[Other Sport] F1 2020

[*Gullsworth*]

Awful luck Russell, he had a brilliant performance. Disastrous for Bottas, he's done. Mercedes need to get Russell in the car for next year.

Wow what a team that would be. Hamilton the master, done it all, a legend with his achievements against another fine driver in the making, possibly talented enough to compete with Hamilton whereas Bottas is not. He could push to be a fantastic driver and even push Hamilton to greater achievements. It would suit both drivers to be in the same team IMHO. Good time for British drivers.

 

[Iggle Piggle]

Great stuff. George Russell has proved himself to be a superstar in the making. He did enough to win that race twice. Getting into the points was significant (and not getting a DQ) as at least he got that monkey off his back. If he has to go back to a Williams next week, it'll be interesting to see how he gets on. Great to see Perez win and shows how nonsensical it is to keep Lance over him (accepting that makes a lot more sense if your dad owns the company). The Merc cock up at the end was so unlike them. Perhaps they have employed some Ferrari mechanics.

Valteri though. Sorry mate. It's job centre plus for you in 2022.

 

[Nitram]

Great to watch an emerging superstar. No mistakes (from him) most impressive for me was his start on the dirty side of the track. I hope we get to see him soon in a Mercedes. Would be like past days when McLaren had two superstars in the team. I’m sure F1 bosses will see this as box office and will be pushing for it.

 

[disgruntled h blocker]

Wow what a team that would be. Hamilton the master, done it all, a legend with his achievements against another fine driver in the making, possibly talented enough to compete with Hamilton whereas Bottas is not. He could push to be a fantastic driver and even push Hamilton to greater achievements. It would suit both drivers to be in the same team IMHO. Good time for British drivers.

Sadly I can't see that happening, or it is does, it'll be James Vowles on the blower saying "George, Lewis is faster than you, I repeat, Lewis is faster than you".

 

[JJ McClure]

Sadly I'm not sure Mercedes will want to rock the boat. Bottas is a nice compliant number 2 to Lewis, and I don't think they'll want to risk a Lewis/Rosberg situation again. George may just have to wait his turn.

 

[blue-shifted]

I think the fact that Mercedes can just demand another teams driver and they have to hand him over doesn't speak volumes for the health of the sport.

I reckon Russell will have to do him time with Williams for a couple of years though. Lewis wields huge power in that Mercedes garage and he wants someone who's primary job is to hold the rest of the field up and finish 40 seconds behind him .... like Valterri

 

[Marty___Mcfly]

I think the fact that Mercedes can just demand another teams driver and they have to hand him over doesn't speak volumes for the health of the sport.

I reckon Russell will have to do him time with Williams for a couple of years though. Lewis wields huge power in that Mercedes garage and he wants someone who's primary job is to hold the rest of the field up and finish 40 seconds behind him .... like Valterri

GR is a Mercedes driver. He is effectively ‘on loan’ at Williams. That’s why they can pull him back. Agree with all the comments above. Him at Merc next season would be far more interesting than the Hamilton P1 Bottas P2 procession but I think we’ll have to wait until 2022.

 

[Madafwo]

I think the fact that Mercedes can just demand another teams driver and they have to hand him over doesn't speak volumes for the health of the sport.

I reckon Russell will have to do him time with Williams for a couple of years though. Lewis wields huge power in that Mercedes garage and he wants someone who's primary job is to hold the rest of the field up and finish 40 seconds behind him .... like Valterri

Unless I'm mistaken both George's contract with Williams and Valtteri's contract with Mercedes expire at the end of the 2021 season. From what I've heard/read about it Mercedes enquired with Williams about getting George for 2021 but they didn't want to lose him so Mercedes signed Valtteri up for another year. That second bit could just be standard silly season wibble but to my eyes at least it makes sense.

 

[zefarelly]

WIlliams are improving, so another year won't hurt GR

What it did highlight yesterday wasw good drivers noty gertting a good drive. Hulkenberg is another fine example of a driver who never got a whiff of a winning car.

 

[The Wizard]

Hamilton proved in his early career after his two rookie years with a fast car, the period from 2009-2013, sometimes not having the best car improves you as a driver and I think that’s very true for Russell, another season in a Williams will only increase his race craft and experience IMO which can only be a good thing, George is very talented driver but worth remembering he has made mistakes this season, it’s very different a one off race weekend with no pressure on his shoulders to facing Lewis week in week out, that’s the ultimate pressure on a young driver. We will see but I think both scenarios are good for George, his stock only increased with yesterday’s performance.

Perez not having a drive is the biggest tragedy of the season, I like Alex Albon as a person but I’m afraid yesterday said it all, nearly all his main competitors had disasters and he still was nowhere near picking up the pieces, you have to feel knowing RB that performance yesterday could be a breaking point, no Lewis, Verstappen and LeClerc out early, Bottas and Russell all nowhere and he finishes 6th? Just not good enough.

 

[Official Old Man]

Lap 81 third corner.
If you slow down the pictures I'm sure I saw a figure who looked just like Lewes Hamilton run out with a box of tacks in front of Russell. May be wrong.
First 'edge of the seat' race for a long time.

 

[Iggle Piggle]

Unless I'm mistaken both George's contract with Williams and Valtteri's contract with Mercedes expire at the end of the 2021 season. From what I've heard/read about it Mercedes enquired with Williams about getting George for 2021 but they didn't want to lose him so Mercedes signed Valtteri up for another year. That second bit could just be standard silly season wibble but to my eyes at least it makes sense.

Williams had an option for next year on GR which they took up until the end of next year. Claire Williams wanted him another year and didn't want him to go. Since then, Williams has been sold and the new owners were making rumblings about Perez before stating that GR would be there next year. It is possible that a deal could be done but then that would mean having to tear up Bottas contract for next year or Lewis walking away. I can't see either of those things happening.

 

[peterward]

Williams had an option for next year on GR which they took up until the end of next year. Claire Williams wanted him another year and didn't want him to go. Since then, Williams has been sold and the new owners were making rumblings about Perez before stating that GR would be there next year. It is possible that a deal could be done but then that would mean having to tear up Bottas contract for next year or Lewis walking away. I can't see either of those things happening.

I love and admire Lewis, but I haven't been as excited during a GP in years as much as yesterday, from his start, to his comeback to second after the cruel balls up, GR was stunning, even more so with 2 days notice in a car that didn't fit him. I was screaming at the TV!

Surely his future will be at Mercedes, but for so many reasons, I just can't see that being next season. You've stated a couple of the most obvious, Williams have excercised the option and Bottas is under contract, so the costs of cancelling both contracts make it unlikely.

But possibly the biggest elephant in the room is Hamilton being out of contract in the summer and what he wants...... He is their main man and that will not change, Mercedes will 100% want to retain Hamilton at all costs, who knows the car and team inside out...... So what would Hamilton prefer?? That will surely be a factor in negotiations, and as good and confident as Hamilton is in his ability, next season he has the chance to be the stand alone best ever with 8 world championships. Do you think Hamilton would prefer a compliant and established number 2 in Bottas to remain, who he has the beating of pretty easily, or the massively ambitious young buck, who could well be better than Bottas and more of a threat to Hamilton's ambition of an 8th WC.

Of course it's all speculation, but I wouldn't be surprised if Hamilton pushed for Bottas to remain as number 2 for next season in his own new negotiation, to not upset the applecart and give him a known quantity and best chance of 8 WC.

I don't see Hamilton being happy with GR joining Mercedes next season and he is the main man who the team will do everything to accommodate imho.

GR 2022, Bottas binned, when both contracts expire and also once Hamilton is 8 WC's.

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

Wow what a team that would be. Hamilton the master, done it all, a legend with his achievements against another fine driver in the making, possibly talented enough to compete with Hamilton whereas Bottas is not. He could push to be a fantastic driver and even push Hamilton to greater achievements. It would suit both drivers to be in the same team IMHO. Good time for British drivers.

It would be great, wouldn't it?

It would be potentially really a cool passing of the torch. The master passing on his knowledge to the young apprentice. I reckon it would be good for Russell to partner Hamilton next year in a dominant race winning car, learning the ropes, as there's no guarantee that Mercedes will be the strongest team after all the technical changes from 2022. That way he'd have experience of winning races and seeing what is needed to be at the very top and then possibly a year learning how to build back up to a championship winning team.

And Hamilton would get another challenge and the opportunity to be a mentor to one of the best of the next generation.

 

[Nitram]

I think those thinking a racing driver like Hamilton being a mentor to little George underestimates the ruthlessness of top racers. Nice thought though.

 

[Icy Gull]

I believe Hamilton relishes the competition, he is no Schumacher or Vettel demanding to be the number one driver.. I may be being naive here but I think he’d welcome stiffer competition in his team than Bottas has proved to be. He certainly enjoyed his rivalry with Rosberg on the track. I wouldn’t underestimate Lewis, the racer, enjoying the competition of Russell being in the team if necessary. Remember though he made Alonso walk away, Rosberg quit and has sapped all Bottas’ confidence......and in the same car. Do not underestimate the way Lewis gets under the skin of all his team mates.

But yeah OK, he has the best car and just drives around in circles smoking a cigar as he wins week in week out.

 

[The Wizard]

Much as I rate Russell - competing week in week out with Lewis in the same car at this stage of his career I’m not sure he’d do a better job than Bottas, Bottas is very consistent he has had some bloody awful luck this year but overall he’s a good, reliable driver. Russell performed well under no pressure in Bahrain this past weekend but that’s no comparison to the pressure he would feel competing against Lewis week in week out.

It’s similar to Albon, Albon was a stand out driver at AT for his race craft but since he’s been at Red Bull he’s been mentally destroyed by Verstappen, which is no shame as for me Max is a generational talent but it shows the pressure can really be hit or miss for drivers that are promoted to teams to early.

 

[Madafwo]

Nikita Mazepin in the news for all the wrong reasons today. Having read up a bit about him he does seem like a complete turd, smacked Ilott in the mouth for getting in his way on track, threatening to out George Russell as gay and also pressuring women into sending him nude pictures.

Completely unrelated obviously but his dad just pumped a load of money into Haas so he'll keep his seat no doubt.

 

[Hugo Rune]

Nikita Mazepin in the news for all the wrong reasons today. Having read up a bit about him he does seem like a complete turd, smacked Ilott in the mouth for getting in his way on track, threatening to out George Russell as gay and also pressuring women into sending him nude pictures.

Completely unrelated obviously but his dad just pumped a load of money into Haas so he'll keep his seat no doubt.

8 career wins since 2014 in the various formulas he has raced in, not great assuming that his Dad got him into the best cars/teams. Lewis had 37 wins prior to joining F1 at 22.

 

[Iggle Piggle]

Some good articles on wearerace this week (full disclosure a mate of mine runs it) but I liked this about why Lewis and the Merc is a combined effort.

https://the-race.com/formula-1/the-huge-mercedes-gain-russells-turn-1-struggle-exposed/

Mazepin is a massive bell by the way. The only bigger one is Dan Ticktum.