VAG + Lotus = VAGL!
errrrrr
The situation at McLaren I think is being driven by LH and Merc's discussions.
IIRC Merc came out and said we'll talk to Lewis at the end of the season and get things wrapped up within a few days of Abu Dhabi.
Shortly after McLaren came out and said they would have an answer by 1 Dec.
Then Lewis comes out and says 'no rush guys, I'm world champion and things can wait a couple of weeks'.
At this point McLaren suddenly show more indecision.
Alonso no doubt is waiting to here the outcome of LH's negotiations so he can factor in a suitable break clause / performance clause whatever that will leave him free to go to Merc should McLaren Honda be crap.
No, it isn't. LH still has a contract for next year. He'll just be looking at 2016 onwards. McL indecision is theirs alone.
as for VAG entry - its still only a feasibility study
Cobblers. They didn't take on the ex Ferrari boss because they liked his ties, it was for his F1 knowledge.
And if they race under any other banner than Audi, I'll eat my socks.
VAG rumours are interesting. With a slowing European economy I find it hard to see how they would justify the expense of an F1 team. I imagine they have looked on at Merecedes with a tinge of jealously, from nowhere to World Champions and good for the car brand. However, trying to replicate that - a very tough task.
On LH etc my 2 cents. Mercedes said mid season they though LH was paid too much and wanted to cut his wages to same level as Nico. Clearly thats a slap in the face for LH and as newly crowned World Champion he is rightly trying to get the best deal. If Merc play hardball (and I think they should, its the car you know...) then LH will move on if its the money he's interested in.
Hes already got a contract for 2015 so any wage negotiations would be on a extension to 2015/longer deal. TBH he'd be better off seeing out 2015/current contract then seeing mid-season how Honda are getting on.
Apparently it takes Merc 3 1/2 hours to recoup LH's salary through sponsorship, prize money, endorsements etc ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/30172221).
As WDC he ain't going to be taking a pay cut and Merc won't expect him to.
Had he lost then they would have had some leverage.
Plus bad salary negotiations is one thing Merc wouldn't want- imagine 'hey Im your World Champ and you are trying to make me take a pay cut'? MiserBend
I'm staggered that as RedBull have supposedly sparked a wage reduction by taking on two junior drivers that Alonso's contract with McLaren is worth a reputed $40m (£25.5m) a year.
If that's the case I can't see Hamilton agreeing to a pay cut as Alonso would also be looking for top dollar from Merc if he went there.
I think Button is going to make their decision for them. It's getting to be a joke now.
Alonso would also be looking for top dollar from Merc if he went there.
Don't reckon - Merc have all the cards in an Alonso/Merc deal unless LH chooses to leave. It's the other way around for McL/Alonso with the slight caveat that if FA doesn't sign for them (which I reckon is already a done deal so I'm not really convinced by jambalaya's scenario though I'll admit it fits the timeline) he's going to have to take a sabbatical with further uncertainty on 2016.
They didn't take on the ex Ferrari boss because they liked his ties, it was for his F1 knowledge.
Cobblers, they employed him as he has the worlds best man hair. 😛
@hora - mansell had the same situation with williams, hence he left to indycar where he smashed all those drivers to bits.
Merc have all the cards in an Alonso/Merc deal
Granted, Merc will carry the car advantage they had this year over into 2015, and so I could agree with your arguement there, but there's no guarantee they'll still be top of the pile in 2016.
Mansell smashed himself to bits in Indycar iirc 😉
[quote=P-Jay ]"Sources" I'll bet money VW don't enter F1 - these rumours appear every year and the more VAG say they will never enter F1 the more the F1 press seem to think they're bluffing for some reason.
Have they hired Domenicali every year? This year they also specifically haven't said they'll never enter F1 - quite the opposite.
My understanding is that VAG won't enter until either Ecclestone or Ferdinand Piech (chairman of VAG) goes, because they hate each other ([url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/30336569 ]BBC Sport[/url]).
And if they race under any other banner than Audi, I'll eat my socks.
I love a bold statement!! So why not Lamborghini, Bugatti or Porsche?
Shermer what brand would you choose if you wanted a car that could run inches behind another with no loss of performance then pass in the most unlikely places?
Haha fair point!!!
I suppose the driver wouldn't be known for their self-effacing humbleness too, right?
So why not Lamborghini, Bugatti or Porsche?
Audi have their sportscar wins and they will springboard that into F1. Bugatti and Lamborghini don't need the halo effect and Porsche have their own series.
It'll make sales managers feel good about their diesel estates and justify their claim on the outside lane.
But wouldn't out be great to have the Bugatti name back in grand prix racing?..
Porsche are committed to WEC. As are Toyota, Audi and Nissan.
The series is gaining momentum while contrived F1 is loosing fans had over fist.
It's a shame the WEC is under the FIA umbrella. It'd be good to see the weight limit reduced and the cars going faster than those F1 go karts.
I'm guessing this is what attracts the manufacturers though...
"The global advertising value of Mercedes' television appearances during its F1 campaign in 2014 was $2.8bn (£1.8bn).
Experts believe the equivalent value for VAG of their sportscar and touring car programmes was about $30m (£19m).
Mercedes spent a net 130m euros (£103m) on F1, once external sponsorship and prize money is taken into account. VAG spent about 320m euros (£254m) on DTM and sportscars."
[quote=JCL ]Porsche are committed to WEC. As are Toyota, Audi and Nissan.
The series is gaining momentum while contrived F1 is loosing fans had over fist.
So now it's watched by 2 men and a dog?
Yep and all three know the difference between a sport and a business. Brazil was a great race apart from Webber's accident.
The cars make open wheel single seaters look shite.
I could get into WEC but how do you cope with the 6 hour race length? Just watch the highlights?
and where is the best place to watch it, Eurosport?
I watch WEC for the consistent wheel to wheel racing and all the thrilling overtaking moves. Oh hang on...
[quote=JCL ]Yep and all three know the difference between a sport and a business.
As do VAG, and I know which one they're more interested in, which is the whole point.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKIc1BcWDlM
Highlights of WEC? It seems even the dog's gone home.
Blimey! Some suzzbags have ram-raided Red bull HQ, and have had off with the Trophies 😯
Sickening for the team and hard gear to shift on the market. They must've had a real grudge against RedBull. Was there an Australian man driving a Porsche as a getaway car?
Was there an Australian man driving a Porsche as a getaway car?
Nah, the getaway car was bright red with a prancing horse on the bonnet 😉
[quote=andyl ]Nah, the getaway car was bright red with a prancing horse on the bonnet
Surely you want something fast as a getaway car?
Surely you want something fast as a getaway car?
So that would need a mercedes engine then, definitely not a renault. 🙂
So they left behind the legit-won trophies? 🙂
image of suspect
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you just got to wonder where those things would sell? or is it to be melted down and then sold?
I could get into WEC but how do you cope with the 6 hour race length? Just watch the highlights?
I usually watch the whole thing over two/three days after someone uploads it to YouTube.
I watch WEC for the consistent wheel to wheel racing and all the thrilling overtaking moves. Oh hang on...
I saw more overtaking at the last race than I saw all year in F1. And nobody was 'managing tyres' or having to press a button to enable them to overtake the car in front when they got close enough 😆
Hora, I can only assume from you posting on here an hour ago that you're not coming over to Sheffield for the Christmas curry with us all.
Melting them down is the only real option. Scumbags 🙁
Melting them down is the only real option. Scumbags
It is a bit of a mystery. Maybe they were stolen to order by a rich and crazy fan?
Steal a car then.
According to the police statement there was a Mercedes involved 😈
And nobody was 'managing tyres'
Every race that involves wheels is all about tyres, they are so bloody important that it can't not be. The only difference between F1 and other series is they talk about it a lot more and it seems to be a popular stick to beat the sport with. Interview any racing driver after any race they haven't won and all they talk about is tyres.