I know these times are meaningless but I had to remind myself Carlos is just behind Charles in the Williams. I wonder how hard they were really pushing.
Does anyone know if this was broadcast anywhere or if there's any footage worth watching?
It could very well be a PR stunt but the content in the OP is "real" in the sense that it matches what's being reported and isn't photoshopped or something.
Great to see them win the championship in spite of themselves. The pit wall has some major improvements to find over the winter if they want to be a contender for WDC and what looks to be an excellent WCC battle for 2025.
It was very touching to listen to. Lewis has never been one to shy away from emotion and even he seems to be taking some time to really feel the gravity of it all. Listening to his post race interview was very cool too. You can tell he really loves and respects the Mercedes team just like he has with McLaren before them.
We need more wholesome F1 moments mixed in with the battling!
Brutal but honest. Unfortunately no one can see the future.
My memory fails me- Who else was in the mix when he lost the Mercedes drive? I remember him taking Kimi's place but that's about it. Sauber has been through so many name changes I can't remember who else was even rumored to be a potential landing spot for Valtteri back then.
They'd want him as a reserve or sim driver maybe. I think there will be a big push for someone from Indy to come to the grid. Whether it's Herta or someone else who knows. The second seat I think they'll try to fill with someone from F1 as high up the talent pool as they can attract. To be blunt but not disrespectful, there are drivers with higher stock than Zhou that will be available around that time.
Everyone seems to agree this year's Sauber isn't a competitive car so being towards the back is to be expected. His performance relative to Valtteri hasn't been particularly noteworthy though, which doesn't give him a lot of upside besides maybe experience. It'll be a tough battle for him to get back to the grid IMO.
More seats means more options though. Movement around the grid may open up a seat at a team looking for a driver that can be competitive without binning the car constantly. There's a lot of young talent on the rise but not every team can afford to let someone throw the car around while they learn. Zhou fits that bill nicely. People thought Kmag was done and he made a great comeback run, same for Hulk. Maybe Zhou will be the same.
Is there anyone more universally loved in the paddock than Valterri? He seems to leave such an impression everywhere he goes even when the media and others are being less than flattering to him. Awesome to hear positive stories of teammates working together and being friendly sometimes instead of the usual awkward questions and combative environments.
Well done to all the people grinding it out under the various faces of Sauber all these years, especially the drivers.
It's reddit. You can do anything you want as long as you love the taste of boot.