The Official F1 2020 silly season *contains speculation*

[Blink982]

Exactly. The only thing going against Bottas is he isn't Hamilton but who is?

[bobbo89]

Ocon confirmed at Renault

[sparta6]

ELUSIVEJIM said:

Ashtray83 said:

Bottas confirmed merc 2020

Think it was a complete farce it was ever in doubt.

[TheDeuce]

ELUSIVEJIM said:

Ashtray83 said:

Bottas confirmed merc 2020

Think it was a complete farce it was ever in doubt.

True! Far too many were doubting he would remain, in spite of the fact he's clearly perfect as a partner for Lewis.

I just hope bottas realises how crucial he is to their effort and had the sense to demand an increase in pay..

[anonymous-user]

TheDeuce said:

True! Far too many were doubting he would remain, in spite of the fact he's clearly perfect as a partner for Lewis.

I just hope bottas realises how crucial he is to their effort and had the sense to demand an increase in pay..

I hope so too but I think he was in a position that makes him happy just to get the drive for 2020.

Just let's see what happens this weekend when he now has his contract for 2020.

I have a feeling he could be the type of driver that needs reassurance hence his slight dip in form.

[tobinen]

With OCO confimed at the Regie, HUL to Haas?

[Finlandese]

TheDeuce said:

True! Far too many were doubting he would remain, in spite of the fact he's clearly perfect as a partner for Lewis.

I just hope bottas realises how crucial he is to their effort and had the sense to demand an increase in pay..

It was an existing option on Merc side, so the fee was negotiated already in 2018.

IMHO this whole show was done to jack up the price of Ocon. There was no reason to let Bottas go, especially for an erratic and unproven Ocon. And letting Bottas join Red Bull would've been bad thing for Merc in many levels.

[Andy S15]

Personally glad for Bottas. Said all along that Merc must be sick in the head to want to replace him with Ocon who has (in my eyes at least) done little to prove he is anything other than inconsistent and a lesser driver than Perez. Hopefully this gives Bottas an extra kick up the ass now to keep up the fight.

I feel for Hulk, but what exactly do Haas gain by signing him over their current pairing? Hulk+Gro could provide some much needed harmony I suppose, but Mag+Hulk could just add even more inter-team drama than they have already.

It probably depends if Big John wants to retire? Maybe he's actually had enough. Mag has a contract for next year, but I don't really expect that to mean a lot especially after the number of times both drivers have come together.

[ajprice]

This is old now that Ocon is at Renault for 2020, but apparently Magnussen is safe and the other seat is between Grosjean and Hulk (Ocon was a 3rd option for the seat).

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/145620/hulkenber...

Hulk has twittered that he's out from Renault with Ocon going there, and ""With regard to 2020, I am confident to find a good solution, but there is nothing to announce at the moment."

https://twitter.com/HulkHulkenberg/status/11670508...

Edited by ajprice on Thursday 29th August 13:43

[Supersam83]

I think it will be Hulk to Haas to replace Grosjean.

Would love to see some social media using this clip:

https://youtu.be/21T8d0SA5Js

Hulkenberg: "Once again most unsporting driver of the race".

Magnussen: "Suck my balls mate".

[Vaud]

Andy S15 said:

It probably depends if Big John wants to retire? Maybe he's actually had enough.

Formula E or Le Mans would suit him I think. He can be very fast.

[dunc_sx]

Disappointed Bottas is staying but Mercedes after all they aren't obliged to please the public, just do what's best for them so nobody has any cause for complaint really.

Dunc.

Edited by dunc_sx on Thursday 29th August 14:27

[bobbo89]

Supersam83 said:

I think it will be Hulk to Haas to replace Grosjean.

Would love to see some social media using this clip:

https://youtu.be/21T8d0SA5Js

Hulkenberg: "Once again most unsporting driver of the race".

Magnussen: "Suck my balls mate".

"Suck my balls honey" wasn't it?

[kiseca]

Bo_apex said:

kiseca said:

ELUSIVEJIM said:

Deesee said:

Its rumoured that Toto wanted a change, but the senior engineers wanted Bottas..

Senior engineer's or number one driver? We know who is in charge when it comes to Toto's World

Lewis: "Don't hire anyone faster than me. If I can't win in a Merc, noone else is allowed to either."

Toto: "Sounds fair. We'll keep Bottas."

Quite likely something along those lines

Do you think, for instance, if Max could be convinced to swap to Mercedes, and the finances of having two top drivers added up, they wouldn't put him alongside Lewis?

I know many think Lewis will throw his toys out of the cot, but fact is he hasn't in the past shown any intent to block any driver from being his team mate, and frankly I think most are confusing Lewis with Senna or Schumacher with this particular trait.

I can't believe for 1 minute that Mercedes would rather have Max beating Lewis in a Red Bull than in a Mercedes, even with the management complications it brings.

Same goes for any other driver, but Max as an example seems most likely to give Lewis a headache. Maybe Ricciardo, and he may well actually be an easier target that Mercedes have passed on.

Lewis has never expressed any concern over who his team mate is. So I don't agree it's quite likely at all.

[shirt]

Hulkenburg, magnussen and grosjean? Battle of the journeymen, yayyyy.....

[anonymous-user]

shirt said:

Hulkenburg, magnussen and grosjean? Battle of the journeymen, yayyyy.....

I am shocked Grosjean has managed to get drives for as long as he has, how many times has he been on the cusp of being dropped? As for Hulkenburg and Magnussen in the same team, haven't they hated each other for years? I can imagine they would crash into each other nearly every race.

Saying that, judging by this story from last week I suspect he may be going to Haas....

https://www.planetf1.com/news/magnussen-i-have-not...

[TheDeuce]

kiseca said:

Do you think, for instance, if Max could be convinced to swap to Mercedes, and the finances of having two top drivers added up, they wouldn't put him alongside Lewis?

I know many think Lewis will throw his toys out of the cot, but fact is he hasn't in the past shown any intent to block any driver from being his team mate, and frankly I think most are confusing Lewis with Senna or Schumacher with this particular trait.

I can't believe for 1 minute that Mercedes would rather have Max beating Lewis in a Red Bull than in a Mercedes, even with the management complications it brings.

Same goes for any other driver, but Max as an example seems most likely to give Lewis a headache. Maybe Ricciardo, and he may well actually be an easier target that Mercedes have passed on.

Lewis has never expressed any concern over who his team mate is. So I don't agree it's quite likely at all.

Normally they would take Max I think. But this is not a normal situation, they don't have to think about the future or who will replace Lewis when he leaves or loses his edge. Literally all that matters right now is for them to win WCC this year and next, and for Lewis to get his 7th WDC next year. They're already on a trajectory to achieve that and it would be madness to introduce an unknown element in to the mix right now. It doesn't matter a fig that Max would potentially be better than Bottas, it's irrelevant as Bottas is easily good enough, and he's known to support and not upset Lewis.

For Mercedes winning this year and next is more important than winning for the following several years. They get one shot at Lewis smashing Shumachers records and becoming as a team arguably the most successful (longest period of total dominance, WCC & WDC) in history. If they achieve that by the end of 2020, ahead of the cost caps making it more difficult, then they will go down in history and it's going to be a very long time before anyone else beats their records. Such an achievement would mean they would get referenced in F1 endlessly even if they were no longer in the sport. In the same way Ferrari haven't been great for quite some time now, but their earlier periods of dominance has them woven into the fabric of F1.

Post 2020, once the job is done, and assuming they still want to be in F1, Mercedes will have to think of a post-Lewis future and probably will bring in a driver that could likely start to get the better of him. At some point he has to lose some pace and they will want someone good enough to take over, comfortable in the seat ahead of that point. Just not this year or next. Or as Toto apparently wants to move on soon in any case, they could simply leave the sport post 2020 as undefeated champions. A fact they could advertise endlessly for the next decade or so with no real worries about anyone doing any better Whatever their post 2020 plans, it is very clear that until then the plan is to hold course, keep everyone that is key in place to finish what they started.

[kiseca]

TheDeuce said:

kiseca said:

Do you think, for instance, if Max could be convinced to swap to Mercedes, and the finances of having two top drivers added up, they wouldn't put him alongside Lewis?

I know many think Lewis will throw his toys out of the cot, but fact is he hasn't in the past shown any intent to block any driver from being his team mate, and frankly I think most are confusing Lewis with Senna or Schumacher with this particular trait.

I can't believe for 1 minute that Mercedes would rather have Max beating Lewis in a Red Bull than in a Mercedes, even with the management complications it brings.

Same goes for any other driver, but Max as an example seems most likely to give Lewis a headache. Maybe Ricciardo, and he may well actually be an easier target that Mercedes have passed on.

Lewis has never expressed any concern over who his team mate is. So I don't agree it's quite likely at all.

Normally they would take Max I think. But this is not a normal situation, they don't have to think about the future or who will replace Lewis when he leaves or loses his edge. Literally all that matters right now is for them to win WCC this year and next, and for Lewis to get his 7th WDC next year. They're already on a trajectory to achieve that and it would be madness to introduce an unknown element in to the mix right now. It doesn't matter a fig that Max would potentially be better than Bottas, it's irrelevant as Bottas is easily good enough, and he's known to support and not upset Lewis.

For Mercedes winning this year and next is more important than winning for the following several years. They get one shot at Lewis smashing Shumachers records and becoming as a team arguably the most successful (longest period of total dominance, WCC & WDC) in history. If they achieve that by the end of 2020, ahead of the cost caps making it more difficult, then they will go down in history and it's going to be a very long time before anyone else beats their records. Such an achievement would mean they would get referenced in F1 endlessly even if they were no longer in the sport. In the same way Ferrari haven't been great for quite some time now, but their earlier periods of dominance has them woven into the fabric of F1.

Post 2020, once the job is done, and assuming they still want to be in F1, Mercedes will have to think of a post-Lewis future and probably will bring in a driver that could likely start to get the better of him. At some point he has to lose some pace and they will want someone good enough to take over, comfortable in the seat ahead of that point. Just not this year or next. Or as Toto apparently wants to move on soon in any case, they could simply leave the sport post 2020 as undefeated champions. A fact they could advertise endlessly for the next decade or so with no real worries about anyone doing any better Whatever their post 2020 plans, it is very clear that until then the plan is to hold course, keep everyone that is key in place to finish what they started.

Except, they risk losing championships because Max in the Red Bull - or in a Ferrari if it goes that way - gets good enough to beat them. That's why I'd see logic in taking him sooner than later. Keep ahead of your competition by denying them access to the best staff.

To be fair, for 2020 it seems unlikely that Max and Red Bull will give them a threat they can't handle over a season, but if they don't make a play for Max, they're doing it because they think Lewis has got Max covered, not because they're worried about upsetting Lewis. More likely they aren't because it's just not financially feasible with current contracts and the money would be better spent making the car faster.

Lewis is the experienced driver and Max is the up and coming one. Sooner or later, and I'd say sooner rather than later, Max is going to have the edge. He looks as fast as, if not faster, than Lewis now, and as he gains experience he's going to keep getting better at gathering points. Lewis must surely have peaked by now, though I agree with many that this season he does seemed to have upped his own game and even got quicker. To me, that's extremely impressive so deep into his career.

And yeah, you're right, they have a winning formula now, and I see the logic in not messing with it.

Edited by kiseca on Thursday 29th August 16:50

[Smollet]

Mark-C said:

alcatraz236 said:

Bottas is rubbish, awful decision.

Why do people type crap like this? Bottas is many things but "rubbish" is not one of them ...

Agreed. He’s an excellent number two driver

[TheDeuce]

kiseca said:

Except, they risk losing championships because Max in the Red Bull - or in a Ferrari if it goes that way - gets good enough to beat them. That's why I'd see logic in taking him sooner than later. Keep ahead of your competition by denying them access to the best staff.

To be fair, for 2020 it seems unlikely that Max and Red Bull will give them a threat they can't handle over a season, but if they don't make a play for Max, they're doing it because they think Lewis has got Max covered, not because they're worried about upsetting Lewis. More likely they aren't because it's just not financially feasible with current contracts and the money would be better spent making the car faster.

Lewis is the experienced driver and Max is the up and coming one. Sooner or later, and I'd say sooner rather than later, Max is going to have the edge. He looks as fast as, if not faster, than Lewis now, and as he gains experience he's going to keep getting better at gathering points. Lewis must surely have peaked by now, though I agree with many that this season he does seemed to have upped his own game and even got quicker. To me, that's extremely impressive so deep into his career.

And yeah, you're right, they have a winning formula now, and I see the logic in not messing with it.

Edited by kiseca on Thursday 29th August 16:50

Well, there is always risk in any strategy - and Max is is very good indeed. I don't think that RB are an immediate threat to Mercedes though, not at enough tracks to swing a championship. They're fairly likely to upset Ferrari next season which is probably their immediate target.. Mercedes are still some way out ahead of most battles that RB find themselves in - unlikely to change next year but of course, anything is possible... I'd be very surprised personally though.

As for whether or not as a driver Max is already faster..? Quite possibly. I'm not sure he has Lewis's levels of composure and focus though, although few humans do to be fair. He's a star already though, and a future champion I'm sure. He will at some point surpass Lewis, assuming he stays on track (metaphorically and literally lol).

I'd say that while I'm very confident of Mercedes, and Lewis and Bottas as a team to get the job done, I'm actually most interested in RB at the moment. Their rate of improvement and the success of the Honda PU and Max as a driver is fairly astonishing stuff and if they keep it together, next season could feature a really interesting battle between them and Ferrari - which would be good with Mercedes out in front, being impressive but not particularly interesting.