I am very curious how it will go next year. Does Verstappen not want to move up a bit? That means driving a really good car once. Lewis is not going to hand over his chair, why should he?
And I don't see Hamilton and Verstappen together in a team.
Topic: Motosport General discussion tread --- Formula1, MotoGP, WTCC, ETCC, DTM..... - page 471. (Read 144020 times)
December 10, 2020, 09:08:58 AM
December 10, 2020, 08:35:20 AM
Perez deserved that win, and he is one of the better drivers on the grid. Red Bull makes perfect sense, and I really hope he gets the drive. And having two good RB drivers would really put the pressure on Bottas to deliver, as it starts to make the Merc chase for the constructors' title a little more difficult.
I'm pretty sure that Perez is a Red Bull driver for the next year. They are just keeping it quiet. He brings a lot of money, has great point scoring history and he will be a great 2nd driver for Max. There is simply too many cons for Red Bull to not take Perez, compared to alternative solutions like Gasly and Albon.
I also think Perez is a very good option for RedBull, even if that's not Red Bull's normal way up to now. They have always relied on your own offspring driver, unfortunately there are currently no really good enough ones in sight. So it's still exciting, but at Mercedes i don't believe in a change for the next year, but for the following year? Hamilton accept a one year contract, i don't believe
December 10, 2020, 06:54:30 AM
Perez deserved that win, and he is one of the better drivers on the grid. Red Bull makes perfect sense, and I really hope he gets the drive. And having two good RB drivers would really put the pressure on Bottas to deliver, as it starts to make the Merc chase for the constructors' title a little more difficult.
I'm pretty sure that Perez is a Red Bull driver for the next year. They are just keeping it quiet. He brings a lot of money, has great point scoring history and he will be a great 2nd driver for Max. There is simply too many cons for Red Bull to not take Perez, compared to alternative solutions like Gasly and Albon.
December 10, 2020, 05:05:58 AM
Hamilton has several times talked about a probable retirement and his current health state seams a bit more than coronavirus.
I'd say 'possible' rather than 'probable'. I think everyone expects him to carry on next year and beyond. Not sure what you mean about the health side - he always seems ultra-healthy, so other than the CV19 that he's coming out of now, I'm not aware of anything.Perez and the red bull
Perez at Red Bull next year. The amount of visitors for th GP of Mexico is big the last years and they think it will be much less if Perez isn't driving anymore.
Perez deserved that win, and he is one of the better drivers on the grid. Red Bull makes perfect sense, and I really hope he gets the drive. And having two good RB drivers would really put the pressure on Bottas to deliver, as it starts to make the Merc chase for the constructors' title a little more difficult. 
December 10, 2020, 01:36:16 AM
another fact must be considered, who will be the next red bull driver?
because if it will be Perez and the red bull will be able to make a fairly competitive car, the mercedes risks with bottas, because verstappen often fought with bottas, also having perez the mercedes risks making much fewer podiums
because if it will be Perez and the red bull will be able to make a fairly competitive car, the mercedes risks with bottas, because verstappen often fought with bottas, also having perez the mercedes risks making much fewer podiums
Liberty also want to have Perez at Red Bull next year. The amount of visitors for th GP of Mexico is big the last years and they think it will be much less if Perez isn't driving anymore.
December 09, 2020, 05:25:30 PM
another fact must be considered, who will be the next red bull driver?
because if it will be Perez and the red bull will be able to make a fairly competitive car, the mercedes risks with bottas, because verstappen often fought with bottas, also having perez the mercedes risks making much fewer podiums
because if it will be Perez and the red bull will be able to make a fairly competitive car, the mercedes risks with bottas, because verstappen often fought with bottas, also having perez the mercedes risks making much fewer podiums
December 09, 2020, 11:08:28 AM
I can't really understand why so many people are obsessed to see Russell in Mercedes now. No one can deny that Russell is a great driver with a lot of talented but what makes him better that Bottas?
Most of you forget that teams have 2 drivers - the one that tries to win the championship title and the second that helps him accomplish this goal. This is not going to happen if Mercedes has Hamilton and Russell because Russell is going to win due to his excitement.
Bottas is doing his job greatly on Mercedes -all those seasons - and the only way that Russell is going to have chances of joining Mercedes will be if Hamilton announces his retirement...
Most of you forget that teams have 2 drivers - the one that tries to win the championship title and the second that helps him accomplish this goal. This is not going to happen if Mercedes has Hamilton and Russell because Russell is going to win due to his excitement.
Bottas is doing his job greatly on Mercedes -all those seasons - and the only way that Russell is going to have chances of joining Mercedes will be if Hamilton announces his retirement...
I am not for sure. I am of an opinion that Russell is still green and needs more time. He has the pace, but his head needs more time for sure. He will get the chance for sure after this performance, but not by replacing Hamilton ( I say LOL to that idea) and not by replacing Bottas next year either.
That's correct but Russell has been promoted by Mercedes since a young age, similar to LecLaire at Ferrari. And yet Mercedes see that's Russell is a good investment for the future. I also think he will also build up a certain pressure on the contract extensions for the existing drives, on the part of Mercedes, as they have an obvious and good option. And at time he is cheap in comparison.
December 09, 2020, 09:55:17 AM
Yes, exactly. Russell has shown high potential in the past, and he's now had one end-of-season race in a Mercedes with absolutely zero pressure on him. He was expected to finish behind Bottas. He was a good young driver temporarily filling a gap for one race. He drove very well, and he outperformed the limited expectations.
This is very different to the pressure on Hamilton, fighting for the title, expected always to be at the front, expected to never make a mistake. And Hamilton has proven himself year after year after year, in the dry, in the wet, imperious and often faultless, and overriding poor team decisions that would cost other drivers victory.
Yes, Russell shows promise, and his performance vs Bottas was good, but it also highlights how poor Bottas was. The idea that he can be expected to just slot into Hamilton's role and perform the same as Hamilton over the course of a season is absurd. He may perform well, he may not. The point I'm making is that one good race with zero pressure doesn't immediately transform a talented youngster into a 7-times champion.
Imagine if it was Bottas instead of Hamilton who missed the race, and Russell teamed up with Hamilton. Does anyone seriously think Russell would have been challenging for the win?
This is very different to the pressure on Hamilton, fighting for the title, expected always to be at the front, expected to never make a mistake. And Hamilton has proven himself year after year after year, in the dry, in the wet, imperious and often faultless, and overriding poor team decisions that would cost other drivers victory.
Yes, Russell shows promise, and his performance vs Bottas was good, but it also highlights how poor Bottas was. The idea that he can be expected to just slot into Hamilton's role and perform the same as Hamilton over the course of a season is absurd. He may perform well, he may not. The point I'm making is that one good race with zero pressure doesn't immediately transform a talented youngster into a 7-times champion.
Imagine if it was Bottas instead of Hamilton who missed the race, and Russell teamed up with Hamilton. Does anyone seriously think Russell would have been challenging for the win?
Exactly. There was a lot of drivers with great pace, but they never materialised that pace into something concrete. Some didn't do it cos mentally they didn't have the capacity to make right decision on the track and of the track, if you add pressure to that it multiplies. So there is no need to rush and glorify drivers.
Best head when it comes to young drivers is on Leclerc shoulders imho from what I have seen so far. He has a lot to prove still though, same as Verstappen. So let's not rush with Russell. For example I think Norris has bigger potential then Russell in the long run.
December 09, 2020, 07:13:19 AM
Russell being good with Mercedes is a problem for Hamilton too.
Remember he has not renewed his contract yet and from rumors he wants around 40m/€.
Until now Mercedes was considering this option but now... Do they really want to pay 40m/year to Hamilton when they can pay 5m/€ to Russell?
Let's see how the situation evolves.
Remember he has not renewed his contract yet and from rumors he wants around 40m/€.
Until now Mercedes was considering this option but now... Do they really want to pay 40m/year to Hamilton when they can pay 5m/€ to Russell?
Let's see how the situation evolves.
hamilton has asked for about 50 million for the renewal, surely the great performance of Russel will serve to make him think.
Mercedes would probably win the title even with Bottas alone, the problem is that you can't not renew the contract of a 7-time world champion, also for a matter of sponsorship.
Russel in Williams earns 200,000 euros annually, in mercedes he would even race for free
Hamilton has several times talked about a probable retirement and his current health state seams a bit more than coronavirus. But if he isn't retiring, Hamilton still is arguably the best driver and I don't think money would be an issue for Mercedes or their sponsors. And with so much going about black lives, he's a good PR trophy for the company and sponsors. It's not just the wins that pays and the value of player is determined by value they add to the sponsors.
December 09, 2020, 06:50:50 AM
I can't really understand why so many people are obsessed to see Russell in Mercedes now. No one can deny that Russell is a great driver with a lot of talented but what makes him better that Bottas?
Most of you forget that teams have 2 drivers - the one that tries to win the championship title and the second that helps him accomplish this goal. This is not going to happen if Mercedes has Hamilton and Russell because Russell is going to win due to his excitement.
Bottas is doing his job greatly on Mercedes -all those seasons - and the only way that Russell is going to have chances of joining Mercedes will be if Hamilton announces his retirement...
Most of you forget that teams have 2 drivers - the one that tries to win the championship title and the second that helps him accomplish this goal. This is not going to happen if Mercedes has Hamilton and Russell because Russell is going to win due to his excitement.
Bottas is doing his job greatly on Mercedes -all those seasons - and the only way that Russell is going to have chances of joining Mercedes will be if Hamilton announces his retirement...
I am not for sure. I am of an opinion that Russell is still green and needs more time. He has the pace, but his head needs more time for sure. He will get the chance for sure after this performance, but not by replacing Hamilton ( I say LOL to that idea) and not by replacing Bottas next year either.
Don't disqualify the option of replacing Hamilton... There is a huge connection between Williams and Mercedes right now - we saw that in the Sakhir circuit on how fast the Williams driver jumped to Mercedes. It would be a great investment for Mercedes to replace Hamilton with Russell. Russell has a champion material in him so this would be what Mercedes will need if Lewis retire. There are plenty second drivers who can accompany Russell in winning a lot of trophies with Mercedes.
December 09, 2020, 04:02:23 AM
Russell is still green and needs more time. He has the pace, but his head needs more time for sure.
Yes, exactly. Russell has shown high potential in the past, and he's now had one end-of-season race in a Mercedes with absolutely zero pressure on him. He was expected to finish behind Bottas. He was a good young driver temporarily filling a gap for one race. He drove very well, and he outperformed the limited expectations.
This is very different to the pressure on Hamilton, fighting for the title, expected always to be at the front, expected to never make a mistake. And Hamilton has proven himself year after year after year, in the dry, in the wet, imperious and often faultless, and overriding poor team decisions that would cost other drivers victory.
Yes, Russell shows promise, and his performance vs Bottas was good, but it also highlights how poor Bottas was. The idea that he can be expected to just slot into Hamilton's role and perform the same as Hamilton over the course of a season is absurd. He may perform well, he may not. The point I'm making is that one good race with zero pressure doesn't immediately transform a talented youngster into a 7-times champion.
Imagine if it was Bottas instead of Hamilton who missed the race, and Russell teamed up with Hamilton. Does anyone seriously think Russell would have been challenging for the win?
December 08, 2020, 07:25:09 PM
Russell being good with Mercedes is a problem for Hamilton too.
Remember he has not renewed his contract yet and from rumors he wants around 40m/€.
Until now Mercedes was considering this option but now... Do they really want to pay 40m/year to Hamilton when they can pay 5m/€ to Russell?
Let's see how the situation evolves.
Remember he has not renewed his contract yet and from rumors he wants around 40m/€.
Until now Mercedes was considering this option but now... Do they really want to pay 40m/year to Hamilton when they can pay 5m/€ to Russell?
Let's see how the situation evolves.
hamilton has asked for about 50 million for the renewal, surely the great performance of Russel will serve to make him think.
Mercedes would probably win the title even with Bottas alone, the problem is that you can't not renew the contract of a 7-time world champion, also for a matter of sponsorship.
Russel in Williams earns 200,000 euros annually, in mercedes he would even race for free
December 08, 2020, 07:50:51 AM
I can't really understand why so many people are obsessed to see Russell in Mercedes now. No one can deny that Russell is a great driver with a lot of talented but what makes him better that Bottas?
Most of you forget that teams have 2 drivers - the one that tries to win the championship title and the second that helps him accomplish this goal. This is not going to happen if Mercedes has Hamilton and Russell because Russell is going to win due to his excitement.
Bottas is doing his job greatly on Mercedes -all those seasons - and the only way that Russell is going to have chances of joining Mercedes will be if Hamilton announces his retirement...
Most of you forget that teams have 2 drivers - the one that tries to win the championship title and the second that helps him accomplish this goal. This is not going to happen if Mercedes has Hamilton and Russell because Russell is going to win due to his excitement.
Bottas is doing his job greatly on Mercedes -all those seasons - and the only way that Russell is going to have chances of joining Mercedes will be if Hamilton announces his retirement...
I am not for sure. I am of an opinion that Russell is still green and needs more time. He has the pace, but his head needs more time for sure. He will get the chance for sure after this performance, but not by replacing Hamilton ( I say LOL to that idea) and not by replacing Bottas next year either.
December 08, 2020, 06:25:27 AM
Russell being good with Mercedes is a problem for Hamilton too.
Remember he has not renewed his contract yet and from rumors he wants around 40m/€.
Until now Mercedes was considering this option but now... Do they really want to pay 40m/year to Hamilton when they can pay 5m/€ to Russell?
Let's see how the situation evolves.
Remember he has not renewed his contract yet and from rumors he wants around 40m/€.
Until now Mercedes was considering this option but now... Do they really want to pay 40m/year to Hamilton when they can pay 5m/€ to Russell?
Let's see how the situation evolves.
That's count be also a problem, with Mercedes many drivers they are cheaper can win the championship with this car... I look yesterday a race from 1988 there are the same no one can beat the McLaren then himself...
December 08, 2020, 05:25:46 AM
Most of you forget that teams have 2 drivers - the one that tries to win the championship title and the second that helps him accomplish this goal.
Yes, definitely. I'm always trying to make this point, too. The aim at Mercedes is to a) win the constructors' championship, and b) win the drivers' championship.Compare Bottas with Rosberg. Rosberg was the faster driver, and more willing and able to fight with Hamilton. Bottas is the better team player.
Bottas is good enough, and the chances of him and Hamilton going wheel to wheel and both crashing out of a race is far far less than it was with Ham/Rosberg.
Bottas is the perfect teammate.
The only time this changes is if Merc dominance drops and they are in a genuine fight for the championship. If say Hamilton is still winning races, but Red Bull are coming 2nd and 3rd each time and threatening for the constructors' title, that's when it's time to consider replacing Bottas.
Bottas is doing his job greatly on Mercedes -all those seasons - and the only way that Russell is going to have chances of joining Mercedes will be if Hamilton announces his retirement...
Having said the above, we haven't considered other drivers' personalities. If Russell is faster than Bottas and crucially is also not going to be a Rosberg 2.0 and have conflict with Hamilton, then Russell replacing Bottas becomes a real option. Ultimately Mercedes will know Russell's personality and have a decent understanding of whether this is viable. But we need to remember that brute speed is not the only factor to consider. In a sport where there are two drivers per team, personality is key.Edit to fix rogue apostrophe!
December 08, 2020, 05:24:27 AM
Russell being good with Mercedes is a problem for Hamilton too.
Remember he has not renewed his contract yet and from rumors he wants around 40m/€.
Until now Mercedes was considering this option but now... Do they really want to pay 40m/year to Hamilton when they can pay 5m/€ to Russell?
Let's see how the situation evolves.
Remember he has not renewed his contract yet and from rumors he wants around 40m/€.
Until now Mercedes was considering this option but now... Do they really want to pay 40m/year to Hamilton when they can pay 5m/€ to Russell?
Let's see how the situation evolves.
December 08, 2020, 03:25:40 AM
I can't really understand why so many people are obsessed to see Russell in Mercedes now. No one can deny that Russell is a great driver with a lot of talented but what makes him better that Bottas?
Most of you forget that teams have 2 drivers - the one that tries to win the championship title and the second that helps him accomplish this goal. This is not going to happen if Mercedes has Hamilton and Russell because Russell is going to win due to his excitement.
Bottas is doing his job greatly on Mercedes -all those seasons - and the only way that Russell is going to have chances of joining Mercedes will be if Hamilton announces his retirement...
Most of you forget that teams have 2 drivers - the one that tries to win the championship title and the second that helps him accomplish this goal. This is not going to happen if Mercedes has Hamilton and Russell because Russell is going to win due to his excitement.
Bottas is doing his job greatly on Mercedes -all those seasons - and the only way that Russell is going to have chances of joining Mercedes will be if Hamilton announces his retirement...
December 07, 2020, 06:40:49 PM
What's his current contract situation with the Williams family out of that team? I think Merc should get him asap while he's still a hot commodity. It's gonna be good for the sport next season for sure. Some Merc haters were rooting for him to win it. 
Don't know but they give Bottas one more year.
It's like on football if they want to fire Bottas (we can know if he has some clauses) they need to pay 1 year for salaries+taxes.
Not easy to do next year with Covid and Salary cap.
December 07, 2020, 12:11:19 PM
To anyone watching, we knew that Russel was the winner of this race, there were no racers that could have challenged him, and if there was just a single person that might have, they took him out on the first lap so there were no racers that could have won. He asserted his dominance very early in the race and only ended up not winning because his pit crew screwed up and team was basically not behind him at all.
Hamilton usually gets asked to box probably 10 times before he actually goes there, dude continued to race with nearly no tire at all once and still didn't box because it was going into last lap, and boxing before one lap made no sense. I think Russell will do better in near future, and if Mercedes actually acts smarts and pairs him and Hamilton soon without Bottas, we may actually have ourselves a great race between Hamilton versus Russel.
Hamilton usually gets asked to box probably 10 times before he actually goes there, dude continued to race with nearly no tire at all once and still didn't box because it was going into last lap, and boxing before one lap made no sense. I think Russell will do better in near future, and if Mercedes actually acts smarts and pairs him and Hamilton soon without Bottas, we may actually have ourselves a great race between Hamilton versus Russel.
December 07, 2020, 10:29:52 AM
Yes George Russel is the revelation of this race, he is the new F1 prodigy. He's going to have a big career, mark my words.
Well... maybe for the mass but for long F1 fans is not a revelation at all...
Mass doesn't know his past... he has been financially assisted by Mercedes since he was a boy.
He won F3 Mondial in his first year.
He won F2 Mondial in his first year.
He did 1 year in Williams and then he has been called (last year) from Toto Wolff to Mercedes to replace Bottas but Claire Williams said no because she needed him to sell the propriety...
If she said yes instead Russell this year was already an F1 driver in Mercedes over Bottas.
What's his current contract situation with the Williams family out of that team? I think Merc should get him asap while he's still a hot commodity. It's gonna be good for the sport next season for sure. Some Merc haters were rooting for him to win it.
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