Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Yas Marina, 2020

Hamilton to finally start 2021 contract talks with Mercedes “in the coming days”

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In the round-up: Lewis Hamilton is yet to begin talks with Mercedes over a new contract for the 2021 F1 season and beyond.

What they say

Drivers, Circuit de Catalunya, 2020
2021 F1 drivers and teams
Speaking after Mercedes announced one-third of the team had been purchased by Ineos, and that team principal Toto Wolff had signed a new deal to extend his stay at the team, Hamilton said he plans to begin talks over his next contract soon.

We haven’t started the conversation. Toto and I plan to do that over the coming days. We’ve been moving quite a bit over the past days travel-wise.

But otherwise, on the super, super plus side, I’m really proud and grateful to see Toto signing. He’s such an important, leading figure within this team and the success that we have achieved would have not been possible without him. He is such a great figurehead and I think the team’s just better for it just to have that longevity.

It’s great to see the commitment from Mercedes, but then the added bonus of having Ineos who came in this year and have been a part of our success this year, it’s great to see that they’re going to be a part of this team and help with the stability of this team moving forwards in growing to be better. It’s going to take a big push for us to continue to raise the bar in this organisation, because I think we’ve done such a great job over these past years.

But the right people are in the right place and it looks good, the future is bright for this team, I think.

What does Daimler’s decision to reduce its stake in Mercedes F1 team mean for the sport’s dominant multiple champions? Read Dieter Rencken’s analysis in his RacingLines column later today on RaceFans

Quotes: Dieter Rencken

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Comment of the day

Where did it all go wrong for Alexander Albon in 2020?

I think what may have been the nail in the coffin for Albon was the Eifel Grand Prix. That was the first race after they had indicated he had to perform in the next two races to convince them he deserved the 2021 seat, and then he proceeded to drive probably his worst race of the year (and took out a sister team’s driver from the points while doing so). I actually thought they retired his car because of how badly he was performing in that race.

Then in the second of those crucial two races, he got lapped by Verstappen and finished outside the points while Verstappen got a podium. I think Red Bull were trying to see how he dealt with a bit of extra pressure by telling him he had to deliver in those races, and he completely crumbled.

I feel like Marko and Horner made their decision after the Portuguese Grand Prix and just didn’t tell him that he was being replaced until after the last race to try and extract the best possible performances from him in the remaining races, since he would have believed it would help his chances of staying on for 2021 when the reality was there was no chance of that.

Having said that, I personally thought he was getting better at the end of the season, and was showing some signs of adjusting to the car, but his overall form for Red Bull seemed really patchy and inconsistent so it’s hard to tell if that was genuinely him improving or if there was another downturn in results coming up if they’d have kept him on.
@T1redmonkey

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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73 comments on “Hamilton to finally start 2021 contract talks with Mercedes “in the coming days””

  1. Hamilton and I are the kings of procrastination.

    1. Merc should get Russell in for a chat. A lot cheaper and Sakhir proved he can do Hamilton’s job.

      1. Dave (@davewillisporter)
        23rd December 2020, 3:26

        @deanfranklin a record breaking team led by arguably the best Team Principle and owner should do what I think because I know better! Blah blah blah. Same tired tripe. Russell will replace Bottas in 22 because that is the logical choice, not replacing the guy who’s been instrumental to your success and doesn’t crack under pressure with an untested inexperienced driver. Hold your judgement on whether George can do Lewis’s job until he’s been alongside him for a season.

        1. Bottas was the one who cracked under pressure against Russell.

          Bottas is the one that can’t handle the pressure in a championship.

          It’s already proven that Russell is quicker than Bottas. He should at the very least be in Bottas’s seat for 2021.

          Red Bull wouldn’t let a talent like Russell waste away in the midfield Alpha Tauri, but Mercedes content to let Russell waste away at the backmarker Williams team.

          1. Red Bull tired to lure George to them that says enough but his contract with Toto was 10 years a bit too much to buy off.

          2. Williams had already refused to release Russell for 2021, which is why Mercedes re-signed Bottas.

            As long as Russell can exhibit some patience, which he seems to have done so far, his rewards will come.

          3. In what world is it worth Mercedes buying out Russell’s contract at Williams when they can just honour the current driver contracts they have and get him for no cost next year. You must be a terrible business person. That one race also proved nothing, he had literally zero expectations on him to perform, very different reality when it’s expected you should win every race.

          4. Dave (@davewillisporter)
            23rd December 2020, 12:05

            @deanfranklin Merc should get Russell in for a chat. A lot cheaper and Sakhir proved he can do Hamilton’s job.
            Replying to a comment about Lewis. It’s pretty obvious you meant Lewis not Bottas.
            I’m all for replacing Bottas with George which Merc will do in 2022 when both contracts are up. Don’t for a minute think George can replace Lewis though. He’ll need at least a couple of seasons learning from him as every teammate since Alonso has demonstrated. Even when he’s a team leader he’ll have to learn what the pressure of a title fight can do. Natural talent only gets you so far.

          5. Yeah, let’s not honor those silly contract things.

          6. I would reserve judgement on Russell speed for those tracks where any errors are costly. Russell had the benefits of a track with plenty of run off area, consequently he could afford to drive fearlessly. Put him on another track with walls close by, like the russian track on which Bottas does so well , and you have another story.

        2. Spot on. The Hamilton detractors had a field day based on one race that, let’s not forget, Russell finished in 9th behind Bottas. Yes, I accept there were extenuating circumstances, but Russell didn’t prove much in one race.

          I think Russell is the real deal and I really hope he gets a Mercedes seat in 2022, but he’ll only have proved he can “do Hamilton’s job” when he’s won multiple WDCs.

          1. I’m a Hamilton fan, and have course Hamilton should be signed ahead of Russell, that’s a no brainer. But to say Russell didn’t prove much I don’t think is correct, he proved a massive amount. Hardly any prep and should have won the race were it not for issues outside of is control.

            Personally I would sign Russell and Hamilton for 2021 and see it as a Stewart – Cevet type relationship, handing over the baton, but ok that might happen in 2022. It should @scbriml.

      2. Im a bit confused that you keep repeating that George is cheaper. Apart from the millions he has added to his price tag after the Merc outing you have yet to explained; despite being repeatedly asked, where Mercedes get the shortfall from the loss of the Hamilton sponsors that will go where Hamilton goes. Remind us again how much Hilfiger for example pay the team.

        1. Those who genuinely think Merc should opt for Russell over Hamilton (as opposed to just dislikling Hamilton) should consider:

          How much media coverage (and hence advertising) will Mercedes get in a season where their top driver is pushing the big F1 records into uncharted territory, gunning for a three figure pole total, a three figure win total and an eigth WDC, vs George Wassisname (as 90% of the world will call him) trying to beat Bottas?

          I expect Russell could beat Bottas, I expect he’s even a potential multiple WDC himself, but at the moment they have a choice of sticking with the most high achiveing driver of all time whom all eyes are upon, who brings them sponsor millions and with whom the team has built up a reliable relationship and who has consistently delivered the goods throughout his time with them…… or opting for a promising newcomer who might or might not save a few million once advertising, sponsorship and getting him out of his current contract is weighed up, but has not yet proven himself in the rigors of a full season at a front running team and happens to be signed to them anyway and is likely to slot into one of their seats in 12 months time at no additional cost.

          1. Also you have to consider the ‘new’ imagine which Hamilton now adds to a largely conservative brand. Just like that, you have a brand appealing to a much younger demographic. You can’t put a price on that.

      3. Bottas finished ahead of Russell in both qualifying and the race. All Russell proved was that he got a better 2nd phase of the start procedure a little better, nothing else.

  2. Am I the only one who doesn’t have that much sympathy for Albon?

    I mean, he didn’t perform. The car was a dog. That’s F1 but as rubbish as that Red Bull was outside of Max’s hands, he failed to perform time and time.

    1. I don’t know, but I do. Gasly failed to perform time and time again in the Red Bull but this year showed he has no lack of talent, could be the same for Albon but now we’ll never know.

      I hope he gets a drive in a representative series to see how he can perform.

      1. Gasly is up against Kvyat. Of course he looks relatively faster compared to when he was up against Verstappen.

        Perez looks like he’s had an amazing season because he’s up against Stroll.

        Hamilton looks dominant when his greatest rival is Bottas — who himself was outclassed by Russell despite Russell not fitting into the car, cockpit set up for Hamilton, not knowing all the settings and functions, figuring out the limits of the tyres as he went.

        Albon had his chance.

        Same can’t be said for Russell who has proven undoubtedly that he’s faster than Bottas.

        Mercedes going to consign him to another wasted year for Williams.

        1. Dave (@davewillisporter)
          23rd December 2020, 3:38

          @deanfranklin a cursory check of the championships for 2014 2015 and 2016 would show strings of 1st places against Rosberg. He was pretty dominant then too. Difference was Rosberg kept improving year on year. Bottas not to that extent and Lewis has improved considerably and is the most consistent driver now. Rosberg would have been toast had he stayed on. Let’s see, what did Rosberg say to explain his retirement? “I had to give too much. I couldn’t go through that again”
          I’ll take his word for it if you don’t mind!

          1. Hamilton only beat Rosberg 42-36 in qualifying during their years together. Rosberg was 10-10 in 2012 against a nearly 44 year old Schumacher.

            Rosberg 2 wins to Hamilton’s 1 in 2013. In races where both drivers finished it was 8-7, but would have been 9-6 if Brawn didn’t issue team orders forbidding Rosberg to pass Hamilton in Malaysia that year.

            I don’t agree that Rosberg got better every year. Hamilton’s been inconsistent through his career.

          2. @deanfranklin
            Hamilton beat Rosberg 42-36 in qualifying over 4 years.
            Rosberg beat (annihilated to be more specific) Schumacher 41-17 in qualifying over 3 years (don’t just include the 2012 season… there was also 2010 & 2011 that you seem to forget).

            Hamilton beat Rosberg 3-1 over 4 seasons and 1334-1195 in points (Rosberg had ~90% of Hamilton’s points).
            Rosberg beat Schumacher 3-0 over 3 seasons and 324-197 in points (Schumacher had just ~61% of Rosberg’s points).

            In 2013 Rosberg was 2-1 ahead in wins… but the Silverstone one, Hamilton was leading confortably until the puncture in that shambolic race with the all the random punctures, after that Vettel inherited the lead, and only after he also retired due to engine, Rosberg inherited the lead.. so it’s not like he won on merit without any luck whatsoever..

            Also in the championship years (2014-16) Rosberg’s & Hamilton’s wins:
            2014 – ROS: 5 wins | HAM: 11 wins
            2015 – ROS: 6 wins | HAM: 10 wins
            2016 – ROS: 9 wins | HAM: 10 wins
            and Rosberg’s & Hamilton’s points over these years as well:
            2014 – ROS: 317 pts | HAM: 384 pts
            2015 – ROS: 322 pts | HAM: 381 pts
            2016 – ROS: 385 pts | HAM: 380 pts
            Thes stats clearly tell that Rosberg indeed raised his game from 2014 to 2016 (wins: 5 → 9, points: 317 → 385) and Hamilton was NOT inconsistent as you say but pretty consistent (wins: 10-11, points: 380-385 every year).
            Even if you include the 2013 stats when they didn’t have a WDC-winning car, Hamilton is still ahead by similar margins in the points (2013: ROS had ~90% of HAM’s points, 2014: ROS had ~83% of HAM’s points, …).

          3. @black, spot on.
            One thing, the points in 2014 Abu Dhabi were double where Hamilton won and Rosberg had the ERS issue. So a more representative comparison would be 317::359

            Rosberg dropped the ball in the middle of the 2015 season, exclude that run of 5-6 races and he was as consistent as Hamilton over the entirety of their time as team mates, slower but consistent. Very close on outright pace but Hamilton had the edge on race pace and especially race craft.

          4. Dave (@davewillisporter)
            23rd December 2020, 12:12

            @deanfranklin

            I don’t agree that Rosberg got better every year.

            Then you’re clueless about what world class sports people do to stay at the top.

            Hamilton’s been inconsistent through his career.

            Except from 2017 to present. The most consistent driver of the lot in during this period. Again, clueless as to what makes a record breaking sports person successful year after year after year.

        2. @deanfranklin so, by that theory, will you also then downrate Verstappen’s performances given that he was beating a driver who has less experience than Stroll, far worse credentials in junior series than either Russell or Gasly and was fired in the past from Red Bull’s Junior Team for massively underperforming expectations?

          After all, by your own arguments, if you want to present Hamilton as only looking good because he’s racing Bottas, then any objective individual would surely have to accept that the same argument applies to Verstappen given that Albon is objectively worse in any metric you want to present.

          1. @deanfranklin

            “Hamilton’s been inconsistent through his career”

            Did you say that with a straight face?

    2. The car was much beter at the end of the season that says enough of Albon. Perez i never compared with Lance as Lance is a average paydriver but more with Daniel, Sainz.

  3. I’m a bit worried that next year’s McLaren is going to be terrible. With so many changes and no intention to build a platform as the car won’t last longer than a year, it’s easy to imagine they would be doing the least possible to get through through it. Hopefully it gives them the time to iron out any unforeseen issues that might crop up from the PU change so they can hit the ground running in ’22.

    1. Dave (@davewillisporter)
      23rd December 2020, 3:31

      @skigamer McLaren were pleasantly surprised by the fitment of the Merc PU stating no problems or inconvenient mods were neccessary. So if this year’s car was good, next years should be the same. Only disadvantage is not using tokens for aero and not being able to reduce the size of the engine bodywork to maximise the smaller PU size of the Merc.

      1. Renault engine is rather big i heard from the Red Bull engineers the Honda was easy to place AND Newey could make the chasis even slicker.
        The biggest problem was placing the radiators what McLaren could have problems with. Seems they had enough room so i am not worried about performance maybe later updates will finetune the package more.

        Reading the Markov descicion they select Perez on his Mercedes knowlegde that is the most interesting info here!

      2. @skipgamer @davewillisporter They say in the article their development this year was knowing they would have less tokens for big changes next year as most will go toward engine install, so I guess they did more ‘concept’ work which fits with their hopeful comments that they expect good improvements that will not be considered ‘token’ changes. To me they seem rather optimistic with good correlation.

      3. So if this year’s car was good, next years should be the same.

        Not really, its not only the engine its the complete rearend of the car.
        New gearbox, new wheel geometry, new engine ( with a very different driveability)
        So at lot to chew on…

  4. I don’t think Keith is a Mazepin fan…

    (At least he makes Stroll and Latifi look a little less terrible).

  5. Yes. Arise Sir Lewis Hamilton.

  6. Hamilton contract delays could become a meme on the Internet if it continues lol. This has to be the longest time taken to get a confirmation of a grid line-up for a following season.

    1. Not even close, @krichelle. Plenty of examples of teams confirming their line-ups much closer to the start of the season, especially where pay drivers were involved.

      It is very unusual for a multiple world champion not to have even started negotiations to renew his contract a week before the old one expires, though. If he wants to get it signed before Christmas (as he said in Abu Dhabi) then he’d better hope there are no areas of significant disagreement.

      1. Yeah, we’ve seen far closer calls in the relatively recent past even @red-andy, @krichelle.

        Also, while they talked about Toto and Lewis sitting down to talk, in fact it makes sense that that kind of talk hasn’t happened yet. Why? Well, since Wolf himself was not a done deal yet before now (well a few days back, but not much). So how could he then sit down with Lewis and shake hands (probably just figuratively since Covid) on a deal when he was not even sure to be in a position to do so!

        It kind of makes sense that they would only sit down for that AFTER the bigger issue of the team structure and Toto staying on was resolved.

        1. That does make some sense @bascb, although it doesn’t explain how they were able to conclude a deal with Bottas earlier in the season, when Wolff’s future at the team was still uncertain.

          1. Maybe Bottas was just grateful to get the drive (especially after he heard that Mercedes asked Williams to release Russell a year early) and doesn’t care who’s running the team?

            From the outside, Hamilton and Wolff seem to have a much closer relationship and maybe it’s important to both of them?

          2. I guess Bottas’ deal was relatively “peanuts” – more of a going concern thing?

      2. Dave (@davewillisporter)
        23rd December 2020, 12:24

        @red-andy to be fair Hamilton’s position is also an unusual one. Only other person to do a driver / team combi this long and successful was Michael at 11 years and after losing the WDC twice did he jump or was he pushed? Michael said he was tired and Ferrari wanted Raikonnen.
        Lewis hasn’t got there yet and is the clear favourite to win an 8th for himself and the team next year. You could say it’s a unique position, one of absolute trust and in my opinion demonstrates how symbiotic that relationship is.
        Lewis has always resisted being pigeon holed. “A driver does this not that” etc, that’s why he left McLaren to some degree. He’ll sign when he signs because he’s Lewis. Because he can!

  7. Does anyone really care about Hamilton and his contract? Hamilton and Mercedes PR people have milked this issue dry and now it’s just so much background noise. He was always going to stay there…I mean, he has an obscene pay envelope and he enjoys ‘protected status’ from any meaningful competition. Every move is carefully crafted and implemented to gain maximum exposure like his cake eating ep with the dog!!! Now that was gross!!!

    1. I couldn’t care less. Unless he announces he won’t sign with Mercedes for 2021, none of this is ‘news’ and simply shouldn’t get published.

    2. Dave (@davewillisporter)
      23rd December 2020, 12:58

      Particularly cretinous take from Kenji above and demonstrates how hate clouds judgment.
      Firstly, if we assume that both Hamilton and Mercedes PR wanted this for attention, you would have had to miss the multitude of times the media have asked this question and either Toto or Lewis have barely supressed an eyeroll as they gave the same answer time and time again. A multi billion dollar multinational and highly successful marketing strategy and the best self marketing driver in F1 history can do better to gin up media interest than repeat the same line over and over again.
      Conclusion. It’s the media that’s driving this, not the team. @paeschli summed it up well above. I’d say until he signs, there’s no news and I would surmise the team would rather media stopped asking until they have something to say.
      Secondly,

      he enjoys ‘protected status’ from any meaningful competition.

      Let’s forget 2013 2014 2015 and 2016. Pretend that didn’t exist, forget classics like “The Duel in the Desert” and “Capgate” one would have to ignore the circumstances by which Bottas joined the team.
      Caught completely unawares when Rosberg suddenly retired, Toto went to the only driver he knew he could get out of his contract. That driver, Bottas has been managed by Toto since his junior career. Rosberg’s actions forced Toto’s hand and he took the only option available. Arguably it was too soon for Bottas. The evidence for this a one year contract, renewed based on performance, every year, ever since. 2017 – 2020 Mercedes Constructors champions. 2019 Bottas 2nd in WDC, contract extends by one year. 2020 Bottas 2nd etc. And how many times have both Mercs hit each other or damaged the other’s race compared to Nico and Lewis or Daniel and Max? Maximising points for the team. That is why Bottas is still there, not because Lewis commands it to be so.
      I wonder what your take will be when George joins the team and becomes a competitive driver to Lewis after a year? Where would this imaginary protected status be then?
      Don’t hate, think. It aids your growth.

  8. “We have stayed very true to the concept of making supercars. That’s a question I get in some markets: ‘Are you guys going to do an SUV?’, or ‘Are you guys going to do an EV?’ The answer is no, we’re not.”

    Thank you McLaren for making that decision. SUV’s, particularly those ridiculously pointless “coupe SUV’s like the MBX X6 and Mercedes GLE Coupe, are a scourge on modern society and should be done away with.

    1. @geemac
      In my opinion all SUV’s and 4WD’s are a scourge on modern society mate ;)

      1. @mobiusclean: Here here. IMO many parts of modern society are a scourge on modern society.

        1. Some may even go so far as to say modern society itself is a scourge on modern society…

          1. @tommy-c I think people who say modern society is a scourge on modern society are a scourge on modern society

      2. @mobiusclean I just realised these things make me so angry I can’t even type BMW X6… :)

      3. They are not SUVs or 4-WDs, they are tractors!

    2. I am completely with you about the SUV stuff @geemac. Sure, they seem to be big sells. But for a sportscar manufacturer, I see it more as a sellout.

      And on top, SUVs made the situation with pollution worsen in recent years when engine tech had it in it to improve that due to higher efficiency. Doesn’t work when you stick it in a rolling block. Those “coupé” or “sports” SUVs – no, got to stop and shake off my distress and disgust.

      Not completely sure on EVs though, since they can offer quite interesting acceleration etc, so down the line, I could see the sense of doing that too. But only when they do not have to be as heavy anymore.

    3. What’s wrong with giving your customers choice though? EV supercars are superior to ICE ones IMHO, and SUV’s can be a practical option for people with kids who want to have supercar performance on a long trip.

      1. @paeschli Once you add a sloping roofline to an SUV you lose all the practicality, making the car pointless.

        If you want a fast, practical car I see nothing wrong with offering your customers a quick estate car.

        1. You can’t ignore that the BMX X6 is an immensely popular car despite being hugely impractical. As long as people are able to buy fast coupé sport cars, there’s nothing wrong with having a SUV in your line-up.
          The companies I’m having an issue with are the likes of Volvo, where they only have SUVs in their line-up: no sedans, estates or hatchbacks available.

          1. @paeschli I can only assume you must have a very unusual local market where you are, because Volvo quite definitely makes both saloon and estate cars. Saloon and estate cars make up about half of Volvo’s line up of cars and between 35-40% of their sales, so your claim that “they only have SUVs in their line-up” doesn’t really make much sense.

          2. @paeschli Indeed, as anon mentions Volvo make the V90 estate and the S90 and S60 sedans.

            I know the X6 is popular…I live in Dubai I can assure you they are everywhere…but that doesn’t mean they make sense! A person who wants an X6 would get exactly the same out of their car if they bought a 6 series.

    4. Dave (@davewillisporter)
      23rd December 2020, 13:20

      @geemac @jimmi-cynic @tommy-c @bernasaurus

      Comments of the week!!!! :0

  9. Please, don’t anyone tell Marko that drivers of Merc-powered cars do not actually design the power unit or carry the blueprints around in their smartphones.

    1. Seems it was the reason to select Perez i wonder!

    2. @jimmi-cynic of course, the comments from Marko do also contradict Horner’s previous public statements, as Horner has previously said that Hulkenberg was not under consideration for that Red Bull seat.

      1. Seems to me, Marko was looking to deflect the shining light away from his young driver program missteps/mismanagement and make it a simple power unit technical decision to hire Perez. It’s just that many of us can’t make that mental leap of torque required. ;-)

        1. Dave (@davewillisporter)
          23rd December 2020, 13:15

          @jimmi-cynic It’s just another example of Marco stirring the pot. Gerhard Berger has joined the fray too with some choice comments of late. It’s just pre-fight banter and should be treated as such, although I’m sure it was a factor in the decision, just not “the” factor. Remember when Lewis was told to mind his own business by Max and Horner when he said it’s tough fighting one v two at the front and Albon needs to do better, only for Max and Horner to say the same thing before they dumped Albon?
          It’s part of the politics of the snakepit or vipers den, whatever Big Ron callled it.

        2. @jimmi-cynic it was more of a sarcastic observation about how this situation does rather seem to underline the belief that Horner is pretty much constantly undermined by Marko and how little Horner seems to matter.

          @paeschli you comment that “It seems to me that they like Hülkenberg” – but, evidently, they didn’t seem to like him enough to actually want to make a job offer to him. I also don’t really see why Red Bull would really care all that much or, for that matter, why a team outside of F1 would particularly care what Red Bull thinks either – Hulkenberg was able to secure a contract for the ADAC GT Masters GT3 championship without any such “endorsement” from Red Bull earlier this year, so I don’t see why they’d particularly care when they could just stick him in the car for a test session and make a decision based on that.

    3. It seems to me that they like Hülkenberg, and want to give him a good reputation so that he gets picked up by a team outside F1

    4. I’m in the same camp. Perez is an end user – not the head engineer. But, at least he can provide feedback on drivability, how the power levels are deployed, what settings they had, etc.

  10. Helmut Marko’s justification for choosing Perez sounds like they chose what’s the best for the team on one hand (rival engine knowledge) but then also just to help Max on the other. This justification makes it sound as though they didn’t necessarily choose the best driver. Personally I think Perez is the best option but it’s the continued rhetoric that says to me he is undoubtedly their number 2 driver in their eyes before a wheel is turned.

    1. Perez will have the same car as Max so it will be up to him to show whether he is a number two or not. He will have every opportunity that Max does to show his stuff and the only thing that will catch him out initially is that he is new to the team and they to him, whereas Max is the engrained one on the team. Perez will have an inevitable learning curve that Max will not, although they’ll both be learning new setups compared to this season as the cars’ floor will be different.

  11. Just bloody announce it already.

  12. Dave (@davewillisporter)
    23rd December 2020, 13:26

    The team only announces the length of contract and then the media quote rumours about the pay and terms, so let me put you out of your misery:
    Lewis renewed his contract for another 2 (definitely) years / (maybe) 3 years. It is rumoured to be around 40m a year with less travelling obligations outside of racing.
    It’ll all be over in one news cycle and people will ask what was all the fuss about for months and months and months and months of constant media hand wringing.

  13. Dave (@davewillisporter)
    23rd December 2020, 13:29

    P.S. My phone contract is up on 31st Dec. My phone company keeps ringing and ringing and ringing and asking if I’m going to renew it. Over and over again they ask! I know I will, just haven’t decided acceptable terms yet.

  14. In the McLaren 2020 review, they are praising the drivers for high levels of openness and sharing (“opening their box of secrets”), but somehow I would never have seen that with Sainz, especially coming from Red Bull. But I do with Norris which is perhaps reflected in Sainz catching up to Norris after Lando had a very good start to the season. In other words, Norris shared all his secrets with Sainz which helped him catch up. Would it have been the other way around? I somehow doubt it.

    Sainz has said before he has learned a lot and changed his approach at McLaren, so maybe he has been humbled, but it remains to be seen how it will work at Ferrari where he will be desperate not be a permanent no. 2.

    Overall, it seems a very good culture going at McLaren. I was doubtful about Brown before, but he’s really making things happen.

  15. Russ making Ham contract look so much less interesting. And am being kind

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