The Player - The F1 Career of Fred Jones

[MrChainsaw]

IYKYK.

Welcome to my F1 22 Career Mode featuring American wheelman Fred Jones -- The Man, The Myth, The Legend -- that I may carry over into F1 23 after the first season, or just continue with 22 since it's free on Game Pass. We'll see. This will be my first dynasty on here in a long time, and I hope you enjoy.

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Retired NASCAR superstar shocks racing world, intends to join Formula 1 for '22 season

NASCAR Cup Series legend Fred Jones has announced he will come out of retirement after 8 years to run the full Formula 1 circuit in 2022. The Papyrus Racing Team legend stated in a press release that he still has plenty left in the tank at 54 years old and plans to once again prove he is the greatest driver in history, by conquering the Formula 1 World Championship. It is unknown which team Jones will join but it's rumored he's unlikely to land a top tier ride due to his age and lack of open wheel experience.





Who is Fred Jones?

Fred Jones competed in the top level of NASCAR from 1994 until his retirement in 2014, winning the 1999 Daytona 500 and Winston Cup championships in 2001 and 2003. Best remembered as the driver of the 'The Player' cars from the Papyrus 'NASCAR Racing' simulation series, Jones will return to racing in 2022 after an 8-year retirement, competing across the pond (well, mostly) in Formula 1.



Jones' "NASCAR Racing by Papyrus" paint scheme from his 1994 rookie campaign

Jones' NASCAR career highlights* include:

1994 Daytona 500 Pole Winner (his first career Winston Cup start)
1994 Winston Cup Series Rookie Of The Year
1999 Daytona 500 Champion
2001 & 2003 Winston Cup Series Champion
32 wins, 215 top-10 finishes in 691 career Cup Series starts
​


Jones piloted the #86 Papyrus Racing Chevrolet to the 2003 Winston Cup championship


Only time will tell if Fred's foray into Formula 1 will end up in Victory Lane.

*Career statistics courtesy of u/KimiForPresident on Reddit, thanks for the Fred Jones lore!

[MrChainsaw]

Jones set to join struggling Williams Racing for 2022 season

[MrChainsaw]

Low expectations for Williams team entering '22



Dynasty Settings
Game: F1 22
System: Xbox Series S
Race Length: 25%
Assists: Custom
AI Difficulty: 80 (may raise this later)
Damage: Simulation
Damage Rate: Standard
Rules and Flags: On
Driver Moves: On
R&D Management: On

[MrChainsaw]

Jones brings it home in one piece in F1 debut

Verstappen picks up right where he left off in '21, leads flag to flag in Bahrain
Ferrari teammates Leclerc and Sainz round out podium



Fred Jones overtakes teammate Alexander Albon early in the Bahrain Grand Prix


The Williams Racing Team knows it faces a long road back to competitive efforts as American Fred Jones placed 16th, Alexander Albon 18th in the first grand prix of 2022. Jones improved 3 spots from his P19 qualifying run while Albon never got it off the ground and failed to improve on his P18 qualifying classification. Fernando Alonso earned driver of the day honors, improving 5 positions from his grid spot in a rather uneventful Bahrain main event.

"I may or may not have bumped one of the Aston Martins on lap one, but I think the wing is OK," Jones radioed to his crew early in the race. "You can't hit anything in these cars," the stock car veteran lamented.

"I have to remember that."

2022 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix Race Results
POS	DRIVER	STATUS	LAPS	GRID	LED	PTS	BONUS
1	Max Verstappen	23:25.825	15	2	15	26	1
2	Charles Leclerc	+6.284	15	1	0	18	0
3	Carlos Sainz	+8.020	15	3	0	15	0
4	Lando Norris	+11.394	15	6	0	12	0
5	George Russell	+12.910	15	4	0	10	0
6	Lewis Hamilton	+14.323	15	5	0	8	0
7	Sergio Perez	+14.962	15	7	0	6	0
8	Esteban Con	+18.653	15	9	0	4	0
9	Fernando Alonso	+20.873	15	14	0	2	0
10	Daniel Ricciardo	+21.597	15	8	0	1	0
11	Valtteri Bottas	+23.471	15	10	0	0	0
12	Pierre Gasly	+26.102	15	15	0	0	0
13	Guanyu Zhou	+28.629	15	12	0	0	0
14	Mick Schumacher	+32.194	15	13	0	0	0
15	Sebastian Vettel	+36.464	15	11	0	0	0
16	Fred Jones	+40.945	15	19	0	0	0
17	Lance Stroll	+42.702	15	17	0	0	0
18	Alexander Albon	+46.321	15	18	0	0	0
19	Kevin Magnussen	+52.598	15	16	0	0	0
20	Yuki Tsunoda	+1:04.328	15	20	0	0	0

[MrChainsaw]

Jones finishes 15th as Verstappen dominates once again in Saudi Arabia
Red Bull driver beats out Ferrari teammates Leclerc, Sainz for second straight race



Few things are more certain within Formula 1 than Max Verstappen lifting trophies


Fred Jones struggled in qualifying with a P20 effort but improved 5 positions for a career-best 15th place effort in his second Formula 1 start. Williams Racing teammate Alexander Albon started and finished 18th once again, and Jones' effort earned the American Driver Of The Day honors for the first time.



"All credit to the boys in the garage," Jones said in the paddock following the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. "We will continue moving up the grid and Williams Racing will be back among the elite teams in due time."

"And I don't think I bumped anyone tonight!"



Fred Jones cruises through the streets of Saudi Arabia in his Williams Racing machine


Verstappen led all 13 laps, once again set the fastest lap time of the race for the maximum points payout, and the podium remained unchanged from race 1 of 2022 in Bahrain. Mercedes driver George Russell fell from his 6th spot on the grid to a 19th place classification after early contact (not with Fred Jones!).

2022 STC Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Race Results
POS	DRIVER	STATUS	LAPS	GRID	LED	PTS	BONUS
1	Max Verstappen	18:30.936	13	1	13	26	1
2	Charles Leclerc	+4.129	13	2	0	18	0
3	Carlos Sainz	+4.321	13	4	0	15	0
4	Sergio Perez	+9.496	13	5	0	12	0
5	Lewis Hamilton	+11.044	13	3	0	10	0
6	Esteban Con	+13.414	13	7	0	8	0
7	Lando Norris	+14.771	13	8	0	6	0
8	Daniel Ricciardo	+15.137	13	12	0	4	0
9	Pierre Gasly	+15.732	13	9	0	2	0
10	Mick Schumacher	+18.396	13	10	0	1	0
11	Fernando Alonso	+20.021	13	11	0	0	0
12	Valtteri Bottas	+20.392	13	14	0	0	0
13	Guanyu Zhou	+22.841	13	13	0	0	0
14	Kevin Magnussen	+24.688	13	15	0	0	0
15	Fred Jones	+27.341	13	20	0	0	0
16	Sebastian Vettel	+28.074	13	17	0	0	0
17	Lance Stroll	+28.340	13	18	0	0	0
18	Alexander Albon	+32.639	13	19	0	0	0
19	George Russell	+41.470	13	6	0	0	0
20	Yuki Tsunoda	+59.193	13	16	0	0	0