Last Updated on February 5 2024, 5:35 pm

Its been a tumultuous week for the Silver Arrows Formula One team following the shock announcement from Lewis Hamilton he is leaving for Ferrari next year. Rumours quickly emerged that Hamilton had experienced the 2024 car in the simulator and realised it was again not going to be good enough to challenge Red Bull Racing.

Toto Wolff was quick to deny this claiming Lewis had not driven the simulated version of the 2024 prior to informing the team he was leaving next season. Of course Mercedes admitted to finally ditching the failed design concept hey had based both the 2022 and 2023 cars upon and all eyes will be on the W15 at the car launch.

 

 

 

Rumours of poor W15 affecting Hamilton quashed

Mercedes chief James Allison confirmed in December the car would be “100%” new while Red Bull and McLaren are delivering cars which are evolutions of their 2023 F1 challengers.

The Hamilton announcement has raised a number of questions one of which is whether he will continue to partner with his race engineer Pete Bennington. “Bono” as he is known famously coined the phrase “its hammer time” during Lewis championship wining seasons which was code for the driver to use up all his tyres and push flat out because a pit stop was on the horizon.

When moving teams top F1 drivers often take certain members of staff with them and for many it is almost unthinkable that the Bono/Hamilton partnership will no longer continue. Yet as Fred Vasseur stated last season, not everyone who works in Formula One wants to move to Italy.

With teams now containing around 1000 people, many have roots laid down in local communities, children in school with friends and family nearby. Bono has been with the Brackley based team since it was Honda and then Brawn and its not known if he wants an Italian move.

Wolff complains of timing of Hamilton announcement

 

 

 

Will the Bono/Hamilton relationship survive?

Toto Wolff expects the topic to arise but is unsure which way the wind is blowing. “I think this is a discussion which everyone needs to have in the months to come,” Wolff said.

“And as much as I’ve spoken with Bono already, when I told him [about Hamilton’s move] he said, ‘Is it April the first?’ That’s something which we will discuss in the future.”

Clearly Bono was not in the loop while Hamilton was considering his move to Ferrari which may suggest the off track relationship between the two is not that close. 

Of course there has been no suggestion that Lewis will be deprived of his race engineer yet infamous driver/engineer partnerships have been broken when the the man on the pit wall has been offered a promotion within the team.

Details of Hamilton’s contract leaked

 

 

 

Russell eclipsed by the media noise

Of course all the turmoil and questions Mercedes are facing leaves a certain member of the team somewhat in limbo. George Russell joined Mercedes in 2022 having served an apprenticeship at Williams. It appeared it was always Mercedes intention that he would succeed Lewis Hamilton as the senior driver when the seven times world champion either hung up his boots or moved on.

Yet team boss Toto Wolff appeared bemused when asked about who he would favour as Hamilton’s replacement. Referring to McLaren and Ferrari recent announcements that Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc have been awarded contract extensions, Wolff mused “I guess that a few contracts have been signed a few weeks ago that we would have looked at that could have been interesting but timing here bit us a bit.”

Mercedes have been here before through. Following Nico Rosberg’s F1 drivers’ championship win over his team mate, the German driver decided almost instantly to retire, something Toto remembers.

“In the same way we embraced the Nico situation, and that was equally like from one moment to the other, unexpected, I’m really looking forward to taking the right decisions with the team together with my colleagues on who’s going to be in the seat next year.

“Maybe it’s a chance to do something bold.”

Leclerc’s juicy contract clause revealed

 

 

 

Wolff sounds unconvinced of “leader” Russell

Of course Mercedes have more time now to settle on Hamilton’s replacement but it will surely unsettle George Russell knowing there incoming driver may be more senior should the team recruit Fernando Alonso or even Carlos Sainz.

Toto Wolff now recognises Russell’s predicament. “With all the Lewis discussion, something that has not been talked about enough is George,” Wolff told Sky Sports.

“George has the potential to be the next lead driver in the team. He is of the generation of Lando [Norris] and [Charles] Leclerc and some of the others.”

“I couldn’t wish for a [better] new team leader when Lewis leaves, no doubt about that,” concludes Toto.

Andretti F1 big civil war

 

 

 

Fernando Alonso may be interested in Mercedes

Yet the fact that Toto is not absolute about George’s future role, stating “he has the potential” will be of concern to the driver as the teams out for Lewis’ replacement.

With the drivers and teams all uncertain as to how Mercedes will emerge in the pecking order this coming season, its unlikely that Fernando Alonso has yet picked up the phone to Toto. Aston Martin were far better than Mercedes in the early part of last year and with the Brackley team building a whole new car there is the danger Mercedes could be a m midfield team at best.

Conversely Aston Martin will fully occupy their £200m new facility at Silverstone with there state of the art wind tunnel and simulation tools.

Give Russell’s poor season in 2023 when compared to his team mate, he needs to step up and see off Hamilton if he wants to fulfil the “potential” Toto Wolff sees.

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