taperoo2k wrote: ↑19 Jun 2024, 17:38
denyall wrote: ↑19 Jun 2024, 06:40
Jurgen von Diaz wrote:Too much is too much too soon. If it fails straight away at the Merc, it could mean the end of the career, like Vandoorne, who were super talented. Williams would be safe bet for Antonelli.
If Kimi is a talent, putting him at Williams puts Merc at a disadvantage, as all the other teams will see for themselves and it'll be open season to sign him.
It doesn't really, if he's as talented as Toto believes he'll sign Kimi to a contract to drive for Mercedes. If Verstappen becomes an option? That's a headache for Toto to figure out.
What is Verstappen going to do if the car is a dog? If the car is good, then he already has George who can do the job. I don't think Toto's fascination with Max has anything to do with him changing Mercedes' fortune. It was simply about weakening Red Bull. Max is not stupid and he won't leave Red Bull for as long as they have a winning car, even if the winning is done by a lot of hard work on his part. It's a team centered around him and the characteristics of the car suit him.
He can't go to Mercedes and change the team's dynamics to revolve around him and the characteristics of the car to suit him, overnight. It's a long period of struggle to get to that and if George matches him like he has done with Lewis and often beats him, he should forget the team centering around him. There is that risk. Just like Lando said, he can't walk into Red Bull and beat Max, because of the same exact reasons and not because he isn't as competitive, it would be naive to expect Max walking in Mercedes and walking over George. Fan fascination aside, the reality could be very different.
So in all honesty, instead of waiting for Max, it would be logical to simply bring in Antonelli, if they think he is the star of the future. There is no point in wasting him in a dogsh!t like Williams.