the flyin' scotsman

given there'll be little change in the 2015 F1 championships a great deal of money could be saved by deciding the drivers, Hammy or Nico with a flip of coin award the constructors to Mercedes then move onto 2016.

FIA what say you???

btwyx

They'd agreed to unfreeze the engines for the winter, so next year may be interesting. Freezing the engine in the first year of use was a silly idea.

FGL28

Hammy and Nico have benefited with the "Have at it boys" team orders. If Mercedes is as reliable as last year they should be very tough to beat.

CAM14

Will be real interesting to see what Honda brings to the table. Maybe a chance for McLaren to shine again?

LuigiVampa

Based on the testing after Abu Dhabi I think Honda is going to have the same teething problems all the other teams did in the 2014 season. I think Honda will start off better than Renault but I still think there will be some ramp up time.

Mercedes will still rule the day but I think the races will be closer and more multiple winners.

FGL28

Somethings to remember.

Honda has experience in developing F1 turbo motors.

Honda has been developing their motor before the deal with McLaren was formally announced.

Honda does not do anything they do not think they can win.

Since they are still in development they have more freedom to develop. I am willing to bet they have access to some, not all of McLaren's telemetry.

The wild card is how Alonso fits in a team that he left in a shambles.

Jenson Button has experience with Honda and speaks some Japanese so there wold be a comfort level for the engine guys. If he is retained.

skl

Hopefully someone other than Ron has the final say so Jenson can stay...

RajDatta

Your hatred shines again!

As far as Honda knowing how to develop turbo engines, let's not forget who brought turbo technology to f1? Renault. How did they fare? Renault also seem to know how to build turbo engines but sucked. You seem to live in the past too often..

Button is done. He has no upside. We already know what he can do.

LuigiVampa

Having a driver win the WDC is a nice thing for a manufacturer but the only thing that decides the prize money at the end of the year is points towards the manufacturer's championship.

Jensen has proven himself to be a reliable points gatherer when given a decent car. His best years may be behind him but I think he still has a year or two as a productive driver in him. McLaren and Honda will need a steady reliable hand more than a young rookie hotshot in their first year or two.

FGL28

Yes Rennault was a pioneer. But as we know pioneers are first to get arrows shot at them or to make wrong turns.

Honda and McLaren have a sucessful history with turbos.

Either way Button will be fine. He is a low key kinda guy who puts forth the Maxium effort for every race. McLaren had a **** poor car this year, worse than Ferrari. Yet you do not read about Button acting like a jackass. Button lost his Dad befor the season this year and clearly it has effected his performance.

We shall see.

RajDatta

Button acting as a jackass in comparison to who? What does him losing his Dad have to do with his ability to drive. It's completely irrelevant for this conversation.

Do you even watch f1? I actually wonder sometimes. If Alonso would have sucked like Kimi, Ferrari would have been behind McLaren. Since Kimi and Magnussen both tied with 55 points, the cars are probably quite similar. The difference is Alonso's 161 points to Jensons 126.

On your your hate blinders..

Coochas

Yeah I'm not crazy about the way things have gone in F1, but I've already booked my hotel in Montreal for next season's race. I guess they figure we'll just keep coming back. The vintage F1 race still sounds AMAZING though.

Veloce Raptor

What I think of F1 these days:

gums

You'd be sadly mistaken if you don't think Honda will be coming on very strong.
Just as Lewis knew a switch to Mercedes was well timed, I have to believe that Alonso has insight to what Honda intends.
My money is on Fernando to be resurgent in '015, even if not right at the very beginning.

FGL28

I never said Button was a jackass. I watched every F1 race.

I wonder, do you get paid for defending Alonso? Are you in love with Alonso?

How long have you been watching F1?

Have you ever been to an F1 race?