It is being discussed and a blueprint has been made for it. $30 million for both drivers combined from 2023 onwards; if teams want to go over then they can, but it would be taken out of the team’s budget cap. Though it’s unlikely that this cap would actually be implemented in 2023 (it will take time to get this done…

You just explained why they might need Hamilton after all. If Russell is on a similar pace as Bottas for most of the season, they might just have to start worrying about Verstappen.

Doesn’t have to mean retirement. He could take a sabbatical. If he was ever going to do that, 2021 seems like a perfect time for it. Major uncertainty about the schedule, having to live in a bubble most of the year... And he can still negotiate a long term deal at the end of the season. It’d be a gamble, obviously, if…

I’m with you on the second part, but the GOAT thing is debatable. Though he’s in the conversation for sure.

Of course he’ll demand huge money. He’d be crazy not to, to be honest. And if he wouldn’t be, then a deal would be done already. Surely he knows his value, and he’s trying to make use of that. Nothing wrong with that. He just doesn’t want to sign a 2 year deal, which makes total sense because that might hurt his…

They don’t know if they’re going to win. That’s the power of that team: they never get complacent and always keep pushing.

It’s salary cap related. If he signs a two year deal now, he’ll have to negotiate his next deal under the salary cap rules. If he signs a long term deal either now or a year from now, he doesn’t have to abide by the salary cap regulation for as long as that contract would run.

I won’t fight you, but if you make a statement like that you might want to explain how you reached that conclusion.

The reason he hasn’t signed yet is because of the rumoured salary cap coming into effect in 2023. That’s why it’s either a one year deal or a long term commitment (or neither).

How much money does he bring with him?

I’m sure they’ll announce something soon. But you didn’t take one factor into account: the PR nightmare that Mercedes would endure if they left Lewis without a seat.

First of all: I don’t have contempt for Lance. I’m happy he’s there, because it effectively saved a team. He also seems like a decent kid who could’ve just as easily sat on his ass all day and do nothing. But you can’t talk about his F3 title win without at least mentioning that nearly half the teams from 2015 didn’t…

Nope. He’s out entirely.

*a race where Ralf was ordered to stay behind Damon even though he was much quicker.

Not really fair to compare a demo with an official F1 session, as I’m sure with more practice and if he actually pushed he could’ve been closer. But Jeff didn’t post times that would’ve been competitive with the actual F1 times. Alex Yoong qualified last in a Minardi in 2002 with a 1.13.8, while the Williams’ cars…

By which measure? He was demolished by an aging Felipe Massa; pretty even with Sergey Sirotkin; and then handily beaten by Sergio Perez. None of those guys are world beaters.

He was also pretty even with Gerhard Berger.

This is a common thing you hear, that Kubica would’ve won a WDC somewhere down the line if he hadn’t been injured. My question is: which year? Would he have beaten the Vettel/Red Bull combo over a full season, something even Alonso couldn’t do? Would he have somehow managed to break up the Mercedes dominance? Very…

It’s the same move as in Jerez. Initial instinct is to straighten the wheel and give the opponent the corner, followed by the calculating side of him taking over and an immediate hard turn into the guy trying to pass. But in the Adelaide one he had more time to think, which makes that one worse. You can see in the…

Elio de Angelis.