2024 Mercedes-AMG | Petronas F1 Team

[Luscion]

I really don’t think it would be contract length that’s made him jump ship. He’s always had short contracts?

it seems like this time he was asking for 3 years, higher ups at Merc didnt want to grant that out of fear of him suddenly retiring if the W15 turned out not to be competitive and end up with another Rosberg situation, seems they wanted to wait until Bahrain testing. If i'm Lewis and i want 3 years and being told no by the higher-ups with the possibility on not having a seat for the new regs and here comes Ferrari offering me just that, i could see why he'd take it. it doesnt seem to be the only reason or that theyre saying that but it is one reason for him leaving

[Cs98]

I really don’t think it would be contract length that’s made him jump ship. He’s always had short contracts?

it seems like this time he was asking for 3 years, higher ups at Merc didnt want to grant that out of fear of him suddenly retiring if the W15 turned out not to be competitive and end up with another Rosberg situation, seems they wanted to wait until Bahrain testing. If i'm Lewis and i want 3 years and being told no by the higher-ups with the possibility on not having a seat for the new regs and here comes Ferrari offering me just that, i could see why he'd take it. it doesnt seem to be the only reason or that theyre saying that but it is one reason for him leaving

Idk. Some questionable media reports suggested that. Hearing Toto speak it sounded more like a mutual decision, that both wanted a deal like that for flexibility. For Lewis precisely to give him the option for a move like this if it made sense down the line.

[Luscion]

I really don’t think it would be contract length that’s made him jump ship. He’s always had short contracts?

it seems like this time he was asking for 3 years, higher ups at Merc didnt want to grant that out of fear of him suddenly retiring if the W15 turned out not to be competitive and end up with another Rosberg situation, seems they wanted to wait until Bahrain testing. If i'm Lewis and i want 3 years and being told no by the higher-ups with the possibility on not having a seat for the new regs and here comes Ferrari offering me just that, i could see why he'd take it. it doesnt seem to be the only reason or that theyre saying that but it is one reason for him leaving

Idk. Some questionable media reports suggested that. Hearing Toto speak it sounded more like a mutual decision, that both wanted a deal like that for flexibility. For Lewis precisely to give him the option for a move like this if it made sense down the line.

Motorsport is pretty reliable but i get the doubt, it seems to be a combination of things imo, there was also the reports of Lewis and Serra both agreeing that the w13 and 14 were the wrong concepts to go down but elliot wouldnt listen to them and Lewis wanting to join him at Ferrari

[Big Tea]

I really don’t think it would be contract length that’s made him jump ship. He’s always had short contracts?

it seems like this time he was asking for 3 years, higher ups at Merc didnt want to grant that out of fear of him suddenly retiring if the W15 turned out not to be competitive and end up with another Rosberg situation, seems they wanted to wait until Bahrain testing. If i'm Lewis and i want 3 years and being told no by the higher-ups with the possibility on not having a seat for the new regs and here comes Ferrari offering me just that, i could see why he'd take it. it doesnt seem to be the only reason or that theyre saying that but it is one reason for him leaving

Idk. Some questionable media reports suggested that. Hearing Toto speak it sounded more like a mutual decision, that both wanted a deal like that for flexibility. For Lewis precisely to give him the option for a move like this if it made sense down the line.

Don't forget Lewis has alot of other 'irons in the fire' and clothes with a prancing horse on could be worth a few extra groats each which can add up to much lucra. The Ferrari badge probably has a wider target audience than Mercedies to those who are not into cars or F1.

[Hammerfist]

The first comment in that twitter chain puts the claims into doubt. If Hamilton was wanting a longer contract, why would Daimler's main fear be Hamilton's sudden retirement at the end of '24. I don't think this tweet adds up.

Many of the comments under the tweet point out similar inconsistencies in the claims being made.

mercedes is trying to find an excuse for messing up

That's the feeling I got is that it wasn't down to just Toto. If it was Toto he would have given Lewis what he wanted imo. The VIps behind the scenes were the real orchestrators of this contract and I'm not sure they're that unhappy Lewis left. Lewis never stopped bashing the car publicly for two years straight and I'm not sure the higher ups appreciated that. It will be interesting to see who got the most of these new developments. Will it ruin Merc or will Lewis find glory at Ferrari.

[Hammerfist]

With Wolff being there I just don't see a way in for Alonso. He really despises Fernando and has made his feelings known on multiple occasions. Vettel has been out of the sport and was past his prime anyway, so I doubt he is even on the radar. The ideal driver for them just signed a multi year at Mclaren. I wonder if Lando is kicking himself right about now.

What? Sorry but this must be the worst opinion I have seen in a long time. First of all Toto is a huge commpetitor and bussines man, he will do anything to win again. Also when Alonso was vocal about Toto or even Mercedes? He was vocal about Hamilton before that is for sure but Lewis is leaving Mercedes so why would Toto even care at this point.

There is no other driver on the market with talent, experience, leadership and marketing abilities like Alonso.

Nonsense. That's not the way thing work in the real world. People get jobs over more qualified folks because they are just nicer people. That happens all the time. If performance was the only thing that mattered how come Alonso hasn't been able to find a competitive seat the last 10 years or so when there were a few opportunities that presented themselves. Why didn't Redbull bring him in when Ricciardo left abruptly? Why didn't Toto bring him in when Nico left? Why wasn't he even in the radar for those seats when it was all said and done? How you treat people inside the team matters in F1. alonso is well known for causing division inside the team. To his credit he has strayed away from that at Aston Martin because he knows his teammate is the boss's son. I'm sorry, I just do not think they will pick Alonso. There has been too many bad things said about him by Toto. He would look like a hypocrite if he brings him in.

[AR3-GP]

With Wolff being there I just don't see a way in for Alonso. He really despises Fernando and has made his feelings known on multiple occasions. Vettel has been out of the sport and was past his prime anyway, so I doubt he is even on the radar. The ideal driver for them just signed a multi year at Mclaren. I wonder if Lando is kicking himself right about now.

What? Sorry but this must be the worst opinion I have seen in a long time. First of all Toto is a huge commpetitor and bussines man, he will do anything to win again. Also when Alonso was vocal about Toto or even Mercedes? He was vocal about Hamilton before that is for sure but Lewis is leaving Mercedes so why would Toto even care at this point.

There is no other driver on the market with talent, experience, leadership and marketing abilities like Alonso.

Why didn't Redbull bring him in when Ricciardo left abruptly? Why didn't Toto bring him in when Nico left? Why wasn't he even in the radar for those seats when it was all said and done?

Look at the people that RB and Mercedes brought alongside Verstappen (Gasly, Albon, Perez) and Hamilton (Bottas). Now you see why Alonso was not brought.

I don't think Alonso will be coming to Mercedes any time soon though, because I don't think he wants to unless his own team is worse.

[zeroday]

I don't think Alonso will be coming to Mercedes any time soon though, because I don't think he wants to unless his own team is worse.

Yup. I figure h is playing a wait and see on the W15. If it ends up being the predicted dog that it is, i'm sure he will stick with AMR. It will officially give off the impression MER truly is lost in the ground-effect era. And 2026 likely wont be any more kind since its still ground-effect. Also, i doubt MER would even consider him because he would (traditionally) cause all kinds of drama and headache for MER. Skill-wise the guy is impressive but geez...

[Ground Effect]

I think people should stop referencing the "Merc selling" as if it's a new thing. They only own 33% of the team. They already sold 2/3rds of it. Whatever happens next would change very little.

It could change the name of the team, maybe?

[Sidiamal]

The seat is Kimi Antonelli's if he goes through F2 successfully. If even Hamilton got shoved out for his age, Alonso who's still loathed by Mercedes 17 years on has no chance whatsoever.

[zeroday]

The seat is Kimi Antonelli's if he goes through F2 successfully. If even Hamilton got shoved out for his age, Alonso who's still loathed by Mercedes 17 years on has no chance whatsoever.

Exactly. The MERC seat is Kimi's to lose. No pressure little boy . My best guess, if one isn't being so risky, is: Albon. I honestly cant see any others than these two (and Bottas) in that seat when you factor everything. Tbh, banking on Kimi is quite the gamble when we've seen time and again it's very rare for these kids to get really good really fast. DeVris couldn't cut it. tbf, he wasnt give enough time. As a rookie, Hamilton was an extreme rarity, incredibly naturally gifted. Had the greatest rookie season ever. Still scratching my head why people bring up Piastri's rookie season last year as greatness when it pales in comparison to Hamilton's rookie season -- not even close. Crazy, if not for that Shanghai(?) pitstop slide into sand (bald tyres), he would have been the only rookie to ever win the WDC. Mindboggling, especially when you consider his teammate was the reining world champion, Alonso.

[zeroday]

The seat is Kimi Antonelli's if he goes through F2 successfully. If even Hamilton got shoved out for his age, Alonso who's still loathed by Mercedes 17 years on has no chance whatsoever.

Exactly. The MERC seat is Kimi's to lose. No pressure little boy . My best guess, if one isn't being so risky, is: Albon. I honestly cant see any others than these two (and Bottas) in that seat when you factor everything. Tbh, banking on Kimi is quite the gamble when we've seen time and again it's very rare for these kids to get really good really fast. DeVris couldn't cut it and he was a champ and now older (wiser). tbf, he wasnt give enough time. As a rookie, Hamilton was an extreme rarity, incredibly naturally gifted. Had the greatest rookie season ever. Still scratching my head why people bring up Piastri's rookie season last year as greatness when it pales in comparison to Hamilton's rookie season -- not even close. Crazy, if not for that Shanghai(?) pitstop slide into sand (bald tyres), he would have been the only rookie to ever win the WDC. Mindboggling, especially when you consider his teammate was the reining world champion, Alonso.

[Farnborough]

Didn't Ron Dennis hold back LH for a second year in F3 as development ? Causing consternation in LH camp at that time, but further preparation and then proven to be effective in glide slope to that F1 introduction.

There's a lot to handle at young age, besides being quick, which seems undisputed for Antonelli.

Could be Albon, with Antonelli a growing period in Williams, then best two of three eventually at Merc.

[Sidiamal]

Kimi's junior journey is as second to none but VER and HAM before him. I've followed him since Italian F4 and I think he has the goods, he just needs to cash on them. Obviously it might be safer to park him somewhere for a season, but Mercedes might prefer him to develop in the works team instead of signing a stopgap they'll inevitable have to ventilate. It's not like the competition for the seat is something to die for.

[ME4ME]

Lewis Hamilton basically had unlimited testing before his debut at Mclaren.
Max Verstappen had a year at Toro Rosso before joining Red Bull while they were relatively uncompetitive and not fighting for the championship.
Charles Leclerc was placed at Sauber before he joined Ferrari.
Oscar Piastri spend an entire year on the sidelines while Alpine spend millions on a testing program for him. He then jumped into a Mclaren which was uncompetitive for half a season. There was no pressure aside from his move from Alpine to Mclaren.

Even if Antonelli is of the same caliber as the drivers mentioned above. Is it really realistic or smart to put him directly in a Mercedes with none or minimal testing, in 2025 which is the last year of a tech-era which is always the most competitive year?

Red Bull learned the hard way by promoting Albon and Kvyat too early. Toto should've noticed that too. Even George Russel - if you think he's inconsistent now, what about if they had put him in the Mercedes sooner?