831 replies to this topic

[MikeTekRacing]

Perez mentioned 2 years ago that the schedule is getting hard and with 2 kids he could call it a day. At the same time he might still feel the desire. Only he knows

Alonso will probably not be vetted by Honda...

[Clatter]

Perez mentioned 2 years ago that the schedule is getting hard and with 2 kids he could call it a day. At the same time he might still feel the desire. Only he knows
Alonso will probably not be vetted by Honda...

He could have called it a day years ago and would have had enough in the bank to live a life of luxury. I think he is just paving the way to when RB no longer require his services.

[CasualFan]

According to the Guardian Alonso is staying at Aston Martin. 

 

Sainz is looking good right now, will RB and Mercedes get into a bidding war for him? That would be hilarious! 

[Red5ive]

Merc would be mad not to try and take Sainz at this point. He is on fire currently and would give Russell a good run for the money.

 

Vettel - over the hill some years ago.

 

Antonelli - an unproven kid who isnt exactly setting F2 alight  (and almost certainly could be found a lesser F1 seat for a couple of years)

 

Anyone else - meh.

[MikeTekRacing]

Merc would be mad not to try and take Sainz at this point. He is on fire currently and would give Russell a good run for the money.

 

Vettel - over the hill some years ago.

 

Antonelli - an unproven kid who isnt exactly setting F2 alight  (and almost certainly could be found a lesser F1 seat for a couple of years)

 

Anyone else - meh.

Sainz makes the most sense.

If they can't get him (because Red Bull do), they will have to look at other options so 'Meh" becomes reality

[kumo7]

Sainz makes the most sense.

If they can't get him (because Red Bull do), they will have to look at other options so 'Meh" becomes reality

 

Seconded.

 

But at the same time I sense some hesitation from Toto not to do so. I think Toto wants champion or next Max, not anyone else. Alonso was the right one. I think Mercedes lost the chance and it will stay where it is now for some years. Toto will blame technical teams for the cause, but it is a team thing.

[MikeTekRacing]

He is leading the whole team. There is no one else to blame

[uzsjgb]

Merc would be mad not to try and take Sainz at this point. He is on fire currently and would give Russell a good run for the money.

 

Vettel - over the hill some years ago.

 

Antonelli - an unproven kid who isnt exactly setting F2 alight  (and almost certainly could be found a lesser F1 seat for a couple of years)

 

Anyone else - meh.

 

Will and can Sainz wait for Mercedes? I don't think so, it is too much of a risk for Sainz. I am also not sure why exactly Mercedes would want Sainz. Yes, he is very capable and a proven race winner, at least on the level of Russell, but why would Mercedes want another driver like that? They want the next superstar.

 

Mercedes' obvious first choice is Antonelli, they are doing everything to get him ready. After missing out on Verstappen, Wolff does not want this to happen again. We will only see if Antonelli is not ready in a few months time. Mercedes is willing to wait that long and miss out on Alonso and Sainz. Because even if Antonelli is not ready for 2025 he will be for 2026, so Mercedes only needs a stop-gap driver for 2025. If Antonelli does not work out I could see Bottas in the Mercedes again.

 

Mercedes is not a top team at the moment, they are rebuilding and will be a mid-field team for at least 2025. They are not really in the need of a top-level driver, because there is nothing to win. It is the ideal time to pick up Antonelli, who can learn in 2025 without the pressure of having to win races.

[Clatter]

It is interesting that next year could be the first that this team hasnt had a WDC in the lineup. I wonder if there are any sponsorship deals that hinge on that.

[DutchQuicksilver]

Have people thought that maybe Russell will be the stop gap driver for 2025 and Sainz signed for the long term? I mean, what has Russell shown so far since he’s been at Mercedes? His only highlight really is winning Brazil 2022. Sainz is a better driver I think.

[P123]

Have people thought that maybe Russell will be the stop gap driver for 2025 and Sainz signed for the long term? I mean, what has Russell shown so far since he’s been at Mercedes? His only highlight really is winning Brazil 2022. Sainz is a better driver I think.

 

That is the only race Merc have won whilst he has been there.  Last season Merc led a grand total of 19 laps, so not exactly a car with race winning performance at his disposal.  Sainz has sat in better cars, and did finish behind Russell in 2022.  It would be fun to see them as teammates.  Both have good pace, and can win races.

[hollowstar]

Will and can Sainz wait for Mercedes? I don't think so, it is too much of a risk for Sainz. I am also not sure why exactly Mercedes would want Sainz. Yes, he is very capable and a proven race winner, at least on the level of Russell, but why would Mercedes want another driver like that? They want the next superstar.

Mercedes' obvious first choice is Antonelli, they are doing everything to get him ready. After missing out on Verstappen, Wolff does not want this to happen again. We will only see if Antonelli is not ready in a few months time. Mercedes is willing to wait that long and miss out on Alonso and Sainz. Because even if Antonelli is not ready for 2025 he will be for 2026, so Mercedes only needs a stop-gap driver for 2025. If Antonelli does not work out I could see Bottas in the Mercedes again.

Mercedes is not a top team at the moment, they are rebuilding and will be a mid-field team for at least 2025. They are not really in the need of a top-level driver, because there is nothing to win. It is the ideal time to pick up Antonelli, who can learn in 2025 without the pressure of having to win races.

Agreed. A mid-field team like Mercedes is ideal for Antonelli to make his debut, and gain as much experience as he can.

After a few years, he'll get promoted to a top team.

[Dolph]

Have people thought that maybe Russell will be the stop gap driver for 2025 and Sainz signed for the long term? I mean, what has Russell shown so far since he’s been at Mercedes? His only highlight really is winning Brazil 2022. Sainz is a better driver I think.

Finishing ahead of Hamilton in 2022 WDC in the same car.

[kumo7]

Will and can Sainz wait for Mercedes? I don't think so, it is too much of a risk for Sainz. I am also not sure why exactly Mercedes would want Sainz. Yes, he is very capable and a proven race winner, at least on the level of Russell, but why would Mercedes want another driver like that? They want the next superstar.

 

Mercedes' obvious first choice is Antonelli, they are doing everything to get him ready. After missing out on Verstappen, Wolff does not want this to happen again. We will only see if Antonelli is not ready in a few months time. Mercedes is willing to wait that long and miss out on Alonso and Sainz. Because even if Antonelli is not ready for 2025 he will be for 2026, so Mercedes only needs a stop-gap driver for 2025. If Antonelli does not work out I could see Bottas in the Mercedes again.

 

Mercedes is not a top team at the moment, they are rebuilding and will be a mid-field team for at least 2025. They are not really in the need of a top-level driver, because there is nothing to win. It is the ideal time to pick up Antonelli, who can learn in 2025 without the pressure of having to win races.

 

I think Sainz will wait. As long as his options ar Audi is available. But when he may lose the chance to go racing, I say he will choose Audi. Audi cannot be underestimated, for they are teaming up with Sauber and they won WEC in a dominant fashion. I am just hoping that Audi is willing to go as much as it did there. Audi had its long hesitation through which the board had exhausted the counter arguments, therefore I am inclined to believe that now it will put all they can into this project. Just that if it is enough to beat Red Bull, that is the question... Having said that there is a good chance that Audi also seduces Newey. 

[IrvTheSwerve]

Have people thought that maybe Russell will be the stop gap driver for 2025 and Sainz signed for the long term? I mean, what has Russell shown so far since he’s been at Mercedes? His only highlight really is winning Brazil 2022. Sainz is a better driver I think.

 

Russell has done plenty enough to prove himself against Hamilton. He'll be at Mercedes for at least another 4 or 5 years IMO.

[garoidb]

Agreed. A mid-field team like Mercedes is ideal for Antonelli to make his debut, and gain as much experience as he can.

After a few years, he'll get promoted to a top team.

 

Will they become a junior team for the teams they supply engines to, like McLaren and Williams?    A kind of restoration of the natural order of things. After all, why would the BAR team be naturally entitled to top team status or expected to always float back up to that status? Toto has his work cut out, and he hasn't done this before. They need something to give them an extra boost, and I don't think even the most exciting new driver could provide it. 

[Clatter]

Russell has done plenty enough to prove himself against Hamilton. He'll be at Mercedes for at least another 4 or 5 years IMO.

Unless a better offer comes his way. If merc don't get back to the front, he may not want to stick around.

[Autodromo]

Will they become a junior team for the teams they supply engines to, like McLaren and Williams?    A kind of restoration of the natural order of things. After all, why would the BAR team be naturally entitled to top team status or expected to always float back up to that status? Toto has his work cut out, and he hasn't done this before. They need something to give them an extra boost, and I don't think even the most exciting new driver could provide it. 

What they NEED, and I think this is where Hamilton is good (and I do not know about Russell), is a driver who can give them good feedback as they develop the car.  

[pdac]

What they NEED, and I think this is where Hamilton is good (and I do not know about Russell), is a driver who can give them good feedback as they develop the car.

 

That assumes that they know how to use that feedback. Right now I'm not sure the Mercedes design/engineering team really know what they are doing.

[garoidb]

What they NEED, and I think this is where Hamilton is good (and I do not know about Russell), is a driver who can give them good feedback as they develop the car.  

 

They have Hamilton now. This mustn't be enough to bring them back to their former competitiveness. 

[Autodromo]

They have Hamilton now. This mustn't be enough to bring them back to their former competitiveness. 

That is assuming they'd be better off or the same without him.  A driver cannot design, but they can give accurate feedback about the car's performance.

[garoidb]

That is assuming they'd be better off or the same without him.  A driver cannot design, but they can give accurate feedback about the car's performance.

 

Sure, but I am talking about what they need to get back to their former level of competitiveness. Lewis isn't doing that, and I don't think any driver can. I am not saying he doesn't make a contribution or that they won't miss him.

[JimmyClark]

Have people thought that maybe Russell will be the stop gap driver for 2025 and Sainz signed for the long term? I mean, what has Russell shown so far since he’s been at Mercedes? His only highlight really is winning Brazil 2022. Sainz is a better driver I think.

Russell has pretty much matched Hamilton; anybody being objective will see that. He's made more mistakes, which more than account for the overall points difference between them, but if you were to show their qualifying and race esults as teammates to someone who knew nothing of the sport and ask to identify which driver was 7x WDC and which is the younger driver, it would not be too easy.

He's perfect for Mercedes, and is very much in their long term plan.

[baddog]

Russell has pretty much matched Hamilton; anybody being objective will see that. He's made more mistakes, which more than account for the overall points difference between them, but if you were to show their qualifying and race esults as teammates to someone who knew nothing of the sport and ask to identify which driver was 7x WDC and which is the younger driver, it would not be too easy.

He's perfect for Mercedes, and is very much in their long term plan.

 

Hell, George is currently outmatching him him qualy and there isn't anything in races, and Lewis is a top top driver by any standards. The idea that George is somehow a journeyman is silly. He has made some mistakes under pressure, thats a weakness maybe, but he is super quick.

[hollowstar]

Hell, George is currently outmatching him him qualy and there isn't anything in races, and Lewis is a top top driver by any standards. The idea that George is somehow a journeyman is silly. He has made some mistakes under pressure, thats a weakness maybe, but he is super quick.

But he finished 8th in the championship last year when past-his-prime Lewis was 3rd and the best non-RB driver?

[pdac]

Hell, George is currently outmatching him him qualy and there isn't anything in races, and Lewis is a top top driver by any standards. The idea that George is somehow a journeyman is silly. He has made some mistakes under pressure, thats a weakness maybe, but he is super quick.

 

I'm not convinced Hamilton has been giving 100% since the beginning of last season (if not before that). He's doing enough to get by, but I feel he's not really enjoying things and he's just going through the motions. Hopefully, he'll show much more when he starts with Ferrari next season.

[baddog]

But he finished 8th in the championship last year when past-his-prime Lewis was 3rd and the best non-RB driver?

 

George got scrappy last year and Lewis was on fire for a time there. *shrug* I just think its silly to talk of someone who can compete with Lewis as a second driver for Sainz..

[pacificquay]

Word is Antonelli is a done deal unless he totally implodes in F2

[garoidb]

But he finished 8th in the championship last year when past-his-prime Lewis was 3rd and the best non-RB driver?

 

Maybe George is before-his-prime! It is telling that these little alibis are being put in, not associated with any other driver. George will be fine, don't worry. 

[garoidb]

I'm not convinced Hamilton has been giving 100% since the beginning of last season (if not before that). He's doing enough to get by, but I feel he's not really enjoying things and he's just going through the motions. Hopefully, he'll show much more when he starts with Ferrari next season.

 

Yes, it should reinvigorate him. I think that's part of the rationale for it for him. It goes without saying that he should still do the best he can in these circumstances for this season. It might be a sabbatical opportunity missed, though. I think Fernando has benefitted from his time away.

[Exumer]

I think they should put Antonelli in from 2025, how RBR did it with Max in 2016. They aren't fighting for championships or even wins or even podiums so there will be no pressure for him to win races etc. IF he gets up to speed quickly and starts to match his team mate then it will George who could be in trouble. 2025 will give a chance for Antonelli to get to know the team, engineers, the car etc + work on the sim on 2026 car so he will be even better prepared. 

[chrcol]

Toto tried again, but put to bed now.

 

https://www.bbc.co.u...rmula1/68868016