Silly season 2021-2022-2023

[Just_a_fan]

Remember though, Toto and Merc have to factor in events if Hamilton was driving a different car. It is not how they would do V Ferrari or Red Bull it is how they would do with Hamilton in one of those teams and not in the Merc.

And before anyone asks, Yes, I do think it could make that much difference to the end of season positions.

Not just that, but a Bottas / Russell team against a Max / Perez in the 2021 car is likely to be too close for comfort for Toto. The 2021 cars are much closer to the 2020 cars than the 2020 cars were to 2019, for example, so one would expect 2021 to be a closer fight between Merc and RBR.

I think Merc want Hamilton for 2021 and 2022 with Bottas in 2021, Russell in 2022. Then they have the next young gun settled in the team and can sort out the replacement for the other car for 2023. That's how you do succession planning to replace a top dog. The top dog helps the team in the first season of the new car rules before handing over the reigns to the young gun.

[El Scorchio]

Remember though, Toto and Merc have to factor in events if Hamilton was driving a different car. It is not how they would do V Ferrari or Red Bull it is how they would do with Hamilton in one of those teams and not in the Merc.

And before anyone asks, Yes, I do think it could make that much difference to the end of season positions.

Not just that, but a Bottas / Russell team against a Max / Perez in the 2021 car is likely to be too close for comfort for Toto. The 2021 cars are much closer to the 2020 cars than the 2020 cars were to 2019, for example, so one would expect 2021 to be a closer fight between Merc and RBR.

I think Merc want Hamilton for 2021 and 2022 with Bottas in 2021, Russell in 2022. Then they have the next young gun settled in the team and can sort out the replacement for the other car for 2023. That's how you do succession planning to replace a top dog. The top dog helps the team in the first season of the new car rules before handing over the reigns to the young gun.

That's pretty much how I imagine they see it as well. Russell + one other from 2022. They'll see in 2021 if he's got what it takes to lead a championship charge, and that will dictate who they hire as his team mate in 2022. If he does well and still looks like a champion in waiting, then it's almost certainly bad news for Verstappen and any Mercedes dreams. Unless Red Bull is top dog by then, he'll have to hope another team not names Ferrari is coming up on the rails to be a credible title challenger.

Edit- I don't even think it's impossible for Mercedes to give Bottas a 'year off' in 2021 and ask him back in 2022 to partner Russell.

[Manoah2u]

Bottas a year off in 2021? Come on. now.
Hamilton hasn't even signed yet.
Russell is safe at Williams, and if anything corona-related or accident-related happens @ Merc, Russell will fill in that void.

Bottas not having a race seat is 100% Bottas raising the finger to F1 and waving goodbye permanently. After all, that's what Merc would be doing to him too if they'd do such a thing.

It's a slim chance imho to see Bottas still @ Mercedes in 2022. Not only has his performances not been worthy of the seat, but there are plenty of far better drivers available, that have a bright future ahead, where Bottas not only is facing his final chapter with Mercedes, he's facing the end of his book that is his F1 career alltogether.
Had he been a fierce opponent to Hamilton it would have been another story, but that is not the case and Russell completely destroyed him.

[Zynerji]

Anyone driving the W11B will win the championship.

I'd can Hamilton and sign Russell at a discount. Let Lewis pick up the Williams drive to fight for his 8th...

[Just_a_fan]

Anyone driving the W11B will win the championship.

I'd can Hamilton and sign Russell at a discount. Let Lewis pick up the Williams drive to fight for his 8th...

[GalacticHitchHiker]

Anyone driving the W11B will win the championship.

I'd can Hamilton and sign Russell at a discount. Let Lewis pick up the Williams drive to fight for his 8th...

That sounds like a move Williams would have pulled in the 90's.

[El Scorchio]

Bottas a year off in 2021? Come on. now.
Hamilton hasn't even signed yet.
Russell is safe at Williams, and if anything corona-related or accident-related happens @ Merc, Russell will fill in that void.

Bottas not having a race seat is 100% Bottas raising the finger to F1 and waving goodbye permanently. After all, that's what Merc would be doing to him too if they'd do such a thing.

It's a slim chance imho to see Bottas still @ Mercedes in 2022. Not only has his performances not been worthy of the seat, but there are plenty of far better drivers available, that have a bright future ahead, where Bottas not only is facing his final chapter with Mercedes, he's facing the end of his book that is his F1 career alltogether.
Had he been a fierce opponent to Hamilton it would have been another story, but that is not the case and Russell completely destroyed him.

Sorry- that should have been year off in 2022 and back in 2023. I think it's not likely but it's an option.

[Zynerji]

Anyone driving the W11B will win the championship.

I'd can Hamilton and sign Russell at a discount. Let Lewis pick up the Williams drive to fight for his 8th...

That sounds like a move Williams would have pulled in the 90's.

50M more dollars to develop the W12 would be my only concern if I was Toto.

Then Russell wins the next 7 titles at a discount. Its a win-win.

[the EDGE]

Anyone driving the W11B will win the championship.

I'd can Hamilton and sign Russell at a discount. Let Lewis pick up the Williams drive to fight for his 8th...

That sounds like a move Williams would have pulled in the 90's.

50M more dollars to develop the W12 would be my only concern if I was Toto.

Then Russell wins the next 7 titles at a discount. Its a win-win.

You know there’s a budget cap right?

[NathanOlder]

Anyone driving the W11B will win the championship.

I'd can Hamilton and sign Russell at a discount. Let Lewis pick up the Williams drive to fight for his 8th...

Unfortnately since F1 began, more than half of the drivers in the best car didnt win the championship!

Its a fact that more than 50% of the drivers to be in the best car in any year didnt win the championship!

So being in the best car actually produces more losers than winners

[Zynerji]

Anyone driving the W11B will win the championship.

I'd can Hamilton and sign Russell at a discount. Let Lewis pick up the Williams drive to fight for his 8th...

Unfortnately since F1 began, more than half of the drivers in the best car didnt win the championship!

Its a fact that more than 50% of the drivers to be in the best car in any year didnt win the championship!

So being in the best car actually produces more losers than winners

Idiocy.

[Zynerji]

That sounds like a move Williams would have pulled in the 90's.

50M more dollars to develop the W12 would be my only concern if I was Toto.

Then Russell wins the next 7 titles at a discount. Its a win-win.

You know there’s a budget cap right?

Since when?

[NathanOlder]

Anyone driving the W11B will win the championship.

I'd can Hamilton and sign Russell at a discount. Let Lewis pick up the Williams drive to fight for his 8th...

Unfortnately since F1 began, more than half of the drivers in the best car didnt win the championship!

Its a fact that more than 50% of the drivers to be in the best car in any year didnt win the championship!

So being in the best car actually produces more losers than winners

Idiocy.

Doesn't change the fact its correct though does it

[aMessageToCharlie]

You're both right. Let's leave it at that.

The last time that the championship wasn’t won by the fastest car was in 2007 and even then it was only because of the intra team war at Mclaren. That's 13 years.

So it's reasonable to assume that Mercedes could win the title with a different or even lesser driver if you want to put it like that.

[Zynerji]

Unfortnately since F1 began, more than half of the drivers in the best car didnt win the championship!

Its a fact that more than 50% of the drivers to be in the best car in any year didnt win the championship!

So being in the best car actually produces more losers than winners

Idiocy.

Doesn't change the fact its correct though does it

Playing percentage games with 2 car teams doesn't prove a point beyond semantic nitpicking.

There isn't a driver in F1 that wouldn't finish in the top 2 in the Mercedes.

It makes me heave that, for years, all we heard about 4 time WDC Vettel on this forum was "Its the car! Its the car!"

Now that it's obviously THE CAR again, it's different because of who the driver it.

Fanboi, smirking inconsistencies of this type strike me only one way.... As idiocy.