WHO TO REPLACE ROSBERG AT MERCEDES IN 2017?

Actually, no, I was only 3 years old in 1986.

A fight between the viper and the scorpion would certainly be entertaining. Throw in the Red Bulls and Ferraris mopping up after the Mercedes cars when they overdo things, and it could be a very interesting year!

All the best,
Andrew.

 

Cough 2007.

 

That, I remember. Epic year.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

Well, in 1986, Nelson Piquet signed to drive for Williams alongside Mansell.
Piquet was a contracted Honda driver and the deal with Frank Williams was that he came with the engine to be the Number One in the team.

From the beginning, Williams had problem to prevent Mansell from keeping to the script.
Piquet was already twice WDC, and Mansell hadn't won a GP yet.
Mansell challenged Piquet constantly, and they shared the wins. There was intense animosity between these two; Mansell's wife was involved too.
Mid season, Frank Williams had an accident, and Patrick Head took charge of the team, with no intention of honouring the deal with Piquet and Honda.
At the end of the year, it was Alain Prost on a McLaren who took the title, although his car was not as good as the Williams.

The next year, Frank Williams was back in charge, Honda intimated that team orders had to be adhered to, something Mansell refused to follow. But Piquet managed to overcome his partner and win his 3rd title.

But Honda was so incensed of having lost the previous year, they terminated their contract with Williams and took their engine, and Piquet, to Lotus instead.

 

Thanks William, that's fascinating history.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

Now we have our Nigel chipping in saying that Lewis is unsporting/not a team player etc ,lol.

 

It's the pot calling the kettle black ...

 

Alonso and Hamilton and assuming a winning car it will down in the history book like an epic year.

 

Alonso and Ham on the same team again would be great. Another WDC for Kimi and Ferrari again lol.

 

Hahaha

I like your thinking !!

 

Question for those in the know:


When is the deadline for a team to nominate its driver line-up for 2017?

I know there is a date limit. Is in in Jan 2017, after or before that ?

I have been looking for that info everywhere...

 

Good question. According to a 2014 thread on reddit on the same, there is no such rule. Quali in Aus would be the limit and Karun Chandok was signed to HRT the week before the race. Up to four different drivers can be used during the season by each team.

 

Mercedes want a solution by Christmas according to some of the press.

 

Father Christmas may come early for someone !

 

There are a few applicable F1 absolutes we have to consider regarding Mercedes' competitors.

Renault are not going to find 30bhp over the winter.

McLaren are not going to find 40bhp and a full second of mechanical and aero grip over the winter.

Mercedes have not shrunk the size of their team, if anything they are bigger than ever. Their development rate at the beginning of this season was breathtaking. The only reason RedBull provided the occasional challenge later in the season was due to Mercedes already placing assets on the 2017 project rather than continue to develop 2016. Conventional wisdom says they are only going to get faster.


Don't expect too much of a mix up unless someone finds a magic bullet, which even with the new regulation I do not see happen. Conventional wisdom again comes knocking and suggests there will not be a big shake up at the sharp end of the grid next season.

Alonso would be a fool not to be sunbathing in front of Toto's and Dr.Z's house right now begging for that seat.

 

Whilst I agree with the rest, the teams can now develop their engine freely. I'm sure Mercedes can find something here and there, but not much, the development ceiling for them has been reached regarding the engine.

Renault, Ferrari, Honda can all upgrade their engine at free will, not limited on tokens so the gap to Mercedes should be much closer than previous years.

 

"Mansell is a fast idiot."

-Nelson Piquet



Sorry I can't stop posting this. I laugh to myself every time.

 

You may be right, of course, but I cannot see Mercedes falling back behind those.

I think their superiority will stay until the end of this present engine formula.

 

Great insight. Thanks!

 

Don't apologise for it; I think it's a brilliant quote - funny, and straight to the point.

Even now, when I hear Mansell being interviewed, I cringe.

I miss Piquet too. I wish we had someone like him now.

 

I'm sure Bernie has more input into this than people think. He has the most to gain from the fireworks happening at Merc next year so most likely it will be Alonso or Max.

 

I'm not saying they will. Not at all...I think they'll still be the team to beat, and the only team that is coming close will be Red Bull. I hope Red Bull has a fantasticly good chassis and aero, and therefore fight Mercedes tooth and nail for every point.

The rest? Not so much.

Mercedes has done engines very well over the last 10 years. Their V8 was great, very close to the highest HP engines but had awesome drivability, which really worked in their favour.

I think Mclaren wants too many things. They insist upon a size zero car, but Honda disagreed, their engine needs some space and need the heat to go somewhere. I wonder what'll come of it. It'll either be utterly brilliant, or completely ****ing ****.

 

It's my understanding Honda are altering the location of their turbo. Even if this significantly helps their power/heat issues don't expect them to really optimize it for a while.

 

This would be incredible

 

Mercedes will be threatened if they don't have a top driver alongside Hamilton.
If they don't, expect one Red Bull to be on the front row more often, and challenge for the lead in the first few laps, where the race is often decided.

Also, without a top second driver, track data comparison with Hamilton's will not be so fruitful as they were when Rosberg was pushing him.
Obviously, Alonso or Bottas would be close, or very close!!

I think that's the thinking for not rushing in taking Wehrlein on board.
No offense, but I cannot see him being beneficial to the team.