Top Dog wrote: » I don't think any other team would pay anywhere near what he's looking for, so if he can't get a deal done with Mercedes I can see him with no drive at all.
Anjobe wrote: » October was before Ineos bought a 1/3 ownership of the team though. Mercedes are no longer the majority owner so may not be able to prevent a deal with Hamilton if Ineos and Toto agree to it.
El_Duderino 09 wrote: » Take Vettel as an example of how expectations can change. He was pissed off at Ferrari because he want willing to take a pay cut from his $30m and then he took an 80% pay cut to go to AM. .
Frank Bullitt wrote: » Doesn't Toto answer to the board though? He is in the most precarious situation in all of this. He has a strong relationship with both Merc and Hamilton, but he has to answer to one over the other. And then of course, there is Russell (or ANY available driver really), that can take Hamiltons place, maybe not totally dominate like him, but still win races and easily fill those boots. This after all is when F1 is the least driver centric version it has been. Gone are the days really where a great driver will really make a difference, it is all set up in the sim and CFD, race simulations, the driver drives to a time and that is it.
rock22 wrote: » You have made that statement twice that Vettel was not willing to take a pay cut. Have you anything to back it up ? Because Ferrari stated there was no negotiation as they had decided they did not want Vettel. And Vettel eventually confirmed that .
eviltimeban wrote: » I wonder then is there any chance of Hamilton taking a sabbatical? And then coming back in 2022 with the new rules changes. It's not beyond the realms of possibility, plus it would fit into his narrative about wanting to do other things. He could be involved in his activism while his profile is still high, reigning world champ and all that, and then come back in 2022 and fight for that 8th title.
ELM327 wrote: » If he takes a sabbatical it will be the same as Mika's sabbatical.
El_Duderino 09 wrote: » I wondered about how the race the missed with Covid and how fan reactions affected him. The fans were pretty happy he wasn’t there and there would be a different story for the weekend. I imagine that would have been devastating for his ego that the fans were happier when he missed a race. And I think overall, fans would be delighted if he took a sabbatical. It would probably mean there would be a decent fight for the championship either within Mercedes or maybe even with max involved in the fight. I might be reading way too much into it. But I wonder how he reacted to seeing fans generally enthused by his absence. It’s just the fact of having the best driver in the best car means there’s no competition for the championship, but I imagine such a media conscious guy would have to have been affected by it.
eviltimeban wrote: » I wonder when Bottas will start trotting out the famous David Coulthard "it's my year" line?
Jordan 199 wrote: »
pjohnson wrote: » Williams keeping Nissany for another year.
Harika wrote: » While contract negotiation with Sky, they claimed that the HD package that included F1 would be removed from June on. Those might only affect long term subscription, anyone heard similar?
Jordan 199 wrote: » Will they give him a practice outing at Hungary like his daddy did at Minardi in 2005?
Jordan 199 wrote: » Button to have an advisor role at Williams.
El_Duderino 09 wrote: » They can use all the help they can get. I wonder what expertise he could really bring?
mickdw wrote: » Bit of experience for the drivers to bounce off but id say mostly a big name for marketing purposes.
El_Duderino 09 wrote: » I can see button wanting to help out Williams as it’s a great, British racing brand. I just wonder how much use it will realistically be to them.
El_Duderino 09 wrote: » He’s getting one of the three pre-season testing days. So Russell and Latifi and Nissani are each farting one day. Strange approach. This comes from to latest Autosport podcast.
