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

[PlatinumZealot]

The best or nothing?

So they will have two empty seats then.

[Manoah2u]

For a long time Mercedes was associated with old lawyers and board members of big companies.

With Hamilton the brand is much more appealing for young hip successfully people. And people of colour.

Hamilton & Formula 1 has been essential in the transition from this:

https://media.autoweek.nl/m/s73ykn0bz71v_800.jpg

To this

https://hothatch.com.au/wp-content/upl ... atic-3.jpg

what a bunch of nonsense

[V12-POWER]

This is exactly it. F1 has moved Mercedes from where they were in 2010 to where they are now. And the success has played a huge part of that, and Lewis has played a huge part to their success.

Who helped Volvo to become more streamlined automaker, from armored boxes on wheels they used to be? What about BMW?, Škoda? Hyundai? Kia? ......... Indeed Lewis is a success story about their F1 programme, but he has nothing to do with the evolution of Mercedes Benz as an automaker... all of the manufacturers moved forward in their design philosophies and those which didnt, crashed and burned (like SAAB, Zastava and half of the british carmakers, etc....)

The average Volvo driver has not changed, the square accountant type.

But decade ago a young manager would not choose a Mercedes as his company vehicle. Afraid his friends would call him a taxidriver or shady trader in used cars. But nowadays people associate Mercedes with succes, professionalism and winners.

nonsense, if anything, Mercedes brand “prestige”/“status”/“value” has dropped considerably

10-12 years ago having a Mercedes or a BMW was much more of a “thing” than it is now, regardless of the model. Nowadays it’s just another car of the bunch (aside from AMG or M versions)

[Fulcrum]

No one is worth 50 million dollars for a F1 team. Any resource's value in the market is driven by it's demand.

Agreed. It's simple economics.

Lewis has nowhere to go.

Agreed. Hamilton has no options. Even if his marketing value holds 200million worth of value for a year's contract -- he just doesn't have a choice if he wants to continue in F1. A picture paints a thousand words, so, behold...

The perfectly inelastic demand, where because supply == 1(Merc being the last F1 team) then the consumer(Hamilton) has to pay whatever price the supplier asks.
https://studyfinance.com/wp-content/upl ... mage-1.png

Mercedes is such a big brand around the globe that it can do without Lewis Hamilton's association

Agree. People are not going to make the expenditure of buying a new car based on who their favorite driver drives for. Some with lots of disposable income might. But they probably already own 2-3 Mercedes in the garage.

if I were Ola, i would ask Hamilton how much would he pay to drive the W12.

That is a very interesting scenario. Open up the seat for auction already!! Lol

PMI desperately needs a star to lure in more sponsors and they are known to pay even more then 50 mln a year. If for some reason Hamilton becomes available, they will make him a big offer. If Hamilton wants to drive for PMI is a whole other question.

If Hamilton takes that deal he would be labelled by many as a hypocrite. And if image rights are the sticking point, why on earth would you go to Ferrari? I can't imagine a team with more of a straight-jacket mentality with respect to being "on brand".

[Fulcrum]

The best or nothing?

So they will have two empty seats then.

No, they'll just sell the team the minute they don't have a dominant car. Maximum return on equity.

[raymondu999]

https://www.racefans.net/2021/01/18/why ... n-reasons/

An interesting read

[aral]

It would be nice if the thread returned into a "fake news" type of thread, dealing with silly rumours etc, rather than become another Hamilton thread. If you want to discuss Hamiltons contract and his place in the Mercedes team, could you please do so in the team thread? Thanks

[JordanMugen]

For a long time Mercedes was associated with old lawyers and board members of big companies

(and Grandpas.)

what a bunch of nonsense

It's true though. In the 1980's the typical Mercedes was something like this:




Here in Australia, W123s were always beige, and they always had wool seat covers!

Despite Mercedes' Formula One heritage and classic gull-wing, those were mere memories and the 190E Cosworth must have arrived as a breath of youthful air in the late 80's! [Jaguar went the same way after they dropped the E-Type sportscar, for the more mature SL500-like XJS grand tourer after all.]


Surely this was part of a concerted image push?

[Big Tea]

For a long time Mercedes was associated with old lawyers and board members of big companies

(and Grandpas.)

what a bunch of nonsense

It's true though. In the 1980's the typical Mercedes was something like this:

https://a.d-cd.net/6b9ab11s-960.jpg
https://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/at ... g_1258.jpg

Here in Australia, W123s were always beige, and they always had wool seat covers!

Despite Mercedes' Formula One heritage and classic gull-wing, those were mere memories and the 190E Cosworth must have arrived as a breath of youthful air in the late 80's! [Jaguar went the same way after they dropped the E-Type sportscar, for the more mature SL500-like XJS grand tourer after all.]

https://i.redd.it/1coklajjofxz.jpg
Surely this was part of a concerted image push?

Apparently you had to change the timing chain every 200,000 mile or they rattled. Don't know why people did not complain.

[Jolle]

For a long time Mercedes was associated with old lawyers and board members of big companies

(and Grandpas.)

what a bunch of nonsense

It's true though. In the 1980's the typical Mercedes was something like this:

https://a.d-cd.net/6b9ab11s-960.jpg
https://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/at ... g_1258.jpg

Here in Australia, W123s were always beige, and they always had wool seat covers!

Despite Mercedes' Formula One heritage and classic gull-wing, those were mere memories and the 190E Cosworth must have arrived as a breath of youthful air in the late 80's! [Jaguar went the same way after they dropped the E-Type sportscar, for the more mature SL500-like XJS grand tourer after all.]

https://i.redd.it/1coklajjofxz.jpg
Surely this was part of a concerted image push?

Apparently you had to change the timing chain every 200,000 mile or they rattled. Don't know why people did not complain.

I drove it’s less expensive predecessor a couple of years a daily driver a few years back, the 200D W115. Damn what was a good ride! Slow.. but spacious and with grace. Had a wonderful family holiday trough Great Britain with it.

[PlatinumZealot]

For a long time Mercedes was associated with old lawyers and board members of big companies

(and Grandpas.)

what a bunch of nonsense

It's true though. In the 1980's the typical Mercedes was something like this:

https://a.d-cd.net/6b9ab11s-960.jpg
https://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/at ... g_1258.jpg

Here in Australia, W123s were always beige, and they always had wool seat covers!

Despite Mercedes' Formula One heritage and classic gull-wing, those were mere memories and the 190E Cosworth must have arrived as a breath of youthful air in the late 80's! [Jaguar went the same way after they dropped the E-Type sportscar, for the more mature SL500-like XJS grand tourer after all.]

https://i.redd.it/1coklajjofxz.jpg
Surely this was part of a concerted image push?

Yup. Even when they had sports cars they were still seen as an old man's car.
I would say the Mercedes SLS was when the shift began and the GT sort of re-affirms their new image. Also when you had the new A series and the the little cross-over hatchback looking GLA that they make these days to draw a younger growd. Still an older market versus BMW but they have come a long way.

I dont think Mercedes has fully capitalized on Lewis yet. Nico was used more often than not to market the sedans and lewis was used to market the GT. They should have him marketing those SUVs and Hatch backs. I notice he does not do this much if ever on his isntagram page.

[adrianjordan]

For a long time Mercedes was associated with old lawyers and board members of big companies

(and Grandpas.)

what a bunch of nonsense

It's true though. In the 1980's the typical Mercedes was something like this:

https://a.d-cd.net/6b9ab11s-960.jpg
https://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/at ... g_1258.jpg

Here in Australia, W123s were always beige, and they always had wool seat covers!

Despite Mercedes' Formula One heritage and classic gull-wing, those were mere memories and the 190E Cosworth must have arrived as a breath of youthful air in the late 80's! [Jaguar went the same way after they dropped the E-Type sportscar, for the more mature SL500-like XJS grand tourer after all.]

https://i.redd.it/1coklajjofxz.jpg
Surely this was part of a concerted image push?

Yup. Even when they had sports cars they were still seen as an old man's car.
I would say the Mercedes SLS was when the shift began and the GT sort of re-affirms their new image. Also when you had the new A series and the the little cross-over hatchback looking GLA that they make these days to draw a younger growd. Still an older market versus BMW but they have come a long way.

I dont think Mercedes has fully capitalized on Lewis yet. Nico was used more often than not to market the sedans and lewis was used to market the GT. They should have him marketing those SUVs and Hatch backs. I notice he does not do this much if ever on his isntagram page.

I think he's probably got an agreement only to market the EQ models as I have definitely seen him make Instagram posts relating to both the EQC (stuck in my mind as that was one of the EV's I was considering) and the upcoming EQS which he has made several posts about.

[PlatinumZealot]

Ok.

Lewis was photographed in 2019 checking out a clay model of what willbe the new AMG GT.
He also is in the advertisment for the new AMR one.

He is too integral not to be there I would say. I see him continuing and demanding more and more and Mercdes will gladly give him. There has been some whispers that he wants a stake, but who will sell? Wolf, Ineos or Mercedes? It is late in the game to be buying now, but more prifitability is expected with the new cost cap.