2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bull!!

[Timothy A]

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

I doubt it but, Alonso might go to McLaren however some of those things in the article don't add up for me. First the whole brushing the Denis/Alonso relationship under the rug. By all accounts those two hated each other the first time around but now I am to believe they are chummy. Second, the more $ from McLaren. Seriously, I am to believe that Ferrari is going to be outbid for a driver of Alonso's ability? Come on, now. The only way that could possibly be true is if Ferrari already has Vettel (puke!) signed up. Even then I am not sure.

I want to be clear, I am commenting on the article not solovsfett's post.

I agree 100% with your analysis of the article. There's no way Dennis and Alonso are suddenly going to be all hugs and kisses after what they went through, and on top of that work with patience together to get Honda up and running. If the Honda sucks and Alonso does sign with Dennis, it's going to blow up in a huge way. I don't see him going anywhere. But Ferrari's struggles maybe open the door a crack.

I'd like to see Kimi leave and replace him with a younger guy like Hulkenberg or even Ricardo if they could pry him from RB.

Pagenaud to Penske....kinda of a shocker that RP is going to run 4 cars. The Power/Pagenaud dynamic will be interesting, can Pagenaud forgive and forget? That could blow up in a serious way since Power doesn't drive nice with teamates already. I wish RP would have signed a younger gun instead, but the Captain is one smart cookie, so I trust him.

[MattS]

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

I'd like to see Kimi leave and replace him with a younger guy like Hulkenberg or even Ricardo if they could pry him from RB.

I'd like to see Hulk or Bianchi take Kimi's seat. Or bring back my man Massa.

Before anyone mentions it, yes, I know Massa re-upped with Williams.

[Timothy A]

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

I'd like to see Hulk or Bianchi take Kimi's seat. Or bring back my man Massa.

Before anyone mentions it, yes, I know Massa re-upped with Williams.

My son is also a Massa fan.....Bianchi would be an excellent pick-up.

[Russell Jaslow]

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

http://www.grandprix247.com/2014/09/...s-a-done-deal/

...If this rumor is true I suspect the motivating factor is Honda and their past history in F1.

And now there are rumors being reported that Honda is way behind schedule on their development. Apparently, the engine consumes too much fuel and produces too little power.

[solovsfett]

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

I agree 100% with your analysis of the article. There's no way Dennis and Alonso are suddenly going to be all hugs and kisses after what they went through, and on top of that work with patience together to get Honda up and running. If the Honda sucks and Alonso does sign with Dennis, it's going to blow up in a huge way. I don't see him going anywhere. But Ferrari's struggles maybe open the door a crack.

I'd like to see Kimi leave and replace him with a younger guy like Hulkenberg or even Ricardo if they could pry him from RB.

Pagenaud to Penske....kinda of a shocker that RP is going to run 4 cars. The Power/Pagenaud dynamic will be interesting, can Pagenaud forgive and forget? That could blow up in a serious way since Power doesn't drive nice with teamates already. I wish RP would have signed a younger gun instead, but the Captain is one smart cookie, so I trust him.

Agreed w/you on Pagenaud. I *never* would have believed Roger would run 4 cars...however...Helio and Montoya won't be around forever so it's possible he sees them retiring in 2-3 years?

Looks like Ganassi may drop Briscoe. If he picks up Sage Karem it will be a tremendous gesture from someone who's really not done much for the feeder series nor paid much attention to the younger homegrown talent.

Also sounds like Hinchcliffe to Schmidt is a done deal

[manurespreader]

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

And now there are rumors being reported that Honda is way behind schedule on their development. Apparently, the engine consumes too much fuel and produces too little power.

How many times have we heard that one. Reminds me of BRM in 1966.

[MattS]

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

And now there are rumors being reported that Honda is way behind schedule on their development. Apparently, the engine consumes too much fuel and produces too little power.

At least the have released a picture of the engine.

[Russell Jaslow]

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

How many times have we heard that one. Reminds me of BRM in 1966.

I don't think anything can match BRM's ... umm ... "success"...

[MattS]

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

Breaking news in the Twitterverse is that Caterham factory has been "seized by bailiffs" and shut down.

[Russell Jaslow]

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

Breaking news in the Twitterverse is that Caterham factory has been "seized by bailiffs" and shut down.

Nothing showing up on news sites, yet, but it wouldn't surprise me.

Meanwhile, it appears De Silvestro's F1's dreams are finished:

Simona de Silvestro's road to Formula One appears to have ended, or at least been put on hold.

Until now, the 25-year-old female Swiss driver was a Sauber tester, testing one of the Hinwil based team's older cars with unique 'Clean Air Energy' branding.

The former Indycar driver had also been linked with a F1 debut in Friday morning practice in Austin next month, but Speed Week reports that de Silvestro's management and Sauber have now split.

"Simona's driving program will not continue for financial reasons," a spokesman for the Swiss team confirmed.

"Everyone who has worked with Simona over the past six months is very disappointed.

"We are currently examining other possibilities," the spokesman is quoted as saying.

[Russell Jaslow]

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

Caterham vows to race on despite bailiff rumours

[Timothy A]

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

Nothing showing up on news sites, yet, but it wouldn't surprise me.

Meanwhile, it appears De Silvestro's F1's dreams are finished:

Simona de Silvestro's road to Formula One appears to have ended, or at least been put on hold.

Until now, the 25-year-old female Swiss driver was a Sauber tester, testing one of the Hinwil based team's older cars with unique 'Clean Air Energy' branding.

The former Indycar driver had also been linked with a F1 debut in Friday morning practice in Austin next month, but Speed Week reports that de Silvestro's management and Sauber have now split.

"Simona's driving program will not continue for financial reasons," a spokesman for the Swiss team confirmed.

"Everyone who has worked with Simona over the past six months is very disappointed.

"We are currently examining other possibilities," the spokesman is quoted as saying.

She wasn't going to amount amount to anything anyway in F1. It was all a PR move.

[Timothy A]

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

I read another article about Alonso leaving Ferrari....the gist innuendo'ed that he didn't want to waste his best years in a bad car and that Ferrari was 2 yrs away from being competitive. I don't think Ferarri is more than next year away from being in a fight for the championship and there's no guarantee going to McL will be any better. I call BS.

[alfablue]

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

Caterham is at Suzuka.

But the race may happen really early- maybe even on Saturday. With the approaching Typhoon, the race timing is likely to move- perhaps Sunday morning, to even perhaps Saturday.

They've got to be in Russia in just a few days, so delaying to a Monday race isn't a possibility.

[MattS]

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

She wasn't going to amount amount to anything anyway in F1. It was all a PR move.

You're right in that is was probably a PR move for the most part. But I think you are doing her a bit of a diservice. Was she ever going to win a WDC without a dominate car (think Mercedes this year)...no. But could she be competitive and in a decent car and not make a fool of herself...yes. I would stack her against some of the current grid (Chilton, Vergne, Perez) for sure.