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Mercedes want you (providing you're German)

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Evil Weasel
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Joined: 15 Dec 2006, 02:18
Location: Suffolk, UK

Mercedes want you (providing you're German)

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Should McLaren hire a German driver? .

Norbert Haug has commended BMW for taking on three German drivers - Heidfeld, Vettel & Glock. As Mercedes exert a greater level of control on McLaren can we expect to see Hamilton replaced by Nico Hulkenberg or similar next year?

Williams were very quick to pick up Ralfie when they had BMW engines (and equally quick to drop Heidfeld when the lost BMW engines). They were also very quick to sign a Japanese test driver once they got Toyota power.

My view is that it's very sad to see McLaren lose it's independence and I'd ideally like to see drivers get their seats on merit (although I concede this a a rarity).
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joseff
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Joined: 24 Sep 2002, 11:53

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I think BMW took Heidfeld instead of Williams dropping him... same with Mark Webber, Mario Thiessen asked him over but he chose to stay.

Poor Hamilton... he really is in hell's kitchen. He's a rookie, is being compared to Alonso, and has to fend off Hulkenberg, Ammermueller and the likes.

If he could only pull a Hakkinen and outqualified Alonso, now that would be something. I can't name another rookie besides Hakkinen who was in a similar situation and made it out alive. But then again, Hakkinen actually had a year with Lotus (correct me if I'm wrong) so not exactly the same situation.
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zac510
zac510
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Joined: 24 Jan 2006, 12:58

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Winning races is surely better for the company than having a German driver?

But if you're not doing the former then you may aswell have a German driver or 3 to fall back on.
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nudge
nudge
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Joined: 07 Dec 2006, 20:44

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i quote:
"I don't see any reason why we couldn't have a German driver in our car if the opportunity arises," Haug told German channel Sport1.

i think this is just filling column inches...sorry but i just dont see a story there at all
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Hondanisti
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Joined: 05 Nov 2006, 18:37

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so is that a thinly veiled shot across the bow of Toyota's ship for Ralf or are you suggesting that this press release was an open declaration in advance to Lewis that if he doesn't perform well, they are going to poach Nico Rosberg for 2008 ?

Michael Ammermueller in the Red Bull system is German but he hasn't exactly lit the racing world ablaze with results for a patriotic Mercedes News Release in the off season in a dead news week (where few people of significance are paying attention to the implication of the statement).


It would be like Honda declaring that they want more Japanese drivers in F1.

That's great but aren't we past this tribal thing in the 21st century ?


I can see a whole bunch of people applying for German citizenship now though :lol:
Hungaroring 2006: Honda Stopped Dreaming & Got On With It!

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m3_lover
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Joined: 26 Jan 2006, 07:29
Location: St.Catharines, Ontario, Canada

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I believe Timo Glock is Swiss..isn't he or am I thinking of Neal Jani?
Simon: Nils? You can close in now. Nils?
John McClane: [on the guard's phone] Attention! Attention! Nils is dead! I repeat, Nils is dead, ----head. So's his pal, and those four guys from the East German All-Stars, your boys at the bank? They're gonna be a little late.
Simon: [on the phone] John... in the back of the truck you're driving, there's $13 billon dollars worth in gold bullion. I wonder would a deal be out of the question?
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joseff
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Joined: 24 Sep 2002, 11:53

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Neel Jani is Swiss.
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Hondanisti
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Joined: 05 Nov 2006, 18:37

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don't you folks find it all very country bumpkin-ish and parochial for Haug to even make a comment like that in this day & age ?
Hungaroring 2006: Honda Stopped Dreaming & Got On With It!

INTEGRATION & LEARNING
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sebbe
sebbe
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Joined: 17 May 2006, 19:27
Location: Argentina

So much to tell!

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First of all, Heidfeld was stolen from Williams by BMW.

Second, Mr Haug should stop talking nonsense and assume that his company hasn’t been able to make a good engine. If he is such a fan of Dr Theissen’s all-german-oriented management, why did he buy Ilmor instead of building his own engines from scratch?
It wasn’t until things went too bad for McLaren-Mercedes when they decided to buy Ilmor and call it Mercedes-Illmor.
Having a German driver won’t make any change if they stop having such an overaggressive design and over conservative race strategy.

I don't think Hamilton's seat is at stake, after all Ron is still the boss of McLaren, albeit having the same share in the company than Mercedes.
"I've already altered the deal, pray I don't alter it any further" -Darth Vader to Lando Calrissian. The Empire Strikes Back.
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wowf1
wowf1
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Joined: 05 Jan 2004, 13:53
Location: Brunel University, England

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You've got to realise though that Haug's (or any other senior personnel at an Automotive manufacturer's) feeling about a driver of same nationality as the manufacturer is not a patriotic or 'backwards' sentiment. It's purely for marketing purposes if it's the case of a multi-national company. From that point of view, it might just be good business sense. Which I have no problem with.
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AeroGT3
AeroGT3
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Joined: 29 Mar 2006, 23:22

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Do none of you have any sense of national pride? If I were a German company, I'd want a German driver too.
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Tom
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Joined: 13 Jan 2006, 00:24
Location: Bicester

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national pride is overated, sure I'm pleased to be British, but I certainly wouldn't buy a British car or hire a British driver for that reason.
Murphy's 9th Law of Technology:
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Evil Weasel
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Joined: 15 Dec 2006, 02:18
Location: Suffolk, UK

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I'm sure that selling more Mercedes in Germany and displacing BMW is the most important factor for Haug - see Honda and Sato - but one would have to assume that national pride enters into it.

Toyota are based in Germany. How keen are they to increase their share of the market with an all Deutsch lineup.

On top of that the companies that used to sponsor MSch may be looking for new beneficiaries, so the first season the sees more British drivers (4)than German (3, Heidfeld, Schumacher, Suttil - is that right?) maybe also be the last.
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