Gossip Grip: October

It’s that time of the year when the driver market is buzzing with rumours. But with many relevant cockpits confirmed for 2016, the engines are actually producing the most media smoke.

“World’s most popular energy drink is seeking energy for its Formula 1 team”. If this headline isn’t funny enough, how they’ve gone about scouting a partner has to be hilarious. First, they dumped Renault before they signed a replacement. Then they literally expected the powers that control the sport to simply gift them an engine. On the other hand, it’s fairly logical to expect Ecclestone to give you something that big – he is the sport’s Ring Master after all and he can provide Red Bull with engines much like he let Lotus have a month’s salary! Formula 1 is known for its spirit of competition, but we might just be witnessing the all-overcoming spirit of stupidity here.

We observed Lotus being provided with food, hospitality and even tyre blankets by their rivals at a race earlier this season. However, it’s Lotus – the team needs everything anyone can give to stay afloat, including Renault’s engines and their money. The worst part in this proposed takeover is that Lotus F1 stands to lose two of their quickest elements in 2016 – Romain Grosjean and Mercedes engines.

We all know how Bernie reacts to power if he isn’t at the centre of it.

Even so, we don’t see the hybrid era of Formula 1 lasting too long. After all, this era has moved the power centre and tilted it towards the engine manufacturers. And think about it – we all know how Bernie reacts to power if he isn’t at the centre of it.

Back to where we started, should Infiniti Red Bull Racing decide to leave the sport, will we see four fantastically talented drivers – Ricciardo, Kvyat, Sainz and Verstappen – unemployed for next season? Or will we be looking at annulled contracts of Raikkonen, Massa and a few other racers who are well past their sell-by date? Your guess is as good as ours, just make your guess now – no one’s getting any younger.

And lastly, could an all-Russian F1 team be emerging? The arrival of the American Haas F1 Team might just spur Russia into a Cold War on the track. As for the two drivers, there are plenty of options! To name a few – Vitaly Petrov, Daniil Kvyat, Vladimir Putin.

Mithila Mehta is a travel blogger and, well, loves Formula 1. She co-hosts the Inside Line F1 Podcast, you can also read her travel stories on www.miss-wanderlust.com or follow her on Twitter – @mith_m
Kunal Shah is a former single-seater racer who works in the sports business industry. He pens his thoughts on F1 on his personal blog www.kunalsf1blog.com and co-hosts the Inside Line F1 Podcast. Catch him on Twitter too – @kunalashah
About the Inside Line F1 Podcast: this is a weekly podcast that aims to add a funny touch to an otherwise serious sport of Formula 1. It’s nearing 150 episodes of production with nearly 100,000 listeners each year. The podcast is available across popular listening and streaming platforms such as iTunes, Sound Cloud, YouTube, Mix Cloud, Daily Motion, etc.