After rumours had recently increased about a buyout of Brawn GP, Mercedes is now confirmed to have bought 75.1% of Brawn GP shares. The team will consequently be renamed to Mercedes GP and looks set to run world champion Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg in 2010.
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freedom_honda wrote:Norbert Haug admitted Mercedes is interested in Heidfeld. But I assume Mercedes don't really need TWO german drivers in the team, and Merc. probably wouldn't mind to pay Button a few extra mil. I really hope Button doesn't go to McLaren. =S
Well, Brawn can actually afford it now. They couldn't afford Button or anyone else before now. Rosberg was signed to smooth the Mercedes deal and gives Mercedes a bit of marketability German-wise. If Nick Heidfeld was important they would have signed him instead. It's impossible to understand what the team gets from replacing Button with Heidfeld, and they also give away the number one status to the team they have pulled out from - that Button doesn't really want to drive for anyway.
freedom_honda wrote:Norbert Haug admitted Mercedes is interested in Heidfeld. But I assume Mercedes don't really need TWO german drivers in the team, and Merc. probably wouldn't mind to pay Button a few extra mil. I really hope Button doesn't go to McLaren. =S
Well, Brawn can actually afford it now. They couldn't afford Button or anyone else before now. Rosberg was signed to smooth the Mercedes deal and gives Mercedes a bit of marketability German-wise. If Nick Heidfeld was important they would have signed him instead. It's impossible to understand what the team gets from replacing Button with Heidfeld, and they also give away the number one status to the team they have pulled out from - that Button doesn't really want to drive for anyway.
Joe Saward made a clever note in his blog. He said that if Merc wanted to run Rosberg/Heidfeld 2010 they would have announced them today. The fact they did not announce it is the best indication that people are speculating and very badly.
If I would speculate I would say that Merc havn't entirely given up on Vettel and are making a last ditch effort to buy him away from Red Bull. But it requires a lot of speculation to expect that to become reality. Red Bull have no lack of cash and any deal there would probably involve engines and Rosberg in a three way exchange.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsp ... 363274.stm? Some thing Nick Fry has said also came up in the German interviews. Merc definitely do not expect to have two German drivers and MercGP would love to have Button. So it is really a matter of Button to decide.
Formula One's fundamental ethos is about success coming to those with the most ingenious engineering and best ..............................organization, not to those with the biggest budget. (Dave Richards)
McLaren to recieve engines for a further 6 years..... I wonder if they will be badged Mercedes or if after 2011 they will be rebadged to McLaren engines.
For Mclaren to commit to a further 6 years of merc engines means they are not too advanced with their own design.
now here's a bit of wild speculation. Mercedes are keen on having a german driver. I don't believe they are that desperate to keep Button, he is not that good anyway. Lurng Vetterl away from Red Bull is far better than keeping Button.
But perhaps Mercedes are not desperate to keep Button because they have someone else in mind for the other seat..
Perhaps Rosberg is heading to McLaren instead but what if , just what if the prime seat is being reserved for one very special driver. A driver that Mercedes let slip through their fingers some 19yrs ago. A driver who went on to become the most successful F1 driver of all time and arguably the best. Perhaps that seat,in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Silver Arrows, is being reserved for Hr. Michael Schumacher.... :-"
just maybe...
schumacher has mentioned that perhaps he will return to race.
he has also mentioned that racing for the silver arrows was on the cards but that mercedes never fielded a works team therefore he never went there..
they didn't commit to another 6 years. they will ride out the current deal till 2011 with *free* engines and then have the OPTION to continue purchasing them till 2015.
Raptor22 wrote:schumacher has mentioned that perhaps he will return to race.
he has also mentioned that racing for the silver arrows was on the cards but that mercedes never fielded a works team therefore he never went there..
[scratches chin...]
Surely you speak of Ralf? He does drive for Mercedes..
Michael renewed his Ferrari deal until 2012.
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I'm wondering how long McLaren will run their silver/red livery. They committed publicly to it for next year. But would it be a good idea from 2011 onward?
Yesterday the Merc SLS AMG went on sale with the deliveries starting in spring. The McLaren will take much longer with deliveries starting only in 2011 if everything goes right.
So a McLaren corporate livery supporting their own super sports car will not have any beneficial impact before 2011. But by then it could become an important factor for their marketing as would a strong corporate Logo. I'm almost sure that McLaren will be looking much different in 2011. They could be looking to support a metallic orange or decide to go to a basic green to play a national theme McLaren Britannica.
For Merc there is no alternative to the clean silver look with the three pointed star. They have such a tremendous history to play at that nothing else must dilute the message. Sponsors will probably appear mainly in black or grey. Perhaps they will select a third color like the yellow shield of Ferrari. The red of the old silver arrow numbers looks nice.
Last edited by WhiteBlue on 17 Nov 2009, 10:13, edited 1 time in total.
Formula One's fundamental ethos is about success coming to those with the most ingenious engineering and best ..............................organization, not to those with the biggest budget. (Dave Richards)
xpensive wrote:So let's hope that Gascoyne's Lotus will be dark green, right mx?
Isn't Lotus supposed to be a Malaysian team?
Formula One's fundamental ethos is about success coming to those with the most ingenious engineering and best ..............................organization, not to those with the biggest budget. (Dave Richards)
xpensive wrote:So let's hope that Gascoyne's Lotus will be dark green, right mx?
Isn't Lotus supposed to be a Malaysian team?
It is. That's why they immediately presented their toy cars painted in 'melted multi fruit flavored ice-cream' color scheme. Probably the new national racing color of Malaysia.
One detail much overlooked by the commentators is the increased money on offer by FOM for manufacturer teams that had the parent company sign the Concord. Haug referred to increased income beyond the 50% split. If I remember Bernie was prepared to pay significantly more for a Daimler signature. He probably got that now.
