Hamilton sees 'opportunity' in potential Verstappen team-up

[a425couple]

from
https://uk.motor1.com/news/363224/hamilton-verstappen-mercedes-teamup/amp/

Hamilton sees 'opportunity' in potential Verstappen team-up
03 August 2019 at 10:00
Valentin Khorounzhiy
By: Valentin Khorounzhiy

Formula 1 championship leader Lewis Hamilton believes it could be
beneficial "in some ways" to have Max Verstappen join Mercedes, as it
would allow him to prove he can take on Verstappen in equal machinery.
Verstappen, who has won seven races since joining Red Bull’s main F1
team in 2016, has an existing deal with the energy drinks giant that
runs through 2020.

However, it is understood there are performance clauses that could allow
for the contract to be terminated early, which has led to speculation
that Verstappen is an outside contender to replace Valtteri Bottas at
Mercedes when the Finn’s current deal runs out at the end of the season.

And while Hamilton has made it clear that he would be glad to see Bottas
retain the seat, having enjoyed a harmonious relationship with the Finn
since Bottas' arrival in 2017, the reigning champion said he would not
be averse to partnering Verstappen.

“I’d honestly have no problem with it. As I said before, I like working
with Valtteri and I don’t know how that [Hamilton/Verstappen] dynamic
would work for the team,” Hamilton said when asked about the possibility
ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.

“I’m not saying it would or would not - I see positives and potential
negatives. Obviously there are always positives and negatives to people
that you’re working with, but I have no particular opinion towards it.

“In some ways it works out for me. At the moment I see stories that it’s
because we have different cars and that’s the only way [I beat him] but
this gives me the opportunity to show you that’s not the case.”

Verstappen’s stellar performances in 2019 have left him positioned as
F1’s in-form driver, but when asked about claims that he was now
stronger than Hamilton, the Dutchman said: “I don’t say any of those
things. And I also don’t care. What is the most important for me is that
I perform on track.”

The Red Bull man is now 63 points behind Hamilton following his second
win of the season in Germany, but has reiterated his belief that the
victory hasn’t changed the outlook of the title fight.

[John]

Lol. Hamilton doesn't want a teammate that isn't totally willing to play second fiddle.

[~misfit~]

Post by John
Lol. Hamilton doesn't want a teammate that isn't totally willing to play second fiddle.

"Lol". I'm amazed at how well you know Hamilton's mind.

It's my *opinion* that he wouldn't mind having Verstappen as a team mate - as long as Verstappen
didn't sink to Rosberg's underhanded lows of psych warfare and sidling up to the team away from the
track, getting them to disrupt Hamilton's side of the garage.

[John]

Post by ~misfit~

Post by John
Lol. Hamilton doesn't want a teammate that isn't totally willing to play second fiddle.

"Lol". I'm amazed at how well you know Hamilton's mind.
It's my *opinion* that he wouldn't mind having Verstappen as a team mate - as long as Verstappen
didn't sink to Rosberg's underhanded lows of psych warfare and sidling up to the team away from the
track, getting them to disrupt Hamilton's side of the garage.
--
Shaun.
"Humans will have advanced a long, long way when religious belief has a cozy little classification
in the DSM"
David Melville
This is not an email and hasn't been checked for viruses by any half-arsed self-promoting software.

ROFDLOL

[t***@gmail.com]

Post by John
ROFDLOL

x2

[a425couple]

Post by John
Lol. Hamilton doesn't want a teammate that isn't totally willing to play second fiddle.

Perhaps. It is possible that Hamilton said & felt that there
was an " 'opportunity' in potential Verstappen team-up".

Or, possible, that he felt some 'happy face' statement was
the best thing for him to say.

Whatever. As a fan, and wishing to sport to be interesting
to view, it would be real exciting if Toto decided to cut
Bottas lose, and by-pass Ocon, and hire Max Verstappen.
Max V. would have to exercise an escape clause, probably
by correctly claiming that the Red Bull is NOT CAPABLE
of winning a championship.

Just my opinion, that it would be quite exciting, and would
really put the racoon in the hen-house, if they choose Max V.

And it would also be a bit of Schadenfreude to pay back
Red Bull for mistreating Dan Ricardo and losing him.

[Heron]

Lol.  Hamilton doesn't want a teammate that isn't totally willing to
play second fiddle.

Perhaps.  It is possible that Hamilton said & felt that there
was an " 'opportunity' in potential Verstappen team-up".
Or, possible, that he felt some 'happy face' statement was
the best thing for him to say.
Whatever.  As a fan, and wishing to sport to be interesting
to view, it would be real exciting if Toto decided to cut
Bottas lose, and by-pass Ocon, and hire Max Verstappen.
Max V. would have to exercise an escape clause, probably
by correctly claiming that the Red Bull is NOT CAPABLE
of winning a championship.
Just my opinion, that it would be quite exciting, and would
really put the racoon in the hen-house, if they choose Max V.
And it would also be a bit of Schadenfreude to pay back
Red Bull for mistreating Dan Ricardo and losing him.

Mercedes has no need whatever for MV, they continue to
have the championship well in hand with Lewis Hamilton.

[a425couple]

Post by Heron

Lol.  Hamilton doesn't want a teammate that isn't totally willing to
play second fiddle.

Perhaps.  It is possible that Hamilton said & felt that there
was an " 'opportunity' in potential Verstappen team-up".
Or, possible, that he felt some 'happy face' statement was
the best thing for him to say.
Whatever.  As a fan, and wishing to sport to be interesting
to view, it would be real exciting if Toto decided to cut
Bottas lose, and by-pass Ocon, and hire Max Verstappen.
Max V. would have to exercise an escape clause, probably
by correctly claiming that the Red Bull is NOT CAPABLE
of winning a championship.
Just my opinion, that it would be quite exciting, and would
really put the racoon in the hen-house, if they choose Max V.
And it would also be a bit of Schadenfreude to pay back
Red Bull for mistreating Dan Ricardo and losing him.

Mercedes has no need whatever for MV, they continue to
have the championship well in hand with Lewis Hamilton.

Perhaps.
Team chemistry and harmony can be quite important.
But putting all your investment in one driver does not seem
to be the way the most successful F1 teams always act.

For 1955 Mercedes had the great champion Fangio. But
still they decided to add that new young kid Stirling
Moss to the team. That decision added, and did not hurt.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1955_Formula_One_season

For 1968 Colin Chapman had gotten a big increase in
the Lotus budget, had a great car and a good WDC Jim Clark.
But he decided to add the quality Graham Hill as a driver.
It was only because of that decision that they won the
WDC and WCC that year after tragedy struck.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_Formula_One_season

For 1984 Ron Dennis was quite confident in his new
McLaren, and he had prior champion Niki Lauda.
But he decided to add the young very fast Alain Prost.
Because of that they gloriously won 12 races (of 16)
(5 by WDC Lauda, 7 by Prost) for the WDC and WCC. After Lauda
lost pace, Prost went on and won 3 more WDCs for them.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_Formula_One_World_Championship

[~misfit~]

Lol.  Hamilton doesn't want a teammate that isn't totally willing to play second fiddle.

Perhaps.  It is possible that Hamilton said & felt that there
was an " 'opportunity' in potential Verstappen team-up".
Or, possible, that he felt some 'happy face' statement was
the best thing for him to say.
Whatever.  As a fan, and wishing to sport to be interesting
to view, it would be real exciting if Toto decided to cut
Bottas lose, and by-pass Ocon, and hire Max Verstappen.
Max V. would have to exercise an escape clause, probably
by correctly claiming that the Red Bull is NOT CAPABLE
of winning a championship.
Just my opinion, that it would be quite exciting, and would
really put the racoon in the hen-house, if they choose Max V.
And it would also be a bit of Schadenfreude to pay back
Red Bull for mistreating Dan Ricardo and losing him.

Bypassing Ocon would be a really silly move for Mercedes and, I'm quite sure, won't happen. In more
equal machinery when they were coming through the ranks Ocon was a match for Verstappen, even
beating him. Verstappen got the better seat in F1 but Ocon still has the potential to be as good,
if not better than the Dutchman IMO.

[Sir Tim]

Post by John
Lol. Hamilton doesn't want a teammate that isn't totally willing to play second fiddle.

But Hamilton doesn’t run Mercedes and the team has to look to the future. I
see Max as a fairly straightforward type of guy who would be perfectly
willing to compete on pure talent, unlike Rosberg who tried to sow dissent
within the team to gain advantage, and if Merc can get him, which I doubt,
they should certainly do so.

[John]

Post by Sir Tim

Post by John
Lol. Hamilton doesn't want a teammate that isn't totally willing to play second fiddle.

But Hamilton doesn’t run Mercedes and the team has to look to the future. I
see Max as a fairly straightforward type of guy who would be perfectly
willing to compete on pure talent, unlike Rosberg who tried to sow dissent
within the team to gain advantage, and if Merc can get him, which I doubt,
they should certainly do so.
--
Sir Tim

But why play second fiddle when RB/Honda seem to have cought up? At RB he has a car designed to fit his driving style. As for money, would Merc seriously be willing out bid enough to make him switch?

[Sir Tim]

Post by John

Post by Sir Tim

Post by John
Lol. Hamilton doesn't want a teammate that isn't totally willing to play second fiddle.

But Hamilton doesn’t run Mercedes and the team has to look to the future. I
see Max as a fairly straightforward type of guy who would be perfectly
willing to compete on pure talent, unlike Rosberg who tried to sow dissent
within the team to gain advantage, and if Merc can get him, which I doubt,
they should certainly do so.
--
Sir Tim

But why play second fiddle when RB/Honda seem to have cought up? At RB
he has a car designed to fit his driving style. As for money, would Merc
seriously be willing out bid enough to make him switch?

Why indeed? Which is why I said I think it unlikely Merc will get him.

Money seems to be a secondary consideration in the mad world of F1

[Bruce Hoult]

Post by John
But why play second fiddle when RB/Honda seem to have cought up? At RB he has a car designed to fit his driving style.

Yes, the Honda engine looks to finally be something close to the Mercedes, and certainly well ahead of Renault.

And Red Bull have always known how to design a good chassis.

It's puzzling why McLaren would take the pain of Honda's development years and then drop them once they came right. Did they simply get a super cheap deal for those first years? (not that McLaren are normally short of a bob) Did Honda refuse to supply more than one major team? Did Red Bull refuse to allow Honda to supply McLaren if they supplied the RB teams and Honda really wanted RB?