Wolff wouldn't be surprised if Rosberg returns with Ferrari

Well, I wouldn't bet my house on that!!!

In recent years, Red Bull has promoted drivers from Toro Rosso to its front team.

It seems to have served well. Why would they change that?

Williams? That team has now to chase drivers who bring a budget with them, it seems.

Who is backing Rosberg?

 

Esteban Ocon 'a superstar of the future', says Merc boss Toto Wolff

Toto Wolff has tipped Mercedes junior Esteban Ocon to be "a superstar of the future" after his strong start to his first full season of Formula One with Force India.

Ocon turned in an impressive drive to sixth in Canada, a result which could have been higher if Force India teammate had made teammate Sergio Perez move over at a critical point in the race to attack third-placed Daniel Ricciardo. In 2015 Mercedes boss Wolff signed Ocon to the team's junior programme after the Frenchman beat Max Verstappen to the European Formula 3 championship the previous season and supported him throughout his title-winning GP3 campaign.

Wolff thinks the 20-year-old is destined for great things in the sport.

"Force India could have done many more points," Wolff said after the race in Canada. "He did a great race. Really fantastic for his first season. He's developing just in the right way, he's going to be a superstar of the future."

Force India chose Ocon over another driver on Mercedes' books, Pascal Wehrlein, after the pair raced against each other for the second half of the 2016 season at Manor. Ocon has been immediately competitive at the team and often very close to Perez's times, a gap which seems to be closing up every weekend.

Otmar Szafnauer, the team's chief operating officer, thinks Ocon's fast start to life with the team will help push it forward in the quest for fourth position in the championship.

"It's one of the reasons we chose him. It's hard to predict the future but we're happy he's done what we thought he could do."

"We've got two drivers that can work together and now they're close together which means they'll be pushing each other. We had that with Nico [Hulkenberg] and Sergio and we were a little unsure with Esteban, we thought, but he's quickly gotten up to speed now and that will just push both of them forward."

http://www.espn.co.uk/f1/story/_/id/19641409/esteban-ocon-superstar-future-says-merc-boss-toto-wolff

 

I could see Ocon to Mercedes, Bottas either swaps seats with him at Force India or returns to Williams. Massa retires again.

 

+1 - Well put, real class act. And he's German or Finnish or Finnman or whatever!!

 

Buy this man a beer!

 

possibly.....

Massa column: I'm ready to stay in F1 in 2018

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1-massa-column-stay-2018-918802/

 

He is driving well, certainly relative to his teammate.

 

LOL.....

 

JUNE 15, 2017

Wolff backtracks after Rosberg return comments



Toto Wolff has backtracked after saying Nico Rosberg might return to F1 from retirement.

In Montreal, Mercedes chief Wolff said he would "not be surprised" if the German was lured to "Ferrari or someone else" in the future.

Rosberg hit back: "No, I really have finished my career."

Now, Wolff has clarified his original comments, saying he had simply answered a journalist's question about whether he would be surprised if Rosberg came back.

"I would be even more surprised if he is back in formula one again next year," he told the German broadcaster Sky.

"You can see how stories like this are created in formula one," Wolff added.

 

Nico has zip zero motivation for F1.
Quitting the best team after winning the WDC should be ample evidence for anyone.
IMO his life is now a bed of wine and roses.
Nothing to feel bad about !

Look at Kimi whom I would say is vastly more motivated than NR.
Even he has to have a fire lit under his ass for each race to do well.

At one time both Nico and Kimi were my favorite drivers in their respective hunger years.
Yes; Over the stars of the time.

 

A great ambassador? For the sport and team? An ambassador who quit within days of winning the title, and does ZERO to promote the sport in his year as the champion? That's like Britney winning the Miss Universe title, then resigning 5 minutes later instead of honoring his obligation to make all the promotional appearances for the next year.

Yes, he won the title fair and square, great driving - but terrible ambassador. He's attended ONE race so far this year! That's a great ambassador as the current champion??!! LOL!! Bernie used to criticize Vettel's ambassadorial efforts when he was a reigning WDC - imagine what he'd think of Rosberg's efforts, or total lack thereof!

 

+1

Rosberg: I will watch F1 from the comfort of my couch | GRAND PRIX 247

 

Make that two beers!

 

He has always conducted himself in the best interests of formula one. Even this year, he has been at lots of dinners and events promoting the FIA road safety campaigns and F1 business events, I know, I've been invited to a couple and his names on the invitations. As he has retired, that means, however, that he won't be at race weekends on a regular basis.... you know why?....... HES RETIRED

Bernie likes to say stuff that incites people, hence his comments about Seb and anyone else. They are specifically targetted to make the news and create something for journalists to write about when the racing itself is boring.

I'm sorry chaps, but you can't keep bashing Nico just because he proved a match for elton in his time at Mercedes, meaning that you can't say elton is some kind of god without actually stating that Nico must be too, since he matched him.