Alright when was that again.....?

[Antony Snook]

Obviously prez was leaving. Papa stroll funding the team and Vettel coming in. Lance will let Vettel lead the team and play bridesmaid. I cant see Perez not challenging Vettel in the new Aston Martin branded team. Sadly the way of F1 and any sport Money pays the way. It used to be the team did sponsors finance and the driver just drove. Now the driver has to pull money and sponsors for the team. Kind of like a entrepreneur. It is sad because talent and skill dose not always have money and connections.

 

[Antony Snook]

Is Vettel an upgrade over Perez? On current form, far from it. This move from RP makes no sense.

The deal was done close to start of this season. So based on last year. But is it Vettel that is getting to old for F1 or a bad car. It may be a combination of both.

 

[bgil66]

"Obviously"
"I mean honestly are we playing ping pong"
he just signed so we can hear his brilliant comments some more

 

[Erudain]

First thing, although I never liked Perez, is there any chance for him to take Grosjean's seat? (though I would prefer Hulk-Mag combo just for fun)
Second, good to have Seb still there, and interesting to see how he races with 1000% less pressure than last 6 years. A news that will probably get me back to watch F1 next year.

Maybe but it's hard, Perez's main sponsorship money comes from Carlos Slim. Slim had a serious fight with Gene Haas in Nascar a few years ago because they dropped a Slim-backed driver so there might be still bad blood there

 

[Sasha Jednak]

Maybe but it's hard, Perez's main sponsorship money comes from Carlos Slim. Slim had a serious fight with Gene Haas in Nascar a few years ago because they dropped a Slim-backed driver so there might be still bad blood there

Thanks for info, didn't know that.

 

[Antony Snook]

Look at Michael Schumacher, People said he was always on form because he had good cars for most of his career. Benetton And Ferrari then he went to AMG-Mercedes a new team development project. He wanted to show he could drive a car reasonably well and develop it. Paving the way to the success of the team today. Vettel is in the most prestigious team in the world. And they have messed up big time. They have been of pace but not this far. When you get to the top of the mountain someone knocks you of and you fall to the bottom. Now he has to climb back up.

 

[Antony Snook]

Sometimes change is good and healthy. He is leaving on good terms so all is good. Now i know why the front runners wanted 3 car teams. It will be unfair to the smaller teams that would struggle to run a 3rd car.

 

[Turk]

Sounds like a bit of a gamble going on Vettels recent performance. I've always thought that Vettel would be a good choice for an up and coming team. He has a careers worth of experience that would be invaluable to a developing team, but I didn't see Racing Point as being a team that needed that kind of experience. They have two good and young drivers in Stroll and Perez, it's not like Vettel will be the number one driver in RP, he'll be a number 2 to Lance. Vettel could just be getting too old to be a front runner, Perez has years of being top of his game ahead of him.

I think this continues to put a lot of pressure on Vettels performance, there's a lot of potential for friction in the team if Vettels expectations aren't kept in check. If he's brought in on the understanding he's there to get a championship for lance then I think he could bring a lot to the team, but it's hard to see him taking that supporting role.

RP could be just handing a top rated driver to one of their competitors and replacing him with a temperamental driver, who's ability to win is very much dependant on his mood that day.

 

[Michel Forest]

No Vettel he's out, we wan't Nico Hulkenberg back to F1! Vettel is too slow

Well, you won't get your wish. Vettel has been confirmed at Aston Martin for 2021 and beyond.

 

[Jason Whittington]

I would like to see Jimmie go back to his roots of off road racing in the Baja 1000 kinda like Stewart did with the dirt racing. This is very cool he wants to branch out though.

 

[Hor-hay]

Vettel won his championships by managing tyres. I don't think he's the fastest guy out there. They should of looked to young talent.

 

[Sasha Jednak]

Vettel won his championships by managing tyres while going as fast as possible. I don't think he's the fastest guy out there. They should of looked to young talent.

Fixed first sentence.
I agree that he is not THE fastest guy out there, but he also is ONE OF the fastest guys out there.

 

[Deleted member 561801]

No Vettel he's out, we wan't Nico Hulkenberg back to F1! Vettel is too slow

You're jealous because he's still in F1?

 

[Micropitt]

Look at Michael Schumacher, People said he was always on form because he had good cars for most of his career. Benetton And Ferrari then he went to AMG-Mercedes a new team development project. He wanted to show he could drive a car reasonably well and develop it. Paving the way to the success of the team today. Vettel is in the most prestigious team in the world. And they have messed up big time. They have been of pace but not this far. When you get to the top of the mountain someone knocks you of and you fall to the bottom. Now he has to climb back up.

Michael Schumacher was not only a good driver, he also understood to build a Team with the most brilliant people in F1. The combo Schumacher/Brawn was priceless.
Hungary 1998, radio communication between Ross Brawn and Michael Schumacher:
Ross: “Michael, you have 19 laps to pull out 25 seconds. We need 19 qualifying laps from you.”
Michael: “Ok. Thank you.”
And he did just that.....

 

[Tom Blackett]

The racing pointing backwards with SV. Very odd decision IMHO.

 

[fatal4you]

Perez replaceing Grosjean would be a good move for Haas.

 

[Turk]

Vettel confirmed.

I hope it works out for him and he can put the Ferrari years behind him. They've sank more careers than his. Really hope Perez can find another drive, he didn't deserve to be dropped like that.

 

[BertramRaven]

I wonder if Haas and Alfa Romeo will rebrand as Lidl and Aldi.

 

[Charlie Lockwood]

Welcome to the central discussion thread for the 2020 Formula One Toscana Ferrari 1000 Grand Prix.

After a spectacular race at Monza, Formula One has travelled south to the hills of Tuscany, as we are set for our first ever Grand Prix weekend at Mugello.

A fast, high downforce circuit, we can expect to see the cars and tyres put under a high degree of stress. That, plus the circuit being a track that not many of the drivers are familiar with, bodes for an interesting weekend.

With aerodynamic efficiency likely to be particularly important given the nature of the circuit, you would expect Mercedes to exert a degree of dominance at Mugello. With that said, if high tyre wear does indeed present this weekend, what has sometimes been the Mercedes' Achilles's heel this year may be the opportunity that Red Bull's Max Verstappen needs.

Ferrari have presented their cars in a special livery to celebrate their 1000th race in Formula One, a phenomenal landmark. Will they be able to impress their home fans though, off of the back of a tough weekend at Monza? What is for sure is that if this weekend's Grand Prix is even half as exciting as its predecessor, it'll make for an enjoyable weekend in the beautiful Tuscan hills.

 

[Charlie Lockwood]

It has been confirmed that Sebastian Vettel has signed a multi-year agreement with Aston Martin.

• The news comes in the wake of Sergio Pérez announcing his departure from the team that will become Aston Martin next season.
• The four-time world champion will join the current Racing Point team after being released by Ferrari.
• Lawrence Stroll's bid to bring Aston Martin to the front of the grid has seemingly stepped up a gear after attracting the signature of a world champion.

It had been rumoured since Sebastian Vettel's departure from Ferrari was confirmed, that Lawrence Stroll had his eye on bringing the German to his team, to lead them into a new era as they take on the Aston Martin name.

With last night's news that Sergio Pérez would be departing the team at the end of this season, it all but confirmed these suspicions. While no contract length has been made public, the official announcement stated that Vettel had committed for "2021 and beyond."

​

After a tough few seasons with Ferrari, Vettel seemed buoyed by the new project:

“I am pleased to finally share this exciting news about my future. I’m extremely proud to say that I will become an Aston Martin driver in 2021.​

​

"It’s a new adventure for me with a truly legendary car company. I have been impressed with the results the team has achieved this year and I believe the future looks even brighter.​

​

"The energy and commitment of Lawrence [Stroll] to the sport is inspiring and I believe we can build something very special together.​

​

"I still have so much love for Formula 1 and my only motivation is to race at the front of the grid. To do so with Aston Martin will be a huge privilege.”​

https://twitter.com/x/status/1303952148875673600

The move is a massive statement from Aston Martin, with the Silverstone-based team no doubt eager to challenge for the top three next season. Vettel's new boss, Otmar Szafnauer is optimistic that the German, who has won 53 races, will be able to help them take the next step forward:

“Everybody at Silverstone is hugely excited by this news. Sebastian is a proven champion and brings a winning mentality that matches our own ambitions for the future as Aston Martin F1 Team.​

​

"On a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, Sebastian is one of the best in the world, and I can’t think of a better driver to help take us into this new era. He will play a significant role in taking this team to the next level.”​

​

While Vettel was unable to emulate his hero, Michael Schumacher's achievements in leading Ferrari back to world championships, it is great that he will still be on the grid next season after being dropped by the Scuderia. He is a great character and the sport would have been a lesser place without him.

​

It remains to be seen whether the incumbent, Sergio Pérez will find a new drive ahead of next season. Since his announcement yesterday, he has made it known that he "was surprised" by the decision, after receiving a phone call from Lawrence Stroll the same day:

“I got a call from Lawrence...He called me yesterday, that they were going into another direction.​

​

“In the end they just officially told me yesterday that I am not continuing. I didn’t expect that. But it’s how it is.” ​

​

With this most recent driver confirmation, the grid for next season has begun to take shape. It is widely expected that Canadian, Lance Stroll will partner Vettel in 2021. With Hamilton likely to extend his relationship with Mercedes, seats realistically only remain with Alfa Romeo and Haas.

With his future in Formula One sorted, Vettel can enjoy celebrating his current team's 1000th race in the sport, barely 100km away from their home of Maranello.