#this man is a future wdc no doubt

[mara-xx]

Randomly seeing clips of other drivers celebrating their maiden wins and experiencing pure elation makes me even more fucking pissed that Oscar didn’t get that opportunity and all because McLaren fucked up once again

He needs that p1 in spa, please, for the love of God let him cook.

[myimaginarywonderland]

I genuinely have no clue why Max would ever leave to Mercedes, even if RedBull falls apart.

Max, who has been in this sport for nearly 10 years, who joined as a fucking teenager and is already more successful than half the grid.

Max, who is basically already a 4 time WDC.

Max, who might overtake Fangio statistically.

Max, who has made it clear that his passion lies with motorsport overall and that he wants to driver other categories because he is still fucking young! This man ain't even 30 yet and he has already basically secured himself in the top 5 when looking at statistics.

If Max is really questioning staying at RedBull, he will simply just leave after next season on probably the biggest high anyone can imagine.

Hell, he could driver anywhere else for a few years, come back and still be younger than some drivers on the current grid.

Max has nothing to prove. I am not even a fan and I know that he is already in the GOAT discussion.

I am not even a fan and I know he is arguably one of the bests drivers we have seen this/the last decade.

I also know that Max Verstappen severely clashes with the Mercedes imagine. He promotes his Iracing, he manages teams on there etc. Meanwhile Mercedes as a result of having Lewis and having Lewis push them, has cultivated a culture that is set to promote motorsport for everyone, that has made it a point to explicitly promote various programmes to racing. This is not meant as hate for Max but we know he is a racer at heart and not like Lewis, someone who wants to branch out of F1, go beyond your typical racing imagine. It's why both of them are basically the representation for their individual team.

Max is also currently seeing the whole fuck up that Mercedes did to lose Lewis, a driver who has swore his loyalty to Mercedes again and again. Max can see how Mercedes as a team is struggling, how much effort they are focusing on Kimi (a kid who hasn't even had a full season of F2) to get into F1. Not to mention he knows that George was set out to be Mercedes next big driver. Do you honestly think Max would go into an environment that has so clearly shown how much effort they are putting into rushing their academy driver into F1?

Max would not go to a team that honestly hasn't given him any sign until this season that they would truly want him. Max would not stupidly agree to a team that we have all seen get worse and worse over the season.

If Max leaves RedBull, he leaves F1. There is not a doubt in my mind that Max Verstappen will leave this sport with RedBull. It has never been in question for me.

And to be fair, Max has every right to leave. He is a multiple WDC. He is still in his prime. He is not even 30.

I firmly believe that Max will leave F1 with RedBull and then go on to win in many other racing categories. I don't doubt that he will win Le Mans or be an endurance champion. There are so many different racing categories I see him in before I would ever see him as a Mercedes driver.

And this isn't like Lewis to Ferrari where I also couldn't believe it. Mercedes were struggling, we were all actively seeing how they were failing to meet their drivers need. While I didn't think Lewis would go to Ferrari, his decision to leave Mercedes is still regardless of his future stint the absolute right one. Mercedes is a sinking ship honestly and I truly do not believe they will get back on track the next years. Lewis knew that his only other shot for a WDC would be with another team and he made the smart decision to get out, to fulfill a childhood dream that most drivers have. Lewis leaving Mercedes after their failings was always a when, not an if.

[heartsoftruth]

Same anon here who wrote about the "friend" quote. Toto is not Lewis' friend...at all. There are no friends in business and Toto is a businessman. He's also part owner of Merc. He cares about re-building and securing Merc's legacy after Lewis leaves. Once Merc started calling George Mr. Saturday, that's when Lewis stopped being a priority for the team- and yes, Toto is part of that.

We have to stop taking everything that is said at face value. Everything Toto says is PR. Of course he wants to give everyone the impression that they're on good terms.

We may have the 2024 season, but Lewis is no longer on that team as far as they're concerned. As a matter of fact, he is a liability. The driver's give feedback to help develop the car, not just for the season, but for the future. However, Lewis will be on another team. That's a conflict of interest. So why would they EVER prioritise him?

If they have a championship-winning car in 2024, Lewis is going to have to pull a Nico Rosberg, because if there's any indication from the last couple of seasons, the team will NOT help him over George. 8th WDC be damned.

I agree on some parts. Of course Toto is a business man and his loyalty therefore is with Mercedes.

Only time will tell if their friendship - as they have called it themselves over the years - will survive a move like this. The pro is they will see each other at races, but they’re both at different teams. And tbh we’ve seen with Angela and Lewis how fast an extremely close relationship can (seemingly) crash down. So I doubt it would still be there tbh.

I don’t think everything he says is PR. Since he’s very clear after 2025 he wants to win. Also he’s very clear about the fact they didn’t want to commit for longer to Lewis. Which we can make our own conclusions about.

In all honesty I think there closeness has and will be less. I thought it was already less last year - with indeed like you said - Merc prioritizing George too much. Or more babying him. He should have been told to shut up and stop the team order moaning quite a few times tbh. But Toto refrained. Now it’s clear why. He couldn’t even give Lewis the contract years he wanted and he sees George as the future and Lewis as a man on his way to retiring at the end of 2024. (His mind).

Maybe because - like Toto said yesterday - he has the idea that George is a good leader for them after 2024 😭😭💀

But indeed it will be a difficult 1 and I can guess with the races passing and season coming to an end - a very awkward year. Because you don’t want Lewis to hear too much about the 2025 car, but we all know they will need him for development. But he will shut up 😂😂🤷🏽‍♀️

What I hope the most tho is that Lewis didn’t help develop the 2024 car into a - might win a race or 2 car - and if he did I hope it’s at the beginning of the season. And while his input becomes less - and they lean on George - the car becomes slower 🤷🏽‍♀️ I don’t want to see him leave and others to take advantage of the (sudden) speed of a Merc car.

[blorbocedes]

Different anon but about max nico if nico won the wdc in 2014 and max became his teammate after that. I don't think nico would get as riled up post winning I think he became so much more relaxed after winning the wdc it was his big goal and I think he would see any future wins as a bonus and would probably do really well in the mentor role. Idk if max would be able to consistently overtake in his first year tbh. I remember seeing a performance chart between max and Daniel where Daniel was doing better than max their first year as teammates but then it flipped in Max's favour from the next year onwards. I think it would be same with max and nico except nico has already achieved his dream so he is actively cheering Max on to achieve his dream as well.

love that there's more of us 🥺

as a self appointed nistorian (Nico historian) if we take nico's career into perspective, his Williams years was shit (he started going to therapy after that first year), while lewis won a WDC by 2008 in a mclaren merc. schumie was expected to lead merc but nico beat him consistently; that being said nico's first win came in 2012 in a merc! 6 years after his career started. he was primed to be merc top dog when schumie retired, and in came lewis 😭

the hybrid engine regulations massively favoured merc and its downforce, which is why merc's slay era was so SO big. it also came down to the fact that Nico, who was going from the occasional podium was now in a championship winning car and his teammate in his second year won a WDC for his team he'd been with since 2010. the merc era was so dominant there were races where it's Just Them and then third place is 30 seconds behind 😭 so while it is every driver's goal to win a WDC, nico probably wouldn't have pushed the way he did to prove himself like he did with lewis -- once again, he went against the greatest in the world in the same car and won. That's why he could let it (the title) go.

I think like jenson, nico could've been a more content one time WDC who kept on racing had his teammate been anyone other than Lewis (toto voice... shared history) but if it's maxy and by 2016 he's already challenging nico for the title I can sorta see Nico's calmer serene mentor persona faltering ala daniel 2018 cause it Does hit your self esteem that you're in the same car and he's Younger than you (the youngest prodigy!!!) and beating your ass, and he has none of that self doubt you do. Daniel softened a lot of Max's edges and they had a lot of fun together it would be interesting how Nico would fare in that situation.

the heartbreaking implication that Lewis and Nico would've stayed friends if they were in different teams ;-;

I have this image where max is calling nico an old man as a joke and nico is ☹️ about it (b-but he used to be the young one 🥺)

[mcgnussen]

Hello! I know you are a kev blog, but I just wanted to ask about your opinion on this whole topic regarding Mick and Haas. I want both, Mick and Kev to do well, I like both kg them and I like their dynamic. However, I don't really like how Haas is handling all of this, also their strategies but that's a whole other topic. What do you think will the future hold for Mick and also maybe Kev. I find it very frustrating to be a fan of both of them, because I see so much shit coming from a) mick fans and micks uncle when it comes to kev or b) those that hate on mick just because, surprise - he's not his dad but his own person. I am not really happy with the situation, like in general, not only Mick but also Kev. I mean, Kev has done a very good job so far but Haas ends up ruining it. I hate how there's such a huge drama right now coming from the german sky press towards Haas.

thank you for your question! and oh boy, here comes a great big rant, so i’ll put it under a read more. then people can also avoid it if they don’t want to know what i have to say. if you are a mick fan who thinks he has not done anything wrong then here’s the warning that you might get triggered but i promise it’s not mick hate. i genuinely want him to do well.

right now, people are going to the extremes and that's the problem. haas has made mistakes and mick has made mistakes. it's not 100% haas' fault because mick has been in good positions but then screwed up. and it's not 100% mick's fault because strategy and bad luck has also been a factor as to why he still has no points. but both bad strategy and shit luck has also affected kevin and he has lost points as well, but he is still doing better than mick (which of course, i mean the man has many years of experience and is known for being very fast, the people who expected mick to beat him right away were delusional). those are the facts.

people really need to stop dragging kevin into this. but i will say some mick fans have been on the defence from the get-go. i remember seeing a post about someone being angry that kevin would demand his previous crew back... and of course, he didn't. that'd be fucked up. i find it really sad that kevin has prioritised being open and honest with mick, and we have seen him being very supportive and the two of them obviously get along really well, and this is the thanks he gets from some fans? and it's essential to highlight the word 'some', i'm very aware most mick fans don't view kevin in that light but those who do really annoy me.

and i will say it again: haas has made mistakes, no doubt about that, they need a new strategist - but mick has also not been good. sorry, there is no getting around that. right now, kevin is just the better driver of the two. he has suffered two dnfs now, the same as mick, but kevin's dnfs have been mechanical issues and mick's dnfs have been due to driver mistakes. it is estimated mick’s two crashes have cost haas over four million dollars, i believe, and kevin has cost them zero (or something so small that it’s not mentioned anywhere). haas is not trying to sabotage one of their cars. they are not in the wdc, there is no secret 'kevin for world champion' plot going on here. their only goal is to finish pretty well in the wcc - and they need both their drivers to score points for that. so no, no one in haas wants mick to do badly. haas wants mick to do well, they want to continue a good relationship with ferrari, and for now, mick is part of that deal. and also they want points? they don’t care if they come from mick or kevin.

i have seen a pattern that mick is not great at getting his first set of tyres to work - and so we see things like the situation today where haas panics and puts him on a different set of tyres too soon. i think mick needs more time to get his tyres to work. which is not great but that's definitely not a dealbreaker, it's just something the team has to keep in mind. but if they let him stay out, some fans would also be angry that haas kept him out on tyres that do not work. so it's a lose-lose for haas. i think everyone needs to calm down and realise it's not all black or white. and i truly get it's difficult seeing your driver not do well, but accusing haas of sabotage is ridiculous. m*zepin did that with mick last season - and it's not a good look. haas makes poor decisions sometimes and it affects both mick and kevin. hopefully, they get it together soon.

guenther is guenther, he says things honestly but he is fair. he has not said something crazy about mick, so people need to take a chill pill. the media needs to stop pressuring him to comment on mick. it's common knowledge in f1 that if your driver isn't doing well, you keep quiet and then really talk them up when they do something alright. today, sky germany pressed him and maybe he said some things that'd might be interpreted negatively. but also what did the reporter expect him to say? "mick is wdc material but we have fucked up every single race for him"? that was never going to happen, was it? because it’s not true and not something any team principal would ever do. he’s also the boss of the mechanics and the general crew, there is not only one interest for him to keep in mind. the media and toxic fans are the ones creating this narrative that haas is shitting on mick and that he’s miserable in the team. haas praised mick for his driving today. there is no proof that mick is miserable in the team or that he is not getting support. i'm sure he has some criticism of their choices regarding strategy and that's definitely fair. but i’d invite everyone to remember this: haas has screwed mick over with poor choices, but mick has also screwed haas over by costing them a lot of money and points. please remember that. it’s fair to be mad at haas, but it’s not like mick is a completely innocent victim. like i said, it’s not black and white.

so to sum up: everyone needs to calm the fuck down and stop with the conspiracy theories, they need to be realistic about how mick is performing right now and allow him time and peace to improve. if he improves, no one would be happier than haas.

and to answer your question about the future. i don’t know what it will hold for kevin and mick. everything in f1 right now is a bonus for kevin who already thought he was done, so i’m not too worried about that. i know many teams respect his talent, so i don’t think he’s completely without chances for another drive, but if he doesn’t get a seat in f1, there are many other seats open to him in the motorsport world. i’m worried about mick, but i don’t think any f1 teams will close their doors on him quite yet. but at the end of the season, he needs to be close to kevin. and when mick gets a chance for points, and haas is not screwing it up for him, he needs to strike and be there. the season is still long, anon, and luckily for mick there is still time.  

[gr33nbull]

The Problem with F1 & Nikita Mazepin.

It is no secret that Formula 1 has to be one of the most morally corrupt sports on the planet. That alone is unfortunate considering if you just glaze over everything wrong with it. The sport is pretty incredible. Not to mention the guys that drive these cars, risking their lives every single race essentially for entertainment. The talent and skill to drive these cars is immense. There’s no doubt that this is a great sport. But when you scratch the surface and start to pull back all the layers. You realise what a pile of crap this sport can be. I could make an essay as to how crappy this sport has been as a whole. But let’s stick with current events. That being Nikita Mazepin.

If you don’t know, Mazepin, one of the most controversial drivers of recent times has recently made it to the big one. F1. The second he was announced as the new Haas driver alongside Mick Schumacher. F1 and more specifically the Haas team has been nothing but a shit show. What with Mazepin groping a woman who has since come out against him for such a gross act. To punching another driver in the face, to overstepping the mark and dangerous driving ON TRACK, to dangerous driving OFF TRACK. To nearly running over ANOTHER driver because he’s a sore loser.

Now don’t go get me wrong, if drivers weren’t sore losers, then they wouldn’t be so competitive which is no use for a sport such as Formula 1. Drivers have been petty at times when they haven’t won. We’ve all seen Sebastian Vettel be petty when he didn’t win that one race a few years ago. He changed over the 1&2 of him and Lewis. But did he go out of his way to try and RUN HIM OVER before going to the podium? No. There’s a difference between petty and outright dangerous.

Another example is Max Verstappen, who again, may very well be controversial to some. But have you ever seen Max pose danger to anyone? Sure he gets angry, he’s cursed, he’s said silly things in the heat of the moment. We all do and all the drivers have. He’s gotten angry in their faces, but has he gone as far as to punch someone in the face simply because he thought they were in the way when infact they weren’t? No. Not to mention, you cannot deny the fact that Max Verstappen is a future WDC. The guy has an insane amount of talent and I look forward to seeing him become a champion. Because he pushes the limit, and more importantly, he doesn’t do it in such a dangerous way it could harm others. Sure accidents happen. But there’s a difference between accidents and KNOWINGLY being dangerous and posing a risk. Something Nikita Mazepin to this VERY day still does not know the meaning of.

Last year, when The Black Lives Matter movement started, F1 and majority of their drivers were quick to speak out on this, to take a stand and use their voice, especially some drivers who we can applaud for speaking out on such an important issue. However, We Race as One? Seems like an absolute joke months later. If you raced as one, then surely the well-being of women is just as important? The women that work with you? Their safety? So why is it that F1 and their drivers have suddenly gone quiet? As if none of this is happening RIGHT in front of them? The second that man is opposed, that thing affect men, your favourite drivers speak up. Wether that be Lewis, Sebastian, Daniel, Lando, I could go on. But when it comes to the safety of women in the workplace? Those that work so closely with the drivers, why is nobody speaking up on the actions of Mazepin? Why is action not being taken against Haas? Sure, his dad has paid his way into the sport, yes they have a lot of money, but so do all your favourite drivers? So why is nobody speaking up? When they have wives and girlfriends? Would they like it if their nearest and dearest fell victim to actions like Mazepin? Your favourite drivers claim for equality, for a voice for all, yet the second a driver, a very controversial and dangerous driver assaults a woman and poses a risk to their OWN safety. Why is the likes of Lewis, Seb, Daniel, Lando, George, etc. Why are they not speaking up?

Your favourite drivers and their silence on this issue is deafening. After coming to this realisation, after seeing the likes of your favourite drivers call those out for staying silent on Black Lives Matter. It’s time to call THEM out for staying silent on Mazepin. Your drivers don’t care as much as they say they do. By being silent, they are accomplices in siding with Mazepin and allowing him on the grid. Everyday this continues more and more people will fall out of love with this sport and stop watching. We must say no to Mazepin. We must speak out, our voices must be heard. We will not stop.

[russell-63]

It's always so funny when people discover George's junior series achievements and are surprised by it... you all thought Mercedes just signed some random dude from Williams?? 😭😭

#georges junior career is critically underrated come and fight me on this one#he gets less attention than the 2018 f2 2nd place just saying

Honestly this is such a mood. especially the bit about the 2018 f2 second place. admittedly that particular driver was one of my favourites when I first got into the sport through DTS and now I can really don't like him. He just gives me the ick, and his tag is muted on here and I cannot stand his teams obsession with him (or the wider media & fans) but yeah is talented, has some impressive results in F1 and junior career (some argue better than George) and is one of the favourites for a WDC in the future.

I am completely naive in how the junior categories work - I literally understand that they start of carting, and then some end up in F2? idk lol but I was looking at George's yesterday on Wikipedia and it was impressive and I also read a thread the other day on twitter that said the was only apparently only beat by Nyck de Vries in his entire junior career, and I wonder if that followed him through to F1 (Yes he had an injured Robert and Nicholas did beat him twice towards the end but I think he'd given up once he got his Mercedes contract and I don't blame him)

So many people are calling him overated and I'm like what?! The British media is too busy sucking up to 2018 F2 Second place man. I doubt he will beat Lewis unless the latter has a stinker of a season but I hope GR can be consistent and be up there and near enough Lewis to show what he can do and hopefully challenge for a title if the car is capable of it.

PS. apologies for the essay, I have a lot of feelings evidently.

Oh anon, you are correct on many things here 👀 Yeah Norris was a favorite of mine too but ultimately his own behaviour, his team and fans mostly put me off. He's talented, no doubt but I've met people who were surprised Norris didn't win the 2018 f2 championship, with how much he is hyped.

You know what was worse? Silverstone 2019, no one mentioned George. He and Williams alone talked about his home race, most people otherwise ignored it. End of the year rookie voting for fans? If I remember correctly, George barely scraped 11% and people were surprised about his existence 💀

British media bias didn't exist for George until Mercedes came into the play. People didn't bother with him, he was at the back, his skill wasn't much worth because he only drove against an injured Robert and a pay driver Nicky - completely ignoring the fact that the two were still putting out stable and good results. So yeah, George only got more popular with Sakhir because people were starting to hope he beats Lewis. Which isn't going to happen, let's be honest. George can put out stable results and deliver but I doubt he's ready to beat Lewis, some time and learning and he will win a wdc for sure 👀

As for junior categories, I don't know who beat George but he definitely raced against Nyck. It could be true, I just don't know it, sorry 😅 and yes, they start with karting before switching to single seaters. Most start with regional formula before moving up to f4, then f3 and f2 before jumping maybe into f1!!

[god-awfulcharleslechair]

This is a ramble but I love talking about the Driver lineups and the potential for a VERY compeititive next couple of years now that the cost caps are going to be implemented and HALF of the grid will be out of contract—

Correct me if I’m wrong but Carlos made a comment about how he was satisfied at Mclaren so I’m assuming he’s hinting he wants to stay and build the team. (Although, if he became Ferrari’s second Driver I would literally faint in happiness for him) (can you tell I adore Ferrari?) (I mean coME ON! Dream team™️ hot marketable young men with fast speed)

But there are several claims that Carlos was one of the only Drivers that could keep up with Max—mind games and on-track—and that the only thing stopping him is being in a midfield car. (Carlos is so underrated, there’s a demon of speed in him and we’re all waiting for it to be proven) So if Ferrari offers him a contract—it would not be a surprise to me at all.

That being said, Ferrari wouldn’t be smart to offer Daniel a contract in my realistic opinion. Daniel is a superb Driver, but Ferrari are gonna throw their weight behind Charles—they can’f afford another clashful season like before. Also, Ferrari is starting to look at the long term and, yes I feel horrible every time I say it, but Daniel isn’t young anymore in terms of Formula 1 standards. No matter how much he wants to be WDC, I don’t know if he would ever agree to being a second Driver for what could be the most important, and the last couple, of years of his career. But out of the top teams, I’d say he’s very likely to say yes to Mercedes (come on, it’s the fastest car, Lewis or not it’s the smart decision) but I am also very confidently predicting that George Russell will be scooped into the team after Valterri’s season—like Ferrari, the big teams will invest into their futures.

This means George Russell, Charles Leclerc, and Max Verstappen. The top three teams will be looking for second Drivers and second Drivers only—especially in the new compeititive era that closes the gap between the midfield substantially.

The prediction is that Renault is investing for the future—they care more for 2021 and 2022 than they did 2019—but I don’t know if I have confidence in them. I think Daniel’s move was better for him mentally, but in terms of getting the WDC, his biggest shot was staying with Redbull—and now that they’ve got a youngblood fiery talent in Albon that they can cultivate and hone—I doubt they will ask Daniel to come back.

I want Daniel to win so badly—he’s a great man and so talented. Let’s hope Renault is gonna kill it in the future. Let my man have at least one championship please.

For real for real? Where do u think Dan's gonna go after his contact with Renault expires?

Like ok lets say Ferrari boots Seb (he wants a longer contract and what if they dont want to hand him one longer than a year or what if he just gets a big pay cut and doesnt want to re-sign) will Dan REALLY agree to be the second driver?

Ok the move back to RBR—yes I dont think so yes moving on

I've heard a move to McLaren was plausible (Carlos to Ferrari) but ????

Then there's that Merc seat, in case Valtteri leaves too. But there's that sitch with Charles. Lewis OWNS that team, and can he really handle Daniel, it's James?

Of course, he could sign with Renault again. But as bad as it sounds, he's running out of time for that WDC.

[myimaginarywonderland]

To me there is truly only one option that RB is having for the future if they choose to keep Ricciardo and Perez which will mean no seat for Lawson and that is their long-term goal of getting either Oscar or Lando to be their no. 1 driver after the 2026 season.

In my mind Max is most likely leaving after a season or two of the new regs because he has nothing left to prove. He will have won multiple WDCs by then before even being 30 and we know that his love for racing is universal. With how often he also does sim work I have no doubt that he will go to another category, maybe win Le Mans etc .

I personally think he will leave after 2026 but it might just as well be 2027, depending on how RB favours in the new regs.

Now, if RB sticks with both Ricciardo and Perez who are clearly only there as a short term solution and aren't actually considered for a long time, let alone are they in any actual position of a team leader, it is clear that RB don't have enough faith in anyone in their academy. Keeping Ricciardo means the final nail in the coffin not only for Lawson but for pretty much any other driver that is currently in F2 or most likely also in F3 driving for them.

It signals that they are willing to have their line up for the next seasons until it either fails them or until Max leaves which apparently in their mind isn't before 2027.

It also means that for their future number 1 driver they have decided to look at the already existing grid. Charles won't leave Ferrari, especially not now that they seem to genuinely be improving as a team and he finally has a team-mate that will challenge him like never before. Alonso will leave the grid in the next few years. George was supposed to be Mercedes next talent which is obviously being questioned with the whole Kimi thing right now but I still think they would never consider George.

Which means in the long term, they are looking for a young driver who they can already see showing potential in F1 and the only two that are currently in such a position (where they are currently establishing themselves as potential WDC drivers) are Lando and Oscar. It takes no science to figure out that maybe come 2026, McLaren will need to decide which one of them they want to have for their future of the team. I am not saying that one cannot be better than the other, however McLaren will have to decide to prioritize one of them. And it is quiet obvious that RB has long since thought about getting Norris after Max leaves but there is not a doubt in my mind that if it came to it and Norris was choosen, they would waste no time in getting Oscar to drive for them.

RB is clearly gunning for one of the two to leave McLaren after 2025/2026. It is the only reasonable explanation of why they would keep both Ricciardo and Perez and shut down any potential for another RB associated driver to get a chance.