formula 1 Formula 1 World Championship 2015 Season Discussion

[MightyJordan]

Jenson Button is expected to announce his retirement after 16 seasons in Formula One before this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka.

The 35-year-old, who agreed a new deal with McLaren at the start of the season has been in negotiations over extending his contract with the struggling team, who have managed just 17 points this season, but is reportedly ready to call time on his career.

To date Button, the 2009 world champion, has achieved 15 race victories from his 278 starts, which makes him the third most experienced driver in Formula One history.

Button is expected to choose this weekend to make his announcement due to his fondess for the Japanese Grand Prix and the country – his wife, Jessica, is Japanese and he is popular among the local supporters.

Button has finished in the points in just two of the 13 races this season and retired from Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix with a gearbox problem. Button and his beleaguered McLaren team – who endured their fourth double retirement of the season in Singapore after Fernando Alonso also suffered a gearbox failure – will now head to Honda’s home race in Japan where a decision on their line-up for 2016 could be revealed.

McLaren have an option on Button for next season, but that clause expires at the end of September. It is reported that talks with the team’s head Ron Dennis over extending his grand prix career into a 17th campaign have stalled.

The reserve driver Kevin Magnussen, who moved sideways after one season following the arrival of Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne, the runaway GP2 championship leader, are both contenders for Button’s seat. They would both be vastly cheaper options than the Briton, too.

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/sep/21/jenson-button-announce-retirement-mclaren-f1 

[philcruicks]

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/sep/21/jenson-button-announce-retirement-mclaren-f1 

Aw I hope that's not true, Button is such a nice guy and a great racer. It'll be a sad day for F1 if he goes.

[MightyJordan]

Aw I hope that's not true, Button is such a nice guy and a great racer. It'll be a sad day for F1 if he goes.

Indeed, he's been my favourite for years. I imagine if he does call time on his F1 career, he'll probably follow Mark Webber and jump over to the WEC; Webber's doing pretty well over there with Porsche.

[MightyJordan]

...welp, The Telegraph are claiming exactly that, plus a little cherry on top.

The 35-year-old is expected to combine a sportscar drive in the Le Mans-style World Endurance Championship with a media career, rumoured to include the revamped Top Gear.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/formulaone/jenson-button/11879322/Jenson-Button-poised-to-quit-Formula-One.html 

That'd be brilliant if it turns out to be true.

[vanx]

I like Jenson's one-liners and eternal British optimism, but he also winges a lot. Given how, after his talks with Ron in Abu Dhabi after last season's final race, it was "will he or won't he?" with respect to staying at McLaren, this whole potential retirement thing is feeling like a bit of an anti-climax. Almost a "what would have been" if Honda pulled their finger out. Now I am just not bothered if he goes. Lots of great new talent coming through (Max V, Kvyat had a wake-up call, Hulk and Roman making themselves proud). Hopefully, Ferrari stepping up to Mercedes. Drama with Lotus and what will happen to Red Bull. Jenson can fade into the background. Buh-bye now...

[philcruicks]

Maybe the new "Stig"? tho not with the same mystery, just an ex F1 driver who can push the cars to their limits and get a fast time for the powerboard.

[MightyJordan]

[MightyJordan]

Renault Group and Gravity Motorsports S.a.r.l., an affiliate of Genii Capital SA, are pleased to announce the signature of a Letter of Intent regarding the potential acquisition by Renault of a controlling stake in Lotus F1 Team Ltd.

The signature of this Letter of Intent marks Renault’s first step towards the project of a Renault Formula 1 team from the 2016 racing season thereby extending 38 years of commitment of the brand to world’s premier motorsport championship series.

Renault Group and Gravity will work together in the coming weeks to eventually turn this initial undertaking into a definitive transaction provided all terms and conditions are met between them and other interested parties.

http://www.renaultsportf1.com/F1-Signature-of-a-letter-of-intent-between-Renault-Group-and-Gravity.html 

[philcruicks]

Excellent weekend off the track, Renault are going to buy Lotus and Jenson isn't leaving! 

Alas on track action except for Alonsos' rather funny radio messages was a tad dull, but then Susuka always is, being hard to overtake at.

[MightyJordan]

Excellent weekend off the track, Renault are going to buy Lotus and Jenson isn't leaving! 

Alas on track action except for Alonsos' rather funny radio messages was a tad dull, but then Susuka always is, being hard to overtake at.

Oh yeah, I forgot to post those!

 

[MightyJordan]

Sky Sports reckon Romain Grosjean could be one of their drivers. 

[what]

Who cares. Haas will be just another Caterham/HRT/Manor. Grosjean's F1 career will be effectively over.

Red Bull and Toro Rosso need to just leave. I'm bored of the daily whinging and they have the kind of attitude that won't be missed.

[MightyJordan]

Jenson isn't leaving! 

Doesn't seem that's the case, yet. http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/sep/27/jenson-button-fernando-alonso-mclaren-f1-ron-dennis

After the race and when pressed by Sky Sports on whether Button and Alonso would be staying, [Ron Dennis] said: “Yes, yes, yes. What is simpler than they’ve all got contracts, everyone has to live by their contracts, why don’t you just leave it at that?”

However, also speaking after the race, Button denied that his mind was made up. “You’ll have to wait and see,” he said. “I’m not going to comment on something that I don’t know the future on.” And he suggested Dennis had made a pre-emptive judgment after talks that took place on Thursday and again at the track before the race.

“It’s not the right time to say anything yet because nothing is done,” said Button. “I speak to Ron a lot. There have been private meetings. I’ve never talked about our private matters. That’s all I’m going to say.”

[...]
 

But Button did not come out of Sunday looking much better than Dennis. The driver, who allowed himself to be strung along by the team a year ago and who said categorically a week ago that his mind was made up – with the likelihood that he would leave – was then asked if he wanted to carry on racing. He replied: “I want to race, in a competitive car. If we have a competitive car in Formula One, I want to race. That’s what every driver dreams of. We’re out there to compete at the front.”

When asked what would be the situation if the McLaren car, as expected, is not competitive, he replied, confusedly: “Who knows?”

Meanwhile, when Alonso was asked if he would be in Formula One next year he replied: “I don’t know.”

 

Alonso's already U-turned and said he'll end his F1 career at McLaren, "hopefully winning everything", so that sounds like he's staying next year. http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/sep/28/fernando-alonso-mclaren-future-f1-japanese-gp

[philcruicks]

Jenson was interviewed by DC on the BBC and basically said he was staying and talks were going well.

As for Alonso that's the the Guardian writing spin, he confirmed what he meant later and said he is staying.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/34372879

[MightyJordan]

[vanx]

Sky Sports reckon Romain Grosjean could be one of their drivers. 

Grosjean left Japan on Monday, as per his Twitter feed. If he then hot-footed it to Kannapolis in North Carolina, that's quite a trip.

[Skiver Veteran]

Who cares. Haas will be just another Caterham/HRT/Manor. Grosjean's F1 career will be effectively over.

Red Bull and Toro Rosso need to just leave. I'm bored of the daily whinging and they have the kind of attitude that won't be missed.

New teams have to start somewhere, given HAAS success in other formula's and a bit of US backing he possibly has the funding to make a lot more progress. 

I don't see any world where Red Bull AND Toro Rosso leaving a good thing? A field of 16 cars or the top 3 cars ALL being a Mercedes sounds like a pretty boring season to me. Next year may be another Mercedes dominated year (I think Ferrari may get a little closer however) but 2017 there looks to be a lot of rule changing so things may hopefully spice up then but less teams is certainly not a good thing for me.

[vanx]

The whole McLaren Honda thing is a mess on and off the track. Ron said that JB is staying for next year, but how do you square that with what Jonathan Neal said in the principals' conference that you can't make a driver stay if he doesn't want to?

[Skiver Veteran]

Any ieda's what this is about....

 

[Noir Angel]

I've no sympathy for Red Bull whatsoever. They treated their engine partner like crap, publicly bashing them, then they tried and failed to strong arm Mercedes, and now they're bashing Ferrari, their last hope of actually getting an engine.

If they wanted to engineer an exit from the sport, their "scorched earth" tactics will achieve that. After the way they treated Renault, I wouldn't blame Mercedes and Ferrari for not wanting to supply them.

[Skiver Veteran]

No surprise on this one... 

 

[MightyJordan]

Translation: "Vergne begins to follow Haas F1 Team on twitter. Come, speculate" 

[what]

 

New teams have to start somewhere, given HAAS success in other formula's and a bit of US backing he possibly has the funding to make a lot more progress. 

I don't see any world where Red Bull AND Toro Rosso leaving a good thing? A field of 16 cars or the top 3 cars ALL being a Mercedes sounds like a pretty boring season to me. Next year may be another Mercedes dominated year (I think Ferrari may get a little closer however) but 2017 there looks to be a lot of rule changing so things may hopefully spice up then but less teams is certainly not a good thing for me.

Red Bull's bullying attitude isn't healthy for the sport. They shouldn't be able to demand whatever they want because they happen to own two F1 teams - no one should be big enough to do that.

If  all they are going to do is be uncompetitive and very vocal about whinging about it, no one will be sad to see them leave.

And regarding Haas, money doesn't make you successful. See Brawn in 2009 vs McLaren this year. The only way I see them being successful is if they use the unlimited windtunnel testing they are allowed this year to plan ahead for the 2017 regs. If they just jump straight into a 2016 car they will be years behind with aero tech and will be sitting behind Manor.

[vanx]

Not classy of Grosjean to parade in another team's colours just days after Lotus crew struggled for food and had to ask other teams to help them. Lost quite a bit of respect for him there. Lotus issues aren't his fault, but don't tell me that him and Pastor couldn't have banged heads together and sorted out catering.

[philcruicks]

Not classy of Grosjean to parade in another team's colours just days after Lotus crew struggled for food and had to ask other teams to help them. Lost quite a bit of respect for him there. Lotus issues aren't his fault, but don't tell me that him and Pastor couldn't have banged heads together and sorted out catering.

What and he's supposed to be announced as a Hass driver wearing his lotus gear, his casual clothes...cmon be sensible, of course he has to wear Hass stuff.  That's not his choice....it's the media and press, of course you have to wear the clothes of the team you've just been announced as the driver for.

But yeh good on him, I think he can make a good go of it there. be interesting to see if Vergne is #2 (if so it's an all french driver lineup) or someone else.

Gene looks miserable at the start of that press conf, haha, smile man!