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

[ScottB]

Russell vs Hamilton a show? I don't think so!

Russel has been called the accountant in F2. His style not spectacular, but always maximizing his performance. I rate George higher than Lando Norris, who is has really impressed from his 1st race at McL. If Lando keeps up with Ricciardo next year, Russel must be exceptional.

If Russell were to ride alongside Lewis next season ( Lewis with all his years of experience and possibly the best driver at the moment), he will never be able to get close to Lewis, so no show. Maybe in a few years.

In which case, he wouldn't be good enough to be a Merc team leader in future.

Russell has 2 seasons under his belt, if he's truly a special talent, I would expect him to be better than Bottas is right now. Rookie Lewis could fight Alonso toe to toe, rookie Max could beat Danny Ric, who himself outperformed Vettel with less experience than George has now.

[Racer X]

I think you would be surprised. Russell is an outstanding talent.

Against Hamilton tho i think Mercedes is letting him properly develop so that they dont burn him out too quickly the way RedBull burns out all their drivers. Russell will be promoted when its time which will probably be when Hamilton leaves or Bottas's contract ends. Which ever comes first but another 2 seasons in a midfield team wont harm George. He will just further develop his skills and add experience then will be able to perform at the level Mercedes is looking for without being mentally unprepared for the pressure of being in a big team.

Maybe so. If I were Toto I would be looking at getting Lewis to sign a 3yr deal, so he can have a couple of years in the new regulations to see how it goes. Then that gives Mercedes chance to put George in with Lewis for 2 of those years. Year 1 for George he gets a free swing at it. No way will he be as bad as Albon or Gasly when they got thrown in next to Max. George can finish behind Lewis and not be criticized for it as its his first year. He can learn even more when racing the same car as Lewis instead of watching for a year like Ocon. Then in year 2 he will have to at least challenge Lewis over a season which I fully expect in year 1 anyway. Then George would have completed 5yrs in F1 and will be ready to lead the Mercedes Team as Lewis then retires. If Mercedes are still top dog they can then choose any driver they like to fill Lewis' seat with no pressure as they already have a new team leader. I cant see any other outcome other than this. The only possible stumbling block is Lewis not staying that long. I think he will definitely want to try the new cars in 2022, and Mercedes should only agree if he commits to 2yrs in the new rules. Everyone should be happy.

2021 - Hamilton - Bottas
2022 - Hamilton - Russell
2023 - Hamilton - Russell
2024 - Russell - any driver they think will fit.

Exactly and it's a completely different situation because people won't pressure George to beat a 7/8 time Champion but if he can learn from him or he does beat him it then sets up the new generation of Brit/Mercedes Driver. We also don't know where McLaren will be by then so who knows what else can happen but if Mercedes is to remain then they will need their next Champion it's Clear it's not Bottas. He can't even beat Max in a Mercedes on Sundays.

I mention McLaren because if Mercedes leaves then McLaren would likely put George next to Norris. In an all Brit Line up Carlos is slower then Norris and Ricciardo Will be older by the time that happens so the timing of Ricciardo leaving and George's age are perfect.

The kid knows he just need to keep learning and be patient. Hes smart he's paying his dues.

[TechAddict]

I hope all your praise for young wunderboy Russel sticks. Remember his teammates!!

He has been made to look good. Many other drivers entering and exiting again have had way harder times with their teammates. I can make a list of 20 drivers we all thought was the next big thing, but weren’t. And now we look at Russel, Norris, Leclerc, Saints, Ocon. But what has Norris done, Kevin didn’t do in his first years at McLaren. He has a lot of the same results in comparable equipment. But he is not driving against a former WDC. And how can we judge Verstappens teammates? To me Albon can be just as good a driver as Russel, Leclerc and Norris. But he can be out of F1 at the end of 2020.

In all my years watching F1 30+ years. The only ones that really stood out (from 1990 onwards) without doubt are Senna, Schumi, Alonso, Kimi, Vettel, Hamilton and Verstappen. And maybe the last two the most. The others could be beat or made to look bad if not in rythm, missig confidence or in the wrong equipment.

I have been watching F2 a lot and all though there are lots of talent, the standing is as much down to team and luck as it is talent. Many of the good drivers are beeing crashed out by others on occasion. Can all here honestly say that Mick is the best driver in F2. I say top 5 are talented, but it is impossible to rate them. And most likely one of the 5 is still in F1 in 5 years, but there is a good chance it is not the best driver of the lot.

[PlatinumZealot]

I don't think Hamilton will be around in 2023. If he wins this year and next year I think he retires at the end of 2021.

If this sort of thing appeals to him, I feel he won't leave till he has kids so they can watch daddy race on TV.

It might be in a backmarker but...

[914hald]

I have been watching F2 a lot and all though there are lots of talent, the standing is as much down to team and luck as it is talent. Many of the good drivers are beeing crashed out by others on occasion. Can all here honestly say that Mick is the best driver in F2. I say top 5 are talented, but it is impossible to rate them. And most likely one of the 5 is still in F1 in 5 years, but there is a good chance it is not the best driver of the lot.

I have also followed closely this season. I would rate Illot and Lundgaard higher than Mick.

If you take out all the bad luck for the top 5 drivers, engine, gearbox, hit by others, Lundgaard would have been first in Championship. Then compare to his teammate in ART.
Lundgaard 145P Armstrong 38P
Looking forward to the young driver test next week

[TechAddict]

I have been watching F2 a lot and all though there are lots of talent, the standing is as much down to team and luck as it is talent. Many of the good drivers are beeing crashed out by others on occasion. Can all here honestly say that Mick is the best driver in F2. I say top 5 are talented, but it is impossible to rate them. And most likely one of the 5 is still in F1 in 5 years, but there is a good chance it is not the best driver of the lot.

I have also followed closely this season. I would rate Illot and Lundgaard higher than Mick.

If you take out all the bad luck for the top 5 drivers, engine, gearbox, hit by others, Lundgaard would have been first in Championship. Then compare to his teammate in ART.
Lundgaard 145P Armstrong 38P
Looking forward to the young driver test next week

Agree but Lundgaard also had bad weekends.
Mick is being carried to the top. I just hope he doesn’t crack. I like him. I just don’t see him as special.
Again if you put any of them in a Racing Point next to Stroll, they will most likely shine.

So my point is that many drivers over time have been judged good or bad by journalists and mediahype because they run into bad equipment or a former WDC teammate or good equipment and a rich teammate.

[adrianjordan]

I don't think Hamilton will be around in 2023. If he wins this year and next year I think he retires at the end of 2021.

I think he will want to prove he can win in the new regs as well.

[Shrieker]

Russell and Perez would be a dynamite pairing. It's a travesty if Russell gets the boot while the likes of Latifi and Gio remain. Btw I don't rate Russell as highly as some others here, but he's quite obviously one of the better drivers out of the young guns.

[Racer X]

I guess Albons on his last last chance Marko mentioned that if Albon doesn't show a reason to be kept he's going to be replaced with (the same vague list he keeps mentioning) So nothing new but at the same time he's kind of saying Albon could still close the doors on new drivers If he can just deliver an amazing drive. It seems they keep wanting to find a reason to keep him. I wonder if the Thai background is what keeps him getting 2nd 3rd 4th chances.

[Racer X]

Russell and Perez would be a dynamite pairing. It's a travesty if Russell gets the boot while the likes of Latifi and Gio remain. Btw I don't rate Russell as highly as some others here, but he's quite obviously one of the better drivers out of the young guns.

George said he's confident his seat is safe. I wonder if he knows more then Latiffi. Williams would be smart to drop Latiffi for Perez.

Both bring money but ones a good driver along with bringing good money then you're have the best of both worlds.

Experience money youth with potential and a balanced team with both driver's pushing not just one of them and the other doing good enough.

[Fulcrum]

I don't think Hamilton will be around in 2023. If he wins this year and next year I think he retires at the end of 2021.

If this sort of thing appeals to him, I feel he won't leave till he has kids so they can watch daddy race on TV.

It might be in a backmarker but...

He doesn't seem like the kind of person to adopt that sort of lifestyle. Of course, I wouldn't have figured Kimi for that lifestyle either, so fair enough.

My reasoning is more to do with his legacy in the sport, coupled with the position of Mercedes.

I don't see Hamilton sticking around until he is 'beaten' into retirement. Say what you will, but Schumacher's legacy is not the same with that Mercedes addendum attached to it.

If Hamilton has 8 championships by the end of 2021, he'll have an unquestionable record. He'll hold every significant record in the sport. He could retire on top with an unmatched legacy, like Floyd Mayweather.

Couple that with the regulation changes in 2022, the relative uncertainty creeping into the Mercedes team, age (36 in January), increased competitiveness from the rest of the grid, and there are a lot of factors pointing toward 2021 as a natural point of exit, should someone in his position be thinking along those lines.

Either way, its just speculation on my part. Most people in his position, with his earning potential and skills, would persist until they were dragged away from the sport. Lewis is his own man though, so nothing would surprise me.

[gshevlin]

Nobody's seat is safe in the less well-funded teams.
My guess is that both George Russell and Nicholas Latifi will be gone from Williams. I suspect that Russell's salary is being paid by Mercedes, and Williams also gets a small discount on its engine deal. But I doubt that Mercedes is prepared to pony up $10+m in financial benefits to make it financially worthwhile for Williams to keep him. I suspect that Russell will end up back in a reserve driver role with the Mercedes factory team.
Latifi has a similar money challenge, and has not exactly been setting the world alight.
All of the teams have been told to expect a LOT less money from LibertyF1 next year, because of this year's disruption. The less well-funded teams are desperately hunting around for sources of cash. Hence the decision by Haas to dump RoGro and KMag. Both men are being paid, and Haas also needs money.
It is a repeat of the scenario where Timo Glock left Marussia after 2012, because he was being paid, and Marussia needed paying drivers for 2013.

[Big Tea]

I don't think Hamilton will be around in 2023. If he wins this year and next year I think he retires at the end of 2021.

If Hamilton has 8 championships by the end of 2021, he'll have an unquestionable record. He'll hold every significant record in the sport. He could retire on top with an unmatched legacy, like Floyd Mayweather.

If he has 8 titles it is going to be at a minimum 2030 before it is threatened, probably far longer.
If he decides he wants records in another field, he will still be young enough

[PlatinumZealot]

HAM once said that he must keep on winning to put WDCs won out of the reaches of and Max.

He not only has to watch Max's and Charle's chances of domination very closely, but also his own George Russell. Imagine Russell being a strong figure. Lewis must stay back in Merc to make it more challenging for Russell. That is what great athletes do. They keep fighting.

[Schippke]

There were a couple of reports listening to the telecast this weekend that Alfa Romeo will retain their driver line-up for 2021... so that effectively leaves Haas, the questionable Williams contracts, and maybe one of the Alpha Tauri seats left.

In saying that, Christian Horner has mentioned that Red Bull WILL look outside of their Drivers Programme to fill the seat alongside Verstappen should they decide not to retain Albon... so surely that'll play very well into the likes of Perez or Hulkenberg. Still sort of hoping those 2 both end up with Haas as it would be an awesome line-up to push the team forward, but Nico in a Red Bull is far too tempting to witness a potential podium!