The 2024 Formula One Season
- Thread starter cutting42
- Start date
clivem2
pfm Member
Another 4 years would be getting to be a stretch. It’s possible but I’m with you…it’s less than a 50% chance.
Yank
Bulbous Also Tapered
His contract is for just two years, isn't it?
SteveS1
I heard that, pardon?
I love a conspiracy but Lewis could obviously see no progress or much chance of it. He and George have been wrestling a dog for three years hardly an impulsive decision. He wants to try and be competitive again so needs a better package. No chance of a seat next to Max at Red Bull which would have been perfect for people who actually wanted to see a contest, so that leaves two or three teams one of which has a glamour, history and mystique. All other things being equal, which would you want to go to?
In this cynical, marketing led world I think Lewis’s loyalty to Mercedes has been sound. I have no doubt if he had seen progress toward parity he would still be there. Can you imagine Max sitting still for more than a season had RB dished him up a dog with no prospect of much improvement anytime soon?
In this cynical, marketing led world I think Lewis’s loyalty to Mercedes has been sound. I have no doubt if he had seen progress toward parity he would still be there. Can you imagine Max sitting still for more than a season had RB dished him up a dog with no prospect of much improvement anytime soon?
Enfield boy
pfm Member
^^^ Agreed, MB have been floundering and appear to have little idea what they are doing wrong, let alone how to correct it. If they stay in the sport it's likely they will get it right again but it's anyone's guess how soon. Lewis has done pretty much everything an F1 driver could wish for. He's still youngish and will, hopefully, live for at least 40 more years. In that position I can imagine the pull of adding your name to the list of Ferrari F1 drivers and being a fêted guest at Maranello for that time. He might get a crack at Le Mans with them too if he wants.
Yank
Bulbous Also Tapered
Salary may have been an attraction as well?
cutting42
Arrived at B4 Hacker Ergo
I doubt it was a serious motivator. He has been very well paid for several years already and whilst there must be an element of negotiating the best salary he can. I can’t imagine it was a primary concern. Far more interesting is a team he believes will allow him to be competitive again.
SteveS1
I heard that, pardon?
No. You may have noticed that none of them are short of a few pennies. I doubt you’d get Max out of that Red Bull to drive the current Mercedes if you doubled his salary.
A management buy out, perhaps? The team renamed to Wolf? A win at the first outing as a new team?
Graham B
pfm Member
Ah, the heady days of Ross Brawn and his £1 coin for Honda.......
Cav
pfm Member
Lewis H has never been keen to pay VAT...
Tumeni Notes
pfm Member
It helps to win in the lower formulae, too; from Wikipedia
"He has driven for Aston Martin since 2021, having previously driven for Williams and Racing Point. He was Italian F4 champion in 2014, Toyota Racing Series champion in 2015, and 2016 FIA European Formula 3 champion. He was part of the Ferrari Driver Academy from 2010 to 2015. He achieved his first podium finish, a 3rd place, at the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, becoming the second-youngest driver to finish an F1 race on the podium and the youngest to do so during his rookie season"
Tony Lockhart
Avoiding Stress, at Every Opportunity
That all sounds very similar to many other careers that seemed to show great promise in the lower formulae, only to fall completely flat on its face after a few races in F1.
He has had his chance, and more. He has no place in F1, and is taking up a valuable seat that another driver could do with.
Tumeni Notes
pfm Member
He's currently 10th in the driver standings out of 21 drivers, though .... in the upper half of the field.
He was placed 10th last year, ahead of the likes of Ricciardo and Bottas.
I doubt very much whether Hamilton or any other wealthy sportsman sits down and imbibes the VAT legislation and then plans a meticulous tax avoidance scheme armed with this knowledge. They pay people to do this for them and in the one case alluded to here I suspect those being paid have been too creative... shall we say. It's not right, it won't be the last time we hear it, but to single out one person when it happens over and over, and when in all likelihood that person has had no direct involvement themselves seems more about prejudice towards that person than a fair and balanced observation. Just saying...
I think Stroll has the makings of a good, if not great, F1 driver. The problem is his attitude seems to be one of ever increasing entitlement and he appears to have little or no desire to learn from anyone else. That is why he is now stalled and probably getting very frustrated that Alonso is handing him his arse on a plate every week whereas what he should be doing is learning from Alonso. Kimi was similar in some respects saying there was little he could learn from Schumacher when Ferrari wanted Schumacher's input in 2007, Kimi's debut season with Ferrari. The difference, of course, is that Kimi had the raw talent to succeed anyway... Stroll does not!