In the round-up: Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says junior driver George Russell has all the qualities to be a potential candidate for promotion to the world champions.
What they say
Wolff was asked about the purpose of Russell’s post-season test for Mercedes at Yas Marina:
The test is not benchmarking him because we are absolutely certain that he has the qualities of a potential future Mercedes driver.
He has the raw speed, he has the talent, he has the intelligence. There is a reason why he’s won F3 and F2 as a rookie, it hasn’t been done many times before. And he has a flawless record in Formula 1.
Quotes: Dieter Rencken
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Social media
Notable posts from Twitter, Instagram and more:
A sneak preview of the 2020 Antofagasta Minerals #SantiagoEPrix racetrack 👀 courtesy of @virtuallylive. What do you all think? pic.twitter.com/Ot40kDMAPt
— ABB Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) January 14, 2020
Not one driver can comment unless they have done it and then when they do they will respect it and anyone who sits outside and passes comment does not understand motor racing as oval racing is as tough as any sort of motorsport at exists https://t.co/lNDSdITOPu
— Mark Blundell (@markblundellf1) January 14, 2020
Why was the #AustralianOpen not postponed. I don't like tennis I find it boring but really? Tennis is supposed to be healthy. The players are going to have lungs like they smoked an entire Cuban tobacco harvest by finals time. @F1 have the right idea monitoring the fires.
— BE TRUE (@Truthfultomcat2) January 14, 2020
- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory
Links
More motor racing links of interest:
F1 poised to join Saudi Arabia sportwash (Daily Mail)
"An option under consideration is a one-off street race in Jeddah in 2021 while a purpose-built circuit is completed for 2022."
How Mercedes fooled 'naive' rivals in 2019 (Autosport - subscription required)
"The car that went to the first test was never, ever intended to race, from the moment it went to manufacture. Anything that looks like we were on the back foot, or reacting, is absolutely not true."
Chip Ganassi Racing Partners with Huski Chocolate for number eight IndyCar in 2020 (Ganassi)
"Chip Ganassi Racing announced today that Huski Chocolate will be joining the team as a primary partner on the recently announced number eight Honda in the IndyCar series for 29-year-old Swede Marcus Ericsson beginning in 2020."
Insight: What is it like to be an F1 commentator? (Motorsport Week)
"The worst commentary box would be Baku in 2018 with the wild wind. You knew it was safe but equally it’s only scaffolding and the box was shaking from side to side, I was beginning to feel seasick, thankfully the races that year were a good distraction"
Leclerc ‘upset’ Ferrari by skydiving without permission (Crash)
"You normally sure do (have to ask for permission). I didn’t for skydiving because I just told myself that in case it would go wrong I would not be here to be told off, so I just went for it."
Photos of first Brooklands British Grand Prix discovered 150 miles away in charity shop (Get Surrey)
"A secondary school teacher has uncovered incredible photographs of the first British Grand Prix held at the Brooklands circuit in Weybridge in 1926."
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Comment of the day
Is Lewis Hamilton regarded differently to Michael Schumacher because modern F1 involves more pace management?
I guess one of the main differences about how people appreciate both drivers is given by how F1 grands prix have changed over time.
Schumacher got famous by driving at the limit, by doing fastest laps one after another during a race sprint. He looked as a competitor in his own league many times.
On the other hand, Hamilton is winning in a era where drivers apparently over manage the cars. Today the only time when drivers can drive at the limit is during qualifying, but it is just one lap per grands prix in very idealised conditions. This is, by far, less spectacular and less appreciated.
Jamt
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faulty (@faulty)
15th January 2020, 4:36
That chocolate deal sounds swede.
Manox (@marussi)
15th January 2020, 9:12
xD
Jere (@jerejj)
15th January 2020, 6:27
Although the article already brings it up, a potential Saudi-Arabian GP indeed could only take place either very early or very late into the championship-season for the same climatic reasons as the Bahrain and Abu Dhabi GP. Not that I’d have a massive preference, but I’d put it at the tail-end with the latter of the two present Middle Eastern-venues.
BasCB (@bascb)
15th January 2020, 6:52
And with current contracts still running, it is pretty much certain not to be in 2021 (with 2022 being unlikely) – Bahrain might be pushed by the Saudi’s to budge, but why would Abu Dhabi give up? Unless they drop the contract, but Is’nt it still going for another few years?
Jere (@jerejj)
15th January 2020, 17:26
@bascb Yes, as far as I’m aware. Concerning the Abu Dhabi GP-contract, I mean.
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
15th January 2020, 6:58
Yup, so why keep Bottas? Just so Hamilton is happy?
Somebody should steal him from Williams.
Paul Duggan
15th January 2020, 7:57
Keeping Hamilton happy is a reasonable concern if you’re his team principal, but if you were going to replace Bottas (and what’s the driver for doing that?) then it would have made a lot more sense to replace him with Ocon. No-one is going to ‘steal’ George Russell from Williams other than Mercedes! He is tied to them. It’s a shame that they can’t place him at Racing Point (or whatever they’re called this week) instead though.
MacLeod (@macleod)
15th January 2020, 7:48
Lol, “You normally sure do (have to ask for permission). I didn’t for skydiving because I just told myself that in case it would go wrong I would not be here to be told off, so I just went for it.” says Le Clerc.
I think they were more afraid of something in between like breaking your lower parts during landing.
Not a very smart move! Charles Leclerc
frood19 (@frood19)
15th January 2020, 11:21
exactly, with skydiving it’s not like it’s just death or safe landing as the only outcomes. he would have looked pretty dumb if he’d broken his leg. still, it is quite safe, so perhaps everyone’s in a tizz about nothing.
Wes (@flashofsilver)
15th January 2020, 16:43
I heard Vettel agreed to pay for any future skydiving trips Charles wants to take.
terro (@terro)
16th January 2020, 13:48
he did say on that Instagram post that skydiving alone is the next step…
ColdFly (@)
15th January 2020, 8:30
Must be just to annoy me to include a quote from last year, and even promote it as the title, in the daily round-up.
See you in March guys.
Dex
15th January 2020, 10:06
Yeh, I’m getting severe withdrawal symptoms now! And we are still four or five weeks away from F1 testing 🏎️🏁
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
15th January 2020, 11:11
Leclerc situation is funny as hell.
He did not ask permission because if anything went wrong he wouldn’t be there for the punishment.
Saddly not a good role model, but that kind of thinking makes for a great racing driver. Goin gfor the gap outside the rules but also outside punishment.
anon
15th January 2020, 18:45
That same mentality might well backfire badly though – for example, you have the case of Lafitte injuring himself whilst hang-gliding and throwing away a race winning, and possible championship winning, because of that. What makes a great racing driver isn’t necessarily just pushing boundaries, but knowing what to push and when the risk isn’t worth taking.
@HoHum (@hohum)
15th January 2020, 12:10
Why would any F1 fan listen to some twit who thinks he knows what the air in Melbourne will be like for the tennis, it’ll be different tomorrow and the next day let alone the next month. Maybe Wimbledon should be cancelled if it rains for a few more days, “disgusted from east Cheam” should save his dire warnings for subjects he actually knows something about.
antony obrien
15th January 2020, 12:39
Schumacher sure did race on the limit, and did a lot of other things over the limit which are well documented. As for driving on the limit now they do it a lot in practice as well, in fact I texted a mate during 1 GP last season saying practice is the best bit as I watched Max right on the limit few some ultra fast corners wring the neck of the RB.
Its a fools errand comparing era’s but its safe to that any of the best from any era could adapt to the demands of a different era. The bit that separates, Lewis , Schuey & Alonso from the best of the rest is just that, adaptability.
grat
16th January 2020, 15:21
I would argue part of Schumacher’s problems at Mercedes was his inability to adapt to the new cars and regulations– similar to Vettel in 2014, who just could not get the Red Bull to work the way he wanted it to.
DavidH
16th January 2020, 0:45
Saudi Arabia. Well someone got paid. Yay for F1, another pointless race in a desert to give billionaires and murderers some PR.
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
16th January 2020, 2:35
Australian open players? Not really a top priority wouldn’t you think.