WHO TO REPLACE ROSBERG AT MERCEDES IN 2017?

Merc should think to the future. Forget the old guard. Give a youngster a shot. Not a complete rookie, but someone with a year or two of experience. Ideally someone with a very different driving style to Ham to diffuse the in team fight risk. Perez and Hulk would get my vote. As would Sainz.

 

Agree to disagree mate, someone who brings out the best from both our red car and the McLaren should logically be able to deserve the second seat on merit.

Best,

Sammy

 

I keep saying that. There is no way the average Mercedes buyer will ever identify with Hamilton. No way at all ...

 

+1

 

Your message must be getting through since they keep signing him up again and upping his pay!!

 

Wrong!

Jenson is not available right now, he's under contract to McLaren for 2017 as an ambassador for the team and as a reserve driver (in case the 2017 McLaren turns out to be as crap as the 2015 & 2016 cars and Alonso throws his teddy out the cot and walks away).

 

As if Mclaren will throw a massive hissy fit if Button put on Merc overalls....

F1 contracts are barely worth the paper they're written on.

Alonso was still under contract for 2015 with Ferrari but that page got torn up pretty quickly.

If Button is willing to drive is another question...

 

Spotted at the Mercedes factory this morning, waiting for Toto.
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Lol.

 

I think they would! - If Alonso throws his toys out of the pram for any reason whatsoever (and I think they have serious concerns that it could happen!), they want Jenson to be available to jump in the car straight away!

The last thing McLaren would want is to have Alonso bail on them and then have to put a driver in the car mid season who has no idea at all as to how the team operate.

 

Long as he has fire proof overalls, and biceps big enough to push the car to the side of the road, anyone is qualified to drive the McLaren!!!!

 

You are so cruel ...

 

It's not about the actual driving of the car - It's about settling in with the team ASAP.

Button knows the team inside out and would be a known quantity - Other drivers would take time to get used to things, and that's time that the team may well not be able to afford mid season!

There's a reason why McLaren have tied Button to a contract for 2017!

 

If Alonso leaves then it'll be because the car is still dog ****, and a good replacement would be the least of their problems

 

And in that scenario, which would you rather have?:

1) A driver who is new to the team and has no knowledge of how the team works to problem solve and develop their car.

2) A driver who knows exactly how the team works, and knows how they carry out their problem solving and car development.

I know which one I'd go for!

 

I see Mercedes as a team for drivers with experience and youth still avail. Not for trainee's like Ocon and I dont think I will follow your engine shut down order Werhlein. I see a top 5 driver going to Mercedes irrespective of current contract. I would be surprised if they pick either of their trainee's.
I wonder if Hulk can leave Renault.

This will be very intrigue filled over all.

 

I read somewhere online that Toto contacted Renault about Hulk and was told he definitely is not available. No idea if this is true.

 

Given Renaults current state I would think Mercedes could entice them to let Hulk leave with a bit of incentive money I think he would be an excellent choice. Its not a given next year the new car will agree with LH's style at all. We have some unknowns and additional development to keep us interested!

 

I hope this is not a repost but very interesting along with immense speculation around the F1 world LOL --

Here's more thoughts on who could replace Nico Rosberg at Mercedes, from The Times motor racing correspondent Kevin Eason.

'The early money will be on Sebastian Vettel, who is desperately unhappy at Ferrari and has a year to run on his massive deal with the Scuderia,' he writes. 'He will see the opportunity of a German driver in a car with a German badge as too good to miss. Ferrari pay Vettel the biggest salary in F1 at £30million a year but it seems neither would be unhappy to call off their relationship.

'Vettel is volatile, though, and cracks quickly when things run against him. Lewis Hamilton will relish playing mind games with a man who lost out this season to Kimi Raikkonen, the team-mate who was thought, at 37, to be over the hill.

'Fernando Alonso may have already hit the call button to Wolff. After two horrible seasons at McLaren and little prospect of competing for honours, the bookie's favourite talks loyalty but wants out.

'The question for Toto Wolff is whether teaming the quixotic Alonso with Hamilton would be worth the potential pain' (Full story - external link, behind paywall)

 

Vettel will buy his way out of ferrari. He will have no problem with the mind game of Elton.

 

Maybe Mercedes can give Renault an engine in exchange...

 

Superbly FUNNY LOL!

 

I wouldn't be *THAT* surprised to see Vettel jump ship (and eventually come back), but ''desperately unhappy''? He's always smiling in/around the paddock (no, not fake smiles for the camera...), he's frustrated of course but that's understandable, and often more at other drivers. He doesn't publicly demonize the team or anything like that.

IMO he loves Ferrari and splitting would be difficult. He knows better than any of us the goings on in Ferrari though, and the effect that sweater boy has. IF he leaves, it'll be of the speccy accountant.

 

+1, and what a deserving seat for Hulk.

 

This or JB. JB and Hulk bring valuable experience Ocon and No shut down engine boy Werhlein simply do not have. Either that or Bottas. JB might be with Mclaren but they have Van-D and FA. A loss of JB is not that big a deal.