Iirc this comes in at a later year?
I am undecided about this I obviously would like to see him cement his place in history, but also, we so often hear its all about the car etc, it would be so interesting to see a swap around.aMessageToCharlie wrote: ↑05 Jan 2021, 17:54Hope Hamilton doesnt overdo it in this contract negotiation as it would be a shame losing him. It's understandable that he wants to get the best out of it and he might be one of the best drivers ever, but this is a buyers market.
The Mercedes team is operating at a never seen before level of dominance and I see no indication that this will suddenly change, even with the budget cap coming. Russell proved that they can easily get the job done for a fraction of the costs at the moment and I bet that there's an abundance of skilled drivers at hand to do it for "free". This is not the time to get greedy in whatever way (if the whole story is even true).
Ola Källenius doesnt strike me as a "soft" negotiator as well from what I read about him, so I dont think it would be completely impossible that they let Lewis go, but still highly unlikely. I'm sure they'll come to an agreement.
You have to factor in what his marketing value is worth to the team as well though, and all the money him being there can bring in through brands wanting to be associated with him, and therefore the team etc. etc. You won't get that from Russell or anyone else. His campaigning for several causes also paints the team in a very positive light.aMessageToCharlie wrote: ↑05 Jan 2021, 17:54Hope Hamilton doesnt overdo it in this contract negotiation as it would be a shame losing him. It's understandable that he wants to get the best out of it and he might be one of the best drivers ever, but this is a buyers market.
The Mercedes team is operating at a never seen before level of dominance and I see no indication that this will suddenly change, even with the budget cap coming. Russell proved that they can easily get the job done for a fraction of the costs at the moment and I bet that there's an abundance of skilled drivers at hand to do it for "free". This is not the time to get greedy in whatever way (if the whole story is even true).
Ola Källenius doesnt strike me as a "soft" negotiator as well from what I read about him, so I dont think it would be completely impossible that they let Lewis go, but still highly unlikely. I'm sure they'll come to an agreement.
That's true, I hadn't considered his positive value to the sport as a whole, as well as just the Mercedes team individually.
Big difference between almost doing it once and actually doing it for a whole season with barely a mistake along the way. Even Bottas - who some here think is the worst driver in history - gets it right now and then. Doesn't win many titles though...aMessageToCharlie wrote: ↑05 Jan 2021, 17:54Russell proved that they can easily get the job done for a fraction of the costs at the moment
I agree with you that Hamilton is probably the most marketable driver right now, but with a salery of $44-50 million USD there's gotta be a break even point somewhere.El Scorchio wrote: ↑05 Jan 2021, 18:08You have to factor in what his marketing value is worth to the team as well though, and all the money him being there can bring in through brands wanting to be associated with him, and therefore the team etc. etc. You won't get that from Russell or anyone else. His campaigning for several causes also paints the team in a very positive light.aMessageToCharlie wrote: ↑05 Jan 2021, 17:54Hope Hamilton doesnt overdo it in this contract negotiation as it would be a shame losing him. It's understandable that he wants to get the best out of it and he might be one of the best drivers ever, but this is a buyers market.
The Mercedes team is operating at a never seen before level of dominance and I see no indication that this will suddenly change, even with the budget cap coming. Russell proved that they can easily get the job done for a fraction of the costs at the moment and I bet that there's an abundance of skilled drivers at hand to do it for "free". This is not the time to get greedy in whatever way (if the whole story is even true).
Ola Källenius doesnt strike me as a "soft" negotiator as well from what I read about him, so I dont think it would be completely impossible that they let Lewis go, but still highly unlikely. I'm sure they'll come to an agreement.
He is on another planet in terms of global fame and public recognition to even the second most well known driver, who I am going to presume was Vettel until Alonso's return. They pay a premium for that on top of his outstanding ability behind the wheel.
This is a bit one sided. Philip Morris pays more then 200 million euro's to Ferrari, they (PMI) sell the space on the side of the car, run the whole marketing operation and have the rights (and income) from every Ferrari F1 shirt, image, toy, etc what you buy. This company (PMI) is one of the best in marketing and have no problem to hire (which they do instead of Ferrari directly) drivers that are almost as or even more expensive then Hamilton for Daimler (Senna, Schumacher, Alonso, Raikkonen and Vettel).aMessageToCharlie wrote: ↑05 Jan 2021, 22:51I agree with you that Hamilton is probably the most marketable driver right now, but with a salery of $44-50 million USD there's gotta be a break even point somewhere.El Scorchio wrote: ↑05 Jan 2021, 18:08You have to factor in what his marketing value is worth to the team as well though, and all the money him being there can bring in through brands wanting to be associated with him, and therefore the team etc. etc. You won't get that from Russell or anyone else. His campaigning for several causes also paints the team in a very positive light.aMessageToCharlie wrote: ↑05 Jan 2021, 17:54Hope Hamilton doesnt overdo it in this contract negotiation as it would be a shame losing him. It's understandable that he wants to get the best out of it and he might be one of the best drivers ever, but this is a buyers market.
The Mercedes team is operating at a never seen before level of dominance and I see no indication that this will suddenly change, even with the budget cap coming. Russell proved that they can easily get the job done for a fraction of the costs at the moment and I bet that there's an abundance of skilled drivers at hand to do it for "free". This is not the time to get greedy in whatever way (if the whole story is even true).
Ola Källenius doesnt strike me as a "soft" negotiator as well from what I read about him, so I dont think it would be completely impossible that they let Lewis go, but still highly unlikely. I'm sure they'll come to an agreement.
He is on another planet in terms of global fame and public recognition to even the second most well known driver, who I am going to presume was Vettel until Alonso's return. They pay a premium for that on top of his outstanding ability behind the wheel.
From this forbes article:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/csylt/2019 ... f1c3f82416
"the average price of a team sponsorship deal came to an eye-watering $3.3 million last year." (2018)
"That title went to Ferrari as its total sponsorship budget is calculated at $176.6 million with its biggest sponsor being tobacco manufacturer Philip Morris International which pays an estimated $50 million annually."
I find it hard to believe that Lewis' marketing value alone would come anywhere close to Ferrari's Philip Morris sponsorship.
What the value of his political activism or campaigning is to Merc, I dont know but I'd think that they are first and foremost looking to hire a driver, not an activist or potential future team manager/advisor.
Arguably it might be even better marketing for the team to prove that it's their superior machinery and technical dominance that's won them all these championships, rather than a driver they hired. They're in it to sell their cars after all.
An excellent plan. Unless it turns out that the driver is actually making the difference between a winning car and a championship winning car. Then they'd look a bit silly.aMessageToCharlie wrote: ↑05 Jan 2021, 22:51
Arguably it might be even better marketing for the team to prove that it's their superior machinery and technical dominance that's won them all these championships, rather than a driver they hired. They're in it to sell their cars after all.