2016 Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team - Mercedes

[Just_a_fan]

Drivers on a "final warning" over crashes. Nothing given away as to what happens if they do crash, but I wouldn't be surprised to see a driver taken out of the car for a race. That would focus their minds massively. If Hamilton is "banned" for a race then Rosberg wins the title (all other things being equal). If Rosberg is banned for a race, then Hamilton would use that opportunity to minimise any grid penalties for a new engine.

The big question is: who decides when the penalty clause takes effect and what triggers it?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/36733390

[Gettingonabit]

This probably means who starts in the front stays in the front - regardless! This isn't my idea of racing.

[FoxHound]

Just give the next perpetrator a 10kg ballast penalty.

[Jolle]

There is a big chance team orders can't be implemented because of the drivers contracts. Think back to "Multi 21" at RedBull.

If Rosberg is up front, with Hamilton behind him the coming races... he (HAM) is going to try to provoke him in his own words: "I (Hamilton) am the worst teammate you can have".

With prigles and beer behind the telly Sunday! Bring it on!

[nevill3]

I cannot see Mercedes penalising themselves by adding ballast or withholding upgrades as a punishment because they want to have 1,2 finishes, this leaves the only course of ultimate punishment being to be replaced by the reserve driver for a race or two. Mercedes still win the races but the naughty driver loses out on drivers championship points and so possibly diffuses the drivers championship fight too.

[PlatinumZealot]

Toto said the crash in Austria has no bearing on Nico's contract because he has allowed the drivers to race and he can easily fix it all with team orders. I think Nico is here to stay. It is Lewis I feel will bail out after things get too awkward. The owners want the home grown German boy to win not the cuckoo that Ross Brawn put in the nest.

Complete and utter nonsense easily disproved with unpleasant reality. Count how many times Mercedes wanted Hamilton to win in the last season 2 and (the horror of actual world) he actually did, against as you eloquently put home grown (list below). Brawn didn't put Hamilton there anyway, Lauda and Ecclestone did.

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Look who you are listening to. Lauda? Ecclestone? Two arrogant, confused old men. From Hamilton's mouth; it was Ross Brawn who arranged a meeting at Lewis' home to make the first contact. Lauda had nothing to do with that. In fact, at that time Lauda was one of Lewis' biggest critics. It was until after Ross did Lewis start to talk to Lauda.

Lewis Hamilton reveals he was persuaded to join Mercedes at meeting with Ross Brawn
http://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/9575144

It has passed into F1 folklore that Hamilton was persuaded to join Mercedes during a late-night-early-morning meeting with Niki Lauda in his hotel room around the weekend of the Singapore GP two years ago. Hamilton’s famous backward glance at his broken-down McLaren after retiring from the lead of the race only served to represent visual confirmation that this was the weekend when Hamilton opted to fly the family nest.

But now Hamilton has revealed that a rather more homely meeting at an altogether different kind of family nest was the root cause of his decision to join Mercedes.

[Jolle]

I don't think Mercedes has a backup plan just yet hoping they won't need it. You don't want to penalize your three times WC or the WC leader. The moment Rosberg would loose the lead, he's a target. The more I read "the new contract is not an issue" the more I think they will wait how Rosberg will progress the coming races.

Mercedes being a modern team, Wolff a modern manager and Rosberg analytical driver, I suspect they did a whole lot of coaching in the sim the last few days.

[Just_a_fan]

This year's title is Rosberg's to lose. With Hamilton needing to replace engines, Rosberg only needs to keep his nose clean and take whatever points are available in the knowledge that he should have one or two races where Hamilton is at a big disadvantage from the off. If Rosberg blinks, goes defensive and tries to play games, he'll waste his opportunity. Keep your head down, drive your own races and the title will come - Hamilton's early season reliability issues make it an almost-certainty.

[Jolle]

This year's title is Rosberg's to lose. With Hamilton needing to replace engines, Rosberg only needs to keep his nose clean and take whatever points are available in the knowledge that he should have one or two races where Hamilton is at a big disadvantage from the off. If Rosberg blinks, goes defensive and tries to play games, he'll waste his opportunity. Keep your head down, drive your own races and the title will come - Hamilton's early season reliability issues make it an almost-certainty.

I don't think Rosberg sees it like that. In 2014 he was in better shape point wise going to the British GP and Hamilton had to start from the back a couple of times because of engine failures, and still he got caught. One or
two gremlins and the tables are turned and on track, without car issues, Hamilton got the upper hand.

In 2014, after the Austrian GP: 29 points behind followed by a win on Silverstone two pit lane starts and a retirement.

So... Hamilton had worse.

[dans79]

This year's title is Rosberg's to lose. With Hamilton needing to replace engines, Rosberg only needs to keep his nose clean and take whatever points are available in the knowledge that he should have one or two races where Hamilton is at a big disadvantage from the off. If Rosberg blinks, goes defensive and tries to play games, he'll waste his opportunity. Keep your head down, drive your own races and the title will come - Hamilton's early season reliability issues make it an almost-certainty.

Because of rule tweak last year, Lewis can replace every engine component 2 or 3 times in a single race weekend and worse case he starts last. At Spa or Hockenheim, he could easily still end up finishing between 2nd and 5th.

[Jolle]

This year's title is Rosberg's to lose. With Hamilton needing to replace engines, Rosberg only needs to keep his nose clean and take whatever points are available in the knowledge that he should have one or two races where Hamilton is at a big disadvantage from the off. If Rosberg blinks, goes defensive and tries to play games, he'll waste his opportunity. Keep your head down, drive your own races and the title will come - Hamilton's early season reliability issues make it an almost-certainty.

Because of rule tweak last year, Lewis can replace every engine component 2 or 3 times in a single race weekend and worse case he starts last. At Spa or Hockenheim, he could easily still end up finishing between 2nd and 5th.

Although that is permitted by the rules, it's not "in the spirit of the rules" and therefore I don't see them do that. Mercedes wants to be the best boy in class.

[dans79]

Although that is permitted by the rules, it's not "in the spirit of the rules" and therefore I don't see them do that. Mercedes wants to be the best boy in class.

They aren't going to have a choice. If Lewis looses the WDC because Merc didn't do something the rules allowed, the fans will eat them alive. The letter earlier this year shows they care a great deal what the fans think.

I'm also willing to bet Lewis would not be overly happy with the team, and I'm pretty sure that would have repercussions as well!

[Pierce89]

This year's title is Rosberg's to lose. With Hamilton needing to replace engines, Rosberg only needs to keep his nose clean and take whatever points are available in the knowledge that he should have one or two races where Hamilton is at a big disadvantage from the off. If Rosberg blinks, goes defensive and tries to play games, he'll waste his opportunity. Keep your head down, drive your own races and the title will come - Hamilton's early season reliability issues make it an almost-certainty.

Because of rule tweak last year, Lewis can replace every engine component 2 or 3 times in a single race weekend and worse case he starts last. At Spa or Hockenheim, he could easily still end up finishing between 2nd and 5th.

Did they not at least modify this rule after Mclaren and Honda took the piss on.it.

[dans79]

Did they not at least modify this rule after Mclaren and Honda took the piss on.it.

As far as I'm aware, no.

[SparkyAMG]

The trouble with this situation is the timing around when Merc will introduce their token upgrades.

If Lewis takes a bunch of power units and starts from the back at Hockenheim for example, then he'll either have to take another penalty to get the upgraded engine later in the season or just do without and be at a disadvantage to Nico.

For this reason, I can see Merc introducing their final spec unit in Spa and Lewis will take 3 or 4 power units there and be done with it. With the removal of tokens next season anyway there is less to be gained by prolonging token spend, and anything else would seem unfair on Lewis.