Merc/AMG/Petronas contact info?

The number for the F1 team in Brackley is +44 1280 844 000

 

I just dialed it and a real person answered.

 

tell them their car was slower than an Austin shuttle on Sunday....

 

LOL LOL

 

When you talk to them, thank them for signing Hamilton.

 

+1

 

Ask them if their car will win the championship next year .

I'm sure they'll say it'll be a serious contender.

Then next year we can see the car break down, underperform and see Lewis cry.

Serves them right!

 

I could be very, very wrong here, but I have a feeling they're gonna be there or thereabouts next year. I also reckon MerHam, under Ross' tutelage, will mature the way Fred has with Ferrari. If they can give him a decent car, look out!

Cheers,
Ian

 

Mercedes now own 100% of the team and they have hired yet another 60 or so this year to aid Bob Bell in designing W04 which I hear may NOT be called W04. Also, this places their staff level at the largest in F1. Mercedes are clearly very serious about F1 and they have the right people and tools in place to really make a dent. The next two years are sink or swim for this team.

On paper, with the Staff heads they have, Mercedes looks like an all-powerful team who just haven't found their stride yet. Bell and Lauda both stating next year's car is completely different and this doesn't strike me as a way to go but I could be wrong. What W03 needs is a lot more simple than designing something new from scratch like F2012. That being said, the build quality of W03 is light years beyond W02 and what f2012 was at the beginning of the year.

So W04, with limited Hamilton input, I'm guessing will have some F2012 cues such as pullrod front suspension (tricky to setup but it heats the tires quick), a lesser version of W03s interconnected suspension that's perhaps not quite so radical and uncontrollable, and an otherwise Red Bull copied rear end with double floor and tunnels under the exhaust exits.

 

Well for the last 2 years they where telling us that...

How big where Honda and Toyota? They also pumped in billions in ¬8 years or so, and I think they also had among the most staff. Could say they where serious about it too...

 

Mercedes...LOL

They have regressed in their 3 years in F1. Now their car is barely better than a Toro Rosso when it started out as "best of the rest" in 2010.

Hiring Lauda was also a colossal mistake.

 

The big difference is who those teams had running the show, not very good. Brawn made it to Honda when it was already far too late, but they did develop the dominant BGP001. The DDD was developed by a Japanese designer and Bigios.

I can only compare Merc to Red Bull. Newey arrived at Red Bull and they were essentially the remnants of Jaguar, a mess. Newey hired Willis (now at Mercedes) and a couple other clever aero guys and got to work. It took them 5 years to win a race, and Toro Rosso won one before the big team did. Then of course Willis and Newey made RB6 and the rest is history. I see no difference to what Mercedes are doing and I thoroughly believe that is why Lewis is making the swap. Lewis sees the same progress at Merc as Red Bull had with RB5 and Lewis wants 'in' on the deal before every driver wishes they tried to woo Mercedes.

 

I wish Hamilton well; it helps the sport overall when he wins. (like it or not); but MB has been a complete failure. (schu's legacy would have been tarnished if he were ever driving a decent car; which both MB drivers clearly were not)
Throwing a lot of people at a problem doesn't solve a problem. They are really looking like Honda 2.0; which is a shame.
Kevin

 

I can only compare Merc to Red Bull. Newey arrived at Red Bull and they were essentially the remnants of Jaguar, a mess. Newey hired Willis (now at Mercedes) and a couple other clever aero guys and got to work. It took them 5 years to win a race, and Toro Rosso won one before the big team did. Then of course Willis and Newey made RB6 and the rest is history. I see no difference to what Mercedes are doing and I thoroughly believe that is why Lewis is making the swap. Lewis sees the same progress at Merc as Red Bull had with RB5 and Lewis wants 'in' on the deal before every driver wishes they tried to woo Mercedes.[/QUOTE]

John - comparing MB to Red Bull is really stretching it; you can't be that blinded.
MB really got lucky getting Hamilton; that offer they gave him was very late in the game, and, more importantly, he was in the midst of a real low point with McLaren; the twitter saga, retirements etc. Lewis really didn't want to leave mcLaren; he even admitted he didn't know what to do. MB has definitely not progressed throughout this year (after nico's win).
If they We're progressing don't you think Schu would have stayed?
Kevin

 

John - comparing MB to Red Bull is really stretching it; you can't be that blinded.
MB really got lucky getting Hamilton; that offer they gave him was very late in the game, and, more importantly, he was in the midst of a real low point with McLaren; the twitter saga, retirements etc. Lewis really didn't want to leave mcLaren; he even admitted he didn't know what to do. MB has definitely not progressed throughout this year (after nico's win).
If they We're progressing don't you think Schu would have stayed?
Kevin[/QUOTE]

Did you see Red Bull's statistics prior to RB6?? Far worse than Mercedes' to date. RB5 was the first car newey could actually evolve into something that was capable of something. RB1,2,3,4 all constantly had issues and retired and had terrible results. Google it.

 

True but Red Bull took over Jaguar (a joke). Mercedes took over the reigning WDC/WCC winning team. Yes I know they had cut back on staff, but still...

 

Did you see Red Bull's statistics prior to RB6?? Far worse than Mercedes' to date. RB5 was the first car newey could actually evolve into something that was capable of something. RB1,2,3,4 all constantly had issues and retired and had terrible results. Google it.[/QUOTE]

No need to Google it; Ive watched every race for at least 25 years;( as I've said many times; my first race in person was the usgp in 1976 when I was 8).
MB looks a lot more like Jaguar/Honda/BAR than they do Red Bull. I supported the becaus of Schu; now I'm not sure. Although it has removed a title contender from the WDC for 2013.
Kevin

 

No no no, Brawn didn't just cut staff and stop upgrading BGP001, he destroyed staff and did NOTHING to BGP001 post Spain I believe. Nothing. Hence the car was maybe the 3rd or 4th fastest by the end of the year. Building up a team after such a head-chopping session is remarkably difficult in any business. Honda was also a joke circa 2007, equally as funny as Jag was.

Didi/Red Bull bought the team, Newey came in and was told to win championships and given a carte blanche budget. Newey purchased Geoff Willis in 2007 whom Newey worked with during the dominant Williams years (Willis was the chief aero guy) along with Peter Prodromeau. Peter is still with RB but Willis is with MB. Stuff could potentially still be brewing at MB, I just have no idea because W03s DDRS hampered their progress so much this year.


W03s DDRS required a very specific front wing arrangement which meant the front wing essentially could not be developed. While the DDRS was a clever idea, it was also a massive hinderance to progress.

W03s coanda exhaust has not been fully deduced as such a system requires more fuel, or at least Merc have not devised how other teams are running lower fuel levels with such a system. Schumacher had to run 20-23kg more fuel at the start of the Austin race over Nico which is a solid .6-.800. Merc have some work to do in figuring out fuel mapping with this new arrangement for sure. The system is certainly worth the rear DF, but due to their lack of front wing development they still cannot not run a proper rear ride height to take full advantage of the system!

At least W03 has shown some improvement with the developments placed on the car as opposed to W02 and W01. W03 was just hampered by its own clever and specific oddities (suspension, DDRS).

 

understood. Hats off to you for being such a hardcore fan!

 

Problem is, I've seen all these excuses before. When are things finally going to be "just right" where MB can win a title? Even if they were and the team started strong, they are PATHETIC at in-season development.

I still content that MB inherited a MUCH better package than Red Bull did.

 

I have to agree with you on both points

 

No idea when things will turn around. Lewis may see something we don't and he wants his Schumacher/Ferrari success. Who knows what will happen, still a dark horse. I see this team and who they have and things just make sense on paper.

 

Indeed.

Hey, wait a minute! That was my line. The one for which you dinged me often enough.