Silly season 2016

[FW17]

Personally I don't believe it but this year could be just a bit higher as there is a new building being housing something secretive coming up at RBR MK HQ.

[Nathanael F1]

I've too been thinking about an escape clause in Alonso's contract, but more so if Vettel clinches 2nd in the WDC this season over Rosberg and Rosberg is getting beaten again next season could we see Merc drop Rosberg if Alonso is about to break out of his contract? I guess that's for Silly Season 2017 though.

From my point of view, F1 could very well do with an ALO vs HAM at Mercedes-Benz and a VET vs RIC at Ferrari. If those two cars are equally matched, I think I would basically spend all my time after qualifying on Saturday in deep thoughts till the lights went out on Sunday. Well, one can dream.

I doubt Merc would want to risk another 2007 teammate drama. Hamilton and Rosberg don't seem to get along that great, but it's nothing compared to Alonso-Hamilton.

[KeiKo403]

I honestly think alot of team on that grid would give their right arm to have those 2 in the same team. No number 1 status and let them race....as per Merc philosophy.

The problem at Mclaren in 07 was Alonso was clearly getting number 1 status (Ham being asked to let Alonso win in Monaco was it?)
I honestly think that those 2, although not friends, have the most mutual respect for each other out of any other 2 drivers on the grid. (Apart from maybe Button & Alonso this season as it's so tough)

[WaikeCU]

I've too been thinking about an escape clause in Alonso's contract, but more so if Vettel clinches 2nd in the WDC this season over Rosberg and Rosberg is getting beaten again next season could we see Merc drop Rosberg if Alonso is about to break out of his contract? I guess that's for Silly Season 2017 though.

From my point of view, F1 could very well do with an ALO vs HAM at Mercedes-Benz and a VET vs RIC at Ferrari. If those two cars are equally matched, I think I would basically spend all my time after qualifying on Saturday in deep thoughts till the lights went out on Sunday. Well, one can dream.

I doubt Merc would want to risk another 2007 teammate drama. Hamilton and Rosberg don't seem to get along that great, but it's nothing compared to Alonso-Hamilton.

Both were young back in the days. Both have experienced in losing a championship right at the end. Both have experienced a teammate that won't yield for an inch. Both have matured as well. Well, at least one has! I don't think it's the same like back in 2007.

[iotar__]

I honestly think alot of team on that grid would give their right arm to have those 2 in the same team. No number 1 status and let them race....as per Merc philosophy.

The problem at Mclaren in 07 was Alonso was clearly getting number 1 status (Ham being asked to let Alonso win in Monaco was it?)

No, it was not and you should start with Hungary if you want to discuss McLaren's driver status situation which led to losing championship and the best driver in F1 to a direct competitor as the consequences.
It was a non story race made into the biggest storm in a tea cup by fanatical to Hamilton journalists (infamous Hughes article). From memory and wiki: It was based on different fuel in Q which is perfectly normal and fuel corrected results (which is dishonest and irrelevant) then even bigger BS, supposed pace advantage, McLaren knowing it was BS and telling Hamilton to forget about it which was turned into made up protecting nr 1 and small team orders controversy (against team's interest but in his own). Reference point: 1: No team orders stopped Hamilton from overtaking Vettel in '15, it's Monaco. 2: Similar approach in '14, asking for a pitstop before Rosberg, trying to suggest it was team's bad decision that disadvantaged him (with some journalists dissecting it as if it was) when in fact it was asking for preferential treatment and disadvantaging leading driver situation.

Anyway I can see people are bored because Alonso to Merc is very, very silly season. I think coming back to Ferrari (won't happen) would at least have some logic and both sides would benefit from it.

Arrivabene said it's Ferrari's philosophy to allow competition, funny in itself but even funnier when followed by all B or 2015 spec engines talk. Autosport wrote that since it's forbidden they are working on some loopholes which would include Merc B team aka Marussia. That does not look good for McL juniors so my suggestion: get rid of Button and toss a coin to find his replacement in a live event, it would make as much sense as any other McL decision but at least would be entertaining.

[f1universe]

(Ham being asked to let Alonso win in Monaco was it?)

Alonso won fair and square.

[Jolle]

I honestly think alot of team on that grid would give their right arm to have those 2 in the same team. No number 1 status and let them race....as per Merc philosophy.

The problem at Mclaren in 07 was Alonso was clearly getting number 1 status (Ham being asked to let Alonso win in Monaco was it?)

No, it was not and you should start with Hungary if you want to discuss McLaren's driver status situation which led to losing championship and the best driver in F1 to a direct competitor as the consequences.
It was a non story race made into the biggest storm in a tea cup by fanatical to Hamilton journalists (infamous Hughes article). From memory and wiki: It was based on different fuel in Q which is perfectly normal and fuel corrected results (which is dishonest and irrelevant) then even bigger BS, supposed pace advantage, McLaren knowing it was BS and telling Hamilton to forget about it which was turned into made up protecting nr 1 and small team orders controversy (against team's interest but in his own). Reference point: 1: No team orders stopped Hamilton from overtaking Vettel in '15, it's Monaco. 2: Similar approach in '14, asking for a pitstop before Rosberg, trying to suggest it was team's bad decision that disadvantaged him (with some journalists dissecting it as if it was) when in fact it was asking for preferential treatment and disadvantaging leading driver situation.

Anyway I can see people are bored because Alonso to Merc is very, very silly season. I think coming back to Ferrari (won't happen) would at least have some logic and both sides would benefit from it.

Arrivabene said it's Ferrari's philosophy to allow competition, funny in itself but even funnier when followed by all B or 2015 spec engines talk. Autosport wrote that since it's forbidden they are working on some loopholes which would include Merc B team aka Marussia. That does not look good for McL juniors so my suggestion: get rid of Button and toss a coin to find his replacement in a live event, it would make as much sense as any other McL decision but at least would be entertaining.

Alonso to Mercedes won't happen. Dennis wanted to have the Senna/Prost magic back in 2007 and he got the bad side of it. Lauda and Wolff are smart people, they wil recognize that Hamilton (their 100mln investment) performs best with a good but not too good teammate (like Heiki was, and Nico this season).

Hamilton's contract runs '16, '17 and 18, Rosberg's still 16 and 17. I expect that in 2018 they are (already) looking for their next superstar to pair up one season with Hamilton before he retires/jump ship to Ferrari/McLaren/who knows. For silly season 2018: Ricardo or Verstappen to Mercedes?

For Alonso, if McLaren cant get it working, Renault might be his only option....

[ChrisF1]

I still think Ferrari are offering engines as a way of getting at Verstappen...

[KeiKo403]

I still think Ferrari are offering engines as a way of getting at Verstappen...

Never thought about the deal like that. Makes sense I guess.

Didn't Ferrari want Ric too though but the RBR contract was "watertight". I can't imagine Ferrari wanting to field Vergne & Vestappen in Haas and Vettel & Ric in Ferrari all coming from Red Bulls junior program.

[Schuttelberg]

(Ham being asked to let Alonso win in Monaco was it?)

Alonso won fair and square.

I don't mean to stir the pot and I don't think Hamilton was beating Alonso that day, but it was at Monaco that the storm started brewing. Lewis' comment 'I have the number 2 on my car' were the first signs that it wasn't going to end well.

[Schuttelberg]

I've too been thinking about an escape clause in Alonso's contract, but more so if Vettel clinches 2nd in the WDC this season over Rosberg and Rosberg is getting beaten again next season could we see Merc drop Rosberg if Alonso is about to break out of his contract? I guess that's for Silly Season 2017 though.

From my point of view, F1 could very well do with an ALO vs HAM at Mercedes-Benz and a VET vs RIC at Ferrari. If those two cars are equally matched, I think I would basically spend all my time after qualifying on Saturday in deep thoughts till the lights went out on Sunday. Well, one can dream.

I doubt Merc would want to risk another 2007 teammate drama. Hamilton and Rosberg don't seem to get along that great, but it's nothing compared to Alonso-Hamilton.

That's why I said I can dream. I wouldn't mind a Hulkenberg/Vettel line up @ Ferrari, but I've given up on the dream of seeing the Hulk in a red car.

[Schuttelberg]

Alonso to Mercedes won't happen. Dennis wanted to have the Senna/Prost magic back in 2007 and he got the bad side of it. Lauda and Wolff are smart people, they wil recognize that Hamilton (their 100mln investment) performs best with a good but not too good teammate (like Heiki was, and Nico this season).

Hamilton's contract runs '16, '17 and 18, Rosberg's still 16 and 17. I expect that in 2018 they are (already) looking for their next superstar to pair up one season with Hamilton before he retires/jump ship to Ferrari/McLaren/who knows. For silly season 2018: Ricardo or Verstappen to Mercedes?

For Alonso, if McLaren cant get it working, Renault might be his only option....

I don't think anyone in the world could have imagined that Hamilton would take the fight to Alonso in the manner he did, not even Ron Dennis (not in his debut year at least). There were tell tell signs that Hamilton wasn't going to be a flash in the pan in Formula 1 , but to predict that he would have conquered the reigning king of Formula 1 in his debut year would have been blind gambling.

Secondly, it's very easy to shower praise on the likes of Toto Wolff, Niki Lauda and Paddy Lowe, but the reality is that, that Mercedes is the brain child of Ross Brawn and his team. I don't doubt that Wolff is doing a fair job, as is Lowe but it's one thing to take over a skyscraper and manage it, quite another to build it from dust. Niki Lauda lured Hamilton to Mercedes and that was a hell of a strike. However, I fail to understand his role now other than 'talking.' I might be naive about that.

Third, I don't know what your point is when you say that Hamilton can't stand up to a fast team mate. He is currently one of the best drivers in Formula 1 and I think it's ridiculous to say that he can't beat x,y,z in the same car. I think he can beat just about anyone. Rosberg isn't a bad driver, he's just being made to look ordinary. That's what great drivers do. It's what Alonso did to Massa and Raikkonen. It's what Vettel did to Webber and now Raikkonen. It's what Hamilton is doing. It's what Schumacher, Senna, Prost etc etc did for all these years.

Lastly, I'm not going to speculate beyond 2017. I tried that once with a chap called Robert Kubica and it didn't turn out like I had fathomed. Same with Jules Bianchi. I also don't agree with you on Hamilton's retirement plan. I think he's not going anywhere for a while. Also, at the present moment Merc's eyes are on Bottas and Wehrlein for the future, not Ricciardo. They tried hiring Max, but failed but I get your point.

[Jolle]

Alonso to Mercedes won't happen. Dennis wanted to have the Senna/Prost magic back in 2007 and he got the bad side of it. Lauda and Wolff are smart people, they wil recognize that Hamilton (their 100mln investment) performs best with a good but not too good teammate (like Heiki was, and Nico this season).

Hamilton's contract runs '16, '17 and 18, Rosberg's still 16 and 17. I expect that in 2018 they are (already) looking for their next superstar to pair up one season with Hamilton before he retires/jump ship to Ferrari/McLaren/who knows. For silly season 2018: Ricardo or Verstappen to Mercedes?

For Alonso, if McLaren cant get it working, Renault might be his only option....

I don't think anyone in the world could have imagined that Hamilton would take the fight to Alonso in the manner he did, not even Ron Dennis (not in his debut year at least). There were tell tell signs that Hamilton wasn't going to be a flash in the pan in Formula 1 , but to predict that he would have conquered the reigning king of Formula 1 in his debut year would have been blind gambling.

Secondly, it's very easy to shower praise on the likes of Toto Wolff, Niki Lauda and Paddy Lowe, but the reality is that, that Mercedes is the brain child of Ross Brawn and his team. I don't doubt that Wolff is doing a fair job, as is Lowe but it's one thing to take over a skyscraper and manage it, quite another to build it from dust. Niki Lauda lured Hamilton to Mercedes and that was a hell of a strike. However, I fail to understand his role now other than 'talking.' I might be naive about that.

Third, I don't know what your point is when you say that Hamilton can't stand up to a fast team mate. He is currently one of the best drivers in Formula 1 and I think it's ridiculous to say that he can't beat x,y,z in the same car. I think he can beat just about anyone. Rosberg isn't a bad driver, he's just being made to look ordinary. That's what great drivers do. It's what Alonso did to Massa and Raikkonen. It's what Vettel did to Webber and now Raikkonen. It's what Hamilton is doing. It's what Schumacher, Senna, Prost etc etc did for all these years.

Lastly, I'm not going to speculate beyond 2017. I tried that once with a chap called Robert Kubica and it didn't turn out like I had fathomed. Same with Jules Bianchi. I also don't agree with you on Hamilton's retirement plan. I think he's not going anywhere for a while. Also, at the present moment Merc's eyes are on Bottas and Wehrlein for the future, not Ricciardo. They tried hiring Max, but failed but I get your point.

I totally agree with you that the Mercedes team was build by brawn and the Wolff/Lauda had little part in that, but this is about now and now Wolff and Lauda are in charge.
About 2007, I agree with you as well, Hamilton was a quicker lerner then Dennis and Alono thought, the same thing happened in 1988 with Dennis and Prost.
And for your point that Hamilton can take any teammate, I didn't say he couldn't... He just is better focused on his driving when he's the clear faster driver of the two. He can take the competition, but he performes better without (this goes far all drivers I think, that's why Shumacher liked Massa etc etc). Internal pressure isn't smart.

[Schuttelberg]

And for your point that Hamilton can take any teammate, I didn't say he couldn't... He just is better focused on his driving when he's the clear faster driver of the two. He can take the competition, but he performes better without (this goes far all drivers I think, that's why Shumacher liked Massa etc etc). Internal pressure isn't smart.

Well, I personally think Rosberg is above average and below very good. I think he's a good driver. Hamilton has done well against a very good driver (JB 2010-12) in my opinion and done well against an excellent driver (FA 2007). So, it's hard to agree. But I do agree with you that Wolff and Lauda won't hire Alonso. May be Alonso wouldn't want to move either. May be he really is immersed in the McLaren project.

I just think the sport would benefit a lot if Mercedes put a very good driver (Button/Ricciardo) or an excellent one (Alonso/Vettel) in the second Mercedes. Obviously, I'm saying that assuming that the Mercedes will retain it's dominance. It's my personal opinion that after two years of being beaten, Rosberg will be mentally shot. Perhaps, it won't be such a bad thing for him to try and negotiate a Ferrari deal for 2017, just to change things for him. Having said that, it would be depressing for me to see him in that seat.

[PlatinumZealot]

The HAM fans are thirsting for Vettel in the other car. They think Riccardo is better prize but at the moment Vettel is in his prime so best to get him before he gets worse.