codrus (Forum Supporter) said:
steronz said:
I think it's odd that Lewis hasn't finalized a contract for next year, but he's only 35. He could conceivably have 10 more years in F1 if he wanted to. Schumacher raced until he was 43, Kimi is 41, Alonso is making a comeback at 39. And I'd say Lewis is in better physical condition than any of them.
My guess as to why he hasn't finalized is money. Salary cap comes in 2023 and is going to cut his pay, so probably they're negotiating for a bonus while it's still allowed.
I haven't paid a lot of attention recently, I thought originally the driver's salaries weren't going to be subject to the cap?
z31maniac said:
codrus (Forum Supporter) said:
steronz said:
I think it's odd that Lewis hasn't finalized a contract for next year, but he's only 35. He could conceivably have 10 more years in F1 if he wanted to. Schumacher raced until he was 43, Kimi is 41, Alonso is making a comeback at 39. And I'd say Lewis is in better physical condition than any of them.
My guess as to why he hasn't finalized is money. Salary cap comes in 2023 and is going to cut his pay, so probably they're negotiating for a bonus while it's still allowed.
I haven't paid a lot of attention recently, I thought originally the driver's salaries weren't going to be subject to the cap?
I believe there's a separate salary cap that's in the process of being negotiated and is widely expected to pass.
AaronT said:
In reply to kevlarcorolla :
My conspiracy theory about this is that Lewis wants to retire after seeing the Grosjean crash. He somehow faked his positive test. He already has WDC and WCC and a positive test lets him skip the end of the season without breach of contract.
I considered the possiblity that Merc really really wanted a proper race test for Russel,everythings locked up for Lewis so why not fake a test giving Lewis an early start to golfing and Russel a chance to see what he's got.
In reply to codrus (Forum Supporter) :
Yeah, I just read an article that mentions a separate $30 million fund...........but teams could still exceed that for their drivers, but the excess money would come from the chassis budget.
If the bankroll was not the determinate factor......what team would any of you like to see Lewis ply his "skills" if he actually leaves MB?
Someone like McLaren who's got the basic capability and needs to figure out how to get to the next level. There's no point in putting him in a Alfa or Williams because it's just not going to be competitive.
And not Ferrari :)
In reply to 759NRNG (Forum Partidario) :
He'd probably be pretty comfortable in the Racing Point lol
Keith Tanner said:
Someone like McLaren who's got the basic capability and needs to figure out how to get to the next level. There's no point in putting him in a Alfa or Williams because it's just not going to be competitive.
And not Ferrari :)
Thank you for your response cuz I was even thinking Alphatauri.....
759NRNG (Forum Partidario) said:
If the bankroll was not the determinate factor......what team would any of you like to see Lewis ply his "skills" if he actually leaves MB?
Who is going to have the best car in 22? Based on his history, that's where he goes.
But, he retires from Merc.
Streetwiseguy said:
759NRNG (Forum Partidario) said:
If the bankroll was not the determinate factor......what team would any of you like to see Lewis ply his "skills" if he actually leaves MB?
Who is going to have the best car in 22? Based on his history, that's where he goes.
But, he retires from Merc.
His entire career has been with Mercedes Benz, no way he goes anywhere else, at least with that engine. And of the MB teams, only McLaren is a reasonable option after Mercedes, for history reasons.
GR tops the leaderboard in FP1....
And he looked a lot more comfortable with the car than Bottas did. FP2 should be interesting as I'd imagine they get the car a bit more dialed in for Bottas.
AaronT
Reader
12/4/20 9:44 a.m.
Rumor is that Bottas' car broke over the bumps in turn 6.
Russell sounded stressed during FP1 but still got peeee wan! It's still only FP1 but it's really exciting to watch.
I think he always sounds like that on the radio.
I'm not expecting a win out of the guy - I'd love to see it, but I don't expect it. But he'll make a strong case for the next available Mercedes seat. Just as long as he doesn't put it into the wall behind the safety car or something.
Keith Tanner said:
I think he always sounds like that on the radio.
I'm not expecting a win out of the guy - I'd love to see it, but I don't expect it. But he'll make a strong case for the next available Mercedes seat. Just as long as he doesn't put it into the wall behind the safety car or something.
Naw. He'd never do that....
I could see how that could happen though. He is unfamiliar with DAS and the wheel controls for adjusting.... ...well everything. That will be a stressful time if a safety car happens and he is in contention.
practice times may not mean anything but setting the fastest time in FP1 is best case scenario for Russell and is surely a confidence booster
When I was about 13 years old, I had a 399 Ski-Doo Olympique. It had bogie suspension, and the engine was still mounted up high. All my friends rode Arctic Cats, which has slide suspension, and the engine way down low up front, with a jackshaft, and shocks on the skis
I could usually keep up to them, and after I got my Jag, I was faster.
I think you should be able to relate the moral of this story to the current topic.
AaronT
Reader
12/4/20 10:24 a.m.
Streetwiseguy said:
When I was about 13 years old, I had a 399 Ski-Doo Olympique. It had bogie suspension, and the engine was still mounted up high. All my friends rode Arctic Cats, which has slide suspension, and the engine way down low up front, with a jackshaft, and shocks on the skis
I could usually keep up to them, and after I got my Jag, I was faster.
I think you should be able to relate the moral of this story to the current topic.
Streetwiseguy to drive Mercedes F1 car alongside Russell in 2022: confirmed!
AaronT said:
Streetwiseguy said:
When I was about 13 years old, I had a 399 Ski-Doo Olympique. It had bogie suspension, and the engine was still mounted up high. All my friends rode Arctic Cats, which has slide suspension, and the engine way down low up front, with a jackshaft, and shocks on the skis
I could usually keep up to them, and after I got my Jag, I was faster.
I think you should be able to relate the moral of this story to the current topic.
Streetwiseguy to drive Mercedes F1 car alongside Russell in 2022: confirmed!
So my time autocrossing/tracking obsolete BMW's will pay off when I eventually upgrade to something better, excellent!
Either way Valterri is on suicide watch right now I reckon. There's not a sauna hot enough in helsinki for him to hide in.
In reply to Keith Tanner :
KT with the cold blooded shot!
I don't expect a win either but one can hope..., fun to watch, I hope he doesn't wad it up, that would be a heartbreaker for young George.
Watching P2, how demoralizing is it to have Merc so close to the front on the hard tires? Botas at .278 and Russel at .335 off the lead, but hard tires.
In reply to alfadriver (Forum Supporter) :
Where are you watching practice?
Edit: Never mind....found it.
Is Bottas' car still "broken" or is it just his soul?
