On 26/09/2023 12:49 pm, Sir Tim wrote:
Phil Carmody <pc+usenet@asdf.org> wrote:
Sir Tim <no_email@invalid.invalid> writes:
geoff <geoff@nospamgeoffwood.org> wrote:
... Perez gets dropped in favour of Lawson ?
Possible ?
I would think Danny Ric to RBR and Lawson to AT more likely.
I'm with geoff here, I think RBR are not so risk-averse that they
wouldn't give Lawson a shot in the big boys' team. If it doesn't pan
out, they could always do a swap mid-season - in 2019 Albon was switched
in for Gasly after having only done a dozen F1 drives. This ain't that
dissimilar. It may only be 4 races, but he's had a better result than
his teammate in every single one of them, for one reason or another.
Not sure it would be in Lawson’s best interests. Both Gasly and Albon were ditched by RBR but subsequently went on to do a decent job with other
teams. RBR is a hothouse.
Liam seems to be a fast adapter and has a 'flexible' driving style, getting the best out of various
equipment. (He would have won DTM in his only year if he hadn't been deliberately taken out in the
last race by the sister car of the car that won.)
Also he couldn't be worse than Checo surely? He's already out-qualified him when driving a lesser
car...
Seriously, RBR have enough of a sample set now to know that most other drivers (no matter how well
rated) don't do well in the car that they've built around Max. In fact it's probably a benefit to
have a young driver who's been in a lot of different formulas and who is still plastic in his
driving style in that car. Liam's helped in that way by the fact that he's still relatively young
and younger people adapt better.
Also they need a young driver who can be their future. Max has intimated recently that he's not
going to be driving in F1 until he's 40. (I think I read 2028 mentioned as the year he's thinking
of having as his last?)
Because of this I don't think that the 'Max version' of the RBR car would be quite as much of a
poisoned chalice for Liam as it's been for others. They've kept Checo in it for a long time despite
the fact that he's not doing very well. I think that they're resigned to the fact that the car is
so Vestappen-centric that it's going to take an exceptional driver to consistently podium in it and
that not doing so is no longer a sacking offence.
Also Liam would likely be a lot cheaper than Checo - at least initially.
That's all speculation on my part of course. I think RBR Have re-iterated recently that Checo's
under contract for next year? I guess they could move him to reserve driver duties though.
--
Shaun.
"Humans will have advanced a long, long way when religious belief has a cozy little classification
in the DSM"
David Melville
This is not an email and hasn't been checked for viruses by any half-arsed self-promoting software.
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