Classy decision from Niko. No need to cash on status. Been there done that kind of approach.
Wehrlein or Bottas will replace him
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Classy decision from Niko. No need to cash on status. Been there done that kind of approach.
Wehrlein or Bottas will replace him
I have to agree, there would be more respect between them this time round. That said, when they put rubber to tarmac, an almighty rivalry would commence. Mercedes culture may not suite Alonso who likes to gain advantage by making the team focus on him. Mercedes would have a job on their hands maintaining a semblance of parity between the pairing. It would be as tough as the Hamilton vs Rosberg rivalry and possibly more.
One thing would be certain though, Hamilton would have his work cut out with an Alonso or Vettel pairing.
On Mercedes' competitiveness next season, it is true that they may not turn out to be the most dominant force in 2017. I think there is still an engine component to performance next year. Hence l expect them to be there or thereabout. I fully expect them to be winning races. If they would be able to win enough races to be constructors and driver champions, is yet to be seen. I don't think Mercedes is that much of a risk. They are certainly a less risk than Ferrari or Mclaren on paper.
Redbull are showing signs of confidence in their 2017 package. If Adrian Newey has anything to do with the chassis, then you can be relatively sure that they possibly have a winner.
Mclaren is a dark horse going into 2017, but with the change at the top, expectations are dampened somewhat. But they may prove us wrong and really establish themselves as a frontline contender.
There is a question mark on Ferrari, which is one of the reasons most would expect Vettel to jump ship and head to Mercedes which on paper looks like a better bet than Ferrari for the 2017 season. That said, they are redesigning and reconstructing their car for the 2017 season. They may well get it right and become the dominant force for the next three to four years.
I truly will miss Nico! He is leaving a big hole in the Mercedes team, now Lewis, whitout competition, can rack up a number of WDC:s. I fear this. Hope Alonso or Vettel takes his seat.
Your gonna tell me Jaques Villenueve will make a comeback too Mark ! Rosberg is a Millionaire from Keke and in his own right .IF he comes back in a few years the sport will have moved on ,and IF he admits its difficult now ,it wont get any easier ,and if he does then I will bare my ar** in Marks and Spenc
ers window
Although I don't think Mercedes favour their German drivers, I do think that they'd like to have at least one German driving the car. So I say their top choices would be Wehrlein or Vettel, depending on if they're looking for a veteran or not.
Half F1 grid is after Rosberg's seat, says Lauda
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mo...medium=partner
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/f...oes-where.html
Nico Rosberg had more scrutiny, given that his contract expired at the end of the current season, but negotiations began early and despite rumoured interest from Ferrari both parties confirmed a two-year extension in July, shortly before Rosberg's home race.
Wehrlein, 21, scored Manor's only point of the year in Austria, whilst his qualifying performance at the same venue prompted Silver Arrows chief Toto Wolff to describe him as 'special'.
one driver MAY BE massa
Lauda: "Rosberg gave Mercedes no time for a back-up plan".
Wow! Mercedes didn't have a contingency plan in case their World Champion driver (which ever driver won the championship) decided to retire on top of his game?
Come on Niki!
Those rule changes mainly impacted the Engine supplier rather than the constructor themselves. The impact to the chassis wasn't huge in the rules for 1989.
I'm sure were this years rule changes mainly Engine orientated Mercedes would be top of the list given their history of producing top class engines.
Why would they? It's the first time in F1 history that a driver has turned their back on a team and career in such a dramatic fashion. It couldn't have been foreseen. Even Ferrari didn't have a reserve driver lined up toe replace Felipe after his 09 crash. That was incredible but not really this.