Well that was unexpected. Why sign so early when there are still top seats open?
Merc probably wouldnt have been an Option for him, that means he didnt think RBR would hire him either? or he thinks RBR will fail the 26 regulations, and Aston/Honda are the better bet.
ALO must really have faith in Aston’s progress in the upcoming years.
Where does that leave SAI? Maybe an all Spanish line-up at Aston? (Assuming that PER keeps his seat at Red Bull if he continues his current form)
Sauber. Shit 2025, then Audi’s no. 1 in 2026.
Makes sense. But who’s seat would it be? Bottas or Zhou?
@Pixelemme @saltesc Zhou. But I don’t think SAI will go to Sauber to be in a shit car. He saw what happened to ALO going to McLaren when Honda came back and won’t want to waste his prime years toddling around in the lower midfield.
Here’s a pretty reasonable driver lineup for 2025 with quite a few rookies:
RBR: VER, PER
MER: RUS, SAI
FER: LEC, HAM
AMR: ALO, STR
MCL: NOR, PIA
SAU: HUL, Pourchaire
HAAS: BOT, Bearman
WIL: ALB, Antonelli
RB: TSU, Lawson
ALP: OCO, GASWhy would Sainz go to Merc and not RBR? Perez is not locked into RBR, I’m sure they would’ve dropped him last year if there was a promising replacement available. This year Sainz is available and he came up in the RB academy and he’s a better driver than Perez. RBR is guaranteed to make him an offer to replace Perez, it simply comes down to whether he wants it or not. If I were to bet I’d bet on Sainz going to RBR.
@GoodEye8 can’t see it happening, not with Perez’s form right now. He’s exactly what they want. RBR don’t want a 1b driver in that second car. They just need someone who can consistently come second and support Verstappen. He’s got his flaws, and 2023 wasn’t a banner year for him, but Verstappen was in a class of his own and didn’t really need the support with how dominant the car was, and he still came second in the championship. He’s the best #2 driver RBR has had since Webber.