Rosberg retires with immediate effect

Yaayuh! · 6 Dec 2016 at 11:29

Toto thinking about signing Alonso. I would seriously look forward to next season if that's the case.

SS-89 · 6 Dec 2016 at 11:37

Rossi~ said:
Toto thinking about signing Alonso. I would seriously look forward to next season if that's the case.

Depends how much mclaren want I guess. I imagine they ideally want an experienced driver to partner stoffel but if merc offer 60mil would they turn it down?

andicole0 · 6 Dec 2016 at 11:42

MooMoo444 said:
Scrapping that would be a bad idea. For big manufacturers like Ferrari, Mercedes, Renault, the WCC is a big draw to their brand when they win it. They are more interested in that than the drivers title.

Too true. Maybe scrap the drivers championship :eek:

Andi.

this_is_gav · 6 Dec 2016 at 11:56

SS-89 said:
Depends how much mclaren want I guess. I imagine they ideally want an experienced driver to partner stoffel but if merc offer 60mil would they turn it down?

There's more chance of me getting the Merc drive than there is Mercedes offering McLaren £60m for a guy in the last year of his contract. In theory I guess they'd only have to pay ~£30m anyway as he's entering the final year, but it's still a staggering amount of money on top of what they'd have to pay him in salary too (I guess he'd require less than McLaren are paying him, but he still won't be cheap).

McLaren have zero options to fill Alonso's boots too, as while Mercedes also have few options they have the carrot of what is likely to be a championship winning car next year, which McLaren almost certainly won't have.

McLaren will do everything they can to keep hold of Alonso. I think the most likely thing to happen is that Wehrlein will get the seat on a one-year deal and they'll see how he does before deciding on the 2018 line-up.

I'd love it to be Alonso in the seat going up against Hamilton in somewhat fairer surroundings than McLaren in 2007, but I really can't see it, no matter how much he wants it.

Armageus · 6 Dec 2016 at 12:03

this_is_gav said:
McLaren have zero options to fill Alonso's boots too

Surely you can't 100% rule Jenson out from filling that seat regardless of what has been said?

this_is_gav · 6 Dec 2016 at 12:06

Armageus said:
Surely you can't 100% rule Jenson out from filling that seat regardless of what has been said?

I'd never rule out anything in F1 (other than Mercedes basically forking out £90m for 1 year's use of a driver!), but Button's been very clear of his decision for next year.

Mercedes might tempt him, but I don't think even that will be enough from how happy he looked in Abu Dhabi.

Glaucus · 6 Dec 2016 at 12:10

this_is_gav said:
I'd never rule out anything in F1 (other than Mercedes basically forking out £90m for 1 year's use of a driver!), but Button's been very clear of his decision for next year.

Mercedes might tempt him, but I don't think even that will be enough from how happy he looked in Abu Dhabi.

i think you have read far to much into what he has said, i still think he would jump at the chance of a merc seat.
he was happy as he was leaving a dog of a car with no prospect of being in a world champion car again. that has now been turned upside down.

andicole0 · 6 Dec 2016 at 12:14

Armageus said:
Surely you can't 100% rule Jenson out from filling that seat regardless of what has been said?

+1
Andi.

this_is_gav · 6 Dec 2016 at 12:16

Glaucus said:
i think you have read far to much into what he has said, i still think he would jump at the chance of a merc seat.
he was happy as he was leaving a dog of a car with no prospect of being in a world champion car again. that has now been turned upside down.

I think he's sick of the circus to be honest. It's obviously not the training considering how much he loves his triathlons and fitness in general, but I think it's the routine of F1 and being locked in to that on an increasing number weekends a season.

I just think he wants to go and do more things in life while he's still young enough.

Time will tell though, as if he is interested he's certainly the most qualified relatively available candidate, and a fairly safe yet solid and consistent teammate for Hamilton.

Terminal_Boy · 6 Dec 2016 at 12:17

Rossi~ said:
Toto thinking about signing Alonso. I would seriously look forward to next season if that's the case.

That would spice things up nicely for 2017. Alonso in a competitive car is something we haven't seen in a long, long time.

Leeroy Jenkins · 6 Dec 2016 at 12:26

MAKE IT HAPPEN! Alonso deserves to be in a race winning car. He hasn't had one since 2007

LzR · 6 Dec 2016 at 12:35

this_is_gav said:
There's more chance of me getting the Merc drive than there is Mercedes offering McLaren £60m for a guy in the last year of his contract. In theory I guess they'd only have to pay ~£30m anyway as he's entering the final year, but it's still a staggering amount of money on top of what they'd have to pay him in salary too (I guess he'd require less than McLaren are paying him, but he still won't be cheap).

McLaren have zero options to fill Alonso's boots too, as while Mercedes also have few options they have the carrot of what is likely to be a championship winning car next year, which McLaren almost certainly won't have.

McLaren will do everything they can to keep hold of Alonso. I think the most likely thing to happen is that Wehrlein will get the seat on a one-year deal and they'll see how he does before deciding on the 2018 line-up.

I'd love it to be Alonso in the seat going up against Hamilton in somewhat fairer surroundings than McLaren in 2007, but I really can't see it, no matter how much he wants it.

Agree with all this however I think Alonso would take a wage decrease to drive a Mercedes and a potential WDC.

I don't think it'll happen but I'd love to see it, that would be one heck of a battle between the two.

Glanza · 6 Dec 2016 at 12:36

It'd be madness for them to sign Alonso whilst Hamilton is still there, do people not remember their time at Mclaren with each other?

SS-89 · 6 Dec 2016 at 12:42

this_is_gav said:
There's more chance of me getting the Merc drive than there is Mercedes offering McLaren £60m for a guy in the last year of his contract. In theory I guess they'd only have to pay ~£30m anyway as he's entering the final year, but it's still a staggering amount of money on top of what they'd have to pay him in salary too (I guess he'd require less than McLaren are paying him, but he still won't be cheap).

McLaren have zero options to fill Alonso's boots too, as while Mercedes also have few options they have the carrot of what is likely to be a championship winning car next year, which McLaren almost certainly won't have.

McLaren will do everything they can to keep hold of Alonso. I think the most likely thing to happen is that Wehrlein will get the seat on a one-year deal and they'll see how he does before deciding on the 2018 line-up.

I'd love it to be Alonso in the seat going up against Hamilton in somewhat fairer surroundings than McLaren in 2007, but I really can't see it, no matter how much he wants it.

For some reason thought he had 2 years left hence 60m based on 30m a year. I think it's a long shot tbh but you never know.

LzR · 6 Dec 2016 at 12:56

Glanza said:
It'd be madness for them to sign Alonso whilst Hamilton is still there, do people not remember their time at Mclaren with each other?

Of course we remember, that's half the reason Alonso should go there, the fireworks would be half the fun.

Glaucus · 6 Dec 2016 at 12:58

Psi Jay said:
Of course we remember, that's half the reason Alonso should go there, the fireworks would be half the fun.

until he pulls spygate again and massively damages Mercedes brand.

would love him to go there, but its one massive risk from Mercedes.

Hamilton and Alonso were paired at McLaren — the Spaniard’s present team — in 2007, when the British team were found to have used secret designs belonging to Ferrari during the “Spygate” saga, which resulted in McLaren being fined $100 million (about £79 million).

Mercedes were at the time McLaren’s engine partner, and senior boardroom figures in Stuttgart were deeply unhappy with the affair. Some sources now believe that Mercedes would be reluctant to bring in Alonso to replace Nico Rosberg, who retired suddenly last week, five days after winning his first World Championship.

englishpremier · 6 Dec 2016 at 13:07

Glanza said:
It'd be madness for them to sign Alonso whilst Hamilton is still there, do people not remember their time at Mclaren with each other?

Lewis has grown up a bit now, so there shouldn't be as much of a problem.

this_is_gav · 6 Dec 2016 at 13:44

Glanza said:
It'd be madness for them to sign Alonso whilst Hamilton is still there, do people not remember their time at Mclaren with each other?

While they hardly got along like a house on fire the main problems were between Alonso and the McLaren management, him believing they weren't giving him the preferential treatment that they had agreed to (contracted or otherwise), and after the Monaco fallout things deteriorated to the point of him taking matters into his own hands at the Hungaroring later in the year.

I don't think there's any/much bad blood between Alonso and Hamilton now, and when they were on the podium together while Alonso was at Ferrari they seemed to get along as much as Hamilton gets along with any driver.

Syla5 · 6 Dec 2016 at 13:51

englishpremier said:
Lewis has grown up a bit now, so there shouldn't be as much of a problem.

The problem was one that Alonso had and not Hamilton. He wasn't happy that the team seemed to be favouring the rookie and fell out with Big Ron in a big way.

Alonso thought he was coming in as number 1, that didn't happen, he started to take matters in to his own hands and well the fallout was clear to see. Hungary, Spygate, and his departure from the team 1 year after joining.

this_is_gav · 6 Dec 2016 at 14:18

Syla5 said:
The problem was one that Alonso had and not Hamilton. He wasn't happy that the team seemed to be favouring the rookie and fell out with Big Ron in a big way.

I heard it was Hamilton where the problems started, after he had to play second fiddle to Alonso at Monaco.

After that Ron did the usual Ron thing - took a shine to the young upstart - and everything went wrong from there.