Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team 2013

[FoxHound]

Let's all just wait and see what Mercedes can deliver.

They have received more stick than any manufacturer I can think of, bar Toyota. Whatever the reasons for their official entry, or the conditions surrounding that, they have stood four square behind Brawn. They missed all targets, and have fallen flat on objectives.
Yet they retain a good following.

And in spite of the failures, we are seeing action. The worst thing as a fan of the team would have been to see no action taken.
It would be an easy option. But F1 is ever changing, and the need for results from Mercedes has cumulated in Mercedes now being a very different outfit from that 3 years ago.
It has been a painful watch at times. Though we are seeing paradigm shifts taking place, I'm not optimisitic for 2013.
We will see them behind the big 3, probably behind an exquisite Lotus outfit too. What I want to see from them is in season progress. No regression. Learning curves will be steep as the car will be nearly all new. This will put added pressure on the technical side to make said progress.

Indeed Hamilton's very presences will add pressure. But he knows what to expect, unlike Schumacher in 2009/10.
The Mercedes PR machine has been quiet, Hamilton looks chilled out, and it all seems very subdued. Almost expectant of a mediocre 2013.
Sure it would be amazing to have a 5th team mixing it this year but for me the indicators suggest Mercedes have an eye on 2014 which will be their biggest chance of success.
It could well be another long season, but if it pays off in 2009 fashion then I'm all for it.

[dren]

Yes, and this team was the best at pitstops just two years ago, they slid this past year.

[ringo]

Alonso was simply talking about ability. He must know what he's talking about. It doesn't matter if we don't like his opinion or not. He's just being honest with himself. He is better than any of us at judging ability.
I don't see how Vettel comes into the equation. As Newey said himself, his perfect driver is a 50kg mass.
Alonso is looking at ability in isolation, he's not talking about team or car or reliability or behavior.

But if he's saying Hamilton will win more than once in 2013, based on reference to 2009, i think this has some truth to it. Which bodes well for Mercedes.
I don't think 2013 will be an embarrassing year for the team. Once we see the effort and respectable fights for podiums and wins, they'll be somewhat vindicated.

[PlatinumZealot]

The good thing about Hamilton driving the car, is that you will know if the car is crap!
It's hard to say with Rosberg and Schumi because one is coming from the midfield and the other just came off a sabatical from an era with a different set of rules. Hamilton will surely know if the car isn't good. And he will notice differences in team operations between Mercedes and Mclaren.

[Paul]

You'd think Haug, for one, knew the differences, not that it mattered much it seems.

[PlatinumZealot]

The thing with Haug, as I was told... he has no engineering or technical background. So that was a major weakness.

[FrukostScones]

The thing with Haug, as I was told... he has no engineering or technical background. So that was a major weakness.

So does Toto Wolff have a technical backround?

[spadeflush]

I think what he means is Hamilton as a driver will "feel" the differences immediately. how much that will translate into improvements is up for speculation

[fenix4life]

Toto Wolff, copropriétaire de l’écurie Williams, est en passe rejoindre Mercedes-Benz où il sera responsable d’une partie des activités sportives du groupe. Un poste précédemment occupé par Norbert Haug, qui a pris sa retraite à la fin de l’année dernière. eurosport.Fr

First surprise of the year

[munudeges]

Now that´s BS.

Never does he "put down" vettel.

Of course he does. He sees Vettel as his main title rival, not Hamilton, so that's why he's saying it. That's how Alonso operates. When Raikkonen was his main title rival in 2005 he was mouthing off there, although Raikkonen was completely the wrong driver to try that on, and two years later he was at it again with Hamilton only this time he was telling everyone how much he thought Raikkonen deserved to win the title.

It is Alonso's modus operandi. What people don't say in Formula 1 generally tells you all you need to know.

[munudeges]

Toto Wolff, copropriétaire de l’écurie Williams, est en passe rejoindre Mercedes-Benz où il sera responsable d’une partie des activités sportives du groupe. Un poste précédemment occupé par Norbert Haug, qui a pris sa retraite à la fin de l’année dernière. eurosport.Fr

First surprise of the year

Williams Mercedes?

[CjC]

That's just what Mercedes need- another manager!......

[Richard]

It is not another manager for MBF1.

Wolff is taking on Haug's role managing the overall MB motorsport company. He was running HWA who run the MB DTM team. So it is natural succession path to promote the deputy. However, there could be a conflict of interest to have the co-owner of one F1 team as the boss of another team's parent.

[Morteza]

It is not another manager for MBF1.

Wolff is taking on Haug's role managing the overall MB motorsport company. He was running HWA who run the MB DTM team. So it is natural succession path to promote the deputy. However, there could be a conflict of interest to have the co-owner of one F1 team as the boss of another team's parent.

That's exactly what makes the probable choice of Wolff sound a little unreasonable to me.

[ringo]

It is not another manager for MBF1.

Wolff is taking on Haug's role managing the overall MB motorsport company. He was running HWA who run the MB DTM team. So it is natural succession path to promote the deputy. However, there could be a conflict of interest to have the co-owner of one F1 team as the boss of another team's parent.

Well the good thing is Williams is not a works team. If i'm using the correct term.
I'm not sure who will benefit more from this move, my guess is Williams.

Well is makes sense to put Wolff in place. It could gel things together. Him being Austrian too does help. I'm not sure what he was doing at williams, but better a younger guy than Haug who is more energetic i suppose.