really the Big One.

 

If he has the right kind of start, yes definitely. I'd love to see him challenge for the title. It might also turn out a bit less sensationally, though. I hope they don't end up making him drive for Vettel's championship by the middle of the season, as that would cloud the issue further. He is either the future or he is solid number two, but he can't be both.

Edited by garoidb, 12 January 2019 - 19:10.

[Loosenut]

Mick Schumacher signs F1 deal for 2020.

F1 teams miss a few races, stuck in traffic Jams near Dover..

Edited by Loosenut, 12 January 2019 - 19:36.

[Nonesuch]

He is either the future or he is solid number two, but he can't be both.

 

Sure he can, Ferrari has history handling this just fine.

Ferrari made both the most successful F1 driver ever, and even their reigning champion, run #2 duty. It all depends on the situation in the championship.

 

[noikeee]

If he has the right kind of start, yes definitely. I'd love to see him challenge for the title. It might also turn out a bit less sensationally, though. I hope they don't end up making him drive for Vettel's championship by the middle of the season, as that would cloud the issue further. He is either the future or he is solid number two, but he can't be both.

Yeah as much as I think it can be the defining story of the year, I'm not entirely sure yet he can arrive and challenge Vettel straightaway, or challenge at all. It's a tough ask, and he's a very unknown quantity so far despite very promising. I see some parallels with Jean Alesi move to Ferrari for 1991 for example, he looked just as promising and went against a multiple world champion settled at Ferrari, it didn't work out for him. Leclerc is a pretty different driver to Alesi in style, but it can go that way - or it can also go the way of him becoming a future world champion.

However I don't agree that he'll either become a #2 or a big title contender, as I think there's an intermediate third option: the young driver that starts a clear step behind, but then increasingly becomes more and more a threat to the #1 as he gains experience. I can see a scenario in which he loses too many points to Vettel the first half of the season to be in contention, and therefore settles into a #2 temporarily, but as the season goes on he starts becoming quicker than Vettel on regular occasions.

[Starish]

When Seb dominates Leclerc some people are going to have to eat some humble pie, Seb is a monster and i'm not even a Seb fan.

[garoidb]

 

Sure he can, Ferrari has history handling this just fine.

Ferrari made both the most successful F1 driver ever, and even their reigning champion, run #2 duty. It all depends on the situation in the championship.

 

 

Schumacher supporting Irvine was a highly exceptional situation, and not at all parallel to anything Leclerc would face. Their reigning world champion was just that, someone who had already won the championship and was sufficiently established for it to be thought that his career would not be altered by it. He was never really Ferrari's number 1 after that, though. Massa in 2006 would be a better example, more similar to what Leclerc is facing. He ultimately became a number two driver also. 

[garoidb]

Yeah as much as I think it can be the defining story of the year, I'm not entirely sure yet he can arrive and challenge Vettel straightaway, or challenge at all. It's a tough ask, and he's a very unknown quantity so far despite very promising. I see some parallels with Jean Alesi move to Ferrari for 1991 for example, he looked just as promising and went against a multiple world champion settled at Ferrari, it didn't work out for him. Leclerc is a pretty different driver to Alesi in style, but it can go that way - or it can also go the way of him becoming a future world champion.

However I don't agree that he'll either become a #2 or a big title contender, as I think there's an intermediate third option: the young driver that starts a clear step behind, but then increasingly becomes more and more a threat to the #1 as he gains experience. I can see a scenario in which he loses too many points to Vettel the first half of the season to be in contention, and therefore settles into a #2 temporarily, but as the season goes on he starts becoming quicker than Vettel on regular occasions.

 

This is possible, but it is not how the really significant drivers have announced themselves in the last few decades. The whole thing becomes easier if neither team-mate is fighting for the championship. But we will see. I hope to see him do well (and ideally to be right there on day one).

[sopa]

This is possible, but it is not how the really significant drivers have announced themselves in the last few decades. The whole thing becomes easier if neither team-mate is fighting for the championship. But we will see. I hope to see him do well (and ideally to be right there on day one).

 

I agree elite talents are quick straight out of the box.

 

I think the scenario in which Leclerc is a future great, but falls into #2 driver role for 2019 is a bit how Verstappen performed in 2018. He made lots of mistakes early in the season and fell a long way behind Ricciardo in the championship. Now imagine in addition to mistakes Leclerc suffers a few more reliability issues as well, he could be so much behind in points by mid-season he has no chance to compete for the title, irrespective of how quick he is. And on the flipside Vettel has a good season for once, doesn't throw away points with mistakes and competes for the title, so Leclerc would have a hard time catching up with him even with a great second half of the season.

[noikeee]

I agree elite talents are quick straight out of the box.

 

I think the scenario in which Leclerc is a future great, but falls into #2 driver role for 2019 is a bit how Verstappen performed in 2018. He made lots of mistakes early in the season and fell a long way behind Ricciardo in the championship. Now imagine in addition to mistakes Leclerc suffers a few more reliability issues as well, he could be so much behind in points by mid-season he has no chance to compete for the title, irrespective of how quick he is. And on the flipside Vettel has a good season for once, doesn't throw away points with mistakes and competes for the title, so Leclerc would have a hard time catching up with him even with a great second half of the season.

 

Yeah I was thinking of how Verstappen developed at Red Bull the last few years. He was quick from the very beginning yes, but only really became clearly all round faster than Ricciardo (and getting more points than him) the 2nd half of last year. Throw in a championship at stake and you could see a situation developing like that, in which you're a #2 due to a mix of circumstance and lack of experience, but become more and more a joint #1 over time.

[jonpollak]

Good thread.

The fortunes of the 57 in IMSA.
INDYCAR’S acendandcy as the best racing series.
Fernando’s triple crown attempt.
LeClec vs. Vettel.

EDIT:
Attempting to get into Formula - e

Jp

Edited by jonpollak, 13 January 2019 - 01:50.

[Paco]

Biggest story for me is Simply McLaren and Williams and whether then can fix their issues in 1 season and any prove that a non-manufacturer backed outfit can compete.

 

As for the rest...no real surprises coming IMO with only thing being HAAS getting into 3 as a result of Honda taking RB down the grid and Racing Point in a year of flux getting everything back on track from the summer's funding fiasco.

 

Ferrari:  Probably very similar to this year with Charles doing about what Kimi did.

MGP:  Same as last year, with the exception of Bottas getting a couple of wins now that RB out of the window.

 

Haas I say will get 3rd..

 

Renault 4.0 with Daniel.  Overall, disappointing.

Racing Point:  All the turmoil last year prevented them a good start in 2019 but good signs after summer break but too late for the 2019 season.  Daddy's boy a significant disappointment.

Sauber:  A few good races.  Kimi might might get a surprise podium.

RB.. poor Max due to Honda.. figure 6-7th..

TR:  No idea with the Honda handicap but can't imagine them competing with RB... Think they could easily finish 9th..

 

McLaren - Renault handicap.

Williams - Engineering handicap.

Edited by Paco, 12 January 2019 - 23:45.

[ANF]

Something about the latest Discord Disagreement and maybe Renault pulling out of F1 and what else

[goldenboy]

Honda and Red Bull.
Charles v seb.

[HeadFirst]

For me the big deal will be the Honda engine in the Red Bull. Mercedes will be Mercedes, Ferrari will be Ferrari, but if Honda can boost RB (and Max) into the championship race, that will be the biggest development of 2019. Aside from that I will be looking for big things (possibly a win or 2) from Leclerc, the continued progress of Sauber-Alfa (points and maybe a podium for Kimi), and Ricciardo's struggles and minor successes with Renault. With these and many lesser story-lines to consider, the season will be interesting from Australia onward.    

[danmills]

I think Leclerc will match Vettel from the start, and they'll parallel their grid spots. If Vettel gets pole, Leclerc will be right there in P2. P3/P4 etc.

Whilst Vettel may have the raw edge in sheer speed, I think Leclerc will prove to be more careful and in control of his emotions over a full season. It'll be Leclercs consistency that may trump the standings as his speed also improves.

On the other hand Leclerc could rejuvenate Vettel. Seb is due to have that career growing up stage that Lewis went through when he was at his most whingiest. Leclerc seems very grounded and inoffensive. Maybe having and understudy rival will help that happen instead of everything being against just one person in Hamilton.

[PeterScandlyn]

Max Verstappen Crashes, again.

 

Williams Fails, again.

 

McLaren Slows, even further......

 

The one I'm REALLY hoping to see, sooner rather then later - Brown Replaced in Unprecedented Spill at McLaren......

 

Well, I was asked  

[Henri Greuter]

Some dream titles

 

Hamilton punished for his unsportsman-like behavour after yet another engine failure !!

 

No dry eye at the speedway 50 years after his granddad had won the grandson finally won....

 

Toyota pulling out from Le Mans because of nothing left to win despite fielding Alonso

[Cliff]

Yeah I was thinking of how Verstappen developed at Red Bull the last few years. He was quick from the very beginning yes, but only really became clearly all round faster than Ricciardo (and getting more points than him) the 2nd half of last year. Throw in a championship at stake and you could see a situation developing like that, in which you're a #2 due to a mix of circumstance and lack of experience, but become more and more a joint #1 over time.

Hè was allround faster than Ricciardo since the last 6 races of 2016...

[krapmeister]

'Ticktum dropped from Red Bull Junior program after social media controversy'

[OvDrone]

While we are at it - Ticktum, Ferrucci and Fenati out of every form of Motorsport forever.

[absinthedude]

Kubica....can he regain his stature as one of the top 5-6 drivers in F1? 

Williams and McLaren - can they regain some form?

Leclerc Vs Vettel....will Seb assert his authority or lose more of it?

[mclarensmps]

Will Renault give Ricciardo a decent ride? That's the one I'm interested in. 

[Sterzo]

All I want for 2019 is:

 

Sean Bratches to secure optimised brand-boosting millenial-leveraged revenue enhancing partnerships, so that Liberty can offer sensible deals (instead of traditional bloodsucking contracts) to Silverstone, Nurburgring and Magny Cours.

[thuGG]

Kubica

LeClerc vs Vettel

RedBull with Honda, can they join the fight a the top?

[Piif]

How badly Giovinazzi will beat Kimi.

 

How awesome the fans will be in every race according to Lewis.

 

How hard will Bottas fight against Hamilton or will he forever be the wingman.

 

Will Seb pull it together.

 

How bad will Williams be.

[Ellios]

Verstappen 2019 WDC ! + associated fracas, fights & falling outs.

[GiorgioF1]

Leclerc's wingman status at some point during the season and the rage of his fanboys

 

Giovinazzi's crashes

 

Stroll keeping up most of the time with Perez

 

Haas yet again not scoring the points their cars are capable of scoring because of the inconsistent drivers

 

Bottas' further psychological meltdown

[Ivanhoe]

Haas yet again not scoring the points their cars are capable of scoring because of the inconsistent drivers

Or incompetent pit crew

[statman]

- Will LeClerc out perform Vettel?

- Will Redbull start to dominate F1 again?

 

These are indeed the 2 stories in F1 for 2019, the rest is just filler. And no I don't expect a 'Bottas surge'.

[7MGTEsup]

When Seb dominates Leclerc some people are going to have to eat some humble pie, Seb is a monster and i'm not even a Seb fan.

 

I'm not sure where all the hype comes from on this one. Beating a journeyman team mate handsomely is one thing, beating a 4 time world champ is something completely different. Ferrari is a pressure cooker and driving a top car comes with a completely different mind set. Throwing a Sauber down the road in your rookie season doesn't carry any real weight, throwing a championship contending Ferrari down the road will get you in a world of hurt very quickly.

 

I'm not saying Leclerc isn't good, but would like to see some results first before declaring Vettel a write off.

[highdownforce]

[SenorSjon]

I'm not sure where all the hype comes from on this one. Beating a journeyman team mate handsomely is one thing, beating a 4 time world champ is something completely different. Ferrari is a pressure cooker and driving a top car comes with a completely different mind set. Throwing a Sauber down the road in your rookie season doesn't carry any real weight, throwing a championship contending Ferrari down the road will get you in a world of hurt very quickly.

 

I'm not saying Leclerc isn't good, but would like to see some results first before declaring Vettel a write off.

 

Vettel has a hand of defeating himself.

 

 

But 2-3 main headlines for F1:

- Will group B close on group A?

- How will Ferrari develop (drivers and new team boss)?

- Will RB be able to mount a WDC campaign?

[aportinga]

I agree totally.

 

Leclerc v Vettel in Ferrari no less, is really the Big One.

 

We have quite a few new driver line-ups, but most of them won't matter much in the grand scheme of things. Ricciardo v Hulkenberg? Yeah, good, but they will be racing for 6ths, 7ths and 8ths and irrespective of who comes out on top, they will still be at best driving a Renault in 2020, so no definite long-term change there.

 

Leclerc, if he really is awesome, could challenge Hamilton for the championship. So irrespective of long-term prospects against Verstappen, we would have a major gamechanger in F1 pretty much straightaway, which will have long-term implications in the sport as well.

 

Lots of buzz for this season amongst friends - I completely forgot about Leclerc and that's actually one of the story lines I a mostly looking forward to. Frankly I hope he sends Vettel sobbing.

[Rinehart]

RBR-Honda imploading

 

W Series getting lots of attention for all the wrong reasons

 

Great Indycar, Aussie Supercars and Formula E seasons

[Berner]

Happy: Stroll WDC by Italy.

Sad: Stroll replaced by Italy.

[metz]

Italy is a boot.

[BuddyHolly]

How Leclerc gets on at Ferrari

How Kubica fares

How much I'll miss Alonso

How many races until Horner/Max start dissing Honda

How disappointing again McLaren will be

 

and in cloud cuckoo land

 

How a team (any) finally dethrone Mercedes

[Silberpfeil]

Biggest F1 story for me is certainly how RB gets on with Honda. Word from Christian Nimmervoll (EiC of motorsport-total.com & Formel1.de) is that around Christmas the RB15 had already reached the downforce level they had last August. So I guess it really does come down to Honda.

Also, what will Bottas do? I think that even should he win a couple of races on the tracks he prefers, if he doesn’t get considerably closer to Hamilton overall he will lose his seat for 2020.

Other than F1, one of the more interesting developments should be the future of the DTM – when will we see the Astons, what will happen with the joint event with SuperGT, what will the new series name be, how do the new teams get on? I wouldn’t have thought I’d still be so interested after Mercedes’ exit, but Aston Martin has given me something to look forward to, especially because I adore the new Vantage.

On to IndyCar. Can Rosenqvist take the challenge to Dixon at some point? Can Rossi challenge for a title? Will Nandomania 2.0 yield an Indy 500 triumph? Can Hinchcliffe finally string together a consistent season with yet another rookie teammate (albeit a probably highly competitive one) at his side? And, certainly the most important point of this entire list for me, what does the year hold in store for Robert Wickens? (#GetWellWickens)

In MotoGP, will a competitive Lorenzo help or hinder Honda, and particularly Marquez’s quest for a next title? I don’t believe for a second that Marquez will take well to being challenged from within his own team. Look out for a Honda employee nervously asking for Yamaha’s old wall at some point around Brno. What can Yamaha and Suzuki do? Will Morbidelli prove himself worthy to one day replace the Doctor?

In WRC, I expect Tanak to (somewhat consistently) run away with the title, IF his car holds up. In the absence of a certain Kiwi, the only other point of interest for me is how Meeke and Marshall will get on. On pure speed I’d expect Meeke to challenge for the podium regularly and win at least two events, but then I thought the same thing about this time last year.

And, finally, what might happen to (e)WRX? There’s so little we know at this point that I can’t be bothered to come up with anything specific, so the entire series and its future will have to do for now.

[TF110]

Red Bull Honda and how they perform is the main thing to me. 

 

Second is Le Mans and the private cars with new tires made for them (if they get them in time). I know they can challenge Toyota with bespoke tires.

 

Third is seeing if Tanak can take the WRC title away from Ogier.

 

Fourth is seeing the WEC back at Sebring, finally!

[Beri]

- How many hairs will be pulled out, nails will tear and handbags will fly at the W series
- Red Bull to have the best chassis, but that engine..
- Mick Schumacher Mick Schumacher Mick Schumacher Mick Schumacher
- Pirelli defending their tires