Silly Season 2020/2021 (starting with silliness in 2019)

[Maritimer]

Probably something more along the lines of he would like to try one in anger, but not race them.

[GPR-A]

Lewis will retire at the end of 2020 is my guess. He's already said he doesn't like the way F1 is going from 2021 so it would make sense to retire before that season. I'd be surprised if Ferrari don't win the title next year, so I think Hamilton will decide to call it quits on 6 titles and a drawer full of wins/poles.

https://www.grandprix247.com/2019/10/02 ... g-respect/

The 34-year-old also gave a clear indication that he would like to extend his stay in Formula 1 beyond his 2020 contract.

Hamilton said getting involved to help Liberty Media and the FIA to craft the 2021 rules has been “a huge step”.

“I think it looks great, so I’m working as hard as I can to make sure I can stay around and get to drive those newer cars,” said the Briton.

[NathanOlder]

GPR-A beat me to it.

Lewis sounds like he is much more likely to stay beyond 2020 than he is to retire. I get the impression he will relish the chance to have title battles with Max Charles Danny ect. He doesn't want to go out on top, he wants to leave after being beaten. So he knows for sure it was the right thing to do.

If he leaves after winning number 7 neaxt year, he will never know how many he could have won. Something that is hard to live with. If he leaves after 1 title defeat next year, it doesn't really give him any answers, unless Valterri destroys him.

So he needs a proper beating to realise he is done. Lewis will sign a 2yr deal with an option of a 3rd next summer. Just no idea who it will be for, Silver or Red. or even Mclaren Mercedes. where it all began, and keeps his Mercedes loyalty.


Wait a minute, how about Lewis and Lando swap for 2021! Thats it!!! Win win for everyone involved.

[Just_a_fan]

If he stays, it'll be with Mercedes - unless Ferrari develop a real rocketship next year and blow Mercedes out of the water. But if Ferrari do that, and one of their drivers wins the title, why would they then take on Hamilton? If Vettel were the winner, he'd probably want to renew his contract. If Leclerc is the winner and Vettel retired, what would the benefit be for Ferrari to bring in Hamilton to fight Leclerc? Conversely, if Ferrari struggle next year and then Vettel retires, why would Hamilton want to go there? If he went and won a title he'd have titles with three teams but that's still behind Fangio winning with 4 different teams so no record would set (although it would put him above everyone except Fangio as no one else has more than 2 different team titles). More likely is that he'd struggle with the Ferrari way of doing things - unless they gave him free rein to be himself (unlikely, I feel). It's arguable that letting Hamilton be Hamilton is the biggest thing that Toto has done to help him be the success he is.

[GPR-A]

Lewis going to Ferrari is both imagination and fascination, but not practical. Regardless of what Lewis talks, he is a very practical man and he knows the the possibilities of contending for WDC with Mercedes are higher due to the strength of the team. He has established himself well and the team works around him well with clearly established working mechanisms where they understand each others' needs very well.

Ferrari is highly volatile when it comes to team and car performance. They have a very different work culture to UK based teams and any new driver would have to work hard to get himself positioned in the team the way Lewis is currently in Mercedes. It's not a short term exercise and Lewis has made it clear that, he doesn't have it in him anymore to repeat it.

He is not going to retire either. He knows very well that, the more championships he wins, the more it would serve his brand for whatever he does after F1. He is in perfect shape physically and mentally and more importantly, seems to be enjoying his time with his own performances at the peak of his powers. He won't let the opportunity be passed for winning a few more titles. I bet he would see through 2022.

Ferrari has found what they need, Leclerc. A young, fast, hungry and aggressive driver who can turn in and perform the way he has done in the past few GPs. He is bound to grow and add a bit more speed, which is what Ferrari wants for future. They have got their star and they only need a great support act.

It makes sense for Mercedes to put Russell in W12 in 2021 and see how he performs. If he performs the way Leclerc has done, Mercedes would have hit the jackpot and would be happy to see Lewis retire at the end of 2022. They can then bring Ocon back for 2023, if he delivers in Renault for the next two seasons.

https://www.grandprix247.com/2019/10/03 ... -mercedes/

With Lando now being managed by Mercedes, they have a number of options to evaluate.

[NathanOlder]

Yeah I agree, and it puts Max a little further away from Mercedes as well in my opinion.

[Zarathustra]

Yeah I agree, and it puts Max a little further away from Mercedes as well in my opinion.

I see it the other way around- ‘people’ are just making sure that incase they don’t get Verstappen to drive for them in the future- they’ll at least have a back up plan..

[Just_a_fan]

I think Leclerc takes some of Max's shine. If a team had to choose, which would they go for? Tricky as they're probably fairly equal in terms of speed etc.

[Zarathustra]

I think Leclerc takes some of Max's shine. If a team had to choose, which would they go for? Tricky as they're probably fairly equal in terms of speed etc.

No, I truly believe- ‘everybody knows’, that Max is being held back by the RB.

[GPR-A]

I think Leclerc takes some of Max's shine. If a team had to choose, which would they go for? Tricky as they're probably fairly equal in terms of speed etc.

No, I truly believe- ‘everybody knows’, that Max is being held back by the RB.

I have a feeling that Max would be the next Alonso. Superb driving skills but without the right equipment, watching others around him drive to championships.

[raymondu999]

I think Leclerc takes some of Max's shine. If a team had to choose, which would they go for? Tricky as they're probably fairly equal in terms of speed etc.

No, I truly believe- ‘everybody knows’, that Max is being held back by the RB.

I have a feeling that Max would be the next Alonso. Superb driving skills but without the right equipment, watching others around him drive to championships.

Oh God I hope not. Alonso imo definitely got less championships than his talent merited; hopefully Jos is smarter in that regard.

[aran.vtec]

No, I truly believe- ‘everybody knows’, that Max is being held back by the RB.

I have a feeling that Max would be the next Alonso. Superb driving skills but without the right equipment, watching others around him drive to championships.

Oh God I hope not. Alonso imo definitely got less championships than his talent merited; hopefully Jos is smarter in that regard.

This is has been a issue with formula 1 for a very long time, its being in the right car at the right time.

And unfortunately the chances of him moving to the other 2 teams that can offer him a championship winning car are slim.

[raymondu999]

agreed on both counts. Who knows though. RBR is a strong team; though it remains to be seen how Adrian Newey's Extreme E focus impacts their competitiveness

[GPR-A]

agreed on both counts. Who knows though. RBR is a strong team; though it remains to be seen how Adrian Newey's Extreme E focus impacts their competitiveness

With the kind of advancement in talent pool available at big teams and with the greater evolution of CFD and AI, assuming one individual would continue to make a difference, like he did earlier in this decade, would be naive. With the amount of experience and depth that Mercedes has built in their ranks, they can't be stream rolled by one man's brilliance anymore.

Likewise, Ferrari has made great advances in building PU and Chassis and lack that last punch required to beat the competition. At some point, they would fix that too and might start having the kind of package for which they have been longing for over a decade now.

McLaren is steadily moving upwards and with the kind of infrastructure upgrades and a new engine deal with Mercedes, they might recover back to sharp end of the grid in a few years' time.

With Brawn helping FIA write the regulations and FIA's increased activity in patching any available loop holes, assuming the blown diffuser type of major loopholes to be available for exploiting is also too far fetched. FIA has created a new technical team just to find out loop holes from the 2021 regulations to ensure, it doesn't leave a major gap. Which means, whoever does the good job overall on both PU and Chassis within the constrained regulations, might have a decent performance advantage and as it stands, it's difficult to imagine Red Bull suddenly gaining upper hand over other top teams. If anything, they can be on par.

[Scorpaguy]

...on a note further down the grid, could there be 2 open seats at Sauber next year? Gio's return is oft discussed, but I am beginning to ponder the possibility of Kimi leaving of his own volition.

Alfa has become a bit of a comedy of errors...and his frustration is clear (watch the world's fastest cool down lap...Monza). Does anyone have insight as to his desire of money or altruism to a struggling team? He has publicly stated he has not read his contract...simply staying as long as he is fast/having fun.

IMHO Kimi seems to be aging quite a bit of late