Over on r/Indycar the favorite theory is having Ganassi hire him to run the road courses in the 48 while Jimmie Johnson does the ovals. I don't see it happening, but it would be fun to watch.
I have to think if Alpine can find a way, they will take him back. He may not have been a good fit at McLaren, but the guy can clearly still drive, and he's a sponsor's dream with his personality. There's also Haas, of course. IMO, if he doesn't land back in F1, he'll probably end up in WEC.
MCLAREN OFFERED RICCIARDO THE CHANCE TO DRIVE FOR THEM IN ANOTHER SERIES
Very curious why Ric did not jump at the chance at indycar or FE. He would honestly have such a better chance at winning compared to the HAAS, Williams, and Alpine that might be available. His personality would make him quickly a fan favorite in Indycar.
In reply to trigun7469 :
Yea, his adoration of the us will go a long way racing here. Hm.
In reply to trigun7469 :
I would think he passed on that deal because McLaren just took a big E36 M3 on him.
Zak: "Hey we don't think you are good enough for the A team, how about a spot on one of our B squads?"
DR: "Well Zak, I think I have 3 options left in F1, maybe in a better car than yours maybe not and I am sure with my international fame everyone in Indy Car will make a seat for me, same for NASCAR, or any GT series. I appreciate the offer but I am not interested in being "friends". Please hand me my bag of cash and I will be on my way."
It has stuck in my head that Carlos Sainz made a joke or a passing comment about how "strange" the MCL was to drive when Danny took over, almost like he had just watched someone take a broken toy. Not that CS had anything to do with it but it seemed like he knew it was a turd and he was thrilled to see someone else try to polish it.
In reply to NY Nick :
It would be funny if Ric took the CGR ride in indycar and dominated. I bet he has a Aussie Supercars ride if he wants it as well. I could also understand the allure of F1 with the prestige and money as long as you don't mind not winning.
trigun7469 said:In reply to NY Nick :
It would be funny if Ric took the CGR ride in indycar and dominated.
He wouldn't, though. Grosjean was a low midpack F1 driver, and now he's a high midpack Indycar driver. The difference in talent isn't as big as some F1 fans would like to think, and since it's more or less a spec series, car setup and teamwork are super critical. I firmly believe that the top drivers in Indycar could have or would be very capable in F1. Scott Dixon, in particular, would have been WDC material if his career had gone that way.
Supercars is an obvious strong option for Danny, but I suspect he'd view it as a step back. Huge Australian presence, small worldwide presence.
WEC/Le Mans is the usual next step, because the top level cars are pretty much F1 cars with closed cockpits and wheels.
"I don't know the details but I guess that McLaren failed to extract the potential from him (Ricciardo)"
Seb Vettel at the drivers press conference. 
The joys of having announced your retirement!
If Danny isn't in the Trackhouse 91 guest car before the end of the season, I'll be a bit shocked.
There's not a lot of good Cup rides available, and Kyle Busch is very likely looking for a new home. Unless someone specifically builds him a team, I don't see it.
Indycar, I don't follow well enough to know to driver situation, but it sure looks like a good fit for him.
NY Nick said:"I don't know the details but I guess that McLaren failed to extract the potential from him (Ricciardo)"
Seb Vettel at the drivers press conference.
I'm not surprised Seb has a high opinion of Danny. He got schooled by him at Red Bull when Danny was a rookie.
Streetwiseguy said:If Danny isn't in the Trackhouse 91 guest car before the end of the season, I'll be a bit shocked.
There's not a lot of good Cup rides available, and Kyle Busch is very likely looking for a new home. Unless someone specifically builds him a team, I don't see it.
Indycar, I don't follow well enough to know to driver situation, but it sure looks like a good fit for him.
Well there are only the Cup playoffs left and drivers making their debut are not supposed to be allowed in once the playoffs start.
In reply to Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) :
CGR has won 70% of championships since 2008. I don't think Erricson would be in the top 5 in the championship in a Coyne car. Team, driver are important when it comes to championship, someone winning a race is more of a wildcard. This years championship will be decided on what is gained on team test days. I respect Dixon's talent but no way would he be at the same team for 20 years with several championships in F1. F1 just doesn't work that way. There have been many indycar drivers that have failed in F1 as well.
trigun7469 said:In reply to Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) :
CGR has won 70% of championships since 2008. I don't think Erricson would be in the top 5 in the championship in a Coyne car. Team, driver are important when it comes to championship, someone winning a race is more of a wildcard. This years championship will be decided on what is gained on team test days. I respect Dixon's talent but no way would he be at the same team for 20 years with several championships in F1. F1 just doesn't work that way. There have been many indycar drivers that have failed in F1 as well.
No doubt that landing on the right team is a huge part of it, but I'd argue that it's still less important than it is in F1, where if you're not on one of two teams in a given year, you have absolutely no shot whatsoever at a title. CGR may have won all those titles, but guys from Penske, Andretti, and even SPAM have been in the mix right up to the end in recent years.
I also agree about Ericsson. And he did have some luck. It was clear in the 500 that the last CGR car left standing was going to win. And it's a double-points event.
As for Dixon, I never said he'd have the same career in F1 as he has in Indycar. F1 is still a step up. I'm just saying it's not as big a step as some would have you think. He's an all-timer in Indycar, in the conversation with Mario and AJ. In F1, I think he would have been very good. I could see him having had a career like Kimi or Button, one title, but in the mix a lot. But I'm not going to argue that he's Lewis or Schumacher.
In reply to Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) :
He said that too. I couldn't transcribe the whole thing! Sebs attitude right now is great. It is like that rare time between when a politician decides not to run again and the end of the line. Just zero berkeleys given, full truth. I love it.
Leclerc, Verstappen Among Six F1 Drivers Dealt Grid Penalties (msn.com)
Should make for a very interesting race......and on what lap does the "BRAT" pass lewis?
So another odd situation for Ferrari- LeClerc goes out on new tires to give a tow to Sainz. And the reply was it was a mistake. There's no way Ferrari is going to compete with Red Bull, and they seem that they are going to let Mercedes over take them for the championship.
Verstappen and LeClerc both get full grid penalties for engine changes (as well as Norris)- and with the new gravel trap going into turn one, the start should be pretty interesting.
I'm still amazed at just how wrong Mercedes got it this season. They are no better than midpack on pace if the practice sessions are any indication of what they have. Seems like they went backwards during the break.
06HHR (Forum Supporter) said:I'm still amazed at just how wrong Mercedes got it this season. They are no better than midpack on pace if the practice sessions are any indication of what they have. Seems like they went backwards during the break.
Mercedes has had problems warming up the tires all year, and it's fairly chilly at Spa.
In reply to codrus (Forum Supporter) :
It wasn't too many years ago that they had the exact opposite problem with the tires. But I do think it goes deeper than that- they seem to have a long way to go to get to a set up where the drag/downforce is anywhere near Red Bull.
I think it was actually just last year or the year before - Mercedes could run harder tires than anyone else because they were pumping so much energy into them.
Since the break is supposed to be a complete shutdown, the cars should start this race about where they did the last one. The limitations on testing and CFD make it pretty difficult for a team to sort out a car that's not inherently good. I really hope Mercedes can make the skinny cars work because they just look so cool.
Will Danny hit the second half of the season with something to prove, or will he just put in his time?
Toto admits they are flummoxed by this car https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/wolff-unacceptable-mercedes-qualifying-my-worst-in-f1-for-10-years/10359120/amp/
The one thing keeping Mercedes in it this year is their incredible reliability.
Otherwise they'd be nowhere....
Those of you that know, is there a reason why Mercedes can't throw on the body work they ran in the first preseason test? I know they have dedicated the season to developing the podless body but could they just try it to see if they gain anything?
In reply to Iusedtobefast :
If it were faster, they would have done it by now. But there were more problems with the car than just the aero- and that's put them way behind everyone else.
Mercedes sucks .....duh move on y'all.....for cryin' out loud ..sheeesh how about gettin' behind Albon with Williams?
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