2021 F1 Driver ThreadFormula 1 

Hamilton signs a one-year contract.
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/hamilton-new-mercedes-f1-contract/5361149/
Just the one year? That's a surprise, but it gives him as many options as possible at the end of 2021. He will most likely be an 8-time World Champion with over 100 poles and wins. What's to do after that if it isn't drop down the grid for a new challenge?

2022's driver market will be fascinating as this does mean that Merc have nobody signed for next year still.
 
Jimlaad43
He will most likely be an 8-time World Champion with over 100 poles and wins. What's to do after that if it isn't drop down the grid for a new challenge?
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ap8ROUR.gif


Doesn't matter what he does. He'll be fine.
 
Jimlaad43
2022's driver market will be fascinating as this does mean that Merc have nobody signed for next year still.
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Yep, I think we might see quite a dramatic change. I think Woolff and Hamilton will leave and AMG may dispose of the team. You read it here first! (Probably not).
 
I very much expected that Hamilton would sign for 1 year, I thought it might be longer but it fits my own internal thinking about how he was viewing his future in F1.

I would imagine if he succeeds in obtaining an 8th title he will be the record holder and it will be quite some time before someone else comes along that is as good and able to break that record, he will also have over 100 wins (providing the car continues to perform) so I would imagine this might well be the year he decides to hang up his racing gloves.

He will be 37 by the start of next season and have been in the sport 14 years if my memory recalls correctly...we shall see what happens!
 
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Was really hoping that Merc would give Russell his big break and Daimler had stood by their rumored objections to Hamilton's contract demands.
 
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AudiMan2011
Was really hoping that Merc would give Russell his big break and Daimler had stood by their rumored objections to Hamilton's contract demands.
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I think Toto pretty much ruled Russell out of the equation during the winter press statements stating he will get his chance in the car in the future.
 
I noticed in the article it said Lewis wants to see the team improve its diversity and environmental credentials. I wonder if he’s not planning on looking towards retiring, maybe he’s serious about seeing what the team also does this year to address these 2 areas. Maybe implies he’s gotten more serious about his views on world issues.
 
McLaren
I noticed in the article it said Lewis wants to see the team improve its diversity and environmental credentials. I wonder if he’s not planning on looking towards retiring, maybe he’s serious about seeing what the team also does this year to address these 2 areas. Maybe implies he’s gotten more serious about his views on world issues.
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As true as that is, I can't really see any other team acceeding to his requirements. Certainly not out of sincerity. He'll he fine if he doesn't find a suitable drive for 2022 y'know... life-wise... but if what you say is the case, and it's not unbelievable, he might be pricing himself out of a drive.
 
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Liquid
As true as that is, I can't really see any other team acceeding to his requirements. Certainly not out of sincerity. He'll he fine if he doesn't find a suitable drive for 2022 y'know... life-wise... but if what you say is the case, and it's not unbelievable, he might be pricing himself out of a drive.
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Ferrari might be desperate by 2022, given the new car and the abject season they're about to have in 2021.


Isn't it interesting that at the end of the 2021 season, Hamilton, Bottas, and Russell will all be at the end of their contracts?
 
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Ferrari are busy developing a new way to cheat themselves to a couple of wins again.

A miraculous uprising in the middle of the season.
 
Dennisch
Ferrari are busy developing a new way to cheat themselves to a couple of wins again.

A miraculous uprising in the middle of the season.
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Have a terrible 2020 to get extra wind tunnel time and money to spend in 2021 with the new budget cap and sliding scale of development for the 2022 cars? That could work.
 
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More on "Hamilton signs one year contract".

https://racer.com/2021/02/08/hamilton-agrees-new-one-year-mercedes-deal/
Lewis Hamilton has agreed a new one-year contract with Mercedes.

The seven-time world champion’s previous contract expired at the end of last season and talks had been ongoing since before Christmas, but team principal Toto Wolff stated last month that the pair kept throwing “curveballs” at their lawyers. Now an agreement has been reached that is the shortest of Hamilton’s career as it only covers the coming season, but it allows him to go for a record-breaking eighth drivers’ title.

A key feature of the new contract is the creation of a joint charitable foundation between Hamilton and Mercedes that is designed to provide support for greater inclusion and diversity in motorsport. Hamilton was a leading voice in that push within Formula 1 last year, and says it was an important aspect for him in the latest negotiations.

“I am excited to be heading into my ninth season with my Mercedes teammates,” Hamilton said. “Our team has achieved incredible things together and we look forward to building on our success even further, while continuously looking to improve, both on and off the track.

“I’m equally determined to continue the journey we started to make motorsport more diverse for future generations and I am grateful that Mercedes has been extremely supportive of my call to address this issue. I’m proud to say we are taking that effort further this year by launching a foundation dedicated to diversity and inclusion in the sport. I am inspired by all that we can build together and can’t wait to get back on the track in March.”

While also keen to highlight the importance of the pair’s aligned interests on diversity, Wolff says a key motivation is for Hamilton to continue setting new records with Hamilton.

“We have always been aligned with Lewis that we would continue, but the very unusual year we had in 2020 meant it took some time to finish the process,” Wolff said. “Together, we have decided to extend the sporting relationship for another season and to begin a longer-term project to take the next step in our shared commitment to greater diversity within our sport.

“Lewis’s competitive record stands alongside the best the sports world has ever seen, and he is a valued ambassador for our brand and our partners. The story of Mercedes and Lewis has written itself into the history books of our sport over the past eight seasons, and we are hungry to compete and to add more chapters to it.”

Mercedes F1 non-executive chairman Markus Schafer further reiterated the alignment between Hamilton’s and Mercedes’ values, and reinforced the company’s commitment to F1.

“Lewis is not only an incredibly talented driver; he also works very hard for his achievements and is extremely hungry,” Schafer said. “He shares his passion for performance with the entire team, which is why this collaboration has become so successful.

“But Lewis is also a warm-hearted personality who cares deeply about the world around him and wants to make an impact. As a company, we share this sense of responsibility. Opening the series to under-represented groups will be important for the sport’s development in the future and we’re determined to make an impact.”

Schafer is also a Daimler board member, and after a year in which INEOS became an equal-third shareholder in the F1 team alongside Toto Wolff, the German said the company’s commitment to the sport has not wavered.

“2020 was a difficult year for Formula 1, but we’re happy the series was able to go racing and produce a thrilling season,” he said. “Despite the challenges, we were able to not only defend both championship titles, but also make some very important strategic decisions for the future of the team.

“We’ve aligned the sustainability efforts of our Mercedes works team more closely with those of Daimler, both in terms of the environmental impact and the economic value for the team’s shareholders. The closer collaboration between our F1 team and our performance division AMG creates an exciting opportunity for both sides, and will take our technology transfer from the race track to the road to the next level.

“Formula 1 is one of our biggest global marketing platforms and the steps we’ve taken in the last 12 months ensure that this platform stays highly attractive for us. We remain strongly committed to the sport and are excited to see what the future holds for our Mercedes works team.”
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Lewis Hamilton
“I’m equally determined to continue the journey we started to make motorsport more diverse for future generations and I am grateful that Mercedes has been extremely supportive of my call to address this issue."
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I bet Lewis is a firm believer in equality of outcome.
 
Fernando Alonso has been injured, possibly seriously, in a cycle accident.

https://www.larazon.es/deportes/20210211/kzxjw5njinaapgeuoy7xbneoqq.html

Trans:
The Spanish pilot Fernando Alonso was hit by a car on Thursday while riding a bicycle near Lugano, in Switzerland. According to La Gazzetta , Alonso was immediately transferred to a local hospital and the first x-rays showed possible fractures . Fernando Alonso, world champion in 2005 and 2006, returns this season to Formula 1 with Renault, the team with which he won his two titles.

If the news from by La Gazzetta is confirmed and Alonso has suffered a fracture, the Asturian driver would seriously compromise the start of his Formula 1 season, which starts on March 28 in Bahrain.

The accident happened while Alonso was training on the roads of Switzerland. A great cycling fan, the bicycle is part of Alonso's regular training sessions, which is finalising his set-up to return to Formula 1, which he left in 2018.
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Reports are that he's fully conscious and "happy in in himself". I take that to mean there are no major worries about injuries other than breaks and bruises, which is at least something to be thankful for.

EDIT: The BBC is reporting that he has a jaw fracture. It's not good but it's better than breaking a leg.
 
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Alonso has fractured his jaw but has had 'remedial' work and will return to training 'soon'. Alpine say they're expecting him to be fit for the season start. Good news!
 

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