2019 Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team

[Pyrone89]

Great race, great strategy, wonderful 70 laps of qualification runs by Lewis.
Just another thrilling race. Great to see 'old' Lewis back. When the going gets tough, Lewis is at his best.
Thes were some great F1 races.....and in this form Lewis will be WDC hands down.

Bad luck for Bottas, getting his car cut by LeClerc. That destroyed his race.
Sadly that's show LeClerc's character...(and ...'fear' Ocon has also a bit of that dark side)

(...well either it was a mistake or it was on purpose....I tend to think the latter)

Ocon has already shown his dark side in Spa, Baku and especially Brazil (I still think that was on purpose due to the history between VER and OCO)

[Pyrone89]

When will Hamilton get worse performance wise, I wonder? He shows more speed with increasing age. His skills which have been exceptional ever since, more and more experience, mature/relaxed driving - all these points seem to be getting better.
A bit frightening.

What you are seeing is a driver who is actually performing a bit under his 2018 level, but in an extremely dominant car making it appear he is still the nr.1 of the world. And before anyone slacks me: HAM himself said this isnt his best season AND yesterday in the press conference gave himself a high 8 for the season so far and he gave Max a 9 / high 9.

[siskue2005]

When will Hamilton get worse performance wise, I wonder? He shows more speed with increasing age. His skills which have been exceptional ever since, more and more experience, mature/relaxed driving - all these points seem to be getting better.
A bit frightening.

What you are seeing is a driver who is actually performing a bit under his 2018 level, but in an extremely dominant car making it appear he is still the nr.1 of the world.

You sound very desperate mate

And before anyone slacks me: HAM himself said this isnt his best season AND yesterday in the press conference gave himself a high 8 for the season so far and he gave Max a 9 / high 9.

please read the full quote mate!

Q: (Dániel Májer – GP Hirek.hu) Now the summer break has started, the first part of the season is over so could you please rate your own performance from one to ten, one is the worst, ten is the best and explain briefly why you give yourself that mark?
SV: Five, not happy with the first half. I think I struggled here and there to really get on top of the car. I think we’ve been trying a lot of things so fair enough. Obviously we wanted to squeeze out more so you’re always looking for more but I feel I can do a better job in the second half. And five is my number, so take five.

LH: So that’s the first half of the season, yeah? I’d say like 8.9, 8.8.

SV: Go ten, man. Go for it, who cares?

LH: If it wasn’t for the last one, the last race, it would be a little bit higher. I think the good thing is always to score yourself a little bit lower so you’ve more to work on. For sure, it’s been the best start of the season that I think we’ve ever had as a team and I think it’s one of the best seasons that I’ve had personally to start off, but there are areas that we can continue to work on. That’s the great thing about this sport, you know, no matter how many years and days you race there are always areas you can improve on. So let’s see if we can try and up that into the nines or try to get to the tens in the second half of the season.
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/arti ... hSHFx.html

that is what he said, if it was not for his last race where he made a mistake he would have scored higher! he has the best start to his career ever! 8 wins of 12 races.... and also it is called being humble! no humble person will rate themselves 10/10 and his competitors below that.

[Pyrone89]

When will Hamilton get worse performance wise, I wonder? He shows more speed with increasing age. His skills which have been exceptional ever since, more and more experience, mature/relaxed driving - all these points seem to be getting better.
A bit frightening.

What you are seeing is a driver who is actually performing a bit under his 2018 level, but in an extremely dominant car making it appear he is still the nr.1 of the world.

You sound very desperate mate

And before anyone slacks me: HAM himself said this isnt his best season AND yesterday in the press conference gave himself a high 8 for the season so far and he gave Max a 9 / high 9.

please read the full quote mate!

Q: (Dániel Májer – GP Hirek.hu) Now the summer break has started, the first part of the season is over so could you please rate your own performance from one to ten, one is the worst, ten is the best and explain briefly why you give yourself that mark?
SV: Five, not happy with the first half. I think I struggled here and there to really get on top of the car. I think we’ve been trying a lot of things so fair enough. Obviously we wanted to squeeze out more so you’re always looking for more but I feel I can do a better job in the second half. And five is my number, so take five.

LH: So that’s the first half of the season, yeah? I’d say like 8.9, 8.8.

SV: Go ten, man. Go for it, who cares?

LH: If it wasn’t for the last one, the last race, it would be a little bit higher. I think the good thing is always to score yourself a little bit lower so you’ve more to work on. For sure, it’s been the best start of the season that I think we’ve ever had as a team and I think it’s one of the best seasons that I’ve had personally to start off, but there are areas that we can continue to work on. That’s the great thing about this sport, you know, no matter how many years and days you race there are always areas you can improve on. So let’s see if we can try and up that into the nines or try to get to the tens in the second half of the season.
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/arti ... hSHFx.html

that is what he said, if it was not for his last race where he made a mistake he would have scored higher! he has the best start to his career ever! 8 wins of 12 races.... and also it is called being humble! no humble person will rate themselves 10/10 and his competitors below that.

So Germany GP doesnt count but others do?

Talk about desperate

[siskue2005]

What you are seeing is a driver who is actually performing a bit under his 2018 level, but in an extremely dominant car making it appear he is still the nr.1 of the world.

You sound very desperate mate

And before anyone slacks me: HAM himself said this isnt his best season AND yesterday in the press conference gave himself a high 8 for the season so far and he gave Max a 9 / high 9.

please read the full quote mate!

Q: (Dániel Májer – GP Hirek.hu) Now the summer break has started, the first part of the season is over so could you please rate your own performance from one to ten, one is the worst, ten is the best and explain briefly why you give yourself that mark?
SV: Five, not happy with the first half. I think I struggled here and there to really get on top of the car. I think we’ve been trying a lot of things so fair enough. Obviously we wanted to squeeze out more so you’re always looking for more but I feel I can do a better job in the second half. And five is my number, so take five.

LH: So that’s the first half of the season, yeah? I’d say like 8.9, 8.8.

SV: Go ten, man. Go for it, who cares?

LH: If it wasn’t for the last one, the last race, it would be a little bit higher. I think the good thing is always to score yourself a little bit lower so you’ve more to work on. For sure, it’s been the best start of the season that I think we’ve ever had as a team and I think it’s one of the best seasons that I’ve had personally to start off, but there are areas that we can continue to work on. That’s the great thing about this sport, you know, no matter how many years and days you race there are always areas you can improve on. So let’s see if we can try and up that into the nines or try to get to the tens in the second half of the season.
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/arti ... hSHFx.html

that is what he said, if it was not for his last race where he made a mistake he would have scored higher! he has the best start to his career ever! 8 wins of 12 races.... and also it is called being humble! no humble person will rate themselves 10/10 and his competitors below that.

So Germany GP doesnt count but others do?

Talk about desperate

Yes coz 8 wins against 2 wins of Max will always get more points, sure sure

it is called being humble, coz he knows the haters are ready to jump on whatever comments he makes, better to downplay it than look like an arrogant person!

[Pyrone89]

Better just not to reply to this nonesense anymore. Even the guy you are worshipping and trying to cover from anything but praise thinks you are wrong.

[shamyakovic]

You sound very desperate mate

please read the full quote mate!

Q: (Dániel Májer – GP Hirek.hu) Now the summer break has started, the first part of the season is over so could you please rate your own performance from one to ten, one is the worst, ten is the best and explain briefly why you give yourself that mark?
SV: Five, not happy with the first half. I think I struggled here and there to really get on top of the car. I think we’ve been trying a lot of things so fair enough. Obviously we wanted to squeeze out more so you’re always looking for more but I feel I can do a better job in the second half. And five is my number, so take five.

LH: So that’s the first half of the season, yeah? I’d say like 8.9, 8.8.

SV: Go ten, man. Go for it, who cares?

LH: If it wasn’t for the last one, the last race, it would be a little bit higher. I think the good thing is always to score yourself a little bit lower so you’ve more to work on. For sure, it’s been the best start of the season that I think we’ve ever had as a team and I think it’s one of the best seasons that I’ve had personally to start off, but there are areas that we can continue to work on. That’s the great thing about this sport, you know, no matter how many years and days you race there are always areas you can improve on. So let’s see if we can try and up that into the nines or try to get to the tens in the second half of the season.
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/arti ... hSHFx.html

that is what he said, if it was not for his last race where he made a mistake he would have scored higher! he has the best start to his career ever! 8 wins of 12 races.... and also it is called being humble! no humble person will rate themselves 10/10 and his competitors below that.

So Germany GP doesnt count but others do?

Talk about desperate

Yes coz 8 wins against 2 wins of Max will always get more points, sure sure

it is called being humble, coz he knows the haters are ready to jump on whatever comments he makes, better to downplay it than look like an arrogant person!

agree

[Pyrone89]

I think he's betting on 21' rule change where they expect Newey's genius to show up with the re-introduction of ground effect aero.

the last few years Newey hasn't showed his genius mind at the start of a new season.... always playing catching up

agree

[Pyrone89]

Some utter nonesense

Yes, how do I dare to have a different opinion AND use logic or even stats to back it up. Lets burn that man! What I notice is a society were people get ‘triggered’ when faced with facts that do not suit their narrative, which is very disturbing. Not so much when it is just an F1 forum but it is when discussing politics, enter the political mess of the last decades.

For your info, the types of posts you are making are not allowed as it only leads to personal insults back and forth. And secondly, if you look at the title of the thread you might notice it is not called the Mercedes team fan thread. If you want that a Merc fan site might be better for your needs and a couple of others.

Basically the narrative here is: we are the best but also some sort of underdog and do not come here with your long run times, stint times in the race, team principle’s own words, performance increase calculations or corner comparisons. And yes I do the same for the other top 3 teams although for Ferrari no words actually need to be said.

[Phil]

I personally think Bottas faith is decided and he will leave Mercedes after this season. Just the vibe i got off the post race interview with Toto, all sounding a bit sad.

It’s a tough decision, but i personally think Mercedes is better off giving Ocon a chance instead of losing him to a competitor. If he doesnt perform, there’s still Verstappen on the horizon for the day Hamilton calls it quits. Or Russel. Until then, why not have someone a little stronger alongside Hamilton?

Ps: it seems (according to Hamilton interview hinself), he doesnt mind either way and Toto said Hamilton doesnt really have a say, although he was asked for his opinion/take...

[Jolle]

If they indeed decide to put Ocon in the car for 2020 it would mean Hamilton is really entering the third act of his career. With all the data available to the Mercedes team I won't doubt that Ocon would be a good fit instead of Bottas and would be a shift towards the future that Verstappen and Leclerc set in motion. It would also mean, I presume, if Ocon takes that seat, that talks with Verstappen for 2021 haven't worked out for them (in my opinion Bottas or Hamilton are better teammates for Verstappen then Ocon is)

[Bill_Kar]

If they indeed decide to put Ocon in the car for 2020 it would mean Hamilton is really entering the third act of his career. With all the data available to the Mercedes team I won't doubt that Ocon would be a good fit instead of Bottas and would be a shift towards the future that Verstappen and Leclerc set in motion. It would also mean, I presume, if Ocon takes that seat, that talks with Verstappen for 2021 haven't worked out for them (in my opinion Bottas or Hamilton are better teammates for Verstappen then Ocon is)

Not necessarily though.

If they offer Ocon a one-year contract it's all open. Hamilton renews: They can still get Verstappen. In that case they won't mind losing Ocon, as they will have the two best options possible.

If they offer him a multi-year contract, maybe they will "force" him to leave by placing a clause that's unrealistic.

Maybe I'm talking rubbish here, but I think if Verstappen is up for grabs, there is no way they let him race for another team. They will be working really hard to get him, even if that means they burn bridges with Ocon.

[Jolle]

If they indeed decide to put Ocon in the car for 2020 it would mean Hamilton is really entering the third act of his career. With all the data available to the Mercedes team I won't doubt that Ocon would be a good fit instead of Bottas and would be a shift towards the future that Verstappen and Leclerc set in motion. It would also mean, I presume, if Ocon takes that seat, that talks with Verstappen for 2021 haven't worked out for them (in my opinion Bottas or Hamilton are better teammates for Verstappen then Ocon is)

Not necessarily though.

If they offer Ocon a one-year contract it's all open. Hamilton renews: They can still get Verstappen. In that case they won't mind losing Ocon, as they will have the two best options possible.

If they offer him a multi-year contract, maybe they will "force" him to leave by placing a clause that's unrealistic.

Maybe I'm talking rubbish here, but I think if Verstappen is up for grabs, there is no way they let him race for another team. They will be working really hard to get him, even if that means they burn bridges with Ocon.

Could be, but Toto Wolff doesn't look like someone that waits for 2020 to secure his 2021 lineup. He even stated in multiple interviews they are looking at long term, what translate to me for post-hamilton. This could be 2021 or 2023. For just 2020 Bottas is good enough. He's still second in the WDC and securing the WCC together with Hamilton.

Who knows, maybe they are already busy with Hamilton for an extension of his contract.

[GPR-A]

I think he's betting on 21' rule change where they expect Newey's genius to show up with the re-introduction of ground effect aero.

the last few years Newey hasn't showed his genius mind at the start of a new season.... always playing catching up

agree

An individual can't be eternally talented to conquer all horizons across generations of a sport, especially when technology is evolving at such a fast pace and building new generation race cars is not just about drawing board anymore. Newey is a legend with a glorious past.

[Pyrone89]

the last few years Newey hasn't showed his genius mind at the start of a new season.... always playing catching up

agree

An individual can't be eternally talented to conquer all horizons across generations of a sport, especially when technology is evolving at such a fast pace and building new generation race cars is not just about drawing board anymore.

As far as I know Newey also isnt the one doing the real designing anymore. Just thinking out concepts and being the director. The PHD students probably do the grunt work under supervision of the more senior designers .

Going back ontopic, I think that Merc wants Verstappen to succeed Hamilton and to beat their own record they are now setting themselves with Hamilton. Much like Red Bull wants to beat their oen record of youngest world champion driver.

It all depends on how 2020 goes. If RBHonda manages to beat Mercedes they have to wait (perhaps a long time), if Merc is still dominant I think we will see Verstappen at Mercedes the next year.

It would suprise me if Merc doesnt put Ocon on a 1 year + options for several years on Mercedes side. They have all the leverage, Ocon zero. That way they can get rid of him when they need the seat to open up. But even someone has a contract, it can always be bought of, and seeing that Ocon will make a relatively modest salary buying him of would be pennies for a team like Mercedes.