Who Could Fill the Vacant Mercedes Cockpit?

[The_Laskinator]

well Ladbrokes reckon Wehrlein or Bottas, and I think logically that's the most likely, as has been said many times here

 

[Runic]

Chances are it will be either Bottas or Wehrlein. Both have ties with Mercedes and both would provide a stable environment whilst still be strong and consistent drivers. Wehrlein is obviously a bit more of an unknown quantity, but his performances in the Manor have been very impressive.

Would Mercedes really want him? Seems like he needs to mature a bit more first.

 

[Runic]

But is he up for the pressure though ? i think not. Remember when he admitted his performance got effected by rumours of Ferrari wanting to sign him in 2015.

I would pick Perez over Bottas and put Werhlein at FI.

I think Perez is waiting for that Ferrari seat.

 

[Andy 'Mars Bar' Graham]

Jorge Lorenzo from moto GP tested with mercedes a few weeks ago, he was only a few seconds of being a solid performer too, so that could be a wildcard signing, he's certainly not a big name driver in F1, although he did come 3rd in Moto GP this year...

He's signed at Ducati for Moto GP. Would Mercedes really risk paying out to sign someone with barely any single seater experience

 

[Erwin Greven]

And Sergio can take that pressure?

 

[Andy 'Mars Bar' Graham]

And Sergio can take that pressure?

Yes

 

[Runic]

Yes

Bottas can take the pressure as well. But Force India would be in a tough situation if Perez is offered the Mercedes seat. Toto could give a lot of money and a smaller engine fee. But Ocon is a bit too inexperienced so Force India would probably want to keep Perez.

 

[Runic]

I am going to chuck Magnussen into the mix cause why not?

 

[Andy 'Mars Bar' Graham]

I am going to chuck Magnussen into the mix cause why not?

Yeah, might as well chuck everyone into the mix

 

[Leonardo Chaves]

Strong rumours are coming out of the Vettel camp that Sebastian could be headed to Mercedes. Not sure I'd want to if I were him. Sure the Ferrari situation right now is not good, but he has a comfortable number one position within the team and a good relationship with Kimi.

If he goes to Mercedes, yes he'll have a better car, but he'll also have to learn all new systems, mechanics, procedures etc. Oh, not to mention he'll be facing a Lewis Hamilton who is more motivated than ever to take back the title, and who I think would utterly trash Vettel in a straight fight.

Would he want to risk his reputation against a Mercenary whom is out for blood, just to have a chance to drive for the Silver Arrows? It's certainly quite a dilemma.

I think he understands now that a good car takes precedence over comfort, Alonso didn't want to want to tangle with Hamilton back in the day, but now i think he would if given the chance.

Also he's 4 time WC and one of the winningest drivers ever, he probably rates himself even if you don't

 

[paracletus]

Almost forget LH might get the sack
Could be 2 merc seats available

 

[Andy 'Mars Bar' Graham]

Almost forget LH might get the sack

He's avoided punishment

 

[someur]

Jean-Eric Vergne maybe..

 

[Mark Aalberts]

They should put Wehrlein in otherwise their driver program is useless.

However with the new rules i can imagine that they want some experience in that car. In that case Vettel or Alonso seems the most logic choises at this point. Besides of that from what i understand is that Alonso has an option in his contract that can release him if a team doesnt provide him with a car that can go for certain results >> read wins or podiums.

My money is on Alonso right now.

 

[Nick Hill]

https://t.co/zKZguEfd1i

Well this is an interesting revelation

Toto is sick of dealing with the non stop drama of the last 3 seasons.
Imagine the Mercedes company picnic - if Hamilton's glass of lemonade was 1 mL more full, they would have had a fistfight on their hands.

 

[Jeff]

I think Perez is waiting for that Ferrari seat.

I know but when an oppertunity comes at Mercedes he would be a fool not to take it.

 

[Nick Hill]

I know but when an oppertunity comes at Mercedes he would be a fool not to take it.

Yup.

I've heard a lot of optimism from fans and media alike that 2017 will be a "shake up" year and Merc's stranglehold will finally be broken. It gives me no pleasure whatsoever to say this, but...I wouldn't hold your breath.

F1 has some deep competitive balance issues that aren't going to be solved by wider tires and a cm or two of bodywork changes here and there.

 

[stbreaker]

Sticking with my "tell me who else profits" thought:
- Sainz still makes the most sense to me for the most people, but hey, F1 rarely makes sense these days. I wonder if Gasly is making a Sainz "mixtape" right now to send to Mercedes. Probably scouring every race from the past few years to find instances of him out qualifying/passing Verstappen
- I think that Perez is a strong choice, probably stronger than Sainz, but I'm not sure FI would be real keen on that. Are you then going to put Wehrlein in there and have 2 inexperienced drivers the year after they came 4th in the constructors championship?
- The Bottas situation is kind of a combination of the two above. He's an obvious front runner for Mercedes, but there are some downstream factors at play there too. Alex Lynn is a Williams jr. driver and he already ruled out another GP2 season (back in August I think) expecting a 2017 drive. Much like Gasly with Sainz, his camp might be keen on getting Bottas gone. However, like FI, I doubt Williams is going to want 2 rookies, especially considering how much they regressed this past season, and the new recs could use experienced driver feedback. Maybe it would work out if they could convince Button to take one more year and then Lynn slides in after that.

 

[EdonaF1]

- I think that Perez is a strong choice, probably stronger than Sainz, but I'm not sure FI would be real keen on that. Are you then going to put Wehrlein in there and have 2 inexperienced drivers the year after they came 4th in the constructors championship?

Yeah, Perez would be a good choice

 

[Nick Hill]

+1 for Perez - he seems to be in the sweet spot. Reliable driver, will bring home gobs of points and podiums, but Hamilton should be able to outpace him to the point where there won't be any real championship drama.

That's a recipe for a happy garage - team gets their championship, Lewis gets his, Checo plays the amiable "just happy to be here" role.