2021 AMG Mercedes F1 Team

[fritticaldi]

Frederik Vesti from Denmark has been signed to the Mercedes F1 junior program. Perhaps a Russell/Vesti line-up in 2023?

[Manoah2u]

Frederik Vesti from Denmark has been signed to the Mercedes F1 junior program. Perhaps a Russell/Vesti line-up in 2023?

Doubtfull.

First and foremost it's key what Hamilton does with Mercedes.
I don't believe that there's any chance that they won't go on for the forthcoming 4 F1 seasons,
so that would leave Hamilton with Merc through 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.

The only seat 'available' will become that of Bottas as of 2022, and ONLY if Bottas is going to suddenly do a Rosberg and become WDC for 2021, which i extremely doubt to the fullest, he'll have a chance beyond 2021 @ Mercedes.
It's more probable that Bottas leaves F1 after the 2021 season.

The 2022 onwards Merc seat then will become interesting for a variety of drivers, but i think Russell is the driver on the absolute nr1 spot, both from his own motivation as that of Mercedes themselves.

The only two, PERHAPS three other drivers i could see end up there are Verstappen, Vettel, and perhaps Schumi jr, but that's a reaaaaaaalllly long shot imho.

It depends thus on how 2021 will unfold in regards to
A) how Vettel will fare under Aston Martin.
B) Whether RedBull can give Verstappen a WDC capable car
C) Mick flying or drowning

After all, Vettel now signed with Aston-Martin Mercedes, despite having a multi-year deal, could be a 'easier' way to be the new German at the German brand.
That way, Vettel gets to Merc and Russell goes to Aston.
Still, i think it's more likely two brits : Hamilton & Russell will end up @ Merc above anything else.
Verstappen stays a very worthwile shot, however, he's a bit fiery and could really cause some inter-team mayhem.

Micky boy could be interesting though. Yes, he belongs to the 'Ferrari camp', but If -despite there is no sign to this- for some reason Micky Schumey is able to do Senna & Micheal like wonders from the get-go, he'll essentially demand a top seat. That makes him the most wanted driver in the field, since he's carrying that legendary name aswell.
So if Ferrari does not decide to quickly boot either Leclerc or poor old Sainz to quickly help him out,
then I can see one of the top teams making a swift grab.

Mercedes, 'accidentally', has a seat available for 2022, and if baby Schumi is any good, then i see no reason to why they wouldn't hastily ditch Boring Bottas for that legendary GERMAN name.

So, in the case of Frederik Vesti, i ONLY see even remotely a chance for him on a F1 seat if Russell gets promoted.
Whether that be Aston, Mercedes or perhaps Mclaren is another story. Only then, the 2nd Williams seat which could be seen as the 'lesser, third, Mercedes seat', will become available for Vesti.
Itll be a Latifi/Vesti, it definately won't be a Russell/Vesti.

Since you are mentioning 2023, Vesti - regardless of his potential - could be one of those drivers in the wrong nick of time. I find it very hard to believe Russell is going to stay another year with Williams after 2021.

This means 2022, a seat opens up @ Williams. This MIGHT be too early for Vesti though. If he performs well and snatches a SL, he could be promoted there though. However, if 2022 is too early, then that second seat @ Williams will disappear to another contender, and the biggest question after that is: will Latifi stay or will Latifi go?

The 2nd seat @ Williams for 2022 would most likely end up in the hands of 1) Jack Aitken or 2) Roy Nissany.
And that leaves Vesti to go where? Nowhere, really.

[Big Tea]

Frederik Vesti from Denmark has been signed to the Mercedes F1 junior program. Perhaps a Russell/Vesti line-up in 2023?

Will he have a licence by that time?

[Fulcrum]

Frederik Vesti from Denmark has been signed to the Mercedes F1 junior program. Perhaps a Russell/Vesti line-up in 2023?

I don't believe that there's any chance that they won't go on for the forthcoming 4 F1 seasons,

A near certainty Hamilton drives for 4 more years with Mercedes? That would be an outlier opinion, based on the current speculation anyway.

[basti313]

Frederik Vesti from Denmark has been signed to the Mercedes F1 junior program. Perhaps a Russell/Vesti line-up in 2023?

......
The 2nd seat @ Williams for 2022 would most likely end up in the hands of 1) Jack Aitken or 2) Roy Nissany.
And that leaves Vesti to go where? Nowhere, really.

Do not forget that MB has to fill also Formula E and if the DTM is a success in the new format, they will also fill seats there after 2022.

Maybe we get a representative FE season this year...and if one of the guys there beats the other one badly a seat will open.

Also in F1 I see changes: As already discussed, Russel in 2022 in the Williams...? If one of the F2 guys comes and beats Latifi, what happens with Latifi?

If Redbull is closer this year with a strong Perez you can also forget about Bottas in 2022. So in a not unlikely case we see an open seat in FE (maybe Bot?) in 2022, open seat in Merc F1 in 2022 and an open seat in Williams in 2023.

And this does not even consider the speculations about Hamilton.

[PlatinumZealot]

Other fun fact, BAR ‘s (Ben Ainslie Racing) is none other then Martin Whitmarsh.

Didn't he leave that now? Last I saw one of his interviews he said something about missing the thrill of F1.

[PlatinumZealot]

For 2022, I believe the seat is Russell's to lose, Valtteri is out, unless Russel can show that he can be consistent over an entire season. It is still up in the air whether George is as fast as Valterri in raw pace. Speed is still the unknown, and it is totally pointless to promote a driver on something so hard to evaluate especially if the driver is not consistent. On the other hand, consistency in performance, or form as we like to call it, is an ability that is more of a firm ground to rely on. A consistent form is the main thing that Mercedes needs for the 2nd seat. Speed and bunch of mistakes just won't cut it. So yah, I will be harshly judging George on his race pace and consistency this year, before I make any call to send Valtteri packing.

[dans79]

For 2022, I believe the seat is Russell's to lose, Valtteri is out, unless Russel can show that he can be consistent over an entire season. It is still up in the air whether George is as fast as Valterri in raw pace. Speed is still the unknown, and it is totally pointless to promote a driver on something so hard to evaluate especially if the driver is not consistent. On the other hand, consistency in performance, or form as we like to call it, is an ability that is more of a firm ground to rely on. A consistent form is the main thing that Mercedes needs for the 2nd seat. Speed and bunch of mistakes just won't cut it. So yah, I will be harshly judging George on his race pace and consistency this year, before I make any call to send Valtteri packing.

Toto said as much recently.
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/15463 ... e-progress

Speaking to Autosport about Russell's progress, Wolff said: "Winning Formula 1 championships is about making the least amount of mistakes. And that only comes with routine and experience.

"Mercedes expects these kind of sustainable performance levels. And that's why you need to give young drivers time.

"Because as exuberant as they may be perceived after the performance that we've seen [at the Sakhir GP] from George, at the same time, young drivers will be criticised, and criticised quickly, when they make mistakes in such a high pressure environment like a top team.

"That's why making experiences like in Imola, and learning from that, is very important to form a driver that can perform at a sustainable high level."

[toraabe]

Do you have a source for this? It's be quite the coup for Aston Martin, and surely a noticeable loss for Merc?

Since they both are owned by the same people and companies, it just makes sense. It was written in an article a couple of weeks ago. Instead of firing a bunch of good designers, just move them to Aston. Both Mercedes and Aston will benefit from this

Pretty similar to RBR and AT.

And Now Ferrari and Haas https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/76910/fe ... -haas.html

All the big teams are doing this now...

[LM10]

For 2022, I believe the seat is Russell's to lose, Valtteri is out, unless Russel can show that he can be consistent over an entire season. It is still up in the air whether George is as fast as Valterri in raw pace. Speed is still the unknown, and it is totally pointless to promote a driver on something so hard to evaluate especially if the driver is not consistent. On the other hand, consistency in performance, or form as we like to call it, is an ability that is more of a firm ground to rely on. A consistent form is the main thing that Mercedes needs for the 2nd seat. Speed and bunch of mistakes just won't cut it. So yah, I will be harshly judging George on his race pace and consistency this year, before I make any call to send Valtteri packing.

Russell beat Bottas the first time he step in a totally unknown car with a totally unknown environment. Hell, he beat him in a cockpit and shoes too small for him.
I don't know what else he needs to do to prove himself. At this point it seems like you're only trying to save Vallteri's reputation for whatever reason.

It was a weekend to lose for Bottas and he lost it.

[PlatinumZealot]

That was a freak weekend. Bottas quaked but was still faster in Q and Race. It is not about speed as I said.

[dans79]

Russell beat Bottas the first time he step in a totally unknown car with a totally unknown environment. Hell, he beat him in a cockpit and shoes too small for him.
I don't know what else he needs to do to prove himself. At this point it seems like you're only trying to save Vallteri's reputation for whatever reason.

It was a weekend to lose for Bottas and he lost it.

Bottas has beaten hamilton before on pure merit, but as you know it hasn't happened consistently enough to be a threat.

In other words one good outing means almost nothing.

[fritticaldi]

Lewis Hamilton's contract still in limbo with the 2021 F1 season set to start March 28. I think Mercedes is probably forcing the Englishman to sign for just one year so he can beat Michael Schumacher's record. Mercedes clearly doesnt want Hamilton to sign a long term contract. With the recent sale of 30% of AMG-Mercedes to Ineos , many are speculating the three pointed star team wont be around in a few years. What do you Hamster fans think?

[Jolle]

Lewis Hamilton's contract still in limbo with the 2021 F1 season set to start March 28. I think Mercedes is probably forcing the Englishman to sign for just one year so he can beat Michael Schumacher's record. Mercedes clearly doesnt want Hamilton to sign a long term contract. With the recent sale of 30% of AMG-Mercedes to Ineos , many are speculating the three pointed star team wont be around in a few years. What do you Hamster fans think?

You floated the idea of Daimler being in trouble as a reason why to sell a share of the racing team. Do you have any reason behind this except speculation? The racing team, especially with the new budget rules is a profitable unit within the Daimler group. Besides that, INEOS would never invest if there wasn’t a commitment from Daimler to keep HPP running as a high level.
Selling a part of the racing team opens up a lot of doors for Daimler as their racing activities are pure marketing. INEOS is not only investing directly into the team but will also be expanding their name in connection with the AMG Mercedes racing team/brand. Bit like how Repsol and Honda have a deal in MotoGP. They don’t exchange that much money but reward their partnership in shared exposure.

[El Scorchio]

Lewis Hamilton's contract still in limbo with the 2021 F1 season set to start March 28. I think Mercedes is probably forcing the Englishman to sign for just one year so he can beat Michael Schumacher's record. Mercedes clearly doesnt want Hamilton to sign a long term contract. With the recent sale of 30% of AMG-Mercedes to Ineos , many are speculating the three pointed star team wont be around in a few years. What do you Hamster fans think?

They really have to consider his age, and fair enough. There's a point for all sportsmen in all sports when they 'drop off the cliff' and Hamilton's time will come just like everyone else's. You can see their point of view. Undoubtedly he's in great shape but he'll basically be 40 at the end of a four year contract and do they want to be on the hook for 200 million quid/dollars if he can't maintain his current level? He knows this will be his last big payday so understandably he wants as much as possible from it.

A good option seems to be 2 years plus a further one if both parties agree or if certain criteria are met by him and the team.

EDIT- it'll get done, I am sure, but with all these things it takes negotiation.