Mercedes GP 2011

[munudeges]

Why would Jenson Button as WDC leave just at a time when Mercedes is moving in, consider that for a second?

1. Schumacher was coming to the team so the writing was on the wall. That whole thing about keeping Button was just top-show.

2. Button had been at Honda for several years and knew the score. They were just incapable of sustaining success whenever they got a bit of it, and it probably made the decision easy for him to leave when he looked at the second half of the championship and how the team tried but failed to get anything more out of the car.

[xpensive]

Why would Jenson Button as WDC leave just at a time when Mercedes is moving in, consider that for a second?

1. Schumacher was coming to the team so the writing was on the wall. That whole thing about keeping Button was just top-show.
...

Please xplain the writing that Button saw, mun.

[Ferraripilot]

Why would Jenson Button as WDC leave just at a time when Mercedes is moving in, consider that for a second?

1. Schumacher was coming to the team so the writing was on the wall. That whole thing about keeping Button was just top-show.
...

Please xplain the writing that Button saw, mun.

Agreed. I thought Button had a visit to Mclaren during the winter break and Brawn found out about it after the fact, and then Brawn spoke with Schu.

[munudeges]

I think X has a bit of a facetious streak there........

The talks with Schumacher were happening long before Button visited McLaren. Rosberg was signed very quickly and if Button was going to be then he would have been.

[xpensive]

I believe that the writing Button saw, was an endless stream of Hugo Boss suits passing through the Brawn office...

[raymondu999]

I've been thinking about the circumstances that brought about their 2009 glory. They had a car that was super developed. I wonder if Brawn will see an opening with the 2014 rule changes and actually start designing their 2014 monster now, and leaving only their "2nd-rate" engineers on the current efforts?

[munudeges]

You just can't see lightning striking twice here.

It looks as if there isn't going to be any major changes to regulations in 2014 apart from engines (yet), and when you think about it what was done in 2009 was pretty obvious. If a team could get themselves a larger diffuser than many believed was allowed, get more downforce than anyone else could possibly generate with a smaller one and concentrate on getting the front-end right they would be home free......providing their diffuser was passed legal.

[raymondu999]

Yes but there are some key changes; like front wing; no beam wing, packaging the V6... etc.

[xpensive]

...
I wonder if Brawn will see an opening with the 2014 rule changes and actually start designing their 2014 monster now, and leaving only their "2nd-rate" engineers on the current efforts?

Mercedes have 2nd rate engineers, I had no idea?

[munudeges]

The no front wing ground-effect stuff seemed to have been mothballed the last I heard.

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

Autosport have more on the Brawn interview:

The team boss is also convinced Mercedes has a stronger structure now, but says it will expand it as far as the Resource Restriction Agreement allows.

"To add people you have to have the structure you need, and obviously one of the big things for the team is Bob Bell joining us," Brawn said. "The infrastructure has to be in place before you can start adding numbers. And I think we've strengthened the structure.

"It's always nice to do well with the smallest number possible, and there is the RRA limit, and we are looking to move to that absolute limit.

"At the same time the other teams are coming down to it because they are still on the glide path down to the RRA limit, so in 2011 the teams who are bigger still have the benefit of that glide path down to the RRA targets."

[munudeges]

What brilliant new engineers are they going to get working on 2014 then, and how much are they willing to spend to get there after they've recruited them? Is this team going to have to wait for large regulation loopholes every time it wants any kind of success? That's a very, very expensive way to win.....eventually.

Interestingly, and maybe a bit controversially for some, in their article about PURE this is how Autosport described the lineage of the team:

It was somewhat surprising therefore to see Pollock [with PURE], who came into F1 as manager to Jacques Villeneuve (whom he now refers to only by surname), the 1997 world champion.

Thereafter Pollock sweet-talked a $500m stipend plus eye-watering annual budgets out of British American Tobacco to found British American Racing as stable for his charge. The resultant operation had arguably the worst bang-for-buck record of any big budget outfit in F1 history and mutated, first into Honda's marginally successful F1 operation, then into Ross Brawn's eponymous outfit that won both 2009 titles, albeit with help with a demon double-deck diffuser. Today the team masquerades as Mercedes.

Ouch. It seems as though, as I thought, Jacques is most unhappy at the wasted years at this team. Some things never seem to change.

[xpensive]

What brilliant new engineers are they going to get working on 2014 then, and how much are they willing to spend to get there after they've recruited them?
...

I don't think Daimler is prepared to spend that much actually, they did not buy this team as a money-guzzling outfit, rather was the picture painted by Ross Brawn and Norbert Haug one of engineering efficiency, with the BGP 001 as the shining xample.

Little did they tell the BGP 001 was probably the most xpensive design in F1 history as it was only one of three different designs worked on by Honda during 2008. Bizarrely, Brawn lays off staff during the 2009 season as to prove his point retroactively.

When the plan seems to be to share activities with Stuttgart, "Concept by Mercedes Benz", I doubt if Brackley will get too much.

[Ferraripilot]

What brilliant new engineers are they going to get working on 2014 then, and how much are they willing to spend to get there after they've recruited them?
...

I don't think Daimler is prepared to spend that much actually, they did not buy this team as a money-guzzling outfit, rather was the picture painted by Ross Brawn and Norbert Haug one of engineering efficiency, with the BGP 001 as the shining xample.

Little did they tell the BGP 001 was probably the most xpensive design in F1 history as it was only one of three different designs worked on by Honda during 2008. Bizarrely, Brawn lays off staff during the 2009 season as to prove his point retroactively.

When the plan seems to be to share activities with Stuttgart, "Concept by Mercedes Benz", I doubt if Brackley will get too much.

Come on X. That would be like building a Bugatti Veyron and then deciding to use cloth material for the seats. If they have gone this far then they have the sense to go all they way.

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

You have to look at this from Mercedes-Benz point of view. Continuing with McLaren and pumping in 80 million per season plus free engine supply to an new on road rival is tantamount to commercial suicide. Of course McLaren will not be worrying Merc on the sales front but it's upper echelon model range would be hit.

The alternatives were continue the arrangement.
Terminate its F1 involvement altogether.
Set up a new F1 base from scratch.
Purchase an existing team with all the basic infrastructure.

Merc chose the the most prudent of the 4, and while they aren't hitting targets, McLaren are still liveried in mercedes colours with visible mercedes involvement(engines). Subtract the 80 million they spent, these funds diverted to it's own unique squad for whom they retain all monies, and you can see why it was done.

The irregularities of the team and it's history are now for mercedes to sort out. Personally I'm biased in favour of them doing it, but there is a historical precedent when it comes to mercedes initial struggles.
Witness McLarens lacklustre start with mercedes that took 3 seasons to garnish them with their first victory. It demonstrates that they are prepared to take a hit for the long term gain.

So naturally, I concur with the logic that they may have been somewhat duped by brawn, but setting up from scratch may have been far more unpleasant and expensive an option.
With the news that mercedes are evaluating every section of the team, and bob bell siphoning through the teams various departments weeding out staff and also employing new members, I think there are positive signs that things are being done.
Along with mercedes other investments, one has to say they are doing what they can.