Silly Season 2016/2017

[F1Krof]

Guys forget it, its Bottas simple as that.

To anyone who says Grosjean, a Brit and a French in German Iconic Brand?!

Really?

[Manoah2u]

You should read up on the other reply's that discussed that quite a lot now, and how there's slim chance he'll actually be the 2017 driver.

You must be pretty confident about the stoutness of that limb you're going out on there.

Indeed very confident to not see Wehrlein there.

First thought was Merc knew about it and they waited with Wehrlein for a reason. A further investigation shows that is not the case. The amount of comments and the way it's presented clearly indicates that Rosberg 'took em by surprise', hence, there was no way they were planning or expecting to put Wehrlein in there, except for another reason: Hamilton.

It's been a bit turbulent between Lewis and Mercedes for a while, and the signs are clear that Mercedes was having a backup plan in the form of Wehrlein in case things went south.
Things did go south in Spain, and i have zero doubt that Lewis did threaten to up and leave and let them hang in the dry. Mercedes responded swiftly by 'steaming' Wehrlein ready for a drive. Wehrlein then got cocky and arrogant and probably also reflected this on the Manor engineers who didn't have any of it. Niki Lauda didn't have any of it either, his attitude did not fall well with the Mercedes outfit.
In the meanwhile, things cooled down again and Lewis continued driving for Mercedes, and rather curiously rather became 'untouchable' afterwards - untill Malaysia that is.

In any case, the turbulence between Lewis and Mercedes clearly did not go away. It cooled down, but that doesn't mean it was on room temperature. The driver interviews in AbuDhabi showed just that, about the 'explenations' in regards to switching mechanics and Lewis once again showing his 'discomfort' by mentioning his book in 10 years time.

Then Mercedes went all b*tthurt about Lewis' actions which to me - my opinion - suggests they were 'taking' the opportunity to see if they could get rid of Lewis through this direction. In any case, it was another clear signal that there is quite the 'discomfort' between Lewis the driver and Mercedes the team.

Mercedes just handed a new contract to Rosberg and Ecclestone mentioned that a German Champion would 'refresh' the promotional possibilities. In no way there was the indication or direction that Nico wouldn't be there in 2017, and i'm rather confident Mercedes was thinking they could now get Rosberg another WDC. Rosberg is a matured and strong driver, so he's atleast capable of getting Merc there.

In the 'worst' case scenario they thought; Replace Lewis with Wehrlein.
In no scenario it seems had they anticipated Nico to pull out.

Now reading the comments regarding Wehrlein:

"Difficult to work with" "Not compatible with Lewis [PrimaDonna]" "disappointing compared to Ocon" "Not sure he is ready", are clear indications he's not going to be the 2017 driver.

the reason is simple;

If he was all that potent, they would have immediately shifted him to the top level.

Instead, they are mentioning discussing and evaluating drivers like Alonso, Verstappen, Vettel, etc etc etc.
If they didnt have any doubt about Pascal, they would have formulated this differently, or not even gave it a thought at all.
The fact they actually also mention putting Ocon there, only suggests more that there is a fat chance Wehrlein will go there.

Wehrlein was a safety net for 2016 during the season.

Wehrlein does not get any Vandoorne-like comments from Mercedes, whilst this would be the exact right time to do that.

Putting this all together to me is clear as day; Wehrlein will not be in that seat. Mercedes can't risk a 'risky' driver or 'uncertainty' for 2017. I think it's clear for all to see they're pointing their arrows rather firmly towards Alonso,
so I'd say Alonso is their priority. If they can't get Alonso for whatever reason, i can imagine Jenson would be a great 'solution'. In any case, Button would be a immediate choice over Wehrlein, once again showing that a retired driver would be favoured over the supposed 'next star'. All the while 'that star', has not brought Manor the results they needed.
Vettel is another option, though i would feel he would be more of a decision for the longer term,
and what they need now is a solution for the short term.
Something also tells me Vettel's contract with Ferrari is firmer in comparison to Alonso @ Mclaren - especially since there is such a 'restructuring' @ Mclaren.

There are so many options to choose from, and them clearly mentioning these options, and LASTLY mentioning Wehrlein, is a 100% certainty to me that it's NOT going to be Pascal period.

Reminds me a bit of the situation @ Lotus a couple of years ago, where Raikkonen was replaced by Kovalainen instead of their test/reserve driver Davide Valsecchi, who was supposedly 'highly rated'. [Thankfully] never seen him drive a single race though.

I don't know for certain who it will be that drives alongside Lewis in 2017 @ Mercedes, but rest assured it's not Wehrlein.

Also: Mercedes just backed out of their threats on 'disciplinary actions' against Lewis. Surprise, surprise

[Formula Wrong]

Guys forget it, its Bottas simple as that.

To anyone who says Grosjean, a Brit and a French in German Iconic Brand?!

Really?

This tweet of his kinda fits to your speculation


However, it seems a bit unlikely to me.

[Manoah2u]

Well, anybody could post anything regarding Mercedes right now, after claims every driver except Kvyat and Raikkonen has called Toto,
so i wouldn't read too much into it.

[nokivasara]

Well, anybody could post anything regarding Mercedes right now, after claims every driver except Kvyat and Raikkonen has called Toto,
so i wouldn't read too much into it.

Bottas is more likely than Alonso.

[PlatinumZealot]

Guys forget it, its Bottas simple as that.

To anyone who says Grosjean, a Brit and a French in German Iconic Brand?!

Really?

This tweet of his kinda fits to your speculation
http://i.imgur.com/CbGbtKJ.png

However, it seems a bit unlikely to me.

Oh my gosh. yes! please! haha!
My body is ready.

[Manoah2u]

Well, anybody could post anything regarding Mercedes right now, after claims every driver except Kvyat and Raikkonen has called Toto,
so i wouldn't read too much into it.

Bottas is more likely than Alonso.

Bottas is rather dull. There has been enough comments on how he supposedly was 'the next thing', but in all these years
has shown absolutely nothing - even worse, he's made some rather dubious moves this year and last year. He's greyer and
definately worse than Rosberg, so no way.

and Bottas more likely than Alonso?

Bottas would wish so, but he hasn't really made himself popular with Williams over the contract dispute. From his side,
that means he probably would love to change Merc for Williams [ who wouldn't ]. It would however make it for Williams a lot less 'comfortable' to ditch him, and i am very very doubtfull Mercedes is willing to pay a good financial sum for Bottas to leave Williams when they can pay a good financial sum to get somebody a thousand times better like Alonso.
Bottas at best is a Kovalainen, and i'm not even sure he's at Heikki's quality - whom i dont rate very high.
Especially since Bottas out of Williams would leave Williams rather in a very very difficult situation, so there is no way in life Williams is willing to 'release' Bottas - again, except for a good financial buyout and that's where it ends.
Bottas is going to Renault in 2018 alongside Nico Hulkenberg, i wouldnt be surprised if there's actually a signed contract there, so there is the possibility that Mercedes wouldn't just have to 'pay off' Williams, but Renault would bill them too.
NEXT is all they would have to say in the 'auditions'.

[NAPI10]

At this point, other teams are under more pressure than Merc.
Loosing lead driver for team like Williams or FI means starting next season (or couple of seasons) on back foot. Apart from risking race result; it will also risk car development due to driver’s feedback quality.
McLaren and Ferrari will fear of losing great opportunity to weaken Merc dominance by causing some instability plus Alonso OR Vettel will carry valuable information of 2017 cars. Tough days ahead…

[nokivasara]

Well, anybody could post anything regarding Mercedes right now, after claims every driver except Kvyat and Raikkonen has called Toto,
so i wouldn't read too much into it.

Bottas is more likely than Alonso.

Bottas is rather dull. There has been enough comments on how he supposedly was 'the next thing', but in all these years
has shown absolutely nothing - even worse, he's made some rather dubious moves this year and last year. He's greyer and
definately worse than Rosberg, so no way.

and Bottas more likely than Alonso?

Bottas would wish so, but he hasn't really made himself popular with Williams over the contract dispute. From his side,
that means he probably would love to change Merc for Williams [ who wouldn't ]. It would however make it for Williams a lot less 'comfortable' to ditch him, and i am very very doubtfull Mercedes is willing to pay a good financial sum for Bottas to leave Williams when they can pay a good financial sum to get somebody a thousand times better like Alonso.
Bottas at best is a Kovalainen, and i'm not even sure he's at Heikki's quality - whom i dont rate very high.
Especially since Bottas out of Williams would leave Williams rather in a very very difficult situation, so there is no way in life Williams is willing to 'release' Bottas - again, except for a good financial buyout and that's where it ends.
Bottas is going to Renault in 2018 alongside Nico Hulkenberg, i wouldnt be surprised if there's actually a signed contract there, so there is the possibility that Mercedes wouldn't just have to 'pay off' Williams, but Renault would bill them too.
NEXT is all they would have to say in the 'auditions'.

We have to just wait and see...

[zeph]

and Bottas more likely than Alonso?

Actually, yes. Toto Wolff has privately stated that he wouldn't pair Hamilton with Alonso, and Bottas is a nice vanilla shoe-in for the time being. Looks like an even-tempered guy who won't upset Hamilton too much.

Right now, Mercedes needs to keep Hamilton very happy.

[TAG]

Indeed very confident to not see Wehrlein there.

First thought was Merc knew about it and they waited with Wehrlein for a reason. A further investigation shows that is not the case. The amount of comments and the way it's presented clearly indicates that Rosberg 'took em by surprise', hence, there was no way they were planning or expecting to put Wehrlein in there, except for another reason: Hamilton.

It's been a bit turbulent between Lewis and Mercedes for a while, and the signs are clear that Mercedes was having a backup plan in the form of Wehrlein in case things went south.
Things did go south in Spain, and i have zero doubt that Lewis did threaten to up and leave and let them hang in the dry. Mercedes responded swiftly by 'steaming' Wehrlein ready for a drive. Wehrlein then got cocky and arrogant and probably also reflected this on the Manor engineers who didn't have any of it. Niki Lauda didn't have any of it either, his attitude did not fall well with the Mercedes outfit.
In the meanwhile, things cooled down again and Lewis continued driving for Mercedes, and rather curiously rather became 'untouchable' afterwards - untill Malaysia that is.

In any case, the turbulence between Lewis and Mercedes clearly did not go away. It cooled down, but that doesn't mean it was on room temperature. The driver interviews in AbuDhabi showed just that, about the 'explenations' in regards to switching mechanics and Lewis once again showing his 'discomfort' by mentioning his book in 10 years time.

Then Mercedes went all b*tthurt about Lewis' actions which to me - my opinion - suggests they were 'taking' the opportunity to see if they could get rid of Lewis through this direction. In any case, it was another clear signal that there is quite the 'discomfort' between Lewis the driver and Mercedes the team.

Mercedes just handed a new contract to Rosberg and Ecclestone mentioned that a German Champion would 'refresh' the promotional possibilities. In no way there was the indication or direction that Nico wouldn't be there in 2017, and i'm rather confident Mercedes was thinking they could now get Rosberg another WDC. Rosberg is a matured and strong driver, so he's atleast capable of getting Merc there.

In the 'worst' case scenario they thought; Replace Lewis with Wehrlein.
In no scenario it seems had they anticipated Nico to pull out.

Now reading the comments regarding Wehrlein:

"Difficult to work with" "Not compatible with Lewis [PrimaDonna]" "disappointing compared to Ocon" "Not sure he is ready", are clear indications he's not going to be the 2017 driver.

the reason is simple;

If he was all that potent, they would have immediately shifted him to the top level.

Instead, they are mentioning discussing and evaluating drivers like Alonso, Verstappen, Vettel, etc etc etc.
If they didnt have any doubt about Pascal, they would have formulated this differently, or not even gave it a thought at all.
The fact they actually also mention putting Ocon there, only suggests more that there is a fat chance Wehrlein will go there.

Wehrlein was a safety net for 2016 during the season.

Wehrlein does not get any Vandoorne-like comments from Mercedes, whilst this would be the exact right time to do that.

Putting this all together to me is clear as day; Wehrlein will not be in that seat. Mercedes can't risk a 'risky' driver or 'uncertainty' for 2017. I think it's clear for all to see they're pointing their arrows rather firmly towards Alonso,
so I'd say Alonso is their priority. If they can't get Alonso for whatever reason, i can imagine Jenson would be a great 'solution'. In any case, Button would be a immediate choice over Wehrlein, once again showing that a retired driver would be favoured over the supposed 'next star'. All the while 'that star', has not brought Manor the results they needed.
Vettel is another option, though i would feel he would be more of a decision for the longer term,
and what they need now is a solution for the short term.
Something also tells me Vettel's contract with Ferrari is firmer in comparison to Alonso @ Mclaren - especially since there is such a 'restructuring' @ Mclaren.

There are so many options to choose from, and them clearly mentioning these options, and LASTLY mentioning Wehrlein, is a 100% certainty to me that it's NOT going to be Pascal period.

Reminds me a bit of the situation @ Lotus a couple of years ago, where Raikkonen was replaced by Kovalainen instead of their test/reserve driver Davide Valsecchi, who was supposedly 'highly rated'. [Thankfully] never seen him drive a single race though.

I don't know for certain who it will be that drives alongside Lewis in 2017 @ Mercedes, but rest assured it's not Wehrlein.

Also: Mercedes just backed out of their threats on 'disciplinary actions' against Lewis. Surprise, surprise

So in other words, your guess is as good as mine. Let's wait and see.

[Manoah2u]

Well, the other side of the medal is; should they? Hamilton has 2 WDC's under his belt with Merc, and the chances are big that the coming years, they're going to 'lose' that dominance to the competition. Which suggests, that for his 4th WDC title, Lewis will have limited time left @ Mercedes to achieve just that - one might wonder whether 2017 might already leave them passed or not. I think 2017 will still see them in a rather favourable position, but undoubtedly, Lewis will be looking towards the competition to grab a seat - and I can't help but expect him to head towards Ferrari somewhere in the near future.
After all, Senna supposedly would have gone to Ferrari in 1995 or 1996, and we all know how much Lewis values his hero.

So the question Mercedes should ask themselves is; should we choose a lesser driver to 'caress' Lewis whilst the chances are rather big Lewis will leave them anyway, or should we 'risk' someone like Alonso, but maintain a top-class WDC that is atleast able to get us yet another WDC and WCC title?

Bottas imho is not up for that task. Bottas screams no2 driver, in the likes of Kovalainen and perhaps Barrichello. Mercedes still needs a nr1 driver. Lewis still has it - and will have it a long time still. Verstappen has it, but won't leave RedBull. Ricciardo seems like he's up for the task and hungry enough, but again, i rather think he's RB-chained. Vettel already has 4 titles and iirc has stated before he isn't neccesarily as hungry for 7 titles like his hero Schumacher managed to wheel in. Meanwhile, Alonso is still hungry, and seriously wants that 3rd WDC title.

So if they should concider somebody 'hungry enough', then Alonso would be the most obvious choise. Also, I could see Alonso not doing a 'Rosberg' when grabbing the WDC in 2017, but perhaps being even more 'boosted' to try and get another WDC for 2018.

I have to repeat, Bottas is a no2 driver at best.

[F1NAC]

Sato to Mercedes confirmed



btw what the heck happened with emojis?

[ScottB]

Of course Bottas is more likely than Alonso!

He's at a Merc customer team, so the chances of convincing them to release him are massively higher than getting Mclaren to give up Alonso.

If you want to talk 2018 then things are more open.

[NL_Fer]

I wonder what clauses Alonso has in his contract. McLaren performed to bad and even mediocre for a midfield team, there must be a loop in his contract about their performance.