Is Horner the biggest loser?

[Scott]

Mike Lawrence seems to think so, and I agree with his article on it.

https://www.pitpass.com/62614/Horners-Biggest-Mistake

[cosworth151]

Well said, and I totally agree with him. RBR let one of the best and most popular divers on the grid slip through their fingers.

[lkjohnson1950]

It is certainly a big loss for RBR, but I wonder how much say Horner actually has and how much is down to Mateschitz/Marko? It was Marko who said Danny had no where else to go. That would have p*ssed me off.

[John S]

IMHO Horner has a lot less to do with the driver choice at Red Bull than most other team principals. I think he brokered the unusual one year deal that Danny asked for, probably against the wishes of Marko, as he knew it was a really matter of time before they lost him.

Sure Red Bull may regret losing Danny, but I bet internally Christian can probably gain more influence if the new driver line up fails to keep the cars at the sharp end. Also offers RBR a ready made excuse if the new Honda era doesn't start as good as the Renault years. 

I'm still surprised Marko, who championed Danny Ric even when he was not top of series in lower classes, failed to realise how disenchanted Danny had become with his Red Bull driver project.   

In fact it's hard to believe that Red Bull has a proper young driver programme anymore, Helmut has either chosen so unwisely or burnt up so many hopefuls there are no obvious candidates left to fill one let alone two STR seats.         

[Calman]

As mentioned above, Horner really isn't the key to this disappointment (from a RBR point of view) ... it's clearly Marko who carries the whip behind closed doors and has a strong influence in these kind of dealings.

Cleary, there will be no instant success overnight, but I sincerely hope that Danny Ric and Renault prove a point in the time ahead.  Even a level of success which leaves RBR saying "What did we Do???".  It would be even sweeter if Mad Max doesn't reach the levels they desire!!!

Best Regards,
Cal

[Alianora La Canta]

Marko thinks everyone "knows" Max is the best driver in the world and always seems surprised when anything suggests otherwise.

[Scott]

Marko thinks everyone "knows" Max is the best driver in the world and always seems surprised when anything suggests otherwise.

 

[Jericoke]

Marko thinks everyone "knows" Max is the best driver in the world and always seems surprised when anything suggests otherwise.

Max is in his 4th F1 season.

By their fourth seasons Schumacher, Villeneuve, Alonso and Hamilton all had their first championships.

Max has gotten much better at following the 'to finish first, first you must finish' axiom, but I don't see a championship in his future.  (Of course, I never saw one for Button either, so take heart Max.)

[Calman]

By their fourth seasons Schumacher, Villeneuve, Alonso and Hamilton all had their first championships.

Yes, that's about the size of it.   Although Max was plagued by reliability issues for a while there, must other retirements have been self inflicted.   I'm trying to think how long Vettel took to win his first WDC ... was he also inside 4 seasons, before lifting his 1st RBR crown??

Best Regards,
Cal

[lkjohnson1950]

Vettel ran his first GP in 2007; first full season in 2008; first WDC in 2010. All of them, to be fair, had more competitive cars than Max.

[Scott]

Gasly to partner MV at RBR.

I’m not sure why an announcement was required so quickly.  I would have thought they might like to have Kimi if Ferrari doesn’t re-sign him.  But maybe the conspiracy theorists are right and Max actually does have refusal rights?  Of course the other possibility is that they simply don’t want Kimi

[Calman]

I think Gasly could challenge Max, should he get his 'groove on' in the genuine RBR seat!! ... could be a second point of interest in 2019, along with the Renault fight (Hulk v Danny Ric).

Unfortunately, I think Kimi's services would now only be an asset to a mid pack team (or do I mean "all the rest") ... but otherwise, he is stuck with a Ferrari support role, until he makes a headline decision at some point in the near future.

Best Regards,
Cal

[Scott]

Wow Cal, clearly you have little respect for Kimi’s skill, which I rate among the top 4 drivers on the grid.  Mid pack?  He’ll retire first. 

[Calman]

Wow Cal, clearly you have little respect for Kimi’s skill, which I rate among the top 4 drivers on the grid.  Mid pack?  He’ll retire first.

Not at all, like a few Veterans on the grid, Kimi is still no slouch, but I am saying it how I feel the "F1 System" sees it at this point.  All I am outlining is, should the Ferrari relationship with Kimi come to an end, he clearly has no chance in a top team at his stage in his career - so other than the top 3, he would be an asset to any other team who could utilise his vast experience.  So, no, I am not doubting his current skills - just pointing out the obvious, as far as "the deal makers" are concerned.  With many F1 drivers, if they weren't playing a "support role" ... who knows where they could have ended up??? ... a realisation which Danny Ric may have forecast earlier than we think!!!

Best Regards,
Cal

[Robem64]

I can't see Dr Marko and Kimi getting on!