I think they understand how the car behaves, but not how to consistently extract performance. The rules are stable for next year so IF, and that's a big if, they have some grasp on how the upgrades affect the car, then next year shouldn't be half a year of hope followed by half a year of enduring. Whether or not they listen to Lewis or die behind the hubris of the engineers is another story. I've lost faith that they'll bring anything outside of really minor stuff - wings, small bodywork changes, brake ducts - because they likely have to make big chassis changes to facilitate a new floor, suspension, etc. Any change like that before the end of the season would probably be a waste.
naijaboi
All Star
Merc still don't understand the car regardless of what bs comes out of Toto's mouth.
I've said this before. He needs to leave. At the beginning of his career he chose to leave McLaren for Mercedes and people thought he was nuts. I think he needs to do the same thing. Those engineers clearly believe they're the reason he won those championships at Mercedes and there's no point in him staying if with all of his experience he's feeling like a broken record.
It's pretty clear that Merc's car was the best because any problem could be fixed by just throwing money at it. We're seeing how good they actually are without being able to build with unlimited resources and it seems like engineering wise they might be 3rd best behind RBR and McLaren. Engine wise they might be 3rd best behind Ferrari and Honda. (The announcers referenced their engine clipping at the ends of straights more times this weekend than I've heard in the past two years and there's an engine freeze so they can't really improve it). I don't think their team is built to catch up without a hard reset. Lewis shouldn't be there for that. They're only ahead of Ferrari because their strategy is dog shyt and the drivers aren't consistent.
Think Lewis could help sort ferarri out. Would a return to mclaren be worth a shout Lewis keeps sending love and Zak brown keeps flirting talking about how good of a driver he is ( in comparison to other team principles who seem scared or want to take a dig) .
I think the problem is if it aināt rb they aināt winnin they have a complete understanding of these regulations.
I selfishly want to see Lewis go out on a high note. But as a black man I want him to hang it up cuz itās hard to see and hear these sly little digs and dog whistles from tpās to drivers when heās easily the greatest on grid and at the same time the nicest
Honestly if merc canāt put something together to come out next season competitive. Toto head need to be on a stick go be ceo. If that happens merc need the same stick ferarri get for not being able to get out their own way.
One thing I want to know is when exactly did they put those improperly scaled models in the wind tunnel and how much of a knock on effect that has had on development. A secret to their success in the past was a good chassis, so how have they managed to completely screw the pooch in terms of vehicle dynamics. I swear the Mercedes of years gone was the most planted car in the world. Now Lewis can scarcely make it through a corner without sawing at the wheel. So even if their aero is bad, they still should have had a drivable car.
I understand slipping after a rules change, especially one that was going to be a clear RBR strong point (unless the slim sidepods concept worked properly), but their ability to problem solved and focus in on a solution shouldn't be so crippled. That McLaren is a legit contender for 2nd is distressing as an onlooker.
The season is a wash again. I have some confidence that they're making some radical changes for next year. We know they're one of the few teams that can consistently develop the car over a season. But the part that concerns me is if next year's car is a departure from the current, then how much can they really learn this season? Next year is basically them starting from the beginning of 2022 and having to catch up to 2024, likely being behind all year long.
If they don't turn it around, Toto sells his stake in the team going into 2026 and he gets replaced. Mercedes F1 becomes Ineos F1 and Lewis calls it quits too.
Zak took too much shyt with Piastri to drop him for Lewis, but Ferrari would my pick. They have a history of deferring to champions and how they want a car built. They did it with Schmacher. They did it with Vettel who couldn't beat Lewis, but that Ferrari was fast. They'd do it with Lewis....and his pit stops wouldn't be horrible at Ferrari just the strategy occasionally. I wouldn't be mad if the end result was Charles being at RBR with Max for Lewis to be at Ferrari with Bottas.
RB was just clever with how they developed the car before the regulations. McLaren low key catching them at Silverstone shows they can be caught. It just ain't gonna be with the zero pods. Two years, still slow, and still saying they know how to fix it, but ain't is a problem especially when both George and Lewis are open about how they ain't listened to.
I agree with all of this. Itās actually unbelievable that a mistake of an improperly scaled model was the first issue.
I think they slightly are disadvantaged when it comes to the the stability of the car becuase werent they one of the only teams to really understand fully how to utilize the mass damper.
Youāre selling me on seeing Lewis in red.
I think Horner has outplayed Toto in lobbying for regs for quite some time. Even 2021 they managed to find a reason to work on the floor. That shouldāve signaled to merc letās get a better understanding.
There's nowhere to go.
Everyone keeps saying the same about Leclerc too. "He needs to leave Ferrari". Where are they going to go?
Swap places? What's that going to do? They'll be right where they started.
Lewis is still operating at an extremely high level, but that window can close very rapidly at his age. He doesn't have time to wait for Ferrari. He's not going to Red Bull. Aston will need to stick someone next to Lance in 2025 but I seriously doubt that's Lewis.
In my opinion, he needs to ride things out with Mercedes.
Mercedes barely listens to Lewis and he won them 6 championships, what makes you think this leaderless Ferrari would do better?
Lewis has been very vocal in his praise for McLaren last couple of years but with Piastri there now that door is closed unless Lando leaves. The only place Lando could go to is Red Bull and they will never bring in a competitive driver to go against Max
Have you only been a fan of F1 since Netflix? Teams fire drivers all of the time for better drivers. If Lewis wants to leave the only place not taking him is RB and possibly McLaren because of the Piastri hit. Every other team is taking Lewis if he wants to go.
mastermind
Rest In Power Kobe
Iāve been saying this. Why hasnāt Toto been under fire for this shyt? They are wasting arguably the GOAT and a kid who could be great with inferior design and tech. Itās embarrassing seeing a legend going hard for third or fourth place. Toto should be out.
It makes no sense for Lewis to go Ferrari. Lateral move with very small chance of success. They are in the process of a team overhaul and really won't be ready until 2025-2026 if you listen to Vasseur and people close to the team. Norris and Piastri aren't going anywhere especially given their age, relative speed, and the lengths McLaren went through to secure the latter. It would be very short-term thinking from Lewis to jump to McLaren just because of a midseason upgrade anyway. I would think he's much more thoughtful than that.
It's different jumping to a up and coming team when you're 28. When you're 38 looking for another title, that's not a challenge you're looking to take on.
He owns 30% of the team. He's going nowhere unless he wants to.
EDIT: Actually a 33% stake. He's the one keeping the team in F1. I think Mercedes would've jumped ship by now otherwise. Sir Jim could probably take it or leave it, but it wouldn't be nearly as successful without a manufacturer behind it IMO.
Last edited:
