tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682262344930040012.post1105670358285867420..comments2024-03-28T07:18:09.958+00:00Comments on Talking about F1: The F1 blog: Further thoughts on the British Grand PrixGraham Keillohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11514708469215327323noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682262344930040012.post-91371737542672465772013-07-04T14:05:50.359+01:002013-07-04T14:05:50.359+01:00Hi Geoff. Thanks very much for commenting.
Thing ...Hi Geoff. Thanks very much for commenting.<br /><br />Thing is with the Toro Rosso drivers, Red Bull is only going to promote drivers from its young drivers' programme if they think they're good enough, which is exactly how it should be. And *of course* the team will have high standards, Red Bull wants to win constructors' championships, and given the team is a front runner it is a high pressure and demanding environment. And Red Bull's no different from other top teams in this regard. McLaren has had a young drivers' programme for decades (I can remember when Allan McNish was part of it) but as with Red Bull only one driver from it ever has made it to the big team. Same with Ferrari: very rarely do young drivers from their stable make it to a race seat there (I suppose Massa was a Ferrari young driver, sort of - though he pre-dated the young drivers' programme).<br /><br />And you mention comparing Vettel's Toro Rosso record to those of the current pair, well at the same stage as where Ricciardo and Vergne are now, roughly a year and a bit in, Vettel had won a Grand Prix. Not only that, he'd impressed consistently, and had achieved two fourth place finishes, three fifth places and two sixth places. Which compares to the best result for Ricciardo or Vergne which is a single sixth place for Vergne (at Canada). Further, Vettel had challenged for a win at Fuji *five races* into his Toro Rosso career (which admittedly didn't end well), and had shown on several occasions he could go wheel-to-wheel with the likes of Alonso and Hamilton.<br /><br />OK, a lot of the time he had a more competitive car than Ricciardo/Vergne have now, but you can see why there was then much more of an evidence base to promote him than there is now with either Toro Rosso driver.<br /><br />Let's not forget either that Red Bull has access to much more data on its drivers than we do. I recall that when Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari were dropped a couple of years ago there was some outrage, but I heard subsequently that the team's telemetry data showed that the two drivers weren’t pushing the car to its limit, hence why the team decided to ditch them.Graham Keillohhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11514708469215327323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682262344930040012.post-71342147360827761182013-07-03T21:43:19.008+01:002013-07-03T21:43:19.008+01:00There's no doubt that Kimi Raikkonen would wan...There's no doubt that Kimi Raikkonen would want the move - it's a no brainer for him. <br /><br />Christian Horner certainly appears keen - the only possible stumbling block is simply whether or not the likes of Dietrich Mateschitz, Helmut Marko etc would essentially go against their "philosophy" of bringing through young drivers. <br /><br />Toro Rosso exists primarily for moments like this - Webber's retirement: an opportunity to "change the guard" - so if they pass up this opportunity now, then what's all the investment for? If Raikkonen does go (and let's assume a two year deal for arguments sake)then it's also a fair assumption that Ricciardo and JEV will be on the scrapheap sooner rather than later and the next batch can be brought in for the post-Kimi era. <br /><br />The general consensus seems to be that Ricciardo and JEV have not yet shown the world class potential to justify that #2 seat - but let's not forget - according to Giorgio Ascanelli, Sebastian Vettel only started showing that consistent world class potential from Valencia 2008 onwards - late in the mid-season - and with this in mind I'd like to see the current two TR drivers given the time to show their skills before a decision is made. <br /><br />As for Lotus, I imagine that them and their budget aren't in any rush to commit to any Kimi-sized expenses for 2014, they'll probably be more than happy to delay this decision. That of course doesn't mean to say that they won't be talking a Paul di Resta, or a Heikki Kovalainen until then. <br /><br />I can see this dragging on for several months yet...Geoff Atkinhttps://twitter.com/g_atkinnoreply@blogger.com