Gaz. wrote:alexx_88 wrote:Dude, what are you on about?
While I usually give conspiracies the wide birth they deserve- except JFK, there's a lot of little things in Manoah2's post that do suggest a tleast some shenanigans, but you do raise the biggest point of all that they are paying LH $30m a year and no right thinking company would pay someone $30m to flush their end goal down the toilet.
Though 1500 (mostly Brits) work for Merc, it follows the direction of just three people.
I am sure everything is as straight as an arrow, but considering Mercedes are in F1 for PR, they have allowed a PR shitstorm to happen.
Well, however you put it, Lewis makes 'worth' those 30m with ease, WDC or nr.2 doesn't do much for them.
Funny enough, good or 'bad' publicity, Lewis puts Merc in the spotlight. With all respect to Nico, Nico is as exciting
and 'promotable' as watching grey paint dry. Lewis in some photoshoots, promoting Mercedes sportscars, and winning
GP's regularly easily pays back those 30m. Lewis - Nico - Mercedes 'battle' promotes the brand, which is allways a good thing.
Also, IF Mercedes decides at certain point that Lewis becomes a 'hazard' for 'pro-Mercedes' brand imaging, then they can simply fire him and 'show their might'. And then take aboard another German [Wehrlein/Vettel] and go all out Nationalistic.
and with all do respect, Mercedes direction doesn't give squad about the people in Brackley. To them it's business and 'hiring' a squad to reach their - current - goal. When they decide to call it quits, they'll call it quits, just like Honda did. Brawn stepped in, sure, but with all do respect, he most definately knew that they had the base for a superb car and the right engine would do the job. If they did not have that double diffuser 'tool', they would not have been close to winning, and really, I am rather doubtfull whether Brawn would have 'went' with the Brawn project if they wouldn't.
Merc stepped in because they saw a possibility for a winning formula. The moment that 'project' is no longer guaranteed,
they're out and return to being a manufacturer of engines, and no longer a works team.
They live in the now, and they'll milk it dry for brand image.
They have 3 WCC's in a row now, are making headlines, break records, have had Schumacher in the team, have Lewis, have Nico Rosberg. If their 2017 contender isn't as dominating as this one, they might concider keeping Lewis for his capabilities.
If their 2017 contender is guaranteed easy race winner, they could go for Wehrlein or Vettel to replace Lew. They can boast with achieven WDC's with 2 different drivers, including current WDC Rosberg 'a proven german winner'. They can house Wehrlein as 'the other german' to be their nr2 driver or hire Vettel to make it another German to make the WDC.
Mercedes F1 team without a single doubt has zero sense of Loyalty towards Lewis,
nor does Lewis have any sense of loyalty towards Mercedes.
If it was 2 years ago, perhaps last year, things would have been / were different. We're living today though, and they can both miss eachother, which is exactly why I wouldn't be surprised to actually see him go or 'get fired'.
