#Lewis might be the step dad. but Charles is so Nico

[alfalfatauri]

How safe would I feel in an elevator with the 2020 grid?

I’ve been thinking about this for days and I tried to keep this as unbiased as possible, however I simply couldn’t let the serial non-kneelers rank highly, so the criteria was what I know about them combined with looking at the first page of google images..

Sebastian Vettel: I’ve never seen a man give off bigger dad vibes. This is both good news and bad news for Seb. On the one hand, he’s not going to say anything creepy and he’s going to be checking couple of minutes to see how I’m hanging in there…. But on the other hand, I get the feeling his concern could turn from comforting to overbearing and claustrophobic. I’m safe but mildly annoyed. 8/10. 

Charles Leclerc: Oh this kid thinks he’s top shit and he can crack that smile and make everything better. He’s not intentionally a sleazebag but it can come off that way. I’d still feel ‘safe’ but I’d be wary of him for sure. Not giving out any detailed answers, keeping my self to myself. 5/10.

Lewis Hamilton: He’s calm. He’s collected. He probably has the lift technician’s number on speed dial. He has a bottle of water to keep us hydrated and he wants to know what I study. If he asked to buy me dinner afterwards, I’d say yes because I know he’s a good guy. I feel safe in this elevator. 9/10.

Valterri Bottas: I feel like he’d make a stupid joke to try to put me at ease and it would have the opposite effect. He has the added effect of being a rather large looking adult man. 4/10.

Max Vertstappen: I don’t feel actively unsafe but I don’t feel actively comfortable either. He’d gonna be wearing a cap and a Red Bull branded jacket and shorts and I’m going to want to avoid eye contact. I might warm up to him after a while, but he also might say something dumb. 5/10.

Alex Albon: It’s not that I want to be stuck in a lift, but if I had to be stuck in a lift with Alex, I wouldn’t be mad about it. He’s so soft spoken, he’s funny, he’s kind, he’s level headed, he’s a bean pole, he’d show me pictures of his pets on his phone. 9/10.

Lando Norris: Sir, this is a child. We weigh the same amount. If I needed to, I could overpower him. He’s more scared of the elevator being stuck than I am. He giggles too easily. He’s not a threat. 8/10.

Carlos Sainz: Get this man out of the elevator please. I don’t like his vibes. I do not like his vibes. 2/10.

Daniel Ricciardo: The way I feel about Australian men, this could have gone either way. However there’s something about Daniel that makes me feel related to him? Like I’ve been to a family BBQ and he’s also been there. And we’ve all seen what he’s like with kids… I don’t trust him not to jump up and down just to see if he can get the elevator to move though so that drops his score a little. 8/10.

Esteban Ocon: He’s another bean pole. He’s a smiley bean pole. He’d be fun to talk to. 7/10.

George Russell: I know I’ve said this before. Here’s the thing with George… Sometimes he looks like the kindest man on the face of the planet. Other times he gives off big ‘I was the Cool Kid in high school’ vibes. Like… I would warm up to him, but the first time he stepped in the elevator I wouldn’t make eye contact. 7/10.

Nicholas Latifi: Before I watched Nicky interacting with people I was kinda ??? and :o about him. He’s got a thick rugby player neck. It scares me. 4/10.

Lance Stroll: Nope. Absolutely not. I know he’s nice irl I know it I want to like him I just can’t. I don’t want to be in an elevator with him. 3/10.

Sergio Perez: Also dad vibes but in a slightly more ‘get your shit together why are you freaking out’ way than Seb. He’s okay. 6/10.

Antonio Giovinazzi: Um.. no thank u sir. 3/10.

Kimi Raikkonen: Absolutely not. Do not pass go. I shall be taking the stairs from now on. 2/10.

Romain Grosjean: He’s okay I guess. I don’t feel any particular way about him. 5/10.

Kevin Magnussen: Nice face, slow spoken, he’d set up a full kitchen-picnic table-living room in the elevator and we’d be having a nice chill conversation by the time we were rescued. 7/10.

Pierre Gasly: All I need to do is point you in the direction of a video of him giggling and call it a day. He’s small, he’s giggly, I love him. 9/10

Daniil Kvyat: he looks a bit scary but ultimately I think he’d be very head down, let’s get this sorted, you stay on your side of the lift and I’ll stay on mine, when we get out of here we’ll laugh about it and maybe shake hands. 6/10.

Nico Hulkenberg: Like Dany, he looks scary at first but then he starts talking about Zeus and showing me pictures of him, and he smiles a little and it’s all well inside the elevator. Idk something about large blond men makes me ….. but he gets a 7/10.

[lynseyscripps]

F1 drivers 2021

The drivers market seems to be almost over for what has been another crazy season.

Let’s start with Racing Point, who come 2021 will be racing as Aston Martin Racing. Lance Stroll keeps his seat. Being honest is he only there at this point because his dad owns the team. Who in this situation wouldn’t though? Sergio Perez is a better driver and over the last few races has made far less mistakes and had better results than what Stroll has. Lando Norris making comments about Stroll not learning, perhaps he doesn’t. I have seen him make the same mistakes and misjudgements time and time again over the last few years. Did he deserve to stay over Perez? No. Perez has been a consistent mid-pack driver for many years and that opportunity for himself to prove anything more has not come calling. I do hope this is not the end in F1 for him. Perez be released for Sebastian Vettel I don’t believe is the right decision. Vettel all 2020 season has been a long way behind his team mate both in qualifying and the race. Yes, not all season they have been running identical cars however from the outset he has been down and Leclerc’s times. He just isn’t the racer everyone thought he once was. In his Red Bull days, was it the car that made him look better than he is? He has continued to lock up regularly and made silly mistakes this season with him barely scrapping into the top ten and him missing out on Q3 and a regular basis. The results are not just down to the car.

As for Mercedes, who this past weekend earned their 7th consecutive constructor’s world title has signed Valtteri Bottas for next year. Many might say is this the right decision? Yes, it is, he has been plagued with bad luck this season. If his team mate wasn’t Lewis Hamilton would he be a world champion? Probably. I have always been a fan of his and when he was driving for Williams showed great promise for the future. Hamilton now has come out and passed doubt on his future in F1 beyond this season. For me this is an obvious choice of whom the seat should be given to. George Russell, he has got more out of the Williams than he probably should have done. His test for Mercedes at the end of last year was impressive and with him already being a Mercedes driver surely his future looks bright. His only opposition is Esteban Ocon, himself doing okay but really isn’t showing anything special. Would Hamilton go anywhere else but Mercedes or is this the end for Hamilton.

This would leave Williams needing a second driver. After a season that has seen the sad news of the team being sold and no longer a family business. They have seen improvements in the car, however still not where they need to be to be truly competitive. There is always the chance that one day soon they will return to fight in the top of the mid-pack like they did with Bottas and Felippe Massa. So Nicholas Latifi and? Surely the only option would be Perez. The team still lacking funds, one would presume and someone like Perez coming with backing would surely help the team move forward along with his experience and feedback.

Red Bull have been in a tough place all season. Max Verstappen doing it solo. The team with the second strongest car on the grid, with one future world champion and Alex Albon. Surely another falling foul of Red Bull bringing in drivers that are just to young and inexperienced to drive at the level they are requiring. Admittedly it worked with Verstappen but is a team really going to get that lucky twice? Albon hasn’t always had the easiest of races, being taken out by Hamilton or other drivers since being brought up from Alpha Tauri. He himself though has crashed into others and made mistakes, leaving him without scoring a point or well down the order. Red Bull need a driver up there with Verstappen to challenge the mighty Mercedes. My option would be to bring in Nico Hulkenberg. This season stepping in for both Racing Point drivers at different points and reportedly giving feedback to the team which has aided development. Is Hulkenberg a driver that just hasn’t been able to prove himself in a top team or is he just a great mid team driver? I hope he is given the opportunity to drive in 2021 with Red Bull.

Bringing us onto Alpha Tauri. They have already announced Pierre Gasly for the season, the right decision to make. He has had some good results and taken advantage of the opportunities given winning the race at the Italian Grand Prix. His future could be bright if he is given another opportunity at a top team in the future. Daniil Kvyat for me is done. He went form Toro Rosso up to Red Bull, didn’t live up to the requirements of a Red Bull driver back to Toro Rosso then lost his seat and didn’t race in 2018 and then back to Toro Rosso. I personally don’t see a future for him anywhere else than where he is. I would put Albon back into Alpha Tauri. He was asked to step up with little experience and just like Gasly didn’t live up to expectations and the demands of the team. They are both young drivers and still learning their craft and Alpha Tauri could give them the experience and build confidence for the future.

In early 2020, Ferrari made the decision of there drivers for 2021. Charles Leclerc remaining and the omitting of Vettel. Ferrari bring in Carlos Sainz from McLaren. Not a bad decision to bring him to the team however is Sainz regretting the decision. All season long the McLaren has looked stronger and faster than the Ferrari and anyone would bet on Ferrari getting back to race winning ways but how long will this take?

With Sainz going to Ferrari this left a seat alongside Norris at McLaren, another driver with so much talent and one of the most likeable drivers to watch pre- and post-race. McLaren are bringing in Daniel Ricciardo. This is going to be a strong team especially given that the McLaren will have a Mercedes engine.

Renault well, they went for the big surprise of 2020. The return of Fernando Alonso. The team in which he won back to back world titles in 2005 and 2006. In the second half of this season Renault have looked stronger earning two podium finishes. With conformation that Ocon will remain at the team for 2021 as well, both seats are taken. Will Ocon’s second run in F1 be fruitful or should he just of stayed gone?

This past week Alfa Romeo have announced no driver change for 2021. Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi remaining at the team. Honestly Raikkonen has nothing left to prove and racing just because he wants to. Giovinazzi hasn’t done much wrong this season making up places at the start consistently.

As for Haas. A fresh start in 2021, wanting to take the 2021 drivers into the 2022 season with all the changes coming. Drivers likely to be at the team are Mick Schumacher, who in my opinion could do with more time driving elsewhere before steeping up. I admit he has come a way in the last two seasons in F2 however you can still see flaws in his driving. In a previous FP1 he was supposed to drive for Alfa Romeo but due to whether wasn’t able to. Other drivers linked with Haas is Nikita Mazepin and Callum Illot, he himself during the same weekend as Schumacher was supposed to drive, he was to have the same opportunity in the Haas car.

Only time will tell who will really get the remaining seats.