• bhmnscmm@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    But did he really show any trend of improvement over the course of the season? I’m genuinenly asking, but it didn’t appear like it to me.

    If there isn’t much of an indication he’s improving, why would anyone expect better results next year? It’s not like he’s going to have opportunity to improve his pace or consistency during the off-season.

    • hillbicks@feddit.de
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      1 year ago

      I would say there was some improvement In the last third of season. He wasn’t crashing anymore and was consistent in the time difference (more or less) to albon as well.

      On top of that, we just don’t see the data the team is seeing when it comes to an improvement.

      One other thing to keep in mind. There is a supposedly very talented new driver starting in F2 next year that could drive for Williams in 2025, so that could play into the decision as well. Although I just looked for it and couldn’t find it. I think Alex Jaques talked abiut it in the last F2 sessions.

        • misery mansion@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          He is skipping f3 completely, similar to Verstappen who skipped f2 and Raikkonen who skipped both. Whether Antonelli will make f1 following this obviously depends on his junior career and what happens in the driver market.

          I would argue that with the cost cap and the restrictions on testing, it is extremely challenging for young drivers to break through. I’m personally impressed with Sargeant and applaud his resigning for next year. I could easily see him getting dropped however if his results to Albon don’t continue to improve.

    • NoSpiritAnimal@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      He definitely seemed to find some confidence again during the last few races.

      It seemed like mid-season he was super depressed and you could hear it on every team radio message.

      I feel like when he had to retire due to the crazy heat the way the team treated him went a long way towards making him more confident in his seat.

      That said I don’t think he’s a particularly good F1 driver when there is some amazing talent working as reserve on some of these teams.