The Sauber F1 Team is pleased to announce that Pascal Wehrlein will complete the team’s driver line-up for the 2017 Formula One World Championship. He will race alongside Swede Marcus Ericsson who continues with the Swiss team.
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If Sauber survive to next year, it should be Maldonado and Kvyat. At least there would be blue confetti each race!
That's attacking drivers for no reason. How about Raikkonen and Ricciardo? Even more blue confetti guaranteed.
But Raikkonen and Ricciardo combined have only had 1 crash this year??? It's a joke, plus lets be real there is truth to what I'm saying. Hope Kvyat pulls through but he looks defeated honestly.
Friendship with Honda ended, Renault is my new (and more reliable) friend.
If Sauber survive to next year, it should be Maldonado and Kvyat. At least there would be blue confetti each race!
That's attacking drivers for no reason. How about Raikkonen and Ricciardo? Even more blue confetti guaranteed.
really?
"Explain the ending to F1 in football terms"
"Hamilton was beating Verstappen 7-0, then the ref decided F%$& rules, next goal wins
while also sending off 4 Hamilton players to make it more interesting"
Mercedes: Hamilton / Ricciardo
Ferrari: Vettel / Grosjean
Red Bull: Alonso / Verstappen
McLaren: Bottas / Vandoorne
Williams: Button / Rosberg
Kyvat: retired from F1:
Massa: retired from F1
I can't see ricciardo leaving red bull while Adrian Newey is still there, especially with the Renault PU rapidly becoming competitive.
Ricciardo was very vocal that he wants to be rewarded, is it possible that he means financially as well? I don't know his contract, but RedBull isn't one of the high rollers on the drivers market. That would be very frustrating, with all of the 10+million dollar drivers around you, and beating them.
Mercedes: Hamilton / Ricciardo
Ferrari: Vettel / Grosjean
Red Bull: Alonso / Verstappen
McLaren: Bottas / Vandoorne
Williams: Button / Rosberg
Kyvat: retired from F1:
Massa: retired from F1
I can't see ricciardo leaving red bull while Adrian Newey is still there, especially with the Renault PU rapidly becoming competitive.
I hear you yes, but if RIC has lost faith the team will allow him to beat Max, then god could design it and he would still leave. I think Merc would offer him a solid shot at the title. Just my 2 cents.
Mercedes: Hamilton / Ricciardo
Ferrari: Vettel / Grosjean
Red Bull: Alonso / Verstappen
McLaren: Bottas / Vandoorne
Williams: Button / Rosberg
Kyvat: retired from F1:
Massa: retired from F1
I can't see ricciardo leaving red bull while Adrian Newey is still there, especially with the Renault PU rapidly becoming competitive.
I hear you yes, but if RIC has lost faith the team will allow him to beat Max, then god could design it and he would still leave. I think Merc would offer him a solid shot at the title. Just my 2 cents.
I could believe that RIC has some trust issues with the team at the moment, but after two failed GP's that's not strange. It's not that they given his new FW to Verstappen halfway through a weekend.
If they would have given Max the new PU, it would be clear.
But, again, a Webberish situation is possibly the coming years.
Ricciardo had a few though weekends, he will bounce back and will drive from his own strengths instead of looking over his shoulder or believe what all the press is saying about boy-wonder.
I think that level of frustration might have something to do with the contractual situation. A few races back, Horner made it very clear that Ricciardo is under contract. He didn't say what that meant, what termination clauses there are, but voiced it in a way that made very clear that RedBull invests into new talent and naturally wants that investment returned. So these talents are obviously tied to RedBull.
If we look at the last 2 seasons, it's clear that Mercedes is the team to beat and I wouldn't be surprised if there are many at RedBull that are frustrated, seeing the reason for that especially with the PU advantage (or them being limited by it) while having a very good car. I could also imagine Ricciardo being frustrated by it - he got 3 wins in 2014, but last year, RedBull was in no position to even be close. Then 2016 comes a long and it seems RedBull has a very good car and the PU is much more solid - and the new rising star in Verstappen (at least where the media is concerned) gets put in as his team mate and BOOM, clinches his first win, first race - a win that should have been his. Worse even, he comes to Monaco, one of the very few tracks where RedBull might be the team to beat, he doesn't put a foot wrong, aces qualifying, is by far the quickest driver during the race and somehow, strategy loses him that victory. It being Monaco, one of the most prestigious wins doesn't help either.
And what's left? The realization that this was one of the very very few opportunities, at least this year. And with Verstappen perhaps being quite a bit in the spotlight - it might just add that little bit of extra frustration. We don't know if RedBull will be title contenders this year. The rules will change by a lot, but somehow, I still think Mercedes will be the team to beat. Knowing that and being tied to RedBull, especially if other teams may have an interest in you, might not be such an easy position to be in. Would he swap to Mercedes if he could? I think he would.
Not for nothing, Rosberg's Championship is the only thing that lends credibility to Hamilton's recent success. Otherwise, he'd just be the guy who's had the best car. — bhall II #Team44 supporter
Phil wrote:I think that level of frustration might have something to do with the contractual situation. A few races back, Horner made it very clear that Ricciardo is under contract. He didn't say what that meant, what termination clauses there are, but voiced it in a way that made very clear that RedBull invests into new talent and naturally wants that investment returned. So these talents are obviously tied to RedBull.
If we look at the last 2 seasons, it's clear that Mercedes is the team to beat and I wouldn't be surprised if there are many at RedBull that are frustrated, seeing the reason for that especially with the PU advantage (or them being limited by it) while having a very good car. I could also imagine Ricciardo being frustrated by it - he got 3 wins in 2014, but last year, RedBull was in no position to even be close. Then 2016 comes a long and it seems RedBull has a very good car and the PU is much more solid - and the new rising star in Verstappen (at least where the media is concerned) gets put in as his team mate and BOOM, clinches his first win, first race - a win that should have been his. Worse even, he comes to Monaco, one of the very few tracks where RedBull might be the team to beat, he doesn't put a foot wrong, aces qualifying, is by far the quickest driver during the race and somehow, strategy loses him that victory. It being Monaco, one of the most prestigious wins doesn't help either.
And what's left? The realization that this was one of the very very few opportunities, at least this year. And with Verstappen perhaps being quite a bit in the spotlight - it might just add that little bit of extra frustration. We don't know if RedBull will be title contenders this year. The rules will change by a lot, but somehow, I still think Mercedes will be the team to beat. Knowing that and being tied to RedBull, especially if other teams may have an interest in you, might not be such an easy position to be in. Would he swap to Mercedes if he could? I think he would.
His frustration is no doubt understandable and genuine, but to add to this further, being outspoken publicly post race could be premeditated as an attempt to stamp his authority within the team to try and deter them from further embarrassment and giving to much love to the other side of the garage?
It is believed Rosberg, assisted by family friend Gerhard Berger, is pushing for a retainer much closer to the value of Lewis Hamilton’s current deal.
Toto says....
“We know that we have the strongest car, a very strong team and are well positioned for the future as well,” he insisted. “That would be the main argument for Nico. We also know what we have in him.”
"Well positioned...." - We have a world champion and one of the fastest drivers on the grid with us and NOT that we desperately need you
Nico is in a tough situation. He could be this years WDC, but he'll have to sort out the new contract with Mercedes before then. Obviously, he feels entitled to a similar deal like Lewis, which might be pushing it (given Lewis has 3 titles and is also very marketable for Mercedes). If he doesn't get it (which I doubt he will), it might lead to disappointment of not getting the recognition he deserves. Personally, I feel he still doesn't [get the recognition he deserves]. He's better than what most people think of him. He beat Michael Schumacher for 3 seasons on points, and most people put it down to Schumacher being past his best. He takes the fight to Lewis in 2014 up till the last race, beats him in qualifying (even if we know that qualifying had too many technical issues) and 2015 onto 2016, he secures 7 straight victories against the 3 times WDC, is leading 2016 by a still significant margin and still he is severely underrated.
The deal will come down to if Nico can settle for something that is reasonable and fair. If it isn't, will that lack of recognition put a dent on his performance? Or make him try harder? We will see I suppose.
Mercedes is in a handy position. They don't need Nico. They have Lewis and he is under contract till end of 2018. They have the best car. Any of the top drivers would love a seat in the Mercedes if it gave them an opportunity to be a WDC contender. Do Mercedes need both? Hardly. They could still win (both) championships with either one of them.
Assuming Nico moves (hypothetically) - who will they put in that seat? If Mercedes is very cocky, they'll put someone like Wehrlein in that car. A youngster, a protegee. IMO, this would be a bad choice and risky. If the field is closer next year (which many think it will), they will need the best. For a simple reason: You don't want the best driving against you. Ferrari has Vettel, McLaren has Alonso (though I doubt they will be contenders), RedBull.... Ricciardo. Vettel is secured, Ricciardo is less clear.
I think Ricciardo is blocked by RedBull. That therefore makes Mercedes hand weaker which is why the best solution would be to retain Rosberg for a good compromise. But for 3 years? That's a long time, especially with the upcoming regulation change... If I was Mercedes I'd be looking at a shorter contract to keep options open.
Not for nothing, Rosberg's Championship is the only thing that lends credibility to Hamilton's recent success. Otherwise, he'd just be the guy who's had the best car. — bhall II #Team44 supporter
I think Riccardo will be in the market only if Red Bull and he are outside No. 3 in the WCC and WDC
He is currently not in the market and does not have an option that has been leaked to the media. This is the reason why Nico is negotiating with Merc rather than just signing.
Ricciardo should stay at RedBull. The new rules, focussing on aero and chassis, point to RedBull being right up there. He needs to stamp his authority this season - head down and out qualify and out point Max. Wins are not relevant; points make prizes.
Rosberg will struggle to get more money. Mercedes are in a good position this year but who knows next year? Hamilton plus a young gun would be better for them in the medium term. Even if Rosberg wins the title this year he's still less marketable than Hamilton. I think Hamilton will retire when his current contract expires. He'll probably have equalled Prost's win (and possibly title) count by then.
If you are more fortunate than others, build a larger table not a taller fence.
Phil wrote:Nico is in a tough situation. He could be this years WDC, but he'll have to sort out the new contract with Mercedes before then. Obviously, he feels entitled to a similar deal like Lewis, which might be pushing it (given Lewis has 3 titles and is also very marketable for Mercedes). If he doesn't get it (which I doubt he will), it might lead to disappointment of not getting the recognition he deserves. Personally, I feel he still doesn't [get the recognition he deserves]. He's better than what most people think of him. He beat Michael Schumacher for 3 seasons on points, and most people put it down to Schumacher being past his best. He takes the fight to Lewis in 2014 up till the last race, beats him in qualifying (even if we know that qualifying had too many technical issues) and 2015 onto 2016, he secures 7 straight victories against the 3 times WDC, is leading 2016 by a still significant margin and still he is severely underrated.
He has been always underrated and its quite unfair. He lacks the charm of Alonso or Hamilton and perhaps their magic touch but he can be as fast as both drivers.
