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Boy was Stroll terrible this race. Watching Perez drive from the back to the front makes me still angry that he is losing his seat there and Stroll is keeping his.
Boy was Stroll terrible this race. Watching Perez drive from the back to the front makes me still angry that he is losing his seat there and Stroll is keeping his.
Yep, Daddy Stroll did a great job buying his son an F1 team and ensuring there were no options for the team to cancel his sons contract, should the need arise.
It's bullshit, and I would much rather see a Seb / Perez lineup then a Seb / Stroll lineup.
Maybe Perez will steal that RB seat from Albon (who absolutely needs to go).
Last edited by civicdrivr; 10-26-2020 at 09:51 AM.
Stroll has shown some real improvement in a better car, compared to his years at Williams.
Albon, much like, Bottas, has the unfortunate task of being put up against a very strong teammate. Albon just hasn't been able to get near Max's pace.
Portugal looked like a really fun track, even if it provided a slightly lackluster race.
Stroll has shown some real improvement in a better car, compared to his years at Williams.
Albon, much like, Bottas, has the unfortunate task of being put up against a very strong teammate. Albon just hasn't been able to get near Max's pace.
Portugal looked like a really fun track, even if it provided a slightly lackluster race.
But the big difference is Bottas can finish on the same lap as his teammate, and in some cases beat him.
In Russia, Albon was 90 seconds behind Max. Belguim - 28 seconds back. 70th Anniversary - 39 seconds back. Hungary - 70 seconds back. Portugal & Spain - 1 lap down. The only time Albon has beaten Max this year is when Max DNF'd.
Last year was a different story, he actually beat Max on track twice. Maybe the car really isn't suited to him, but he seems scared of it.
I had similar thoughts to Vettel, maybe the Ferrari this year just doesn't suit his driving style.
Albon showed a lot of promise when he got the promotion, but hasn't been living up to it as of late.
I liked that Vettel interview, was very down to earth and reflective but does not dwell on the past. Forward looking
For alot of reasons the Vettel/Ferrari pairing just didn't work.
I think Albon and Stroll are both better that what we've seen the past few races.
Originally Posted by 00TL-P3.2
Stroll has shown some real improvement in a better car, compared to his years at Williams.
Albon, much like, Bottas, has the unfortunate task of being put up against a very strong teammate. Albon just hasn't been able to get near Max's pace.
Portugal looked like a really fun track, even if it provided a slightly lackluster race.
Originally Posted by civicdrivr
But the big difference is Bottas can finish on the same lap as his teammate, and in some cases beat him.
In Russia, Albon was 90 seconds behind Max. Belguim - 28 seconds back. 70th Anniversary - 39 seconds back. Hungary - 70 seconds back. Portugal & Spain - 1 lap down. The only time Albon has beaten Max this year is when Max DNF'd.
Last year was a different story, he actually beat Max on track twice. Maybe the car really isn't suited to him, but he seems scared of it.
Stroll, Albon, and I am going to include Gasly cause I feel he falls in this category overall have all improved since they entered the sport. The problem is in my opinion at least as they just are not consistent enough to be a second at a top three. Perez and Hulkenburg to me although maybe not pushing for the top step like Bottas should be bringing you a top 3-5 points finish every week in one of those top cars and occasionally maybe even a 2nd here or there. If Red Bull want to seriously be in the championship hunt they can't have a teammate for max falling so far behind all the time. Stroll, Albon, and Gasly are all great drivers for midfield teams but to be in a top 3 team they are hurting the teams results. Stroll I still give a better chance to improve and still turn things around but either the car or pressure just don't seem to suit Albon at RBR. That said I still dislike Vettel/Stroll pairing cause I am not sure he has the IT factor anymore to be great again unless they are going to 100% design that car around him and then where does that leave Stroll at?
I liked that Vettel interview, was very down to earth and reflective but does not dwell on the past. Forward looking
For alot of reasons the Vettel/Ferrari pairing just didn't work.
Yup. I've been listening to a lot more podcasts recently.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says Pierre Gasly won’t be promoted in place of Alex Albon because they would both perform at a similar level in the same car.
Albon replaced Gasly after 12 races at Red Bull last year when the Frenchman was struggling, and the rookie went on to perform consistently in the more senior team but didn’t score a podium. Gasly recovered quickly, finishing second in Brazil last year and then taking a surprise win at Monza this season, but despite ongoing impressive performances, Horner says he will not get promoted again next year.
“We have a lot of information on the drivers over a big period of time,” Horner said. “Pierre’s done a super job [in Portugal] and he’s driving very well in that environment with AlphaTauri, he’s comfortable in that car with perhaps the less pressure that goes with that environment as well, and less expectation. I think their aspirations as a team are different to as it was as Toro Rosso so it makes sense that the fit works well in both directions with Pierre and the AlphaTauri team.”
Explaining that decision in more detail, Horner said the difficult characteristics of the Red Bull hampered both drives alongside Max Verstappen, and he’d expect to see similar results from Albon to Gasly if they were both in the AlphaTauri.
“I think the car is a more difficult car to drive than the AlphaTauri, we know that and it’s very, very clear,” he said. “The car is much more rear-sensitive, and I think that can be unnerving for drivers. Max copes with that incredibly well, other drivers have struggled more with that. I think that’s just the facts of it.
“I think if Alex was in an AlphaTauri he’d probably be doing a very similar job to what we saw with Pierre, I have no doubts of that. It’s just the characteristics of our car, they’re struggling to commit on corner entry and you see it a little bit with the Ferrari with [Charles] Leclerc and [Sebastian] Vettel at the moment, you see it in the race with [Lewis] Hamilton and [Valtteri] Bottas. That’s just the way it is sometimes.
“So our first and foremost priority is to give Alex the opportunity to lay claim to that seat. Let’s not forget when he jumped in that car last year he outscored and outperformed Pierre significantly in the balance of 2019. If we were to swap them back, why would it be any different?”
Date published: October 27 2020 Christian Horner has all but warned Alex Albon that there are rival drivers with “significant experience and ability” looking for race seats for next season.
Albon stepped up to Red Bull last year and showed signs of promise.
That has waned this year with the Thai driver destroyed by his team-mate Max Verstappen, who even lapped him at Sunday’s Portuguese Grand Prix.
That tune has changed in the last week with Horner admitting Red Bull wouldn’t be “doing our job” if they didn’t look at the driver market.
“The reality is there’s not so many races left in the season,” he told Foxsport, “and it’s getting to that time of year where we need to start thinking about next year.
“I think within the next few weeks, we’re going to have to make a decision.
“I think that you’ve got to look at all of the options, and I don’t think we’d be doing our job if we didn’t look at the situation within F1.
“There are obviously drivers that have got significant experience and ability, and that is a very unusual situation, that could be available.”
Yup. I've been listening to a lot more podcasts recently.
same here, some have been really good. Some for different reasons, not a fan but I was impressed by how candid and honest Ralf Schumacher was. Patrick Head and Frank Dernie (both of Williams) were really good.
The FIA World Motor Sport Council has approved changes to the Formula 1 sporting regulations that are tailored for the first ever two-day grand prix weekend in Imola.
Many of the changes relate to the timing of regular elements of the weekend schedule that have had to be moved.
The single free practice session on Saturday morning will last for 90 minutes, and it will be separated from the start of qualifying by a 2.5-hour gap.
There will be two drivers' briefings, with the first in the standard late Friday slot, essentially to talk about any matters resulting from Portimao.
However, because there will have been no track action a second meeting has been added to the lunch break on Saturday, so that drivers can give any feedback on the circuit between the single free practice session and qualifying.
The curfew rules have also been adjusted to reflect the fact that that is just one restricted period, overnight on Friday, instead of the usual two.
The rule that obliges anyone changing chassis after FP3 to start from the pitlane has been changed to FP1.
With no Friday action, each driver will have 10 rather than 13 sets of dry tyres, namely two sets of hards, two mediums, and six softs. Three sets have to be returned after FP1.
FIA race director Michael Masi acknowledged in Portimao that a lot of work was required to adjust for the new format.
"The sporting regulations for a two-day event have been voted or finalised through the World Motor Sport Council," he said. "They have required a significant amount of change to facilitate a two-day event.
"And it's compressing everything, because effectively what has occurred is all of Friday's normal activity has been removed. Even some of the elements of scheduling, of drivers' briefings and so forth, that normally happen after the first day of practice.
"There will be let's call it a drivers' briefing of a form on Friday night, which will take place to deal with any elements effectively from this event and other matters of note.
"And then after practice one, the only free practice session, there's another one scheduled to discuss any circuit specific matters that may have come up.
"It's going to certainly be interesting to see, and something I'm looking forward to. And I know having spoken to a number of the team managers that they are too. It's just something completely different."
Formula 1 is set to stage a 23-race calendar in 2021, featuring two triple-headers and adding Saudi Arabia as the Dutch Grand Prix moves to an autumn date.
After the 2020 schedule was heavily revised as 13 races were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, F1 has been clear in its plan to run a calendar next season that is closer to normal.
Teams were handed a first draft of the schedule in an F1 Commission meeting on Monday, featuring all 10 competitors as well as officials from F1 and the FIA.
Motorsport.com has learned the provisional calendar for 2021 features 23 races, adding a grand prix in Saudi Arabia to the existing 22 rounds that were planned for this year.
The 2021 F1 season is scheduled to start in Australia on 21 March, followed by the Bahrain Grand Prix one week later.
A two-week gap will follow before the Chinese Grand Prix on 11 April, with the inaugural Vietnam Grand Prix set to be held two weeks after that.
One of the biggest changes from the planned schedule in 2020 is a shift of the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort to an autumn date slot.
The race had been due to open the European season at the start of May this year, but will now form part of a European triple-header with the Belgian Grand Prix and the Italian Grand Prix after the summer break.
It means the Spanish Grand Prix returns to its traditional status as the first European race of the year, taking place on 9 May before Monaco on 23 May.
Azerbaijan will maintain its planned switch to a June slot from 2020, pairing up with the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, before the regular run of European events in France, Austria, Great Britain and Hungary, the latter hosting the final race before the summer break on 1 August.
The dates for the second half of the calendar remain fluid, but there is set to be a second triple-header formed by the races in Singapore, Russia and Japan.
Although the eventual 2020 calendar featured four triple-headers, including a run of nine races in 11 weeks to start the season, teams had warned running races on three straight weekends could not become the norm in the future.
F1 first attempted a triple-header in 2018, running races in France, Austria and Great Britain on consecutive weekends, but had agreement from teams not to do so again due to the pressures it placed on personnel.
By forming a triple-header with Singapore, Sochi and Suzuka, F1 has created an extra one-week gap in the calendar for the event in Saudi Arabia to join the schedule, with a street race in Jeddah planned for late in the season.
It will see F1 become the latest major international series to stage an event in Saudi Arabia following similar moves in Formula E - which has hosted its last two season openers in Diriyah - as well as sports such as boxing and football.
The race is set to mark a first move into Saudi Arabia for F1 amid plans to construct a new circuit in Qiddiya on the outskirts of Riyadh in the future.
Despite concerns about the viability of some events due to the uncertain nature of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, F1 has not officially informed teams of any potential back-up races as it hopes to stick to the planned schedule.
Pre-season testing is also set for a shake-up, with at least one test moving from Barcelona to Bahrain next March prior to the season opener in Australia.
AlphaTauri have confirmed Pierre Gasly will continue to drive for the team for the 2021 Formula 1 season.
The Frenchman began his F1 career with the team – then known as Toro Rosso – in 2017 before he was called up to the senior Red Bull team in 2019 to replace the departing Daniel Ricciardo.
After a tough time at the team he re-joined Toro Rosso mid-season in a swap with Alex Albon, but this year has been in fine form – not least when he took his maiden F1 victory in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
And today the team confirmed he would be remaining with the team for the 2021 season.
The 24-year-old said: “I’m extremely happy to continue with Scuderia AlphaTauri for another season! This year is going very well, and we are on track to have our most successful season in the team’s history.
"I feel we have a very strong relationship, we have managed to take every opportunity that’s come our way, the best one at the Italian Grand Prix. Winning my first Formula 1 race in Monza was a very special moment for me, and it was made extra sweet to deliver a second win in the team’s history, so I’m very proud of that.
"I’ll do my maximum to push the team and take all my responsibility to bring it as far forward as I can. I’m looking forward to next year’s challenge and continuing with AlphaTauri both as a premium fashion brand and a racing team, to keep performing as much as I can to achieve even more success in the future.”
AlphaTauri team boss Franz Tost added: “I’m delighted that Pierre will remain with us for the 2021 season. He has been part of the Red Bull driver pool for many years and I hope he will remain in the Red Bull family for many seasons ahead.
"Since he came back to the team last year, he consistently showed extremely good performances achieving two podiums, with a second place in Brazil in 2019 and a win at the team’s home race at this year’s Italian Grand Prix.
"Pierre has proven to be highly competitive also thanks to his great race craft, extracting the car’s potential at every race and giving valuable feedback to his engineers.
"He is mentally very strong, he is always motivated and when he sets a goal he gives it his all to achieve it. I’m looking forward to extending this cooperation and having a successful 2021 season together.”
The team have yet to announce who will fill their second seat – currently held by Daniil Kvyat – but this announcement ends speculation that Gasly would return to Red Bull next season given his impressive form in 2020.
The Alfa Romeo name will stay in Formula 1 next season after the Italian car brand extended its title partnership with Sauber until the end of 2021.
The partnership in which Sauber was renamed Alfa Romeo while also providing engineering feedback on some of Alfa’s road cars began in 2018. With the deal set to expire at the end of this season, the team has now announced an extension “until at least the end of the current era of Formula 1 regulations,” although team principal Frederic Vasseur is hopeful of a longer-term partnership.
“The extension of our relationship with Alfa Romeo is a true statement of intent from both parties,” Vasseur said. “In Sauber, Alfa Romeo found a committed, performance-driven partner to which they could entrust their brand: we are honored to carry the heritage and past success of Alfa Romeo in our name.
“Both parties always intended for this relationship to bear fruit in the long term: we have laid some solid foundations in the last three seasons and we aim to reap the rewards of this work in 2021 and beyond.”
Alfa Romeo is owned by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and its CEO Mike Manley says it is important the brand has a presence in motorsport.
“Racing and performance are at the core of Alfa Romeo’s DNA,” Manley said. “The brand was practically born on a racetrack and today we continue to compete at the most technologically advanced level of motorsport.
“The partnership with Sauber also allows our customers to benefit from exclusive racing know-how, as it is the case of the all-new Giulia GTA and GTAm, which incorporate Sauber Engineering’s technical input, particularly as it relates to advanced aerodynamics.”
Alfa Romeo’s 2021 driver line-up has yet to be announced, but it is expected that the team will retain its current pairing of Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi despite being linked with Sergio Perez and Ferrari Driver Academy members Mick Schumacher and Robert Shwartzman.
Kimi Raikkonen will embark on an impressive 19th season in Formula 1 in 2021 after agreeing to extend his deal with Alfa Romeo for another, with the Finn to be joined once again by Antonio Giovinazzi.
Ahead of one of the last of three home races in 2020 - the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola - Alfa Romeo took the opportunity to announce their driver line-up, confirming their current pairing will stay together for a third season.
2020 has been a challenging season for the team, who currently sit eighth in the constructors’ championship having scored just five points. However, that has seemingly not dismayed Raikkonen, holder of F1’s all-time race starts record, who proved the fire still burns brightly in the last race in Portugal by passing 10 cars on a brilliant opening lap.
The 41-year-old will thus stay on with the team with which he made his debut in 2001 (when they ran as Sauber), with Alfa Romeo saying they were keen to retain his speed and hugely impressive technical feedback.
“Alfa Romeo Racing is more than a team to me, it is like a second family,” said Raikkonen. “So many of the faces that were around me when I made my Formula 1 debut in 2001 are still here and the unique atmosphere of this team is what gives me that extra motivation to keep going in what will be my 19th season in the sport, next year.
“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe in the team’s project and in what we feel we can achieve together. This is a team that values hard work over words and this fits well with my style: I am looking forward to next year and hopefully making some steps forward towards the front of the midfield with the team.”
Ferrari junior Giovinazzi’s future was less certain, but both Alfa Romeo and their technical partner Ferrari decided the Italian was the best man for the job next season, when chassis will be carried over, albeit with aerodynamic changes.
“The team has put a lot of faith in me and I have done my best to repay this confidence with hard work and commitment,” said Giovinazzi, who has two top-10 finishes to his name so far this season. “We have achieved some good results and I feel I have done my part to make the team progress, but the road ahead is still long and there is much more we want to achieve together.”
Team Principal Fred Vasseur added: “I am very pleased for the team to continue working with Kimi and Antonio for another season. Kimi is a driver who needs no introduction: his talent has been clear to everyone since 2001 and I still see the passion and motivation in him every time I see him at work.
“He can be trusted to deliver 100% of what the car can produce and he is a true leader for the people working around him. Antonio finished last year’s campaign strongly and he picked up where he left off and kept improving throughout 2020.
“From the track to the engineering briefings, Antonio has played a crucial role for our team and he has thoroughly deserved a new contract for 2021. His work ethic, commitment to the team and contagious enthusiasm are a huge asset for Alfa Romeo Racing.”
Alfa Romeo's news means that there are now just four teams - Mercedes, Red Bull, AlphaTauri and Williams - who have yet to formally confirm full driver line-ups for 2021.
George Russell will remain with Williams for the 2021 Formula 1 season following speculation about his position and "confusion" about his future with the team.
Williams announced back in July that Russell and Nicholas Latifi would be retained as its driver line-up for 2021, albeit prior to a change in the team's ownership.
But Roberts moved to confirm that Russell and Latifi would be remaining with Williams for 2021 ahead of this weekend's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
"I probably caused a bit of confusion last week, I'm sorry about that," Roberts said.
"We didn't really want to comment on the driver position. But as George said, Claire [Williams] made the announcement earlier this year, nothing has changed.
"This is our driver line-up for this year and next year. We're very happy with them, and we look forward to working with them in a continued way."
Russell said last weekend that he expected to get clarity from Williams' new owners about his future this week, and that he believed most of the rumours about his future had been "fed by the Perez camp".
"It's never nice to hear any speculation that your job is potentially up for grabs," Russell said on Thursday.
"But nevertheless, I was confident in what I could perform on-track and ultimately I had to do the talking on track. As Simon said, I was confident nothing would change moving into 2021, even with all the speculation going around.
"Like I said, I think a lot of the speculation was fed via other teams surrounding drivers to create these issues over the last couple of weeks."
It marks another avenue closed for Perez to remain on the grid for next year, leaving Red Bull as his only realistic option of securing a seat in 2021.
Red Bull has stated it will look outside of its existing driver pool if it opts to drop Alexander Albon for next year, making Perez or Nico Hulkenberg potential candidates.
Although Haas is yet to announce its line-up for next year, it is expected to take on two rookies, with F2 racers Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher in line to get the seats.
If he keeps his Quali run going. I wonder which driver has longest streak of qualifying over their teammate. He outqualified Kubica at every round in '19 & has done the same this season. Yet, still has 0 points.
Albon must go and yes it should be Perez or Hulk but really want it to be Perez. He just keeps driving so well right now. Can't believe RP brought him in to pit and didn't take the chance at a podium. I think worst case if his tires fell off he would have been in the same place he got to with fresh tires. Unless they believed Max issue was a failing tire that wasn't from something on track.
So everyone expects Tsunoda to take the second AlphaTauri seat, and Hulkenberg/Perez to take the second Red Bull seat.
What if it was reversed? Could we see Tsunoda take the Red Bull seat? Unlike Hulk or Perez, Tsunoda is a Red Bull product. He's third in F2 and he's won races. Maybe Red Bull will surprise everyone.
Saw another theory that maybe it'll be Gasly/Albon at AT & Perez into the 2nd RBR seat. Give the AT boys 1 more shot to earn the RBR seat or hit the road.
Heard the commentators mention Tsunoda for the AT seat as well.
He beat Lewis Hamilton to pole position and made the perfect getaway at the start of the Emilia Romagna GP, but Valtteri Bottas’s hard work was undone on lap 2 when he inadvertently collided with debris on the track. That resulted in significant damage to his floor and left him to struggle home to second place, as Hamilton took another win.
Bottas was leading Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Hamilton when he ran into a chunk of carbon fibre discarded from Sebastian Vettel’s front wing after the Ferrari made contact with Kevin Magnussen’s Haas. He managed to retain his advantage over Verstappen after the Dutchman attempted to undercut him, but as he struggled to cope with the damage he fell back from Hamilton as the Briton assumed the lead, with Bottas then going off the road at Turn 17, allowing Verstappen to pounce for P2.
He would ultimately get the position back after Verstappen’s tyre-related spin late on, but that was only small consolation to the Finn.
“It was on the racing line and I didn’t have enough time to react,” said Bottas of the debris. “I saw a big piece of carbon so I decided the only thing I had time to do was aim how to hit it. So I decided to go straight over it instead of it going under one of the tyres and possibly causing a puncture. But unluckily it got stuck under the floor and apparently it [cost] like 50 points of downforce, which in lap time is quite a big chunk."
From then on, the Finn said, he had no chance of fighting for the win.
“How it affected me, I’d say mainly in high-speed corners the car was sliding a bit," he explained. "And in some braking [zones] it was a bit unpredictable. Sometimes I would lock the wheels and sometimes it was stopping pretty quickly. So it was not really consistent the downforce I had on the car, so it made it really tricky. I didn’t quite have the pace.
“Max was putting a lot of pressure on and eventually he got through because I had to push over my limits to try to maintain my position and had a lock up. Not my day. I didn’t have a chance with that debris on the car to fight for the win. But at least we secured the one-two which is the perfect way to secure the seventh [constructors’] title for the team in a row.”
Asked whether he thought race control should have done more to remove the debris from harms way or do more to warn the drivers of it, Bottas said: “Actually I got a warning from my engineer that there could be some gravel maybe at Turn 7, because they could see some kind of warning. But there was no yellow flag and it was a big piece of debris and I didn’t have enough time to go around it.
“It would be good to get a better understanding of why there was no sign that there was a big piece of carbon, as obviously it’s dangerous if that goes flying around. But it sure didn’t help my race today.”
Sunday’s result means that Bottas has only been able to convert one of his four 2020 pole positions into a victory, and means Hamilton can tie up the drivers’ championship at the next race in Turkey.
Bottas has to outscore LH by 8 points in Turkey to keep in the fight for the WDC.
With <B wrapping up the WCC at Imola. they've also secured the WDC, with Max's DNF. Just have to wait & see which driver takes it. Barring some catastrophe, it's Hamilton's to lose.
Lewis Hamilton has indicated that he still has doubts over whether to continue in Formula One next year amid ongoing uncertainty about the role of Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff beyond the end of this season.
Hamilton is on the verge of securing a record-equalling seventh world title, but he has yet to renew his contract with the dominant Mercedes F1 team.
It had been assumed a new deal would be a formality, with Hamilton previously saying he intends to stay at the team for multiple years, but after winning Sunday's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, he said there was "no guarantee" he would remain in F1.
When asked about Wolff's changing role at the team and the potential for a successor, Hamilton said he was still considering his own plans.
"Naturally, I feel great, I feel very strong and I feel like I could keep going for plenty of months," he said. "But you mentioned about Toto and shelf life, so there are multiple things that do stay on my mind.
"I would like to be here next year, but there is no guarantee of that, for sure, and there is a lot that excites my about the 'after' life. Time will tell."
When Hamilton's comments were put to Wolff, the Mercedes boss played down the suggestion that Hamilton was genuinely considering walking away from F1.
"I guess if he were to decide to step out of Formula One, which I don't think is going to happen and I hope is not going to happen, I think we are going to have a pretty frantic driver market out there!" he said. "But I think it's the moment and the emotions, we are all happy but very tired also.
"It's the same for me. I completely relate with his feeling, that you question yourself and you think about all the other things that matter. When you switch on the news in the morning and you switch it off in the evening, it is all about the struggles that we all face.
"We are here in our little happy place and we are trying to bring some entertainment into households, but then you are back in the more difficult reality the next day. All of that is something that affects us and, in that respect, it's normal for someone who is [feeling] apathetic to have these feelings."
Wolff added: "Like Niki Lauda in the 1970s, he could wake up one morning at the track and just say that he is not having fun anymore. I think that can happen to anybody. But we want to continue this journey and we are not finished. Lewis and I and the whole team know that we are not finished."
In an earlier answer to a question about Wolff's future, Hamilton said he trusts a succession plan will be put in place.
"I think I understand and we have a lot of deep conversations, Toto and I, so I am very aware of where he is mentally and we share and carry a lot of the weight together, I think," he said. "I've been here a long, long time, and I can definitely understand him wanting to pull back a little bit and wanting to give more time to his family and those things.
"I don't know who he will get to replace him, but he is a leader and he is not going to put anyone who is not able to do the job and not going to be up to it and geared up. He is going to find the right people, and that is why we have the success we have, because he has found the right people and put them in position to be able to shine as bright as possible.
"He has just empowered every single person in this team to be the best they can be. He will find somebody who is able to take on and continue, but it is not about one person. This team is not about one person, it is about a collective of a lot of people. Toto doesn't build the car, it's a real team effort, but I am supportive of him whatever he wants to do moving forward."
While Wolff has not made his plans for 2021 public, he said they had already been worked through internally.
"With Mercedes and I, it is pretty much clear," he added. "It is just down to putting pen on paper at the right moment. I was also concentrating on bringing these championships home, and it was not right to spend days with lawyers when I am so focused on what is happening on track.
"This is where Lewis and I are very similar. It just didn't feel right to sit down before those championships are done. There will be a moment when the drivers' championship is decided and we will have a few months before the first race happens in Australia."
<-Portugal
10-26-2020 | 09:35 AM
https://acurazine.com/forums/motorsp.../#post16640888 
same here, some have been really good. Some for different reasons, not a fan but I was impressed by how candid and honest Ralf Schumacher was. Patrick Head and Frank Dernie (both of Williams) were really good.
Good. He didn't deserve to lose his seat.
