If Mercedes don’t give Russell a seat next season, someone else could make him an offer.

Bottas already has a contract for next year. The only way Merc would sign Russell for next year is the unlikely event of Hamilton deciding he wants to quit. However, my money is on Russell replacing Bottas in 2022.

Red Bull and Alpha Tauri don’t want him because he’s a Merc driver and will leave the moment a seat at Merc opens up. Ferrari don’t want him because they have two drivers already signed. Renault don’t want him because they have two drivers already signed. McLaren don’t want him because they have two drivers already signed. Haas don’t want him because they have two drivers already signed. Alpha Romeo don’t want him because they have two drivers already signed. Williams do want him. Therefore, he will be at Williams next year, the place where he has a contract signed and is wanted.

contract signed

It’s nice that you think that matters to a company with a budget the size of merc, when coming up against one with the size of Williams…

All footballers are contracted and they always wait to the end of their contracts to move, right?

I agree with the footballer thing. Mrs BigJohn gets a bit fed up when I shout “no it doesn’t!” when on the news they say “… signed a 3 year deal, which keeps him at the club until 2023”.

Merc signed a contract with Bottas because they want him to partner Hamilton next year. If they had wanted Russell, they would have signed a contract with him. I think Russell will probably be in a Merc in 2022, but there’s zero chance Merc will dump Bottas for next year.

Scratch the surface of @GeorgeRussell63's struggle with Bahrain T1 and a bigger reality becomes apparent. https://t.co/Ke9T3Deipz

— Mark Hughes (@SportmphMark) December 9, 2020

Wow, it’s all kicking off about Nikita Mazepin today.

Mazepin does sound like a bit of a ****. Let’s see if he does a Gachot and winds up in prison, creating a seat for M. Schumacher Nico Hulkenberg.

What’s going on? – I know he had a bit of a time of it the in F2 race last weekend! 🙂

https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/k4snkn/nikita_mazepin_and_his_problematic_behaviour_a/
https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/k9hg80/safe_for_work_blurred_nikita_mazepins_deleted/

Aye – not a good look! 😬

Haas really know how to mix with the finest of people.

What’s the bet that he actually has no intention of learning anything from this?

pic.twitter.com/saWVR4ylNl

— not josh (@joshfdez_) December 9, 2020

Seems like a nice guy…

I’m sure this goes on all the time in the murky world of Russian Criminals Business. Probably thinks it’s normal behaviour.

I haven’t seen the video in question, but Mazepin’s behaviour prior to his Haas contract is well documented. To have caused such acute embarrassment to his new team within days of being signed doesn’t bode well, but he’s hardly the first junior racer to have behaved abysmally.

Mazepin sounds delightful

Someone asked us to post the pit stops from Sunday on our Instagram Reels.

But Reels can only be 30s. Sorry.

From Mercedes’ Twitter feed

Seriously? Chapeau! 🙂

Someone asked us to post the pit stops from Sunday on our Instagram Reels.

But Reels can only be 30s. Sorry.

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) December 9, 2020

One thing that’s baffled me this season is why F1 teams can’t design a face-mask that doesn’t slip down from peoples noses when they talk!!? 🤣🤣

McLaren seem to have started a new series to replace the Tooned one they ran back when Button and Lewis were there:

I’m suddenly craving Jaffa Cakes.

Hamilton is back

Anyone else disappointed that Russell won’t get the opportunity to shine this weekend?

Yep. I suspect not as much as he is… 🙂

One thing that’s baffled me this season is why F1 teams can’t design a face-mask that doesn’t slip down from peoples noses when they talk!!?

They’re always pushing the edge of what’s allowed to see what they can get away with.

Wow the Ferrari CEO Camilleri has stood down with immediate effect, he has also left Philip Morris as well.

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/154108/ferrari-ceo-camilleri-announces-shock-retirement

And Binotto’s sick with a mysterious unspecified illness too. Like the Kremlin in the 1980s with leaders dropping dead every few months.

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.unwell-ferrari-boss-binotto-to-fly-home-and-miss-abu-dhabi-gp.20J2ZIck3pIsSqOYigi5Gs.html

If Mercedes don’t give Russell a seat next season, someone else could make him an offer.

I’m guessing that, financially, Mercedes could pay Bottas to sit on his sofa all year and still bring in more sponsorship revenue with Russell in the car.

Giving Hamilton everything he wants next season is shortsighted. I always think of Alex Ferguson at United who was constantly bringing in new talent. Standing still is going backwards. If Russell comes in next year and Hamilton still wins then Mercedes win. If Russell wins then they still win! They will also have 10x more exposure and credibility for doing the correct sporting thing.

Remember a young Hamilton coming in to challenge Alonso – that’s what should happen.

They signed Bottas because they are satisfied with his performance. Everyone is impressed with Russell, but there is zero chance that Merc will dump Bottas to put Russell in next year. 2022 is another matter.

Nice touch by Russell

Of course that’ll fuel the theories that he’s saying goodbye to Williams the team rather than Williams the family.

That’s absolute class from Russell.

Sky F1 commentary team, particularly Ted Kravitz, not mincing their words on their opinions of Mazepin’s off track (and on, tbh) shenanigans…

No comments yet for the final race?!
Verstappen on his first pole.

Just waiting for the start. Interesting to see how Mercedes protect Bottas’ 2nd overall.

Interesting to see how Mercedes protect Bottas’ 2nd overall.

I think he just needs to finish fifth or better and he has second. I’m pretty sure Hamilton would let him past if it came to that.

Christ this is dull.

Was really looking forward to this too.

ANYONE but Max for the win. Please.

Christ this is dull.

Yep, even the commentators are bored senseless and have nothing left to talk about.

I had to fast forward through the highlights it was that dull 😕

A dull end to a an season that had some interesting tracks and races – if the the championships.

I just crunched the numbers and if I’ve not screwed up (I probably have) then Mercedes could have told Bottas to sit out 2020, and not replaced Hamilton when he was sick, and still have won the WDC and WCC (by 3 points over Red Bull). That car with Hamilton at the wheel was just that good.

I just crunched the numbers and if I’ve not screwed up (I probably have) then Mercedes could have told Bottas to sit out 2020, and not replaced Hamilton when he was sick, and still have won the WDC and WCC (by 3 points over Red Bull). That car with Hamilton at the wheel was just that good.

Apart from Bottas soaked up 223 points that would have been awarded to other people if he hadn’t been there so the WCC would have not been theirs.