good luck with that...they are evil...andretti actually want their own factory because its much smarter to start with a new base...but im sure they will pay off and kick out a team behind doors
It's a shame that a driver of Sainz's calibre is treated as a temporary option to have at a top team like Mercedes or Red Bull. Even when he was driving well for Renault and McLaren, he was just there temporarily for the short term, and they wanted to replace him with Ricciardo, and now at Ferrari, they replace him with Hamilton
Sainz has the calibre to be a team’s top driver. The only problem is that all the “best” teams already has their top preferred drivers which puts Sainz always as just the 2nd option. He could finally be top driver for a team but it would have to be for the newer and weaker Audi. I can see him being highly influential in shaping that team but I don’t think he’s interested in racing for experiment. He’s not getting any younger and I’m sure is after wins.
I’ve said for a while, Checo may not be the fastest driver in that second seat but he is the best pairing for Max. The last person Jos wants in that second seat is someone who has the potential to take points off of Max.
Yes. Checo is the best pairing for max because he's simply not fast enough to threaten max and Jos likes it. Sainz won't be playing second fiddle to Max and we can see what he did in Ferrari.
@@user-vk3dv3mi6hPrecisely. Max is an amazing driver and I don’t want to take anything away from that. Imagine, however, if he had had to share even a third of his wins last season with a teammate who could handle that car in a similar way to him. Would he have still broken so many records?
Ikr? It's so weird. Plus, I think he's gonna take his talents to IndyCar because Arrow McLaren already signed him for the rest of this season in order to replace David Malukas
F1 is reeling in the years, going back to the 50s and 60s, when like half the grid was 40+... more and more drivers, well past their prime, hanging around just for their "marketability. As a consequence, spots for rookies becoming a really scarce commodity. Let's be realistic, the last time a driver over 40 won a race was 30 years ago (Nigel Mansell, and only because Messrs Schumacher and Hill had their infamous "come-together" in Adelaide) and the last time a driver over 40 won the title was nearly six decades ago (Jack Brabham in '66, and the average age that season was only topped by the first two F1 seasons 1950/51). When Max "upset the applecart" the FIA was in a hurry to introduce a "minimum age", an argument can be made for a "mandatory retirement age".
because f1 shouldnt be a category where drivers are guaranteed a seat. why? because it upholds the prestige of an f1 seat but also maintains the sport's image of the fastest cars with the fastest drivers (mostly). why should we include drivers that aren't good enough just for the sake of inclusion? why would an f1 team want to sign a new driver, who will probably be crash prone and be off the pace, when they can snatch someone who is already an established steady hand like hulkenberg? the market is fine as is, groundbreakingly good drivers like leclerc who dominated his way to f1 are still capable of getting a seat especially when we have drivers like sargeant and the sauber line up not performing as impressively.
I think Zhou would be the more interesting option for Alpine. Having a chinese driver is huge for their plans to establish themself in the chinese market. Not only that but he was also part of their junior program, so he already knows some people there (if they haven't already left). He is a decent and clean driver and a valuable marketing asset.
@@britishempire3342 Yeah a downgrade for Zhou or any other driver for that matter. Alpine should be thankful for anyone that's willing to drive for them.
@@edsontrujillo2247why would team risk to take a new drivers? Teams like alpine needs leadership and experience, by the way potential is fancy word for did nothing.
I actually thought he was quite decent driver during his first two years, especially in 2022 where he was very impressive. He already closed up to Bottas in Baku beating him in Quali and would've scored points had it not been for his engine failure. In Canada he also scored points along with Bottas and would've finished the race ahead of him if it wasn't for the SC. Being able to keep up with Valtteri who could partially keep up with Lewis and occasionally beat him on pure pace is quite impressive and it's sad he went under the radar, bc that car became a shitbox. He's not as bad as many people say. Since his Jeddah FP3 crash he's been nowhere, probably cuz his confidence has been shattered.
Danny Ricc will never sign for Haas. His pride won't allow it. The only reason he's in VCARB is because he wanted to be promoted to Red Bull. Honestly, I think both him and KMag should try for Indycar. Danny Ricc would be popular, and KMag's feisty nature actually fits Indycar way more than modern F1.
I think this is an important consideration. Mercedes is in a much different position now then when it declined to sign Max as a teenager. They're even worse now than Red Bull was when they took a chance on Max. I think Kimi is gonna be driving for the varisty squad next year, not Williams.
And why not see if the kid is a prodigy? George is fine, but he hasn't really separated himself from the other "good" drivers. Maybe Kimi will be their North Star.
zhou's marketability I think is going to help him a lot. He will end up at either Alpine or Sauber to be Audi as his China backing is going to help car brands more with both wanting to expand more in the country. Ricciardo and Bottas are quite difficult. If neither of them get that Audi seat, there's no faster way that goes to the top so I could see at least one of them have a sabbatical or retire, rather than tag along in the midfield. Ocon seems the best option of that group of four for any team. But at the end of the day, it all depends what happens at Mercedes. If Antonelli gets the Mercedes seat, Sauber is Sainz and what's going to happen to the rest?
zhou is the least talented driver on the grid...he is doing a good job i think but in terms of overall talent even stroll and sargeant have that raw pace in them hidden somewhere
@@mrbungle3310 yeah, zhou hasn't shown amazing pace to be fair but I'd rather have zhou who keeps it relatively clean and finishes around the fringe of points regularly rather than a driver who is really good one weekend but doesn't meet it for another 6 races.
I honestly think Bottas is going to Haas and Ricardo is going to Sauber. Ricardo and Hulkenberg have been teammates before, a consistent and good chem between the drivers are KEY for Audi's entrance into F1
To me it's highly unlikely at this point for Merc to not put Antonelli in their car next year. Thus Sainz has to go to Sauber/Audi; with Bottas going back to where it all started for him: Williams.
I don't know, have you watched Antonelli's performances in F2? They scream "young talent who needs another year to develop." Would be such a shame to repeat the mistake with Sargeant.
@@darintill1806 He is definitely raw . I think Merc figures thet may as well being him in next year when they aren't really challenging..giving him time to adjust and have experience before the new reg set. Ultimately it's always going to be a big transition to F1. Given how specific the tyre management skills are in F1,I'm not sure one more year in F2 will do all that much. I do think it would be better for him to start at a smaller team in F1, but understandably Williams isn't too interested in this unless they get something for it. His underlying pace and skill are pretty high in F2.
@@rishisahgal4529 You make good points about the tyres and the jump into F1 being big regardless of your CV in the junior categories. Can't deny that. I think the difference of opinion is whether or not the second year would help him develop more. He won all previous categories with emphasis, and the lack of that in this category so far when we know he's capable of it just tells us he does have something to prove in F2 rather than us assuming his performance is a forgone conclusion. And his race pace consistently has been off the podium spots. He WILL eventually get to the top with time. But let him get there and prove he belongs before hurrying him along to the next level - especially with the expectations and hype being as high as they are and him being as young as he is.
Here's my predictions (made these March 21st) RBR - Max + Checo Merc - Russell + Antonelli Ferrari - Leclerc + Ham McLaren - Lando + Oscar AM - Alonso + Stroll Alpine - Ocon + Gasly RB - Yuki + Lawson Sauber - Sainz + Hulkenberg Williams - Albon + Bottas Haas - Zhou + Bearman
@@tiagoferreira5368 Agreed, not the best, I like Bearman though tbf. I don't think Zhou is good enough for F1 and never has been. But knowing how F1 works and maybe with some influence from Liberty etc I can see Zhou getting a seat for the Chinese market and Gene Haas would love the extra money and marketing opportunities
My predictions below rely on Stroll being booted. But if he is, Aston Martin makes a better long-term option for Sainz. Mercedes can use Dan’s marketability abs experience to fill a gap before Antonelli takes the seat. This is more of a wish list than realistic list. Red Bull 1. Max Verstappen 2. Sergio Perez McLaren 1. Lando Norris 2. Oscar Piastri Ferrari 1. Charles LeClerc 2. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1. George Russel 2. Daniel Riccardo Aston Martin 1. Fernando Alonso 2. Carlos Sainz Alpine 1. Pierre Gasly 2. Jack Doohan VCARB 1. Liam Lawson 2. Yuki Tsunoda Williams 1. Kimi Antonelli 2. Alex Albon Haas 1. Oliver Bearman 2. Esteban Occon Sauber 1. Nico Haulkenberg 2. Theo Pourchaire Out * Lance Stroll * Logan Sergant * Kevin Magnussen * Zhou Guanyu * Battery Voltas Rookies * Jack Doohan * Liam Lawson * Kimi Antonelli * Oliver Bearman * Theo Purchaire
With how competitive McLaren and Ferrari has been recently, I think Red Bull will rethink their approach and sign Sainz to get more competitive. The cars are already amazing but they have 1 driver that is performing and one that is lacking. With Sainz slotting in that Red Bull seat, it’ll make the team more competitive as a whole. Sainz is going to be able to fend off the Scarletts and Papayas better than Perez can.
I think Imola already showed McLarens’s prowess and Monaco will show Ferrari’s. I expect Red Bull and Mercedes to make an offer to Sainz afterwards, better than what they have given him prior to the upgrades this season so far.
Hot Take: Checo just has to hold on to that seat til 26 when Ford starts the partnership. He'll have a bigger voice on then. Being the best driver from North America Ford will want to keep him. Unless Sargent starts driving like Senna or something like that
@@betobeto1241 ??? checo was born in mexico so he is from mexico therefore he is mexican and not american...? unless you are referring to him being north american because yes in that case he is.
2 months later and the thumbnail is as wrong as it could be. - Sainz at Williams - Ocon and Bearman at Haas so no chance of Danny Ric going to Haas - Antonelli going to Mercedes if he gets into F1 at all
I don't really know at this point if Kimi is going to be at Williams next season. Mercedes are also losing key people in the works because they are not delivering. Unlike their 2010-2012 Comeback with Schmaucher they wanted that 8th Championship success so badly with a 7 time Champion but Rosberg showed him up plus Rosberg didn't really have anything to lose Micheal did with the press. The thing is if Toto Wolff doesn't have the right management to Promote Kimi then what does that mean for the other Drivers
Agree with the logic except Ocon vs. Bottas - makes no sense for Sauber to want to change both drivers and they'll want the more experienced one to help with their development (not to mention Ocon can get problematic with teammates). If I were them I'd keep Bottas and then wait to get Sainz in 2026 when Antonelli inevitably moves to Merc.
IMO anyone who thinks Audi will fire Zhou without hesitation has massively underestimated how important the hyper competitive Chinese car market is to them. Keeping Zhou is cheaper than any ad campaign.
@@SomeoneFromBeijing Who knows, but it's been rumored for months now that it's either a completely new line up or Bottas staying. Apparently the Chinese market wasn't ready for F1 yet
@@juggadaaku4219 That literally doesnt matter. If max had charles as his teammate and they would be fighting eachother maybe even crashing and as a result, scoring less points, that would be a much worst pairing than max and checo. Strong pairing doesnt mean 2 good drivers, but good results for the team...
@@NoName-wi8xz Hypotheticals have no meaning, no weight. Facts do. Fact is Perez was as useful as an umbrella under the sea. Strong pairing means good result for team yes, but Perez’s result don’t matter last year. That’s the point. Good pairing would have been 1-2 in every race with that car. Perez couldn’t If if if.. if my grandma had wheels she would have been a bike. It’s okay, you can stan and be a plastic dts fan:)
As a big Sainz fan I think his best move whilst he's in denial about it is just biting the bullet and taking the Sauber/Audi deal. They'll become a works team and he'll get a chance to lead that team and have stability, the car might even become a contender if they hit it out of the park with the 2026 regulations. Hulkenberg is a good #2 driver also. He should take the chance to finally be a number 1 at a team, the long term stalwart. Mercedes are in a weird spot, everyone knows they want to try and break the bank for Max, and if they can't do that then we all know that Kimi is the driver they want to try and build around. Sainz is coming into a garage with Russell where he will be the #2 at least to start and even though he can test Russell, even if he beats him if they bring in Max or they bring in a Kimi whose been shining at Williams he might be a #2 driver again. If they bring in Max he might not even be a #2. Also I think Ric is gone, he's going to lose out to Yuki and I don't think a team is going to be dying to bring him on unless it's for commercial reasons. Even if one did, I don't think he's motivated to drive for a back marker team. Haas should go for Bottas to pair with Bearman, Bottas I think would be a great driver to pair up as a #1 in the short term to mentor a hopefully emerging talent in Bearman.
Alpine kind of has to give a drive to Doohan. And I think he will be there beside Gasly. Ocon to Williams. Kimi to Mercedes and Sainz will have to go Audi… I think this is the worst scenario for Sainz because in normal circumstances teams would fight for his services, however, there is only one team which will be offering him long term deal… Audi Bottas will go to Haas I think
why does everyone think antonelli gets a seat next season lol, he is not nearly enough experienced to be in F2 since hes not in top 5 even, its his rookie season yes, but there is a rookie currently top 1
I'm really hoping that either Felipe Drugovic or Theo Pourchaire get a seat, since They've both been great at f2 and it's always nice to see more young talent in f1. I think we could definitely see bottas, checo without a seat in the next couple of years due to the desire to call up young talent.
I don’t think Lawson is a lock, I think they’d be happy with keeping the current line up, and so what if Lawson goes elsewhere. He’s far away from being a threat to the main Redbull team and they can just bring him back in if he became won, he wouldn’t be too proud to turn down a Redbull seat
I'd lock in Yuki before Lawson Lawson was great, and he survived well in his few outings, yes, but he wasn't a generational talent tbf Yuki is much quicker, even compared to Daniel. He is more commercially competitive than Liam, has a bigger fan base, and comes from a more important market. Most of all, he is showing the pace without relying on engine modes like Lawson last year
DR is also in contention for RedBull. Regardless of his sub par performance so far this year, he is still Horners golden boy with Max and in a chance with the seat.
The French team would keep 2 French drivers who are actually working pretty well together, despite fears they would clash. Look at Miami half a circuit wheel to wheel but somehow they kept it clean.
I hope Sainz goes to Sauber/Audi, 2026 regulation changes will even out the playing field, and I think that Sainz should try to get the #1 spot in Audi. Yes, this means that he "throws away" one year but realistically I don't see him doing that well in an Mercedes/Williams in 2025 either.
Since McLaren and Ferrari seem to have closed the gap to Red Bull, significant pressure will be put on Perez. I think we can safely say, Verstappen, Leclerc, Sainz, Norris, and Piastri are better drivers. With these teams seemingly have similarly good cars, Perez will start to finish more races in 5th and 6th rather than 2nd or 3rd. If that happens, it might be enough for Red Bull to think of dropping him for sainz, as they won’t have that dominant car that allows him to finish comfortably on the podium, way behind Verstappen. I think they would try to have a similar pairing to Ricciardo and Verstappen.
There is a point. Perez will get m6 to p8 when the cars are closer (like Miami and Imola). This will lose Red Bull the championship. If he continues to struggle and they don't dominate, they have to replace him.
Sainz doesn’t pose a threat to Verstappen, he just won’t be compliant because he has too much ego because Ferrari haven’t put him in his place, Redbull and Verstappen would though so he’d be a good number 2 at Redbull
To me, Sainz to Mercedes makes no sense. Everything points to them wanting to get Antonelli in there asap, so they’re only offering a 1 year contract Ocon or Ricciardo makes sense, not quite sure who else
Ferrari and McLaren are set in stone. I agree with you on RB and Williams. Sadly Aston looks like a forgone conclusion. Though, I wish that in a special case, Aston would split the year with Lance and Drugo, in order to see who makes sense. Red Bull is a variable forgone conclusion. Alpine should be Gasly and Zhou (he's not that bad). Sauber, Hulk and I think Sainz. Though to be honest, Sainz and Ocon could be open keys for both Sauber and Mercedes. Haas now, Ollie and Valtteri. Daniel is done. A one glimmer of hope each year is not enough. On a wild twist, much to the potential disappointment of a belligerent parent, if Red bull were to switch Checo with Sainz, then the former could vie with Ocon for the open key. In another wild twist, if Kimi is not chosen for Williams, then Ocon could go there and Zane Maloney could go to Sauber.
So quite a over optimistic prediction you are doing Kimi Antonelli is a great talent, but at this point it would not make sense for Mercedes to choose Antonelli over Vesti. People who believe Antonelli will be in F1 next year has clearly not been watching F2.
1:45 oooh I see the problem... and is very big! seeing after the last two GP if Perez start to be just like last year than Max will struggle to give them the constructor championship! 😅 6:24 yeah and 11 days ago you didn't even saw the Monaco crash 😂... I'm curious about this one! I heard that Ocon did have some contacts with HAAS but I cannot see him in that team, so what experienced team leader could get that seat? 🤔
It's impressive Drugovich, Pourchaire, Maloney etc don't have a seat with so many drivers just making up numbers. Riccardo was supposed to be destroying Tsunoda. Bottas no longer has any shine. without mentioning K-mag, Stroll, Zhou and Sargeant. And I put Tsunoda on the list. But I'll wait for Lawson to enter. If he destroys Tsunoda, it will be clear that this rise has more to do with bad teammates than the Japanese's quality.
They should throw vesti in the williams and give antonelli time. He isnt even the best performing rookie in F2 right now. So unless he has an amazing season i think they should let him have another f2 year and then bring him on with the new regs.
I think this will be the grid.. RedBull Max and Checo RB. Lawson and Yuki Williams Albon and Antonelli Sauber Hulkenberg and Sainz Mercedes Russell and Ocon/Bottas Haas. Bearman and KMag Alpine. Gasly and Bottas/Ocon Sainz will ultimately be attracted by the Audi-Siedel combo.. Mereced need a driver for around 2 years to fill until Antonelli is ready.. Sainz will know that and won't commit.. So Merc can recall Bottas, who knows the team and is a consistent points scorer and will be a solid number 2...or Ocon, who is still flirting with the prospect of being a Mercedes junior.. sounds crazy but that seems more logical than going for a driver like Sainz who may cause friction in the team due to his competitiveness.. which they don't need expecially now.. As for Haas, I dont believe they suddenly would want 2 new drivers in the team.. KMag will have one year to help Bearman settle and let go in 2026.. I think Ricciardo will loose his seat permanently to Lawson and will be sidelined for 2025.. Yuki would then be signed by Aston for 2026 due to the Honda connection.. and Ricciardo can return to the vacant RB seat if he wishes to carry on racing..
I honestly don't think any team will take Riccardo in 2025. I like him, but lately, (including Mclaren days) his driving quality is no better than a cheaper rookie.
Jolyon Palmer thinks Alex should have held out longer for a better seat. I don't know. This is a guy that was Perez before Perez. For like 3 years in a row, including his final F2 season, he didn't know if he had a seat. I can understand why now that he is in a position to make some moves, he would choose security over a better car. Williams does seem to have stabilized and is moving upwards, albeit a bit slowly. And the future looks pretty bright with Vowles at the helm. Perez is doing well at RB, and I don't see Max leaving the best car at least until the new regs. Mercedes seems pretty set on Sainz or Antonelli. And Ferrari and Mclaren are set for the next few years. Between the last available teams, I have to think Williams is his safest bet. Vowles is happy to have Alex as the number 1 driver and they look to have a great working relationship. I think staying at Williams is a smart decision. He won't be winning any championships there, but he should have a long and productive career at least.
having the same thoughts but i think unfortunately we’ll see Haas stay with Magnussen and I think Riccardo could go back to Alpine since he has driven for Reno before with either Gasly or Ocon alongside him and Bottas or Zhou still at Sauber (most likely Bottas)
I wonder if the F2 champion of this year could potentially cheek his way to a race seat in 2025. Imagine if someone like Hauger, Maloney or Hadjar wins the title. Would make it very interesting.
My predictions: ( I will update this until the 2025 grid is set) Red Bull: Verstappen Perez Ferrari: Leclerc Hamilton Mercedes: Russell Bottas(For him to relive his glory days) Mclaren: Norris Piastri Aston Martin: Alonso Sainz(I have faith) RB: Tsunoda Lawson Haas: Bearman Zhou(After Miami, I think Magnussen should be done now) Alpine: Doohan Gasly Kick Sauber: Hulkenberg Vettel Williams: Albon Antonelli
I see it possible for Zhou to go to Haas, Alpine or stay at Sauber. Considering he' been racing without proper upgrades and was only fitted the new floor in FP3 in Imola, the gap between him and Bottas has been reasonable. And Zhou is young, has a much smaller paycheck and brings a lot more marketing value than some of his competitors, there will surely be a place for him next year.
I want Lawson to get a seat just so fans can see how much of a nothing burger he is and why creating huge hype up over lucky result and it was lucky. LL M was nearly beaten by a rookie Logan in F2 during his second season. I don’t say this because of Ricciardo who still looks like he doesn’t understand this generation of cars.
Forget staying for next season, it’ll be a miracle if Logan finishes the season. Also, I’ve literally not seen a single person blame the team instead of Logan. Everyone knows he’s slow as molasses.
I personally don’t see sainz going to Mercedes. Sainz wants to commit to a long term project and Mercedes would not offer him that with antonelli coming up. I actually think ocon would be a decent shout. Solid driver but not good enough to challenge Russell and wouldn’t be in a position to bargain for a long term deal as he’s stuck at the back with alpine
I would hate to see Ocon in Merc. Sure Toto is his manager, but Ocon is a wildcard that doesn't get along with his teammates. Russell baaaaarely budged when it came to a (arguably) best of all time, he is DEFINITELY not giving in to Ocon, the battles they would have on the track wouldn't be beneficial to a team that is in rebuild. And lastly, i think he'd rather take a short term Merc contract than a long term contract with say Haas.
@@diaboliquedia4300 I’m not really an ocon fan either but merc are running out of options. I just don’t see why sainz would go to merc who aren’t evening challenging for podiums to just be cast away after 1 or 2 seasons. Antonelli isn’t read to go there straight away so they need a decent driver for a year or 2
@@ArthurNunes29Are we just going to forget Daniel’s P4 Qualifying in Mexico & Miami. He even held of Sainz & Piastri for several laps with great pace for P4 in the sprint. He is still there mate, don’t doubt him. He does deserve a seat.
I can't see Ocon leaving Alpine for Sauber, I would give Pourchaire a crack in the 2nd Alpine seat instead, Ocon I think is also more likely to stay than Gasly. I think Mercedes' best bet would be sticking Antonelli in the Williams a la George Russell to give him a bit more experience. Letting him jump straight to the front of the grid in his 1st season is too risky. Mercedes should give Mick Schumacher a year or two to show what he can really do as I don't think he wax given a fair chance under Guenter Stiener at HAAS while Antonelli gets up to speed. As for Sainz, while atm Sauber would be a massive step down, Audi's entry in 2026 would be an enticing prospect for Sainz as Mercedes is a sinking ship right now whereas Audi could be the dark horse of the competition come the new regulations in 2026.
I like this grid for 2025, but I don´t see why Alpine should take Bottas. He will be 35 years old for the beginning of the next season and his time at Sauber wasn´t that convincing except for the first few races. I could imagine Ricciardo at Alpine and Bottas at Haas. I could also imagine Racing Bulls taking another young driver alongside Lawson and Tsunoda joining another team, maybe Haas or Alpine.
