@@KGI_KlikoNL you kinda missed the point of the comment, mate. Stroll's seat is semi-permanent, meaning it's not up for grabs ever, until Stroll decides to retire, thanks to nepotism. Any other sub-par driver on the grid (and any driver at all for that matter) is not guaranteed a seat. Stroll is. This is what OP was getting at.
Just in case you have forgotten, the team he is going to has occupied the bottom of the ladder for the past 3 years. Audi won’t make that organisation a top 3 team for another 5 years.
@@MrDiggityaus Last 3 years? They haven't been better than bottom 3 for the last decade with only one exception (6th in 2022). I agree that it will take them a while to be competitive, big brand and money does not necessarily translate to winning as we have seen with BMW or Renault.
I think Lawrence Stroll will need to buy an existing or create an 11th team to provide Lance a future seat. Imagine one of 2 seats of a Newey car being waisted by Lance??
In theory yes in practice no. When you start a new F1 team you need experienced drivers who won't crash too much and knows how to help the engineers develop the car
@@ancient1946 The thing with Ricciardo is that while he's not going great historically, he showed last year he can be a killer driver if you give him machinery that suits him, and he can actually help build a car. Ricciardo can give you real feedback, Tsunoda has only ever known Alpha Tauris and never been in a top team. Now that alone wouldn't justify keeping RIC, but does Tsunoda really want to stay at RB? I mean, they've made it clear he'll never be a main team driver no matter how well he performs. This years been his best ever and there's zero discussion of him being a replacement for Perez. He's the number 2 driver to Lawson, a guy who doesn't even have an F1 seat yet. They're more interested in Lawson then they've ever been in Yuki. So if Yuki stays, he spends a few more years trying to scrape together points, never getting a podium or a win, and retires. So Tsunoda isn't a guarantee by any means. He's got every reason to jump ship and go to, say, Aston Martin, where his sponsors Honda can continue to pay for his seat guaranteeing him a spot for many more years. If Tsunoda leaves, they'll keep Daniel for 1 more year because they don't have anyone else that could direct the team, and Marko has made it clear RB cannot be a team with only rookie drivers anymore.
@@Czeslaw_cn4tv I think he was a tad under his normal level for a year or two but he seems to be back up and running. He was a bit of a giant killer at Williams and might be again.
@@znlivesportswho knows. Maybe in 2026 Audi will come out with a rocket engine like mercedes in 2014. Even Williams in that year had a shit car but the merc engine and scored podiums
@@idontknow4449 Yeah, just an attempt at an easy joke. Piastri likely didn't actually have two enforceable contracts at the same time otherwise, it would have been a legal shitshow. Alpine messed up, thought they had a contract when in reality it was either not signed or with a lot of loop holes in it.
The only flashes of speed Sargeant demonstrates is when he misses the braking point ahead of the corner. He is a genuine miracle man, though. Miracle that he's driving an F1 car.
That's not fair, last year he consistently got closer to Albon every single weekend. That's why they kept him for this year. Unfortunately he's just not been able to continue that trend so far. He's hardly the worst driver on the grid imo, he was literally pulled from F2 early because he was the only option Williams had. The odds were always against him
@@CharlesFreck Plus the money he brings with him, no? I like he got a second chance and I like Wowles giving him a few more as he has. But he does pay a fair chunk to be in the team, right?
@@AntiVaganza nope. There's never been a single suggestion of him paying for his seat. He brought zero sponsors to the team and has no major personal sponsors. He's not a financial asset at all
What's the difference between Bearman's stand in performance in the 2nd fastest car on the grid compared to Nyck De Vreis @ Monza 22? I don't understand the hype on drivers after 1 Grand Prix!
@@J.M_270 I think Bearman looked good, but look at Mick Schumacher or Jaime Alguersuari who debuted at 19, it doesn't pay to rush drivers, I think 2 seasons in F2, would do both Antonelli & Bearman good!
@@RoyMatzem Oscar won the F2 title though, so couldn't defend it, neither Bearman or Antonelli are near the top of this years F2 Championship, in fact there 9th & 19th, NOT exactly F1 material, that could change though, its a long season!
@@grdixon83 Antonelli already have more championships trophies than Piastri, and he won those trophies with 17!!! Just like Verstappen they dont care where he finishes. Hes already is F1 material since last year. Bearman dont have this same results tho, what i saying aply only to Antonelli.
Funny isn't it, that it's 2 seasons without a win and none to come this year. Mercedes are a mid field team 😂 people need to get over it, Mercedes will not figure out this Formula. 2026 is their only hope.
Only 3 or 4 teams more likely to win a race, last year they were 2nd best (ok 3rd probably). Them and the other 3 are still fighting closely all the time. I wouldn't say they are an unlikely team to win a race in the near future.
Lawson drives for the Other Bulls next season... probably with Yuki... Riciardo is either gone or takes second seat at Haas... depends on Bottas if he stays with Sauber or goes to Haas himself (first Haas driver is 100% Magnussen)
Hey The Race Team! Thank you for your exceptionally good work. I can’t remember when I had the chance to get involved/informed on such a deepening level in Formula One‘s entanglements. So grateful for your work!
Well what about Cadillac? Yea it'd be great to get Toyota and BMW back but you have a well-funded and willing team that is getting the cold shoulder. You heard it here first: Newey + Andretti. His gardening leave aligns with their next window to get on the grid. Except then the other teams REALLY will want to keep Andretti Cadillac out lol
Having a new engine supplier is nice But having a manufacturer just for the sake of having a manufacturer when this doesn't actually add cars to the grid doesn't excite me much tbh
@@clinttube Cadillac's noncommittal stance amounts to "Sure we'll get involved in F1... after Andretti joins and only if Andretti does well after joining." If Andretti hits the grid and does worse than Haas -- which is likely, then Cadillac would definitely just go "Yeah, we've decided against joining F1."
Bring back the German GP so we can maybe see a German manufacturer with a German CEO and German driver win on German soil. I'm not even German but that would be cool to see.
There are reports It’s an all German lineup they are aiming for second seat Mick Schumacher . Vettel as team principal , Nico Rosberg as advisor and Ralf Schumacher as PR manager with Frentzen as a crash dummy…. We’ll gotta go that weed isn’t gonna smoke itself
Hulk to Audi makes me happy, but I think I speak for many of us when I say it'll make MANY of us happy to see Hulk get his well-deserved podium; it's long over-due AND I think it'd be rotten, REALLY rotten of all in F1 team management if they refused to help Hulk get a seat in a car capable of getting podiums before he left the sport for good.
He's already been in a car that was capable of podiums, hence why perez got 4 when there were teammates. The fact is Hulkenberg has fucked up every time he could have got one and in no way should people be going out of their way to help him get one
@@KuchingKingVideoGamer As it turns out, McLaren let Malukas go. So it’s going to be F2 alumni in that seat. And Alex Rossi (who is definitely better than Sarge on Sarge’s best day) and Pato O’Ward.
I would also like that. He used to be underrated, think the only reason he isn't now is because the kind of fans who constantly criticized him aren't interested enough to care about anything other than the top. I think what counts against him is he could be seen as similar caliber as Nico, Gasly, Ocon and Albon. While him and Nico are both close to the end of their careers so the appeal to have at least one driver with longer term potential must be strong.
After last Chinese GP, it's very difficult to see Zhou without a seat. FOM knows they need a Chinese and an American driver on the grid, so much so that I see them aprooving Andretti's entry just to have more presence in America.
The Bearman hype train is unreal. We get it, he scored points on his F1 debut, that's brilliant and everything. But he is nineteenth in the F2 standings. NINETEENTH. He has scored 2 points in the 4 races he took part in, and is the last driver in the standings to score points. I really hope this is just a rough patch for him, similar to last year, when he had a very slow start and picked things up mid-season. I'm rooting for him, but he needs to improve on last year's F2 standing of 6th at the very least to make the F1 dream a reality.
Magnussen is 100% staying at Haas. He is cheap, very experienced, knows the Team, Hülkenberg is gone and Haas after the Mazepin and Schumacher experience is never going to hire a rookie again. Also, Bearman is having a bad season in F2, a lot of people is not watching F2.
I seriously think Oliver is extremely overrated.....! Guy got the 2nd best car...what did you expect? Ofcoyurse he gotta good points but he failed in F2.
@@BoomerZoomer-lj7xq Not only Steiner. And 1 rookie is different then having 2 rookies. If rookies every race destroy a car, you get not enough money remain for proper development. That is the con on those cost-cap.
@@KGI_KlikoNL Mick Schumacher and Mazepin don't hold a candle to the F2 drivers knocking the door right now. I'm sure you've seen Bearman and Lawson already
Like others say, Hulk will be longer in F1 and keeps a chance on getting a podium. Also it means that Zhou or Bottas leaves Sauber. Don't need a video to see that in. Outside not a surprise Audi wanted at least 1 German driver.
Is Hulkenberg an upgrade on Bottas? No. Is he possibly less effective than Bottas? Yes. So why risk it and not go for continuity in the seat to aid development progress. Plus Bottas has actually raced for a championship winning team so has more relevant experience and is younger. Soo... This makes no sense. A big winner in this deal is the Hulk.
I can see a situation where Sainz decides he doesn't want to be a short term driver at Mercedes and Antonelli isn't ready yet then Bottas gets that seat. Not sure who else are contenders in that situation. Albon would have to be bought out of his contract, Ocon and Gasly? But do you really want Ocon and George in that team?
Very happy for Nico, he deserves another go around the circus after performing so well in this generation. No real blunders, just collecting points when he can.
Liam is locked in for the second RB seat. Either Danny Ric or Yuki will have to go. And it's probably Danny Ric since the only reason they brought him back is if Checo drives poorly.
@@bemusedpanda8875 No he isn’t. Horner has said there is no guarantee that Liam will drive for Red Bull next year at all. In other words, it was promised not written into a contract.
@@Deanooooo Even if there is no written contract, it makes no sense for RB to keep a past his prime Ricciardo instead of developing a young driver such as Lawson.
Sport and competition isn't a charity. Who cares if u like nico or nico is a nice man who deserves good things. He actually doesn't deserve an audi seat at all. Williams haas etc sure where he belongs. Not audi a team with unlimited resources due to the vw group. Who event with a budget cap can use aero testing data and knowledge from producing civilian supercars for their f1 program. Like Adrian did on valkyrie don't believe me google it Your mind is too innocent to want to pity give nico a spot in f1 he doesn't deserve Alonso is old, and had bad luck in his career but he earned that spot in Aston. He drove like a machine in alpine before he moved. That's how u earn seats
No mention of Liam Lawson? I would have thought him replacing Ricciardo would have been covered as a potential. Either way Liam deserves a race seat arguably as much as Bearman
Honestly if they dont want to add more teams adding a car per team would be great. Top 24 or 26 starts the race, the rest will have to try again next time.
@@dmign you have just proven his argument. You cant expect a podium from a driver whos never been in a top 3 car. To do so, you need the luck of 4 of the top 6 drivers having an issue or an extremely bad race. Like, have you even any wheel knowledge?
Sainz and Bottas, wouldve been a very good lineup. I guess Bottas’ only option now outside of Audi is Williams. Not looking good for him. Bearman is getting the free Haas seat.
Bottas is a great pick for Haas - they would be nice scandinavian lineup with Magnussen ...Haas has very bad experience with rookie drivers and very good one with veterans.
I think it is damn near ideal for Audi in terms of realistic signings. But also pretty risky for Sainz. If this doesn't work out by like 28-29 he will be really lucky to ever get back to a top team if you ask me.
@@bigbadt it is true. He along with Kovalainen is the only driver Hamilton was truly able to dominate. All others were either equal (Alonso), performed slightly better (Button) or slightly worse (Rosberg, Russell).
Good move by Audi. What Audi needs is an experienced driver capable of developing a car while being able to capitalize on points, and that's something which Hulkenberg is able of providing (even if we consider his deep allergy to podiums).
I think Sauber should at least try for one of its juniors for next year; whether that's Pourchaire or Maloney is another matter but it would at least help speed up the glacial pace of younger drivers coming into F1.
It depends on what Theo does in IndyCar and wether he wants to stay there. That said, I could see Daniel taking an IndyCar seat with Theo going to F1 when he has the super license.
@@CharlesFreck Ok now that I read this it is actually quite obvious that it would be like that... don't know why I thought they wouldn't also take the junior academy.
I live in the city where Hulkenberg was born. After hearing the news of him leaving Kick , I was sad but after Audi contract news. oooo boy, I am hyped even more now! Alles Gute!
im curious. Is there anyway for Mercedes to take back Bottas? If Merc doesnt have Kimi ready or Sainz isnt interested, would it be wise to go to Bottas at Merc again? I mean he knows the team and facilities and is a proven winner and was constantly on podiums so..? Itd also be interesting to see him back at williams next to Albon tho.
Unfortunately, he was a member of the wrong young drivers program... If he would have been with Ferrari, Red Bull or Renault, or even Williams, he would have a guaranteed seat in 2025 or even this year. He will be in Indycar instead, which is probably a better option than waiting in the wings.
I completely forgot about Hulk's past connection with V.A.G. and Seidl via that Porsche LMP1 program. They really did get the band back together (kinda).
If Antonelli is still not mature enough to get into F1 next year, I am wondering if - assuming he loses his current seat - Mercedes will offer Bottas a year's contract? They know him, he won't rock the boat, and for VB it will keep him in F1 and relevant.
Williams - Sargeant out, Antonelli in Haas - Bearman in RB/AT - Ricciardo out, Lawson in Audi - Hulkenberg in, Sainz in Mercedes - Bottas (back) in (as short term replacement until Antonelli is ready)
this is such a good move for hulkenburg, no downside to taking it. none of the top tier teams were ever going to take him, he's only in a haas now, so it literally can't get 'worse'. he only gets upside from any performance improvement that audi is able to bring to that team and being a 'founding driver' for this team in it's new form
I used to work for Audi for 10 years, they stole my heart with their road cars, I loved and still love all the Audi Rally cars, the Audi Le Mans cars and will soon swap my A6 quattro for an RS4 avant. I’m sure the Hulk will do very well at Audi. Could be my new support team.
@@DevilbunnyinTx Only if they pay (They did pay for release Russel for Bahrain for example) But even being good, they wouldnt spend money on Albon. Especially when Antonelli could be free.
@@bigbadtonly hulk podium. Alonslow is a finished toxic whining fraud that deserves all the karma happening to him. Hope he gets send with huge G Force into the barriers
Why is Bottas unlikely to continue to 2025 with Sauber? You mention he's 34 and not a long term prospect, yet Audi just signed Hulk for a long term deal and he's 36...
I expected more ambition from Audi, but they're probably going to throw all of their efforts into attracting a marquee driver to lead the team, now. At least they have a German driver in a German team, so marketing should be able to do something with that.
@@NEO-PLAYER-ONE - not the same. Mercedes took over the Brawn GP operation in 2010. Mercedes had time to get better. Though they did hit the ground running with the new regs in 2014. Now it’s red bull’s turn with this current generation of cars. I don’t see Audi making a swift turn around. It’s still Sauber and all their personnel and facilities even though Audi now owns it. We’ll see what the Audi technical team comes up with in terms of their power units for 26.
I think the best would be the following: Audi - Carlos and Nico Haas - Keving and Olie Mercedes - George and Kimi A Williams - Alex and Valteri RedBull - Max and Sergio Visa RB - Yuki and Liam
Good recap of the market as it stands now. Thanks, one small plea though. Unless you want to make Sainz look cocky and unapproachable, then consider not ever using the hug clip at 1:32 again. I doubt he is as uninterested in other people as that clip gives vibes off. His mind was probably just somewhere else. But that one stood out as a less than ideal pick to put it nicely. I'm actually surprised Ferrari ever made it public. Anyways, good video.
Well maybe you missed; Sometime ago Lawrence Stroll buyed Aston team. And signed Lance for an Infinity years contract. With this release clause; "Lance only will leave when i want to leave"
6:42 Bottas has barely beaten Zhou, and I really don't see why anyone would choose him. Zhou if anything has the edge purely because he's younger, also, he has an insane commercial value. I see Zhou staying before Bottas.
I think all teams should have a 3rd car but the driver for this car can only be contracted to 1 year. That way they will fighting to move into a main car for the following seasons. Bringing new rookies up and keeping the competition high
