Silly Season 2016/2017

[dodds_turbo]

Williams admits defeat/ ($$$ in their eyes)
http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/willi ... as-859640/

Fixed for you

[AMG.Tzan]

So many rumors around Mercedes - Williams...Paddy Lowe to Williams...Williams now open to leeting Bottas join Mercedes...Mercedes will not announce their driver until next year (just to get the media attention they want)! For me the case is closed! Bottas to Mercedes and Williams now looking at either Massa or Button! Button has nothing to do at Mclaren since Alonso is there and Vandoorne looks quite good...so i don't see how he will end up back on the grid in 2018 with Mclaren!
For me my favorite option for Mercedes is Sainz...i would love to see him leave Red Bull just because they chose Verstappen instead of him and show them what he is made of in a Mercedes!! But i don't see it happening

[Vasconia]

So many rumors around Mercedes - Williams...Paddy Lowe to Williams...Williams now open to leeting Bottas join Mercedes...Mercedes will not announce their driver until next year (just to get the media attention they want)! For me the case is closed! Bottas to Mercedes and Williams now looking at either Massa or Button! Button has nothing to do at Mclaren since Alonso is there and Vandoorne looks quite good...so i don't see how he will end up back on the grid in 2018 with Mclaren!
For me my favorite option for Mercedes is Sainz...i would love to see him leave Red Bull just because they chose Verstappen instead of him and show them what he is made of in a Mercedes!! But i don't see it happening

Horner says that they won´t let Saiz go to Mercedes. Rb is blocking any chance of leaving the team in 2017. I hope this doesn´t damage Sainz´s options for 2018...

[bauc]

Button has nothing to do at Mclaren since Alonso is there and Vandoorne looks quite good...so i don't see how he will end up back on the grid in 2018 with Mclaren!

I do, Alonso decides at the end of season he is done with F1, and Button is ready to step back in and try himself in the new formula along Vandoorne.

[NL_Fer]

If the '17 Redbull is a championship winner, the Torro Rosso Renault must be good for p4 in wcc. Would be exciting to see Sainz take on Ferrari/McLaren/Force India next year. He was fast in 2015, learned racing in 2016.

[FrukostScones]

Is this a deal is done face?


posted by Marklar on autosport forums.

[PlatinumZealot]

Is this a deal is done face?

http://i.imgur.com/JPl7M8O.jpg
posted by Marklar on autosport forums.

Thats a real sh*t eating grin if i ever saw one.

[Manoah2u]

Is this a deal is done face?

http://i.imgur.com/JPl7M8O.jpg
posted by Marklar on autosport forums.

so we're at the point now that smiles on some event are evidence?

[zac510]

That's enough for a news article on some websites!

[henra]

If bottas joins merc we could again have another Finn lose the WCC in a spaceship.

I'm afraid I have to agree. I have no clue why Merc would want to hire him. Plain Midfield driver. Looking at the current situation It's a shame that we might see no battle for wins in 2017.
Please, please Merc try to get one of the following guys in the second car in order to save us from a completely boring season:
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Max Verstappen
- Sebastian Vettel
- Fernando Alonso

Pretty pleeeeaaase!!!!!

[SectorOne]

I have no clue why Merc would want to hire him. Plain Midfield driver.

If they continue to produce cars like they have done for the past three seasons then all they really need is a solid points scorer and Bottas fits that bill perfectly.

This is all assuming Mercedes is still the team to beat next year.
Looking at history over the last 10 years or so it seems like there´s a new king on the block every time the regs change...

[Vary]

Italian medias are reporting Giovinazzi as third Ferrari driver for next year, don't know if it's real or just some kind of patriotic clickbait

[basti313]

I have no clue why Merc would want to hire him. Plain Midfield driver.

If they continue to produce cars like they have done for the past three seasons then all they really need is a solid points scorer and Bottas fits that bill perfectly.

True. A clear Nr 2 should make things more easy at Merc. But then I still do not see a reason why not Weh...

This is all assuming Mercedes is still the team to beat next year.
Looking at history over the last 10 years or so it seems like there´s a new king on the block every time the regs change...

I think this is not a valid comparison. For the last two rule changes we had teams with big budget working for years towards the rule change (Bull and Honda and then Merc) without looking at current success. And at the same time we had the current top teams fighting for the championship.
The last two years we had:
- No one contending Merc for the championship
- Most teams with big budget fighting to be the Nr2 (Bull and Fer)
- Only one team with big budget far below competition (McLaren)

For me the prediction, that McLaren will be a contender next year, is bold. They are screwing up for years and were no title contender at the last rule change either...and screwed it.
I do not see a reason, why Merc should loose their advantage on the PU integration and I see no longer development for 2017 on Fer or Bull side.
The only way to contend Merc will be to pull a white rabbit out of the hat....

[TAG]

What's with all the talk of Massa coming back from retirement? If he comes back, then it was just the off season.

[SR71]

All this noise around Williams must be coming in handy while the Vettel negotiations are going on.

He's quite the master of distractions when it comes to contract exits.

"I need a new chassis" for instance.

Bottas will self implode when he learns he was being used.