Hamilton saying he was par today to challenge Max? I doubt it!
A tad, yes. Not unexpected, but still...no new challenge for Lewis. And it freezes the driver's market for the two years to come: that leaves only the second seat at Red Bull to bring some entertainment. Leclerc will stay put, Norris will stay put, Verstappen is already tied to Red Bull... Next year's "silly season" will not be that silly. Pity. Rgds
Toto: "Hamilton's leadership role is crucial" https://racer.com/2023/08/31/wolff-says-hamiltons-continued-leadership-crucial-to-mercedes/
I hope to seen him win again at least one or two races before he goes into retirement. I would really hate to see him go to the end without him having won again. That wouldn't be right. Rgds
new rules in 2026, that's probably Merc's best chance unless they build a silver (or black) Red Bull next year still, glad to see him re-sign and Smug extended his deal too, that's a great driver lineup.
I wouldn't step in "it." Your going to start an "ad nauseam" debate with this particular FChatter regarding this particular topic. Just let it go.
I am baffled at why it took so long for these drivers to sign. Lewis always an edge behind the scenes and signs contracts that give him the best chance of winning. I sure hope it's even driver status between these two and I sure hope Mercedes doesn't have some mysterious guarantee of another dominant car (or at least a championship contender) in the next 2 years.
Baffled - 2 parties negotiating and Toto said it was small stuff that lawyers needed to work out. David Coulthard explained it well as far as potential personal appearances etc, that they wanted vs what LH might agree to. Normal in personal contracts. Lewis edge - He has titles to back that up with and its not having an issue beating George this year at all. I would expect an edge. George has 1 race win and far too many mistakes to have any 'edge'. Driver Status - Both MaxBull and Mercedes say there is no difference in treatment or equipment. What mystery are you referring to. The new regs are the same for all. We are 2 years out and there is alot of uncertainty for all. MaxBull will be releasing their first full Honda clone that is self made, and lately the Mercedes is not much of a match for Honda. Mercedes appear reliable and lack a touch of power with the chassis having more drag that it should for Mercedes. Id give the edge to RedBull with respect to the new reg's. The only mystery is the performance of their 'new' engine. Again they will all be facing this. Its a mystery for all. Aston might out race them all lol .
Typical 'hedging' - https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/wolff-avoiding-escape-clauses-behind-hamiltons-two-year-mercedes-f1-deal/10514474/ Wolff: Avoiding escape clauses behind Hamilton's two-year Mercedes F1 deal Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has said it has signed Lewis Hamilton for a further two seasons in Formula 1 because it didn't want to get mired in escape clauses if the team doesn't perform. Hamilton and Mercedes signed an agreement for the 2024 and 2025 seasons, that will extend his stay at Brackley, where he won six of his seven world titles, to 13 years. Hamilton previously hinted at being happy to stay in F1 for a number of years, but in the end both parties only settled on a fresh two-year-deal. According to Wolff, the shorter-term deal gives both parties flexibility for the future, with no need for complicated exit clauses. As F1 heads to a crunch 2026 rules shift, that means Hamilton can first assess just how competitive he thinks Mercedes will be with its new car and power unit before committing to the team for another term. "This is a dynamic environment and signing a five-year contract means that you need to discuss about [if] there is any escape clause in case we're not providing him with a car that is performing," Wolff told Sky Sports F1. "So, we didn't entertain that. We said we see the foreseeable future is two years. And that's what we are committing to each other."
Lewis Hamilton: FIA reeling in Red Bull with new rule would be ‘better for the sport’ : PlanetF1 Someone's scared his records are in sight... True revisionists history again from His Lewisness. 6 years of pure domination and only then was the taught of doing anything even entertained. Last year TD39 was brought in to slow down Red Bull and it didn't work. They weren't even dominating yet lol. Lewis has a habit of moaning when he's not dominating. He's got a habit of pretending of wanting competition when he's dominating (but not really as anyone coming within a second needs their wings clipped), Lewis again has a habit of moaning when he's not dominating. And people find it strange he's being called a hypocrite.
