Magnussen tipped as contender for Perez’s seat

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In the round-up: Formula Renault 3.5 champion Kevin Magnussen emerges as a potential contender for Sergio Perez’s F1 seat.

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Perez’s place in doubt (The Telegraph)

“McLaren are considering promoting young Danish driver Kevin Magnussen to be Jenson Button’s team-mate next season, with the jury still out on Sergio Perez.”

Perez closing on 2014 McLaren deal (Autosport)

“Sources suggest the most likely outcome now is for Perez to be handed a single-year extension to his deal, with strict performance clauses against Button that he must fulfil if he is going to have a chance of staying for 2015.”

Magnussen in McLaren frame (Sky)

“McLaren have considered placing Magnussen at Marussia next season in order to gain more experience. However, it is understood that senior management increasingly see him as capable of stepping up to partner Button.”

Rookie diary – with Marussia’s Max Chilton (F1)

“Next year it’s most likely that I will stay with Marussia – but of course I have to get the deal done first. The team has good potential, but it’s crucial that we stay ahead of Caterham in the constructors’ championship as the price money we’d get can make up a big percentage of our yearly budget. If we have that we can put it towards a better car for next year. That would really help! It would mean that we have the chance to start 2014 really strong.”

Kumho conducts ‘F1 test’ in Spain (Tyre Press)

“Three days of evaluation began on 16 September and Kumho says the purpose for the test was to ‘validate the technology for future business with F1 and to actually test the technology accumulated through motor sports since the 1990s for F1.'”

Mercedes still improving the W04, says Brawn (Adam Cooper’s F1 Blog)

“As I’ve mentioned before we can’t do it at the expense of next season. But there’s little things with the set-up we’re trying to do, there’s little things to better understand the tyres.”

Analysis: Rich Raikkonen still feels pain of criticism (BBC)

“It got worse after the [Indian Grand Prix], with [Alan] Permane accusing Raikkonen of “not being a team player”. Raikkonen, who has scored a comfortable majority of Lotus’s points in the last two seasons, took extreme exception to that and when he flew back home to Switzerland from Delhi he seriously considered not coming to Abu Dhabi at all.”

The Formula One schedule takes its toll (MotorSport)

“At the weekend we all heard the almost concrete rumour that neither New Jersey nor Mexico City would make it for next season. Korea does look as if it will survive the cull, appearing in April rather than in October and, after bidding farewell to the final Indian Grand Prix, apparently F1 could be back there in 2015 after signing a five-year deal with Bernie.”

Lewis’ Congratulatory Letter To Sebastian Vettel (Facebook)

Hamilton apparently wrote “congrats Seb – next year’s view” next to a picture of the back of a Mercedes.

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Comment of the day

@MaroonJack wants to see more aero restrictions to free up development opportunities elsewhere:

I’d love to see two or three different spec-wings mandated by the FIA for different types of tracks, but only if that meant unlocking technical development in other areas. For example unlocking engine development permanently, instead of restricting it more and more in the following years.

In my opinion aero innovation in F1 has become a huge waste of money. There are many other, far more interesting areas to explore, but unfortunately the rules simply don’t allow it.
@MaroonJack

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If you want a birthday shout-out tell us when yours is by emailling me, using Twitter or adding to the list here.

On this day in F1

Heading into qualifying for the final round of the 1993 season, 20 years ago today, Williams had taken pole position for all of the preceding 15 races.

But Ayrton Senna denied them a clean sweep with a record 1’13.371 lap around the Adelaide track in his McLaren.

Afterwards he was pressed by the media over his actions following the previous round in Japan, where he had punched Eddie Irvine:

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124 comments on “Magnussen tipped as contender for Perez’s seat”

  1. I love how they go against Perez like Button has sweeped the championship. Both are tremendous drivers, with tremendously appalling machinery. You can’t expect miracles McLaren…

    1. Yeah, it’s interesting how Perez’s place has gotten less and less likely the better he’s been driving. Right now I wouldn’t mind him getting another year at McLaren, if that means we get a Magnussen – Bianchi battle at Marussia.

      1. He needs another year at McLaren. In Button he’s up against a legend of the sport, with hundreds of races under his belt and a world championship to boot. Perez, whose only 23 and in his first year at McLaren, could end the year on top in the inter-team qualifying battle and has a fair share of races finished in front of Button (5). Now I know that is incredible statistics, but Lotus have shown how holding on to a driver can eventually let them flourish. Perez certainly has potential, and it would be a shame to boot him out without giving him a single year to prove himself in some decent machinery.

        1. edit: Meant to say ‘although that ISN’T incredible statistics’….

        2. He needs another year at McLaren.

          uhhh, no. the only thing Perez “needs” is to have started performing like the future champion he and his management have been disingenuously promoting him as. Whitmarsh himself said that Perez was expected to get up to speed and start producing at McLaren from the get-go, and even Perez fans must acknowledge that he failed. And I’m not talking about his failure to transform a substandard car into a GP-winner, since Button couldn’t do that either (Vettel couldn’t’ve won a race in a McLaren this year, unless he was the only one driving!). Rather, Perez has failed to demonstrate that he possesses anything more than modest professional ability and average class. Whilst worthy of a seat at Sauber, he did not deserve a contract w/ McLaren and he certainly didn’t drive in such a way as to give evidence of having “earned” it after-the-fact.

          That McLaren would even consider renewing him is because they’re giving in to the temptation to imagine they can somehow recover their sunk costs …

          1. @joepa

            is to have started performing like the future champion

            And button has??? Please… Perez has had more pace in that can that McLaren dished out this year than Button…

            It´s funny how people talk down Perez…. and they sould really take a look at Button… a former WDC that has been unable to stomp on a relatively new driver. That is pityfull

          2. @karter22 That’s why Button has 60 points and Perez has got 35 points! It’s like saying Webber has done a good job against Vettel or Massa against Alonso. Cold statistics prevail once again! And please, don’t start by saying Perez has had bad luck this year. The only bad luck he had was his blow out at Silverstone, Al his other race-ending or non-points finishes were racing incidents and other penalties caused by him trying to over-drive the Mclaren (which everyone knows is a piece of crap)

          3. So…..Perez can drive a Sauber but not a Mc Laren? Who do you think you are? Without Ron Dennis….you only have to take a look to Williams….thats where you are heading. Mc Laren failed as a team. Form head to toe. Perez is not guilty.
            As much as I think Button is average, he isnt guilty.
            Mc Laren took Perez for his money…and to hurt Ferrari.
            Not even Lewis like you.
            You are done.

      2. Surely the point, however, is that McLaren are looking for the next Vettel/Hamilton level of driver? Nothing in his past or present suggests to me that Perez is that guy. He’s a good driver, but the fact Button has outqualified him this year is a black mark. Button is a great driver and I’m a big fan – I believe he would give Vettel a run for his money in the same car, as he did Hamilton. However, he isn’t and never has been a good qualifier. That Perez can’t beat him regularly here is a problem.

        Now look at Magnussen. Unlike Perez he has won a serious junior formula in the World Series, and he’s done so by beating two seriously fancied drivers in Vandoorne and Da Costa – people were talking about Da Costa is a shoe in for Torro Rosso not all that long ago.

        Perez, meanwhile, has best finish of 2nd in GP2 behind… Maldonado… Don’t get me wrong, Perez is a decent driver. He totally deserves a drive in a good midfield team, but McLaren? I don’t think so.

        1. As a further follow-up, the fact Magnussen has 8 poles from 17 starts in WSR is a pretty huge indicator of his raw pace. Even Hamilton only managed 1 pole in 21 starts in his GP2 winning year.

          1. This! All the way 100%!

          2. That’s not a totally fair comparison: Magnussen had 8/17 poles in WSR while Hamilton had 1/11: in GP2 there are reverse grids for race 2. That said, Nelson Piquet Jr could be said to have excellent raw pace with 6 poles that season.

        2. *APPLAUSE!!!!*

        3. McLaren is a midfield team.

    2. @carlitox I was about to write the same.

      While Perez hasn’t been impressive. but neither has Button, even if he did better overall this season. And who can blame them? the car is definetly flawed. JB won 3 times last season, it’s not like he forgot how to race. Yet suddenly, the magic Mexican from last year is on the verge of leaving F1 because he was given one of the worst cars of the season?

      Not fair. Even Heikki Kovalainen stayed for a second season, having not done ANYTHING close to what Lewis did in the MP4-23…

      1. @fer-no65
        Just because they made a mistake with Hekki, due to all sorts of reasons, doesn’t mean they have to make the same mistake with Perez.
        With Hekki they had an excuse. They knew Hamilton could deliver the goods. Right now, they don’t have a driver capable of that. Not really.
        In a straight fight against Alonso, Hamilton or Vettel, neither McLaren driver would stand a chance. They simply aren’t fast or consistent enough.
        If Perez could mature into a driver capable of holding a candle to either of the “big three” then he would have shown that all ready.
        No matter how bad the car is, he should be beating Button. But he isn’t.

        1. @mads Why “should” he be beating a guy that’s been in the team for 3 years, a regular winner, and a WDC, in his first year in the team (and 3rd overall)?

          I’m not saying they should make a mistake again (I don’t think retaining Heikki was a mistake eitehr). I’m just saying that 1 year isn’t enough for a driver to deliver its best, unless the car is really capable. Just look at Lewis. He’s not doing perfect either at Mercedes…

          If the expectations were so high, they should provide them with a car that’s capable of actually finishing inside the top 5 confortably and then we’d see.

          1. @fer-no65
            Lewis Hamilton, in his very first season in F1 took the fight to Fernando Alonso. That is the sort of thing they need. Hamilton might not be that consistent right now, but he is still beating his team mate. And remember, they aren’t just up against Hamilton. It is also Vettel and Alonso. Two drivers who are absolutely massive when it comes to consistency.
            When Perez, in his third season can’t even beat Button, then he simply isn’t even close to that level.
            It doesn’t matter if the car is “capable” or not. it might not be on pace with the front runners. But it’s the best car of the midfield. For Perez, it would still have been a step up from his Sauber. Regardless of where McLaren usually are.

            They might not be “worthy” of a top level driver this year, but they can’t wait until they have the best car to realize that their driver line up can’t hold a candle to their competitors. That could cost them a world championship.

        2. @mads You must have forgotten about the 2011 season. It’s okay, we forgive you.

          1. @beejis60
            2011 was an incredibly bad year for Hamilton. Is he going to repeat that? Unlikely. Did he still show he had the speed we know him for? Most definitely.
            Has Perez shown massive speed like that? No. Has he shown brilliant consistency? no.
            What has he shown? That he is an all-right driver, in an all-right car? Yeah probably. But that isn’t enough when he is up against people like Vettel, Alonso and Hamilton. When McLaren bounces back of cause.

    3. Jenson Button is a WDC, a very good driver. He’s not the best on Saturdays but he can fight with top cats on Sundas if he has a good car but I would come short of calling Sergio Perez a “tremendous driver”. Checo is a good driver at best, who happens to nurse his tyres quite well and usually makes the best of “reverse strategies” that is often run because he too is not a the best of qualifiers.

      Checo is young and has room for progress but is not in the same league as Button just yet.

    4. They effectively used Sergio as a year filler for Magnussen to come in. That’s wrong,. and I’m tired of hearing that he is an inexperienced driver,. over who ? Stupid armchair critics.

    5. I’m pretty sure they thought they’ll have another Hamilton on their hands and in this regard Perez failed resp. his on track performance wasn’t really outstanding. Pretty good but not outstanding.
      But there is more to rate a driver – his ability to work with the team and to give feedback to engineers and in this regard only McLaren knows how he fares.

    6. With the financial backing of Honda, they don’t need Carlos Slim his money anymore. I hope they give Magnussen a contract … but a Magnussen/Bianchi battle at Marussia would be great too :D

  2. Cant blame McLaren. They wanted Raikkonen and instead Perez tuned out to be another Coulthard. You can’t have two Coulthards in a team :)

    1. There wouldn’t be enough room in one garage for 2 of dc’s chins.

    2. As far ad I’m aware, they never approached Raikkonen, because they wanted a driver they could keep in the long term. They were interested in him at the end of 2009, but quickly decided to go in another direction.

    3. True. However, I find it amusing that they are considering dropping Perez instead of Button. Perez has shown more pace and racing prowess than Button this year. Sure, he hasn’t matured and stepped it up as many expected him to, but its better to have a driver that can develop into a top tier driver, instead of one that has matured as a mediocre driver

      1. @todfod Over-driving a car is considered racing prowess? It’s because of that ‘race skill’ he has collected a whopping 35 points this season compared to 60 points by Button. I would turn down 10 Sergio Perez’s over 1 Jenson Button any day. And yes, I am a Jenson Button fan. that’s world champion Jenson Button!

        1. As I said… Perez still has time to develop. By understanding racing limits, finding some consistency in performance and gaining a little experience of driving with a top tier team would do him a lot of good. He might have had some over aggressive weekends such as Monaco this year, but he has shown that he has that he has skill to become a top tier driver.

          Jenson has shown everything he is capable of, especially in 2012 when he should have been fighting for the championship but instead he was moaning and finishing outside the points. There is no way in hell that Jenson is good enough to win another championship… And im sure even a brawn type of dominant car would do the trick for him now.

          I would take a risk on a driver that could hit the sweet spot in his potential as compared to someone who is at his best, but his best just doesn’t cut it.

          As you said, button is a world champion… I think that’s more than anyone expected of him anyways. But no point in keeping someone who just doesn’t look capable of repeating it

          1. Ask Lewis how terrible Jenson is. Lion’s den or equal duel – Button beat him on points but not qualy position in their 3 years together, and Lewis was firmly entrenched. Even Alonso is not great at qualy – Button v. Vettel would probably go very similar to Vet v Web, but Button v Webber, Alonso or Raikkonen would be interesting. Don’t forget who was the last man taking the fight to the Red Bulls and Vet in 2011 and who finished 2nd in WDC ahead of Webber and Hammy. That’s right, the Frome Flyer…
            Kimi would beat him over a season, not sure about Alonso. I think it would be interesting if McL got Massa for a year, that way we could see. Every driver has ups and downs in a season – if Button had been racing a 2013 Red Bull with traction, I mean “torque” control, who knows if Seb would have walked to the WDC as easily as he did over Webber. For my money, Hulk then Massa would be better 1 year deals than another Perez.
            :)

        2. @gdewilde

          I would turn down 10 Sergio Perez’s over 1 Jenson Button any day. And yes, I am a Jenson Button fan. that’s world champion Jenson Button!

          You make this sound like Jenson Button is so great… News flash…. The only reason Button was WDC is because of luckying out on being in the right team at the right time… Lol… Button´s case is exactly the same as SV´s… He was just blessed in having a far superior car! And he was so great? How many times has he been runner-up to the Champ? 2011 comes to mind but not much after that I think…. Seriously… Button is just average.
          Oh and BTW… he´s a world class whiner! Nothing is ever his fault, even from the his days in Honda… Sad…

      2. @todfod Not only Sergio is not close to Button in the champ but okay with that car it doesn’t mean much … But during the year we heard a lot of critics about Checco unable to help in the development departement and thus it would be a disaster to have Perez and Magnussen together next year as this is a guaranted fail in the development and this will surely be a huge factor next year and McLaren has usually been good in that.

        So Button is a must keep for them and if they want to change the line up, Perez is the only option.
        You can say all you want, that’s the situation for the moment at McLaren.

        1. I don’t know why people think Button is any good at setting up a car either. He has take. Some risks in setup in changing conditions that have paid off… But over an enire season, i don’t ever remember Jenson developing the car into better machinery than it started the year with. In fact, Jenson doesn’t seem to get a lot of things right.. Which is obvious in his constant complaints about massive understeer and no grip.

    4. LOL!

      I’d love to see Kevin Magnussen in small team next year getting ready to start his stint at McLaren, maybe his presence would help Checo improve his driving.

      1. Obviously Mac knows the car has been insufficient, so if there is anything to these rumors it has to be that they think Perez is lacking something that KM can bring, be it more pace, more car development, more PR impact…something. So it might not be that they have really big issues with SP, just that they see more in KM and perhaps can’t afford to dilly dally and see him end up elsewhere. Although it sounds like they have a grasp on KM nonetheless with their “we could place him at Marussia for a year and extend SP for one year” suggestion.

  3. Hehehe quite cheeky from Hamilton on the congratulatory letter!

    1. Love that! I also love the first comment on that Facebook post. :-)

      1. aka_robyn

        Love that! I also love the first comment on that Facebook post. :-)

        Good spot!

        congrats Seb – next year’s view
        Liam Tyson: Being lapped?

        Ouch!

    2. That comment is priceless. But still, I like Lewis lpiece of half-humor/half-confidence. Mercedes really is confident their bet on 2014 is going to pay-off, personally I’d like to see a different champ next year and Lewis or Nico can fix that for me.

      1. Hmmmm…Only problem is, LH, you probably won’t be allowed to use this year’s car next year…nyuck,nyuck!

        Makes me wonder though…how would a 2013 car do vs. a 2014?

  4. I wander what has happened with Slim sponsorship in McLaren…

    1. You just have to connect the dots, last weekend we learned the Mexican GP is not happening next year so Mr Slim sees no point in becoming a big sponsor in Mclaren yet.

      A shame really because we all remember how Mr Witmarsh praised Pérez and told us they signed him for his talent not for his sponsors… what a difference a year makes.

      1. Well I will guess that the evaluation of Perez will depend it what McLaren was hoping to get when they hired him. If McLaren were hoping for another Hamilton, looks like they aren´t getting it. And another thing that maybe playing againts Perez is his marketing value. Until last week I was able to watch a comercial from Perez (claro tv), but most of the marketing responsabilities are being put on Button.

        1. I agree with @mantresx and @celeste. Let’s also add that a year ago the Honda deal wasn’t in the table yet but this year everything was confirmed and more important, Honda could give the money McLaren was needing from Slim and also they explicitly request a top driver for 2015 which means they would like to have different drivers than the current ones.

          1. @camo8723 good point about the Honda deal. Maybe they want to give Magnussen a year experience before the engine change for him to be competitive.

            And your comment gives room to the rumor of Alonso going back to McLaren.

    2. Maybe McLaren is using Pérez driving position in the team as a bait to keep Slim´s sponsorship.

    3. @camo8723 – Slim never had much sponsorship on the car, and as far as I’m aware, it hasn’t been removed. Even if it has, those decals have changed a few times over the course of the season.

      As for the major sponsor next year, it was never confirmed that Slim or any of his companies would replace Vodafone. Everyone just assumed they would because of Perez’s presence. McLaren only ever said that they had acquired a new sponsor, and that it would be announced in December once the season was over (probably due to the existing contract with Vodafone).

      1. You are right I think some of us assumed that the deal was with one of Slim’s companies but maybe is another so we have to wait and see if Perez will stay and what will be the new sponsor. Meanwhile I will keep enjoying the fan art of 2015 Honda-McLaren.

      2. I have a feeling that it will be Exxon Mclaren Honda.

        1. I’m sticking with Emirates McLaren Honda, but Gillette is likely.

  5. As I said in the forum: Perez deserves another year. He has been quite consistent and had impressive races in Bahrain and India. He’s had some clumsy moments, but lately he’s been driving maturely, and those recent performances could prove vital as Force India clawed themselves back into the race for 5th.
    If they do go with Magnussen, I doubt it will have much to do with money as Telmex were never going to be big sponsors of the team – Perez was hired because of his talent.

    1. I agree with your comment. Perez has had some clunkers early on in the season, but I think he’s matured this year and has been pretty consistently scoring points. I think ditching him after one year in a poor car would be a disservice to Perez, who is still young and developing as a driver. The guy that stunned everybody a few times last year hasn’t gone away, he’s just in a car that can’t show his talents.

      Magnussen would have to come in and have a phenomenal debut season to convince me that Perez isn’t the better choice.

      1. But Mac knows full well how the equipment has lacked, so if there is anything to the rumors then it has to be regarding things other than the car. They might even be relatively fine with SP but think there is something even more special about KM. It might even just be that, if the rumors are correct and the best SP can expect is a one-year extension, they are thinking longer term for KM and want to get working with him ASAP with the new format.

        KM makes a good point that with the 2014 cars being new to everyone experience is perhaps less essential for next year, but I also think the other side of that coin is that when everything is so new it is experience that will see some teams and drivers adapt more quickly than others.

  6. I don’t think Perez has really been doing that bad a job to be honest.

    This years car’s been pretty rubbish & Button’s experience not just of 13yrs in F1 but also 4 years in the team have likely helped him drive around some of the problems sooner than Perez has been able to in certain situations.

    Maybe if McLaren were capable of giving him a race winning/Podium contending car he’d be up there contending for wins/podiums as he was several times through 2012 in a Sauber.

  7. It would be a tad unfair to boot Perez out of McLaren after one year. The MP4-28 simply hasn’t been very good, and while there have been moments of obvious frustration in his driving this year, I do believe the closer to front he is, the better he drives, from what we have seen. This was particularly evident last year. So build a good car, one that can fight for poles and wins, and then see how he performs and develops.

    Let’s not overlook the fact that he is already starting to outperform the most experienced driver on the grid, in his first year at the team.

    1. @electrolite

      It would be a tad unfair to boot Perez out of McLaren after one year.

      lol since when was anything in F1 decided based on principles of “fairness”? hehe silly Perez-fan!

      1. @joepa I would hope their decision is based on well they believe he is driving, not simply because kicking him out would be unfair.

        hehe silly Perez-fan!

        Right-o.

        1. it is unffair becouse he deserves to be in mclaren next year

          1. I guess that it will depend in weather McLaren believe that Magnussen is able to do a better job tan Perez…

  8. And what about Hulkenberg? Surely his experience more than makes up for the extra kilos he has compared to Magnussen, if they’re going to ditch Pérez, they may as well get the best driver available.
    Unless of course they’ve given up on 2014 already, which increasingly seems to be the case.

    1. @mantresx – What about him? Hulkenberg has been linked to the vacant Lotus seat ever since Raikkonen’s departure for Ferrari was announced, and the team’s new stakeholders have announced that they want him to race for them. Why should McLaren waste all that time and effort chasing after him when another team are already trying to sign him? Sure, they’ll miss out on having him, but if they waste time going after him, someone else could sweep in, pick up the next-best driver available, and leave McLaren with no choice but to take the third-best option. The idea of having Hulkenberg drive might be nice, but it’s the stupidest thing they could do.

      And I suspect Martin Whitmarsh was the unnamed team principal Martin Brundle was talking about in Japan who said he was unconvinced by Hulkenberg. And he has a point – Hulkenberg hasn’t stayed with a team long enough to have any meaningful impact on their long-term development, which is exactly the sort of thing McLaren would be looking for.

      1. Don’t forget that Hulkenberg was Force India’s test driver for a year before joining the team, I think his work in 2011 had a part to play in the highs they had in 2012 (Malaysia, Belgium, Singapore, Brazil etc). And that the only reason he was with Williams for such a short time and not able to impact development is because he was pushed out to make way for Pa$tor Megabucksdonado.

      2. If the Hulk has not proven yet that he can develop a team, why then go for Magnussen?
        Why should McLaren not bid for the Hulk, Lotus is one option for him, but would Lotus be the best team to go to?
        Don’t get your point.

        1. To be fair he wasn’t indicating they should go for Magnussen.

  9. I don´t know to what extent, to let Pérez go would be sort of a waste. Imagine he was being prepared for a year already to drive for this top team and now, after one year they´d let him go.
    I don´t think this will go through.

  10. A COTD I can completely agree with. Well done @maroonjack,. Bring back the real F1.

    1. I second that. I’ve been rallying for that for years but I think it was prisoner monkeys who pointed out that F1 has an addiction to wind tunnels and downforce, so I won’t be holding my breath for your (and my and HoHum’s) wishes to come true.

      That said, surely to goodness the overwhelming response to DRS has been negative, so to me it is a no-brainer that they get rid of this gadget in favour of spec-wings, or go the route of ground-effects or something…anything…to get away from processions and DRS passes.

  11. OmarR-Pepper (@)
    6th November 2013, 2:16

    Well, no Mexican GP, no need of a Mexican driver…
    At this rate, F1 is going to end up with racers only coming from countries where a race is held. (Sirotkin adnd Kvyat “just for a coincidence” being hired for their raw talent a year before the Russian Race). So maybe it’s time Kobayashi starts training hard, or one of the Superjunior guys will take his spot, based only on more popularity worldwide, and more important nowadays, tons of money.

    1. OmarR-Pepper (@)
      6th November 2013, 2:27

      It was a reply for @mantresx

    2. @omarr-pepper @mantresx and interesting question would be: what will Slim will do if Perez is droped? Get him in another team (Force India by example) or drop Gutiérrez and get Perez back in Sauber?

      Not a good year for Mexican drivers in F1 IMHO, even when Chacho and Enrique Tornello try to tell us otherwise in Fox Latin America.

      1. OmarR-Pepper (@)
        6th November 2013, 4:33

        @celeste they can even fire Chacho if there aren’t any Mexican drivers to talk about ;P

        1. @omarr-pepper Naahh, poor old Chacho, let him stay. But I don’t mind if Adrian Puente doesn’t show himself in the future. Can’t stand the guy, he talks about F1 like it was soccer :D :D
          @celeste You’re right, things doesn’t look very promising.
          I’m a little disappointed of latin american drivers… At least Gutierrez is performing better than I expected at the beginning of the year. But lack of overtaking skills of Perez and Maldonado is not making me happy at all. They aren’t rookies anyway, I hope next year we could see a serious improvement in this matter.

          1. Good luck getting anyone to overtake in that dog of a car that is called the FW35.

        2. @omarr-pepper :D… that will be nice… it will help improeve viewers…. Maybe they can chance all the FOX team?

          @mantresx Yeah, not matter how you look at it Gutiérrez is the one that is in more danger… it will be interesting to see what happens…

          @andrei yes, all latin american drivers have underperformed or have had too many incidents, it is really dissaponting to see…

      2. What will Slim will do if Perez is droped? Get him in another team or drop Gutiérrez and get Perez back in Sauber?

        @celeste hehe I hadn’t thought about that, Sauber would have the option of putting either Pérez/Gutiérrez ($$), Maldonado ($$$$) or Sirotkin ($$$$$$) not looking good there, but I expect Mclaren to put Magnussen on a Marussia or a FI anyway.

        Gutiérrez is the one that should be worried though, even the richest man in the world can’t compete against governments’ sponsorship and their unlimited funds, and of course only scoring 6 points when your teamate has nearly 40 doesn’t help!

  12. Perez: Next best thing to no seat in 1 season?

    I think it would be incredibly harsh to dump Perez now, he has potential and the MP4-28 is a dog. Give him another season, if Button is winning races and Perez is still battling in the lower end of the top 10, then he’d need to go.

    1. Agree with that sentiment, except I’d go for “fighting for Podiums”, rather than wins.

      And, as much of a Button fan as I am, I’d put that clause to both of them, just to keep the pressure up.

  13. Disclaimer – I don’t think Sergio Perez lacks talent to be in F1 but I do think his talents and financial backing combined landed his his drive at McLaren; therefore, is a talented pay driver.

    Pay drivers are not a thing of today but I don’t recall an era where money spoke so loud, so news of McLaren considering Magnussen to replace Perez is music to my hears. However, I don’t see it happening because money is so important now that I believe a Formula 1 team would hire Lionel Messi as a driver if he came with $250 mil bag…

    1. He did bring some sponsorship to the team in Clarovideo, but he hasn’t brought huge financial backing to McLaren as Telmex or Claro were never going to be title sponsors (I think it’s either Emirates or Gillette). Also, I don’t think the Mexican GP’s future has any bearing on the decision either.

      1. Jack (@jackisthestig)
        6th November 2013, 23:02

        It definately won’t be Gillette, most probably GSK.

  14. Like many others i do share the view Perez deserves another year at Mclaren (or in F1 atleast). But if Mclaren can’t find a seat for Magnusson anywere else on the grid, what do they do? Keep Perez for moral reasons, or go with Magnusson, who they believe could be the next Hamilton. It’s not an easy decision. Id go for Magnusson, cause I think he could be the real deal, and it would be great if he would be prepared for 2015. But I could understand whatever choise Mclaren makes. Perez hasn’t done that bad in the 2nd half of the season.

  15. The Macca this year might be rubbish but Mclaren stuffed up in choosing a driver like Perez: he’s too similar in characteristics to Button. They need another driver ala hamilton that has more raw speed and can qualify that dog at least a couple grid slots above where it should be. Hamilton would have scooped up a couple podiums this year at least me reckons

    1. I doubt it.

      I think Hamilton would’ve equaled Button/Perez’s 5th Place, maybe more often than both of them, but to be quicker than Lotus, Merc and Ferrari all on the same piece of Tarmac… I doubt the McLaren would be capable of that with a Hamilton, Alonso or Vettel.

  16. I am hearing India will return to the calendar next year according to Channel Ten. That could make it 22 races next year unless if Mexico/New Jersey drops our then the races will be reduced by 1 to 21.

  17. WilliamB (@william-brierty)
    6th November 2013, 8:12

    Ah, another rumour spread by poor journalism. Who was it this time? Sky Sports or BBC’s Andrew Benson?

    Please allow me to make something quite plain; Sergio Perez does not deserve to be replaced. Is the disparity between Perez and Button so great that one becomes the team hero and the other gets the sack? No. Have the performances of a driver that has always preferred oversteer been accurately been portrayed in such a front-limited and generally poor car? No. Are McLaren blind to Perez’s recent strong form? Of course not. And don’t be mistaken into thinking that we have a new Sebastian Vettel on our hands with Magnussen. He failed to win the FR3.5 championship on his first attempt, and actually finished behind Antonio Felix Da Costa in the standings…who didn’t do the full championship. Make no mistaken, just because Red Bull has made something of a knee-jerk decision with Kvyat, it doesn’t mean McLaren will. They are aware of all the factors I outlined, and that’s why Perez is probably signing on the dotted line as I type…

    1. Magnussen failed to win FR3.5 on his first attempt

      ? You obviously didn’t follow FR 2012 as you then would have know that KM had an exceptional amount of DNF’s that were not due to his own mistakes. To finish as high as he did under the circumstances was almost miraculous.

      And don’t be mistaken into thinking that we have a new Sebastian Vettel on our hands with Magnussen

      To be honest with you he is clearly the best bet we have seen so far. He has blinding single lap and race speed, he beats everybody when testing F1’s, he has improved at a rocket level, but more importantly: he has been brought up in a paddock and has probably the best all round understanding of racing as a whole compared to his peers. His racing maturity and technical understanding is far beyond the standard for his age.

      Don’t be mistaken; Kevin’s father knows exactly what he himself was lacking to succeed and has beaten those disciplines into his sons head from the moment he could understand.

      Make no mistake; Kevin Magnussen is the real deal, the new breed of over-mature, exceptionally well rounded youngsters in a magnitude of skills and in every way a possible Vettel contender. McLaren are obviously well aware of those factors since they will even consider promoting him.

      1. @poul – I think you have somewhat misunderstood me. I think Magnussen is the real deal, very much another Vergne, Ricciardo or Grosjean. However he hasn’t blazed through the junior categories in a fire of glory like Hamilton, Hulkenberg or even Frijns has, who all won a major championship, whether it be GP2 or FR3.5, on their first attempt. That’s what I meant when I said Magnussen did win FR3.5 on his first attempt; I meant the championship not a race. And you can cite misfortune as a reason for Magnussen’s failure to win the title, but the facts are he was not the out-and-out fastest driver in 2012, definitely behind Frijns, Da Costa and Bianchi in terms of speed, and in a series with such durable tyres, speed is the crux of a successful campaign. I’d argue that the presence of Vandoorne has robbed Magnussen of the status FR3.5’s fastest man in 2013 too, although as you so rightly point out, that is not the cornerstone of Magnussen’s talents. He is of the new Vettelian bred of young driver; mature, measured, intelligent and consistent. This is how Magnussen has managed to wipe the floor with such competent drivers as Vandoorne and Da Costa, and has put him firmly at the top of the junior series’ 2013 talented list; although admittedly that status didn’t help Frijns in 2012.

        Don’t get me wrong, I emphatically believe that Magnussen should be in F1. I simply don’t believe that his career so far suggests that we have the next Lewis Hamilton on our hands, and therefore he shouldn’t be catapulted into a top team, especially if it to the detriment of a driver as good as Sergio Perez, who has simply not been given the tools to demonstrate his talent in 2013.

    2. The more I seem to think about it, the more I actually think Red Bull’s decision on promoting Kvyat makes sense @william-brierty. Having watched the title-deciding GP3 race, he was quite frankly brilliant. Comfortably ahead of the rest of the field – in fact I watched the F1 race (obviously) afterwards and was reminded of the images of a yellow-nosed car streaking well ahead of the field and seemingly collecting fastest lap at will.

      It was a very strange choice at first glance as I think Da Costa clearly has the speed – also his 2013 season really wasn’t as bad as it appeared to some – but he does actually look like a really good driver.

      We shall see, but I’m expecting him to be beating Vergne quite consistently after the first 8 or so races.

      1. WilliamB (@william-brierty)
        7th November 2013, 8:12

        @vettel1 Do you not think this is something of a knee-jerk from Red Bull? Kvyat has put together some brilliant performances in the past few rounds of GP3, but before that he was rather anonymous. This really doesn’t make sense to me. Kvyat was rather ordinary in the Young Driver Test, whilst Da Costa and particularly Sainz excelled. I guessed that Da Costa’s path to Toro Rosso was under threat because of this delay, but I thought they were evaluating Sainz, who at least has more than one season’s worth of experience of higher powered single seaters. I also don’t think Red Bull can look at Da Costa’s 2013 campaign and think that it is at all representative of his talents, especially since Arden Caterham have repeatedly been saying that they can’t get the car back in the window they had it in last year, and with setup being utterly paramount this year in FR3.5, I think Red Bull can only congratulate Da Costa for still managing to win three times, despite effectively having one hand behind his back. And doesn’t the fact that Da Costa was right up there with Ricciardo’s Red Bull pace at Silverstone this year rather demean the argument that there was anything other than a tangible reason for Da Costa’s lackluster season? I never thought I’d say this regarding Red Bull with all their money and might, but this is clearly a commercially motivated decision, and is building on the “WE NEED A RUSSIAN AT THE RUSSIAN GP (which actually might not happen)!” fever. I can only imagine that the conversation in which Red Bull decided to go with Kvyat looked like this…

        OK, we need to choose a driver to go to Toro Rosso.

        Who’s winning at the moment in the Red Bull Young Driver Programme?

        Daniil Kvyat.

        Sign him then.

        Don’t get me wrong, Kvyat is a mighty fine driver, but it is way too early to be promoting him to F1. He needed at least one season in FR3.5, so he gets some kind of experience of F1ish power, and let’s remember GP3 is a huge power jump from his previous series anyway. Just like Sirotkin, premature promotion looks set to ruin the chances of another Russian driver, and that really is a shame, because at times over the past few rounds of GP3, you could be mistaken for thinking we had some kind of megastar on our hands with Kvyat. But the fact that his first races of his F1 career will inevitably be judged on the inevitable toils of a driver thrown in at the deep end seems a little unfair to me.

  18. I personally would love to see Magnussen in F1. It would be good to finally have a FR3.5 champion in F1 again (Kubica won the series in 2005 and van der Garde in 2008 but the latter made his F1 debut several years later). It would also be a nice story as Magnussen’s father was close to becoming a permanent McLaren driver.

    But I think that Perez should be given another year at McLaren, too. Ideally, Magnussen should make his debut with Marussia or a similar team. I believe that it’s not a problem that drivers such as van der Garde and Chilton get chances to prove their worth in F1 but F1 simply needs more teams to accommodate all the drivers who deserve that chance.

    1. F1 simply needs more teams to accommodate all the drivers who deserve that chance.

      I agree, I wish HRT stayed in F1 but under new ownership – the fact they kept swapping drivers during the season was a joke to be honest. I wonder if any serious new teams will come along any time soon…?

      1. there are a couple of problems with that @gfreeman,
        1. HRT couldn’t qualify within the 107% time in both 2011 and 2012
        2. their car was a piece of *****, it failed all FIA crash tests, and due to this, got no winter testing done
        3. there budget was also a load of rubbish, it’s a wonder how their car was still allowed to race
        4. Maurussia and Caterham have alot more money than HRT ever had, that is why Maurussia is going to use Ferrari engines in 2014, their consistency and their racing has rewarded them with more money and therefore better equipment

        1. I never said they were a well functioning team, I just said that in the context of having another team and that they were the last team to leave F1 and it doesn’t look like anybody serious is coming along any time soon. While your first two points seem highly generalised let alone highly opinionated, I’m inclined to agree with what you said.

          IMO, one of their biggest mistakes (among many) was to lose Geoff Willis, I think he’d have had a decent impact on the team. I do hope that a new team comes along in a few years time though.

          1. yeah, but I think there is some Americam team by the name of Scorpion Racing that is trying the last of HRT, but the state that Adrian Campos and the other dude left it in, I don’t think they’ll have any luck in even trying to bring their car (if the deal is done and they build the car) to a higher position, or even out of 18th. But I would applaude them for trying though

  19. Sergio Perez or Kevin Magnussen at McLaren next year? Well, Sergio Perez has been doing a good job this year in my opinion: he has the speed to keep up with Button and throughout the year his performance seems to have increased. He is a little rough around the edges (how many times have we not seen other drivers complaining about Perez’ defensive driving?), but like many other gems that desperately needed to be polished (Maldonado, Grosjean), it will probably work out in the long term. So no reason to fire Perez in my opinion.

    But then again, Kevin Magnussen has had an unbelievably impressive year. In a highly competitive FR3.5 field, he not only showed he was incredibly fast, but especially the consistency was remarkable. I would love to see McLaren take a bit of a chance with a youngster. And let’s face it, McLaren is a midfield team right now, so why wouldn’t they?

  20. What did Mclaren expect from Perez?
    It seems they wanted the next Hamilton but, to me, it was obvious that he isn’t a natural talent like Hamilton. I mean, just look at his results before F1, there’s nothing impressive. He has done a good job in F1 so far, last year he had some impressive races, but he has never been consistent with his results.
    I’d say he deserves another year in Mclaren. Magnussen is a great driver and I’d love to see him in F1 next year, but I think it would be very difficult for him to jump in a Mclaren and deliver results. Lewis did it, but 2006/2007 was a long time ago and F1 has changed a lot. There are rumors that Magnussen could go to Force India, it would be perfect for him.

    1. @yobo01

      There are rumors that Magnussen could go to Force India, it would be perfect for him.

      Not according to FI.

  21. I hate it when they talk about driver line ups when the machinery was so poor! Focus on the problem Mclaren!

    The car is a dog!

    1. While true, the fact is that even when the car is a dog one can still make a comparison between the drivers assuming they have equally doggish cars. Also, it can be about more than just the car. I would suggest that Perez hasn’t done that much less than JB points-wise, so if in fact he is about to be replaced it might be more about his attitude, or his lack of input or any of many things that might make someone else look more attractive. I’m not saying that is the case with Perez as I have no handle on what he is like on the test track or in the garage or back at the factory, but I’m just saying it likely doesn’t just come down to the car. If lousy cars is what it ever only boiled down to then a lot of drivers would have been retained throughout the years who were indeed let go. I think a car can remain lousy if a team lacks quality input from the driver.

      1. “If lousy cars is what it ever only boiled down to then a lot of drivers would have been retained throughout the years who were indeed let go. I think a car can remain lousy if a team lacks quality input from the driver.”
        Exactly. We have often seen McLaren start the year with an under performing car to end the season with the fastest car on the grid. This year, they have not improved relatively, as they use to when they have a bad year. Could be because they have opted to concentrate on the next level in 2014 and forward, but if so, they must have confidence that they will be able to fight at the front of the grid. To do that they need both a fast car and a fast driver line-up. Right now they have neither. So I think they should change the driver line-up for next year and if Kevin is the real deal, then lets see what he can do in the McLaren come march 2014. It would be more of a pity to let Kevin start his F1 career as a back marker than to pass on Perez, who was very promissing until he signed with McLaren.

  22. UNeedAFinn2Win
    6th November 2013, 13:22

    So the BBC article argues that Kimi, who has brought the team financial and commercial success by dragging the team to it’s position in last years champoinship and is doing the same this year pretty much on his own especially during the first half of the season, does not deserve to get paid now because he was paid so well for doing the exactly same job in his career before in other teams. What ?

    It’s what he does. That is his trade. He has a unique set of skill that he sells. Just like anyone who is hired to do a job.

    1. Michael Brown (@)
      6th November 2013, 13:50

      It’s written by Andrew Benson. That’s what he does.

      1. We know this, it’s Andrew Benson writing the article who will write pure speculation or articles which stir stuff up just to get hits on his articles.

  23. Michael Brown (@)
    6th November 2013, 13:47

    Dropping Perez after one season would be unfair. It’s not his fault the car’s horrible.

    If the rules could limit aero development, could they then open up suspension development? Promoting mechanical grip would help F1 in overtaking.

  24. On Ricciardo’s tweet: He is already turning out to be Mark Webber nr.2! He should be a good qualifier, but if he tends to screw up his start every single time, like he is doing this year, he will turn out to be a the disappointment of 2014!

    1. @gdewilde Here’s what the data says on their lap one positions changes over the last two years (total/average)

      Ricciardo 2012: -2 / -0.1
      Webber 2012: -23 / -1.15

      Ricciardo 2013: -11 / -0.65
      Webber 2013: -20 / -1.18

      So Ricciardo seems to be better but both are outside the top half:

      https://www.racefans.net/statistics/2012-f1-statistics/race-data/#positionchangeonlapone
      https://www.racefans.net/statistics/2013-f1-statistics/race-data/#positionchangeonlapone

      1. @keithcollantine It’s less then I initially thought, but he still loses places to often. I think it’s especially obvious when he qualifies in the top 10:
        – Australian GP 2012: 10 –> 21
        – Bahrain GP 2012: 6 –> 16
        – Chinese GP 2013: 7 –> 7
        – British GP 2013: 5 –> 7
        – German GP 2013: 6 –> 7
        – Hungarian GP 2013: 8 –> 9
        – Italian GP 2013: 7 –> 7
        – Singapore GP 2013: 9 –> 14
        – Abu Dhabi GP 2013: 9 –> 16
        Not once has he gained a position at the start, is it the pressure of starting high on the grid?
        But next year the pressure will be 10x higher at RBR.. I’m holding my breath ;-)

  25. I think Perez should get another year, sure he hasn’t amazed people as much as people expected but at the end of the day the Mclaren has been the worst Mclaren in some time, Perez has beaten Button in qualifying and races on several occasions, so if he can beat a world champion in equal machinery in his first year at the team at the age of 23 I personally would give him another year. They gave Kovalainen another year and the gap between Button and Perez is much smaller than the gap between Kovalainen and Hamilton. The only suitable driver who could replace Perez would be Hulkenberg, but Mclaren don’t want him so I can only see Perez staying another year.

    1. The argument about Kovalainen is not exactly in Perez’ favor, as giving Kova another year proved to be a mistake. When Hamilton got the seat alongside Alonso, we also thought it was to early, but he proved us wrong. Kevin just maybe could do the same.

      1. Your comparison with Hamilton can’t really be applied today due to no in season testing or teams being allowed two cars at a winter test. Hamilton had about 22 days testing before his first race, Magnussen wont have that luxury, young drivers today have barely any track time to improve their driving, which is why he could benefit from having a year in a team lower down the field to learn and improve as a driver, then move to Mclaren in 2015.

      2. Alonso arguably can set up better the car than Button which benefit Hamilton, but also a dominant car helps a lot, is not like Perez is missing poles or podiums that Button can, is the car to fix not the drivers at maclaren

  26. Perez deserves another year, if he’s the same next year then get rid of him, but it would be cruel to dump him now as he’s said he hasn’t spoken to any other teams…but this is F1!

    1. Perez has beaten Button in qualifying and races on several occasions

      9-8 in qualifying in Button’s favour, races 12-5 in favour of Button, that’s “beaten” in your terms?

      1. Notice the word ‘occasions’ in there, if Perez has outqualified Button in a race then he has beaten him at qualifying in that particular race, notice how it doesn’t say ‘Perez has outqualified Button this season’.

        1. Lewis usually had 3/10ths or so on Button in practice and qualy, Jenson usually has 2-4/10ths on Perez… Checco has done a few great overtakes (Monaco) and some desperate race ending bonehead moves (also Monaco). He lacks raw pace to Button and also race craft. Insufficient performance to justify the loss of WCC points a better candidate would garner (Hulk). Nuff said.

      2. yeah, Button has out qualified him most of the season, but with the new gen car next year, if McLaren use what they have wisely, they could get back to where they were in 2012, seriously fighting for the champoinship and winning races, no matter what driver/s they decide to use.

  27. im think he deserves another year with the new car, and i think he is gonna be there the next year maybe because Mclaren want to keep him, or maybe because of money, remember that even if Slim has nothing to do with Mclaren, Santander bank get more money from Mexico than from a lot of other contries, and here in Mexico they just start to take advantage of that, with adds a that stuff. So i dont know witch one would be the reason but i think he will stay. Sorry for my english. see you.

  28. I find it very disappointing from Lotus the way they are accusing Kimi of not being a team player. Kimi has scored the better part of 70 more points than Romain this year, on top of last year more than doubling Romain’s points haul. It now comes to light that he has been driving at ten-tenths all year without being paid a cent and because he drives wheel-to-wheel with Romain in India he isn’t a team player? I am a fan of Lotus, and will continue to be, but please do the right thing by a driver that spearheaded putting the team back at the right end of the finishing order.

  29. Perez both should and shouldn’t go back to McLaren, this being that the strong performance in India, and I think in Abu Dhabi really opened up his chanes to get the seat, but the 17 or so races before have been slighty under par. I dunno, I just think that he should work with the team to produce a competitive car, even Massa has been performing better than before lately, that has just been because he hasn’t got a seat for 2014 and is desperately looking for one, but all other stories aside, I think with the new gen car, he could really make an impact on the Champoinship, if Perez uses what he’s got at his disposal wisely.

  30. I think Mclaren bosses rather sacrifice Perez and blame him rather than accept been incompetent to produce a winning car or to fix it in a whole season with a huge budget.
    Button is not capable of running the team forward poor leadership, why keep him ? At least is an available WDC which looks good I guess, but Mclaren should pair two young hungry drivers, can’t have a worst season.
    Slim won’t sponsor a loosing team.

    1. McLaren will come back some in 2014, it’s a new generation car and they will be even better in 2015 then they have Honda engines, look at what happened the last time Honda powered McLaren, Aryton won 3 WCC with the same Honda engine before he made that move to Williams. I think it has just been one of those years and no one should count them out

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