[ 2020 ] AMG Mercedes F1 Team - Mercedes

[izzy]

Really? Ferrari's suspension is even more complicated? I thought they were the ones with simple, "traditional" suspension layout. May I ask where you read that?

it's just been the odd comment, like

"Mattia Binotto’s reference to the mechanical aspects of the car is interesting, as it coincides with rumours Ferrari’s problem is with the clever hydraulic rear suspension systems used up and down the grid."

http://scuderiafans.com/ferraris-rear-s ... ng-issues/
plus the impression they've been quite variable with their setups. Perhaps it's more difficult than complicated. Tho there was a rumour they had to change the front suspension late on that the rake depended on

[LM10]

Really? Ferrari's suspension is even more complicated? I thought they were the ones with simple, "traditional" suspension layout. May I ask where you read that?

it's just been the odd comment, like

"Mattia Binotto’s reference to the mechanical aspects of the car is interesting, as it coincides with rumours Ferrari’s problem is with the clever hydraulic rear suspension systems used up and down the grid."

http://scuderiafans.com/ferraris-rear-s ... ng-issues/
plus the impression they've been quite variable with their setups. Perhaps it's more difficult than complicated. Tho there was a rumour they had to change the front suspension late on that the rake depended on

Thank your for the link!

[Morteza]

https://twitter.com/MercedesAMGF1/statu ... 2454663168

[lio007]

https://twitter.com/MercedesAMGF1/statu ... 2454663168

So AMD jumped the Ferrari-ship and joined Merc?

Edit: Obviously AMD replaces Qualcomm, because it's not in their partner list any more.
Wonder if Qualcomm is leaving the sport or joining another team.

[Morteza]

https://twitter.com/tgruener/status/1224989849263968256

[zibby43]

https://twitter.com/tgruener/status/1224989849263968256

Full translation:

Mercedes would like to concentrate on the preparation of the 2020 Formula 1 season, but at the moment it has to deny mainly rumours. From dropping out to the dream contract for Lewis Hamilton. Team boss Toto Wolff gives the answers.

Six weeks before the start of the season there is a tense calm. Next week the teams will present their new cars. One week later the test drives in Barcelona will start. But behind the scenes the question continues to be asked: What will happen in 2021? So far, no team has signed the new Formula 1 contract. All of them are negotiating individually with Liberty for the best possible conditions. In this climate of uncertainty many rumours are flourishing.

Who will be on the grid in 2021 anyway?

Ferrari has made a fundamentally positive statement about the future of Formula 1. Maranello expects a few more freedoms on the technical side from the FIA, but is apparently satisfied in principle with the offer from the Formula One management. Ferrari retains its special status and even gets a weakened veto right again.

Honda has committed itself until the end of 2021. The Japanese make a continuation of the Formula 1 engagement beyond that dependent on the engine costs falling from 2022. However, Red Bull sports director Helmut Marko is confident that he will soon hear positive news from Tokyo.

Renault seemed to be the biggest wobbly candidate for a long time. But experts see a positive sign in the appointment of ex-Fiat or ex-Seat boss Luca de Meo. The man is considered a motorsport enthusiast. At least when the sport costs nothing.

Mercedes, too, has recently been the target of speculation. On February 12th, there will be a board meeting on the topic of Formula 1 with the possible consequence of dropping out, pessimists speculated. Chairman of the board Ola Källenius tried to directly recapture the story, which quickly became independent in the digital world. There was no board meeting at Mercedes that day, and the question of Formula 1 or not was not on the agenda.

Mercedes is already planning for the future

In principle, the decision has long been made for the brand with the star. One wants to stay in the top class. Otherwise you wouldn't be negotiating a new contract with Liberty for the next five or ten years.

This also explains why none of the four car manufacturers in Formula One is currently officially committing itself to a long-term stay in Formula One. This would only weaken their negotiating position. As long as Mercedes, Renault, Honda and Ferrari give the impression that it is possible to pull out, this will keep up the pressure on their negotiating partner Liberty.

At Mercedes, the news that the Formula 1 deployment is on the brink of collapse quickly took on a momentum of its own. With each mutation, the story became more adventurous. Until the end, all conjunctions were deleted and poetry became supposed truth.

It is often difficult to recapture such speculations. Team boss Toto Wolff explained at the request of auto motor und sport: "Mercedes will definitely be driving in 2021. We want to stay with it. Formula 1 makes sense for us."

This is also demonstrated by the activities behind the scenes. The racing factory is currently being expanded and made even more functional. The plan how to deal with the double burden of two car developments for 2020 and 2021 is in place.

Mercedes has also already made preparations on how to deal with the budget cap, which will cost jobs in Formula 1. The car manufacturer is diversifying into other sports such as cycling and sailing. At the Geneva Motor Show at the beginning of March, the world champion will present its sustainability program. Already from this season on, the Formula 1 team is to operate CO2-neutral. Do you make that much effort when you want to get out?

The racer's heart beats louder

Also the new Concorde agreement, which will probably not be called that anymore, should not be a stumbling block anymore. But Wolff warns: "The basic conditions must be right. Formula 1 must function as such. We want to have a Concorde Agreement that we can live well with. That doesn't mean that we want to get more and more out for Mercedes. It has to be a well-balanced agreement, for us and for the smaller teams."

Once the budget cap comes into force in 2021, the bottom line is that the racing team's balance sheet should show at least one black zero. "But the goal must be for all teams to make a profit," Wolff demands.

Toto Wolff himself must decide by the end of the year whether to sell his shares in the Formula 1 team and continue to lead the best Formula 1 team of the last decade. He could gild his 30 percent, but Wolff sees no real personal conflict in this question. The racer's heart beats louder than the businessman's.

"I enjoy my role. It is an honorable task. Who can say he's joint venture with Mercedes? I'm given enough leeway by the Group to be able to lead the team in the way I think is best for the team. We are growing as a team, have almost tripled in the last seven years. It's become a real company, and the job has become a real management responsibility."

Negotiations with Hamilton start this month

One of the most important tasks for Wolff this year will be the contract extension of Lewis Hamilton. Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen have already committed themselves Rumors that they are already in the middle of talks with concrete salary demands are just as much a figment of their imagination as the speculation that Mercedes might back out.

Wolff lets it be known that the negotiations with his star pilot could escalate into an affair of similar length as in 2018, when Hamilton's contract extension was only announced in July. Not much has happened so far: "We met for the last time at the Christmas party. There we chatted a bit about the future. Since then we have only talked about WhatsApp. When you've been on your toes for ten months, it's important to take a step back. That's why we decided to leave each other alone in December and January. When February comes around, we'll sit down and discuss."

It's not the case, says Wolff, that Hamilton only has the Mercedes card and vice versa Mercedes has no alternatives: "As a driver at his level, Lewis always has options. The same applies to us. As long as we build a fast car, we'll always be in a situation where we can pick the drivers."

The close personal relationship between Wolff and Hamilton does not make the talks any easier: "Because we have different interests in this particular case. For example, when it comes to financial matters." According to Wolff, Mercedes has to look at the costs. The two have experience in the tug-of-war for the best conditions. "However tough it was, in the end there was always a handshake. "Lewis wants to drive the fastest car and we want the best driver."

The whole conversation with Toto Wolff will be available next week in our video interview series on our website. We interviewed the Mercedes team boss about all important topics of the past and the current situation.

[zibby43]

Pretty high praise from Berger.

[izzy]

Pretty high praise from Berger.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EQG3V5KW4AE ... ame=medium

yes the message is finally getting through, about what the team has! i don't know that you can compare Senna and Lewis really, different eras, but it is obvious that with the rival teams having Max and Charles, Mercedes would need a big car advantage without Lewis, and where could that come from?? I wish we could listen to the contract negotiations, when they start, and have their inner thoughts, Lewis and Toto and Ola. It's a bit like Liberty and the teams really: either side is screwed if they don't get a deal done, BUT they both know that! Neither of them has a convincing bluff at all

[Just_a_fan]

Pretty high praise from Berger.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EQG3V5KW4AE ... ame=medium

This isn't going to end well...

[TAG]

Well, there it is then.

[zibby43]

Pretty high praise from Berger.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EQG3V5KW4AE ... ame=medium

yes the message is finally getting through, about what the team has!

That's the funny thing about great athletes. They're often polarizing and sometimes, the scope of their greatness isn't appreciated while they're still active in their respective sport.

[Sierra117]

Pretty high praise from Berger.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EQG3V5KW4AE ... ame=medium

Bruhhh ... I'm having dejavu ... I made the following sometime back :

[zibby43]

Pretty high praise from Berger.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EQG3V5KW4AE ... ame=medium

Bruhhh ... I'm having dejavu ... I made the following sometime back :
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw891KRpCvz ... ev1ezw1hcu

Wow that's a pretty remarkable coincidence!

[izzy]

That's the funny thing about great athletes. They're often polarizing and sometimes, the scope of their greatness isn't appreciated while they're still active in their respective sport.

so true! But at least he's fixed his hair

and mercedes like it

[Just_a_fan]

That's a serious case of "helmet hair"!