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It's easy to forget this 2021 will be Hamilton's fifteenth(!) in F1. In that time he's only driven for two teams and has had one engine supplier.
I’d reckon 70/30 this will be his last year. Either way, I expect to see Russell in a Mercedes in 22, and I’d say the odds of Bottas getting another extension are now quite long.
I agree with this.
So who to pair with Russell in 2022? Would they want another newbie? I reckon if Hamilton does call it a day they'll stick with Bottas.
So who to pair with Russell in 2022? Would they want another newbie? I reckon if Hamilton does call it a day they’ll stick with Bottas.
Recon it'll be Russell for 2022, with Hamilton if he wants to stay on, or Bottas if Hamilton retires.
Probably constructors champions again so they will at least want 1 driver to continue with them.
2 new drivers and big regulation changes would be too risky.
Tough choice for Bottas. Start looking for another team in case Hamilton stays and they go with Russell/Hamilton, or wait it out and see if the best team want Russell/Bottas but maybe leave it too late and the other teams are all full...
Wonder which side was pushing for 1 year vs multiple years.
My understanding is that both sides wanted a multi-year deal, but I don't think they could agree on terms for that - I suspect Hamilton was asking for a lot of conditions that Merc weren't willing to give him long-term. Therefore they signed a one-year deal because both sides intended from the start for Hamilton to drive a Merc this year. Now they have more time to see if they can sort out a longer term deal. Merc have Russell ready to replace Bottas, but they really need an established championship contender in the other car for the new regs next year. Bottas is a solid driver, but he's not at the level of Hamilton, Alonso, Verstappen, or Ricciardo. If negotiations with Hamilton don't work out by mid year, this gives Merc the chance to steal Verstappen from Red Bull and then tell Hamilton to either accept Max as teammate or replace him with Russell.
If Hamilton takes the driver WC, and Merc the team WC, I'd be surprised if he'd finish the season. Go out on a high, one final victory. GOAT and all that. Look at former champions who have hung on and on, or made a comeback. It never ends well, and I think Lewis is very sharp and has an eye on his legacy. Which is probably why the 1-year deal seems to include lots of provision for exactly that.
Anyone know if the Mercedes cars will revert back to silver this year?
Pretty sure Merc have said they sticking with black again this year.
This should pretty good, so naturally i assume it'll be rejected https://www.crash.net/f1/news/950788/1/more-details-f1-s-sprint-race-plan-emerge-ahead-thursday-vote
Yes, I think the sprint race thing is worth trying, but I assume it will be rejected.
It's a bit... gimmicky.
I’m not sure what it’s supposed to achieve.
Qualifying determines the starting grid… same as normal. Then you have a race but with no strategy, it’ll be a single set of tyres.
The only really new factor is that a crash in a race is much more likely than in qualifying. That probably means everyone’s likely to be even more cautious at the start, because a collision would not only mean no points in the sprint race but a rear-end grid position for Sunday.
Overall it’s hard to figure out how this is going to mix anything up, beyond giving a bit of an advantage to whoever can switch the tyres on in the relevant conditions with a light fuel load (and looking back at recent form you might fancy Red Bull, but then Mercedes figured it out in Turkey so maybe again it’s all cancelled out); but I guess we shall see, if it’s voted through.
I’m not sure what it’s supposed to achieve.
More races will hopefully lead to more TV revenue.
I think it's worth trying. The cars will be racing with a lighter fuel load and without tyre changes, so overtaking will have to be done on track rather than through pit stop strategy. The teams won't like it because it will cost them money, but they have a cost cap and will have to cut back in other areas.
From the BBC story:
One potential sticking point is that, according to sources, F1 is proposing only an extra $75,000 (£55,000) per team per race to cover the new approach.
This is nowhere near enough to cover the costs of any damage to cars in the shorter race - a front wing alone can cost as much as $200,000
I would imagine extra race mileage on the power units would be something the teams would be against too.
extra $75,000 (£55,000) per team per race
Is that dependant on fielding 2 cars? If I ran a back marker team I'd be tempted to just race 1 car or race 2 cars and retire with "problems" to get the cash with minimum risk.
I think it's a dumb idea
I would imagine extra race mileage on the power units would be something the teams would be against too.
Thing is, it's the same for everyone so they will all need to turn down the engines a bit.
One potential sticking point is that, according to sources, F1 is proposing only an extra $75,000 (£55,000) per team per race to cover the new approach.
This is nowhere near enough to cover the costs of any damage to cars in the shorter race – a front wing alone can cost as much as $200,000
It's the same for everyone. They will all have the same budget cap. Maybe hiring drivers who don't play bumper cars would help with this.
Thing is, it’s the same for everyone so they will all need to turn down the engines a bit.
Mid-pack teams might turn it up on Saturday to get a bit of exposure, knowing that thecfront runners will be toned down a smidge? Not that that's a bad thing.
Bez has it - it's a bit of a solution seeking desperately for a problem to solve. I mean, I'd watch it, if it was on terrestrial, but I wouldn't be, like, "yay, that's really enriched 'The Show'!"
Maybe hiring drivers who don’t play bumper cars would help with this.
I’d guess that’s most easily achieved if 9 of the teams have a whip-round to persuade Gene Haas to pull the plug.
There has always been someone we take the Micky out of for crashing a lot. Grosean, before him Maldonado, Kobayashi, when I started watching it was Katayama. We always need someone to laugh at.
Will it be Vettel or Mazapin taking over? Seems odd to have a four time world champion in that role
Not a fan of the idea - more dilution of the show. And more commitment needed from fans. The season is already too long - it's F1 not Nascar.
I don't mind missing qualifying, but missing a 'race' would feel different.
If the grid for the qualy race is decided on Friday then how does that change things? The fastest will start at the front of the qualy race and then at the front of the main race.
If the grid for the qualy race is decided on Friday then how does that change things?
They will only have one practice session to prepare for qualifying, so FP1 will be focused on 1 lap qualifying pace. Then they will have qualifying on Friday afternoon.
On Saturday morning, they will have FP2 which they will have to use to do long run simulations for race setup.
I think it was Lewis who wanted the single year. He's almost guaranteed to secure his legacy next year and not tarnish it, he's got loads of things he wants to do outside of F1, so why would he want to sign for more years. Sure, if he feels good at the end of the year and the 2022 car is looking good, he may take the risk, but why tie yourself to it?
Hamilton himself said last year that he'd be looking for a shorter term, as in the past he's only had long contracts, but Toto said Mercedes were looking for a longer commitment. Perhaps with the other aspects of Lewis' partnership with Mercedes being part of the contract, they've managed to agree some bridge between a 1 year driving contract and further commitments to the brand.
They've agreed to try the sprint race thing at 3 races
Italy Canads and Brazil.
I would be very surprised if Brazil goes ahead this year
They’ve agreed to try the sprint race thing at 3 races
Not quite - looks like they've agreed to think about trying sprint races but the teams haven't signed on the line yet.
More importantly engine freeze is agreed from 22 so Redbull will stick around and Ferrari will be working really hard this year.
Cycling is a dangerous game
https://the-race.com/formula-1/alonso-involved-in-cycling-accident/
I hope he's ok, but the thought of Alonso with his mouth wired shut made me giggle.
https://twitter.com/andrewbensonf1/status/1359963398906273792
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Ouch, that is going to hurt. Let's hope that Alonso's injuries aren't too serious and that he's fit for the first race of the season.
Rich energy announcement today
https://formulanerds.com/read/rich-energy-to-announce-details-of-return-to-f1-on-sunday-at-2pm/
Whyte solicitors on standby..
Formulanerds are aware Alfa Romeo have emerged as a front runner to be sponsored by Rich Energy, but with Orlean already being their title sponsor it seems it will be a smaller deal than the title sponsor one they had with Haas.
Smaller than nothing?
it has to be money laundering or something.... the only drinks on sale (some random ebay shop) are still referencing HAAS.
Who would want them after they way they acted with Haas?
Who would want them after they way they acted with Haas?
If they actually do have some money, nobody in F1 will care where it came from or how they treat other people. Mazepin is a pretty good illustration of that.
https://twitter.com/richenergyceo/status/1360928493161349123?s=20
I just can't imagine which F1 team will accept the CEO of thier sponsor posting stuff like this.
Wow, what a total knob jockey.......
That's a bit cheeky of whoever's doing the PoorEnergy tweets, they've even nicked the logo and everything!
Well there's a video on twitter, 2 and a bit minutes of "alternate facts" and then it cuts mid sentence before any announcement
Rich Energy, now with added covfefe
Is he delusional?
So his mate is buying a majority stake in an existing team and they'll be title sponsor in 22......
Sounds legit to me 😂😂😂
Crikey. What if he is mates with Ratcliffe/Ineos?
What if he is mates with Ratcliffe/Ineos?
Merc leave as a constructor at end of 2021, team becomes Rich Energy Ineos Aston Martin, current Aston Martin team sold to that Russian chap.
That guy is pure mental! Wtf is Rich Energy anyway and why are they using Whyte bikes logo? 🤣
We always need someone to laugh at.
Will it be Vettel or Mazapin taking over?
Mazapin.
I’m not convinced Mazepin will actually be good comedy fodder; I’m anticipating more a case of just being plain unpleasant, both on and off track 😐
I’m anticipating more a case of just being plain unpleasant, both on and off track
I'm anticipating Hamilton, Alonso, and the other big boys taking him around the back of the bike sheds and teaching him that little boys don't get to sit at the same table as big boys.
Red Bull Powertrains are go - looks like the takeover of Honda's F1 engine dept has been finalised for '22 to '24.
PJM1974
Free MemberRed Bull Powertrains are go – looks like the takeover of Honda’s F1 engine dept has been finalised for ’22 to ’24.
Good news that Honda's hard work will not have been wasted, but I'm still really surprised that Ferrari agreed to this. They must have no real idea how competitive their 2021 engine will be against the 2021 Merc. If it's crap then its basically resigned them to mid field for another 4 years.
Well if the McLaren was going to be the most radical change from last season this is going to be a very dull car launch period!! 🤣🤣
They must have no real idea how competitive their 2021 engine will be against the 2021 Merc. If it’s crap then its basically resigned them to mid field for another 4 years.
Not really. They'll have another chance to get it right before the '22 season.
so we'll have a black merc, and an orange merc and one presumes a green and pink merc
Well if the McLaren was going to be the most radical change from last season this is going to be a very dull car launch period!!
In the past a lot of 'launch' cars have had old wings and stuff on them, so the regs just mean this season will just be a logical extension of that. I expect the biggest interest will be livery changes - Aston, Alpine and Williams?
I've never understood why anyone takes car launches seriously. What they turn up with at testing will be different, and what they take to the first race will be different again.
It's relatively safe to say that the aero package seen yesterday on the MCL35M is purely for launch purposes.
Gary Anderson's take on the MCL35M
"I have to say that I’m not overly impressed with what I’ve seen so far. Yes, the changes are limited by the rules but I’d hope to see slightly more significant upgrades".
simondbarnes
Not really. They’ll have another chance to get it right before the ’22 season.
They only have 3 chances to bring updates without taking penalties during this year, then Mercedes can potentially take another step forward in the offseason before the freeze.
There is also no provision for levelling performance after the freeze. I think Ferrari (and actually RB power) are massively on the back foot.
BTW, is it just me or does everyone else suspect that this William Storey bloke has personal hygiene issues that could curdle milk?
I see the McLaren has that flattened off Mercedes nose on it this year
I see the McLaren has that flattened off Mercedes nose on it this year
The actually trialled and raced it last year in order to avoid using a development token this year: Here.
Ah i didn’t know that. Cheers
so we’ll have a black merc, and an orange merc and one presumes a green and pink merc
F1 was pretty good when almost everyone used the Cosworth DFV.
BTW, is it just me or does everyone else suspect that this William Storey bloke has personal hygiene issues that could curdle milk?
Funny, I think he's the other way - one of those preening, hyper-toiletried blokes who has beard wax, hair mousse, moisturiser, 400 different beard trimmer attachments and smells of Brut - but a stupidly expensive alternative called Spillâge or something.
F1 was pretty good when almost everyone used the Cosworth DFV.
wasn't referring to the engine.....
For 2021, we're going to have four Merc powered teams (Merc, Aston, McLaren, Williams), three Ferrari powered teams (Ferrari, Alfa, Haas), two with Honda (Red Bull and Alpha Tauri) and only Alpine with er, Renault.
I wonder if a comparative lack of testing and race mileage will hurt Alpine/Renault's development over the next couple of seasons?
Do engine upgrades have to be applied across the board? Say Ferrari come up with something, could they only upgrade Alpha's engine for instance, test it there and then introduce it and the next upgrade together to Ferrari, who then have only had one upgraded engine rather than two and so can have a further one later in the season?
andrewh
Free MemberDo engine upgrades have to be applied across the board? Say Ferrari come up with something, could they only upgrade Alpha’s engine for instance, test it there and then introduce it and the next upgrade together to Ferrari, who then have only had one upgraded engine rather than two and so can have a further one later in the season?
Customers have to have the same power units available as the main team. I think a team that's a powertrain supplier could do what you suggest for the two different cars in their own cars, by just giving the updates to the drivers alternately, but those updates would have to be made available for example to AlfaRomeo & Haas as soon as Ferrari ran them.
I don't believe the customers must use the same parts as the engine supplier makes available in certain areas (software is one), so there is potentially a grey area there?
I presume RB could do the same over their two and AlphaTauri's two cars, but I'm not 100% sure. Moot point considering they're not doing any dev (apparently).
Do engine upgrades have to be applied across the board? Say Ferrari come up with something, could they only upgrade Alpha’s engine for instance, test it there and then introduce it and the next upgrade together to Ferrari
Good question, TBH I don't know. We do know that Ferrari's 2020 engine was down on power due to some unspecified FIA sanction, which meant that the car didn't operate in it's expected performance window, thus drag was more of a factor than anticipated. I don't know whether Alfa Romeo and Haas will be using 2020 spec engines, or if they'll be using 21 spec Ferrari power.
AFAIK, teams always get the latest upgrade unless there are reliability concerns. They don't run customer spec engines that are a step behind anymore. The lead times on the major components are quite long so they need to have everything scheduled months ahead. I think Merc have decided to just do an upgrade for the start of the season and run that spec for the whole year.
One careful owner? https://www.planetf1.com/news/sebastian-vettel-supercars-sale/
One careful owner?
Does the traction control have a "Vettel Mode" that sets off random spins for the amusement of onlookers?
getting rid before Mr Ferrari asks for them back ?
getting rid before Mr Ferrari asks for them back ?
Probably selling to recoup some of the costs of buying this!
As he didnt want to pay this much for this!!!!!
https://uk.motor1.com/news/443836/vettel-ferrari-f2004-too-expensive/
Well at least they have got it rolling. Fingers crossed it helps get them even closer to the top this season.
I really do wish McLaren well for 2021. They're in a far better place than they were in 2018, even without Alonso. Will be interesting to see how they perform in testing at Bahrain next to Aston, Alpine and Ferrari.
Someone please correct me if I'm wrong but I'm sure that Ricciardo has been propelled by Renault power ever since the start of the hybrid era, so there will be some acclimatisation for him getting used to the Merc engine.
And it would be really, really nice if F1 cars didn't have to have a wheelbase of 137 metres.